ECCB 2025-2026 Annual Report

EASTERN CARIBBEAN CENTRAL BANK ANNUAL REPORT 2025 - 2026

Areas of Focus: 2026-2027

Capacity Development and Knowledge Enhancement The Bank will prioritise strengthening staff capability through structured learning and exposure to regional and international best practices. ECCB Blog and Digital Dialogues The topics for the 2026/2027 blog series will reflect the Bank’s priorities for the region, as outlined in its new strategic plan. Additionally, the Bank will re-establish its Digital Dialogues series in the upcoming year to deliver high-level conversations on contemporary and relevant issues pertinent to the people of the ECCU. The first series will focus on the Big Push and how the theatres of transformation can be leveraged to double the size of the region’s economy in the next decade. The Bank remains focused on transforming the region and in this light will persist in the engagement of its stakeholders and partners in taking collective action towards the development of the region’s transformative agenda. The consultative meetings and networking engagements with Financial Secretaries and development banks will be major avenues for policy discussion and advice. The Bank looks forward to the annual Common Policies engagements with the International Monetary Fund. The country outreach programme is expected to resume with missions to the ECCB member countries in 2026-2027. Prudential Standards and Regulatory Development The Bank continues its strategic approach in identifying and assessing risks to the financial system, and have identified prudential standards and Regulations to help manage and mitigate risks identified. Standards have been identified, Stakeholder Engagement and Regional Collaboration

particularly to treat AML/CFT/CPF issues. These include: ; Institutional ML/TF Risk Assessments - To identify, assess, and understand the potential vulnerabilities in relation to ML or TF activities. ; Ongoing monitoring - To detect and prevent illicit financial activities, including ML and TF, by continuously assessing the risks associated with customers and transactions. ; Customer Due Diligence and Enhanced Due Diligence - To identify and mitigate risks associated with customers, particularly the risks of ML, TF, and other financial crimes. ; Beneficial Ownership - To enhance transparency and combat financial crimes and tax evasion, by knowing who ultimately owns or controls a legal entity. ; Targeted Financial Sanctions - To provide guidance regarding sanctions designed to prevent designated persons from acquiring funds, assets, or financial support from terrorism or proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. The Bank will issue the Fit and Proper Prudential Standard for Licensed Financial Institutions and Licensed Financial Holding Companies Under the Banking Act, 2015, by September 2026. This standard will provide guidance on the Bank’s assessment of whether directors, officers and significant shareholders meet the required fit and proper criteria of the Banking Act, 2015. Additionally, efforts will continue to replace the Liquidity Risk Management Guidelines with the Prudential Standard for the Management of Liquidity Risk. The tentative issuance date is October 2026, with the effective date of January 2027.

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