NIA CHARLESTOWN, NEVIS (August 21, 2026) –The following is an interview conducted by Ray de Bono of IMGlobalWealth.news published August 21, 2026: An exclusive IMGlobalWealth.news interview IMGlobalWealth.com Editor-in-Chief Ray de Bono speaks with Premier of Nevis Mark Brantley ahead of the Safe Haven Forum in Zurich about geopolitical uncertainty, the changing value of second citizenship, the Caribbean’s economic independence and why Nevis wants to turn safety, stability and sustainability into a new proposition for globally mobile families. For more than four decades, St Kitts and Nevis has occupied a distinctive place in the history of investment migration. Its citizenship programme, established in 1984, was the world’s first programme of its kind and remains the longest-standing. The official Citizenship Unit describes it as the pioneer of global citizenship programmes. “I do not believe the Caribbean story has been adequately told internationally. A negative narrative has often taken hold, and we have to become much more effective at explaining what these countries are actually trying to achieve” Nevis Peak and Gingerland, from a porch on the Hermitage Hotel Today, however, the debate surrounding citizenship is changing. Geopolitical fragmentation, conflict, tighter mobility rules and growing scrutiny of cross-border capital are encouraging wealthy families to think not merely about where they can travel, but where they can live, invest and find security should conditions deteriorate elsewhere. That is also the premise behind Henley & Partners’ Safe Haven Forum, being held at The Dolder Grand in Zurich on 8 September 2026. The invitation-only gathering brings together wealthy individuals, single-family offices, governments and experts to examine access, mobility, security and cross-border resilience in what its organisers describe as an increasingly unpredictable world. Nevis: Small Island, Strategic Jurisdiction Nevis is a 93 sq km Caribbean island and one of the two constituent islands of the Federation of St Kitts and Nevis. Home to around 12,000 people, it retains substantial internal autonomy through its own administration and legislature. Once known as the “Queen of the Caribees” for its sugar wealth, Nevis today combines tourism, financial services and growing investment-led development. Its near-100% literacy rate and strong institutional traditions reinforce its appeal as a small but sophisticated jurisdiction. It is against this backdrop that Premier of Nevis Mark Brantley makes a broader case for his island. For Brantley, the traditional Caribbean proposition of “sun, sea and sand” is no longer sufficient. He adds two more elements, safety and security, and suggests a sixth may now matter just as much: stability. His argument goes considerably further than tourism. Brantley sees small Caribbean jurisdictions as potential safe havens for internationally mobile families precisely because of qualities sometimes overlooked in discussions about passport rankings: democratic institutions, rule of law, political stability, lifestyle, personal security and the ability to establish a genuine second base. At the same time, he offers a robust defence of citizenship by investment as an instrument of economic self-reliance for small states, while acknowledging that the model itself may now have to evolve. “There’s sun, sea, sand, safety and security. And some may argue that there is a sixth S now, and that is stability.” Key Takeaways The Interview Mark Anthony Graham Brantley, the Premier of Nevis Question 1: The Safe Haven Forum takes place against a backdrop of growing geopolitical uncertainty, tighter mobility rules and concern among internationally mobile families about overexposure to any single country or jurisdiction. From a Caribbean perspective, what does a genuine safe haven mean today, and what role can Nevis play? Premier Mark Brantley: There is no doubt that the world is becoming more hostile and that the geopolitical landscape has shifted dramatically. Countries are devoting increasing amounts of their budgets to defence. That naturally means less money available for social programmes and potentially less developmental assistance internationally. At the same time, we have seen increasingly strong anti-immigration sentiment in many countries. For small Caribbean states, this means that traditional partners in Europe, the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada may not necessarily be relied upon in quite the same way as before. I have said recently that nobody is coming to save the Caribbean. The Caribbean must save itself. Part of that means islands such as Nevis saying to the world: look at us. We are offering physical safety and security, but also environmental security because of the way we care for our environment. We offer a stable community, a robust democracy and respect for the rule of law. We offer an alternative for those seeking safety and security for themselves, their families and their loved ones, and who have the means and ability to come to an island such as ours and, in doing so, contribute to its development. “There is a certain historical symmetry to the challenge. In 1984, one of the world’s smallest sovereign states helped create an entirely new model of investment migration. More than 40 years later, St Kitts and Nevis may again have to reinvent what that model means” For many years the Caribbean sold three S’s: sun, sea and sand. Today I believe there are five: sun, sea, sand, safety and security. Some might even say there is now a sixth S: stability. People want democracy. They want laws that are clear and understandable. They want to know that their investments are protected and that governments will respect those investments. In St Kitts and Nevis, our final court of appeal remains the Privy Council in London. For some investors, that provides an additional degree of comfort. And there is something else that we have which should not be underestimated: freedom. Freedom of speech, freedom of movement and freedom of association. For discerning families and investors, these things are becoming increasingly important Question 2: Investment migration has traditionally been discussed largely in terms of passport strength and visa-free mobility. Has that sometimes obscured the broader value of jurisdictions such as Nevis, including lifestyle, political stability, security and the ability to establish an alternative place to live? Premier Mark Brantley: Absolutely. If we look only at passport strength, we ignore the lifestyle dimension. Nevis is a