Prime Minister Gaston Browne has defended the Citizenship by Investment (CBI) programmes as essential drivers of economic sustainability while addressing international concerns about their integrity during his keynote speech at the Caribbean Investment Summit 2025 (CIS25) yesterday.
“The stability of these immigration investment programmes, which are purveyors of great opportunity, is quintessential to the socio-economic stability of these countries, providing significant revenues to support much-needed economic diversification and the overall advancement of these micro-states,” Browne told approximately 500 delegates gathered at the American University of Antigua.
The five-day summit themed “integrity, stability, and sustainability” is being held from April 22 to 26, and brings together the five CIP participating Prime Ministers from across the region.
During his address, Browne noted the “unprecedented scrutiny” faced by investment migration programmes in recent years, including threats of visa-free travel revocation and calls to abandon such initiatives.
“Countries have been called upon to abandon their investment migration programmes, and threats of revocation of visa-free travel for third countries echo in the halls of national and quasi-national parliaments, and the programme re-engineering has become part of the course,” he said.
The summit comes just weeks after the European Parliament and the United States continue to apply increased scrutiny over the programmes, with the US State Department expressing that CIP programmes could pose security risks to the United States.
Prime Minister Browne thanked international partners for their recommendations to strengthen the programmes, including “the six points that were recommended by the United States”, and emphasized the region’s commitment to continued realignment of their programmes.
However, he cautioned against over-regulation that could undermine competitiveness: “Whereas we are committed to routine realignments, we are mindful that we must guard against over-regulation that could undermine the competitiveness and ultimately the sustainability of our programmes.”
Highlighting Antigua and Barbuda’s CBI programme, which was established in 2013, Browne emphasized its “uncompromising, multi-layered, and internationally benchmarked” due diligence processes.
“We work with globally respected firms and collaborate with law enforcement and intelligence partners to ensure that all individuals of good character, legitimate financial standing, are granted citizenship,” he said.
Despite these measures, Browne acknowledged that no programme is “foolproof”, revealing that Antigua and Barbuda has had to revoke citizenship for three individuals who were later discovered to be involved in financial crimes.
“These failures were not due to any due diligence failure, and invariably, these individuals are exposed and their Citizenship revoked,” he explained.
Browne welcomed the ongoing harmonization of Caribbean CIP programmes, including the establishment of a Regional Regulatory Commission expected to be fully operational before year-end—an initiative he said he championed with Dominican Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerritt a decade ago.
The Prime Minister outlined his vision for “CBI 2.0”, a system enabled by digital transformation, including the use of biometrics, which he said the country is discussing with international partners.
The event sees industry leaders from around the globe engage in discussions about the emerging trends, industry risks and opportunities for growth for the citizenship programmes.
Leader of the Opposition Jamale Pringle and Deputy Political Leader of the United Progressive Party, Sherfield Bowen attended the opening session where the Prime Minister criticized political opponents who “peddle misinformation and disinformation” about the programmes for political gain, calling such behaviour “destructive” and urging them to “cease and desist.”
“Our sub-regional CBI programmes are so important to nation building and the advancement of our people. They should not be the subject of background partisan politics,” Browne stressed.
Earlier in the day, the CEO of the Citizenship by Investment Unit Charmaine Quinland-Donovan expressed gratitude to delegates during her opening remarks at the plenary session.
“I’m filled with joy and immense gratitude to see so many of you here today, some from near and some from very far,” she said.
The summit agenda includes several high-level sessions focused on addressing international concerns while highlighting the economic benefits of CBI programmes.
Yesterday’s schedule featured a Regional Leadership Forum with Prime Ministers from Antigua, Grenada, St Lucia, Dominica and St Kitts and Nevis (represented by Attorney General Garth Wilkin).
Sessions also included “Regulation in Caribbean Investment Migration” featuring a speech by the Deputy Governor of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) and a panel discussion on regulatory frameworks.
The event will conclude with the Caribbean Excellence Awards ceremony on April 25, followed by investment tours on the final day, where delegates will visit properties and infrastructure development projects supported by the CBI programme.
