We’re pleased to share the first day’s reporting of The LatAm View direct from the 2026 IMF/World Bank Annual Meetings in Bangkok, Thailand.
Soaring borrowing costs loomed over finance ministers, central bankers and investors arriving in Bangkok this week. With the Iran war grinding on and oil back around $100 a barrel, the 10-year US Treasury yield has hit its highest level since 2002, putting Latin America’s newfound resilience to a fresh test. So far the region is holding up, buoyed by a commodities windfall and a political swing to the right, and officials from Panama to Jamaica are making the case that their credits can weather the storm. The harder part, investors warn, is getting newly elected governments to deliver on fiscal reform.
Soaring yields pose new test of LatAm resilience
Investor demand for the region’s debt has held firm despite the energy shock, but rising global rates are a new source of risk
Panama diversifying debt to retain its allure: FinMin
The sovereign aims to remain a credit investors want to hold “when capital is scarce” and doesn’t see labeled bonds as a priority, minister says
Jamaica working to return to growth
The sovereign tapped the bond market last month even as its economy contracts, though it has no plans to return “anytime soon,” minister says
LatAm better positioned to reap benefits of commodities boom: IDB
The region has a “powerful” combination of mineral, energy and agricultural resources, and has made strides in better managing this wealth, bank official says
Small AI can aid LatAm productivity gap: World Bank
The region could see big benefits from AI but not necessarily in the headline-grabbing large models, says senior World Bank official
