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The private-sector business council says Honduras should borrow the $400 million CAF financing to strengthen the housing bank and spur construction, but opposes debt used only to cover government operating costs.

The government and private-sector leaders, including Cohep president Anabel Gallardo, have lobbied US officials to prevent tariff increases, warning that higher duties on maquila and coffee exports would cost jobs and drive migration.

The private-sector business council estimates that power outages—averaging 21,200 hours of unmet demand annually—cost Honduras about L1.2 billion (roughly $48 million) per year in lost productivity, equipment damage, and generator expenses, while the government pushes stalled reforms to strengthen the state electricity utility.

Juliette Handal, former president of Honduras's main business council (Cohep), attributed a first-quarter decline in investment to security concerns, including gang violence and massacres, rising energy costs (set to jump 12%), and international supply-chain disruptions, all of which she said undermine investor confidence.

Honduras' external debt climbed to $9.3 billion as of March 2026, up 13.3% over two years, prompting the business council to urge the government to prioritize efficient public spending and curb excessive borrowing.

Year-over-year inflation in Honduras reached 6.09% in May, up 1.55 percentage points from a year earlier, driven mainly by rising fuel prices that accounted for nearly half the overall price increase.