Belgian-born crypto billionaire Olivier Janssens is planning to establish a libertarian community with its own legal system in Saint Kitts and Nevis, the Financial Times and Belga reported this week.
Janssens, who holds Belgian and Nevisian citizenship, obtained the citizenship of the Caribbean island nation through an investment programme.
Through his company, South Nevis, he is now purchasing land on the island of Nevis for a project named "Destiny".
According to the Nevis government, the plan involves investments totalling several billion dollars on the south coast of the 93-square-kilometre island, which has a population of 13,200.
It is the first large-scale development project under a law passed in Saint Kitts and Nevis last summer.
Destiny will include villas, hospitals, green spaces and swimming pools. The US architecture and engineering firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, known for projects such as the Burj Khalifa, is the designer.
A video shows how the Janssens views for a "libertarian" community Saint Kitts and Nevis.
Anarchy or liberty
According to VRT, he wants to establish his own state modelled on Dubai or Monaco, with "maximum freedom" and "self-determination" as cornerstones. On social media, he rallies against traditional media and expresses sympathy for Elon Musk and the Trump administration.
Janssens is currently negotiating with the government regarding the project. If it goes ahead, he has promised to invest 50 million dollars in Nevisian infrastructure.
Janssens also wants to introduce his own legal system, a move that has caused concern among some local residents. The new law states that developers of large projects can set up their own "dispute resolution services and mechanisms".
At the end of November, Janssens gave a presentation to residents via video links to counter local concerns. "The land we're going to use was mostly unprocessed. I feel part of Nevis and want to improve the country and the surrounding area with my project," he says.
Still from video with Oliver Janssens and concerned locals
However, one online user commented on the video: "When Olivier Janssens releases a video of him singing the National Anthem of St. Kitts and Nevis and writes a paper on the impact of sugar and slavery on St. Kitts and Nevis, then I would maybe consider him to be kinda Nevisian."
According to the Financial Times, he criticised the Nevis court system for being inefficient. "And if we're just going to copy that, it's not attractive to people to come," he said.
The Belgian-born billionaire also said that he does not trust politicians and referred to Nevis as a "host nation" for his libertarian community.
On social media, he has come out against traditional media and expresses sympathy for Elon Musk and the Trump administration.
Notably, the real estate agent assisting Janssens with his land purchases is Sharon Brantley, wife of Nevis's prime minister, Mark Brantley.
