Guyana and Barbados Advance Diaspora Bond, Digital ID Travel and Regional Investment Fund

Guyana and Barbados are pushing ahead with new measures meant to bring the two Caribbean states closer in finance, travel and technology. The package includes a Guyanese diaspora bond, passport-free movement using digital identification, and early plans for a shared regional investment vehicle.

President Mohamed Irfaan Ali outlined the measures on Tuesday evening during a media briefing at the Guyana National Stadium in Providence, one of the events marking Guyana’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations. He said Guyana intends to issue a special diaspora bond within one week, aimed at drawing investment from Guyanese overseas for public infrastructure works across the country.

“Members of the diaspora, here is your opportunity to make your contribution and be part of the massive transformation taking place in our country,” President Ali said.

The bond fits into Guyana’s wider development agenda as the country continues to build out infrastructure and pursue modernisation projects.

Ali also said that, beginning July 1, 2026, nationals of Guyana and Barbados will be able to move between the two countries with their digital ID cards instead of passports. The announcement was made alongside Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley, who framed the move as an important moment for Caribbean integration.

“We have said before in one of our first meetings that we will work hard to break every boundary, bring our countries closer and more integrated. And today you have seen the power of the digital ID card,” President Ali said.

The digital travel platform is already in place, but airlines have been allowed more time to update their systems and processes before the formal start date.

“From July 1 you can forget your passport at home and travel with your digital ID card to Barbados and same from Barbados to Guyana,” Ali added.

According to the Guyanese president, the same digital identification framework could later be used outside of immigration. He said the two countries expect it to support connected health services, including secure emergency access by medical personnel in either jurisdiction to a traveller’s health information.

The governments are also examining how to link their financial systems digitally, with the stated aim of opening wider space for trade, commerce and business activity between Barbadian and Guyanese citizens.

“We are now advancing talks on how we would digitally connect our financial systems in a much stronger way, creating financial opportunities, business opportunities, commerce opportunities for both citizens of Barbados and Guyana,” President Ali said.

Mottley commended the technical teams in both countries, saying the digital travel arrangement was delivered in less than six weeks.

“It endures not to the benefit of the cabinet of Guyana or the cabinet of Barbados, not to the benefit of the private sector of Guyana or the private sector of Barbados, but it is now the benefit of each and every citizen,” Mottley said.

She also disclosed plans for the Trident Arrow Investment Fund, a proposed mechanism intended to let ordinary people in Guyana and Barbados pool investment in areas such as infrastructure, technology and agri-processing.

“We believe that this is the only way we can allow our citizens to become owners in the land of their birth rather than tenants for the period of their lifetime,” Mottley stated.

Both leaders said the announcements point to their joint focus on stronger CARICOM cooperation, updated systems of governance, and broader economic openings for Caribbean people through digital innovation.