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I’m in Santo Domingo this week, and over the past few days I’ve been in rooms I honestly never imagined I’d be sitting in.

Invite-only gatherings with business leaders, investors, and policymakers who spend their time thinking about the next decade of the Dominican Republic.

What’s been interesting isn’t just hearing their perspectives.

It’s the humbling realization that in some of these rooms now… people know me from my content!!

Which means I get pulled into conversations. Lunches. One-to-one chats. Side discussions after events.

And after a number of these meetings over the last few days, several themes kept coming up again and again.

Before I share them, I should say something important.

The true deep dives on these topics with additional info I just CANNOT share publicly are available in the DR Inner Circle.

Inside the community we regularly break down:

• what these macro developments actually mean for investing in the DR
• how they influence my own investment thinking
• the opportunities people are watching closely
• and we do live Q&A where members can go deeper on these topics

Members also help shape the questions I bring into meetings like the ones I’m having this week, which makes the conversations even more valuable.

But here are the five biggest takeaways I’ve been hearing this week in Santo Domingo.

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1. The Dominican Republic Is In Its Moment

Every country has moments where several things align at the same time.

Politics.
Economics.
Global demand.
Leadership.

Right now, the Dominican Republic appears to be in one of those moments.

You can see it in the wave of investments happening across the country:

• global tech infrastructure projects
• logistics expansion
• tourism growth
• manufacturing reshoring
• energy development

Companies like Google, Nvidia, and DP World are not making decisions based on hype.

Large global companies plan 10 to 20 years ahead.

And increasingly, those plans include the Dominican Republic.

This isn’t accidental.

It’s the result of years of political stability, economic growth, and pro-business policy.

2. Dominican Republic Relations Have Become a Strategic Asset for the United States

One of the most interesting insights this week came from a conversation about geopolitics.

The U.S. Ambassador to the Dominican Republic put it very clearly to me.

She said there are three countries in the region that matter most to the United States in terms of strong strategic relationships:

• Mexico — because of the border
• Panama — because of the canal
• The Dominican Republic — because of its location and stability

Think about that.

In a region where several governments have moved closer to China — including Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua, and where Colombia has become less predictable politically — the Dominican Republic has remained:

• democratic
• economically stable
• pro-business
• aligned with the United States

That combination makes the country extremely valuable geopolitically.

Which is why you're seeing increasing cooperation around:

• logistics
• defense relationships
• technology infrastructure
• energy systems

This isn’t random investment.

It’s strategic alignment.

3. Corruption Is Still the Country’s Biggest Black Eye

One thing I appreciated about these conversations is that nobody pretends corruption doesn’t exist.

Progress has absolutely been made.

But it remains the biggest credibility issue the country faces.

The current SENASA scandal, which some estimate could involve up to 500 billion pesos in misused funds by elites tied to the program, is a perfect example.

When stories like this emerge, they reinforce a belief many Dominicans already hold:

That economic progress mostly benefits political elites and insiders.

And to be clear, that perception matters.

Because for the Dominican Republic to keep attracting serious foreign investment, institutional trust has to continue improving.

This remains one of the biggest challenges ahead.

4. They Say ‘Something Feels Different’

At the same time, another story I heard this week stuck with me.

One business leader told me something interesting about Punta Cana.

Years ago, many businesses there only needed bike parking for employees.

Now they’re expanding parking lots.

Because their employees own cars.

That might seem like a small thing.

But it says a lot.

It reflects something many people are starting to notice:

Many Dominican incomes are actually rising.

And behind the scenes, a lot of less-visible investments are happening that will shape the next decade.

For example:

• large water treatment infrastructure from Boca Chica through Punta Cana
• major investments in waste management systems
• private trusts being created to manage long-term infrastructure

These aren’t flashy headline projects.

But they are the kinds of investments that change a country structurally over time.

None of this will be perfect.

Infrastructure will break while other infrastructure is still being built.

There will be mistakes.

There will be setbacks.

But if you look at the progress in Santo Domingo, Santiago, and Punta Cana over the past five years, it may be a preview of what the next ten could look like.

5. The Big Prize Everyone Is Chasing

In almost every conversation I had this week, one objective kept coming up.

Investment-grade credit.

Right now, the Dominican Republic sits just below that threshold.

But the government has publicly set a goal of reaching investment-grade status by 2028.

To most Dominicans, that doesn’t mean much.

But in the business and political world, it’s the flashing neon KPI everyone is watching.

Because when a country reaches investment-grade credit, something major changes.

Large institutional investors — pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, global banks — suddenly can invest far more heavily in that country.

That means:

• cheaper borrowing for the government
• more international capital flowing in
• easier financing for companies
• more startups and business growth

But there’s a catch.

Getting there requires reforms.

That includes things like:

• stronger anti-corruption enforcement
• reducing tax evasion
• fiscal reform
• better institutional oversight

And those changes aren’t always popular.

For many Dominicans, it may feel like more oversight or more taxes.

Which is why investment-grade credit is such an interesting goal.

It’s incredibly important for the country’s long-term future.

But it’s also something most people won’t fully appreciate until after it happens.

Final Thought

One thing became clear to me after these conversations.

The Dominican Republic’s progress won’t be perfect.

There will be mistakes.

There will be setbacks.

And there will always be voices saying:

“Same old story. Same politicians. Same corruption.”

But when you look at the combination of:

• geopolitical positioning
• economic growth
• infrastructure investment
• alignment with the United States
• and the pursuit of investment-grade credit

…it’s hard to ignore the possibility that the Dominican Republic may be entering a very important 10-year run.

And if that’s true, the next decade here could look very different from the last one.

If you enjoy these kinds of insights, this is exactly the type of conversation we have every week inside the DR Inner Circle.

Inside the community we go deeper into topics like:

• what these macro developments mean for investing in the DR
• how they influence my own investment strategy
• real estate and business opportunities people are watching
• and members regularly join live Q&A sessions where we unpack these topics together.

Members also help shape the questions I bring into meetings like the ones I’ve been having this week.

If that sounds interesting, you can learn more here:

👉 Join the DR Inner Circle