Cuba and New Zealand will strengthen their partnership. Cuba's Foreign minister and his New Zealand counterpart worked on bilateral relations in the economic and political sectors between the South Pacific nation and the Caribbean island (English). The ties date back to 1999 and both diplomats discussed the importance of developing joint projects.

Costa Rica’s foreign investment and Cuba's economy hit the gas. Direct foreign investment in Costa Rica reached US$811.6m in the first quarter of 2017, a 5.4% increase compared to the same period in 2016 (Spanish). Cuba's economy performed as forecasted in the first half of 2017 (English).

The IDB backed Suriname, the DR, and Guatemala. The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) offered a US$40m and a US$50m loan to Suriname and the Dominican Republic, respectively, to reduce budget deficits (English) (English). The IDB urged Guatemala's congressmen to ratify the US$115m loan to improve the Mesoamerican Corridor, creating 14,000 jobs (Spanish).

The IMF ends St Kitts and Nevis' consultation and warned Barbados. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said the economic recovery of Barbados continues, but the country should not forget public finances (English). The IMF put an end on the Article IV consultation with St Kitts and Nevis, noting their moderate economic performance in 2016 (English).