The Cuban Handshake

October 10, 2026 — teleSUR

The Cuban government is promoting an economic reform that seeks to increase production, decentralize management, and expand opportunities for private and cooperative actors.

With 158 of the 176 approved transformations in the implementation phase, the challenge is to turn the changes into concrete results for the population, amidst the suffocation imposed by Washington .

The initiative comes at a critical time. The extraterritorial reach of Washington’s hostilities weighs heavily on fuel suppliers and shipping companies willing to operate with the island . It further limits the possibilities of attracting capital and developing new productive activities. 

This reality cuts across every sector of the economy. It impacts transportation, agriculture, industry, electricity generation, and food distribution, with direct consequences for daily life . Economic transformation, therefore, presents a dual challenge: resisting external pressures and leveraging national resources through independent initiatives .

The reform of the Cuban business system expands the growth potential of micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) , facilitates their participation in foreign trade, and opens new avenues for partnerships with foreign capital. The challenge will be to translate these transformations into production, employment, and territorial development, while remaining mindful of the country’s social needs.

The purpose, according to Cuban authorities, is not to privilege one form of ownership over another, but to build a more articulated business system , in which the different forms of management contribute to national priorities.

During a meeting with representatives of the private sector, President Miguel Díaz-Canel defended the need to establish a relationship between the aspirations of businessmen and the objectives of the country.

“What we are doing is to help Cuba grow and to create a suitable relationship between what you can aspire to as entrepreneurs and what the country aspires to, so that we can combine it into a framework where everyone benefits ,” he stated.

The initiative responds to a specific need: to increase national production of food, goods and services, reduce unproductive costs, incorporate technology and innovation and decrease dependence on finished products from abroad.

In this scenario, the private sector acquires a broader role within the Cuban economic strategy , although its expansion also raises questions about regulation, the distribution of benefits, and its effective contribution to collective well-being.

More room to grow: SMEs are transforming

The new regulations introduce significant changes to the operation of private micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) . Among the changes is the elimination or expansion of the previous limit of 100 employees, allowing private companies to grow beyond that number. It also authorizes a single individual to own or be a partner in more than one business.

Another significant change is the reduction in prohibited economic activities. According to available information, Decree 160 of 2026 reduces the list from 125 to 79 items, opening the possibility of creating new businesses under the corresponding conditions and authorizations.

The reforms also make wholesale trade more flexible , expand the activities that a company can carry out, and formalize the possibility of payment in foreign currency , provided that the requirements of banking legitimacy are met.

This is in addition to new possibilities for importing for commercial purposes, participating in public tenders and establishing links with foreign capital and foreign trade operations.

Decentralizing the authority to approve new micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) to municipalities is another key part of the process. This measure aims to delegate certain decisions to local governments. Overall, these changes seek to reduce administrative hurdles and expand the scope of action for private businesses.

Foreign capital and foreign trade: new opportunities

One of the most relevant components of the transformations is the opening of new ways to connect Cuban private companies with foreign investment and international markets .

The package includes partnerships between domestic private businesses and foreign capital, as well as the possibility for private companies to participate directly in foreign trade without intermediaries. For the Cuban government, these opportunities will help attract foreign currency, incorporate technology, and access raw materials, equipment, and other resources that the economy needs.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment, Óscar Pérez-Oliva Fraga, believes that partnerships with foreign capital will generate new growth dynamics. He also noted that the direct participation of private companies in foreign trade will simplify bureaucratic procedures.

The need for foreign currency is one of the main challenges facing the Cuban economy. The Minister of Economy and Planning, Joaquín Alonso Vázquez, warned that the country needs resources to acquire fuel, technology, and supplies that it does not produce domestically, and that all economic actors, both state and private, must contribute to obtaining them.

In parallel, the new portfolio of investment opportunities presented by the Government includes 426 projects nationwide, with a combined value exceeding US$30 billion. The sectors represented include oil, tourism, the sugar industry, food production, biopharmaceuticals, manufacturing, and mining.

The challenge is not only to attract capital, but to materialize the projects and ensure that the investments translate into benefits for local economies, just as Washington is designing its measures to prevent it.

