Butterfield Buys CIBC Caribbean: A $1.8B Bet on Regional Banking Consolidation
A Bermuda-based bank with $14.4 billion in assets is acquiring a Barbados-based bank with $14.3 billion in assets, in cash and stock, to create a $29 billion institution spanning 10 Caribbean markets.
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The CARICOM Communiqué Decoded: What Saint Lucia Actually Delivered
The 51st CARICOM Heads of Government Meeting, held July 5–8 in Saint Lucia under the theme "From Resilience to Renewal," focused on delivering tangible results to ease the rising cost of living and improve citizens' daily lives
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Can Infrastructure Turn the Caribbean into a Production Base?
The Caribbean has long sold location, tax incentives, and access to shipping routes. The harder question is whether industrial parks and special economic zones can move the region from being a consumption and tourism platform into a serious production base for logistics, light manufacturing, digital services, agro-processing, and nearshore supply chains.
Jamaica Holds Policy Rate as Inflation Risks Remain Uneven
Bank of Jamaica held its policy rate at 5.50% in June, noting that inflation had remained within the 4%–6% target range over the prior three months, but that global uncertainty and geopolitical risks could still push inflation above target in the near term. The signal for investors and lenders is that Jamaica’s easing cycle may remain cautious rather than aggressive.
RCARICOM Pushes Digital Agriculture as Food Import Bill Target Extends
CARICOM’s food-security agenda is shifting toward digital infrastructure, with its E-Agriculture Strategy designed to support the expanded 25 x 2025+5 / 25 by 2030 effort to reduce the region’s food import bill. The issue is no longer just agricultural production; it is market information, logistics, online trading, and cross-border coordination.
Guyana’s Oil-Led Growth Keeps Widening the Regional Gap
Guyana remains the region’s growth outlier, with its economy projected to expand sharply again in 2026 as oil output continues to drive national income. Reuters reported that Guyana’s economy was projected to grow 16.2% in 2026, with oil output forecast to average around 840,000 barrels per day and further expansion tied to offshore project development.
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Regional debt servicing costs are drawing renewed attention as fiscal authorities weigh refinancing windows against rate expectations.