Fitch Affirms Panama's IDRs at 'BBB'; Outlook Stable
-February 19th, 2016
Source: Digital Journal
Fitch Ratings has affirmed Panama's Long-term foreign- and local-currency Issuer Default Ratings (IDRs) at 'BBB'. The Rating Outlook is Stable. The issue ratings on Panama's senior unsecured foreign- and local-currency bonds have been affirmed at 'BBB', the Short-term foreign-currency IDR at 'F3', and the Country Ceiling at 'A'. Panama's ratings are supported by its strong and stable macroeconomic performance, which has driven a sustained rise in per-capita income and reflects policies and a strategic location and asset (the Panama Canal) that underpin a high investment rate.
Financial Action Task Force says Panama exited grey list in record time
-February 18th, 2016
Source: La Prensa
The Financial Action Task Force has acknowledged the progress made by Panama in the strengthening of its legal framework for the prevention of money-laundering and the financing of terrorism. The agency removed Panama from its grey list after highlighting the fulfillment of the measures contained in an action plan it developed with Panama. "It has recognized all of the advances made by Panama. Panama has complied with all the points of its action plan. It has complied with each and every one of the points in record time," said Esteban Fullin, of the Financial Action Task Force.
Panama's wind generation surpasses hydro on 7
-February 16th, 2016
Source: SeeNews.com
Panama's National Secretary of Energy announced on Monday that wind power generation had surpassed that from hydropower plants (HPPs) on February 7 and reached a share of over 25%.
To be more specific, wind produced 25.31% of the country's power, while HPPs accounted for 22.15%. This is good news for country as wind could help guarantee more stable supply even in the dry season. Recently, UK solar company Solarcentury also connected a 9.9-MWp unsubsidised solar farm in Panama. More solar projects are expected. Since 2014, Panama has saw renewables investment reach about USD 580 million