General profile Digital profile

Bahamas

Digital snapshot – key policies and laws

In early 2025, internet penetration reached 94.8% and mobile broadband coverage stood at 99% of the population, placing the country among the more connected states in Latin America and the Caribbean. This access base supports MyGateway, the government’s central e-services portal, backed by a US$30 million digital transformation programme that aims to place 200 government services online, strengthen cybersecurity, develop a national ICT strategy, and increase ICT use across the public service.

Bahamas’ digital passport

The Bahamas is moving toward a more integrated digital state, where national digital ID, AI rules and connected public services would work as one system rather than separate reforms. The government has announced a National AI Committee to draft the country’s first AI legislation, with the future law expected to create a permanent Artificial Intelligence Authority for oversight and safeguards. At the same time, a new national ID card is being presented as a trusted credential for accessing services, signing documents and receiving benefits, while the government also plans to connect public-sector databases. The reform could reduce red tape and make services easier to reach, especially for citizens and businesses dealing with multiple agencies across an island state. Its significance also lies in what it demands: reliable identity systems, interoperable databases, accessible digital services, and clear rules for how automated tools are used. The Data Protection Act, 2025 provides the trust layer for this shift, with provisions on personal data processing, biometric data, automated processing, complaints and oversight.

Connectivity policy is led through the Electronic Communications Sector Policy 2024–2027, which guides URCA’s regulation of the sector under the Communications Act and sets priorities for a more inclusive and resilient ICT ecosystem. The country also has a dedicated Roadmap to Enable 5G Deployment, issued after consultation in January 2025, and a 2026 regulatory framework for satellite-based electronic communications services, an important layer for remote islands, maritime connectivity and disaster resilience.

The Bahamas launched a National Cybersecurity Strategy in December 2024 to protect digital infrastructure and improve coordination against online threats, with the national CIRT playing a central role in incident response. Privacy governance is also being modernised: the Data Protection Act, 2025, strengthens rules on personal data processing, the independence and functions of the Data Protection Commissioner, complaints, oversight and accountability, and will replace the older 2003 framework once fully commenced.

The Electronic Communications and Transactions Act, 2003 gives legal recognition to electronic records, contracts and signatures, while the Sand Dollar remains one of the world’s earliest live retail central bank digital currencies, introduced as part of a Bahamian payments-system modernisation initiative. After the FTX shock, the Digital Assets and Registered Exchanges Act, 2024 updated the country’s digital-asset framework, aiming to preserve financial innovation while tightening supervision of exchanges, custody, token offerings and related services.

Its international and domestic connectivity relies on several submarine cable systems serving the country, including the Bahamas Domestic Submarine Network, which links islands and supports national resilience across an archipelago. The country’s submarine cable footprint makes connectivity not only an international gateway issue, but also a domestic backbone question for inter-island services and continuity.

Cloud and emerging technologies are developing around local hosting, disaster recovery, digital finance, cybersecurity and public-sector digitisation rather than a large hyperscale market. The country has not published a standalone national cloud strategy, but demand is growing through e-services, financial services, secure data handling and business continuity. AI governance is still in its early stages: the government announced a National AI Committee in June 2026 to draft the country’s first AI legislation and establish a permanent Artificial Intelligence Authority, signalling that future digital policy will increasingly link innovation with safeguards.

Bahamas’ Permanent Mission to the UN in Geneva:

The Permanent Mission of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas to the UN Office and other International Organizations in Geneva represents The Bahamas in Geneva-based multilateral diplomacy. The Mission was established in May 2013 and is based at 23 Avenue de France, 1202 Geneva; the current Permanent Representative listed by the Mission is H.E. Patricia Ann Hermanns.

Official UNOG website: https://www.ungeneva.org/en/blue-book/missions/member-states/bahamas

EMBASSY AND PERMANENT MISSION TO THE UN – GENEVA

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