Corruption, resignations, drug wars: the Mossack Fonseca leak – known globally as 'the Panama Papers' – may have made headlines, but Central America has far more pressing problems to address if it is ever to regain investor confidence.

Miami's recent history has been turbulent, both economically and socially, but this does not seem to have damaged its allure. Indeed, in recent years Chinese investors have been particularly active in the city, though its strength remains its reputation as the US's main link to the Latin American world.

Small steps are being taken to repair the damage that decades of civil war have wreaked on the Democratic Republic of Congo. Political complications and security issues still blight the country, but cities such as Goma are showing the way forwards when it comes to attracting the attention of investors.

A new government for Guyana – the first in 23 years – promises little in the way of change, say observers, with the country's reliance on mining and agriculture unlikely to be broken.

A volatile political climate, which has seen the arrest and resignation of the country's president this year, and overspill from the Mexican drug wars continue to prevent Guatemala from achieving the development goals it set for itself two years ago.

Despite the economic struggles of the wider Caribbean and Latin America region, the Dominican Republic is set to record strong growth for 2015, with its financial services sector – and mobile banking in particular – thriving.