Honduras and UK Explore Expanded Trade & Investment Links

By Bufete Mejia & Asociados

Representatives from the United Kingdom and Honduras held discussions focused on how to deepen bilateral trade, enhance competitiveness and attract investment. The conversation highlighted Honduras’s export strengths—in particular seafood, coffee and other agricultural products—and the UK’s interest in expanding exports of pharmaceuticals, industrial machinery and refined petroleum.

During the exchange, considerable attention was given to two institutional mechanisms in Honduras that are designed to strengthen the domestic business environment and facilitate both domestic and foreign investment: the Modelo Integral de Servicios Empresariales (MISE) and the Portal Empresarial of the Cámara de Comercio e Industrias de Cortés (CCIC).

The MISE programme

The MISE (Modelo Integral de Servicios Empresariales) is a structured business‑support programme run by local chambers of commerce, including the CCIC, aimed principally at micro, small and medium‐sized enterprises (MIPYMES). Sources indicate that, for example, under a partnership between the CCIC and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), around one hundred affiliated companies were selected to receive technical assistance under the MISE methodology. 

The programme provides an integrated “service route” offering modules of support (such as strategy and direction, marketing and digital tools, operational improvement, financial management and human resources) and an option for certification under the methodology. Participating companies gain access to advisory services, training and networking opportunities.

For foreign investors, the MISE initiative signals a commitment to strengthening the local supplier base, formalising business practices and improving competitiveness—factors that can help reduce operational risk and improve integration into local value chains.

The Portal Empresarial

The Portal Empresarial operated by the CCIC is a centralized facility (both physical and institutional) where multiple government and private‑sector services are co‑located to streamline business registration, formalisation, licensing and other enterprise‑related processes. The CCIC itself describes the Portal as being open to the public (Monday–Friday, 7:30 a.m.–5 p.m.) and integrating services such as: registration of companies, municipal authorisations, social‑security registration (via the Instituto Hondureño de Seguridad Social (IHSS)), sanitary regulation (via the Agencia de Regulación Sanitaria ARSA), tax registration (via the Servicio de Administración de Rentas SAR) and others. 

In recent years, the Portal has expanded the number of ventanillas (service windows) for government agencies within its premises, including the ARSA, the IHSS, the municipal government of San Pedro Sula, the SAR and others. 

From an investment perspective, the presence of such a “one‐stop‑shop” helps reduce bureaucratic delays, improves transparency of procedures and enables easier access to formalisation for both local enterprises and foreign investors seeking to partner or operate in Honduras.

Joint priorities & outlook

The UK representative emphasised the role of the CCIC and these mechanisms in facilitating business growth, particularly for SMEs, and indicated that enhancing such institutional frameworks helps to make Honduras a more attractive partner for trade and investment. Both sides agreed that constructive dialogue between government and private sector is crucial to address structural economic challenges, unlock new opportunities and ensure that growth is inclusive and sustainable.