Blog BanRep

As usual, we devote the last Blog of the year to provide a preliminary assessment of the performance of the Colombian economy over the year about to end, as well as to examine its outlook.

Inflation is the generalized and sustained increase in the prices of goods and services. When inflation is high, money loses its value rapidly, which affects all sectors of the economy, especially households, as their purchasing power declines. This means that with the same amount of money, a…

Inflation is the generalized and sustained increase in the prices of goods and services. When inflation is high, money loses its value rapidly, which affects all sectors of the economy, especially households, as their purchasing power declines. This means that with the same amount of money, a…

Since early 2024, interest rates on long-term Colombian government debt bonds, hereafter referred to as government bonds, have been increasing. This means that the government must pay more interest on its debt, so a larger share of its revenues must be allocated to cover such interest payments…

Since early 2024, interest rates on long-term Colombian government debt bonds, hereafter referred to as government bonds, have been increasing. This means that the government must pay more interest on its debt, so a larger share of its revenues must be allocated to cover such interest payments…

Banco de la República’s policy interest rate is currently 9.25%. The policy interest rate serves as the benchmark that the Bank uses to lend to or borrow from commercial banks over very short terms. As with other central banks worldwide, it is the main policy instrument used to achieve the…

Tax authorities in both advanced and emerging economies have resorted to tax wealth as a tool to increase tax revenues, replace other taxes, promote the use of productive capital, and reduce wealth inequality.

The Colombian economy has been increasing its growth pace over the past quarters in response to the strengthening of domestic demand, which expanded by 4.3% annually in the first half of 2025, more than double its growth in 2024 (2.0%). The rise in domestic demand has been driven by the notable…

The Colombian economy has been increasing its growth pace over the past quarters in response to the strengthening of domestic demand, which expanded by 4.3% annually in the first half of 2025, more than double its growth in 2024 (2.0%). The rise in domestic demand has been driven by the notable…

Hard-discount stores are a retail innovation that has brought significant changes to Colombia’s commercial landscape. Operating under well-known brands such as D1 and ARA, these stores are larger than neighborhood shops, but smaller than traditional supermarkets. They offer a limited assortment—…

Hard-discount stores are a retail innovation that has brought significant changes to Colombia’s commercial landscape. Operating under well-known brands such as D1 and ARA, these stores are larger than neighborhood shops, but smaller than traditional supermarkets. They offer a limited assortment—…

A recent paper published in Ensayos sobre Política Económica (ESPE) a journal of >Banco de la República (the Central Bank of Colombia), examines the constraints faced by Colombian smallholder farmers in accessing…

A recent research paper by Carlos Medina and Christian Posso, senior economists at Banco de la República (the Central Bank of Colombia), studies the long-term effects of the Familias en Acción program (FeA, Families in Action), Colombia's conditional cash transfer program. This type of program…

As of June 2021, the National Administrative Department of Statistics (DANE in Spanish) and Banco de la República (the Central Bank of Colombia) began to jointly disclose the national accounts by institutional sector (…

In Colombia, there is a gap in the quality of education between urban and rural households, which is caused by multiple factors. On the one hand, rural families have, on average, less education, and it is also more common for children growing up in rural areas to spend more time working. On the…

The Colombian tax system contains multiple reliefs and discounts and simultaneously supports a high degree of evasion. This implies that the statutory or nominal rates established by the law are an imprecise indicator of the actual tax burden on taxpayers, whether they are consumers, individuals…

Since 2009, the Financial Stability Department of Banco de la República (the Central Bank of Colombia) has been conducting the quarterly survey on the credit situation in Colombia. This survey is addressed to financial market intermediaries that carry out credit transactions (banks, commercial…

A recent paper published in Ensayos sobre Política Económica (ESPE), a journal of Banco de la República (the Central Bank of Colombia), examines the constraints faced by Colombian smallholder farmers in accessing credit. Among other findings, the paper presents the results of a study done by…

In an article titled “Job Displacement, Credit and Crime in Colombia” published in the international academic journal American Economic Review: Insights by senior economists Carlos Medina and Christian Posso…

A box in the most recent Monetary Policy Report of Banco de la República (the Central Bank of Colombia)(only in…