On August 20-22 2021, an Adrianople Group Representative was present as a speaker for Nomadays 2021, an event about perpetual traveling, tax optimization, and internationalization solutions. 

The event featured 2 days of talks with a number of parallel workshops from experts in the industry on topics of interest to digital nomads, including interesting residency and business incorporation options.

Presenters at the exhibition and conference included both experienced perpetual travelers and international entrepreneurs. Also present were experts in adjacent fields such as tax and immigration consulting, ‘travel hacking’, and international insurance. The Adrianople Group’s main interest was in how zones were being employed as part of international tax and business strategies by digital nomads worldwide. 

Demographically, the great majority of participants were from German-speaking countries, although a smaller number of international participants was present. 

We were able to collect a number of recurring themes and insights from the presentations and from participant discussions. One piece of data stood out: an unusually large number of Germans were applying for the Panama Friendly Nations visa, before the change in conditions that came in place in August. Not all of these want to immediately move, but are merely securing a backup residency. 

Another country with considerable interest was Romania, especially regarding its small company regime. Southeast Asia was also discussed: Thailand remains a nomad favorite, Indonesia is creating lots of expectations towards its nomad visa proposal, and Malaysia is losing its edge among nomads because of its new, more restrictive requirements for the MM2H visa.

The audience was generally aware of and interested in Charter City projects, specifically the ZEDEs in Honduras. Most had already heard of Próspera sometime in the past and were eager for updates, whereas awareness was lower for other developments such as Ciudad Morazán, Orquídea, and Guanaja Hills.

Besides Honduran ZEDEs, other SEZs which were mentioned as options for international structures included UAE’s Free Zones, particularly popular as a way to get Emirati residency through company visa sponsorship, as well as Panama’s Colón Free Zone as a strategic trade chokepoint.

This was a very interesting conference to understand the latest topics and strategies in internationalization for SMEs and solo entrepreneurs, and also to understand how SEZs are employed by individuals and businesses alike. The Adrianople Group is glad to have attended the conference and will consider reporting on similar international tax-structuring and cross-border business conferences in the future.