ECCB Governor announces plan for unified CBI regulator at Investment Gateway Summit 2025

St Kitts and Nevis: In a landmark move, Caribbean nations are moving forward to redefine their Citizenship by Investment programmes as they are preparing to launch a single regional regulator. The announcement was made by Governor Timothy N. J. Antoine of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) during his address at the Investment Gateway Summit (IGS) 2025.  

During the meeting held on June 3rd, the ECCB governor laid out his vision for this new regulatory body including five Eastern Caribbean nations. He emphasized that the development led by the ECCB marks a major move to bring transparency and credibility to the regions’ longstanding economic programmes.  

“This is about raising standards, protecting the integrity of our programmes, and securing their future contribution to our economies,” Governor Antoine said. 

During his address, the governor emphasized that CBI is a financial lifeline for Caribbean, as he shed light that CBI revenues account for over 50% of government income. He also stressed on the major projects that have been led by the governement through these funds including, the development of roads across St Kitts and Nevis and the international airport in Dominica.  

The governor specifically emphasized that investing in Caribbean islands is safe and secure as he shed light on the region’s stable monetary funds, underpinned by Eastern Caribbean Dollar is pegged to the US Dollar which adds another layer of financial security.  

While shedding light on the regulator to be appointed, the governor said that he will be from a separate legal entity from the ECCB. He said that the regulator will license all market participants, monitor and enforce compliance and engage international and local stakeholders.  

The implementation of this new regulatory framework is currently overseen by OECS, CARICOM IMPACS and ECCB. Antoine also emphasized that several consultations took place among the governments, agents, developers, banks and international partners before work started on the new regulatory framework.  

He stressed that the ECCB is planning to make a final submission by early August to turn the legislation into a law by end of this year.  

Notably, the Investment Gateway Summit held under the theme ‘Investment to Impact: Our Journey to a Sustainable Island State’ in St Kitts and Nevis this year focused on discussing many different aspects including solidifying St Kitts and Nevis as a premier destination for investment. Through a discussion over the newly launched eTA and the infrastructural developments through CBI funding, St Kitts and Nevis positioned itself as a leader in meeting international investment expectations.