Bolivia's Ministry of Finance reported that the Chamber of Deputies has approved a bill that would, on an exceptional basis, temporarily suspend judicial seizures and enforcement actions linked to social-interest housing loans and defer instalments on those loans and on credit to micro and small borrowers. The measure would suspend, for six months from publication of the law, attachments, auctions, dispossessions, enforcement of judgments and other judicial measures connected to the covered credits, declaring any contrary action null and void. Financial institutions would be required to automatically defer payments of principal, interest, insurance, commissions and other charges, while the bill would prohibit interest rate increases, late-payment sanctions and penalties, interest-on-interest, additional administrative costs, and changes to the terms and coverage of related insurance policies during the law’s validity; borrowers would still be able to continue paying voluntarily. The Ministry framed the measure as temporary and targeted rather than a debt write-off, citing rising delinquency rates in microenterprise credit (from 1.8% in 2020 to 3% in 2024) and in social-interest housing loans (from 1% to 3.7% as of July over the same period), and it estimated the bill could benefit more than 1.4 million borrowers. The bill was expected to be sent to the Senate for consideration, and its final provision would require the executive branch to issue implementing regulations by supreme decree within a maximum of 10 calendar days after publication of the law.

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