Forbes
Digital
Assets
Caribbean
Leaders
Are
Fueling
Global
Growth
Of
Digital
Assets
ByCleve
Mesidor,
Contributor.
Forbes
contributors
publish
independent
expert
analyses
and
insights.
I’m
Executive
Director
of
Blockchain
Foundation
in
Washington
D.C.
Follow
Author
Feb
28,
2026,
01:08pm
EST
Group
photo
with
government
officials
attending
the
Caribbean
Community
(CARICOM)
meeting
in
Basseterre,
Saint
Kitts
and
Nevis,
Wednesday,
Feb.
25,
2026.
Pictured
are,
U.S.
Secretary
of
State
Marco
Rubio,
center
front
in
red
tie,
Guyana's
President
Mohamed
Irfaan
Ali,
left,
Bahamas'
Prime
Minister
Philip
Edward
Davis,
second
from
left,
Grenada's
Prime
Minister
Dickon
Mitchell,
sixth
from
right,
behind,
Antigua
and
Barbuda's
Prime
Minister
Gaston
Browne,
fourth
from
right,
Barbados'
Prime
Minister
Mia
Amor
Mottley,
third
from
left,
Jamaica's
Prime
Minister
Andrew
Holness,
front
row
fourth
from
left,
and
St.
Kitts
and
Nevis
Prime
Minister
Terrance
Drew,
fifth
from
right.
(Jonathan
Ernst/Pool
photo
via
AP)
Associated
Press
Other
than
the
melodic
rhythms
of
drums,
there
is
not
a
common
language
that
connects
Caribbean
nations.
Yet,
digital
assets
are
increasingly
becoming
a
common
financial
refrain
and
thread.
The
region
was
among
theearliest
jurisdictionsto
create
regulatory
and
policy
frameworks
for
blockchain
and
cryptocurrency.
As
a
result,
top
crypto
companies
are
headquartered
across
the
Caribbean.
Over
the
last
decade,
regions
all
over
the
world
have
been
leveraging
Web3
and
DeFi
to
leapfrog
and
punch
above
their
weight
class.
TheCaribbeanis
no
exception.
The
region
is
part
of
a
formidable
geo-political
Caribbean
Community
bloc.
This
week,CARICOMheld
an
annual
summit
with
government
heads
in
St
Kitts
and
Nevis
to
discuss
their
political
and
economic
future.
While
digital
assets
was
not
expressly
on
the
agenda,
it
did
not
go
unnoticed
that
many
of
the
15
member
nations
have
become
key
hubs
in
the
global
crypto
paradigm.
The
Caribbean
is
full
of
local
industry
talent
and
seasoned
leadership.
They
are
working
to
ensure
this
part
of
the
global
south
is
well
positioned
to
succeed
today
and
in
the
future
of
digital
finance.
I
asked
a
few
crypto
experts
to
provide
perspective
on
the
secret
sauce
that
gives
the
Caribbean
a
competitive
advantage.
Here’s
what
they
had
to
say.
Stefen
Deleveaux,
Founder
of
The
Oasis
Group
and
President
of
the
Caribbean
Blockchain
Alliance.
E.
Stefen
Deleveaux
MORE
FOR
YOU
INDUSTRY
TRADE
GROUP
LEADER
With
crypto
and
digital
assets,
the
Caribbean
recognized
an
opportunity
to
create
(or
invite)
solutions
for
its
weaknesses
regarding
cross-border
payments
and
bank
derisking.
This
shows
incredible
foresight
in
having
seen
and
understood
the
value
of
this
technology.
It
also
shows
a
strong
willingness
to
lead
the
charge,
and
accept
pivots,
as
the
technology
matures.
Going
forward,
the
Caribbean’s
strength
as
a
small,
but
key,
region
will
continue
to
push
it
to
the
forefront
of
frontier
technology.
Stefen
Deleveauxis
a
Bahamian
economist
and
a
leading
authority
on
blockchain,
fintech,
digital
assets,
digital
currencies,
and
frontier
technologies
in
the
Caribbean
and
the
Global
South.
He
has
been
advising
some
of
the
world’s
leading
institutions
on
digital
currency
since
2017,
across
the
Caribbean,
Europe,
and
East
Africa.
He
is
founder
of
The
Oasis
Group,
where
he
focuses
on
building
and
scaling
accessible,
impact-driven
solutions
for
emerging
markets.
