Which factors will help the economy withstand any future global economic shocks?
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Interviews & Viewpoints | OBG talks to Augusto Restrepo, Vice-President, Bancolombia from The Report: Panama 2014
Articles & Analysis | Conservative growth: Cautious behaviour has maintained sector profitability for many years from The Report: Panama 2014
Divided between a national and an international banking system, the Panamanian banking sector was once dominated by foreign banks and global transactions, but now domestic and Latin American institutions are the main players. Despite the sector’s strong performance, large global banks like HSBC and BBVA decided to cease local operations, selling...
Interviews & Viewpoints | OBG talks to Raúl Alemán, General Manager, Banco General from The Report: Panama 2014
For the past decade Panama has registered impressive economic growth. According to the World Bank, GDP growth averaged 6.8% from 2000 to 2012, while government figures show double-digit growth for four of the past seven years. Economic development has been fuelled by heavy public sector spending on infrastructure, particularly the $5.25bn expansion of the Panama Canal, which should ensure long-term growth.
Although the emirate’s economic growth can be primarily attributed to its vast hydrocarbons resources, it has also made progress diversifying into new sectors such as manufacturing, tourism, aerospace, defence, finance and logistics. In addition to its economic investments, Abu Dhabi has also made major contributions to social welfare as well as infrastructure, which has been identified as the bedrock for future growth.
In 2012 Abu Dhabi’s insurance sector posted continued growth on the back of increased spending from consumers, corporations and the government. The UAE market overall remains underpenetrated, though total premiums as a percentage of GDP did see a slight increase from 1.9% in 2011 to 2% in 2012. GDP growth and planned government spending on large-scale infrastructure projects will increase the...