What if you could go back in time and invest in Singapore before it exploded into a global powerhouse?
Today, you have a second chance.
Panama City is following a remarkably similar playbook—and it’s paying off in spades. With a booming population, bold infrastructure projects, tax incentives to attract multinationals, and skyrocketing demand for high-end real estate…this city is emerging as the Singapore of Latin America.
Right now, there’s a big squeeze on available land…and that means opportunity.
Singapore used to be one of the world’s poorest countries, but a strategic location, smart policies, and big investments in infrastructure changed everything. Today’s it’s rich and a global trading hub. Panama City is following its lead. Watch this video to see what I mean.
For centuries, Panama has sat at one of the world’s great geostrategic crossroads. It links North America with South America…the Pacific Ocean with the Atlantic.
The Panama Canal was built in the early 20th century to unleash this potential. And it was a huge success. Today, about 40% of all U.S. container cargo passes through the canal.
Despite this, Panama City remained a sleepy backwater for most of the 20th century. You see, while Panama’s economy was dependent on the canal, the country did not control the canal or its revenues. The U.S. government built the canal, so it retained control of it.
But in 1999, the U.S. handed the canal back to Panama. This presented an incredible economic opportunity: the chance to transform the country into a Singapore for Latin America.
Panama has grabbed this with both hands…
The story of Panama in a photo…a cargo ship traverses the canal beneath a new bridge. Panama has poured billions of dollars into infrastructure.
As in Singapore before it, Panama’s government launched a series of reforms to turn the country into a safe haven and magnet for multinationals. This included big tax incentives to any major company that made the country its regional headquarters for Latin America.
Scores of major global corporations rushed in to take advantage. Panama City’s skyline was transformed, with skyscrapers shooting up at a dizzying pace.
At the same time, Panama launched major infrastructure initiatives, including a $5.25 billion project to double the capacity of the canal and a $917 million upgrade to the airport.
This has cemented Panama’s place as the “Hub of the Americas.” In 2024, the airport handled 19.2 million passengers, a new record high. (You can fly to 94 destinations non-stop in 39 different countries with 14 airlines from Tocumen.)
In effect, Panama followed Singapore’s playbook—strategic location, world-class infrastructure, and policies that attract capital and talent.
Not to mention Panama’s increasingly stunning skyline…as my scout Ciaran Madden reported last week, Panama City gave him real Asian mega-city vibes.
Panama City has followed “the Singapore model” and risen to become a global hub of trade and finance and a safe haven for people and business.
Look at the great skylines of the modern world: Manhattan, with its iconic Central Park views; Hong Kong and its jungle of glass skyscrapers crowding the harbor; Singapore, where towers rise like bamboo stalks across the city-state; and Dubai, shimmering like a mirage on the edge of the desert.
Now consider this: Panama City ranks among them. Its skyline is the 25th tallest in the world—beating out cities like LA, Miami, and even Beijing. It’s the largest skyline in Latin America. And 45 of its 50 tallest towers have gone up since 2000. That’s not evolution—that’s ignition.
The city is now three times the size it was in 1990. Almost half the country’s population lives in its metro area. It’s drawing in foreign talent like never before.
Herein lies our opportunity.
A view of the city from Ancon Hill. A few decades ago there were no high rises. Today, it’s among the fastest-growing skylines in the world.
All the deals I’ve brought to my Real Estate Trend Alert (RETA) group in Panama to date have been plays on what I call the “big squeeze.”
The population is rising. And demand for high-quality residential real estate—especially in the city center—is soaring. But there’s almost no prime land left…
- To the south is the Pacific Ocean.
- To the north are canal-protected rainforests. (Panama City is the only capital in the world with a rainforest inside its city limits.)
- To the west is the Canal. A fourth bridge is planned—a $1.5 billion mega-project with six lanes, towering pylons, and even a high-end restaurant. But everything west of the canal is essentially “out of town.”
The only way left to build is east. Toward the airport.
That’s a moat. A development moat.
The result? Real estate inside the city is in huge demand—especially the best-in-class and most luxurious.
Our opportunity is to get RETA-only pricing on the absolute crème-da-la-crème of luxury real estate in the best locations in the city.
And I have. I’m bringing a killer deal to RETA members very soon…
I believe it will lead to gains of $293,000 just five years after delivery—and gross rental yields of 10.8% once the community is up and running.
We’ll be buying in the most exclusive corner of Santa Maria—already one of Panama’s most sought-after master-planned communities.
This new RETA deal is surrounded by lush fairways and 5-star amenities…with Costa del Este just next door. Think elite schools, country clubs, and top-tier healthcare, all minutes from Panama City’s booming financial and commercial districts.
The Costa del Este district in Panama City is home to the regional headquarters of some of the world’s leading multinational corporations.
Members of my Real Estate Trend Alert (RETA) group have been buying ahead of the squeeze for many years…using our contacts here to own the kind of luxury real estate that the wealthy executives flocking to Panama City want to rent and buy.
And we’ve seen big gains as a result.
For instance, in June 2024 I brought RETA members the chance to own in a landmark new community in Panama City called Ipanema.
Ipanema is right on the water, on the last prime piece of waterfront land of its type.
And it’s right next to Costa del Este, the 766-acre master-planned district successfully designed and developed to attract multinational companies and their staff to Panama.
The planned amenities in Ipanema will be resort-level awesome. I’m talking pools, park, bistro, gym, bar, manicured beach, and more.
The developer we’re dealing is Alfredo Aleman and he specializes in the bold and brilliant…he couldn’t resist the opportunity to create an iconic community when he had the chance to get prime waterfront land at the heart of the city.
Demand keeps rising. Supply can’t keep up. Prices go up.
If you had any doubt about the scarcity of prime land in Panama City, consider this:
The developer behind the upcoming RETA opportunity in Santa Maria actually built land to develop. In the Bay of Panama.
Developers only build islands from scratch when the scarcity is insane!
That project is Ocean Reef—two man-made islands with a marina for mega-yachts. It’s one of the most exclusive communities in the hemisphere. Within Panama City our upcoming deal is referred to by the developer as his “third island,” which gives you some idea of how ultra-premium it is.
In 2019 and 2021, I brought RETA members deals in Ocean Reef’s Seascape development. RETA members have seen price boosts of $212,000. (And that’s not counting rental income.)
Ocean Reef: An ultra-luxury address in Latin America where condos list for millions. The developer behind these islands is now doing a RETA-only deal with us on another utterly exclusive corner of Panama City and I expect gains of $293,000 five years after delivery.
People want to come here. Panama City is one of the world’s most vibrant and livable destinations…
You can enjoy all the benefits of living in a major metropolis—incredible nightlife, world-class international schools and hospitals, modern airports and metros, upscale supermarkets and shopping malls…
Walk the streets of Panama City today and you’ll pass trendy cafés…craft beer bars…fine-dining restaurants…designer clothing boutiques…expansive shopping malls… All the hallmarks of a population with money in their pockets.
Investing and living here is also convenient because the currency is the U.S. dollar and there are many English speakers.
Stay tuned for more details of the upcoming RETA deal.
If you’ve not yet joined RETA, don’t miss out! become a member now so you can access this incredible deal when it opens on Wednesday, July 23 at 1 p.m. ET. All the details are here.
Wishing you good real estate investing,
P.S. Check out this short, two-minute, 24-second video the RETA team has put together, which illustrates the growth of Panama.
A fast-paced visual look at Panama’s rise—from sleepy capital to Latin America’s most impressive skyline.
