HONDURAS · ECONOMY
Key Facts
- The plan Honduras expects to negotiate a new program with the International Monetary Fund once the current one ends.
- The speaker Roberto Lagos, president of the Central Bank of Honduras, said so on Friday 6 November 2026.
- The money About US$120 million is released if the IMF board approves the final review in late December.
- The economy Growth was 3.7% in the first half of 2026, and inflation reached 6.3% in September.
- The gap The priorities for the next program are not yet set, Lagos said.
Honduras is getting ready to negotiate a new IMF deal as soon as its current program with the International Monetary Fund ends. The country’s central bank president, Roberto Lagos, confirmed the plan on Friday 6 November 2026.
The IMF is the Washington-based lender that backs countries with loans in return for economic reforms. Honduras has not yet decided which goals it will bring to the table.
What the Central Bank Chief Said
Lagos said that finishing one agreement leads straight to negotiating the next. “We still have to define what our priorities will be within the new plan,” he said.
He argued that an IMF agreement lets Honduras build its own economic program around goals it sets itself. It also helps international aid money line up behind that plan, he said.
The central bank is also finishing its closing figures for the year. Lagos said he will present them in the monetary program in the coming weeks and did not want to give numbers early.
Where the Current Program Stands
IMF staff and the Honduran government reached a staff-level agreement to complete the sixth and last review of the 2023 loan programs. A staff-level agreement is a deal between IMF experts and a government that still needs the approval of the IMF Executive Board.
The IMF mission, led by Emilio Fernández Corugedo, visited Tegucigalpa from 20 October to 2 November 2026. The IMF said the board is expected to consider the review in late December, and Honduras would then gain access to about US$120 million.
The two programs involved are the Extended Fund Facility and the Extended Credit Facility, the IMF’s medium-term lending tools. Both were agreed in 2023, and President Nasry Asfura inherited them when he took office on 27 January 2026.
The Economy Behind the Talks
The IMF says the economy grew 3.7% in the first half of 2026 and is projected to grow 3.4% for the full year. Higher energy and food prices pushed overall inflation to 6.3% in September, while core inflation stayed at 3.5%.
Net international reserves reached about US$11.5 billion in October, helped by strong remittances, the money migrants send home. The current account, a broad gauge of trade and income with the world, ran a surplus of 4.1% of output in the first half.
The IMF expects that surplus to turn into a deficit equal to 2.2% of output for 2026. It also keeps a target of 1% of output for the public-sector deficit in 2026 and 2027.
What the New Deal Could Look Like
Finance Minister Emilio Hernández Hércules, who coordinates the economic cabinet, said Honduras hopes to start negotiating before the first quarter of 2027. The government expects a new three-year agreement to take effect in the third quarter of 2027.
The IMF named the state power company, known as ENEE, as a main fiscal risk and urged reforms to the energy sector. It also called for a modern monetary and exchange-rate framework, stronger governance and better-targeted social protection.
In Plain English, Who Is Who
The Central Bank of Honduras runs the lempira, the national currency, and Lagos is its president. The IMF Executive Board is the group of country representatives that must approve each loan review.
Emilio Hernández Hércules heads the Finance Ministry and coordinates the economic cabinet. ENEE is Honduras’s national electricity utility, whose losses weigh on public finances.
What It Means for You
Honduras is a source of migration to the United States, and the IMF credits migrant remittances for its strong reserves. An IMF program also signals to lenders and investors that the government follows an agreed budget plan.
Readers can follow our guide to who runs Honduras’s economy and our earlier report on the request for the final IMF review. Investors should watch for the board date in December.
What Is Not Known
It is not known how large the next program will be or what conditions it will carry. The Finance Ministry and the IMF mission can answer once talks start, which the government expects before the first quarter of 2027.
It is also not known whether the IMF Executive Board will approve the final review in late December. The board’s decision will release the roughly US$120 million.
More: Latin America news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does Honduras want a new IMF deal?
Lagos said a new agreement lets Honduras design its own economic program and helps line up international aid behind it. The current program ends after its sixth and last review.
How much money is Honduras expecting from the IMF?
The IMF said Honduras would gain access to about US$120 million after the Executive Board approves the final review. The board is expected to consider it in late December 2026.
When will the new IMF talks begin?
Finance Minister Emilio Hernández Hércules said the government hopes to start negotiations before the first quarter of 2027. The amount and terms have not been set.
What does the IMF want Honduras to fix?
The IMF says Honduras must keep fiscal discipline and reform the energy sector, including the state power company ENEE. It also urges stronger governance and better-targeted social support.
Sources: International Monetary Fund, end-of-mission statement on the sixth review and 2026 Article IV consultation with Honduras, 1 November 2026; Central Bank of Honduras, statements by president Roberto Lagos, 6 November 2026; Honduran Finance Ministry, statement by Emilio Hernández Hércules on a new three-year agreement, 3 November 2026.
Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief · Editorial standards · Report an error