Haiti is mired in a major institutional crisis, with 60% of the population in poverty. Experts call for strengthening the local currency and raising tariffs to favor local agriculture.

The country's current central bank is the heir to a National Bank of Haiti that was created to ensure payment to French financial interests, first; and Americans later. Since remittances are transformed into money before reaching ordinary Haitians, the dollar is the almost exclusive preserve of Haitian banks, companies and millionaires, says historian Malick Ghachem.