Banking & Finance

Panama: a continental financial platform

Over the past decades, Panama has solidified its status as a regional financial hub. Its strategic location, dollarized economy, network of double taxation treaties, and strong legal infrastructure have made it an ideal gateway for international financial operations.

As the country continues to modernize its regulatory frameworks, the demand for specialized legal guidance increases. Within this evolving environment, Quijano & Associates stands out as a trusted advisor to banks, investment funds, corporations, and insurance companies doing business in Panama and beyond.

Legal Solutions for a Demanding Financial Environment

The Banking and Finance team of Quijano & Associates offers comprehensive advice on banking matters:

• Bridge loans
• Syndicated loans
• Mortgage loans
• Secured loans
• Guaranteed loans
• Cross-border loan financing

We also advise clients about necessary requirements to comply with due diligence processes, and structuring and negotiating corporate and commercial loans under traditional forms of security, such as mortgage and pledge, or under trust arrangements as security and other purposes.

Furthermore, we represent banks, financial institutions, companies and individual clients in their capacity as lenders or borrowers in various kinds of transactions and financing operations such as:

• Financial leasing
• Renting
• Corporate financing
• Factoring
• Debt restructuring

Cross-Border Clientele

Quijano & Associates advises both local institutions and foreign entities entering Panama as a regional springboard into Latin America. Their clients include:

• Commercial and investment banks
• International private equity funds
• Expanding multinational corporations
• Foreign law firms requiring expert local support

Thanks to its collaborative mindset, the firm frequently works in tandem with Corporate Law and Public Procurement teams to deliver seamless service in large-scale or government-affiliated transactions.

Representative Transactions:

• Legal advice to the third largest bank in Panama in the structuring and negotiation of a loan granted by an international bank in the amount of US$240 million guaranteed by the discounts made to retirees of the Panamanian Social Security Fund, this being an innovative structure to guarantee the payment of the obligations.
• Legal advice to the Inter-American Investment Corporation (IIC) on the due diligence and legal structuring of the following operations in Panama:
  • US$10 million loan agreement with a bank licensed in the Republic of Panama to provide credit facilities to small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs) in Panama.
    
    
  • US$6 million loan agreement with a prestigious Panamanian bank for financing small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs) in Panama through leasing and factoring operations, working capital and housing financing for Panamanian citizens.
    
    
  • US$10 million loan agreement with an international bank located in Panama to provide credit facilities to small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs) in Panama.
• Advised a prestigious Panamanian bank in the structuring of a private issuance of corporate bonds to provide financing to a leading business group in the field of outdoor advertising for the acquisition of a regional company in Central America.