September 18, 2026
A decade after regional and global leaders first came together to advance the Caribbean’s infrastructure agenda, the Caribbean Infrastructure Forum (CARIF) has opened its milestone 10th edition in Miami with a renewed push to turn the region’s ambitious plans into financed, sustainable projects.
For CIBC Caribbean, which has supported CARIF since its inception in 2016, the 10th anniversary is both a celebration of the forum’s evolution, and an opportunity to push the regional infrastructure conversation from identifying needs to mobilizing capital and getting projects done. The bank returns alongside KPMG as co-title sponsor of the forum hosted by New Energy Events at the Ritz-Carlton Coconut Grove.
Opening CARIF 2026, CIBC Caribbean Chief Country and Commercial Officer, Donna Wellington, reflected on the forum’s growth into one of the region’s foremost meeting places for the public and private sectors.
“Ten years of hosting CARIF is no small achievement. Over the past decade, this forum has evolved into one of the Caribbean’s foremost platforms for networking and dialogue, leading to partnerships, and most importantly, action,” Wellington said.
CARIF brings policymakers, private sector leaders, regulators, financiers, engineers, economists, innovators, and entrepreneurs into the same space to confront challenges ranging from climate resilience and energy security to transportation, digital connectivity, tourism development, and investment mobilization.
Wellington added that the region is now at a critical point, and other critical assets required for sustainable growth will depend on the Caribbean’s ability to mobilize capital and execute viable projects.
“We in the Caribbean have never lacked vision. Where we have consistently stumbled is in its execution. As we gather here over the next two days, let us move beyond discussing possibilities and focus on delivering projects. Let us turn plans into partnerships and partnerships into investments in our region,” she said.
Wellington also underscored the wider impact of infrastructure investment, noting that its value extends well beyond the physical assets being financed and built.
“At our bank, we have long understood that infrastructural investment is not merely about roads, airports, ports, hotels, power plants, or telecommunication networks. It’s also about creating pathways to economic growth, improving competitiveness, strengthening resilience, and enhancing the quality of life for our people,” she said.
Wellington also stressed that achieving development will require collaboration beyond governments.
“The scale of the challenge demands collaboration among governments, multilateral institutions, private investors, pension funds, commercial banks, infrastructure developers, technology providers, and local entrepreneurs,” she said.
As CARIF enters its second decade, Wellington challenged delegates to ensure the conversations and connections made at the forum translate into tangible progress for the region.
“The decisions we make today will determine whether future generations inherit a region constrained by vulnerability or empowered by resilience, innovation, and sustainable growth. At CIBC Caribbean, we remain committed to being a trusted partner in that journey towards a stronger, greener, and more prosperous Caribbean.”