News

The Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean (CAF) continues to make big moves in Panama. The bank recently announced that it is allocating nearly $600 million for financing in Panama in 2025, as part of its regional plan to promote sustainable development.

Overall, the bank plans to invest $16.5 billion in the region, an increase of 6% from a year ago.

“We are going to have a significant expansion in Latin America and the Caribbean,” executive president Sergio Díaz-Granados told reporters.

You’ve heard us talk about CAF a lot in recent months. In addition to serving as a powerful financier for infrastructure in the country, the bank’s new headquarters under development downtown is catalyzing an exciting re-working of an Obarrio neighborhood.

The new “superblock” will be highlighted by CAF’s six-story headquarters and MOVA by B & B Italia, a three-building complex that will include commercial and retail spaces, as well as 285 high-end condominiums. This first-of-its-kind development for Panama City will offer a new luxury living experience downtown, designed around nature and wellness, with interiors created by B&B Italia, the Italian firm known for its iconic contemporary designs.

Together, the CAF headquarters and MOVA will combine to create a walkable, vibrant urban neighborhood, reminiscent of developments in the great cities of Europe.

CAF’s presence makes it all work. And the bank is developing as a major player in the Panama scene. Its investments tend to focus on infrastructure, such as the recent announcement to finance a $491 million deal to modernize sanitation infrastructure throughout the country.

In 2024, the bank financed a portfolio of $2.368 billion, Díaz-Granados told La Estrella. Since 1988, the bank has invested $8.204 billion in projects, including wastewater, electromobility, and digital transformation projects. Díaz-Granados said 78% of CAF’s portfolio in Panama is currently related to sustainability.

“Over the past 26 years, we have strengthened many of the country’s public policies, with programs aimed at agriculture, SMEs, climate change, entrepreneurship, youth employment, digital transformation and the implementation of a regional agenda,” he said.

Díaz-Granados made the statements at the launch of the Latin America and the Caribbean International Economic Forum 2025, which is scheduled for the Panama Convention Center, on Jan. 29 and 30.

For more information on MOVA and its unique location crossing streets with the new CAF headquarters, please contact our sales team at sales@puntapacificarealty.com