The Annual Regional Compliance Summit (ARCS) held on April 24-25, 2025 successfully concluded with the participation of one hundred and twenty (120) compliance professionals which included regulators, financial service providers, fintech innovators and international development partners. Under the theme “Shaping the Future of Compliance in the Region,” The Summit addressed the evolving landscape of compliance, emphasizing innovation, data-driven regulation, and strategic regional collaboration.
The event was graced by the presence of Her Excellency The President, Mrs. Burton and the First Husband, and key government officials including the Minister for Finance, Economic Development, Climate Resilience and Social Security, Hon. Dr. Irving McIntyre, and the Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Environment, Rural Modernisation, Kalinago Upliftment and Constituency Empowerment, Hon. Darron Lloyd.
Highlights of the two-day conference included an insightful keynote speech by the LaTeisha Sandy-Marks, Director of the Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Financial Intelligence Unit addressing global compliance trends, a robust regulators’ forum that brought together regional regulatory authorities from St. Lucia, Grenada, Dominica and the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank, interactive panels, specialized workshops and contributions from global compliance experts. All activities were CDP-accredited to ensure ongoing professional development.
Director of Dominica’s Financial Services Unit (FSU), Claudius Lestrade, underscored the regional implications of compliance standards, noting: “The regulatory landscape is increasingly complex, and the need for regional collaboration has never been clearer. ARCS 2025 emphasized shared solutions and collective resilience to address compliance challenges, particularly in combating financial crime and adapting to digital transformation.”
Echoing The Summit’s vision, President of the Dominica Co-operative Societies League Ltd. (DCSLL), Arthlyn Nesty, emphasized the critical role of capacity building and regional unity: “Compliance today demands continuous learning, adaptability, and collaboration. This summit has significantly contributed to building a robust compliance culture, laying a solid foundation for our region’s financial integrity and sustainability.”
Key outcomes from ARCS 2025 included recommendations for greater investment in regulatory technology (RegTech), enhanced risk-based compliance frameworks, adoption of ISO 20022 standards for data integration, and improved cross-border regulatory harmonization.
The summit concluded with a firm commitment from all stakeholders to ongoing collaboration and innovation. The organizers thanks our sponsors & partners for their support: Equibank, National Bank of Dominica, All Capital Bank & Trust Ltd, New India Assurance, QNET, MLajan, CICL, Mifos Initiative, ECCB, DX Alliance and West Coast Co-operative Credit Union Ltd.
The date and venue for ARCS 2026 will be announced at a later date.
