The Governor of the Central Bank of the Dominican Republic (BCRD), Héctor Valdez Albizu, held a meeting with Celinés Toribio, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MIREX), and Director of the Institute of Dominicans and Dominicans Abroad (INDEX), in which the official presented the Governor with the report “Dominicans Abroad 2024”, a revealing document for its data and analysis on the state and characteristics of the Dominican diaspora that is spread across many countries around the world.
Valdez Albizu highlighted upon receiving the document “the enormous importance that the supportive, investor, and entrepreneurial response of Dominicans who decided to leave in search of new horizons represents for our nation, and who indelibly preserve the mark of the Dominican Republic in their hearts, while serving as support for so many families they left behind, which is a true reason for pride.”
The governor pointed out that “in the first half of 2025, remittances received reached a figure of US$5,826.7 million, increasing 11.2% compared to the same period of the previous year. These resources sent by the Dominican diaspora abroad are important for development, as they generate a multiplier effect on consumption, investment, and the financing of the most vulnerable sectors of the country.”
Valdez Albizu also highlighted that “the Dominican stamp that is printed in other countries is that of the worker, the entrepreneur, the fighter, the preserver of family values, of our traditions, in addition to excelling in sports and artistic facets. Today our identity transcends borders, which contributes to making this country an ideal destination for vacations and investments.”
For her part, Vice Minister Celinés Toribio explained to the governor that “the document is an ideal tool to help establish policies that delve into the diaspora, its location, its activities, contributions and effects on the country where they live, as well as repercussions in the Dominican Republic.”
Likewise, he indicated that, among other data, “the report can be consulted for the registry of Dominicans by city and state, the United Nations census and other statistical and social data.”
Toribio told the governor that, “among the INDEX projects, there is the elaboration of a return guide, the creation of a podcast about successful Dominicans, the organization of a diaspora congress and the elaboration of a real estate guide, among other initiatives.”
Valdez Albizu informed him that “analyzing the recent behavior of the external sector, the BCRD’s outlook contemplates a favorable evolution of foreign exchange income during 2025, highlighting income from the tourism sector, foreign direct investment, and exports, along with remittances. Regarding remittances and foreign direct investment (FDI) flows, it is estimated that, by the end of the year, they will be around US$11,300 million and US$4,700 million, respectively.”
More Read
In that vein, the governor expressed interest in “collaboration to explore solutions that make visible facilities for Dominicans who wish to return to their homeland.” Both agreed on the importance of educating and informing the diaspora about the benefits of investments in the Dominican Republic.
The document can be consulted at the link: https://index.gob.do/informe-del-registro-sociodemografico-de-los-dominicanos-en-el-exterior-2024/
The Deputy Minister was accompanied by José Miguel Zabala, Director of Linkage and Co-development; Lidia Mejía, Office Coordinator; and Henry Herrera, Foreign Policy Analyst.
Alongside the governor were the lieutenant governor, Clarissa de la Rocha de Torres; the International sub-manager, Brenda Villanueva; and the director of Communications, Jonathan Abreu.
