Panamá has intensified diplomatic and regulatory efforts to improve its international standing, as it has exited the EU's money laundering grey list but still seeks removal from tax and fisheries-related discriminatory lists

Panama has regained control of Bocas del Toro after violent protests over pension reforms led by banana workers resulted in one death, over 300 arrests, and major unrest, with officials linking the chaos to gang involvement and political agitation

Panama has been named in US military invasion plans, as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has confirmed during a House hearing, amid echoes of Trump’s past expansionist ambitions; Greenland was also mentioned

Indigenous communities in Panama have denounced arbitrary detentions and violent repression during protests against the possible reopening of the disputed copper mine, which the Supreme Court had suspended in 2023