ECCB 2025-2026 Annual Report

EASTERN CARIBBEAN CENTRAL BANK ANNUAL REPORT 2025 - 2026

Organisational Effectiveness and Development

countries. The management and staff of several policy departments of the ECCB participated in these sessions. The IMF noted that, despite the frequent exogenous shocks confronting the region, including geopolitical uncertainties and the war in the Middle East, macroeconomic stability has been sustained. The team proposed reforms towards strengthening resilience, and improving both trade connectivity and overall competitiveness. The mission team, as customary, conducted a seminar, which was held in March, on Caribbean Trade Patterns and the Connectivity Constraint. The presenters shed light on the linkages among CARICOM member countries, relating to goods, tourists and cross-border finance links, and how these links impact trade patterns and vulnerabilities in the region, particularly the ECCU. The IMF’s Concluding Statement of the 2026 ECCU Consultation Mission on Common Policies for Member Countries is accessible on the IMF website. a. The Quarterly AML/CFT/CPF Newsletter: The ECCB continued its quarterly publication of its AML/CFT/CPF Newsletter, which provided quarterly updates on topical AML/ CFT/CPF issues affecting the region, as well as guidance on AML/CFT/CPF regulatory initiatives. Some of the topics included were: leveraging financial inclusion to strengthen AML/CFT regimes; SMS-based scams; the rise in wire transfer fraud; the opportunities and risks associated with artificial intelligence; the growing importance of addressing proliferation financing; Access Mission Concluding Statement on IMF Website Strengthening AML/CFT Capacity AML/CFT/CPF Training and Sensitisation

IMF led a discussion on fiscal rules framework and tailoring them to small economies, like those of the ECCU. The Financial Secretaries shared their thoughts and ideas on fiscal and debt issues in the region and the potential to impact efforts geared towards pushing the economies, with the aim to double the gross domestic product of the ECCU in the next decade. The engagement culminated with an engaging capacity building session for the Financial Secretaries on leading successful teams and projects, led by a representative from The Small Countries Financial Management Centre. The engagements with the development banks continued, as they remain pivotal players in the socioeconomic development of the ECCU. The Bank convened two consultative meetings with development banks during the financial year. The first, held in July 2025, featured presentations and discussions on the theme: “Development Banks in a Changing Economy: Balancing Social Impact and Commercial Banking Functions.” The development bank executives embraced the opportunity to re think their current modus operandi and funding architecture, with a view to be more efficient and effective in their local economies. The next meeting, convened in January 2026, focused on reimagining development banking in the ECCU to meet the challenges of the 21 st century. The presentations and discussions, which included the role that development banks play in the new economic environment, were very insightful and prompted executives to further explore capacity building opportunities outside of the ECCU region. The IMF held its Annual ECCU Common Policies Consultation with the ECCB in January and February 2026. The Bank and the IMF engaged in discussions on policy issues critical to the ‘Big Push’ and the economic transformation of the ECCU member

43