Panama: Bank Credit Grew Very Little in 2017


News from Panama

At the end of last year the banking system’s loan portfolio ended up with a balance of $66,117 million, just 1.4% more than the $65,187 million reported at the end of 2016. The Comptroller General of the Republic reported that the moderate increase is partly explained by a contraction recorded by the external sector’s portfolio, […]

April 3, 2018

What I am watching now


News from Panama

This video is incredible as are the guys that are surfin Nazare, Portugal. Nazaré Portugal is one of the best places in the world for big-wave surfing and it attracts Australia’s best – Ross Clarke-Jones, Andrew Cotton and Mick Corbett.

April 2, 2018

What I am reading now


News from Panama

I am sure to get some flack from PETA members on this one!  Here from Roads and Kingdom is a great article by Brett Forrest.  Those who are squeamish should not read further. Upon landing in Ulaanbaatar, I wasn’t surprised to learn that Mongolian barbecue is not Mongolian at all. Genghis Khan didn’t feed his […]

April 2, 2018

Central America: Fuel Prices up to March 26


News from Panama

Price of a gallon of regular gasoline: Costa Rica $4.05, Nicaragua $3.77, Honduras $3.58, El Salvador $3.26, Guatemala $3.19 and Panama $2.91. The current reference prices show increases in all products due to the latest report provided by the Energy Information Administration (AIE), the issue of tariffs and international political sanctions by the US government.  In the […]

April 2, 2018

Footwear: In Search of New Business


News from Panama

Re-exporters in the Colon Free Zone are seeking to attract companies from Peru, Uruguay, Brazil and Mexico, to compensate for some they of the businesses that have lost due to the taxes imposed by Colombia. Nearly 70 companies in the Colon Free Zone (CFZ) are among the most affected by the tariff measures imposed by […]

April 2, 2018

Panama and Costa Rica Prepare for Venezuelan Exodus


News from Panama

As they pour across the border of Colombia, Panama and Costa Rica are taking notice as we are in their path. Kausha Luna reports for the Center for Immigration Studies. As conditions in Venezuela worsen under President Nicolás Maduro, the number of Venezuelans leaving the country continues to increase and create strains on neighboring countries. […]

April 2, 2018

Venezuela president lands on Panama’s ‘high risk’ money laundering list


News from Panama

Reuters staff report on the decision by Panama to put Maduro on it’s “high risk” money laundering list. Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro along with more than 50 Venezuelan nationals are considered “high risk” for laundering money and financing terrorism, according to an advisory issued by Panama’s economy and finance ministry. Venezuelan Attorney General Tarek William […]

April 2, 2018