During 2018, Guatemala received $1.175 million in FDI, barely 0.5% more than the investment reported in 2017, mainly because of the political and legal uncertainty that ruled the country.
Figures from the Banco de Guatemala (Banguat) report that in the last five years, the country has gained $6,139 million in foreign direct investment (FDI), being 2014 the one that registered the highest year-on-year increase when reporting a 7% rate regarding 2013.
An article in the Financial Times notes that Managua should be considered as a strategic place to invest in.
"The intelligence division of the Financial Times this week published its ranking on the American cities of the future and found that Managua in Nicaragua, one of the poorest countries in Latin America, should be considered as a strategic place in which to invest," reported Elnuevodiario.com.
Seven bills designed to encourage investment are still pending in the legislative committees of finance, treasury, and economy.
Laprensagrafica.com reports that "The Legislative Assembly is about to close the first Legislative month of 2013 without having approved any of the reform initiatives and new laws proposed by the President, Mauricio Funes, to encourage investment.
The Salvadoran government is promoting a series of measures that are part of the model called "New Cycle for Investment, Development and Employment" which seeks to give renewed impetus to private investment in the country.
A press release from the Presidency of the Republic of El Salvador reads:
The Economic Cabinet, led by the Technical Secretary of the Presidency, Alexander Segovia, revealed today in a presentation of this model the objectives, stages and actions with which the government is promoting economic takeoff and breaking the "vicious circle" which has impeded the country's development.
The International Services Act, which created the environment for the arrival of foreign banks, free zones and call centers, will be modernized.
The government of El Salvador is preparing amendments to the Law on International Services, which in its time allowed a multiplication of foreign investment in the financial, telecommunications and the maquila sector among others.