Panama and Paraguay lead Latin America's investment residency programs

Panama and Paraguay top the regional ranking of investment residency and citizenship programs thanks to their tax competitiveness, flexibility and access costs, according to a report by the consultancy Global Citizen Solutions, reported by Bloomberg Línea.

The report, titled The Next Decade of Mobility Planning: Jurisdiction as an Asset Class, analyzes eleven programs in the region and ranks Panama first with 81.8 points as the most consistent country, standing out in processing, fiscal optimization and operational flexibility.

Laura Madrid, lead researcher at Global Citizen Solutions' Global Intelligence Unit, said in the publication that Panama accepts a wide variety of assets, from real estate to bank deposits, and does not require a minimum period of residence.

Panama's appeal is completed by a dollarized economy and a territorial tax regime that exempts income earned abroad, which has led North American applicants to overtake Colombians in the qualified investor program.

Paraguay, for its part, scores 81.6 points in the analysis and offers the best cost-benefit ratio in the region, with an initial contribution of $70,000, the lowest tax rates and a requirement of one visit every three years, although the study warns that its quality of life is below the regional average.