The behavior of manufacturing exports in Panama’s special regimes during the first two months of 2026 shows a contrasting scenario: a moderate recovery in the short term, but a considerable distance from recent historical peaks.
According to figures from the Commercial Intelligence Office (Intelcom), the sector reached $53.2 million between January and February, which represents a growth of 4.7% compared to the $50.8 million of the same period in 2025. This progress, although positive, remains far from the $146.8 million registered in the exceptional first two months of 2024.
However, Intelcom’s technical analysis highlights a trend of stability by observing that, in the period 2022-2026, the evolution of the data allows us to appreciate “a value above $50 million annually for the first two months of each year”, consolidating an operating floor for the value-added industry.
The analysis of these indicators cannot be isolated from the global and local macroeconomic environment. Data from the National Institute of Statistics and Census (INEC), cited in a recent publication of this medium, reveal a change of cycle in the flow of capital; After three years (2022-2024) where Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) comfortably exceeded $2,000 million annually, 2025 marked a contraction of 63%, reaching $905 million. This drop, compared to the $2,454 million raised in 2024, highlights the importance of strengthening competitiveness platforms such as Panama Pacífico to reverse the trend and boost capital reinvestment.
This considering that the main objective of the Special Economic Area of Panama Pacific is the attraction of foreign direct investments and the generation of jobs in the country. To date, Panama Pacífico has more than 410 registered companies, with an investment that exceeds $700 million.
Given this scenario, the Association of Companies of the Panama Pacific Area (Adedapp) held its XIV ExpoFeria, this April 15, as a strategic management tool for the business ecosystem. Marisín Correa, president of Adedapp, maintains an “optimistic expectation about business,” emphasizing that the impact of this special economic zone transcends its physical borders, integrating external companies and local suppliers into a shared value chain.
This vision of growth is supported by the administrator of the Panama Pacific Agency, Javier Suárez Pinzón, who defines the institutional work as the delivery of an “adequate structure so that companies can continue to grow and move the economy.”
Finally, the sectoral analysis suggests that the sustainability of the model depends on the articulation between investment, logistics and tourism. The integration of Panama Pacifico into the national tourism offer, as proposed by Lisa De Dianous of Klassic Travel, together with the institutional support of authorities such as Governor Marylin Vallarino de Sellhorn, points to a strategy of “strategic alliances” to mitigate the attacks of the global market.
In conclusion, while manufacturing under special regimes demonstrates the capacity to sustain over $50 million every two months, the country’s great challenge for 2026 lies in translating this operational dynamism into a recovery of the investment levels that characterized the previous two-year period.
