New US Cuba security policy set to widen secondary sanctions risk
07 July 2025 President Trump has signed a National Security Memorandum, tightening and extending significantly US sanctions on Cuba. The order is expected to expose non-US companies to greater secondary US sanctions risk if they transact or do business with any of the many Cuban enterprises and their subsidiaries that are linked to Cuban military […]
ETECSA modifies internet rates – issue remains socially, politically sensitive
23 June 2025 In a new response to citizen and student concern about recent increases in the cost of mobile internet access, the state telecoms company ETECSA has announced limited modifications to its plans. A previous announcement led to student unrest and more generally, widespread national criticism on social media. The issue remains politically and […]
Government responds to student protests after sharp internet price hike
09 June 2025 Cuba’s President has accused outside forces of trying to create unrest and instability following a badly mishandled announcement on 30 May of an immediate sharp increase in mobile internet rates by the state telecoms provider ETECSA To the concern of government, which surprisingly had not foreseen the likely response, ETECSA’s statement was […]
Collapse in sugar production signals new economic crisis for Cuba
26 May 2025 As Cuba’s 2024-25 sugar campaign draws to a close, provincial reporting, as well as industry sources cited by Reuters, suggest that the island is headed this year for an unplanned for production shortfall of as much as 100,000 metric tons. The outcome is likely to have a negative impact on the Cuban […]
Díaz-Canel’s Russia visit indicates economic ties likely to deepen
12 May 2025 High level exchanges held during a five-day visit by President Díaz-Canel to Moscow and St Petersburg suggest that economic relations between Russia and Cuba are set to deepen. The visit, in response to an invitation from President Putin to attend Russia’s celebrations of its World War II victory over fascism, saw Cuba’s […]
ETECSA says unable to obtain forex to upgrade Cuba’s telecoms network
22 April 2025 TCuba’s state run telecommunications company, ETECSA SA, has publicly acknowledged that it is unable to obtain the foreign exchange it needs to maintain the required level of investment in technology to continue upgrading its aging network. Speaking to Cubavisión Internacional, the official worldwide arm of the domestic Cubavisión network, Kevin Castro, the […]
Minister assures Cubans that recovery of electrical system is advancing
07 April 2025 Cuba’s Minister of Energy and Mines, Vicente de la O Levy, has insisted that the recovery of Cuba’s National Electricity System (SEN) is “on schedule” and that a positive outcome of everything planned “will soon be seen.” His comments come as extensive daily power outages continue because of fuel shortages, breakdowns, and […]
US federal jury finds against Expedia in landmark US$30mn Title III decision
28 April 2025 In a landmark decision, a US Federal judge sitting with a jury in Miami has ordered the Expedia Group to pay US$29.8mn to a Cuban-American businessman living in Miami. The ruling follows a finding in his favour under Title III of the Helms-Burton Act. The decision may be appealed to the US […]
CARICOM ministers defend Cuban medical support, criticise US visa withdrawal
17 March 2025 The US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, is expected to visit the Caribbean before the end of March to meet with CARICOM governments to discuss among other matters the decision by the Trump Administration to revoke the visas of Caribbean facilitating Cuba’s medical missions to the region and elsewhere. (Background Cuba Briefing […]
Havana Club rum sales continue to grow – China a future market focus
10 March 2025 Sales of Havana Club rum continue to grow both in Cuba and internationally according to Cristian Barré, the CEO of Havana Club International SA. Havana Club, one of several brands in the portfolio of Pernod Ricard and Havana Club International (HCI) is a joint venture between state-owned Cuba Ron and France’s Pernod […]
Economy and Planning ministry told it must adapt to need for a war economy
03 March 2025 President Díaz-Canel has called for the Ministry of Economy and Planning (MEP) to “have a clear strategy and more coherent thinking on economic issues in the difficult circumstances which the country is facing.” In unusually direct language, he said that the Ministry must from now on carry out a permanent analysis of […]
Cubaniquel expects full recovery of JV with Canada’s Sherritt in 2025
24 February 2025 Cuba’s nickel and cobalt miner, Cubaniquel SA, has said that it expects production and efficiency at its joint venture with Canada’s Sherritt International to recover this year following a difficult 2024. Speaking on the television and radio programme Mesa Redonda, Leonardo Rosell, the Director General of the company said that the business […]
Bill tightening sanctions on Cuba and ‘foreign persons’ reintroduced in Senate
17 February 2025 The US Senators Rick Scott (R-Florida) and Tommy Tuberville (R-Alabama) have reintroduced a bill aimed at passing into law measures imposing “severe sanctions” on the Cuban government, and on third parties and entities engaged in transactions with sanctioned Cuban persons and bodies. If passed, The Democracia Act (Denying Earnings to the Military […]
Council of Ministers approve plan to create a new forex market this year
10 February 2025 Cuba’s Council of Ministers have approved a detailed action plan for 2025 that places special emphasis on the delivery of “a new mechanism for the management, control and allocation of foreign currency for all economic actors; the creation of a foreign exchange market, and the partial dollarisation of the economy.” Cuban official […]
Cuba ‘ahead of most Latin nations’ on cybersecurity: rapidly developing AI
03 February 2025 Cuba is now far ahead of most countries in the region in relation to cybersecurity despite the absence of co-operation from the US, according to senior Cuban officials. It is also rapidly developing an Artificial Intelligence capacity through an integrated programme involving state and private sector entities. Speaking during a recent edition […]
Trump reimposes Cuba terrorism designation, sanctions and restricted list
27 January 2025 In the first hours of assuming the US Presidency, President Trump revoked the order published days earlier by the outgoing Biden Administration intended to remove Washington’s designation of Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism (See Cuba Briefing 13 January 2025). The effect is to reimpose tighter controls on US exports, restrictions […]
