Panama and Barbados Surpass US as "Major Investors": BCN Data Reveals Shift Towards Mining Extractivism and Opaque Capital
Who is behind the investments coming from Barbados? BCN figures reinforce suspicions of a link with Ortega and Murillo's Chinese partners who are coincidentally gaining ground in the mining business.
TL;DR
- Panama and Barbados have surpassed the United States as the largest sources of foreign direct investment (IED) in Nicaragua.
- Nicaragua's IED gross income decreased by 4% in 2025 compared to 2024, while net flow increased by 7.6%.
- Reinvestment of profits is a significant driver of the net investment flow.
- Investments from Panama are concentrated in financial intermediation and energy.
- Investments from Barbados are almost exclusively directed towards mining.
- Experts question the origin of capital from Barbados, suggesting it may be a transit point for opaque funds, potentially linked to Chinese investors in Nicaragua's mining sector.
- Barbados, an island nation, does not have a large-scale mining industry, fueling suspicions.
- The mining sector, along with energy, shows the most accelerated growth in investment.
- The report indicates that IED is registered by the investor's residence, not necessarily its real origin, suggesting 'transit investment'.