Browse Honduras Daily Stories

A CEPAL report ranks Honduras 125th globally on frontier-technology readiness, with its weakest scores in workforce skills (145th) and industrial capacity (133rd), though it ranks a surprising 38th in financing.

The US dollar reached L27.00 per dollar, extending lempira weakness that economists warn will raise prices for imported goods, fuel, and agricultural inputs across Honduras's economy.

The Agricultural Ministry is rushing to georeference over 50% of Honduras's coffee farms by year-end to meet European traceability standards and secure market access, protecting income for 120,000 farming families as the current harvest approaches 7.3 million quintals (about 330,000 metric tons).

Honduras's Energy Ministry announced new fuel prices effective August 31, with gasoline declining slightly in San Pedro Sula and Tegucigalpa while diesel rises with a temporary government subsidy of L1.86–L1.95 per gallon.

The banking regulator CNBS is offering a free webinar on August 31 about household financial communication, savings strategies, and shared money goals for families.

The National Congress approved a motion by Liberal lawmaker Yury Sabas calling for regulators including the Central Bank, CNBS, and the Financial Crimes Unit to meet with congressional committees to analyze monthly interest rates of up to 5–10% charged by informal lenders and propose protective measures.

Congress approved a waiver of late-payment interest on personal loans issued by Injupemp, Honduras's civil-service pension fund, to borrowers from June 2014 through June 2025; eligible participants have six months to apply.

The Central Bank of Honduras auctioned $106.2 million in its daily foreign-exchange sale on August 25, setting the weighted average exchange rate at L26.8522 per dollar for August 26.

The Finance Ministry reported that Honduras has executed over 50% of its 2026 budget and transferred more than L8.4 billion (about $340 million) to municipalities, though officials acknowledged the pace remains below target eight months into the year.

The Honduran lempira has depreciated to 26.98 per dollar and economist Dante Mossi warns the currency could break the 27-lempira barrier by late September or early October, potentially raising prices for imported goods including fuel.

Honduras has pre-approved access to $40 million in grants and loans from the Green Climate Fund to address a severe drought affecting 75 municipalities, but bureaucratic delays and lack of government coordination have prevented the funds from being deployed.

About 670,000 Honduran households receive remittances from abroad, with 45% relying on them as their primary income source; 80% of remittance money goes to daily consumption rather than savings or investment, according to central bank data cited by a social-justice think tank.

Congress President Tomás Zambrano gave the opposition Liberal Party 15 days to present a counter-proposal on energy reforms for state utility ENEE, warning that without agreement the executive could pursue alternative measures including a presidential decree.

The Central Bank auctioned $91.6 million in a foreign-exchange operation on August 24, setting a weighted average exchange rate of L26.8518 per dollar for August 25.

Honduras has begun delivering 15 million coffee plants to more than 5,000 farmers across several departments to renovate farms using agroforestry systems.

Honduras's two-month vehicle tax amnesty, which waives penalties and interest on unpaid annual vehicle fees through 2025, expires today; over 45,000 owners have already taken advantage, generating L51.8 million in collections.

Honduras's business community will present Congress with reforms to the Partial Employment Law by late August, seeking to ease hiring rules and expand job opportunities, particularly in call centers and digital-economy sectors.

Cohep president Anabel Gallardo called on Congress to pass the long-delayed energy law reform, warning that continued inaction weakens ENEE's governance and could deter investment.

Consumer defender Adalid Irías warned that basic-basket prices could exceed L17,000 (about $680) by year-end, driven by holiday demand, drought conditions, and the broader dry corridor affecting 75 municipalities.

Cohep's president warned that technical losses, theft, and illegal power tapping in the national grid represent resources that could be redirected to health, education, and infrastructure, and called for Congress to approve an energy-law overhaul to strengthen state utility Enee.

Honduras's chamber of commerce says the Partial Employment Law contains vague wording and legal gaps that deter businesses from using it, citing only 70 registered contracts under the law and calling for clearer employment legislation to spur job creation.

The electricity regulator Héctor Corrales urged Congress to approve proposed reforms to the power sector that would enable competitive bidding for contracts, arguing such measures are essential to lower and stabilize rates—a stalled bill facing Liberal Party opposition.

The Energy Ministry announced new fuel prices effective August 24, with increases for regular gasoline, diesel, and kerosene, though premium gasoline will drop slightly.

Foreign direct investment in Honduras fell 27% in the first quarter of 2026 compared with the same period a year earlier, declining to $213 million from $292 million, a loss economists and business leaders attribute partly to weak global conditions and partly to Honduras's competitive disadvantage versus regional peers.

Honduras's energy reforms remain blocked in Congress due to disagreements between the ruling Libre and opposition Liberal parties, prompting a nationalist deputy to suggest the president may bypass the legislature by using ministerial council decisions.

Real economic output grew 5.0% year-over-year in June 2026 according to the Central Bank's monthly activity index, maintaining positive momentum despite global headwinds.

Honduras rejoined the international investment arbitration system on August 16, facing between 14 and 18 pending claims — most valued at 1.6 billion to 2.5 billion lempiras (roughly $64–$100 million) each — with the largest, Próspera's suit, now standing at about $1.63 billion after being reduced from an initial $10.8 billion claim.

Agriculture Minister Moisés Molina ruled out a famine despite what he called the worst drought on record hitting 75 municipalities, saying Honduras has sufficient food stocks and future grain contracts, even as local mayors report total crop losses and hundreds of cattle deaths.

The Agriculture Ministry unveiled a 10-year strategy investing $40 million annually to expand irrigation on 60,000 hectares, strengthen school meals for 300,000 children, and boost local farm production amid an El Niño drought affecting 134,000 families across 234 municipalities.

Honduras's official dollar exchange rate climbed to L26.8368 (buy) and L26.9710 (sell) on August 20, continuing a week-long upward trend that has seen the lempira depreciate by roughly L0.009 since Monday.