More New Banking Loans Reach a High of 8.2% Over Last Year.
The National Banking System (SBN) granted $21.413 billion in new loans between January and September 2026, 8.2% more than in the same period of 2025, according to a report by the Superintendency of Banks of Panama (SBP).
The International Banking Center (IBC) reached net assets of $171,816.2 million at the end of September, with a year-on-year growth of 8.20%. The net loan portfolio grew 6.20% to $106,032.5 million, while deposits totaled $121,617.2 million (+6.82%). In September, disbursements reached their highest monthly amount since 2012, driven by the public sector. Year-to-date, lending to the private sector increased by 3.3%.
Asset quality improved: the local non-performing and overdue portfolio of the SBN fell from 5.6% to 5.2% and in the CBI the overdue portfolio went from 2.24% to 2.06%. Liquidity and solvency remained above regulatory minimums, with a liquidity of 55.33% in the CBI and a Capital Adequacy Ratio of 15.72%.
Between January and September, CBI’s net profit was $2,225.2 million, similar to that of 2025, with an ROE of 15.10% and an ROA of 1.79%. This report highlights the 9.38% increase in external deposits and the increase in correspondent banks from 431 to 435, following Panama’s removal from the FATF grey list and the European Union’s high-risk list.
