Cuban exiles have already committed 35 billion dollars in investments for the first year following a democratic transition in Cuba, according to consultant Roberto Fernández-Rizo in an interview with Tania Costa for CiberCuba. The figure, attributed to statements by Jorge Mas Santos, also includes a humanitarian program that, according to Fernández-Rizo, would be sufficient to eliminate hunger on the island within three months.
"There are already statements, there are two statements from Jorge Mas Santos. Among the wealthiest in the Cuban exile community, they have allocated their fortunes for the first year: 35 billion in investments and a humanitarian program. Listen, in three months hunger in Cuba will be over. Three months," the interviewee stated.
However, this capital comes with an unwavering condition: investors demand legal certainty, a genuine transition to democracy, scheduled elections, and a transparent legal framework that protects their rights.
"They said: we meet to implement it, but legal security, changes, a transition to democracy, announced elections, in other words, with all the rights an investor needs, and all the justice, all very clear, very clear there," Fernández-Rizo specified.
The contrast with the regime's stance is striking. Fernández-Rizo recalled that the Cuban regime already tried to attract capital from the diaspora by inviting emigrants to invest, but hardly anyone responded to the call. "The first measure they put on the table, the Cuban regime, was to invite the diaspora to invest. How many people have gone to invest?" he pointed out.
In April 2026, the Council of State approved a Decree-Law regarding the immigration status of emigrant investors, but analysts point out that the lack of real legal security remains the main obstacle to any capital flow to the island.
To illustrate the scope of the 35 billion, Fernández-Rizo referred to the data from expert Jorge Piñón of the University of Texas Energy Institute, who estimated that repairing Cuba's thermoelectric plants would require around 10 billion dollars and that the process could not be completed in less than a year.
"If they are going to invest 35 billion, we have thermal power plants ready in real time," argued Fernández-Rizo, emphasizing that the committed capital would triple what is needed just to address the electrical crisis.
In May 2026, the electricity generation deficit in Cuba reached 2,174 MW during peak hours, with a supply of only 976 MW against a demand of 3,150 MW, according to data from Infobae.
Beyond the infrastructure, the interviewee mentioned the idea of establishing an initial capital fund "like that of Norway" to finance social investments with the profits and taxes generated after the transition.
"We are going to invest, and there are 35 billion dollars. That’s a lot. There are countries that don’t have that budget," summarized Fernández-Rizo, who insisted that the problem in Cuba is not fundamentally economic: "In other words, I don't worry about the economic problem. It’s a political ideological issue."
This figure is part of a broader debate about the financing of a post-regime Cuba. Jorge Mas Santos, estimated in May 2026 that the reconstruction of the country could require between 40 billion and 80 billion dollars, coming from the exile community and international funds, also conditioned on a legal framework that protects the investment.
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