The Prime Minister of St Kitts and Nevis addressed the Caribbean Investment summit last week, where over 400 participants from CBI industry attended the two day event. During the opening speech, the PM said St Kitts has made a significant strides in reforming the CBI scheme and strengthening its due diligence and called for new innovative approaches in the industry.
St Kitts and Nevis led the innovation in CBI industry since 1984 and made significant and pioneering contributions to citizenship by investment.
The multi-agency approach to due diligence, has undoubtedly become industry standard across the region, has resulted regional CBI programmes being highly regarded as safe and robust.
The Govt of St Kitts and Nevis has strengthened the CBI programme, reformed it administratively and legislatively, imposed the most vigorous due diligence tests, rebuilt trust with international partners, and held and continues to hold open and frank discussions with the European Union, Canada and the United States.
St. Kitts and Nevis has excellent working relationships with regional and international crime-fighting agencies, such as the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS), the Joint Regional Communications Centre (JRCC), and the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL).
St Kitts introduction of biometric data for applicants that have strengthened the security and verification features of the programmes and the emergence of smart tech tools such as RCBI Direct, which is being launched at this year’s summit, and the increasing use of online technologies to provide authoritative information about the region’s programmes and investment opportunities to people all around the world.
“The Caribbean region has done well to advance the global economic citizenship industry, through innovation, ingenuity and strong leadership, said the Hon PM Timothy Harris during Caribbean Investment Summit last week. All countries that are participating in citizenship programmes have prioritized and improved due diligence as a central feature of operations”., said PM Harris
The future of CBI in the region requires a new wave of imagination about the products and services we offer, the institutional infrastructure and our distribution and sales models. One area in which the region has demonstrated its appetite for this kind of innovation is in ongoing discussions among regional stakeholders about the best way to leverage existing regional institutions to strengthen the work of individual CBI jurisdictions, Dr. Harris explained.
Hurricane Relief Fund generated the CBI proceeds from 1200 applications, used to improve the quality of life of more 2,000 households in St. Kitts and Nevis through the government’s forward-thinking Hurricane Roof Repair Programme.
The Prime Minister of St Kitts called on the participants to do their very best to ensure only characters of high repute are invited to the Citizenship by investment programme.
