Banking

The CNBS reported that Honduras's financial system maintains a capital adequacy ratio of 14.88%, above the 12.5% Basel III requirement, with liquidity at 38.15% and loan defaults at 2.80%, indicating stability in the supervised banking sector.

Honduras's banking association says the central bank should cautiously reopen the interbank foreign-exchange market, directing dollar inflows from exports and remittances to productive sectors while monitoring rising oil prices and international conditions.

Honduras's commercial banks have kept lending and deposit rates unchanged despite the Central Bank raising its policy rate, according to a BCH statement.

End-of-2025 data shows Honduras had 15.6 million deposit accounts, with commercial banks and credit unions holding 94.2% of the total, reflecting expanded access to formal financial services.

A proposal before Congress would raise from 150,000 to 300,000 lempiras (about $6,000 to $12,000) the transaction ceiling up to which individuals pay the 2-lempira-per-thousand Security Tax on personal bank accounts, extending the standard rate to a broader range of transactions.

Honduras's private banking system reached an all-time high of 207.9 billion lempiras in liquid reserves as of August 2026, a 28.6% increase from a year earlier, giving banks greater capacity to extend credit at stable interest rates.

As of June 2026, Honduras's private external debt is concentrated in commercial bank loans (94.6%), with the non-financial private sector owing 71.2% of the total and the financial sector 28.8%.

A bill by Congressman Juan Carlos Lagos would double the security-tax threshold for personal savings-account transactions from about 150,000 lempiras (roughly $6,000) to 300,000 lempiras (roughly $12,000), expanding the range subject to the lower two-lempira-per-thousand rate to benefit more Hondurans, the lawmaker says.

Honduran banks will close at noon on Wednesday, October 7, during Morazán Week celebrations; customers are advised to complete in-person transactions in advance but can use online banking, ATMs, and ACH transfers during the holiday.

Honduras's commercial banks are capturing more private-sector deposits, particularly savings accounts from households buoyed by incoming family remittances, the Central Bank reports.

Five Honduran banks—Atlántida, BAC, Ficohsa, Banco de Occidente, and Banpaís—control 84.7% of the 5.75 million debit cards in circulation as of July 2026, with debit cards becoming the dominant payment method nationwide.

Banking regulator CNBS Commissioner Nicolás García warns that scammers prey on victims by creating artificial urgency and promising unrealistic returns, urging consumers to verify CNBS authorization and never share banking credentials.

Honduras law requires anyone who receives money by banking error to return it, with civil and penal liability—including fraud charges—for those who spend or refuse to repay the funds.

Honduras's banking system is reallocating resources toward longer-term domestic financial instruments, signaling a shift toward more structurally oriented investments.

Interest rates on new loans and deposits in Honduras are falling, especially in lempiras, as bank deposits grow and credit conditions normalize across the financial system.