This result should not surprise anyone. The Republic of Panama is a great place to do business, just as it has been for decades. I live here and I have the experience of doing business here every day. It’s a wonderful experience. This is a nation that does business on an international scale and accommodates the wants and needs of international businessmen. Panama has always respected the entrepreneur and the go-getter. Great places to do business attract investors who want to do business there. I know that sentence sounds like circular logic, but self-reinforcing phenomena often seem that way.

Panama has also been consistently ranked amongst the world’s freest economies with an open door policy for foreign investment that provides important incentives to business. In 2007, Panama attracted $6.2 billion in foreign direct investment… from the U.S. alone, says the Office of U.S. Trade Representative. Enactment of Law 41 in August of 2007 has made investment in Panama an even more attractive proposition. Through the first quarter of 2008, 15 companies had taken advantage of the benefits offered under Law 41. I see no reason why this trend would not continue.

The success of Panama as a place to do business is no accident. All the key elements are here – A stable constitutional government, an economy based on the U.S. dollar, low inflation, no foreign exchange restrictions, equal treatment of foreign and local citizens, and a favorable tax system. The workforce is literate (91.9% literacy) and largely bilingual / multilingual.

Panama has Free Trade Agreements with the United States, Europe, Asia and Latin America countries, and is a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO). Panama is active in the Caribbean Basin Initiative. The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, the Organization of American States, and the Interamerican Development Bank have given Panama positive ratings. Panamanian government bonds are consistently graded B+ or higher by Standard & Poors ratings service.

The Republic of Panama does not simply rely on its strategic location, privacy haven reputation, and low cost of living to attract foreign investment. While the various political parties have their differences, they all recognize the goose that laid the golden egg is business. The Colon Free Zone and City of Knowledge initiatives, as well as Law 41, are major efforts to ensure that corporations of all sizes will find Panama an attractive place to do business for many more years into the future.

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One of the things that I think speaks volumes to this idea is the consistent inflow of foreign investment capital. In another of my articles, I discuss the details of how and why foreign capital flows into Panama. I think an investment of $6.2B (US) by U.S. companies alone in 2007 is strong proof of credibility.

Mercer Multinational Consultants reported on quality of life and personal safety in 215 cities worldwide. Panama City, the national capital, was ranked 96th, which places it above all other Central American cities. Mercer created these ranking by analyzing social, political and economic environment, health, education and transportation factors for each city.

A major consideration in making the choice to do business in Panama is quality of life. Panama City is cosmopolitan and offers excellent living conditions. Office, commercial, industrial and housing spaces are available, as are skilled, multilingual employees. Panama City is 5th in Latin America behind San Juan, Montevideo, Buenos Aires and Santiago de Chile. Panama City is first in Central America, 12 places above San Jose, Costa Rica.

With an index of 91.4, Panama City is the third safest city in Latin America, only behind San Juan, Puerto Rico and Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic according to a report by International Scope.

With an 8% increase in GDP, Panama was the leader in economic growth in Latin America during 2008. Much of this due to the fact that Panama has a US dollar-based economy, low inflation and little foreign exchange risk, an absence of exchange controls, favorable and equal tax treatment of foreign and local citizens.

Panama has a stable Constitutional government with a keen understanding of its reliance on international trade. The Economic Freedom Index for 2009, a joint publication of The Heritage Foundation and the Wall Street Journal, ranked Panama 55th of 157 countries. Citizens and expatriates alike have freedom to make their own decisions for their benefit and for the benefit of their families.

You may argue that some of these are not indications of ‘credibility’ per se, but they are certainly evidence that something special is going on here in Panama; something worthy of international attention. Something worthy of your attention.

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The Complete Package includes:

• Panama Family Foundation

A foundation is a sophisticated asset protection and estate tax planning tool as it does not have owners, and bypasses probate, estate and inheritance taxes and duties. A foundation legally speaking owns its own assets and operates on behalf of designated beneficiaries, who do not appear on public record. In fact the beneficiaries will be completely private. Only the lawyer and bank will know who they are.

• Panama Corporation (one of the assets of the Family Foundation)

The Corporation is the “visible” arm of the structure, which owns the investments and assets. The Corporation will be the name which appears on shareholder registers etc. The bank account will be opened in the name of the corporation, and it may also open other bank and brokerage accounts worldwide.

• Panama virtual office

In order to ensure a real verifiable presence internationally, we provide a street address and a Panama City phone number where a secretary will take messages for the Corporation.

• European bank account (with cards)

This is a full service, multi-currency account at a respectable and discreet Western European bank (we currently work with two different banks)

• Secure internet banking

All accounts include secure and sophisticated internet banking.

• 3 x anon cash cards with wire facilities

This very interesting part of the structure is not linked to the bank account. You can use these cards to withdraw cash from almost any ATM machine worldwide. You are free to give them to other people, or keep them as backups, or for times you need to withdraw more than the daily limit applied to individual cards.

• Passthrough Trust Account

This allows you to transfer funds initially into the structure, without creating a link from your onshore account to the international account(s).

• Secure computing setup (VIP support)

This set-up can be up and running in as little as ten minutes and encrypts and protects all your internet communications against snoops.

If purchased individually, the total price of these services is estimated at $12,500.

As a Special International Traveler’s Package, we offer it for $7,800.

In order to set up a consultation, please initially contact us here.

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