Panama City’s modern skyline, more than 80 international banks, and over 180 multinational regional headquarters are drawing attention from North American investors who previously underestimated the country, according to CHORD Real Estate, a Nashville-based firm that has organized two consecutive Invest Panama Summits. The summits bring American and Canadian investors for on-the-ground tours of Panama’s primary real estate zones, and participants consistently report a gap between their prior perceptions and the country’s actual scale and substance.
“They all had a very similar reaction to what we did the first time we got to Panama,” said Steve Luther, founder of CHORD Real Estate, who has personally invested in the market and led both summit groups. “Everybody was just shocked. What is this place? How have we not heard about this?” Luther’s comments highlight a persistent perception gap: Panama has not historically invested in broad international marketing, leaving its profile among North American buyers lagging behind what the country offers.
The economy is anchored by the Panama Canal, through which roughly five to six percent of global trade passes annually. Multinationals like Dell and Caterpillar have established significant operations. Each real estate zone visited by summit groups carries distinct indicators. Playa Caracol and Amador draw interest for tourism potential, coastal scarcity, and 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 attracts 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 second summit in May 2026 included a diverse group: return-focused investors, a digital nomad looking to home base in Panama, buyers considering seasonal use, and others evaluating 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 from attorneys and local agents produce a confidence level that online research cannot replicate. As Luther puts it: “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.”
CHORD Real Estate has announced the third annual Invest Panama Summit, scheduled for January 21–24, 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. Spots are limited. More information is available at chordrealestate.com/investpanamasummit.
For investors, the implications are clear: Panama’s under-marketed market may offer opportunities that are more visible on the ground than in mainstream discourse. The upcoming summit provides a structured way to assess those opportunities firsthand, potentially unlocking a market that has yet to fully register on many North American radar screens.
