Panama Fights Back After Report Calls Its Free Zone a Smuggler’s Haven
Panama's Colón Free Zone, moving $25B yearly, fires back at smuggling and money laundering claims, calling illegal cases a tiny...
July 12, 2026Section
Central America
El Salvador Takes Its Tech-Hub Pitch to Investors in Seoul
El Salvador is courting South Korean tech capital, pitching its digital-asset laws and AI push to Korean firms at an...
July 12, 2026
Costa Rica’s Registered Small Firms Nearly Double in Four Years
Costa Rica small firms nearly doubled to 36,098 in four years, a 97 percent rise that pulled thousands of businesses...
July 12, 2026
Panama Turns 132,000 Layovers Into Holidays in Record Half-Year
Copa's Panama Stopover let over 132,000 travellers turn a layover into a holiday in the first half of 2026, up...
July 12, 2026
Fitch Reviews Guatemala’s Rating as Investment Grade Nears
Fitch reviews Guatemala's rating July 15-17, with the BB+ score one notch below investment grade. An upgrade could save up...
July 12, 2026
Guatemala Makes Ethanol in Gasoline Mandatory From August
From 21 August 2026, all Guatemalan filling stations must sell E10 ethanol, a 10% blend tied to a US deal...
July 12, 2026Guatemala Leads Central America’s Remittance Boom, and Its Growth
Guatemala remittances grew 319% between 2015 and April 2026—fastest in Central America—hitting $12.2bn in H1 2026 and reaching 1.7 million...
July 11, 2026
A Third Airline Joins the 50-Minute Hop Between Guatemala City and San Salvador
TAG Airlines Guatemala El Salvador flights start 13 July, four times a week each way on the 50-minute hop. Two...
July 10, 2026
Nicaragua Is Erasing Lawyers From Its Official Register. The Court Won’t Say Why
Nicaragua lawyers say 2,000 attorneys vanished from the Supreme Court register overnight—no notice, no hearing, no explanation from Ortega's government.
July 10, 2026