Honduras Economy News

Agricultural sector representatives will meet with BANADESA to discuss credit restructuring under a new congressional decree, though farmers say the bank's L1.2 billion fund (about $48 million) is insufficient—they estimate over L2 billion needed to stabilize the sector.

The Central Bank of Honduras auctioned $106.2 million in its daily currency offering on June 23, setting the weighted average exchange rate at L26.7190 per dollar for June 24.

Family remittances, which account for 54.2% of all foreign currency inflows to Honduras, are sustaining a positive net foreign-exchange position amid slower growth in outflows.

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.

The Central Bank of Honduras says strengthening net international reserves are boosting liquidity in the economy, prompting active monetary management to control excess liquidity and preserve price stability.

Economist Amparo Canales welcomed fuel price reductions as temporary relief but stressed that savings must translate into lower consumer prices broadly, urging authorities to monitor for pricing abuses.

The Central Bank of Honduras allocated $85.1 million in its June 22 foreign-exchange auction, setting the weighted average exchange rate at L26.7166 per dollar for June 23.

Honduras's net foreign reserves reached $1.19 billion as of June 19, up sharply from late January, while import coverage remained stable at 6.6 months.

Honduras has exported over 6 million quintals (about 270,000 metric tons) of coffee worth $2.05 billion this season, and with sales contracts already near 6.85 million quintals, officials project final exports could reach 7 million quintals before the September 30 harvest close.

Honduras's public debt increased by $1.8 billion in the first three months of 2026 compared with the same period a year earlier.

Civil-society groups have called on the government to redirect about 7 billion lempiras (roughly $280 million) now spent on subsidies toward public investment instead.

Honduras's Energy Ministry lowered prices for gasoline, kerosene, diesel, and vehicle liquefied petroleum gas effective June 23, while maintaining a temporary subsidy on domestic cooking gas to protect household budgets amid volatile global crude markets.

A CEPAL report finds Guatemala and Honduras have the highest rates of multidimensional poverty in Central America—measuring deprivation in health, education, housing, employment, and services—with Honduras at 12% and Guatemala at 28.9%, and both countries showing severe housing overcrowding above 40%.

Leonardo Deras, a commissioner at electricity regulator CREE, warned that state utility ENEE is losing 1.3 billion lempiras (about $52 million) a month and that, without action, losses could reach 150,000 million lempiras (about $6 billion) in coming years.

Honduras is preparing an international tender for 1,500 megawatts of firm capacity using liquefied natural gas, aiming to diversify its energy matrix and add capacity needed to meet growing demand over the next decade.

Honduras's new gasoline and diesel pricing structure will take effect at all stations nationwide at 6:00 a.m. on Monday.

An analyst with Honduras's external-debt and development forum says poverty levels have remained flat over two decades despite spending more than 800 billion lempiras (roughly $32 billion) in anti-poverty programs, raising questions about where the money went.

Finance Vice Minister Lilian Rivera said the IMF board will review Honduras's macroeconomic performance on June 29 to decide whether to approve a $245 million disbursement, as the country also prepares for an international credit-rating agency visit.

Honduras's National Congress unanimously passed a financial relief law allowing farmers to restructure debts over 15 years and receive government subsidies covering up to 80 percent of agricultural insurance premiums to help the sector weather climate shocks and rising production costs.

The Central Bank of Honduras auctioned $82.2 million in its June 19 currency sale, setting an average exchange rate of L26.7135 per dollar for June 20–22.

Honduras's net foreign reserves grew by $1.18 billion from late January to mid-June 2026, while import coverage remained stable at 6.6 months of goods and services.

A UNAH food-security monitor reports sustained increases in basic food costs—beef, pork, eggs, oil, and beans up 1–10 lempiras per item in early June—outpacing minimum-wage gains and pushing an estimated 2.2 million Hondurans toward food insecurity by year-end.

Honduras's tax authority (SAR) released a how-to guide for generating FYDUCA payment slips online, with compliance mandatory starting July 20, 2026.

Honduras signed a $100 million Inter-American Development Bank loan to strengthen fiscal management, revenue collection efficiency, and budget transparency, with support from the IMF, World Bank, and CAF.

The Energy Ministry announced price cuts for gasoline, diesel, and kerosene effective June 22, with the largest reductions in diesel and kerosene, while domestic liquefied petroleum gas remains subsidized by the government.

Economist Guillermo Matamoros says the Central Bank of Honduras must implement mitigation measures as inflation indicators suggest it will exceed the bank's target range, though May data shows a slowdown from April.

The government approved importing 60,000 metric tons of rice from South America with zero tariffs through December 31, bypassing the 45% duty normally applied to countries without free-trade agreements, drawing criticism from domestic rice producers who say they lack guaranteed prices and a coherent agricultural plan.

FOSDEH economist Mario Palma says Honduras's public debt has risen to $18.454 billion this year, up from previous levels.

A banking and finance expert says reforming Honduras's electric system could help recover over 16 billion lempiras ($640 million) in losses and reduce the fiscal burden on the national power company, which has weakened since 1990.

Beef prices in Honduras have climbed 4 lempiras over two weeks due to livestock shortages caused by drought and reduced pastureland, with vendors absorbing much of the increase to hold retail prices at roughly 100 lempiras per pound (about $4).