In this episode of Caribbean Business Review, host Joseph Cox is joined by Leo “Titus” Preville, former Director of the CARICOM Single Market and senior OECS advocate, for a data-driven examination of the future of Citizenship by Investment (CBI) programmes in the Caribbean.

As the United States tightens scrutiny of CBI schemes and restricts visa access for select Caribbean jurisdictions, the region faces a stark economic dilemma. CBI revenues have become deeply embedded in fiscal frameworks across the OECS and wider CARICOM—financing post-pandemic recovery, climate resilience, and core public services. Yet geopolitical pressure is rising, and policy space is narrowing.

This conversation explores whether Caribbean governments can realistically abandon CBI programmes—or whether reform, coordination, and stronger governance are now the only viable path forward.

Key themes include:

• Why CBI revenues have become structurally critical to Caribbean fiscal stability

• The economic and political implications of U.S. visa restrictions

• Risks of abrupt revenue loss for small, open economies

• Regional coordination challenges and governance reform options

• How geopolitical scrutiny is reshaping Caribbean economic sovereignty

This episode also features a CBR Briefing examining Caribbean business strategy in a post-Trump policy environment, and how evolving U.S. political incentives are reshaping the region’s strategic outlook for 2026 and beyond—with implications for trade, mobility, finance, and investment confidence.

🎧 Listen now for an authoritative discussion on Caribbean CBI risk, fiscal sustainability, geopolitics, and regional economic strategy.

In this episode of Caribbean Business Review, host Joseph Cox examines the structural economic signals reshaping the Caribbean at a critical inflection point.

We begin with a CBR Briefing on What the Caribbean’s EV Divide Really Tells Us — not as a technology story, but as a window into deeper issues of infrastructure readiness, income inequality, energy systems, and policy sequencing across small, climate-vulnerable economies. EV adoption, the episode argues, is emerging as a proxy indicator for fiscal capacity, grid resilience, and development coherence rather than consumer preference.

The programme then features an in-depth conversation with Annie Bertrand, Financial Inclusion Expert, exploring why financial inclusion in the Caribbean remains structurally incomplete despite high levels of formal “banking.” The discussion focuses on the barriers facing micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), including access to merchant accounts, compliance costs, regulatory design, cash dependence, and the missing digital payment infrastructure needed to support e-commerce and scalable growth.

Key themes include:
• Why being “banked” does not equal economic participation
• How regulatory frameworks unintentionally exclude MSMEs
• The role of central banks in enabling simplified, risk-based inclusion
• Digital payments and e-commerce as growth and resilience tools
• What FATF guidance means for the region’s financial architecture

This episode is essential listening for policymakers, regulators, bankers, investors, development partners, and business leaders seeking a clear-eyed, data-driven assessment of where Caribbean economic reform is stalling — and where strategic intervention still matters.

🎧 Listen now on Spotify and follow Caribbean Business Review for weekly analysis on Caribbean economics, finance, policy, and strategy.

Caribbean telecoms are at a breaking point. As 2G and 3G networks shut down and 5G investment lags, rising costs, weak regulation, and climate risks are reshaping the region’s digital future.In this episode of Caribbean Business Review, host Joseph Cox is joined by Dr Delreo Newman, Chairman of CANTO and Executive Director for International Regulatory & Government Affairs at ATNI, for a critical, data-driven examination of the Caribbean’s telecommunications crisis.

As global markets accelerate toward 5G, 6G, and next-generation digital infrastructure, the Caribbean risks falling further behind. Dr Newman breaks down why 2G and 3G shutdowns, persistent 5G investment gaps, and rising operating costs are converging into a structural threat to competitiveness, resilience, and digital sovereignty across the region.

