PPP and investment law

Panama: PPP and investment law

The laws that govern PPP and concessions, investment guarantees, dispute settlement and legal terms, with links to the official texts.

Checked on October 25, 2026Information, not legal advice

In brief

Panama regulates PPPs through Law No. 93 of 19 September 2019, which creates the public-private partnership regime (APP). Projects originate by public initiative only (Art. 7). The Ente Rector of the APP regime and the National APP Secretariat oversee it. Panama has been an ICSID Contracting State since 1996 and is a party to the New York Convention, and UNCTAD lists an investment treaty between Panama and Ukraine in force since 2003.

PPP and concession law

In force

Ley N° 93 de 19 de septiembre de 2019, que crea el régimen de asociación público-privada para el desarrollo como incentivo a la inversión privada, al desarrollo social y a la creación de empleos

Number / reference: Ley N° 93
Adopted: September 19, 2019
Published: September 19, 2019
Official publication: Gaceta Oficial Digital N° 28864-B de 19 de septiembre de 2019
In force since: September 19, 2019

The APP law, in force since promulgation (Art. 88). Article 4 defines the contracting public entity, the APP contractor, the bidder and the company holding the APP contract. Articles 10 to 12 create the Ente Rector and the National APP Secretariat. A resolution published in Gaceta Oficial No. 30557-B of 30 June 2026 cites it without amendments. The link leads to the Gaceta Oficial.

Official text (opens in a new tab)

Investment protection

We have not yet checked a separate foreign investment or investment screening law for this jurisdiction against an official source, so we do not summarise one here.

Constitutional protection of property

The constitutional property provision has not yet been checked against the official text, so we do not summarise it here.

Dispute settlement

The law provides for direct negotiation between the parties, a technical panel whose opinion is non-binding, and arbitration under Panamanian law, seated in Panama City and conducted in Spanish (Arts 76 to 78).

ICSID Convention

Contracting State

Signed: November 22, 1995
Ratified: April 8, 1996
In force: May 8, 1996

New York Convention (1958)

Party

Investment treaty with Ukraine

In force (2003)

Ukraine's treaties at a glance

Legal terms

How the law names each party, in the original language. Useful when reading tender documents and contracts.

Public side

entidad pública contratante

Private side

contratista APP
sociedad titular del contrato de APP

Who proposes a project

In Panama, PPP projects originate by public initiative only (Art. 7).