LatinNews Daily - 26 June 2026

*The Dominican Republic’s central bank (BCRD) has released new figures which show that the country’s monthly index of economic activity (Imae) was up 4.7% in May in annual terms, up from 3.8% in April but down from 5.1% in March. The BCRD highlights that the May growth rate comes despite a “turbulent external context marked by geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and rise in the costs of international freight transportation and oil”. It said that May growth was driven by the construction sector (+7.1%), mining (6.4%), and services (5.3%), although free zone manufacturing posted a 4.1% decline. The latest growth forecast by the United Nations (UN) Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (Eclac), released on 27 April, projects that the Dominican Republic’s economy will grow 4.0% in 2026, well above the 2.2% average for Central America, and up from 2.1% in 2025.