FTI Consulting, a global company listed on the NYSE, has located its base of operations for Latin America in Panama. The focus of the company is providing services to Panamanian companies and banks, as well as other countries.
According Prensa.com, Frank Holder, an FTI executive, said: "Because of all the facilities that this country offers, including its monetary and financial system, we prefer to take care of regional customers from Panama."
Panama is seeing an hotel boom, both in and outside of Panama City, for both business and leisure travelers.
John Blanco is bullish on Panama. The general manager of the Bristol Buenaventura expects the new luxury hotel to do well thanks to a combination of factors, including location and price.The beachfront property is also conveniently close to ecotourism attractions and Panama City, with casinos, restaurants and nightlife, he points out.
Caterpillar Inc.'s (CAT) plunging sales and its shrinking workforce are strengthening the construction equipment maker's case for approval of a U.S. free trade agreement with Panama, observers said Thursday.
Caterpillar has been lobbying for Congressional ratification of the Panama agreement for over two years as it eyes a potentially rich source of equipment sales in the widening of the Panama Canal.
Panama Canal Spends $320M To Boost Capacity To 40 Ships A Day
The Panama Canal Authority invested $320 million since October 2008 in improvements to boost the canal's capacity to 40 ships a day, the authority said in a statement.The investment includes an upgrade of the lighting system in the canal's locks, the acquisition of five new tugboats, and an additional tie-up station and other improvements, the statement said.
Those investments are not included in the $5.25 billion expansion plan that will duplicate the canal's capacity by 2014 and to allow wider and longer ships to move between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
The Venezuelan Company announced that it will open the Panama-Caracas-Panama route beginning on July 1.
This is the first foreign airline to enter to compete in the local market this year.
Brazil leads Latin America when it comes to overall foreign direct investment, but Panama is the champion when investment is measured as a percent of its GDP, according to a Latin Business Chronicle analysis of FDI data from the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and GDP data from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Panama last year received foreign direct investment (FDI) worth $2.4 billion, an increase of 26 percent from 2007
In the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed by the Panama Canal (ACP) and Port of Manatee, the two pledge to boost joint marketing and encourage the exchange of information and business insight. As a component of the agreement to promote them both, the two entities may undertake joint advertisements and competitive market analysis.
The first-ever alliance between the two is aimed at spurring growth and taking advantage of the Panama Canal's expansion.
The Bayano Lake, covering 350 square kilometers and 75 minutes east of Panama City, has become a tourist destination due to the stunning flora and fauna that it shelters. In addition, it serves as a source of income and provisions for the Indian people of the area.
Chosen as one of the ten wonders of Panama, it received more votes than the ruins of Old Panama, a World Heritage Site.