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Paraguay ended May with the third-lowest country risk in Latin America and the Caribbean, with an EMBI of 104 basis points, trailing only Uruguay (61 points) and Chile (86 points), according to data from Bloomberg Línea based on the index compiled by J.P. Morgan.
Former director of the Entidad Binacional Yacyretá, Nicanor Duarte Frutos, warned that Paraguay could consume all of its available energy in about 10 years and called for investment in new energy projects and the strengthening of the national industry.
Paraguayan slaughterhouses supplied 49.9% of domestic beef consumption in 2025, a jump of more than 12 percentage points compared to 2023, when their share stood at 37.6%.
The accelerated aging of Paraguay's population is already underway and will require companies to deeply revise their investment, employment, and productivity strategies, warned UNFPA specialist Claudina Zavattiero during ADEC's 18th International CSR and Sustainability Congress. She noted that the country will undergo in three decades an aging process that took roughly a century in Europe, which will reshape both consumer markets and labor availability.
OTP Bank invested USD 47 million in U Holdings, the parent company of ueno bank, becoming the main shareholder with 9.99% and a strategic partner of the Paraguayan digital bank.
The Central Bank of Paraguay set the ceiling interest rate for loans in guaraníes at 27.11% per year for June, while the limit for foreign currency loans was maintained at 11.20%.
Paraguay's Business Expectations Indicator rose from 49.68 to 49.83 points in May 2026, remaining below the 50-point mark that separates optimism from pessimism, with the financial sector and trade in optimistic territory, while construction and other services continue in negative territory.
Brazil has proposed the creation of a free flight zone within Mercosur to allow national airlines to operate domestic flights in other member countries, aiming to enhance regional integration and facilitate low-cost flights.
The Central Bank of Paraguay maintains a neutral stance and does not intervene in the dollar's decline against the guarani, attributing the depreciation to external factors, internal economic improvements, and a record soybean harvest.
Itaipú transfers to Paraguay fell 12.53% in the first five months of 2026 compared with the same period in 2025, totaling $205,265,900, with the steepest drop in the Energy Cession Compensation, which declined 34.15%, while royalties fell 1.13% and benefits to ANDE rose 1.51%.
The 24% drop in the dollar against the guaraní so far this year drove a 31.7% increase in vehicle imports to Paraguay in the first quarter, with sales growth of over 19%, especially in the SUV segment. However, the surge has overwhelmed the capacity of authorized service centers, prompting dealerships to invest in infrastructure and spare parts.
The Canadian group International Airways Holding acquired 95% of the shares of Paraguayan airline Paranair, with the remaining 5% going to Bolivian businessman Marco Paniagua. The deal includes all of the company's assets, such as its ANTA maintenance division, while Jaime Cassola remains as general manager and Juan Albino Bazzanella takes over as president, replacing Augusto Fúster.
The Argentine provinces of Corrientes and Chaco have declared a temporary ban on all forms of surubí fishing in a shared stretch of the Paraná River, aiming to protect the species during a period of mass aggregation of fish. The Paraná River forms the Paraguay-Paraná waterway, which is of major importance to Paraguay's trade and ecology.
The Paraguayan national team's qualification for the 2026 World Cup is boosting tourism and consumption in the country, with around 2,000 Paraguayans traveling to the United States on unprecedented charter flights, while sectors such as food, beverages, meat, and retail are bracing for a sharp surge in sales during the Albirroja's matches.
Digital lending platforms in Latin America charge interest rates that can exceed 60% per year, deduct administrative fees of more than 30% of the disbursed amount, and use digital harassment — including sending messages to family members, friends, and employers — to collect debts, with complaints filed by regulatory authorities in Paraguay, Chile, Colombia, and Mexico, where the practice became known as "montadeudas."
The Central Bank of Paraguay recorded a 24.7% increase in household credit through March 2026, driven by consumption, while total credit grew 17.1% and the delinquency rate stood at 2.5%.
Óscar Lovera, Minister of Economy and Finance, confirmed a payment of US$80 million to pharmaceutical suppliers as part of a plan to reduce a total debt of about US$1 billion. He also announced a new Treasury-backed factoring mechanism with the Central Bank of Paraguay that will allow suppliers to assign receivables to banks and receive immediate liquidity, with payment terms extended up to 36 months.
Paraguay recorded a labor informality rate of 60.1% in 2025, equivalent to approximately 1.66 million workers without access to social security or labor rights, according to data from the National Statistics Institute obtained through the Continuous Permanent Household Survey.
Cybersecurity expert Miguel Ángel Gaspar warned that Paraguay needs to strengthen its digital sovereignty and adopt more robust regulations on personal data protection and the responsible use of artificial intelligence, given the risks posed by platforms such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and Grok.
The mayor of São Paulo, Ricardo Nunes, publicly asked Google not to set up operations in Paraguay during the inauguration of the company's engineering center in the São Paulo capital, amid a regional dispute over attracting data center and artificial intelligence investments, driven by the abundance of cheap Paraguayan hydroelectric power from Itaipu and Yacyretá.
The government of Paraguay published Decree No. 6120, signed by President Santiago Peña and Minister of Economy and Finance Óscar Lovera, establishing austerity measures to optimize, prioritize, and efficiently manage public spending in the 2026 National Budget, prioritizing expenditures on health, education, security, and social programs, while imposing restrictions on operational spending and non-essential procurement.
Through April 2026, banks and the Deposit Guarantee Fund (FGD) held 80% of the G$8.5 trillion in Treasury Bonds (BOTES) circulating in Paraguay, underscoring the heavy reliance of state financing on local financial institutions.
The L'Étape Encarnación 2026 by Tour de France cycling event, scheduled for May 31, is projected to generate an economic impact of between $3.5 million and $5 million for Itapúa's economy, with participation from athletes in Paraguay, Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, and Chile.
According to the commercial director of Agrofuturo Paraguay, the global uncertainty generated by conflicts and logistical crises opens a historic opportunity for Paraguay to strengthen its local agricultural inputs industry, gaining competitiveness and productive sovereignty.