St. Kitts and Nevis has won the Best Regional Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing (ML/TF) Case Award (BREMOLT) at the 61st Plenary Session of the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF), held in Bridgetown, Barbados from 24-28 November 2025.
This recognition reinforces the nation’s longstanding reputation for leadership in due diligence, compliance excellence, and commitment to global financial security and underlines the impact of its collaborative multi-agency approach.
Representing the Royal St Christopher and Nevis Police Force (RSCNPF) in receipt of the award, was Inspector Jerry Watt, Head of the White Collar Crime Unit (WCCU), who delivered the winning presentation to the Plenary.
Over the past year, St. Kitts and Nevis has led one of the most comprehensive programme enhancements in the investment migration sector. In July 2025, the Citizenship by Investment Unit (CIU) introduced strengthened AML/CTF and ML/TF standards informed by the recommendations of the 2022 mutual evaluation, significantly modernising and reinforcing identity verification and risk screening processes.
This was followed by the introduction of mandatory biometric identity verification and fingerprinting for all applicants aged 16 and above, establishing a secure and verifiable chain of identity.
In October 2025, St. Kitts and Nevis advanced the Programme even further by becoming the first nation to integrate blockchain-verified certification into its due diligence reporting ecosystem. Developed alongside its EU-based due diligence partner, this pioneering system ensures immutable validation, real-time authentication, and tamper-proof compliance records. The solution meets all requirements under the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and recognised global AML/CTF frameworks.
Further strengthening national border and travel security, St. Kitts and Nevis became the first country to implement a full Electronic Travel Authorisation (eTA) system.
Regionally, St. Kitts and Nevis has played a leading role in advancing collective regulatory harmonisation. The signing of the agreement establishing the Eastern Caribbean Citizenship by Investment Regulatory Authority (ECCIRA) marks a historic step toward standardised due diligence frameworks, mandatory residency provisions, CARICOM IMPACS data-sharing, and unified document-validity requirements across participating jurisdictions.
The measures further reflect the Federation’s commitment to transparency, accountability, and adherence to the highest international standards in its Citizenship Programme.
In extending congratulations, Executive Chairman of the CIU Board of Governors, H.E. Calvin St. Juste said that the award is an important milestone for the Federation.
“This award underscores the tremendous collective strides taken over the last 12 months to ensure our policies and procedures as a nation are not just best practice, but truly world class. As we continue to innovate and upgrade our risk management infrastructure to respond to an ever evolving landscape, our priority remains clear: protecting global financial integrity while delivering a programme built on trust, accountability, and excellence”.