🔍 Key issues explored in this episode:

• Why the Caribbean is lagging global telecom advances like 5G and 6G

• How high spectrum fees and outdated regulation deter investment

• The growing debate around “fair share” contributions from big tech

• Low average revenue per user (ARPU) and its impact on network expansion

• Customer churn, affordability pressures, and market sustainability

• Digital sovereignty risks as Caribbean data is hosted overseas

• Telecom resilience in the face of climate shocks and disasters

• What regulators, governments, and operators must do next

This conversation goes beyond technology — it’s about economic resilience, national security, fiscal constraints, and the region’s long-term development trajectory.

🧭 CBR Briefing

This episode also connects to the CBR Briefing: The Future of Cable in the Caribbean — Technology Shocks, Fiscal Constraints, and a Coming Churn Crisis, examining how shifting technologies and financial pressures could reshape Caribbean media and communications markets.

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📊 For deeper regional market intelligence, explore our companion publication, Caribbean Financial Dispatch.

Knowledge is Strength. Information is Power.

A defining moment for Jamaica after Hurricane Melissa. Lilia Burunciuc joins CBR to unpack resilience, recovery, and reform.In this Special Edition of Caribbean Business Review, Joseph Cox revisits a pivotal conversation with Lilia Burunciuc, World Bank Country Director for the Caribbean — a discussion whose relevance has intensified in the wake of Hurricane Melissa’s US$8.8-billion impact on Jamaica.

Burunciuc reflects on the future of Caribbean tourism, the importance of resilience financing, the need for stronger domestic linkages, and the structural reforms required to position the Region for sustainable and competitive growth. Her insights offer a strategic lens for understanding how small island economies rebuild after major climate shocks.

This episode also features the CBR Briefing: Jamaica’s Post-Melissa Reset — The Economics, the Risks, and the Political Capital at Stake. The briefing examines how Melissa has triggered a full economic reset for Jamaica, with revised GDP and inflation projections, the suspension of fiscal rules, and a reconstruction effort anchored by a US$6.7-billion multilateral package.

Rather than summarising the week’s headlines, the briefing explores the architecture of Jamaica’s reconstruction moment: the structural implications of policy-based lending, the inflation pressures facing households, the visibility gap between hardship and recovery, and the governance expectations attached to extraordinary public spending. It argues that recovery is now a test of execution, transparency, and political legitimacy, with decisions made before 2027 determining whether Jamaica emerges merely restored — or fundamentally strengthened.

This Special Edition brings clarity to a defining moment in Jamaica’s economic trajectory and offers a regional perspective on resilience, reform, and long-term development.

In this episode of Caribbean Business Review, Joseph Cox speaks with Deodat Maharaj, Managing Director ofthe UN Technology Bank for Least Developed Countries, on the Caribbean’s readiness for artificial intelligence and the structural reforms needed to compete in a rapidly changing global economy.

The conversation explores the region’s digital transformation gaps, the policy and governance weaknesses slowing adoption, and the strategic choices Caribbean governments must make as AI reshapes labour markets, productivity, and competitiveness.

We discuss:
• Whether the Caribbean is prepared for AI and automation
• Why national vision, political will, and policy coherence matter
• Lessons from countries that built effective digital ecosystems
• Infrastructure, skills, and implementation challenges across SIDS
• How technology can support resilience, diversification, and growth

CBR Briefing — Hurricane Melissa: The Economic Signals You Should Be Watching

This week’s CBR Briefing examinesthe economic pressures emerging after Hurricane Melissa, including supply-chainstress, distributive trade disruptions, liquidity risks, and the earlyindicators policymakers and businesses should monitor as recovery unfolds.

Caribbean Financial Dispatch

Each week, the Caribbean Financial Dispatch provides a concise, data-driven summary of the region’s key economic,fiscal, and market developments — complementing the deeper discussions on Caribbean Business Review.

Caribbean Business Review delivers weekly insights on Caribbean economics, public policy, finance,innovation and global market trends.