Stefen
is
also
President
of
the
Caribbean
Blockchain
Alliance,
a
regional
organization
dedicated
to
accelerating
blockchain
adoption
through
education,
ecosystem
development,
and
collaboration.
Sheynel
Smith,
former
Global
Chief
Compliance
Officer
at
CoinList.
Sheynel
Smith
COMPLIANCE
EXECUTIVE
The
Caribbean’s
competitive
advantage
as
a
regulatory
environment
is
anchored
in
its
agility
and
nimbleness.
Unburdened
by
the
legacy
bureaucracy
and
rigid
constraints
of
larger
jurisdictions,
Caribbean
International
Finance
Centers
continue
to
evolve
in
lock-step
with
the
digital
asset
market,
churning
out
proactive
frameworks
that
balance
innovation
with
clear
guardrails
around
AML,
custody,
governance,
and
market
integrity.
This
commercially
friendly
regulatory
philosophy,
combined
with
time-earned
expertise
in
cross-border
structuring
and
international
financial
services,
has
allowed
the
region
to
serve
as
a
testing
ground
for
compliant
digital
finance
models.
Sheynel
Smithis
a
Caribbean-based,
globally
experienced
digital
finance
strategist
and
regulatory
advisor
specializing
in
virtual
assets,
cross-border
compliance,
and
institutional
risk
governance.
She
formerly
served
as
Global
Chief
Compliance
Officer
for
CoinList.
With
more
than
a
decade
of
experience
in
international
financial
services,
she
has
advised
regulated
institutions
and
government
stakeholders
on
the
development
and
implementation
of
digital
asset
regulatory
frameworks
across
the
Caribbean.
Sheynel
has
vast
C-suite
experience
across
a
broad
swathe
of
financial
service
providers
including
listed
crypto-exchanges.
Her
work
focuses
on
virtual
asset
supervision,
AML/CFT
strategy,
and
governance
design
within
emerging
financial
centers.
She
is
also
the
author
ofEvolution
of
Crypto
Complianceand
lecturer
on
the
future
of
digital
finance
and
responsible
innovation
in
the
region.
Stéphanie
Joseph,
Co-Founder
of
Kura.
Harvard
Innovation
Labs
STARTUP
FOUNDER
I
see
the
Caribbean’s
competitive
edge
in
digital
finance
as
the
combination
of
regulatory
foresight
and
the
urgency
to
execute
quickly.
Adoption
has
been
steady,
but
the
real
catalyst
is
necessity:
persistent
infrastructure
gaps
—
from
correspondent
banking
constraints
to
fragmented
payment
rails
—
create
immediate
demand
for
modern,
digital
alternatives.
Because
traditional
systems
remain
underdeveloped
in
many
markets,
the
region
cannot
afford
slow
reform
cycles;
it
has
both
the
incentive
and
the
agility
to
leapfrog
legacy
infrastructure
with
fit-for-purpose
digital
frameworks.
That
urgency,
paired
with
forward-thinking
regulation,
positions
the
Caribbean
to
accelerate
inclusive,
secure,
and
globally
connected
financial
innovation.
Kura
is
bringing
that
vision
to
life
through
compliant
on-
and
off-ramp
infrastructure
that
enables
historically
excluded
merchants
to
accept
stablecoins
and
convert
these
digital
assets
into
local
fiat
within
existing
licensing
standards.
This
approach
bridges
innovation
with
regulation,
expanding
access
while
maintaining
transparency
and
oversight.
Our
work
supporting
global
development
agencies
with
stablecoin-based
digital
disbursements,
as
referenced
in
a
recentUNDP
report,
reflects
how
the
Caribbean
is
turning
progressive
policy
into
practical,
inclusive
digital
finance
leadership.
Stéphanie
Josephis
the
Co-Founder
of
Kura,
a
fintech
company
building
compliant
digital
payment
infrastructure
to
enable
seamless
cross-border
commerce
and
financial
inclusion
across
the
Caribbean
and
Central
America.
With
over
a
decade
of
experience
across
global
financial
services
institutions,
including
at
Ernst
&
Young
and
American
Express,
as
well
as
high-growth
tech
startups,
she
has
focused
her
career
on
solving
real-world
financial
access
challenges
through
innovative
technology.
She
holds
an
MBA
from
Harvard
Business
School
and
has
been
recognized
in
industry
spotlights
for
advancing
blockchain-enabled
financial
access
and
inclusive
digital
finance.
Author
Cleve
Mesidor
hails
from
the
Caribbean.
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