LatinNews Daily - 23 October 2026

*Panama’s government led by President José Raúl Mulino has presented the country’s “competitive advantages” and touted it as an “attractive” place to invest during an event held with the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Panama City. According to a presidential press release, leaders from 27 global business giants from sectors including logistics, transport, finance, and energy attended the event along with a high-level government delegation. This included Panama’s ministers for the presidency, Juan Carlos Orillac; canal affairs, José Ramón Icaza; economy and finance, Felipe Chapman; trade and industry, Julio Moltó; and foreign affairs, Javier Martínez-Acha, among others. Before business representatives from firms such as Denmark-headquartered shipping firm A.P. Møller-Maersk; US utility and power generation firm AES Corporation; and US energy firm EQT Corporation, among others, Orillac highlighted various “achievements”. These included reforms to the social security fund, which was approved last year and sparked major protests, the strengthening of the vessel registry, and Panama’s adhesion as an associate member to the Mercosur regional trade bloc (comprising Paraguay, Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, and Bolivia) last year, inter alia. Chapman said that Panama, which faced major damage earlier this month as a result of a powerful earthquake, was undergoing “robust economic development”, with 5% GDP growth forecast for 2026. The government’s efforts to position the country as an attractive place to invest come as it received a boost earlier this month after the European Union opted to remove Panama from its list of non-cooperative jurisdictions for tax purposes.