Excessive regulation, increased tax charges and geopolitical uncertainty are the main risks to business growth in the region for Central American CEOs.
PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) conducted the Global CEO Survey in the Central American region, in which a group of business executives from Central American countries and the Dominican Republic shared their opinions about their economic expectations.
From this year onwards, the Chamber of Foreign Trade of Costa Rica will be the representative in the Central American country of the Trade Promotion Agency Avante Extremadura.
The Chamber of Foreign Trade of Costa Rica and Representatives of Foreign Houses (CRECEX), announced that from this year it will function as representative in Central America of the Trade Promotion Agency Avante Extremadura.
The event that will take place in San Salvador on October 24 and 25, will address issues such as trade, access to raw materials and current obstacles to business development and growth.
The event is a meeting place for entrepreneurs from the Central American region of different sectors, representatives of private sector associations; with the purpose of providing information and knowledge about the trends in business generation taking advantage of technology and innovation.
From October 1 to 3, Guatemala will be hosting a Conference on Free Zones of the Americas, where topics such as the potential and benefits of companies in the sector will be discussed.
From a statement issued by the Association of Free Zones of the Americas:
Guatemala, September 19, 2018.- The Association of Free Zones of the Americas - AZFA - together with the Santo Tomas de Castilla Free Zone, Chamber of Industry, Chamber of Commerce and the Ministry of Economy, presented the twenty-second Conference for Free Zones of the Americas to be held from October 1 to 3 at Hotel Casa Santo Domingo, in Antigua Guatemala.
Large construction companies in the Asian country are interested in the mega projects that are to be developed in the region, especially in Panama and Costa Rica.
At the last Capac Expo Hábitat fair in Panama, more than 20 companies from China showcased their progress and took the opportunity to establish contacts with local public and private investors.
As part of the Buyers Trade Mission, from 25 to 27 September, 500 Costa Rican exporters will be meeting with 300 entrepreneurs from 50 countries.
The Foreign Trade Promotion Office (Procomer), the institution in charge of organizing the event, reported that this year it foresees holding 5,300 business appointments at the event, which will take place at the Costa Rica Convention Center, in Barreal de Heredia.
The union is made up of 50 Salvadoran companies, and aims to promote opportunities for commercial exchange with companies in the European country.
Last week the Bilateral Chamber of Commerce of the Netherlands in Central America (NETHCHAM) was inaugurated, which will mainly seek to increase exports from El Salvador to the Netherlands.
From September 20 to 22, entrepreneurs from the hardware sector from 11 countries will be meeting in Panama City to hold business conferences with the aim of forging alliances.
According to the organizers of "Expo F 2018", the event will involve traders from Argentina, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama and the Dominican Republic, who will try to create commercial alliances.
The market for medicines in Colombia up to 2017 totalled $3.419 billion, of which 83% corresponded to sales of prescribed medicines, and the remaining 17% to OTC medicines.
A report by the Foreign Trade Promotion Office of Costa Rica details the characteristics of the pharmaceutical products market in Colombia, and highlights the opportunities available for companies in Central America that sell raw materials and supplies for manufacturing medicines.
As part of the ExpoMueble 2018 event, Central American furniture manufacturers and distributors are being called upon to take part in the business conferences scheduled to take place from July 26 to 29, in Guatemala City.
The Guatemalan Exporters Agency reported that in the 2018 edition, more than 100 exhibitors from furniture chains and Guatemalan boutiques will take part, having the opportunity to promote their products to the more than 15,000 people who will be visiting the exhibition floor.
On July 17 and 18 representatives of international franchises from different sectors will be showcasing their business models and meeting with companies interested in acquiring their franchises.
EXPO FRANQUICIA 2018 is being organized by the Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture of Panama, and will bring together more than 100 companies showcasing 70 exhibition modules from a variety of chains including restaurants , desserts, pastry shops and bakeries, air conditioning technical services, pre-school education, photography and design, manicures and pedicures, business networks, automotive service, and footwear, among others.
Explained by better promotional efforts, the proportion of Costa Rican SMEs that export to Asian, South American and Caribbean countries continues to grow.
According to the Foreign Trade Promotion Office (Procomer), last year 86% of companies that sold goods in South America were SMEs, in the case of Asia the proportion reached 81% and for the Caribbean it was 80%.
The event will take place in San Jose on August 9 and 10, and participants from 18 countries in Latin America, North America and Europe are expected to attend.
The III Latin American real estate congress will be held at the Real Intercontinental hotel.
A statement from the Costa Rican Chamber of Goods and Services Brokers (CCBR) states that "... The event, which will take place at the Real Intercontinental Hotel in San José, will be a forum in which the best tools for the professional development of agents will be announced, through the search and exchange of information.The activity will be attended by 18 countries in Latin America, North America and Europe."
More than 200 Costa Rican and Panamanian companies from different industries will participate in a business roundtable from August 28th to 30th in Chiriqui, Panama.
From a statement issued by the Crecex:
June 21, 2018.This morning the Chamber of Foreign Trade of Costa Rica and of Representatives of Foreign Houses (CRECEX) in conjunction with the Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture of Chiriqui in Panama brought together Costa Rican business leaders for the official launch of the next VI Edition of the Chiriqui Business Forum 2018.