Prime Minister the Honourable Gaston Browne has described the launch of the ACB Invest Programme/Unit by Antigua Commercial Bank (ACB Caribbean) as a major milestone for Antigua and Barbuda’s financial future, signalling a new era of wealth-building opportunities and wider citizen participation in the investment economy.
Delivering the feature address at the launch, the Prime Minister congratulated the Directors, Management and Staff of ACB for establishing a dedicated wealth management unit, which he said will strengthen national investment infrastructure and provide customers with investment alternatives beyond traditional low-yield deposit accounts.
The Prime Minister emphasized that the ACB Invest Programme is more than a new banking service, but rather a national development tool designed to broaden wealth creation and expand economic mobility across society. He noted that wealth management is often misunderstood as being reserved for the affluent, but in reality it is about financial empowerment—helping ordinary citizens to make informed decisions to protect, invest, and grow what they earn, while strengthening their financial security and resilience.
Prime Minister Browne reaffirmed his long-standing advocacy for investment and entrepreneurship, stating that citizens must seize opportunities to use their resources, skills, creativity and innovation to build wealth and create long-term stability for themselves and their families. He also underscored the importance of intergenerational prosperity, stressing that nation-building must be anchored in a deliberate commitment to ensuring that future generations inherit opportunities and security rather than hardship.
The Prime Minister pointed to the Government’s policy approach over the last decade, which he said has intentionally focused on turning income into assets, increasing domestic ownership, and building a “stakeholder society.”
He explained that this strategy seeks to ensure that Antiguans and Barbudans gain greater control of the commanding heights of the economy, while reducing the risk of an extractive economic model in which profits are repatriated abroad rather than retained for national development.
Prime Minister Browne outlined key economic indicators which he said demonstrate that Antigua and Barbuda’s development model is working.
He reported that the country’s debt-to-GDP ratio has fallen dramatically over the past decade, inflation is now below three percent, and economic growth has averaged approximately six percent annually over the last five years—driven largely by investment and sustained expansion in tourism and construction. He noted as well that foreign direct investment inflows have financed transformative hotel and mixed-use developments, driving employment and strengthening productive capacity.
He further urged citizens to embrace financial planning, disciplined saving, and investment literacy as essential life skills in the modern era, while calling on financial institutions to partner more deeply with national development efforts.
Prime Minister Browne expressed confidence that ACB Invest will contribute meaningfully to bridging the gap between savings and investment, mobilizing capital into productive use and helping to strengthen families, communities and the national economy.
