Arias, Fábrega & Fábrega is a leader in the area of mergers and acquisitions in Panama, in terms of dollar value of deals and frequency of transactions.

The firm is broadly recognized for its unparalleled experience in structuring the most complex and difficult acquisitions in Panama and the Central America region.

ARIFA has acted as lead counsel in landmark transactions, such as the controlling interest sale of Cable Onda (Panama’s largest cable provider) to Millicom, HSBC’s US$2.2 billion sale of its banking group in Panama to Bancolombia, Grupo Rey’s public tender offer and sale to Corproacion Favorita, US$5.1 billion purchase of Syntex Corporation by F. Hoffman-La Roche, the US$897 million tender offer of Bancolombia for the shares of Banagrícola (the first truly bi-national public tender offer in Central America), the US$700 million acquisition of McDonald's operations in Latin America (winner of the 2007 M&A Deal of the Year Award by Latin Lawyer), the US$1.5 billion sale of Banco Cuscatlán's operations in Central America to Citibank, and the stock merger between Banco General and Banco Continental, resulting in the largest Panamanian bank, among others.

The specialization of its lawyers in up to 30 practice areas enables the firm to staff multi-disciplinary teams of experts to cover all aspects of complex M&A transactions, including issues of corporate law, antitrust, taxation, securities regulation, banking, environmental law, labor and employment relations, real estate, public utilities, government contracts and regulatory work, and intellectual property.

Representative Clients

Assicurazioni Generali S.p.A., Bancolombia, Banco General, Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior (Bladex), Bank of America, Citibank / Citigroup Global Markets, Credit Suisse, Goldman Sachs, Grupo Nueva, JPMorgan Chase, Mexichem, MHC Holdings, Morgan Stanley, Medcom Holdings, and United Airlines.