Many firms offer Panama bank accounts that give you access in less than 48 hours. They will usually charge a premium for this expedited service, because clients interested in having the bank account opened yesterday will gladly pay extra to have it done as soon as possible.
The reason given for the ability to offer such quick service is usually something along the lines of having a great relationship with the bank that allows their clients to have a bank account quickly. Although this is not a lie, there is always a catch, and this is one you should definitely know about before choosing this option.
There is no bank in Panama that will OPEN an account for you in less than a week.
The way you are able to "have" a Panama bank account sooner than that is by placing your money in an account that is in the law firm's name, and then depositing the funds in your account once your account is finished opening, two weeks later. This solution may be good for a quick fix of less than $15,000, but usually our clients are worried about sending even $900 over the internet, so it's difficult for us to see how this would be a viable option for any cautious individual.
That's why we offer but never recommend this service, unless it is absolutely necessary for our client to have an account within 48 hours. Even then, there are other options available that do not involve placing all your funds in another person's bank account. We believe that more respectful business can be conducted without having our clients under the gun.
Sometimes a Panama bank account might not be the ideal option for our clients. For these cases, we offer bank accounts in other jurisdictions.
But don’t take our word for it; before deciding to put your funds in someone's account, look up the firm's name plus the word "scam" on google and you can do your own due diligence.