Project to buy a home without a down payment would apply to households with incomes of less than $3.5 million: who would benefit?

A legislative proposal currently before the Chamber of Representatives aims to facilitate home ownership by allowing households with monthly incomes below $3.5 million to purchase new housing without a down payment. Former Finance Minister Mauricio Cárdenas has outlined the initiative as a mechanism to expand access to the property market for lower-income families.

Simultaneously, the Panamanian government faces fiscal challenges, reporting a revenue deficit of approximately $1 billion through August 2026. Data from the Ministry of Economy and Finance indicates that current income for the first eight months of the year reached $5.38 billion, falling $958 million short of budgetary projections.