BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – The Barbados-based Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) said Wednesday it will host a high-level seminar examining how innovative debt instruments can help Caribbean countries strengthen resilience, unlock fiscal space, and advance sustainable development.
The seminar, titled “Innovative Debt Solutions: Financing a More Resilient Caribbean,” will take place on June 4 as part of the 56th Annual Meeting of the CDB’s Board of Governors in The Bahamas.
It said that the meeting will bring together regional and international experts as well as representatives from multilateral development banks, governments, credit rating agencies, and development partners.
The CDB said that, against a backdrop of high public debt, climate vulnerability, and constrained fiscal space across the Caribbean Region, discussions will focus on practical, scalable financing mechanisms to reduce debt servicing costs while supporting critical investments in resilience, climate adaptation, social protection, and sustainable development.
“Innovative debt solutions can help Caribbean countries reduce financing costs, strengthen debt sustainability, and create fiscal space for critical resilience investments,” said Stefano Capodagli, Chief Risk Officer at CDB.
“This seminar will explore how coordinated regional approaches can turn financial innovation into tangible development impact.”
The CDB said that a key area of focus will be the emerging Regional Multi-Guarantee Debt-for-Resilience (MGDR) initiative, a collaborative approach involving multilateral development banks, including the CDB, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the World Bank (WB), and the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean (CAF).
The initiative seeks to support sovereign debt conversion transactions that improve borrowing terms and channel savings into resilience-building investments.
The conference will also examine lessons learned from debt conversion and refinancing initiatives already undertaken in the Caribbean, including experiences from CDB Borrowing Member Countries (BMCs).
“Debt-for-resilience mechanisms offer the Caribbean an important opportunity to align debt management with sustainable development priorities, while supporting long-term economic resilience and growth,” said Ian Durant, Director of Economics at CDB.
The discussion will explore how coordinated debt-for-resilience mechanisms and multi-guarantee structures can help Caribbean countries improve debt sustainability, reduce borrowing costs, and create fiscal space for strategic investment in resilience and sustainable development.
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