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In this episode of Caribbean Business Review, Joseph Cox sits down with Dr. Devon Gardner, Senior Partner at the Institute for Innovation and Growth (IIG), for a comprehensive look at what it will take to rebuild — and future-proof — Jamaica’s electricity grid after the catastrophic impact of Hurricane Melissa.

With power infrastructure accounting for nearly 40% of Jamaica’s estimated national damage, this conversation goes beyond restoration to explore the real issues: system resilience, regulatory flexibility, financing models, and the urgent decisions Jamaica must make to avoid repeating the past cycle of “restore–fail–restore” after every major storm.

🔌 In this episode we examine:
• Why Melissa exposed deep structural weaknesses in Jamaica’s energy system
• The trade-offs between undergrounding, grid hardening, redundancy, and cost
• How the grid’s design — not just its age — amplifies climate-related vulnerability
• Why treating electricity as a public good is essential for long-term resilience
• The role of regulatory reforms, including licence extensions and investment incentives
• How Jamaica can create a clear financing and modernization roadmap, not just a repair plan
• Why resilience requires collaboration across government, JPS, regulators, and financiers

🌩 CBR Briefing: “Governance Risks & Best-Practice Safeguards for Jamaica’s Reconstruction Framework.”
A clear-eyed look at the new National Reconstruction & Resilience Authority (NaRRA), the governance risks of centralized power, and international models that can help Jamaica rebuild smarter — and more equitably.

This episode is essential listening for anyone interested in Jamaica’s energy future, climate resilience, infrastructure planning, or the economics behind rebuilding stronger.

📺 Watch on YouTube: youtube.com/@cbr20251
📰 Subscribe to the Caribbean Financial Dispatch: [email protected]

Caribbean Business Review — Knowledge is Strength, but Information is Power.

In this episode of Caribbean Business Review, Joseph Cox examines one of Jamaica’s most contentious post-disaster debates — price gouging and consumer protection in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa.

Joined by Latoya Halstead, Director of Communications at the Consumer Affairs Commission, the discussion unpacks whether current price control laws truly safeguard consumers or unintentionally distort the market. Together, they explore the legislative loopholes, weak enforcement mechanisms, and the deeper question — is price gouging regulation an economic remedy or a policy fallacy?

💡 This episode explores:
• Whether Jamaica’s price gouging restrictions actually protect consumers — or create distortions.
• The outdated fines and exemptions that make enforcement difficult.
• How misinformation, receipt failures, and post-disaster chaos complicate price monitoring.
• The need for a modernized consumer protection framework built on transparency, preparedness, and resilience.
• Why informed, empowered consumers are central to fair markets.

🎙️ CBR Briefing: “The Caribbean’s Breaking Point — A 12-Month Blueprint to Fix Disaster Response.”
Joseph Cox outlines a region-wide plan to modernize disaster governance, strengthen logistics, and reduce systemic failure in crisis management.

💬 Key Insight:

“Consumer protection isn’t just about punishing bad actors — it’s about building trust, transparency, and resilience into our markets.”

📺⁠ Watch the video edition →

https://youtu.be/zFpY0RBZVz4

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🕒 New episodes every Sunday @ 3 PM EST
🎙️ Caribbean Business Review — Knowledge is Strength, but Information is Power.

In this episode of Caribbean Business Review, Joseph Cox speaks with Professor Lloyd Waller, Executive Director of the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre (GTRCMC), about Jamaica’s tourism recovery in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa — and what itreveals about the Caribbean’s wider capacity to build resilience in an age of overlapping crises.

💡 Key DiscussionThemes:
• How Jamaica’s tourism industry responded to Hurricane Melissa’s 185 mphwinds and what that says about disaster readiness.
• Why tourism resilience must go beyond rebuilding hotels — focusing instead ongovernance, data systems, and institutional learning.
• The importance of transparency, communication, and partnership insustaining investor and visitor confidence.
• What “building back better” really means for small island economies facingclimate, energy, and global demand shocks.

