The interest rate that the Government of El Salvado pays for money from the Pension Funds is not more than 1.3%, while international investors are paid more than 7%.
Ricardo Soriano, Chairman of the Committee for the Defense of Workers Pension Fund of El Salvador (Comtradefop) reported that since the year 2006, the State has forced the Pension Fund Administrators (AFP) to invest the money belonging to Salvadoran workers in Pension Certificates, initially 30% and the 45% in 2012, money which has suffered a loss greater than $938 million each year.
Growth in personal income, attractive yields and greater awareness about saving are driving interest in investing for retirement.
The pension market has been growing by nearly 25% a year, with assets under management which today are worth around $300 million. This is despite the fact that of the over half a million people working in Panama only 61,631 (3.8%) are enrolled in some form of private pension fund, which demonstrates the high potential for growth this market has.
In Costa Rica the presidential candidate of the ruling party is proposing using part of the proceeds from the tax to fund pensions and improve control of tax evasion.
The candidate of the National Liberation Party (Partido Liberación Nacional), Johnny Araya, proposed in his government plan that of the 13% tax charged on each sale, 3% be assigned to the funds set up by pension providers to cover the pensions of those over 65 years old.
Nicaragua's microfinance companies will start a retirement plan program for micro businessmen and producers who do not have social security.
Laprensa.com.ni reports: "In order to meet the needs of the population without social security protection, from 2005 the Microfinance Network of Central America and the Caribbean (Redcamif) began to devise a plan that would guarantee pensions for microentrepreneurs and small growers who receive credit from institutions within the network: the Programmed Retirement Plan ".