The inaugural Caribbean Economic Forum (CEF) 2026 was officially launched on 17th February in New York, at an investor roundtable co-hosted by impact-focused investment firm 17 Asset Management, marking a significant step toward mobilizing private and blended capital for the Caribbean. The Forum (CEF 26) will be held in Barbados from June 18th – 19th, 2026, as a two-day, deal-focused platform targeting a pipeline of projects and investments across many sectors, including the blue, green and circular economies.

Conceived as the premier regional investment platform, CEF 26 is designed to compress the typical fund-raising timeline of six-to-twelve-months, that is required for bilateral introductions between banks, development finance institutions (DFIs), private investors, governments and project sponsors. By convening approximately 150 stakeholders, including institutional investors, infrastructure funds, sector specialists, CEOs and founders from priority sectors, the Forum aims to move conversations rapidly toward concrete commitments, bankable project pipelines and actionable partnerships.

The NYC launch brought together a cross-section of institutional investors, DFIs, diaspora capital representatives and Caribbean private-sector representatives to review the region’s emerging investment pipeline. Discussions highlighted investment opportunities in food and water security, energy transition, resilient infrastructure and the blue economy, reflecting both regional development priorities and growing investor demand for impact-oriented assets.

“From our regional capital vantage point, the thesis is clear: the Caribbean has more bankable opportunities than balance sheets,” said Gregory N. Hill, Founder of the Caribbean Economic Forum and Managing Partner of Caribbean-based ACERO CAPITAL Inc, (a deal mechanic firm with a focus on capital aggregation and advisory services). “What we are now putting on the table with CEF 26 is a curated, highly confidential, deal space where international and regional capital can meet credible projects and sponsors. This nexus of capital and pipeline will be enhanced by the providers of risk-sharing instruments and policy reforms that we have been advocating for years to drive financial resource mobilization at scale in the region”

Hill emphasized that the Forum is being built around real transactions and real capital sources, rather than dialogue. “At the New York, Wall St.  launch, what we heard clearly from investors and DFIs, is that they are looking for well-prepared pipelines, standardized information and confidence that the right decision-makers will be in the room.” he added.

Clinton White, Principal of the Caribbean Economic Forum, underscored that CEF 26 is intentionally structured as a deal platform. Through the Caribbean Economic Forum Roundtable, we are building the conditions for private capital to flow into the real economy; from the energy transition and modern water systems to resilient ports and climate-smart infrastructure, all designed for scalable public–private partnerships and blended-finance participation. “This is not a talk shop; it is about forging true, long-term partnerships with the Caribbean, where investors, governments and local private sector actors co-create projects, share risk, and share in the region’s future economic growth.”

Kiran Maharaj, the Executive Director of CEF 26, stressed the readiness of the private sector to partner at scale. “The Caribbean private sector is prepared to co-invest, co-develop and co-own solutions,” she said. “CEF 26 is the missing piece that connects that entrepreneurial 

energy with institutional capital and development finance, ensuring that the region’s pipeline of opportunities is not just visible, but genuinely investable.”

CEF 26 will organize its programme around a series of strategic investment sessions and thematic deal tracks, including Sectors such as: Food Security & Agri-Tech; Water Security, Resilient Infrastructure; Energy Transition for Small Island Developing States (SIDS); and Diaspora Capital and Investments. Cross-cutting lenses will include digital transformation and environmental risk management, ensuring that the Forum’s investment agenda also supports both resilience and sustainability.

The CEF leadership team will be scheduling follow-up briefings across the region with institutions, governments and potential partners over the coming weeks, with a focus on refining the project pipeline and aligning the programme with investor demand ahead of the Barbados Forum.

About the Caribbean Economic Forum 2026

The Caribbean Economic Forum 2026 is a premier regional investment platform designed to position international and regional partners at the centre of the Caribbean’s emerging wave of investment opportunities in public-private partnerships, infrastructure and in resilience and adaptation assets, driving the future development of sustainable blue, green and circular economies. The Forum will be held in Barbados from June 18th to 19th, 2026, and is envisaged as the flagship annual convening for regional and international investment, deal origination and economic thought leadership on the Caribbean’s most critical development and growth priorities. Further information will be released within the coming weeks with the launch of the website.