Biden lifts terrorism designation and sanctions: Trump to mull restoration
20 January 2025 In a surprise announcement on 14 January, just days before demitting office, the White House said that President Biden was removing Cuba from the US list of state sponsors of terrorism; suspending the right of claimants to take legal action under Title III of Helms Burton against companies that traffic in expropriated […]
Tourism minister says essential Cuba recovers growth in arrivals in 2025
13 January 2025 Cuba’s Minister of Tourism, Juan Carlos García, has said that it “is essential for the recovery of the sector” that in 2025 the country has ”a decent tourism product that stimulates demand.” His comments to a meeting of the National Assembly’s Commission on Services followed his admission that the sector would close […]
Díaz-Canel sees some positive signs of progress
06 January 2025 Addressing the closing session of Cuba’s National Assembly, President Díaz-Canel told delegates that Government’s efforts to implement its macro-economic reform strategy will continue “with the aim of changing, in the shortest possible time, the overwhelming situation we are experiencing.” Observing that “the insufficient results achieved” in 2024 were “reason for the most […]
Communist Party to hold mid-December plenary to address “vital issues”
09 December 2024 The Central Committee of Cuba’s Communist Party (PCC) has said that it will convene on 12 and 13 December in plenary, to analyse “vital issues of the Cuban economy and society, in the midst of the complex scenario that the country faces.” The announcement followed a meeting of Cuba’s Council of Ministers […]
Role of government’s new Institute of Non-State Economic Actors spelt out
02 December 2024 Officials appearing on Cuban state television have made clear that the recently established National Institute of Non-State Economic Actors (INAEE) is intended to control and direct Cuba’s embryonic private sector. Aizel Llanes Fernández, the Director of the National Institute of Economic Research, speaking on the television programme Mesa Redonda, said that the […]
Minister says essential for economy tourism has a good high season
25 November 2024 Cuba’s Tourism Minister, Juan Carlos García, has said that “it is essential to have a good high season” as “the country and the Cuban economy need it.” His comments came as a leading Canadian tour operator announced that it is reducing the number of hotels included in its offering to clients visiting […]
Economy Minister says Cuba unlikely to experience GDP growth this year
18 November 2024 A Cuban minister has said that Cuba will not experience any economic growth this year owing to the impact of hurricanes Oscar and Rafael and recent seismic activity in eastern Cuba. The three events caused damage over a period of twenty days to housing, electrical distribution, agriculture, water supply, hospitals, schools, and […]
Hurricane Rafael causes extensive damage to Cuba’s western provinces
11 November 2024 A second hurricane in three weeks to hit Cuba has caused what government described as “major damage” to the three western provinces of Artemisa, Mayabeque and Havana. Tens of thousands of Cubans had earlier been evacuated along with visitors from the most at-risk areas, and education and transport was suspended. Hurricane Rafael […]
Minister’s comments suggest bleak outlook for Cuban sugar production
04 November 2024 Cuba’s first Vice President, Salvador Valdés Mesa, has said that it is essential that all those involved in the sugar sector do everything possible to “move forward the preparations for the next harvest, with responsibility and rationality.” Addressing the closing session of the Third Conference of the National Union of Sugar Workers, […]
Cuba assesses damage from Hurricane Oscar as power returns
28 October 2024 Power has returned to most of Cuba following four days during which attempts to restart the island’s national electrical system failed. The nationwide collapse of the grid coincided with Hurricane Oscar hitting the eastern Province of Guantanamo late on Sunday 20 October causing extensive destruction. Addressing Cuba’s National Defence Council on 22 […]
Cuba struggling to restore power after nationwide electrical outages
21 October 2024 Cuba is still struggling to restore power across the island following a two-day nationwide collapse in the electricity supply to the national grid. On 18 October, and then again on 19 October, the whole island was plunged into darkness with technicians trying but failing to gradually start up and link the country’s […]
Cuba seeks partner status in BRICS describing it as key geopolitical player
14 October 2024 Cuba has written formally requesting partner status in the BRICS group of nations. The letter was sent to the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, as the bloc’s present pro-tempore Chair of the group. In a message published on X, Carlos Pereira, the Director General of Bilateral Affairs of the Cuban Foreign Ministry (MINREX), […]
Cuba at a ‘decisive moment’ – reforms not moving forward at pace intended
07 October 2024 Cuba’s macro-economic reform programme is not moving forward at the speed government requires and a “decisive moment” has been reached, according to a subdued official report of a 30 September meeting of Cuba’s Council of Ministers. According to summaries appearing on the Presidency website and in Cuba’s official media, Joaquín Alonso, the […]
Central Bank outlines main challenges facing Cuban banking
30 September 2024 The Minister President of the Central Bank of Cuba (BCC), Juana Delgado, has identified the principal challenges facing the Cuban banking system. Speaking on the television programme Mesa Redonda she said the most significant were the departure of trained personnel, technical obsolescence, the continuing impact of the US embargo, Washington’s designation of […]
Respected Cuban economist sets out breadth of economic challenge facing Cuba
24 September 2024 Between 2019 and the first half of 2024 Cuba suffered a loss of more than US$4bn in external income forcing it to take urgent remedial measures, according to a detailed economic report produced by the respected Cuban economist, a former Minister of Economy and Planning, and Minister of Finance, José Luis Rodríguez. […]
Russia to provide additional economic support to offset US embargo
16 September 2024 The Secretary of Russia’s Security Council, Sergei Shoigu, has said that Moscow will introduce measures that it expects to help Cuba address the economic consequences of the US embargo. Speaking in St Petersburg following a working meeting with Cuba’s Interior Minister, General Lazaro Alvarez, Shoigu said that Russia will provide additional economic […]