BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – ANTIGUA and Barbuda will take center stage in the regional Citizenship by Investment (CBI) landscape as it hosts the 2025 Caribbean Investment Summit (CIS) from April 22–26 at the American University of Antigua (AUA).
The summit is expected to draw key players in the CBI sector from across the Caribbean and around the globe. Over 500 delegates—including stakeholders, media representatives, prime ministers from the five participating territories, and heads of regional CBI programmes—will converge on the island.
Charmaine Donovan, Chief Executive Officer of Antigua and Barbuda’s Citizenship by Investment Unit (CIU), told reporters at a press conference that the summit is part of broader efforts to standardize legislation and processes across the subregion's CBI programmes.
In March of last year, the prime ministers of OECS territories with CBI programmes signed an agreement to harmonize their operations. According to Donovan, this move “is a strong signal to our people and our international development partners of the will to strengthen our programmes and raise the proverbial bar of standards in this industry".
“We are exceedingly pleased that this summit will provide a platform for all stakeholders to increase their awareness of the advancements made on the regional regulatory body for the programmes, which is being spearheaded by the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank with collaboration from the OECS Commission," she added. "The Interim Regulatory Committee has been established and is well on the way with developing the appropriate legislation and administrative framework,”
CBI programmes have become a vital source of revenue for the economies of the subregion. Donovan emphasized that this is why continuous improvement is necessary, to ensure the programmes deliver long-term benefits to all residents.
Stachio Williams, CEO of OPEN Interactive, highlighted Antigua and Barbuda’s leadership in setting the gold standard for CBI programmes, particularly in terms of due diligence.
This year’s summit theme, "Integrity, Stability, and Sustainability," reflects the Antigua and Barbuda programme’s emphasis on rigorous vetting, efficient processing, and financial transparency.
“At the same time, looking at financial transparency is one of the things that the Antigua and Barbuda programme has been known for as well,” Williams noted. “And unquestionable integrity—these are things that will be discussed and thoroughly thought through during the summit this year, right here in Antigua.”
The summit comes at a critical time for the region’s CBI programmes, which continue to face international scrutiny. Both the United States and the European Union have expressed concerns about certain individuals obtaining citizenship through these programmes.
More specifically, the EU has raised issues surrounding Chinese nationals who use CBI passports to gain entry into the Union.
