LatinNews Daily - 29 June 2026

*Paraguay’s central bank (BCP) has announced that the country’s GDP expanded by 5.8% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2026. This is down from 6.2% in the previous quarter and from 7.0% in Q1 2025. The results in the first quarter of 2026 were driven by growth in all productive sectors, with the greatest increases in agriculture (+8.2% year-on-year) and services (+6.6%), followed by manufacturing (+6.0%), construction (+5.6%), electricity and water (+4.7%), and livestock, forestry, fishing, and mining (+2.4%). The latest growth forecast by the United Nations (UN) Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (Eclac), released on 27 April, projects that Paraguay’s economy will grow 4.5% in 2026, well above the 2.4% average for South America, but down from 6.6% in 2025.