🎙️ CBR Briefing: Cashless in Crisis — Jamaica’s Financial Wake-Up Call

Joseph Cox presents a clear-eyed analysis of the over-reliance on digital financial solutions particularly in the wake of national disasters

📺 Watch the full videoedition on YouTube → https://youtu.be/DFWFuYmMxiM

📰 Subscribe to the Caribbean Financial Dispatch newsletter → [email protected]

🕒 New episodes every Sunday @ 3 PM EST
🎙️Caribbean Business Review — Knowledge is Strength, but Information is Power.

Peisha Bryan-Lee on Vision 2030 Jamaica, plus a CBR Briefing on fiscal recovery after Hurricane Melissa.

In this special post-storm edition of Caribbean Business Review, Joseph Cox examines Jamaica’s recovery in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa, exploring how fiscal buffers, catastrophe coverage, and policy planning will shape the pace of rebuilding.

This week’s featured conversation — recorded prior to Hurricane Melissa’s passage — is with Peisha Bryan-Lee, Programme Director for Vision 2030 Jamaica, the country’s long-term national development plan. Her insights on governance, resilience, and institutional reform take on renewed significance in the wake of the storm.

💡 This episode explores:
• The US $150 million catastrophe-bond payout that provides rapid liquidity for recovery.
• The state of fiscal resilience as Jamaica confronts up to US $16 billion in estimated damage.
• How Vision 2030 Jamaica offers a roadmap for inclusive recovery and sustainable growth.
• Why restoring confidence in reconstruction and transparency is central to renewal.
• Regional developments from Barbados, Cayman, Trinidad & Tobago, and The Bahamas.

🎙️ CBR Briefing: “Jamaica’s Recovery in the Aftermath of Hurricane Melissa.”
Joseph Cox offers a post-storm analysis of Jamaica’s fiscal buffers, the US $150 million catastrophe-bond payout, and the policy steps critical to moving from response to renewal.

💬 Key Insight:

“Jamaica’s recovery is not just about rebuilding homes — it’s about rebuilding confidence.”

📺 Watch the video edition → https://www.youtube.com/@cbr20251
📰 Subscribe to the Caribbean Financial Dispatch → [email protected]

🕒 New episodes every Sunday @ 3 PM EST
🎙️ Caribbean Business Review — Knowledge is Strength, but Information is Power.

Keody Thompson joins Joseph Cox to unpack the Caribbeanreal-estate boom, affordability, and governance.

In this episode of Caribbean Business Review, Joseph Cox speaks with Keody Thompson, Global Realtor at JamaicaSotheby’s International Realty, about the Caribbean’s fast-evolving real-estate landscape — where opportunity, affordability, and regulation intersect.

🏡 Key Themes:
• Localized Boom & Shifting Demand — Jamaica’s surge is concentrated in specific corridors, fueled by diaspora buyers and post-COVID lifestyle changes.
• Affordability & Urban Pressures — Rising prices and newdevelopment orders risk deepening inequality and displacement.
• Governance & Credibility — Compliance, transparency, and ethical standards are essential for sustainable growth.

🎙️ CBR Briefing: “Vacancy or Displacement? The Hidden Risks of Copy-Paste Urbanism in the Caribbean.”

A critical look at whether imported planning models fit the realities of Caribbean cities — and what’s at stake if they don’t.

💬 Episode Highlights:
• The Caribbean’s post-pandemic property boom is localized, not monolithic.
• Short-term rentals and lifestyle migration drive expansion —but can they last?
• Why regulatory oversight and market credibility define thefuture of real estate in the region.

📩 Subscribe to the CaribbeanFinancial Dispatch newsletter for weekly regional analysis: [email protected]
📺Watch the video version on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Far7lqdEyK8

Follow Caribbean Business Review for insight onCaribbean economics, business, and strategy.
🕒New episodes every Sunday at 3 PM EST
Knowledge is Strength, but Information is Power.