The Caribbean Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (CARAIFA) is an umbrella organization of regional Life Underwriting associations whose members are engaged primarily in the sale of the products of Life Insurance and Financial Services companies. The name of the Association was changed in July 2000 from the Caribbean Association of Life Underwriters (CALU) to CARAIFA.

Member Territories include Antigua & Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, St. Lucia, St. Vincent & The Grenadines, Trinidad & Tobago and our associate member territories are Guyana, St. Kitts and St. Maarten.

CARAIFA's Mission/Purpose is to stimulate the educational and professional development of the Life Underwriter /Financial Advisor and foster a spirit of co-operation, togetherness and unity among the territories of the region while ensuring the upholding of high ethical industry standards.

Educational and Professional Development CARAIFA is continually exploring new avenues and programmes to improve the educational standing and level of the life underwriter/financial advisors throughout the region. To this end, we offer educational courses as well as Caribbean Insurance Industry Awards.

Throughout the years CARAIFA has been adjusting, and upgrading its education programme. At this time, the following programmes are being offered by CARAIFA:

  • The Financial Services Certified Professional (FSCP), a designation programme
  • The Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU), a designation programme

CARAIFA is in the process of bringing on stream new courses and programmes to further develop its members.

CARAIFA has also established three industry production awards. These are the CARAIFA Activity Award - in which the emphasis is on activity that is cases settled, the CARAIFA Quality Award - in which the emphasis is on good quality business, and the CARAIFA President's Award in which emphasis is placed on premium income. You can visit our website to download the application form.

CARAIFA is also in the process of recognizing top sales agents from its member associations on its website.

CARAIFA's Social Arm - CARAIFA Foundation

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Every year CARAIFA focuses on a health condition where we highlight the importance of health awareness and prevention, in the past, we focused on diabetes and hypertension. On October 31st of each year, our membership throughout the region joins its efforts with other health groups to high light a health condition, seeking to educate the public at large. We call this day "The Day of Common Concern" and in 2003 CARAIFA started to devote resources to creating a CARAIFA Foundation. The focus of the Foundation is on kidney complications, as we believe that more needs to be known about this disease as figures are showing an increasing number of deaths from kidney complications in our region. Many territories do not have the capacity to treat kidney failure and many of our friends, relatives and clients have to watch helplessly as their relatives slowly and painfully die from kidney complications. Among the most common persons who fall victim to kidney failures, according to medical sources, are those suffering from diabetes, hypertension and/or heart ailments.

As the first step in CARAIFA's long-term plan in aiding in the fight against kidney disease in the Caribbean, CARAIFA launched its kidney awareness website on October 31st, 2003 in Barbados. Today, Information on the Foundation and kidney disease can be viewed here. The website disseminates information re prevention and early detection of kidney disease. The site also provides valuable information about treatment. It is our ultimate intention to have a facility on this site where kidney donors and patients may be located.

CARAIFA Sales Congresses

CARAIFA hosts an annual conference of the Life Underwriters/Financial Advisors throughout the region in May each year. Sales Congresses have been held in Barbados, Bahamas, Belize, Curacao, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, St. Lucia, Antigua and Trinidad & Tobago.These congresses feature motivational and inspiring speakers from our region and internationally.