Spain consolidates itself as the main global springboard for Latin American companies. Panama positions itself as a key player in regional geoeconomics, bringing together more than 2,000 headquarters that operate thousands of subsidiaries under a high internationalization model. Additionally, Panama is the second country of origin with the highest number of 'springboard companies' in Spain, with a total of 46, second only to Mexico. The report details that Panama is the third destination for Latin American investment in the region, reaching $16.455 billion in 2023. The document, prepared in collaboration with the Complutense Institute for International Studies (ICEI), positions Spain as the first country in Europe and the second globally, surpassed only by the United States, in acting as a platform for companies in the region to access markets in nations such as Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Japan, and South Korea. Panama as a strategic investment hub In the analysis, Panama stands out for its unique role as a regional corporate and financial platform. The most active sectors in these internationalization processes are finance (22.4%), mining (12.8%), and energy (10.7%). Spain is consolidating as the main platform for Latin American companies to access regions such as Africa, the Middle East, and the Asia-Pacific. Nuria Vilanova, president of CEAPI, stated in the third person that this study vindicates geoeconomics as a tool to understand relations between states and highlights the role of Spanish companies as actors of cohesion and stability. In turn, Professor Isabel Álvarez, leader of the research team, highlighted that the weight of the Spanish economy confirms the relevance of the business space for multibusiness companies. 'Springboard companies' and multibusiness companies are defined as those subsidiaries that not only receive investments, but also channel and drive capital towards third markets. In this area, Spain houses 312 of these structures, allowing 112 Latin American companies to extend their activity through 1,636 subsidiaries abroad, mainly in Europe and Latin America. Strengthening investment flows The study uses UNCTAD data to show that the value of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Iberoamerica has multiplied by eight in the current century. With 2,113 headquarters controlling 5,600 subsidiaries abroad, the country presents an average of 2.65 subsidiaries per headquarters, a figure that significantly exceeds the regional average of 1.65.
