Diaspora
Just Now
*“Just now” don’t mean now. “Just now” mean sometime between now and Judgement.*
The Shortcut
*Speedeet took off before Wilar could mention one small thing.*
Week in Review: A U.S. Court Reprieve, a New Caribbean Travel Door, and Africa's Pivot to Diaspora Capital
Across the TWB map this week, the throughline was movement - of people, of money, and of the rules that decide who gets to do either.
Money & Movement: Barbados
The diaspora guide to moving money in and out of Barbados — the fixed peg and exchange control, sending and receiving, banking, buying property, residency (SERP and Welcome Stamp), pensions, inheritance, and tax. A living reference, updated as the rules change.
Money & Movement: Bahamas
The diaspora guide to moving money in and out of The Bahamas — the 1:1 peg, sending and receiving, banking, buying property, residency (Economic Permanent Residence), pensions, inheritance, and the zero-tax reality. A living reference, updated as the rules change.
Money & Movement: Trinidad & Tobago
The diaspora guide to moving money in and out of Trinidad & Tobago — the USD shortage and forex access, the managed TT$, sending and receiving, banking, property and the Alien Landholding Licence, pensions and NIS, inheritance, and tax. A living reference, updated as the rules change.
Money & Movement: Kenya's remittances slip off a record — and the Gulf is the wild card
April inflows fell 5.9% from a year earlier, and a World Bank warning flags up to US$40m a month at risk from Middle East conflict.
Money & Movement: Jamaica
The diaspora guide to moving money in and out of Jamaica — remittance corridors and costs, the floating JMD, banking access, property and transfer tax, pensions and NIS, inheritance, and tax. A living reference, updated as the rules change.
Money & Movement: Guyana
The diaspora guide to moving money in and out of Guyana — remittance corridors and costs, banking access, the GYD and FX, property payments, pensions, inheritance, and tax. A living reference, updated as the rules change.
Crossfire: Nigeria 3, Jamaica 0 — the diaspora derby that London owns
Nigeria retained the Unity Cup at The Valley on May 31. The desk argues over what a London final actually says about us.
Money & Movement: The new US 1% transfer tax — and the simple way around it
Since January, cash remittances out of the US carry a 1% federal tax. Digital and card-funded transfers do not.
Crossfire: No flag of ours at the World Cup — does it still belong to us?
Jamaica fell to DR Congo, Nigeria are out too, and the tournament opens June 11 without a Reggae Boyz or Super Eagles shirt. The desk argues it out.
Week in Review: Warships and Wire Transfers — the Two Forces Pulling at the Diaspora
A US carrier returns to the Caribbean as three governments tighten their grip on diaspora money. If you read one TWB piece this weekend, read this.
The US 1% remittance tax is live — and avoidable
Cash transfers are taxed; bank- and card-funded transfers are exempt.
Guyana's diaspora bond lands this week
Before you buy: currency, tenor, and how you actually get paid.
Accra Almanac: Ghana Brings Home Its First Returnees as South Africa's Migrant Crisis Deepens
Nairobi Dispatch: Two Pressures Are Squeezing the Money Kenyans Abroad Send Home
Naija Lookbook: Money Sent Home Now Lands in Naira — No More Dollar Payout
The 1% Cash Tax Is Live. If You Still Hand Over Cash, You're Paying It.
The 1% cash remittance tax is live — and easy to avoid
*The U.S. federal excise tax on cash-funded international transfers has been live since January 1. Funding the same transfer from a bank account or card avoids it entirely.*
Nigeria orders remittance payouts in naira only
*The Central Bank of Nigeria's May 1 directive ends USD-cash payout at the counter. Recipient households now absorb the bureau-de-change spread on every transfer.*
Kenya's remittance corridor squeezed from two directions at once
*The U.S. cash-remittance tax and tightening Saudi labour conditions are pressing the two largest Kenya inbound corridors at the same time. The dollar value of remittances may hold while purchasing power drops.*
The Phone Call
*My granddaughter call me from foreign to tell me I should rest. The child don’t know the table IS the rest.*
What the Table Know
*People think the table is for selling pastry. The table is for watching.*
Long weekend, loading
*The annual Caribbean ritual: pretend the work week ends Wednesday, the long weekend starts Thursday, and Tuesday is a recovery day.*
Ghana's new e-Visa system: what the diaspora needs to know
*GhanaWeb published an explainer Tuesday on the new e-Visa rollout. For diaspora travellers and would-be investors, this is the access infrastructure that underpins everything else.*
Barbados–Guyana ID travel deal lands: passports out, national IDs in
*Citizens of both countries will soon travel between Bridgetown and Georgetown on national identification cards — the first bilateral move of its kind inside CARICOM in years.*
U.S. CDC implements enhanced Ebola screening at Houston IAH effective tonight
Effective 11:59 PM May 26, George Bush Intercontinental joins the U.S. designated-airport list for travelers who were present in DRC, Uganda, or South Sudan. Diaspora travelers connecting through Houston should plan for additional processing time and possible flight changes.
Memorial Day weekend recap, June Caribbean Heritage Month preview
From the Atlanta jazz cycle into Caribbean American Heritage Month: what the diaspora calendar carries through June, and which gatherings shape connection across cities.
Khadija Shaw signs four-year extension with Manchester City
The Reggae Girlz captain is committed to one of the FA Women's Super League's top sides through 2030. For Jamaican diaspora football culture, the deal extends the visibility window for a generational striker through what should be peak years.
Guyana's 60th as a returnee inflection point: what the Diamond Jubilee year actually asks of the diaspora
Anniversaries focus decisions that have been deferred for years. For Guyanese diaspora households, the 60th Independence carries practical weight — dual citizenship, property documentation, return-of-pension timing, and the next-decade question of what the gas-to-energy build actually delivers.
Guyana, too popular
*The diaspora can't get on a flight, the hotels are sold out, and ExxonMobil just announced its ninth permit. There is such a thing as a problem of abundance.*
Guyana marks 60th Independence Diamond Jubilee with national interfaith observance
Sixty years on, Guyana observes its Diamond Jubilee through national interfaith service amid a transformed economic moment. For the diaspora, this is a milestone return-home cycle layered against active questions about oil-revenue distribution and the future of the Wales gas-to-energy build.
Ghana migration framework: status update as the Bridgetown climate-finance week opens parallel signal
Ghana's diaspora-migration framework remains one of the most accessible structured paths for diaspora connection in West Africa. As Caribbean climate finance accelerates this week, the question is whether parallel diaspora-engagement instruments will follow.
Trinidad sprint gold
*The replay watched on three continents simultaneously. The WhatsApp groups lit up before the photo finish was confirmed.*
The chase
*The household tradition. Sunday afternoon. Somebody's cousin is being chased. We are not asking who started it.*
Best Caribbean countries for returning diasporans, ranked by what actually matters when you go home
Returning to retire is not the same as moving to retire. Five Caribbean countries make the strongest case for diasporan return. They do not make it the same way.