Author: michaelm

The Hotel Riu Plaza Panama has officially reopened its doors in Panama City after completing the most extensive renovation in its history. The property, a landmark in the city’s financial district, unveiled its full transformation to guests in October 2025. This multimillion-dollar refresh modernizes the entire guest experience, targeting both business and leisure travelers seeking contemporary comfort in a prime urban location.Project managers for Riu Hotels & Resorts confirmed the renovation touched every area of the 34-story hotel. Updates include all 600 guest rooms, multiple dining venues, the outdoor pool deck, and the hotel’s extensive conference facilities. The goal was…

The Panamanian government has received $29 million in mining royalties from the export of copper stockpiles. Commerce and Industries Minister Julio Moltó confirmed the funds will be directed to infrastructure in communities near the suspended Donoso Copper Mine.Minister Moltó detailed the transaction during a press conference on Wednesday, December 12. He stated that over 122,000 tons of copper concentrate were exported in September under a state preservation plan. The resulting $29 million payment to the state was processed just days before the announcement.”These funds belong to all of Panama and will be allocated entirely to public works for the benefit…

Panamanian authorities arrested five individuals this week in a sweeping anti-corruption operation targeting the alleged theft of public funds. The Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office and the Judicial Investigation Directorate conducted simultaneous raids across four provinces. These arrests stem from separate investigations into suspected embezzlement and fraud within several key government agencies.Officials allege the crimes caused significant financial damage to the National Decentralization Authority, the Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of Public Works. A major case also involves the National Council for Sustainable Development, known as Conades. The operations highlight an ongoing crackdown on the misuse of funds intended for local…

The United States Department of the Treasury imposed significant financial sanctions on Thursday, December 11, 2025. Its Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) targeted a Panamanian businessman with deep ties to Venezuela’s government and three nephews of the Venezuelan first lady. These actions mark a sharp reversal of previous diplomatic engagement with the administration of Nicolás Maduro.Ramón Carretero Napolitano, a 60-year-old businessman from Colon, Panama, was added to the Specially Designated Nationals list. Three Venezuelan nationals, Efraín Campo Flores, Franqui Francisco Flores De Freitas, and Carlos Erik Malpica Flores, were also designated. They are nephews of Cilia Flores, Venezuela’s first…

London & Regional Panama has announced a major capital investment exceeding $40 million to develop new industrial infrastructure within the Panamá Pacífico International Business Park. The project, confirmed on December 10, 2025, aims to solidify Panama’s position as a premier logistics hub for multinational corporations across Latin America.This private investment will fund the construction of three new industrial buildings totaling over 50,000 square meters. Project officials state the development will create 200 direct jobs and an estimated 300 to 400 indirect positions during its operational phase.Setting a New Industrial StandardThe expansion introduces a Class A+ industrial standard to Panama’s real…

Panama’s solar energy chamber is urging the government to eliminate a national cap on distributed solar generation. The call comes as the country prepares to draft a new National Energy Plan in January 2026. Industry leaders argue that removing the 4 percent limit is essential for accelerating Panama’s energy transition and meeting growing consumer demand.New data reveals significant growth in the sector over the past eleven months. More than 40 megawatts of new solar capacity were added through self-consumption systems between January and November 2025. This brings Panama’s total installed self-consumption capacity to 188.8 megawatts, spread across nearly 7,000 active…

Panamanian employers anticipate a more cautious hiring climate for the first quarter of 2026. A new employment survey reveals a significant quarterly drop in hiring intentions, even as some key economic sectors show resilience. The data points to a labor market adjusting to ongoing economic uncertainty.The latest Net Employment Outlook (NEO) from ManpowerGroup shows a seasonally adjusted trend of 17 percent. This figure represents a seven percentage point decline from the current fourth quarter of 2025. It sits just one point above the outlook for the same period in 2024. Globally, Panama’s outlook trails the world average by seven points.Hospitality…

United States President Donald Trump issued a stark warning to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in a recent interview. Trump stated Maduro has “his days numbered” and suggested military actions against drug traffickers could soon expand to land operations. The comments, made to the publication Politico, represent a significant escalation in rhetoric regarding the political crisis in Venezuela.Trump refused to detail any specific plans for potential US intervention in the South American nation. He declined to answer directly when asked if an invasion was being considered, telling the interviewer he did not want to discuss military strategy. The former president’s remarks…

UNESCO has formally recognized Panama’s traditional wattle and daub house construction and community plastering practices as cultural heritage in urgent need of protection. The decision was made during a session of the intergovernmental committee in India on Tuesday, December 10. This urgent listing compels Panama to implement immediate preservation measures for these centuries-old building techniques, which officials say are at serious risk of disappearing.The inscription on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding covers two interconnected elements. These are the specific processes for building the ‘Casa de Quincha,’ a structure made from wood, cane, and mud,…

The total cost for Panama’s ambitious Metro Line 3 monorail project has escalated to $4.481 billion. This new figure incorporates nearly half a billion dollars in financing costs for a newly added underground tunnel section that passes beneath the Panama Canal. Panama’s Comptroller General, Anel Flores, formally approved the contract’s seventh addendum on November 20, 2025, solidifying the financial and construction changes for the major public transit expansion.This financial adjustment follows a significant engineering decision to bury a 4.5-kilometer segment of the route. The original 25-kilometer elevated line, designed to connect Albrook with the Ciudad del Futuro in Panama Oeste,…