Water & Cost of Living: NURC has approved phased water and sewerage tariff hikes for WASCO, with households and businesses set to pay more starting the June 2026 billing cycle, and hotels/boats hit hardest (hotels and vessels up about 76%); the second stage lands in January 2027. Business & Execution: A Chamber of Commerce-led push and a wider “crisis of execution” discussion at a Bay Gardens summit focused on better strategy implementation and smoother business operations. Tourism & Utilities Planning: NURC CEO Skeeta Gibbs warned that utility infrastructure must be planned alongside tourism growth, not left to catch up later. Agriculture & Food Security: Taiwan-backed training helped Saint Lucian farmers improve fruit output using advanced guava grafting under the Seven Crops Project. Citizenship-by-Investment Scrutiny: Data from Saint Lucia’s CBI unit annual report shows due diligence firms screened 75 Nigerians in 2023/24, with Nigeria among the top African source nations for passport-for-cash orders. Regional Finance: IFC will invest up to US$15m in the Caribbean Community Resilience Fund debt sub-fund, targeting SME financing across multiple countries including Saint Lucia. ECCU Banknotes: ECCU plans to replace Queen Elizabeth II’s image on new EC bank notes with Caribbean figures, with Kirani James’ $5 note slated for 2027. Tourism Growth via Sports: SLHTA president Erwin Louisy was re-elected unopposed, while Saint Lucia’s Arsenal partnership is set to support a local youth academy and boost sports tourism.