Is Starlink legal or available in Cuba in 2026? No — ETECSA's state monopoly bars it and Cuba criminalizes use. Here is why, plus the OFAC sanctions nuance.
Evergreen guides
Cuba Investor Explainers
Plain-English answers to the questions investors and journalists most often Google about Cuba's sanctions framework — the CACR, Helms-Burton, the Cuban peso (CUP), MLC, the elTOQUE TRMI informal rate, and how to actually do business in Havana under §515.574 "Support for the Cuban People."
An evergreen, plain-English operating manual for foreign investors in Havana: legal structures, approvals, banking, hiring, FX realities, etiquette, and sanctions compliance.
Learn how an empresa mixta (Cuban joint venture) is structured under Ley 118: approvals, shareholding, governance, labor hiring, FX and repatriation, and sanctions compliance.
Learn what Cuba’s Tarea Ordenamiento did in January 2021, how CUP/CUC unification worked, why inflation and shortages surged, and what it means for pricing, payroll and investors.
Learn what MLC (Moneda Libremente Convertible) is in Cuba, how MLC stores and cards work, how it relates to CUP and USD, and why repatriation and sanctions risks matter.
Learn what the Banco Central de Cuba (BCC) is, what it controls, how Cuba’s official exchange rate differs from market pricing, and why it matters for foreign investors.
Understand the Cuba Restricted List, how it interacts with OFAC’s Cuba sanctions rules (including §515.209), and what GAESA, CIMEX, and Gaviota mean for compliance and deals.
Helms-Burton (LIBERTAD) Act Title III lets eligible U.S. claimants sue over “trafficking” in property confiscated by Cuba after 1959. Learn triggers, defenses, and investor due diligence.
A plain-English explainer of OFAC sanctions on Cuba: the CACR (31 CFR 515), what U.S. persons can and can’t do, how general licenses work, key lists, and practical compliance tips.
Why Cuba's grid keeps collapsing — the oil blockade, Sherritt's Energas exit, and the China-backed solar buildout.
How Cuba's economy compares to China's on scale, trade, and debt.
A side-by-side comparison of Cuba and the Dominican Republic for travel and investment.
Comparing the Cuban and Nicaraguan economies as ALBA allies.
GDP, poverty, aid dependence, and human development compared between Cuba and Haiti.
Key economic differences between Cuba and North Korea.
Comparing Cuba and Puerto Rico for travelers weighing both destinations.
Key economic differences between Cuba and Venezuela.
Whether Cuba's economy could follow Vietnam's reform model.
Fact-check: why Marco Rubio cannot become president of Cuba under Cuba's constitution.
Verified facts on Cuba's president — age, career, and why his net worth and salary aren't public.
Cuba's men's beach volleyball program explained — its Olympic indoor-volleyball roots, notable players, and NORCECA/Pan American Games results.
Cuba explained in plain English: geography, government, the 1959 revolution, the economy, the U.S. embargo, and culture.
The Cuban Revolution explained: Batista's 1952 coup, the 1953 Moncada attack, the Sierra Maestra guerrilla campaign, and Castro's 1959 victory.
Cuba's three best-known consumer exports explained: Habanos cigars, Cuba's dual-track coffee economy, and the dishes behind Cuban home cooking.
The best eSIM for Cuba in 2026, verified — GigSky, Nomad, Kolet, Roamless, and more, with ETECSA network facts, pricing, pros, and cons.
The 7 best sanctions screening software for OFAC compliance, ranked — SDN list, Cuba lists, PEP screening, and pricing for banks, fintechs, and SMBs.
The best VPN for Cuba travelers in 2026, ranked — obfuscation, DPI bypass, setup before you land, hotel WiFi, and ETECSA mobile data tips.
How the Cuba embargo shows up in editorial cartoons, documentaries, NYT/BBC/Fox News coverage, and solidarity flotillas.
How the 1960 U.S. sugar quota cut led to the Cuba embargo, Cuba's Soviet sugar-for-oil pivot, and today's historic production lows.
Cuba's official CUP/USD rate vs. the much higher informal 'black market' rate — how the gap works and elTOQUE's TRMI index.
Carnival, Meliá Hotels, American Airlines, and Expedia/Trivago have faced Title III Helms-Burton suits since 2019 — the roster, status, and legal risk.
Every Cuban president in order, from Tomás Estrada Palma in 1902 to Miguel Díaz-Canel today.
Kennedy, Khrushchev, and Castro: who actually led the US, USSR, and Cuba during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.
Why 1950s American cars still run in Cuba: the 1962 U.S. embargo froze new car and parts imports.