Guatemala’s central bank held its key interest rate at 5.0%, following a 325 bps hike since April 2022. The intent was to balance inflation, aiming at 4% ± 1% for 2023-2024, without compromising growth. Inflation dropped for the sixth straight month, registering 4.47% in August, down from 4.53% in July, after a peak of 9.2% in February. Economic growth is projected between 2.5 to 4.5% for the current and next year.