Overview

Panama has actively worked for many years to attract and promote investments, job creation, and technology transfer, while also striving to become more competitive in the global economy. For this reason, the National Government created Law No. 41 in 2007 (amended by Law No. 41 (amended Law No. 45, of August 2012,  Law No. 57 of October 2018, and Resolution 15 of December 2018) to attract multinational companies. SEMs are companies that operate either as a foreign company registered in Panama or as a Panamanian company owned by a transnational corporation. Their objective is to provide defined services to their parent, subsidiary, or affiliate from Panama.

SEMs enjoy a range of fiscal, migratory, and labor incentives.

According to the Ministry of Commerce and Industries, the accumulated investment from 2007 to 2022 amounts to USD $1,269.11 million, and it is estimated that more than 10,000 jobs will be created by 2022.