LatinNews Daily - 30 July 2026

*Panama’s economy and finance minister, Felipe Chapman, has unveiled the government’s proposed 2027 State budget for US$35.11bn, which is up 0.6% on the 2026 budget. A government press release highlights that the 2027 budget does not provide for a “widespread expansion of public spending, but rather a realignment of priorities aimed at strengthening high-impact areas for the population”. Chapman said that the budget proposal’s key focus is to “improve Panamanians’ quality of life through higher allocations for education, health, social security, infrastructure, housing, drinking water, public safety, and programmes aimed at reducing social and territorial gaps”. He said that as part of this, some US$3.4bn would be assigned for subsidies and economic support programmes, while of this around US$1.5bn corresponds to contributions for programmes administered by the social security fund (CSS).  The statement highlights that the proposed budget includes a fall in funds assigned for servicing the public debt, from US$7.9bn in 2026 to US$5.5bn in 2027.

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