Tourism Finance: Dominican tourism-linked tax take tripled in a decade, climbing from about RD$15B to over RD$45B in 2025, with the sector’s total contribution reaching 15.9% of GDP and RD$220B in 2025 purchases across commerce, manufacturing, construction and transport. Business Growth: The Santo Domingo Chamber of Commerce says 18,000 new companies were created in the first half of 2026, alongside export momentum (US$9.267B in the first seven months, +12%). Tech Skills for Industry: Amazon Web Services and the Dominican government launched AWS Entrena República Dominicana with 50,000 free scholarships to train Dominicans in AI and cloud computing by 2028. Ports & Logistics: President Abinader used REPICA 2026 to stress port modernization as a growth engine, citing new and expanded projects and logistics upgrades. Consumer Protection: Pro Consumidor marked its 18th anniversary, reporting RD$3.5B+ returned to consumers over the past five years. Trade & Tariffs: Abinader said the DR is pushing for fair, reciprocal U.S. tariff treatment to protect DR-CAFTA zero-tariff access for free zones, manufacturing and agriculture. Security & Borders: The smart DR–Haiti border fence now tops 61 km, with a new 14.5 km phase underway in Jimaní. Illegal Goods Crackdown: MICM/Ceccom seized 30,000+ illicit items from Chinese-owned businesses, including unregistered medicines and products lacking required labeling. Agriculture Modernization: Banreservas and FAO backed a RD$1.18B financing program to modernize Dominican agriculture.