Costa Rica is often referred to as the Switzerland of Central America. Especially the region around Monteverde reminds us a bit of Switzerland: It is green, very hilly, and a producer of cheese. But there are also social and political parallels: CR is neutral and politically stable, and it enjoys relatively great wealth.However, as a Swiss banker, I might feel also at home in Panama: Panama is a financial centre with a tradition of strong banking secrecy, and as a result shares a place with Switzerland on the OECD grey list of countries which have not implemented international standards on tax information exchange.
So which country is really the “Switzerland of Central America”?
While Costa Rica is the Switzerland of Centro America, Panama could earn the title Liechtenstein of Centro America: Like Liechtenstein, Panama relies on the currency of a bigger country.
ReplyDelete