What place should the private sector occupy in the Cuban economic model?

The expansion of business opportunities reopens a central debate: how to integrate private enterprise into a development model that maintains state control of the economy and preserves its social objectives? For economist and professor Ayuban Gutiérrez , first vice president of the National Association of Economists and Accountants of Cuba (ANEC) , all forms of ownership must be aligned with a national development project.

From that perspective, “the private sector responds to an objective need of the economy, but its activity must be coordinated with the country’s priorities and territorial strategies,” he explained during the television program Cuadrando la caja.

The debate is not limited to how much a company can grow or how much capital it can accumulate; but rather what it produces, how many jobs it generates, how it relates to other economic actors, and what contribution it makes to the development of communities.

Díaz-Canel has insisted that the effectiveness of an economic project should not be measured solely by the revenue it generates, but also by its contribution to families, youth employment, community development, and national sovereignty. This approach raises a fundamental question: how to ensure that business expansion contributes to addressing the population’s concrete needs , rather than exacerbating inequalities or exploiting existing deficiencies.

Regulate without slowing production

Expanding the private sector also requires establishing clear rules and oversight mechanisms to prevent speculative practices, tax evasion, corruption, hoarding, and prices disconnected from the population’s means .

During the meeting with business leaders, Díaz-Canel warned that the private sector cannot become a breeding ground for illegal activities or practices that harm society as a whole . The challenge lies in finding a balance between regulation and incentives. A stable regulatory framework, clear tax rules, and improved conditions for the functioning of markets for goods, services, and financing will stimulate productive activity while also facilitating state oversight.

Economist and researcher Rafael Montejo has emphasized the importance of accompanying these transformations with regulations, initiatives, development funds, and financing mechanisms that allow municipalities to boost their own economies . Therefore, decentralization requires projects that connect the potential of each territory with the needs of its people.

It also raises the question of what more can be done. Among the proposals put forward in the Cuban debate are moving toward more equal exchange rates for economic actors, prioritizing subsidies directed at individuals rather than specific products, and strengthening private sector participation in local development projects.

One example mentioned is the provision of pensions to retirees by the private sector in the Havana municipality of Playa. Although not yet widespread, it illustrates how companies can directly contribute to addressing social needs at the local level.

The US blockade, another obstacle for private entrepreneurs

US measures against Cuba are not limited to state institutions. They also impact private businesses that need to make international payments, acquire goods, or receive funds from abroad.

The new regulations from the U.S. Treasury Department (approved last September 30) restrict certain banking operations linked to Cuba and eliminate so-called U-turn transactions , which allowed certain international payments to be processed through the U.S. financial system.

Now, the restrictions make it difficult for Cuban business owners to pay international suppliers and reduce the legal avenues for families to send money to the island .

These limitations contrast sharply with Washington’s rhetoric about its supposed support for Cuban private entrepreneurs . In practice, difficulties accessing financial services and conducting international transactions can hinder small businesses’ ability to import raw materials, maintain operations, and expand their activities.

American economist and professor Joy Gordon has questioned the scope of these sanctions and their effects on essential sectors of Cuban society. Her research shows that these pressure tactics “indiscriminately strangle civil society and the most progressive sectors of the island.”

The well-being of the population as a priority

The 176 measures open new possibilities for the growth of private companies , partnerships with foreign capital, and participation in foreign trade. But their success will not depend solely on the number of companies authorized or the volume of investment announced .

The challenge will be to translate legal and financial opportunities into more food, goods and services produced in the country; new jobs; better wages; greater export capacity and an effective contribution to local development .

As the Cuban economic debate suggests, the transformation must be understood as a system in which people are paramount . Success will be measured by how much these changes contribute to improving the lives of Cubans, while preserving Cuba’s capacity to determine its own course on the path to socialism.

Author: Alejandra García

Source: TeleSUR

Havana, Oct 8 (Prensa Latina) Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez today questioned the authority of the United States government to decide what actions are legal under international law and free trade rules.

