Mayer Mizrachi

Mayer Mizrachi Matalon
Mayer Mizrachi, 2025
Mayor of Panama City
Incumbent
Assumed office
1 July 2024
DeputyRoberto Ruiz Díaz
Preceded byJosé Luis Fábrega
Personal details
Born (1987-08-25) August 25, 1987
Panama City, Panama
PartyPopular Party (Panama)
OccupationBusinessman, politician
Known forFounder of Criptext

Mayer Mizrachi Matalon (born 25 August 1987) is a Panamanian businessman and politician who has served as Mayor of Panama City since 1 July 2024.[1]

Business and technology

Mizrachi is the founder of the secure email service Criptext.[1][2] According to the company, Criptext began in 2014 as an encryption extension for Gmail and later evolved into a standalone email service focused on end-to-end encryption and user privacy.[2] In 2018, the company announced a relaunch positioning Criptext as an email platform “built around privacy,” describing a model where the inbox is stored on the user's device and using the Signal Protocol library for end-to-end encryption.[3][4] Panamanian press has also described Criptext as a privacy-oriented independent email application.[5]

He also founded GeekyDrop (an e-commerce marketplace).,[6] and subsequently Geeky Motors, a vehicle-import venture focused on Tesla vehicles in Panama.[7]

Mizrachi has also promoted Elapp, a cross-platform nearby file-sharing application whose website describes functionality for sending files between mobile and desktop devices without loss of quality.[8]

Political career

In early 2024, the Popular Party (Partido Popular) announced Mizrachi as its candidate for Mayor of Panama City for the 2024–2029 term.[9] He won the May 2024 mayoral election based on results published by Panama's Electoral Tribunal, and was sworn in alongside vice mayor Roberto Ruiz Díaz on 2 July 2024 at the Palacio Municipal Demetrio H. Brid.[10][11]

Mayor of Panama City (2024–present)

Municipal communications and national media have highlighted an agenda focused on administrative modernization, digital services, and process streamlining, including innovation projects intended to digitize municipal procedures and improve service delivery.[12]

Digital government and service modernization

The municipality introduced the Autorización Transitoria Digital de Construcción (ATC) as part of initiatives aimed at reducing bureaucracy in permitting and construction-related procedures.[13]

Payments and public finance initiatives

In April 2025, the Municipal Council approved a mechanism enabling municipal payments using cryptocurrencies, with conversion handled via an intermediary and participation described as voluntary.[14][15]

Public works and neighborhood projects

Municipal reporting has highlighted road repairs and works in communities such as Chilibre, as part of broader public works programming.[16] Municipal publications also described a 2025 investment agenda including projects such as digital-library/study spaces and “pocket parks”.[17][18] TVN Noticias profiled the administration's broader plan and referenced multiple decentralized projects implemented across corregimientos.[19]

International engagement and regional visibility

During Mizrachi's tenure, Panama City increased its visibility in regional and international forums, including by hosting large-scale convenings. In January 2026, the city hosted the International Economic Forum on Latin America and the Caribbean organized by CAF (Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean), which included an address by the mayor opening the forum's second day.[20][21]

In September 2025, Panama City hosted the 22nd edition of Premios Juventud. TelevisaUnivision described the event as the first time the awards show was held outside U.S. territory, staged at the Figali Convention Center in Panama City.[22][23][24]

Panama City also participates in city-to-city cooperation frameworks, including the Unión de Ciudades Capitales Iberoamericanas (UCCI).[25]

References

  1. ^ a b "Alcalde del Distrito de Panamá". Municipio de Panamá (in Spanish). Retrieved 25 February 2026.
  2. ^ a b "About". Criptext. Retrieved 25 February 2026.
  3. ^ "Say hello to Criptext: an email experience built around your privacy". Medium. 8 August 2018. Retrieved 25 February 2026.
  4. ^ "Criptext's Mizrachi escapes from a Colombian prison to launch a secure email platform". VentureBeat. 14 August 2018. Retrieved 25 February 2026.
  5. ^ "Mayer Mizrachi lanza la app Criptext". Crítica (in Spanish). 9 August 2018. Retrieved 25 February 2026.
  6. ^ "GeekyDrop es la plataforma de ecommerce panameña que escala de manera sostenida". Forbes Centroamérica (in Spanish). 21 April 2023. Retrieved 25 February 2026.
  7. ^ "Tejemeneje del 20 de mayo de 2020". Metro Libre (in Spanish). 20 May 2020. Retrieved 25 February 2026.
  8. ^ "Elapp Nearby Sharing". Elapp. Retrieved 25 February 2026.
  9. ^ "Partido Popular postula a Mayer Mizrachi a la Alcaldía de Panamá". TVN Noticias (in Spanish). 29 October 2023. Retrieved 25 February 2026.
  10. ^ "Mayer Mizrachi será el nuevo Alcalde de Panamá". Telemetro (in Spanish). 6 May 2024. Retrieved 25 February 2026.
  11. ^ "Mayer Mizrachi, alcalde y Roberto Ruiz, vicealcalde de la ciudad de Panamá, son juramentados". Telemetro (in Spanish). 2 July 2024. Retrieved 25 February 2026.
  12. ^ "Alcaldía de Panamá desarrollará 13 proyectos de innovación". Telemetro (in Spanish). 14 October 2024. Retrieved 25 February 2026.
  13. ^ "Desburocratización impulsa 40 proyectos de construcción por $24 millones en solo seis semanas". Municipio de Panamá (in Spanish). 18 June 2025. Retrieved 25 February 2026.
  14. ^ "Consejo Municipal aprueba uso de criptomonedas para pagos municipales". Municipio de Panamá (in Spanish). 15 April 2025. Retrieved 25 February 2026.
  15. ^ "El alcalde de Ciudad de Panamá anuncia que los impuestos se podrán pagar en 'cripto'". El País (in Spanish). 17 April 2025. Retrieved 25 February 2026.
  16. ^ "Alcalde Mizrachi inspecciona trabajos de reparación de calle en Chilibre". Municipio de Panamá (in Spanish). 11 June 2025. Retrieved 25 February 2026.
  17. ^ "Inversiones 2025: Educación, mejoras urbanas y nuevos servicios en la agenda del alcalde Mayer". Municipio de Panamá (in Spanish). 7 July 2025. Retrieved 25 February 2026.
  18. ^ "Un 30% de avance presenta el Parque de Bolsillo de Kuna Nega". Municipio de Panamá (in Spanish). 22 July 2025. Retrieved 25 February 2026.
  19. ^ "Mayer Mizrachi y su plan para transformar la capital; afirma que 'hace más con menos' presupuesto". TVN Noticias (in Spanish). 26 November 2025. Retrieved 25 February 2026.
  20. ^ "Mayor of Panama promotes job creation through technology and public-private sector partnerships". CAF. 29 January 2026. Retrieved 25 February 2026.
  21. ^ "International Economic Forum Latin America and the Caribbean 2026". CAF. Retrieved 25 February 2026.
  22. ^ "Premios Juventud Celebrates Hispanic Music, Culture and Global Influence Live from Panama for the First Time". TelevisaUnivision. 26 September 2025. Retrieved 25 February 2026.
  23. ^ "Premios Juventud 2025 Will Take Place in Panama: What We Know". Billboard. 16 July 2025. Retrieved 25 February 2026.
  24. ^ "Where To Watch: 22nd Edition of Premios Juventud, a Historic Night from Panama". TelevisaUnivision. 22 September 2025. Retrieved 25 February 2026.
  25. ^ "Ciudad de Panamá". UCCI (in Spanish). Retrieved 25 February 2026.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.