The Panamanian economy has been among the fastest growing and best managed in Latin America, and Panama is expected to retain this high performance through the coming years. Panama’s economy is mainly based on a well-developed service sector heavily weighted towards banking, insurance, commerce and tourism and its maritime sector. Panama City is a hub for international banking and commerce and houses around eighty banks. The city is responsible for almost 55% of the country’s GDP. Panama welcomes foreign investment and boasts a favorable investment climate.

Costa Rica is renowned for its efforts in ecotourism and traditional agricultural exports like bananas, coffee, sugar and beef. Recently, a variety of high-tech industrial and specialized agricultural products are contributing substantially to the economic wealth of the country. High levels of education among its residents make the country an attractive investing location. Costa Rica’s capital city, San José, is the focal point of political and economic activity, and the major transportation hub.

In short, both Costa Rica and Panama are promising markets with a lot of interesting, financial research opportunities.