Premier floats taller buildings as sovereign wealth fund targets 2028

Premier André Ebanks dominated the day's business news, telling the Chamber of Commerce annual Parliamentary Lunch that he had paved the way for higher buildings in Cayman, according to the Cayman Compass. The same event produced word of broad parliamentary support for a sovereign wealth fund that could start in 2028, drawing on what the Compass reports were described as revenue streams "we haven't touched yet". Ebanks, who also holds the financial services and commerce portfolio, travels to New York and Toronto from 13 to 16 October for outreach engagements; the Cayman Independent reports he will meet reinsurers, fund managers and bankers.

On planning, Cayman News Service reports Planning Minister Jay Ebanks has U-turned so that MPs will still vote on changes to planning regulations, a reversal Cayman Marl Road frames as the government backing away from giving Cabinet sweeping powers. Dart, separately, announced The Brya, a 10-storey mixed-use building described by Caymanian Times as Camana Bay's first standalone mixed-use development.

Public finances and labour data also moved. Caymanian Times reports Finance Committee approved CI$44.9 million in supplementary appropriations for healthcare, financial assistance and ex-gratia benefits, while Cayman Marl Road reports the same sitting cleared CI$651,238 to settle a former civil servant's lawsuit. The Cayman Independent reports job postings rose 22.5% in the first nine months, led by construction, wholesale and retail, as the Economics and Statistics Office launched an occupational wage survey.

Elsewhere: CIMA unveiled new 2026 circulating coins carrying the first royal portrait change in decades; Cayman Enterprise City said 500 special economic zone businesses now operate in its ecosystem; and the Ombudsman has refused the Attorney General's request to withdraw an FOI ruling on Chief Justice appointment records.