Caribbean Pulse: Your weekly CARICOM News Round Up

Top story: CARICOM moves toward instant regional payments

CARICOM's central banks are preparing to pilot a regional system for instant cross-border payments in local currencies. The project, the Caricom Payment and Settlement System (CAPSS), would let people and businesses pay across member states faster and cheaper, with less dependence on the US dollar (Trinidad Guardian, Sept 19).

The push got a boost in mid-September when a team from Africa's Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS) visited Port of Spain to share lessons. Governors from the central banks of Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, the Eastern Caribbean and The Bahamas took part. Steering committee chair Dr Dorian Noel, deputy governor of the Central Bank of T&T, said the system will be secure, efficient and inclusive.

No launch date is set yet. Consultations and technical evaluations continue over the coming months before the pilot begins.

Beyond payments, the past fortnight brought fresh AI policy debates, record telecom profits, a hard reset in Jamaica's outsourcing sector, and a steady march of government services onto the internet.

Digital government and AI

Passport-free travel is live. Since July 1, citizens of Barbados and Guyana can fly between the two countries on their ICAO-compliant digital national ID cards. Officials say the corridor was built in under six weeks and have invited other CARICOM states to join. Children under 16 from Barbados still need passports, and travellers are advised to carry one in case of diversions (Barbados Today).

Services move online. Guyana now offers 79 government services online, with more due before year-end, and its National Insurance Scheme expects full digitisation by December. The Bahamas plans online building applications to cut approvals to 60 days. In Jamaica, Fujitsu Caribbean opened a digitisation centre in St Andrew to turn paper records into searchable, AI-ready data (ICT Pulse roundup).

AI at work, AI under watch. Bahamasair plans to launch "Sophie", an AI voice agent, before year-end to handle the 80% of reservation calls that are not ticket purchases. The Cayman Islands aims to introduce AI legislation in 2027. Security is the flip side: Bahamian businesses have seen cyberattacks rise 230% over five years, and experts warn criminals are using AI to target small firms (ICT Pulse roundup).

Connectivity: a new cable for the eastern Caribbean

EllaLink Caribbean Gateway. On September 29, EllaLink formally launched plans for a submarine cable running from Cayenne, French Guiana, up the island arc to Martinique and Guadeloupe. Branches would serve Suriname, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada, St Lucia and Dominica, with a western leg to Aruba, Curaçao and Bonaire (GlobeNewswire).

The project was unveiled at the Caribbean Telecommunications Union's ICT Week in Cayenne. It targets service by the end of 2029. EllaLink says many existing regional cables retire by 2031 while traffic grows about 25% a year, so the region needs new, diverse routes. Suriname's Telesur was the first operator to sign on.

A first step is nearly done: the 2,100 km Lum@link branch linking Cayenne to EllaLink's Europe–Brazil trunk has finished marine installation and should enter service by the end of 2026.

Telecom business. Belize Telemedia reported a record BZ$36.9 million net profit for its 2025–26 fiscal year, and its CEO said he does not see Starlink as a direct competitor. Digicel, selling its El Salvador operation, says it is keeping its focus on the Caribbean (ICT Pulse roundup).

Fintech and digital money

Banking goes digital, fast. Scotiabank Jamaica says about 98% of its retail transactions now run through digital and other non-branch channels. Global Finance named it Best Consumer Digital Bank and Best Mobile Banking App for 2026. In Guyana, Demerara Bank rolled out a new mobile banking app and upgraded online platform (ICT Pulse roundup).

Crypto grows up in T&T. Trinidad and Tobago regulators are preparing to move virtual assets out of a controlled sandbox and into a permanent regulatory framework. Supporters pitch crypto as a tool for cheaper remittances and cross-border payments.

CBDCs still searching for users. Jamaica's JAM-DEX remains far from mainstream four years in. Outgoing Bank of Jamaica governor Richard Byles, who left office August 18, blamed slow conversion of card machines; the bankers' association cited high costs and weak demand. JAM-DEX circulation sits near 0.11% of currency in circulation (Caribbean360).

Watch your codes. The Central Bank of Barbados warned BiMPay users never to share verification codes or passwords after a fraud linked to a fake online loan offer. Regional instant payments under CAPSS, our top story, will face the same test of trust.

Startups, skills and the jobs question

Outsourcing's AI reckoning. Ibex cut 1,405 workstations in Jamaica in the year to June, about 37% of its local capacity, and closed two of its four delivery centres. The company posted record profit over the same period while shifting work to Southeast Asia and rolling out AI agents. Commentators are asking whether Jamaica's BPO sector can rebuild client trust as lottery scamming is declared a national security threat.

Backing local builders. CANTO and Cloud Carib formalised a partnership to support Caribbean innovators, starting with Find My Bus, winner of the 2025 CANTO Innovation Challenge. In the Dominican Republic, President Luis Abinader hosted Google Cloud's Latin America president to discuss the country's digital transformation.

Skills for the next wave. Jamaica's Universal Service Fund awarded J$3 million in grants to 12 ICT students, while e-Learning Jamaica is adding laptops, interactive panels, connectivity and solar power to schools. In Guyana, STEMGuyana students are designing sensor systems to help farmers manage drought and automate irrigation. St Vincent and the Grenadines signed a data-driven deal to link farmers with international buyers (ICT Pulse roundup).

Sources

"Pilot coming for regional payment system", Trinidad Guardian, Sept 19, 2026 "Barbados, Guyana launch historic ID Card travel initiative", Barbados Today, July 2, 2026 "EllaLink launches the Caribbean Gateway Initiative", GlobeNewswire, Sept 29, 2026 "After four years Jamaica's digital currency is still not in its ackee", Caribbean360, May 28, 2026 "Roundup: for the week ending 20 September 2026", ICT Pulse, Sept 21, 2026 — links to the original reports on Guyana e-services, Bahamasair, Cayman AI law, Bahamas cybersecurity, BTL, Digicel, Scotiabank Jamaica, Demerara Bank, T&T crypto, BiMPay, Ibex, CANTO, USF, e-LJam, STEMGuyana and SVG agriculture