Author: Sebastian Pieper

Panama City transforms into a global ballet capital this week. The Aura B. Torrijos Theater at the City of Arts opens its doors Thursday for the Panama Ballet Festival 2026. The event runs from June 4 through June 7. More than 11 countries send dancers, companies and teachers to this unprecedented artistic celebration. The Ballet Nacional de Panama and the Panama Ministry of Culture jointly organize the festival. Organizers say the event honors Margot Fonteyn, the legendary ballerina with deep ties to Panama. [Translated from Spanish] The festival promises to become one of the year’s most important cultural events. Audiences…

The U.S. Embassy in Panama has announced a three-day outreach event for American citizens. Representatives from the Regional Federal Benefits Office will visit Panama City to assist with U.S. Social Security benefits. The event runs from June 23 to June 25, 2026. Services will be available at the U.S. Embassy Consular Section. Officials will handle applications, card requests, and compliance forms. No appointment is needed, but embassy staff warned that services operate on a first-come, first-served basis. Wait times could be significant. Hours run from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and again from 1:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. each day.…

Panama President José Raúl Mulino has concluded a state visit to Athens, Greece, securing new collaboration agreements and employment opportunities for Panamanian seafarers. The trip strengthened Panama’s position as a leading global maritime registry. Four new oil tankers will sail under the Panamanian flag. The visit reinforced bilateral ties between the two nations. President Mulino met with Hellenic Republic President Konstantinos Tasoulas and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. Both leaders discussed maintaining competitive trade routes. They witnessed the signing of two memorandums of understanding at the Maximos Mansion. One agreement focuses on tourism collaboration. The other covers political consultations between…

Multibank customers will lose access to their digital banking platforms starting Friday. The migration to BAC Credomatic’s systems marks a critical phase in one of Panama’s largest banking integrations. Clients must complete the transition by June 9 to regain full account access. The integration between BAC and Multibank entered its most decisive stage this week. Financial institutions began shutting down Multibank’s online and mobile banking channels on Friday, June 5. Account balances, transaction histories and customer data are now moving to BAC’s technology platforms. This digital shutdown affects thousands of banking customers across Panama. BAC confirmed that Multibank clients can…

New lending in Panama’s banking system has fallen by 2.7 percent during the first four months of 2026. The decline represents $238.4 million less in fresh credit compared to the same period last year. Regulators say the system remains healthy despite the contraction. The Superintendency of Banks of Panama released its April 2026 Banking Activity Report on Monday. Total new loans reached $8,607.1 million between January and April. That figure marks a sharp drop from the $8,845.5 million recorded during the same stretch in 2025. Officials attribute the downturn primarily to the public sector. New placements to government entities fell…

Panama’s National Commission for the Prevention and Control of HIV (CONAVIH) has officially resumed its sessions after a hiatus lasting more than a year. The commission, which operates under the Ministry of Health (Minsa), reconvened on June 2, 2026, to address a national landscape where over 22,000 people are receiving antiretroviral treatment. Health officials confirmed that a significant portion of patients are still being diagnosed with advanced stages of the disease. The last meeting of CONAVIH took place on April 8, 2025. The reactivation comes at a critical moment for public health in the country. Authorities are now pushing to…

Panama City has secured confirmations from 68 international delegations for the Bicentennial of the Amphictyonic Congress. The high-level commemoration week runs from June 20 to June 27, 2026. Panama’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs released the official attendance figures this week. The event marks 200 years since the historic 1826 congress convened by Simon Bolivar. That original gathering sought to unite the newly independent American nations. Today’s commemoration will focus on modern cooperation and international relations. Delegations span multiple continents. Seven heads of state or government have confirmed their in-person attendance. Another 32 delegations will send foreign ministers or deputy foreign…

A new scientific study has pinpointed Panama’s Darién province as the primary focus of the Oropouche virus in Central America. Researchers from the Carson Center for Research in Health and Ecosystems led the investigation. They reconstructed the virus’s path into Panama and issued warnings about future risks in Bocas del Toro and Los Santos. The Oropouche virus is a viral disease transmitted by the bite of the midge (Culicoides paraensis) and Culex mosquitoes. The province of Darién concentrated the first major documented outbreak of this virus in Central America. Scientists now identify it as a key territory for detecting and…

The Dö Bum Sthö organization has completed a two-day biodiversity monitoring session in Panama’s La Amistad International Park. The event took place on June 4 and 5 in the PILA Caribe sector of the park. Officials confirmed the activity aimed to boost conservation efforts and promote nature-based tourism. Workers conducted night surveys across multiple sections of the protected area. They observed and recorded nocturnal species during the sessions. The data will support a community-based ecotourism initiative already operating in the region. Scientific Data Drives Tourism and Education The monitoring effort focused on documenting the site’s biological richness. Teams recorded various…

Activists and human rights defenders gathered in Panama City this June for the traditional Pride flag unveiling ceremony. The event, organized by Fundación Iguales in partnership with the Museum of Contemporary Art (MAC Panama), marked the start of Pride Month celebrations across the country. Diverse voices came together to reflect on inequality gaps and legal challenges facing the LGBTIQ+ community in Panama. Organization directors stated that the lack of legal protection for certain vulnerable groups weakens the country’s democratic structure. They announced a new media collaboration with La Estrella de Panama newspaper. The campaign, titled “We Are All Family,” will…