Durrant Pate/Contributor

Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness will deliver the opening keynote address at the 2026 Jamaica Stock Exchange (JSE) Regional Investments & Capital Markets Conference, taking place January 20–22, 2026, at The Jamaica Pegasus Hotel in Kingston.

Held under the theme “Capital Markets Fueling Economic Resurgence and Resilience,” the conference will open with the Prime Minister’s address, ‘Jamaica: Devastation, Relief, Recovery, Resilience.’ His participation this year marks more than a decade of uninterrupted attendance, and his 10th occasion opening the Conference as the keynote speaker, underscoring the prime minister’s longstanding support of Jamaica’s capital markets.

Conference 2026 plans to be an illuminating, impressive and engaging experience that will promote the shift in mindset to match the demanding trends impacting the world, anchored by the prevailing theme, “Capital Markets Fueling Economic Resurgence and Resilience.” The pertinence of the topics being desired, vibrant and relevant, will evoke that sense of freshness, difference and brilliance to inspire and recharge them to their satisfaction to face the known and unknown conditions, challenges and competitors, to remain among the best and be the best in their sectors, businesses and professions.

Key Topics

There are five areas of global, regional and national that must be dealt with at the 2026 conference: Technology, Government Debt, Populist Movements, Conflicts, Climate Change and the impact on people and the flow of capital.

Technology: Technology and its effect on changing the economies and the workplace.

Government Debt: How this affects the country in terms of development, achieving and sustaining Jamaica’s Vision 2030.

Populist Movements: Their impacts on countries’ politics, masses and development. This is where the Jamaica Social Stock Exchange (JSSE) has been positive and influential. It changes people’s mindset to be less insular in their focus and takes pleasure in giving back to building community, helping others and in doing so also helps to make the hopes and dreams for a secure future, financially and socially.

Conflict: The world is pivoting in an era of conflicts, geopolitical and domestic, which is even threatening to break out in the Caribbean, as well as the internal conflicts in Haiti. Here, discussions will centre on prevention, mediation and the role of finance.

Climate: As small island states, the Caribbean has been affected dramatically by extreme climate conditions. How we continue to highlight these issues, solve these challenges, and overcome the hurdles of cost to business and country. The Conference will look at partnering with green stock exchanges and also with EU and UNDP.

Raising the Bar of the Venture Capital Pitch Room

The JSE wants the Pitch Room to generate companies to list both on the Junior Market and soon to be established Micro Market. Through the conference, the live competition will shift from being presented as the closing event on Day 2 (Wednesday) to taking place on Day 3 (Thursday) in the segment just before the Lunch Hour.

The reason being that the majority of attendees are normally present at lunch. This will give the companies vying for recognition maximum exposure to attract serious investors who can take their Companies’ vision to the next level. To ensure top-quality contestants and pitches, advertisements for applicants will start as early as August 2025 and have the selection of companies by October 2025, upon which intensive training for the companies will begin.

The Jamaica Pegasus Hotel continues to be the most favoured venue of choice in the Conference’s 21-year history. However, the areas of notable interest to be examined and strategised will spur interest and excitement among the attendees.