The Panama Company 

A Panama company (IBC) or corporation is a great vehicle to conduct business and own bank acocunts anonymously.  When incorporating a Panama company (IBC) you have several options.

The most popular company type is a general Panama corporation which comes in two varieties:

Panama Corporation (SOCIEDAD ANONIMA )

    Only 1 registered shareholder or stock holder is necessary.

Panama Bearer Share Corporation

No registered shareholders.  Bearer shares issued.  Whoever holds the shares physically owns the corporation.  This is an extremely private option.  Panama bearer share companies are well respected and can hold bank accounts in Panama or abroad.

Panama Foreign Corporation

This allows foreign companies to register in Panama.  This option is not suitable for offshore banking and as such will not be discussed in detail here.

Panama General Partnership 

For offshore investing and banking a partnership has no advantages over a general Panamanian company.

Panama limited Partnership

Again, a limited partnership doesn't do anything to help one in offshore banking more than a the standard Panama IBC. 

Panama Civil Partnership

This option is not suitable as an offshore incorporation alternative.

Panama Foundation & Banking Privacy

A Panama foundation is a powerful offshore tool.  It can be used in combination with a Panama company to provide a "layered" approach offshore banking secrecy.  Although a Panama bearer share corporation is very powerful in and of itself, when combined with a Panama corporation and bank account, it is the ultimate bullet proof banking privacy solution.

Panama Trusts 

A Panama trust is a strong offshore vehicle when combined with other offshore vehicles like a bearer share corporation and / or a foundation.  Often it is not used though because its benefits are largely redundant.  Usually a Panama company, foundation, and bank account are sufficient.  Adding a trust into the mix can be useful in some circumstances, where the goal is not to be anonymous, but to be transparent while still providing asset protection and the ability to pass assets between parties.

Jobs - Hiring - Firing - and Company Management in Panama

Hiring someone to fill a position in a Panama compny locally in Panama may seem like a good idea at first.  You should consider that, like most jurisdictions, local employees are protected by employment law.  You may find yourself in a mess.  It is not uncommon for a Panama resident to sue an employer for wrongful dismissal.  Panama courts are sympathetic to Panama employees who are usually quite poor.  Due to very low wages, this option looks good when you are considering hiring help, but when you need to fire (dismiss) an employee, it gets messy.  Considering most offshore companies are setup to be run from a-far this is the kind of mess you don't want.  How will you attend a court hearing in Panama?