Premier Leads Key Financial Services Engagements
Premier and Minister for Financial Services and Commerce, the Hon. André Ebanks has completed an active series of international and local engagements this month aimed at reinforcing the Cayman Islands’ leadership in global financial regulation, anti-money laundering, and growing reinsurance sector.
Supporting Growth in the Reinsurance Sector – New York
During the week of 1 October, Premier Ebanks met with key stakeholders in New York, alongside officials from the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority (CIMA), to promote Cayman’s expanding reinsurance market.
At the second annual Cayman Islands Reinsurance Roundtable Breakfast, hosted at the Harvard Club, the Premier addressed over 200 delegates from seven countries. He reaffirmed Government’s commitment to achieving National Association of Insurance Commissioners Qualified Jurisdiction status, a key step toward enhancing Cayman’s reinsurance credibility in the U.S. market.
“This initiative is crucial for strengthening investor confidence and ensuring that our financial services industry remains agile and respected in an evolving regulatory environment,” Premier Ebanks said.
Advancing Regional Cooperation – CFATF Panama Meeting
Following his New York engagements, the Premier attended the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF) 17th Council of Ministers Meeting, held in Panama from 2–3 October.
The meeting brought together regional ministers and senior officials to align on anti-money laundering, counter-terrorist financing, and counter-proliferation financing (AML/CFT/CPF) priorities in accordance with Financial Action Task Force (FATF) global standards. The FATF President, Elisa de Anda Madrazo, joined the meeting on 3 October and conveyed instructive insights concerning the new round of FATF mutual evaluations.
“This meeting was highly impactful as we addressed regional efforts to enhance AML/CFT/CPF frameworks,” the Premier noted. “The Cayman Islands continues to lead in risk-based supervision, information sharing, and legislative reforms that build regional resilience and global confidence.”
Accompanying the Premier were Attorney General, the Hon. Samuel Bulgin, Chief Officer Dr Dax Basdeo, Cabinet Secretary Samuel Rose and Cabinet Office team member Sean Whelan. Together, they reaffirmed Cayman’s commitment to transparency, capacity building, and technical cooperation across jurisdictions.
