U.S. President Barack Obama recently put the final signature on what some are calling the last major trade agreements of his administration. With a simple signing ceremony, Obama made Panama—along with South Korea and Colombia—one of only 20 countries in the world to have a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the U.S.
Bagels were the key to Jon’s new life. Jon served his first customer in the fall of 2006 and has since become a fixture in El Congrejo. His team now makes 360 bagels daily, with double production on Sundays.
In this video, Trump Organization scion Donald Trump Jr. speaks to International Living Panama correspondent Jessica Ramesch. Along with his brother, Eric Trump, Donald Jr. was in Panama City to promote the Trump Ocean Club residences and hotel in Panama City, Panama.
Looking to do business in Latin America? Panama and Chile have the best business climates in the entire region, says the Latin Business Chronicle (LBC).
Michael scoured Panama from top to bottom, searching for the perfect place to open his yoga business. In the end, El Valle was a clear winner.
If you’ve ever been to Panama, chances are, you remember how easy it was to fly here. For many an expat resident, the Tocumen International Airport is a big draw. Known as the Hub of the Americas, the busy airport is a connections hub, providing easy travel to and from anywhere in the region.
When I first arrived in Panama, I was like a kid in a candy store. As a real estate investor, I immediately saw the opportunities.
A recent article in the prestigious Latin Business Chronicle (LBC) lists Panama as a “Latin America Star.” The tiny bi-coastal nation tops this year’s GDP Outlook Index, released by the LBC this month.
Panama now boasts the second-most competitive economy in Latin America according to the 2010-2011 Global Competitiveness Index from the World Economic Forum (WEF). A report issued this month says the tiny Central American nation came in second to Chile. Costa Rica fell one spot to take third place in Latin America.
When I first arrived in Panama, I was like a kid in a candy store. As a real estate investor, I immediately saw the opportunities. I was attending an IL conference and on day two I purchased my first apartment for $76,500—four blocks from where the conference was being held. (It’s since generated close to $40,000 annually for the last few years.)
New statistics show that Panama is still a great place to do business. Between January and June of this year, commercial investment rose to $1.1 billion, according to the Ministry of Trade.
Taking office on July 1, 2009, Panama President Ricardo Martinelli hit the ground running.
According to research firm STR Global, Panama City won over other key markets in the region to take the top spot for most hotel rooms in the development pipeline: 4,589.
If you’re worried about how you’ll make ends meet when you move to Panama, I’ve some advice: don’t worry so much. In Panama, with its vibrant entrepreneurial culture and U.S. style of doing business, chances are high that the perfect opportunity will fall right into your lap.
See the video below for Dan Prescher’s weekly wrap-up of the IL postcards. In these postcards, published for the week (May 3 to 7), you’ll learn about where to find the real property bargains in Tuscany. Lee Harrison travels back to Colombia to give you an update on this country. Jessica Ramesch offers business tips for Panama and also (via video footage) tells us about Panama’s Pensionado Program…and more.
According to the Latin Business Chronicle’s annual Latin Business Index (released this week), Panama is the number one country in the region for doing business. Last year, Panama just barely missed nabbing the number one spot on the index—it went to Chile, which swapped places with Panama to rank second this year.
Jennifer King and her 60-year old mother, Pamela, came to Panama from Oregon about two and a half years ago, and their move has been a real success.
Patrick O’Brien has been working forever—or so it seems. The self-called “serial entrepreneur” first forayed into the business world as a child laborer…of sorts. He was a successful child actor, starring in everything from commercials to TV movies.
Steve Hartwig runs his own guesthouse in Bocas del Toro in Panama—on an island approximately 3 miles long and half a mile wide.
Seven years ago I traveled to Panama with my husband and young son. It was a vacation destination that changed our lives…for the better.
Scott Taylor grew up in Carlsbad, California, and lived there his entire life. It’s a great place to live—just outside San Diego, the “city of perfect weather”—the kind of place you just don’t leave. But Scott is leaving this idyllic town in search of an ideal of his own…he is moving to Panama. “I have long dreamt of the quality, inexpensive lifestyle of the tropics. Great food, beautiful beaches, friendly people, and the kind of low-cost living that can no longer be found in California,” Scott tells me.
