Prime Minister Davis delivers keynote at 2025 Bahamas Business and Investment Forum
New York, NY – Fresh from announcing the nation’s first post-Independence budget surplus of $75 million, Prime Minister Philip Davis, KC presented The Bahamas as a model of economic resilience to global investors today at the 2025 Bahamas Business and Investment Forum in New York City.
Delivering the keynote address, Prime Minister Davis, articulated the nation’s distinctive value proposition as a jurisdiction combining fiscal discipline, transparency, and strategic opportunity for international investors.
The Forum, convened under the theme “Embracing Opportunities in Paradise” arrives at a critical juncture when geopolitical tensions, supply chain realignments and regulatory flux characterize many major markets. The Bahamas made a compelling case as a future-ready partner.
“The Bahamas offers certainty,” Prime Minister Davis told a room of global business leaders and policy stakeholders. “Certainty in our governance. Certainty in our legal framework. Certainty in our business environment. And certainty in our direction as a nation committed to stability, integrity, and sustainable growth.”
The Bahamas has attracted more than $10 billion in foreign direct investment, creating a foundation of economic confidence that now positions the nation as a beacon of stability in times of growing global volatility.
An Investment Climate Built on Trust
The Prime Minister underscored the country’s long-standing reputation as a stable democracy, with an English Common Law-based legal system, a trusted financial services industry, and a competitive, tax-neutral environment.
“Our government has deliberately focused on modernizing infrastructure, digitizing public services, and removing bureaucratic red tape to enhance the ease of doing business,” he said. “We don’t ask investors to figure it out alone — we work with you, from inquiry to implementation.”
The Bahamas’ new Investment Promotion and Facilitation Unit at the Office of the Prime Minister is serving as a “single window” for coordinating across ministries and accelerating project timelines. The aim, according to Davis, is to ensure that investor capital is not only secure but positioned for long-term growth.
A Commitment to Smart Regulation and Resilience
Addressing concerns around regulatory predictability, the Prime Minister pointed to The Bahamas’ globally recognized management of complex financial situations, includingof the FTX digital asset collapse. “Our institutions held. Our regulators acted swiftly. Our courts operated transparently,” he noted. “That moment became a global proof point — not of failure, but of resilience.”
He highlighted the 2020 passage of the Digital Assets and Registered Exchanges (DARE) Act — the world’s first comprehensive regulatory framework for digital assets — as a model for The Bahamas’ proactive approach to governance in emerging industries.
Since the FTX fallout, the DARE Act has been further strengthened to reinforce investor protections and institutional oversight.
Growth Across Traditional and Emerging Sectors
Beyond tourism and financial services, The Bahamas is actively promoting investment in renewable energy, blue economy industries, digital innovation, logistics, and climate-resilient infrastructure.
Major reforms are also underway to modernize land ownership systems, streamline development approvals, and support the establishment of regional headquarters.
“We want to be the place where you pilot new models, scale successful ventures, and anchor your Caribbean operations,” the Prime Minister said. “Our job is to help unlock your investment’s potential — not hinder it.”
The Bahamas: Open for Business, Ready for Partnership
Closing his remarks, Prime Minister Davis invited the international business community to engage with The Bahamas as a collaborative partner in long-term prosperity.
“In today’s climate of uncertainty, The Bahamas offers more than a pitch — we offer a partnership,” he said. “Built on mutual respect, aligned interests, and a shared commitment to success.”
As the global economy continues to search for steady ground, The Bahamas is presenting itself as an agile, investor-ready jurisdiction with a clear roadmap and a government that’s ready to engage.
“We are a small country,” the Prime Minister concluded, “but we refuse to let that define our ambition. The Bahamas is open for business — and we invite the world to grow with us.”
Media Contact:
Latrae Rahming, Director of Communications
Office of the Prime Minister
latraerahming@bahamas.gov.bs
www.opm.gov.bs