Panama
El Niño exposes the Panama Canal’s unresolved water problem
El Niño is squeezing Panama Canal capacity as shipping costs rise. A long-delayed reservoir could strengthen water security, but Panama still faces difficult choices over displacement, costs and the canal’s future.
ECLAC holds Latin America 2026 growth forecast at 2.2%
Latin America and the Caribbean's economy will grow 2.2% in 2026, unchanged from ECLAC's earlier forecast, before picking up to 2.5% in 2027, as high informality and weak investment continue to cripple the region's growth potential, the UN body says.
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US-China proxy battle at the canal turns into a $3.5bn nightmare for Panama
CK Hutchison opens a second legal front against Panama City, taking its total claims past $3.5bn, as Washington, Beijing and the Mulino government each add fuel to a dispute none of them can fully control.
The strongest El Niño on record will hit food prices from Brazil to Indonesia
The Pacific is warming faster than at any point in the modern record, and central bankers have started writing it into their forecasts.
Latin America insurtech start-ups swell as $90mn funding rebounds
Latin America's insurtech sector attracted $90mn in investment during the first half of 2026, while the number of active companies climbed to 576, a 14% increase from a year earlier and the highest level since 2023, according to a new report.
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Strong El Niño threatens Latin American inflation and rate cuts, UBS warns
Latin American economies face renewed inflationary pressure and possible delays to interest rate cuts if a strong El Niño weather pattern disrupts food production, electricity generation and infrastructure this year, Swiss bank UBS said in a note.
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War in Iran set to weigh on Latin America throughout 2026, ECLAC warns
The war between the US, Israel and Iran will continue to weigh on Latin American and Caribbean economies for the rest of 2026, even if last month's fragile ceasefire holds, the UN's regional economic body has warned.
IMF cuts 2026 global growth forecast, sees Latin America holding steady at 2.4%
The International Monetary Fund has cut its forecast for global economic growth in 2026 to 3%, citing the fallout from the war in the Middle East, while projecting that Latin America and the Caribbean would grow 2.4% this year and 2.7% in 2027.
China weaponises port inspections to punish Panama over ports ruling
Panama's Supreme Court stripped China's CK Hutchison of its canal-flanking ports, a ruling Washington spent a year engineering. Beijing hit back with a quiet blockade of Panamanian shipping. Now Panama heads to Beijing to plead for a ceasefire.
Milei's Mercosur snub exposes the bloc's deepening fault lines
Argentina's Milei ghosted the 68th Mercosur summit in Luque to avoid facing Lula after hosting Flávio Bolsonaro in Buenos Aires, as Paraguay fought to stop Buenos Aires from hoarding EU export quotas. The bloc's unity is eroding in real time.
World Bank cuts Latin America growth outlook as Middle East oil shock takes toll
The World Bank has trimmed its growth forecasts for Latin America and the Caribbean for both 2026 and 2027, blaming the inflationary and monetary fallout from the Middle East conflict.
Panama turns Nordic industry into its proxy lobbyist in Brussels
Panama is turning the EU's own blacklist costs against Brussels — and Sweden's biggest multinationals are its most powerful argument for removal before October's ECOFIN vote.