Panama Business

Panama Business. Food Network's bouillabaisse of programming featuring kitchen competitions, culinary adventure, instructional cooking and home entertaining will be available in both standard (SD) and high definition (HD).
"Food Network is the gold standard in lifestyle culinary programming and by bringing the channel to viewers in Panama, we are giving Spanish-speaking audiences more choices when it comes to watching the best food-related programming around the world," said Márcio Fonseca, managing director of Scripps Networks Latin America. "We are thrilled to partner with Cable Onda to bring our beloved chefs and popular shows into the hearts and homes of audiences across Panama."
Food Network features popular global hit series including Chopped, a high-stakes culinary competition hosted by Ted Allen where competitors are challenged to create delectable courses in a limited amount of time from the ingredients in a mystery basket; Beat Bobby Flay, where two tal…

Panama Business. Ford Motor Company Fund is expanding its innovative Ford Driving Dreams educational tour for the first time to an international market with a program in Panama that will help more than 300 young teens learn skills to keep them in school.
Ford and Ford Fund, the philanthropic arm of Ford Motor Company, launched the Ford Driving Dreams Tour in Panama recently. The tour is an education initiative that will deliver more than $50,000 in motivational activities, school grants and scholarships designed to prevent students from dropping out of school. Ford is collaborating on the tour with United WayPanama and the Ministry of Education of Panama.
“For more than 100 years Ford Motor Company has worked to make a better world for the communities where we do business,” said Jim Vella, president, Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services. “The vitality and growth of every nation depends in great part on educating our young people, and we are excited to bring our innovative prog…

Panama Business. Governance, Risk and Compliance - The Panamanian Insurance Industry' recent report is the result of extensive research into the insurance regulatory framework in Panama. It provides detailed analysis of the insurance regulations for life, property, motor, liability, personal accident and health, and marine, aviation and transit insurance. The report specifies various requirements for the establishment and operations of insurance and reinsurance companies and intermediaries.
The report brings together research, modeling and analysis expertise, giving insurers access to information on prevailing insurance regulations, recent and upcoming changes in regulatory framework, taxation and legal system in the country. The report also includes the scope of non-admitted insurance in the country.
The report also provides insights into the governance, risk and compliance framework pertaining to the insurance industry in Panama, including:
- An overview of the insurance regulatory…

Panama Business. It was 2010 when three young graduates of the Technological University of Panama (UTP) decided to open a business Juan Daniel Florez, OSes and Diego Alejandro Tejera founded Rootstack, a company that is dedicated to creating web and mobile high-quality solutions for development companies and other clients in Panama.
Rootstack is a company with 100% panamanian capital, has 16 employees, has completed more than 50 projects in five years in the market. Customers include the Superintendency of Banks, the Tourism Authority of Panama, the Transit Authority and the Ministry of Health, including multinational companies, especially from the United States, Canada, Uruguay and England.
They met in the UTP and in the last year, Oses confessed to his friends who wanted to have their own business and not work for anyone else. The three began to dream of names and ideas over time. Recalls Flórez he was looking for compound words based on technology that defined. "Root and root…

Panama Business. A total of 821 rooms will join the 18,000 offered. The new hotels are: Las Americas Golden Tower Panama, PanamaAirportCrownPlaza, Ritz Carlton, AC Hotels and Ramada Panama Centro.
All five hotels will be opening its doors represent an investment of approximately US $ 470 million, the president of the Association of Panama Hotels (Apatel), Sara Pardo stated recently.
However, The hotel industry, is concerned about the already strong hotel infrastructure that Panama has, and the promotion of Panama as a tourist destination.  Pardo stressed that, going into9  months of the new Government, the Tourism Authority of Panama (ATP) still does not have a tourism promotion plan for the country.
"If we continue to grow in number of rooms,and Panama does not promote it,  low hotel occupancies will start to happen and that is not good for anybody”, said Pardo, who is also manager of Westin Costa del Este.
These new hotel infrastructures are: Hotel Las Americas Golden Tower Panama…

Panama Business. Panama presented recently the country brand "The Way” (El Camino). Before that the well known ”The Path Less Travelled” existed. Before that “My name is Panama”, to name a few.
The last government even spent hundreds of thousands of dollars trying to trademark the phrase "Where the world meets? but had copyright issued and after trying to buy the trademark decided on "The Way".
Ivan Carlucci president of US Panama Business Council (USPA) an organization of American businesses and entrepreneurs in Panama that seeks to promote trade between the two nations, stated recently that  it is necessary to involve businessmen in the talks about the country brand because it gives a personality to Panama and cannot be changed every five years.
"The policy of the country brand should be something that covers all segments of the economy, not just what we see in the framework of tourism, real estate, medical, commercial and others.

