Front Company Set Up by Cuban Military to Receive Remittances fm U.S. Exposed

The Cuban government established a supposedly civilian company to process remittances from the United States after the Trump administration sanctioned Fincimex, a military-controlled company, in 2020. Fincimex had been handling remittance transactions.

The new company, Orbit S.A., was presented by the Cuban government as an independent civilian entity registered under the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Investment. However, an investigation by the Miami Herald revealed that the company operates as an extension of Cimex, another key enterprise under GAESA, the powerful military conglomerate that controls much of Cuba’s economy.

The U.S. sanctions on Fincimex aim to prevent remittance funds sent by Cuban expatriates from benefiting the Cuban military, citing human rights violations and support for Nicolás Maduro’s regime in Venezuela.

The U.S. Treasury Department authorized agreements between remittance companies like Western Union and Orbit on the condition that the Cuban company had no military ties. However, internal Cimex documents reviewed by the Herald showed that Cimex oversees Orbit’s operations, analyzes its performance, and prepares reports on money transfers conducted through Western Union and Miami-based agencies such as VaCuba and Cubamax.