The 2026 President’s Chat convenes the Presidents of four leading multilateral development banks (MDBs)—the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), CAF – Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean, the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI), and the OPEC Fund—for a high-level strategic dialogue on financing development in an era of persistent global uncertainty.

The global economy is undergoing prolonged volatility driven by geopolitical fragmentation, climate shocks, tighter financial conditions, elevated public debt, and slowing long-term growth. These shifts are reshaping global capital flows and increasing the cost of development finance. The impacts are especially acute for Caribbean Small Island Developing States (SIDS), where limited fiscal buffers, narrow production bases, high exposure to natural disasters, and rising borrowing costs constrain policy space precisely as investment needs in climate resilience, energy transition, digital transformation, and social protection continue to expand.

Against this backdrop, the traditional MDB operating model is under strain. Development banks are increasingly expected to play multiple, sometimes competing roles: acting countercyclically during global stress, safeguarding debt sustainability, mobilising private capital at scale, supporting climate action, and strengthening regional financial resilience—while simultaneously preserving strong credit ratings and long-term financial sustainability. Global reform discussions, including the G20 Capital Adequacy Review, have underscored the need for MDBs to optimise balance sheets, deploy innovative financial instruments, and evolve operating models capable of managing systemic and ongoing volatility, rather than episodic crises.

The President’s Chat provides a rare platform for MDB leadership to examine how development banks can finance the future under these conditions. Through a moderated strategic exchange, the session will explore enhanced countercyclical roles, scalable financial innovations, reforms to MDB operating models, and priority responses for small and vulnerable states within the evolving global development finance architecture.

The dialogue will conclude with reflections on practical next steps and opportunities for deeper collaboration among MDBs to increase development impact, mobilise resources more effectively, and strengthen institutional resilience—positioning MDBs to better support sustainable and inclusive growth in the Caribbean and beyond.