The Eastern Caribbean Central Bank said the Regional Debt Co-ordinating Committee has endorsed measures to strengthen the governance and supervisory framework of the Regional Governments Securities Market and to widen household participation in regional capital markets. Agreed at the committee's 50th meeting, the package includes creating a Regional Technical Working Group, increasing collaboration with the Eastern Caribbean Securities Regulatory Commission, designating alternates to support continuity, and updating the RGSM Procedures Manual to cover extraordinary circumstances and events. The committee also reviewed the market's performance, noting that the RGSM has raised about XCD 21.6 billion since inception and that demand for government securities remains strong. It backed priorities to expand longer-term issuances, address unmet investor demand and broaden the Retail Bond Programme. In addition, the committee endorsed findings from Grenada's inaugural retail bond and investor sentiment survey. The issuance attracted 350 investors, including 326 first-time market participants. Members approved changes to the retail bond framework by replacing the existing maximum investment amount with an individual cap of 2.5% of the issue amount and by adding provisions to manage oversubscriptions. The committee also encouraged broader participation by member governments, including a planned issuance by Saint Christopher and Nevis. To support further development of the programme, the committee agreed to establish a task force chaired by the chief executive officer of the Eastern Caribbean Securities Exchange. The task force will develop a harmonised framework for future issuances and advance a digital platform for investors.

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