He added that USPA had propos…

Panama Business. Alas Doradas (Golden Wings), part of Central America Paper Group, has made it official through Distribuidora Centroamericana, SA (Dicasa), the launch of the Carmessí products that have presence in traditional points of sales and supermarkets in Panama.
Central America Golden Wings Paper Group is responsible for the production of toilet paper, paper towels and napkins based on 100% recyclable material. According to some figures who shared the company's consumption of Central America and Panama in the category of Toilet Paper equivalent to US $ 407 million.
Evangelina Herrera, Marketing Manager for Golden Wings said that all paper exported throughout Central America, from Guatemala to Panama is made in E Salvador. "We are now working with Panama´s Dicasa dealer and together we will be developing an aggressive marketing strategy."
Central America Golden Wings Paper Group is responsible for the production of toilet paper, paper towels and napkins based on 100%…

Panama Business.Leading hospitality development and management company, The Tantalo Group, has unveiled Teatro Amador Nightclub and Caliope Restaurant & Bar, two new and pioneering venues. Past the neoclassical doors of one of the oldest, still-functioning theaters in Casco Viejo, Panama City's UNESCO World Heritage District, guests escape into an atmosphere where international music and cuisine converge in an incomparable setting. The venue surpasses the traditional concepts of Panama City nightlife, providing a lavish entertainment outlet for VIP guests, superstar DJs, locals and travelers alike.
"Panama has rapidly transformed into a major center for commerce and tourism creating a huge opportunity for creative and well-executed hospitality concepts," said Matthew Blesso, Founder and CEO of NY-based Blesso Properties and Owner of Tantalo Group. "We are thrilled to own what we believe will be the premier nightclub in all of Central America as well as one of…

Panama Business. The American Chamber of Commerce of Panama (PANAMCHAM) is inviting businesses and companies to their second Trade Mission of the year to Atlanta, Georgia from the 26th to the 29th of August, 2015. According to AMCHAM executives, foreign investment is an important component in the development of business and trade of Panama. This Trade Mission as it is advertised will provide invaluable opportunities to promote services and products through individualized B2B Matchmaking Appointments.Atlanta is a world class city. It is the eighth largest city in the United States in GDP, and its airport, the Hartsfield-Jackson, is the world´s busiest airport. The city is home to numerous global Fortune 50 companies as well as it being a talented logistic hub that hosted the 1996 Olympic Games in Centennial Park. Atlanta, with its important location as a regional powerhouse, is an ideal city for a Trade Mission from Panama.The program of the Trade Mission includes Tours of the CNN and …

Panama Business. Executives of the Tocumen International Airport met recently with the Director of Operations and Airport Services for Latin America of Lufthansa, Stephan Semsch, in order to address issues related to the operation that will have this airline in Panama, which will certainly strengthen air connectivity between Central America and Europe. At the coordination meeting, the technical, operational and security details for the arrival of the airline Lufthansa to Panama will be finalized on 16 November 2015. Five flights a week will connect the international airport in Frankfurt Airport Tocumen, considered one of the busiest terminals in Latin America. During his visit at the International Airport of Tocumen, Semsch said "this flight extends our connectivity with America, increasing to four points direct connection, which potentiates the flow tourism and increases business opportunities and trade between Central America and Europe. " Meanwhile, Mr. Joseph Fidanque III, …

Panama Business. In a milestone move, Unlimited Vacation Club (UVC) by AMResorts recently announced it will make its debut in Panama in late 2015 and early 2016 with the opening of two resorts: Secrets® Playa Bonita Panama and Dreams® Buenaventura Panama. These pivotal properties will mark AMResorts’ entry into a seventh country. They not only showcase the breadth and strength of the exclusive vacation club’s portfolio, but also exemplify its mission to establish its brand of hospitality excellence in new and desirable leisure markets. Secrets Playa Bonita and Dreams Buenaventura are just the latest chapter in UVC’s phenomenal ascent fueled by AMResorts’ world-class resort brand management. These luxurious, all-inclusive resorts will expand the vacation club’s footprint to a destination that captures beautiful settings with distinctive cultural and eco and adventure-related experiences. UVC’s entrance in Panama, combined with its robust efforts to expand its footprint in existing market…

Panama Business.  At the start of 2009, Juan Carlos Navarro, then mayor of Panama City, presented the key to the city to Denis O’Brien, the Irish mobile phone tycoon. O’Brien´s Digicel had won a mobile licence in the Central American state and the key was recognition of Digicel’s “significant contribution to the future growth of the country”, Navarro said. A filing by O’Brien’s company ahead of its planned stock market listing shows Panama as a rare stumble for a venture that has 13.6m customers in 31 markets.Digicel Panama is a complex set-up, with Digicel Holdings Central America Limited (DHCAL) holding 70% and TTF Panama, owned by the local Bettsak family, holding 30%. DHCAL, in turn, is nearly 52% owned by O’Brien personally, with Digicel holding 45% and employees and management holding the balance.Like all telecoms companies around the world, Digicel is a cash-hungry business. It made its name by wiping the eye of slumbering incumbent rivals across the Caribbean, Central America …

Panama Business.  Scotiabank announced the appointment of Nestor Blanco as vice president and general manager of Scotiabank in Panama, one occupied so far by Robert Williams position.
"Blanco will be responsible for leading, developing, communicating and implementing the business strategy of the bank in Panama, as well as their goals and aligned with corporate strategies and international banking values," the company said in a statement.
Blanco, who joined Scotiabank in 2004, has held senior positions in international banking and wealth management, most recently serving as senior vice president of International Private Banking. He has a degree in accounting from the Universidad Catolica Andres Bello in Venezuela and a master's in business administration from Darden School of Business, University of Virginia, USA.

Scotiabank has presence in Panama since 1974 and in 2004 opened its first branch in the city of Panama. Today it has 16, distributed in several provinces. Accord…