caribbean business
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Jamaica’s unemployment rate plummets to 6%: CARICOM BUSINESS
The unemployment rate for April 2022 decreased to 6.0%, 3.0 percentage points lower than in the same quarter of 2021. The male unemployment rate fell to 4.7% from 7.5%, while the unemployment rate for females declined to 7.6% from 10.8%. The unemployment rate for youth aged 14-24 was 15.5% in April 2022, which represents an 8.6 percentage point decline when…
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Bahamas collects $931 million in revenue in 11 months: CARICOM BUSINESS
The Department of Inland Revenue (DIR) in the Bahamas has collected $930.57 million in taxes from July 1, 2021 to end of May, exceeding current FYprojections by $100 million. According to Acting Comptroller of the Department of Inland Revenue Shunda Strachan $136 million came from real property taxes, $712 million was collected in value-added tax (VAT) – of which $220…
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Jamaica records growth of 8.1% in FY 2021/22: CARICOM BUSINESS
Jamaica has recorded growth of 8.1% for Fiscal Year 2021/22 well within the range of 7.0% to 9.0% previously projected. According to the Planning Institute of Jamaica, the growth was supported by improved performances in all industries, except Mining & Quarrying which contracted by an estimated 39.8%, due mainly to the closure of the JAMALCO alumina plant. The heavier weighted…
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TCI on track for full tourism recovery: CARICOM BUSINESS
The Turks and Caicos Islands has seen a tremendous increase in visitor arrivals during the first quarter of 2022 and is on track to make a “full recovery”. According to preliminary data released by the Turks and Caicos Islands Tourist Board, 311,913 visitors arrived in the territory during the first quarter of the year. The Tourist Board also reported that…
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New US$500 million Regional conglomerate on the horizon: CARICOM BUSINESS
Seprod Limited is moving to acquire a 100 year-old Trinidad & Tobago company, A.S. Bryden & Sons Holdings, “to create the leading integrated manufacturing and distribution group in the Caribbean,” the companies said In a joint announcement. Their combined revenues is estimated at US$500 million. Together, Jamaica-based Seprod and A.S. Bryden, with a team of close to 3,000 employees, will…
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Jamaica begins its transition from SWIFT system: CARICOM BUSINESS
The Bank of Jamaica has given financial institutions 4 years to adapt as it co-ordinates Jamaica’s migration from the Swift Message Type (MT) standard to the ISO 20022 – ‘Universal Financial Industry Message Scheme’ format by end 2025. This in a bid to enhance end-to-end efficiency for payments. Adoption of the ISO 20022 standard should improve payment processing efficiency and…
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Jamaica grows by 6.7% in 4th quarter of 2021: CARICOM BUSINESS
The Jamaican economy grew by 6.7% during the 4th quarter of 2021 when compared to the fourth quarter of 2020. This was due to increases in both the Services Industries and the Goods Producing Industries of 9.0% and 0.5% respectively. Within the Goods Producing Industries, there were higher output levels for Agriculture, Forestry & Fishing of 13.8% and the Construction…
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Antigua/Barbuda’s aggressive fiscal consolidation fosters 4.8% growth: CARICOM BUSINESS
The economy of Antigua and Barbuda recorded growth of at 4.8% for 2021, following a sharp contraction of 20.2% in 2020. That’s the word of the IMF at the conclusion of the recent Article IV Consultations. A sustained recovery in tourism and construction activity is expected to underpin real output growth of 7% in 2022. Fiscal consolidation resumed in 2021…
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Bahamas largely compliant with AML/CFT requirements: CARICOM BUSINESS
The Bahamas is now compliant with 38 out of 40 Financial Action Task Force (FATF) recommendations to strengthen its AML/CFT framework, with the Caribbean arm of the regulatory body, noting that this jurisdiction is now “compliant” with 18 recommendations and “largely compliant” on 20 of them. The recently released 4th Enhanced Follow Up Report and Technical Compliance Re-Rating, noted the…
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IMF predicts growth of 5.7% for T&T in 2022: CARICOM BUSINESS
Anticipating recovery in oil and gas production, the IMF is projecting growth for Trinidad and Tobago of 5.7% and headline inflation of 2.4% in 2022. These projections reflect the findings of the recently concluded Article IV consultations, which projected a decline in real GDP of 1% for 2021, however the inflation rate of 2.2% as at July 2021 remains a…
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