Enter your email address and we’ll send you a link to reset your password
Is medical insurance for tourists in Panama really free now? Yes, within limits. On September 10, 2026, Panama launched the Seguro al Turista, a state-funded policy that covers foreign visitors and Panamanians living abroad for their first 10 days in the country. It costs the traveler nothing, requi...
Read More
Article written: September 12, 2026 What is the $500 million loan Panama just received? On Friday, September 11, 2026, CAF, the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean, formalized a $500 million credit facility with the state-owned Banco Nacional de Panamá (Banconal). Half the money ...
Read More
How fast is Panama's economy actually growing in 2026? Through June, the Monthly Index of Economic Activity (IMAE) was up 5.4% on an accumulated basis. In the month of June by itself, activity rose 8.2%. Over the same period, inflation sat at 1.4%. Finance Minister Felipe Chapman presented...
Read More
How much did Panama export in the first seven months of 2026? B/.913.1 million. That is the highest January to July export total Panama has recorded, and it is B/.142.5 million more than the country exported over the same seven months of 2025. The Ministry of Commerce and Industries (MICI) pu...
Read More
Will longer nightlife hours in Panama City actually bring more tourists? Almost certainly not on their own. Nobody books an international flight because a bar in Casco Antiguo closes at 4:00 a.m. rather than 3:00 a.m. What extended hours can plausibly do is capture more spending from visitors...
Read More
How much is Tocumen International Airport spending on its next expansion? $306.75 million, split between two separate projects: a $208.75 million extension of Terminal 2 called the Muelle Sur (South Pier), and a $98 million overhaul of the airfield itself. Together they would take Tocumen to ...
Read More
What tax exemptions does Panama's new tourism incentive bill offer, and who qualifies? The Cabinet Council approved Proyecto de Ley 31-26 on August 25, 2026, creating a single legal regime of tax incentives for tourism investment. New tourist lodging projects in the Panamanian Caribbean would...
Read More
Panama's mortgage reference rate may sound like a technical banking figure, but for homeowners with certain preferential mortgages, changes in the rate can affect what they pay. The Superintendency of Banks of Panama confirmed a 6.50% annual reference rate for both the first and second quarters...
Read More
How much will the Panama Canal contribute to the Panamanian State in fiscal 2027? The Canal will transfer $3,607.8 million directly to the National Treasury during the fiscal year running from October 1, 2026 to September 30, 2027. That is $414 million more than the figure approved for fiscal...
Read More
What did Panama's government actually declare? On August 26, the Cabinet Council approved Resolution No. 102-26, putting Panama under a national state of emergency because of the effects of El Niño. The declaration doesn't only cover drought, it also responds to flooding that has already displa...
Read More
How much did Panama’s most exclusive coffee sell for this year? Hacienda La Esmeralda’s 2026 private auction, held August 18, 2026, sold 87 kilograms of Geisha across 12 nanolots for a combined $499,820. That works out to an average of $5,745.06 per kilogram, reported as the highest average ...
Read More
Do foreign retirees get Panama’s pensionado discounts? Yes. Under Law 6 of 1987, the discount program applies to retirees, pensioners, and seniors residing in the national territory, including foreign residents. On August 27, 2026, the National Assembly approved Bill 226, which amends that law...
Read More
