Dominica: technology regulation at a glance

Framework: Virtual Asset Business Act No. 1 of 2022 (Commonwealth of Dominica), supervised by the Financial Services Unit (FSU) under the Ministry of Finance

Dominica enacted the Virtual Asset Business Act (VABA) No. 1 of 2022 on 2 June 2022, establishing a mandatory registration and supervision regime for virtual asset businesses operated from or with persons in Dominica, overseen by the Financial Services Unit (FSU). The Act was developed in coordination with the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) to harmonise legislation across the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union (ECCU). Crypto assets are legal; exchanges and VASPs must register with the FSU, maintain AML/KYC programmes, appoint a local principal representative if incorporated offshore, and hold assets in escrow equal to 40% of client funds. Dominica has no capital-gains tax, so there is no specific crypto tax burden beyond general income tax principles.

Framework: No dedicated AI law or national AI strategy; general framework rests on the Data Protection Act 2011, the National Digital Transformation Strategy 2022-2026, and participation in regional CARICOM/OECS/CTU AI governance processes

The Commonwealth of Dominica has enacted no AI-specific legislation, issued no national AI strategy, and has no proposed AI bill as of May 2026. AI-adjacent governance relies on the 2011 Data Protection Act and the broader 2022-2026 National Digital Transformation Strategy, neither of which addresses AI directly. Dominica participates as a CARICOM and OECS member in regional processes, most notably the UNESCO Caribbean AI Policy Roadmap (2024) and the CTU Caribbean AI Task Force (2025), which are advisory and aspirational, not binding national instruments.

Framework: No comprehensive or sector-specific data protection law; privacy grounded in Section 9 of the Constitution of Dominica and the Electronic Evidence Act 2010. No dedicated supervisory authority exists.

The Commonwealth of Dominica has not enacted any comprehensive or sector-specific personal data protection legislation as of May 2026. Privacy protection is limited to constitutional guarantees covering the home and property, with no standalone data protection statute, no data subject rights regime, and no supervisory authority. A regional OECS harmonization initiative launched in 2022 has not yet produced enacted law in Dominica.

Framework: Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) is the regional regulator. A payment-system oversight regime is in force under the Payment Systems Act, Chapter 23:62 (enacted 2009), with banks licensed under the Banking Act. A modernised Payment System and Services Bill/Act 2026, drafted by the ECCB for uniform adoption across the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union (ECCU), was passed by Dominica's Parliament on 23 February 2026 to establish comprehensive licensing of payment service providers and e-money.

Dominica is a member of the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union, so its payments and fintech sector is regulated by the supranational ECCB rather than a purely domestic authority. A statutory payment-system oversight regime has been in force since the 2009 Payment Systems Act, and on 23 February 2026 Parliament passed the ECCB-drafted Payment System and Services Bill 2026, which creates a modern licensing, regulation and oversight framework for payment service providers and payment systems and replaces the 2009 Act. Instant-payment infrastructure is being built regionally (a Regional Fast Payment System), after the ECCB's DCash CBDC pilot was shut down in January 2024 and the planned DCash 2.0 was suspended in February 2026.

Framework: Work in Nature (WIN) Extended Stay Visa programme, administered by the Government of Dominica (windominica.gov.dm); Citizenship by Investment programme administered by the Citizenship by Investment Unit (CBIU) under the Commonwealth of Dominica

Dominica operates a dedicated remote-work visa called the Work in Nature (WIN) Extended Stay Visa, launched in April 2021, allowing remote workers and their families to reside and work remotely in Dominica for up to 18 months. Applicants must earn at least USD 50,000 per year, hold health insurance valid in Dominica, and work only for employers or clients not registered in Dominica. A separate, long-standing Citizenship by Investment (CBI) programme offers full Dominican citizenship via qualifying investment from USD 200,000.

Framework: Telecommunications Act No. 8 of 2000 (NTRC); Electronic Evidence Act 2010; unenacted Electronic Crimes Bill 2013; no dedicated online safety or platform-liability law

The Commonwealth of Dominica has no comprehensive online safety or content-moderation law. Internet regulation falls primarily under the 2000 Telecommunications Act administered by the National Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (NTRC), with the 2010 Electronic Evidence Act providing for admissibility of digital records. An Electronic Crimes Bill drafted in 2013 and broadly aligned with the Budapest Convention has not been enacted, leaving a significant gap in cybercrime and online-safety legislation.

Framework: Electronic Transactions Act 2013 (Act 19 of 2013); Electronic Evidence Act; Data Protection Act 2011; regional ECTEL framework

Dominica's cybersecurity regime is piecemeal and sector-specific, anchored primarily by the Electronic Transactions Act 2013 which criminalises unauthorised access, electronic fraud, and related offences, supplemented by the Electronic Evidence Act and Data Protection Act 2011. There is no comprehensive, standalone national cybersecurity law. Dominica is actively building foundational cyber capacity, including establishing a national CSIRT and developing a cybersecurity awareness strategy, under the World Bank-funded Caribbean Digital Transformation Project (CARDTP), but formal incident-reporting and breach-notification obligations are not yet codified in dedicated legislation.

Framework: Companies Act No. 21 of 1994 (domestic companies); International Business Companies Act 1996 (IBCs); administered by the Companies & Intellectual Properties Office (CIPO) under the Ministry of Trade

Dominica permits 100% foreign ownership of locally registered companies and International Business Companies (IBCs) with no minimum share capital requirement. The Companies & Intellectual Properties Office (CIPO) operates an e-filing system and company incorporation typically completes within 1-5 working days. The Invest Dominica Authority (IDA) provides a one-stop facilitation service to guide foreign investors through each stage of setup.