A Private Proposal for Cuba’s Energy and Food Crisis, March 23, 2026
Includes a Review by the Gemini Team
A Personal Connection to the Island
My thoughts today are of Cuba—a country my wife and I were fortunate to call home for many months between 2014 and 2016. We renovated a condo apartment that had stood locked and untouched for nineteen years: a beautiful two-bedroom unit in Havana’s Vedado neighbourhood, overlooking the Nacional Hotel, the American Embassy, and the famous Malecón from a glass-enclosed balcony on the eighth floor, nestled between Linea, Calle L, and Calle 15.
During those years, my wife and I cultivated deep friendships—with residents on the island and with members of the Cuban diaspora. My engagement with Cuba has extended well beyond the personal. I have met with Cuban government officials in Toronto, Ottawa, Nassau, and Havana. I am apolitical by nature, but I hold strong libertarian convictions rooted in the freedom of individuals from political systems that constrain their rights. It is from that perspective—as a capitalist and an entrepreneur—that I now seek to help the Cuban people in their greatest time of need.
A Crisis That Has Changed Everything
Earlier this year, the Cuban government introduced legislation designed to encourage private real estate development and tourism-enhancing investment. My original business model—centred on funding such development through highly capable Cuban expatriates—was poised to take advantage of that opening. It was, and remains, a model built for sustainable, long-term economic results.
But the landscape has shifted dramatically. The tightening of the American embargo has cut off oil supplies, which has in turn crippled the tourism sector and prevented food from reaching the population. The crisis has grown so dire that Cuban authorities are no longer focused on tourism. Their immediate concerns are energy and food. By all accounts, they are desperate.
The Proposal: A Private Fund for Immediate Relief
Crisis creates opportunity—but it also creates obligation. A good friend, the daughter of a retired Cuban leader, recently advised me to adapt. She suggested I expand my concept beyond real estate development to address the more immediate needs of energy and food security. Following her counsel, my plan is now twofold: to build a funding vehicle capable of attracting hundreds of millions of dollars or euros through worldwide private investment, and to broaden my team’s activities to include commodity trading alongside real estate development.
I am currently investigating how to structure and manage a private fund that can bridge the gap until public agencies—such as the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank—are permitted to act. Those institutions will be positioned to support relief programs once the American embargo is lifted. But private funding is needed now. Because of my wholly independent background in investment banking and my current, on-the-ground knowledge of Cuba, both island residents and expatriates have asked me to assist in this effort. I have already begun reaching out to Cuban authorities for guidance on how best to proceed.
On My Motivations—and My Record
It is important to be direct about my motivations, because my history with Cuba has been misunderstood before. My early engagement with the country came at significant personal cost. Years ago, I failed to anticipate the emotional reactions of Cuban-American clients in South Florida. When my involvement with Cuba became known, they assumed I was acting as an agent of the regime. The assumption was wholly without foundation—but it was costly. I lost millions in assets under management as people withdrew their accounts.
I am not a political activist. I am a capitalist and an entrepreneur. Some readers have called me a “Free Market Patriot,” a label I accept. My interest in social equity stems from a belief in individual freedom—not from ideology. That distinction was once lost on a writer at Barron’s who, in a profile written around 2004 or 2005, misread my pro bono work and labeled me a “socialist.” The same writer called me “eccentric,” which is likely more accurate. A business associate—an architect from Chicago I met at a conference in Havana—later sized me up as “quirky” during meetings aboard my yacht in Toronto. I am what I am.
For the record: I hold deeply conservative views. I was mentored by a man who served as President of the Conservative Party of Ontario, and I sat in the front row at his installation ceremony, between his parents and his wife. I have even been asked to run for the Conservative Party of Canada. Politics has never interested me. What has always driven me is the pursuit of freedom from unnecessary regulation and controls. I am someone who avoids habitual debates and gets things done.
A Call to Anyone Who Can Help
Today, I hope to get something done—something that matters—for the people of Cuba. My proposal is straightforward: a private, independent fund led by Cuban expatriates with deep ties to the island, capable of providing immediate relief in the form of energy and food, while laying the groundwork for long-term economic development through real estate and tourism. I bring no political strings and no institutional baggage—only the ability to organise capital and a genuine desire to help.
I will also be 84 this summer. There is only so much I can do on my own.
If you know anyone who might help—an investor, a commodities trader, a logistics specialist, a diplomat, or simply someone with connections to the people of Cuba—please pass this along. My contact information is available on this website.
Bill Cara is a licensed fiduciary investment manager with over 50 years of global markets experience. He publishes the Weekly Global Market Navigator and related subscriber publications at billcara.ghost.io.