• October 8, 2026

In a message posted on the social network X, the foreign minister stated that Washington’s measures are not only directed against Cuba, but also against the rest of the international community.

Rodríguez argued that those who consider these provisions legal become “complicit in the collective punishment” to which, he claimed, the United States subjects the Cuban people.

“The U.S. government has no authority to decide who can and cannot trade fuel or any other product with Cuba, invest in our country, or help our people,” he wrote.

The Foreign Minister pointed out that Washington also has no right to impose a naval blockade or an energy embargo.

The actions questioned included the detention and inspection of vessels on the high seas, as well as the bombing and extrajudicial execution of people who “sail suspiciously” in international waters.

Rodríguez also rejected the usurpation of resources and sovereign territories of other peoples, among the actions he attributed to the US government.

“Cuba has the truth, reason, and International Law on its side,” the foreign minister stated.

In contrast, he argued that the United States government “is not protected by even its biggest lies and mendacious pretexts.”

ocs/tfp

Havana, Oct 7 (Prensa Latina) Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel insisted today on the importance of promoting citizen participation and popular control to confront the current situation in the country.

• October 7, 2026

The president also stressed the urgency of streamlining the work and eliminating bureaucratic procedures in order to promptly resolve the problems of the population that can be addressed within the community itself.

Speaking on the program “Shared Criterion” on Radio Rebelde, the head of state emphasized that this space for exchange allows for building a collective agenda, as well as understanding and monitoring the main concerns and problems of the population.

He explained that, following the broadcast of the first program two weeks ago, multidisciplinary teams are working to find solutions to the situations raised by the 23 people who made calls. Of those, five have not yet been located, 16 have been visited, and two are awaiting a visit.

Díaz-Canel explained that, thanks to popular participation, several key issues have been identified to address in upcoming broadcasts, including basic services—including water and electricity—, economic justice, citizen participation, social equity, food production, and the defense of national sovereignty.

The president recalled that this week evokes particularly deep feelings, as the day before he held a meeting with relatives of the victims of the Barbados crime and of state terrorism in general.

He also described as outrageous the stance of successive US administrations, which seek to label Cuba as terrorist, when the Caribbean nation has been the target of countless aggressions.

He also referred to the 59th anniversary of the death of the Heroic Guerrilla, Ernesto Che Guevara, which occurred on October 8, 1967, and to the commemoration of the beginning of the struggles for the independence of Cuba.

mem/mpp

October 1, 2026 — Belly of the Beast

Rarely a week passes without Washington imposing new sanctions on Cuba. Most have targeted Cuban state-run companies and government officials.

But this week, the Trump administration set its sights on U.S. citizens.

The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued new restrictions Wednesday on travel to Cuba. They include making it illegal for U.S. citizens to attend professional meetings or conferences in Cuba; restricting the ability of students to travel to the island for educational programs; and eliminating group people-to-people travel, which allowed U.S. citizens to visit Cuba on organized trips.

The new restrictions take aim in part at solidarity activists in the United States who travel to Cuba to engage directly with people on the island and bear witness to the devastating impact of U.S. sanctions. The measures come two months after the State Department published a 100-page McCarthyite manifesto accusing Cuba of “grafting itself onto every new enemy of the United States” and influencing virtually every major U.S. progressive movement over the past 65 years.

But the travel restrictions won’t just impact activists who are already critical of U.S. policy. They will also make it harder for U.S. citizens who don’t know Cuba to visit the country, learn about it firsthand and form their own views. The conspiratorial fiction about Cuba posing a threat to the United States that is being peddled by Secretary of State Marco Rubio is harder to sustain when people travel to Cuba and see the country for themselves, encountering a reality that bears little resemblance to the one portrayed by the U.S. government and corporate media outlets.

“The more U.S. citizens see Cuba with their own eyes, the more obvious it becomes that U.S. policy toward Cuba needs to change,” said Belly of the Beast journalist Daniel Montero in a video we released four years ago. “I’ve worked as a tour guide for hundreds of U.S. citizens. I have yet to meet one who supports the economic war the United States is waging against my country.”

