PR91203

LONDON, Aug. 18, 2021 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/ --

On August 18th, the Professional Wealth Management (PWM) magazine, a

publication from the Financial Times, released the fifth edition of its annual

report [http://www.cbiindex.com]: "A Guide to Global Citizenship: The 2021 CBI

Index." The study evaluates all active citizenship by investment (CBI)

programmes across the globe using nine pillars that are considered the highest

priorities for investors seeking to apply to such programmes. These pillars are

Freedom of Movement, Standard of Living, Minimum Investment Outlay, Mandatory

Travel or Residence, Citizenship Timeline, Ease of Processing, Due Diligence,

Family, and Certainty of Product.

In this year's edition of the annual report, both the Commonwealth of Dominica

[http://www.cbiu.gov.dm] and the Federation of St Kitts and Nevis

[https://www.ciu.gov.kn] shared the top ranking as the countries with the best

CBI programme. For Dominica, 2021 marks the fifth consecutive year the island

has been crowned as the best offering for second citizenship. However, this is

the first time St Kitts and Nevis has also landed the top spot.

Both countries received perfect scores for their lack of mandatory travel or

residence requirements for applicants, along with their simple processes, due

diligence procedures, and family-friendly structures. In addition, Dominica

scored perfectly in the Minimum Investment Outlay and Certainty of Product

pillars whilst St Kitts and Nevis, for a second consecutive year, was the only

country to receive top marks in the Citizenship Timeline pillar. This is due to

the country's Accelerated Application Process that bestows citizenship on

successful applicants within 60 days. Although, in some cases, the AAP can take

as little as 45 days.

The Caribbean, once again, took the top five spots in the 2021 report, with

Grenada [https://www.cbi.gov.gd], St Lucia [https://www.cipsaintlucia.com], and

Antigua and Barbuda [https://cip.gov.ag] following Dominica and St Kitts and

Nevis. With decades of experience within the industry shared between the five

nations, the region's CBI programmes evolved quickly to meet changing investor

priorities during the COVID-19 pandemic. These changes include a limited-time

reduction on investment thresholds, as shown in St Lucia and St Kitts and

Nevis, and expanding family inclusiveness by allowing additional dependants to

be included in applications.

Overall, the CBI industry has witnessed several changes over the last year,

with new countries like Egypt entering the mix, while Cyprus abolished its

long-standing programme. Demand for CBI programmes in 2021 saw increased

interest as more investors outside of traditional markets began to pursue

legitimate solutions to the restrictions caused by the pandemic.

Yuri Bender, PWM's Editor in Chief, commented: "Both private banks and law

firms report increased interest among clients seeking new citizenships and

passports since the advent of the pandemic. Wealthy investors, say

commentators, only began to appreciate mobility once it was abruptly withdrawn

due to COVID."

The industry adapted to meet the needs of this growing demographic: "Trends

have included family inclusiveness, sustained emphasis on due diligence, and

growing oversight of real estate projects available for investment under

certain CBI programmes," the report noted.

Click here [https://cbiindex.com/reports/] to download the full report.

Infographic - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1597161/CBI_Index_Infographic.jpg

Contact:

info@cbiindex.com

www.cbiindex.com

Source: CBI Index