Part 3 of the founder’s series. Parts 1 and 2: why I left and what I verified. Now, Panama through an entrepreneur’s eyes.

4. Strategic position and the free zone

My business is importing, and Panama is the strategic point of Latin America: the Colón Free Zone, first-rate logistics infrastructure and fast connections to the US, Colombia, Chile, Peru and the whole Caribbean.

You sit halfway to everywhere — which, in practice, shortens deadlines and cost.

5. Real opportunity for builders

One of my biggest surprises: so much still does not exist here. Open niches everywhere. Consumption is strong — pushed by resident foreigners and by the ones just passing through — and margins are high. If you have business vision and understand importing or services, this is an excellent place to stand.

Real estate follows, because the country genuinely grows: another bridge over the Canal under construction, the metro expanding, and the planned train to David at the Costa Rica border. Average growth among Latin America’s highest over the past decade, with inflation among the lowest in the Americas — hovering near zero in recent years. That combination is extremely rare.

6. Banks: the reputation × the reality

Panama carries the tax-haven reputation and the Panama Papers scar, but today’s reality is different: banking rules are strict (anyone opening an account learns it fast).

And there is an advantage almost nobody mentions: real installment culture. Purchases split into installments, zero interest, at the same cash price, up to 24 or 36 payments depending on the product. Coming from Brazilian interest rates, it feels like a trick — it is not.

7. Immigration: shop around

There are several visa paths and processing fees vary WILDLY between providers. I hired a local lawyer who charged far less than a Brazilian provider quoted for the same process. Research before you sign with the first name that appears — the paths are in our visa comparison.

👉 Continues in part 4: real life here — true heat, real costs, and why retirees love this place.