At a glance
| Booth | S7330 |
| Country | UM |
| Website | www.developcnmi.com/global-outreach/selectusa-2025 |
Company profile
The Marianas, USA is presented by the Commonwealth Economic Development Authority as a U.S. investment gateway in the Asia-Pacific, positioned within hours of major regional markets and intended to support U.S.-oriented investment interests. The investment proposition combines a strategic U.S. location near Asian markets with digitally connected infrastructure, available public lands, and the ability to use Made in the USA branding for qualifying operations. The Marianas is presented as a location for semiconductor manufacturing, logistics, and research-and-development expansion, connecting proximity to Asian markets with a U.S. jurisdictional setting. Investment incentives described for qualifying businesses include tax abatement of up to 100% for up to 25 years, an income-tax rebate of up to 90%, and no property or sales taxes; the Qualifying Certificate description also states tax abatement or rebate up to 100% for up to 25 years. The region supports CW, H1-B, and E2 visa programs and is described as exempt from the Jones Act, adding labor-mobility and shipping-related conditions to the investment framework. The Commonwealth Economic Development Authority, or CEDA, is a semi-autonomous agency of the Government of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and traces its institutional history to the Commonwealth Development Authority established in 1985. CEDA states that since its 1985 establishment it has served as a developmental financial institution, including financial assistance for investors with needs that could not be met through commercial banking. Its current statutory mandate includes proactively pursuing industries and investments that strengthen the CNMI economy, and its mission is to provide financial and technical assistance that facilitates the start-up or expansion of private and public enterprises. The agency was renamed from the Commonwealth Development Authority to the Commonwealth Economic Development Authority under the CEDA Act of 2021, which also authorized a more proactive investment-promotion role for economic diversification. CEDA states that it will act as a partner for investors establishing an investment in The Marianas, connecting promotion of the jurisdiction with financing, technical assistance, and investment-program administration.
Exhibits
CEDA's Development Banking Division generally handles government and public-sector activities and serves as financial adviser and coordinator for public borrowing by CNMI departments, autonomous public agencies, municipalities, and public corporations through bond and bank financing. The Development Corporation Division generally handles private-sector activities and provides direct financing through a Micro Loan Program of $25,000 and below, a Direct Loan Program of up to $450,000, and the bank-driven State Small Business Credit Initiative. CEDA was designated by the CNMI Department of Commerce as the implementing agency for the State Small Business Credit Initiative in 2012, linking its development-finance role with a bank-driven small-business credit program. The agency also administers and facilitates the Qualifying Certificate Program established in 2020 and the Opportunity Zone Program established in 2018 as investment initiatives for qualifying businesses and investors. Under the Qualifying Certificate Program, businesses meeting program requirements can receive specified CNMI tax incentives in return for investment in the Commonwealth. Under the Opportunity Zone Program, investors can defer tax on prior gains when those gains are reinvested in a Qualified Opportunity Fund used for investment in Qualified Opportunity zones. For investors evaluating semiconductor manufacturing, logistics, or R&D expansion, CEDA combines these financing and incentive programs with technical assistance and its role as a partner in establishing an investment in The Marianas. The stated investment framework also includes no sales taxes, a Qualifying Certificate that can provide tax abatement or rebate up to 100% for up to 25 years, and the broader location advantages described for U.S.-based operations near Asian markets.
Capabilities and products
- investment-establishment assistance
- direct financing for private-sector activities
- financial and technical assistance for enterprise start-up and expansion