Brussels, September 30 (Prensa Latina) The European Parliament (EP) became the center of denunciations of the United States blockade against Cuba today, with Dr. Aleida Guevara as one of the main speakers.

• September 30, 2026 | 3:35 PM

During the first of two days of debate on the American blockade, Dr. Guevara explained the deterioration of the situation in Cuba as a consequence of the illegal isolation imposed by the United States and the refusal of Europe to act against the blockade.

With fuel shortages, the Cuban people are currently going through a serious economic crisis as a result of the policies of President Donald Trump and Marco Rubio’s ideological project to crush the Cuban Revolution model, they indicated at the event.

Those attending the debate also heard experts explain that Europe was also directly affected by the blockade, due to US sanctions and fines against its institutions to punish trade links with Cuban entities.

While moderating the event, MEP Marc Botenga (PTB/PVDA, Belgium) stated that the United States wants to bring down Cuba because of the example the island represents.

“The example of a dignified people who want to build their own future and refuse to submit. Cuba has given to the world; now the world must reciprocate by showing its solidarity with her,” he stressed.

Furthermore, MEP Giorgos Georgiou (AKEL, Cyprus) added that this latest escalation is the latest chapter in the 65-year blockade imposed by the United States, which ignores multiple UN resolutions supported by the vast majority of countries. Washington’s objective is crystal clear: they want to strangle the energy of the country and the Cuban people, Georgiou stated.

In the face of these threats, we need the Member States of the European Union (EU) to support the right of the Cuban people to develop, without foreign military or economic intervention.

Left-wing MEP Ilaria Salis (AVS, Italy) stated that the EU has officially opposed the imposition of extraterritorial sanctions and restrictions against Cuba.

But, he opined, this opposition does not translate into concrete actions against the US blockade, which also has consequences for Europe, which has the political responsibility to address this issue, he stressed.

At the end of the first part of the conference, Dr. Guevara, daughter of the legendary Ernesto “Che” Guevara, recited The White Rose, by Cuban national hero José Martí, and closed with the phrase: “No one has the right to tell the Cuban people how to live.”

cat

Managua, September 29 (Prensa Latina) Nicaragua’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Jaime Hermida, highlighted today the struggle of the Cuban people against the United States blockade and stressed the need for a comprehensive reform of the multilateral organization.

• September 29, 2026 | 10:19 PM

Speaking to the program “Revista en Vivo” on Channel 4 television, the diplomat noted that the UN General Assembly has approved 28 resolutions calling for an end to this US policy against Cuba, but so far it has not been lifted.

Hermida considered that these votes reflect broad international support for the Cuban claim and affirmed that the continuation of the diplomatic struggle strengthens the legitimacy of Havana’s demand.

“The case of our brotherly Cuban people has been a constant source of condemnation, demanding an end to this unjust and criminal blockade against this fighting people,” the Nicaraguan representative said.

The ambassador argued that, despite the support achieved by the resolutions, there are institutional limitations to guarantee their compliance, due to the operating mechanisms of the United Nations and the role played by the Security Council.

He explained that the General Assembly can approve resolutions by large majorities, but noted that the possibilities of implementing those decisions are conditioned by the powers of other bodies in the multilateral system.

In this regard, he recalled that the Security Council is the main body responsible for adopting binding decisions on international peace and security, and mentioned the veto power of its five permanent members as one of the elements that affect the functioning of the organization.

Hermida considered that the structure of the United Nations must adapt to the transformations experienced by the world during the last eight decades, because, in his opinion, the new realities require timely responses to the problems that affect the development of peoples.

“We must continue this struggle, because that also gives the Cuban people moral authority regarding the justice of their claim,” he stated.

In that context, he advocated a profound transformation of the organization, one that is not limited to introducing partial adjustments, but that comprehensively encompasses its structures and operating mechanisms.

The economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States government against Cuba has lasted for more than six decades and is considered by the island’s authorities as the main obstacle to the country’s development.

This unilateral measure has intensified in recent months with an oil blockade and other sanctions that seek to subdue the Cuban people through hunger and need.

mar/ybv