Panama Canal expansion will attract investment flows

The expansion of the Panama Canal is set to draw in banks from far and wide because of the increased investment opportunities that the programme will have on all economic sectors in the country, according to bankers and analysts in the region.

“The plans for the Panama Canal expansion project will continue to underpin investment growth in the coming years,” says Theresa Paiz-Fredel, a senior director in Fitch’s Latin America sovereign group.

Panama is investing $5.25 billion to double the capacity of the water highway, making it possible for mega-freighters to use the route. The seven-year expansion plan will ease all water transport for the fast-rising flow of Asian products to US consumers on the Atlantic coast. The canal expects to roughly double the volume of cargo that can pass through by 2020.

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