The Cuban-American entrepreneur Carlos Saladrigas, co-founder of the Cuba Study Group, proposed in an interview with CiberCuba to transform Cuba into a major financial hub of the Caribbean comparable to Singapore within a 10 to 15-year timeframe, as part of a long-term vision for a post-transition Cuba.
"I do not wish to see a Cuba that resembles the Dominican Republic. I want a Cuba that is extraordinary, that is exceptional, and that will be a significant financial center in the Caribbean in the next 10 to 15 years," declared Saladrigas, 77 years old, chairman of Regis HR Group and a graduate with an MBA from Harvard.
The businessman outlines a plan in three phases. The first, aimed at stabilization, would last between 2 and 4 years and cost between 6 billion and 10 billion dollars, financed by the Cuban diaspora, the U.S. government, and international organizations such as the IMF. The second, focusing on infrastructure reconstruction, would take about 5 additional years. The third is where he places his most ambitious bet: "Do we want a country that relies on tourism, a country that resembles our Caribbean neighbors, or do we want to be like Singapore, or a combination of Singapore with Israel or the Baltic countries?"
Saladrigas completely rules out the Chinese or Vietnamese model for Cuba, citing a phrase from former Cuban minister Ricardo Alarcón: "Cubans are not Chinese." He also dismisses the idea that Cuba could compete as a manufacturing hub given its population size. Instead, he advocates for digital economy, artificial intelligence, medical tourism, and research and development. "We are in a digital era. Cubans have been extraordinary in all this digital effort [...] We need to integrate into that field quickly," he stated.
As a reference, it cites Bermuda, whose per capita GDP surpasses that of the United States due to its niche in the reinsurance market, as evidence that a small island can find a strategic place in the global economy. It also notes that Cuba has the highest proportion of homeowners in the hemisphere, which is seen as a capital advantage for mortgaging and starting businesses, in line with the theory of Peruvian economist Hernando de Soto.
His statements come at a time of acute economic crisis in Cuba. Cuba's GDP fell by 5% in 2025, the peso devaluated by 47.8% in a year —from 345 to 510 pesos per dollar—, and CEPAL certifies a per capita GDP of just 1,082.8 dollars, the lowest in Latin America. Despite this, Saladrigas sees this moment as "the best opportunity we have had as a people" to build a different country.
The businessman supports the strategy of the Trump administration towards Cuba, which on February 25 authorized the sale of U.S. fuel directly to private Cuban small and medium enterprises, circumventing the embargo. "That's the way it is. It's pure pragmatism," he said. In contrast, he described Biden's inaction as "political cowardice" for not continuing the thaw initiated by Obama, whose failure he attributes solely to the lack of will on the part of the regime: "It didn't work because the Cuban government didn't want it to work."
Saladrigas, who founded the project Cuba Emprende more than 15 years ago —which has provided free training to over 15,000 entrepreneurs— rejected the accusations of being an agent of the Castro regime: "I have not received a dollar from Cuba. I personally have not invested in any business in Cuba." He summarized his diagnosis of the revolutionary failure with a straightforward statement: "They have been mistaken for 67 years: they have fought against wealth instead of fighting against poverty, which is what is right."
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