by Kevon Browne
St. Kitts and Nevis (WINN)—During his September 29, 2026, monthly press conference, Nevis Premier Hon. Mark Brantley directly addressed his prior assertions that the regional Citizenship by Investment (CBI) programme is facing an impending “death”.
Premier Brantley reaffirmed his stance that “CBI as we know it is dead,” pointing to the uncompromising position of the European Union.
“Sometimes when we grab the headline, we don’t pay attention to the essence and the context. I want to be very clear that when I say CBI was dead, I mean CBI as it’s in its current formulation. I’ve been very, very clear and making that distinction. Meaning that the current formula, the current approach that we have towards citizenship by investment is continually seeking more and more new citizens. So every year you hear, well, Antigua got 1,000 and Grenada got 1,500 and St. Denis got 1,000. I’m saying that that, in my opinion, is on life support. In fact, I anticipate that that approach is going to disappear.”
The European Commission issued a directive mandating that Eastern Caribbean nations operating these programmes phase them out entirely by June 1, 2028.
Failure to comply with the EU’s timeline will result in the loss of crucial visa-free access to the Schengen Area. The EU is structurally opposed to investment migration, meaning further regulatory reforms or compliance overhauls will no longer suffice.
However, the Premier explains how he thinks the program will evolve.
“What, however, I think can survive is a programme that has greater connection and connectivity with the jurisdictions. So I think you’re going to see more demands for residential, some residential component. You’re going to see, of course, greater and greater due diligence and enhanced security, which we already have in St. Kitts and Nevis, I’m proud to say. And I feel we’re going to see a change in approach so that instead of seeking new citizens, we seek to engage existing citizens.
“Just like Mr Olivia Janssen, just like Mr Patrick Drahe, and countless others out there who have the wherewithal, the financial capacity to actually help us in a tangible way. You take Mr Drahe, through his Drahe Foundation, I reach out to him, Mr George, I’m not sure if you use this piece of equipment when you’re at the hospital, but I reached out to him and said, we wanted a CT scan. And in short order, that CT scan had been delivered and installed, not for his benefit, but for the benefit of you and I and the people of Nevis. That’s the type of engagement I would like to see in terms of our citizens who have acquired citizenship through investment.
“Mr Janssen, similarly, when he asked the question, what could he do, something tangible and lasting for Nevis, we asked for the dialysis centre, which is now nearing completion. Again, that is not for him, it is for the people in Nevis who may require that service from time to time. And I feel that those are but two examples, but there are thousands of people out there like those who we can tap into, if we were to change the emphasis of our CBI programmes away from constantly seeking new citizens and instead seeking to drill down into existing citizenry to ask how they can assist more.”
The future of the CBI and its shutdown or evolution directly intersects with the Destiny Project, a proposed development by Olivier Janssens across 2,400 acres in south Nevis.
Premier Brantley emphasised that Destiny is not a CBI project.
“Destiny is not a CBI project. I want to emphasise that. What I mean by that is destiny is not being financed by any CBI receipts as some other projects have been. What the destiny promoters said is that they would want their project to be designated as a CBI project so that people who decide to purchase within that project could apply if they so desire. So to me, that project is more akin to the Four Seasons. The Four Seasons, and in my years, when I operated as a lawyer, I can tell I represented many buyers at the Four Seasons, who were buying a villa because of their lifestyle. They wanted a villa at the Four Seasons and they had no interest whatsoever in citizenship. So the Four Seasons offers citizenship, but it’s not a citizenship project in the sense that it’s not dependent on the proceeds from citizenship to build the project. So that’s an important distinction that I would like to make.”
The economic framework of the Destiny Project is somewhat tied to investment migration, as there is the option of routing the anticipated 7,000 to 10,000 property buyers through the St. Kitts and Nevis CBI infrastructure to generate massive government fees.
The impending 2028 termination of the traditional CBI model could threaten the long-term financial viability of this arrangement.
“If the programme exists, I suppose they will try to access the programme. The programme no longer exists, or exists in a different form, then they’ll adapt accordingly. But as currently advised, they are not looking to this as a basis for funding that project. That project has funding that is independent of citizenship by investment.”
The Premier remains hopeful that the Federal government will continue its assessment of the Destiny Project despite Prime Minister Hon. Dr Terrance Drew’s absence.
“Will further delay destiny and other such matters? I’m hopeful that that is not the case. Of course, we continue to pray for PM Drew’s speedy recovery but based on all the reports I’ve had is that the government continues to function. His portfolios have been assigned to the Deputy Prime Minister, now acting prime minister, Dr Geoffrey Hanley, and to Hon. Garth Wilkin, who I’m told takes on national security as part of his portfolio. So the government continues. And in fact, all the news we’ve had from the Federal Government is that it is business as usual, that business continues while the Prime Minister seeks to recover. So I don’t necessarily feel that his absence should create any difficulty in terms of projects moving forward. What they do decide to do is a matter for them but that is just my assessment because the government is continuous and government continues.”
Because the traditional CBI model is seemingly winding down given the EU ultimatum, Brantley emphasised that projects like Destiny and broader national initiatives must quickly shift focus toward physical economic footprints.
St. Kitts and Nevis has already begun adapting by planning genuine physical residency links for future applicants rather than pure passport sales, and Brantley continues to push for rapid economic diversification into renewable energy to buffer the impending loss of CBI revenue.
