Honduras Business News

Qarim Qubain, president of the Cortés Chamber of Commerce and Industry, says Congress needs more time to build consensus on controversial energy reforms, warning that prolonged electricity costs are driving away business investment.

COHEP is hosting a webinar on July 29 at 9:00 a.m. on commercial opportunities in Mesoamerica, aimed at helping Honduran private-sector companies explore regional competitive advantages and economic integration.

The president of the Cortés Chamber of Commerce warns that crime and weak rule of law are deterring both foreign and domestic companies from investing, expanding operations, and creating jobs in Honduras.

Honduras's tax authority (SAR) has activated mandatory electronic generation of the FYDUCA payment voucher, the customs fiscal document users must now generate and download through SAR's online system.

The fourth annual Expo Comayagua 2026, organized by the Comayagua Chamber of Commerce, features 29 vendors, business networking sessions, masterclasses, and food tastings designed to foster commercial partnerships and strengthen enterprise connections.

Honduran coffee, cacao, and cashew-producer organizations completed a July 15–16 workshop in Choluteca on export procedures and EU deforestation regulations, with EU funding and university support to help them meet international market requirements.

Honduras contracted with German company Tönnjes for $65 million to manufacture 2.9 million vehicle license plates through 2030, clearing a backlog of nearly one million vehicles still using temporary paper permits.

Honduras's maritime authority announced job openings across multiple departments—deck, security, engineering, technical services, IT, and administration—for Hondurans to work on international cruise ships, with applications due by July 17.

Honduras's Opportunity Electricity Market (MEO), created in 2019, is drawing fresh investment in power generation; by May 2026 it supplied 16.62% of national production through 39 plants, though faster payments to generators have increased Enee's purchase costs.

Honduras's ambassador to Colombia announced a strategy to deepen economic ties and attract Colombian capital to maquila manufacturing, banking, agribusiness, and automotive production to create jobs and boost exports.

Mirtha Discua de Quiñónez, the Honduran entrepreneur whose restaurant Zulimar became a landmark of the Honduran diaspora community in the United States, has died.

Honduras's banking and insurance regulator alerts the public to fraudulent messages falsely claiming to be from the CNBS and requesting identity verification, data updates, or biometric validation to unlock financial products.

COHEP will host a webinar on July 29 at 9 a.m. on commercial opportunities in Mesoamerica, aimed at helping Honduran firms explore regional competitive advantages and integrate into an expanding trade environment.

The president of Honduras's National Association of Industrialists says Congress should approve an energy-sector reform bill quickly, with a 20-year validity period, arguing that depoliticizing the issue and pursuing it on technical grounds will unlock investment and jobs.

Honduras's avocado producers are preparing to export to Europe and Asia through training, technical support, and partnerships with international cooperators, building on the country's annual production of over 15 million pounds.

The National Agricultural Development Bank's board has ordered an investigation into credit approvals to determine whether irregularities occurred in the approval process and to establish responsibility.

The head of Honduras's footwear industry association warns that cheap Chinese shoe imports are pushing most local workshops toward crisis, cutting production sharply.

Honduras has launched a centralized registry administered by the banking regulator to identify the true owners of companies, trusts, and investment funds operating in the country, aimed at eliminating corporate anonymity and meeting international transparency standards.

The Footwear Industry Association says more than 300 workshops have closed in three years and 2,000 workers lost jobs as cheap Chinese imports, rising production costs, and higher fuel and electricity prices undermine local manufacturers' competitiveness.

A labor confederation representative estimates that about 40% of Honduras's maquiladoras (assembly factories) have shut down, severely impacting employment and family incomes in the northern industrial zone.

Free-zones adviser Santos Roberto Peña reported that three new companies incorporated in Honduras during the first half of 2026 are expected to generate around 500 jobs.

More than 5,000 small and medium-sized enterprises in San Pedro Sula are set to create free e-commerce websites on July 4 using AI-powered tools, part of a national initiative to help Honduran businesses reach digital markets and improve sales.

Honduras's agriculture ministry and the national coffee institute signed a 100-million-lempira (about $4 million) cooperation agreement to boost coffee production through research, technical assistance, technology transfer, and improved quality standards.

COHEP is backing a digital platform developed through a partnership between the Tegucigalpa chamber of commerce and the Tegucigalpa municipal government to help formalize businesses, strengthen entrepreneurship, and connect Hondurans with training and job opportunities.

Fundación Próspera is partnering with the inaugural Espressate Roatán event on July 11 to showcase Honduran coffee to producers, entrepreneurs, and international visitors, aiming to open new markets and highlight the quality of the country's coffee industry.

Spain will resume exporting pork to Honduras under national health controls and monitoring protocols, as Honduran pork producers watch how the reopened market develops.

A relaunched national plan, backed by the government and tech firm KOLAU, will let more than 10,000 micro and small businesses create an AI-powered online store free in about one minute, officials say.

Honduras's private-sector council president said a 10% U.S. tariff on Honduran goods raises export costs, undercuts competitiveness, and discourages foreign investment—including from European firms—and is pushing the government to negotiate tariff reduction or elimination.

Coffee industry leader Fredy Pastrana warned that Honduras must accelerate compliance with the European Union's deforestation regulation before the new coffee year begins, noting the country is advancing geolocation of farms and market standards to maintain access to a key export market.

A 12.48% increase in electrical rates for the third quarter of 2026 is straining micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises in the San Pedro Sula region, which say they cannot absorb the cost hike without losing competitiveness.