Panama is not the Caribbean getaway many North Americans imagine. That is the recurring discovery for investors who join the Invest Panama Summit, organized by CHORD Real Estate, a Nashville-based firm that has led two groups of American and Canadian investors on tours of the country’s primary real estate zones. According to Steve Luther, founder of CHORD Real Estate, participants consistently express shock at Panama’s scale and sophistication. “Everybody was just shocked. What is this place? How have we not heard about this?” Luther said.
The surprise stems not from aesthetics but from substance. Panama City boasts a modern skyline, more than 80 international banks, and over 180 multinational regional headquarters operating under favorable tax conditions. Companies like Dell and Caterpillar have established significant operations there. The economy is anchored by the Panama Canal, through which roughly five to six percent of global trade passes annually. This gap between perception and reality is precisely what draws investors who track markets before they become widely discussed.
Each zone visited during the summit reveals distinct indicators. Playa Caracol and Amador attract interest for their tourism potential, coastal scarcity, and surrounding infrastructure investment, including metro extensions crossing the canal, highway widening, and a new bridge connecting Panama City to the western province. Santa Maria appeals to buyers seeking long-term stability, anchored by an 18-hole Jack Nicklaus Signature golf course and a master-planned community of a scale with no real domestic equivalent. Costa del Este draws attention from those watching nearshoring trends, as more multinational companies position regional operations closer to North American time zones. “I don’t know of an area in Panama I don’t like right now,” Luther said. “That’s the problem.”
The investors who attended the second summit in May 2026 reflected a similar variety. The group included people focused purely on returns, a digital nomad looking to home base in Panama, buyers considering seasonal use, and others evaluating the country’s residency pathways. The available projects were diverse enough that each found something worth examining seriously. Beyond specific projects, the summit format offers relationship infrastructure. Meeting developers in person, walking construction sites, and sitting across a table from attorneys and local agents produce a confidence level that online research cannot replicate. “I don’t suggest wiring a bunch of money from a Zoom call. Shake hands, meet the people, get a comfort level, build that trust,” Luther said.
CHORD Real Estate has announced the third annual Invest Panama Summit, scheduled for January 21 through January 24, 2027, in Panama City. The format follows the established structure: a welcome reception on the first evening, guided property tours across Panama City’s development zones over the following days, and an excursion to the Pacific coast, including Playa Caracol, before the group returns. Spots are limited. More information is available at chordrealestate.com/investpanamasummit.
For investors seeking early exposure to a market that has not yet captured broad North American attention, Panama’s combination of economic fundamentals, strategic location, and diverse real estate opportunities presents a compelling case. The summit provides a structured, hands-on introduction to a country that continues to surprise those who take the time to see it. As Luther’s experience shows, the reaction is consistent: what investors find on the ground is far more substantial than what they anticipated.
