Panamá, Panama
Custom ERP and billing, AI agents, web applications and SaaS for logistics and financial services businesses in Panama City. Built by Flip Retail in Jaipur, India, and delivered remotely, with working software every two weeks.
01 — Local economy
Ships queuing for the Panama Canal, the container terminals at Balboa and Rodman, and Copa Airlines' passenger hub at Tocumen give the city a logistics economy far larger than its size. An international banking centre, maritime and corporate law firms, and multinationals' regional headquarters registered under the SEM regime fill Costa del Este and the banking district, while Panama Pacifico hosts distribution and aircraft-maintenance firms.
Also known as Ciudad de Panamá and Panama.
Spanish and English
02 — Industries
What we would build first for the industries Panama City is known for.
03 — Compliance
What an ERP, billing system or AI agent has to respect here.
| Indirect tax | ITBMS, standard rate 7%ITBMS (Panama's VAT) is 7% general, with higher rates on alcoholic beverages and hotel lodging (10%) and tobacco (15%). |
|---|---|
| E-invoicing | Phasing in · SFEP - Sistema de Factura Electrónica de Panamá (DGI, via PAC)E-invoicing is mandatory for defined groups (new RUCs since 2022, state suppliers, large taxpayers, independent professionals and others) but not yet universal. Since 1 Jan 2026 (Resolution 201-6299) the DGI's free invoicing tool is limited to taxpayers billing up to B/. 36,000 a year and 100 documents a month, pushing others to an authorised PAC. |
| Data protection | Ley 81 de 2019 sobre Protección de Datos PersonalesIn force since March 2021 (regulated by Executive Decree 285 of 2021) and enforced by ANTAI, with ARCO data-subject rights plus portability, and fines. |
| AI rules | No AI-specific statute; several AI bills are pending in the National Assembly, and Executive Decree 36 (May 2026) declared critical and emerging technologies a national-security priority. |
| Systems we migrate from or connect to | QuickBooks, SAP Business One, Odoo, Alegra, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business CentralMasters, ledgers, stock and open balances move across and are reconciled before cutover. |
| Payment rails for web apps and SaaS | Yappy, ACH Xpress, Clave, PagueloFacil |
| Also worth knowing | The US dollar is legal tender alongside the balboa, and invoices identify parties by RUC plus check digit (DV). |
General information, not legal or tax advice. Last reviewed October 2026. Rules change, so we confirm current requirements during discovery; your tax adviser should confirm anything that affects filings.
Sources consulted:
04 — Working together
Jaipur is 10 h 30 min ahead of Panama City all year. A 09:00 start there is 19:30 in Jaipur. Office hours don't overlap, so we fix one call slot at the edge of the day and work asynchronously in between.
Local time, standard time.
Pranjal was excellent — fast, great at communicating, and completed the custom work.
50+ projects for 30+ clients in 11 countries over six-plus years.
05 — FAQ
Yes, remotely. Flip Retail is a software studio in Jaipur, India, with no office in Panama City; discovery happens on video calls and you get working software every two weeks.
Jaipur is 10 h 30 min ahead of Panama City all year. A 09:00 start there is 19:30 in Jaipur. Office hours don't overlap, so we fix one call slot at the edge of the day and work asynchronously in between.
Yes. Invoicing is built for Panama's ITBMS (standard rate 7%). On e-invoicing: E-invoicing is mandatory for defined groups (new RUCs since 2022, state suppliers, large taxpayers, independent professionals and others) but not yet universal. Since 1 Jan 2026 (Resolution 201-6299) the DGI's free invoicing tool is limited to taxpayers billing up to B/. 36,000 a year and 100 documents a month, pushing others to an authorised PAC. A custom ERP connects to SFEP through its official API or an accredited provider, and we confirm the current requirements in discovery.
You choose: your own cloud account in a region that suits you, or your own servers. Access inside the system is role-based, and during development we work on test or masked data wherever possible. In force since March 2021 (regulated by Executive Decree 285 of 2021) and enforced by ANTAI, with ARCO data-subject rights plus portability, and fines.
Yes. Masters, ledgers, stock and opening balances move across and are reconciled with your accountant before cutover, ideally at a year-end or quarter-end.
Yes. Current language models handle Spanish and English well, including mixed-language messages. We still test an agent in each language your customers use before it goes live, and route anything it is unsure about to your team.
Usually one module that fixes the most expensive problem first. For logistics & ports that is often job & shipment costing and warehouse management (bins, put-away, picking). It goes live early, and the rest of the system follows in two-week increments while your team is already using it.
Contact
Tell us about the process you want fixed. We reply within one working day.