The European Investment Bank has formally launched a regional office based in Panama to cover Central America and Mexico.
The office was launched at the 30th Ibero-American Summit in Madrid on 5 November, and has been operational since October 2026, the EIB informed in a statement on Thursday.
It will work across Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico and Panama, helping the bank to work more closely with public institutions, businesses and financial institutions in the region.
The launch was attended by EIB President Nadia Calviño and Panama’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Javier Martínez-Acha Vásquez, alongside representatives from Central America and Mexico.
Focus on energy integration and new financing
The EIB said the office will support its work on electricity integration in Central America — a project area where it has announced around €1 billion in financing.
That financing was announced at the CELAC–EU Summit in Santa Marta in November 2025, the EIB noted, referring to the summit between the EU and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States.
“Significant progress has since been made” on the electricity integration initiative, and the Panama office will help finalise remaining projects in Honduras and Guatemala, the EIB said.
The new office follows what the bank described as a renewed phase of activity in Central America and Mexico, with new financing agreements signed in Costa Rica, Panama and Mexico since September 2025.
Panama was chosen as the base under a host country agreement with the Republic of Panama, and the office will support work in areas including energy, sustainable mobility, water and sanitation, and innovation, Foreign Minister Martínez-Acha Vásquez said.
