Connect with us

Uncategorized

EXCLUSIVE: TCI Financial Services Sector has a NEW Management & Marketing entity; introduction is made by Finance & Investment Minister 

Published

on

By Dana Malcolm 

Staff Writer  

 

 

#TurksandCaicos, March 20, 2023 – It has been designed and assembled out of the spotlight and scrutiny of the public, but it’s mission proposes an appealing result:  the potential for millions in profit for the Turks and Caicos Islands through a new entity with the power to ‘Shape the future’ of the country’s financial services sector.  

That is how it was explained to Magnetic Media in an exclusive where another new engine is created; this one materializing in order to transform the TCIs No. 2 industry.  

The news of the previously unmentioned statutory body, ‘TCI Finance Ltd’ which is already in operation came directly from E Jay Saunders, Deputy Premier and Finance Minister.  

The board of TCI Finance Limited cuts a powerful and experienced figure, made up of top consultants in the financial field. Impressive, but birthed is another concept with woefully little public consultation or acquaintance and likely to face push back despite its touted advantages.  

As an explanation for the low-key entry onto the financial scene of TCI Finance Limited, DP Saunders said results from a 2018 KPMG study birthed the agency; the study was commissioned, and the public consultations run under the Sharlene Robinson-led Government Administration. Those consultations, however, drew largely from the professionals populating the banking industry and not the layperson.  It is likely that not many people, if any, will recall these deliberations making this report the first traceable introduction to the public of TCI Finance Ltd.   

The PNP administration, under the Minister of Finance whose remit it is to market the financial services sector, has dusted off the documents and breathed life into the entity, which has been operational, Saunders says, since February 2022.  

We were virtually introduced and spoke to members of that board to get a handle on exactly what TCI Finance Ltd stands for, what it plans to do, and who will keep it in check and on track.  

“TCI Finance Limited (‘TCIF’) was incorporated in early 2022 to promote and market the Turks and Caicos Islands as a welcoming, supportive, and well-regulated jurisdiction for international financial services,” said David Stewart, a 30-year-old lawyer and Co-Chair of TCI Finance.  

Its mission is built around the findings of a 2018 KPMG report on the Turks and Caicos which opened insight into a floundering financial sector and heralded a most certain flatlining of the industry without life-giving investment and serious promotion. Armed with the 49 recommendations in that report, TCIF’s main purpose at its barest, is to sell TCI as the best place to do financial business, chomping into the market that Cayman and the British Virgin Islands dominate so well.  

And successfully run, it stands to make the country tens of millions.  

It’s a big job, and that ‘welcoming and well-regulated reputation’ will need work to be cultivated as the country remains on the EU tax Blacklist. It’s something that advisor David Lewis is confident his company, Kroll, has under control.  

“Kroll is working closely with the Government and with the Financial Services sector to help TCI meet global standards and the expectations of international bodies and partners, including the OECD and the EU, and to support TCI’s broader objectives for its businesses and citizens,” he told us the following glowing commendations from Deputy Premier Saunders.  

As for the matter of where the money will come from; TCIF is a non-profit partially owned by the Government and the Finance Industry Association (FIA), explained Stewart, who chairs the FIA.  

FIA members include the Bar Association, the Accountancy Association, Bankers, Insurers, Money Transmitters and others involved in TCI financial services. They will provide 25 percent of TCIF financing; the rest will come from taxpayer dollars through the TCIG and to whom the TCIF will have to answer. Saunders told us the budget for TCIF was $1 million. 

Acknowledging the mammoth undertaking for this new entity to rebrand and to sell the Turks and Caicos to finance heavyweights worldwide, Stewart said the work had already begun. So far, the agency has:   

  • commissioned an international consultancy to help identify likely areas for growth  
  • recruited a high profile and senior banker from Europe to head TCIF    

Most importantly they say they will be creating opportunities for wealth building for islanders as well as give them access to the ‘very best international wealth management professionals.’ 

Stewart said the key to success was a strong public launch on which they were already working. The result should be visible on both local and international levels.  

“Our measures of success will be in investors won, and good quality and well-paid professional jobs for residents of TCI created, alongside the creation of a strong, reputable, and attractive brand aligned with and connected to our superb reputation as a luxurious, beautiful place to work, live and play,” he maintained.  

Should this ‘cauldron of innovation, collaboration, and implementation’ prove successful, not only could it increase the country’s revenue to never before seen heights, it could create a new largely untapped sector of growth in which TC Islanders could not only be employed but build generational wealth. 

Saunders says he wants to more than double the financial services revenue from $10.5 million in the 2020/21 financial year to $25 million in the next 6 years.   

Standing along with Stewart to execute this overhaul, is the rest of the board namely: 

  • Chair – E Jay Saunders (in his capacity as Minister of Finance)  
  • Vice-Chair – David Stewart (in his capacity as President of the FIA)  
  • Angela Musgrove (in her capacity as CEO of Invest TCI) 
  •  Athenee Harvey-Basden (in her capacity as PS, Ministry of Finance) 
  • Niguel Streete (in his capacity as CEO, Turks and Caicos Financial Services Commission) 
  • Drexwell Seymour, Certified Public Accountant  
  • Mr Marcus Samuel (in his capacity as Chair of the Bankers association) 
  • Sally-Ann Astwood (appointed by the Hon. Leader of the Opposition) 
  • Ryan Blain (on behalf of the accountancy association) 
  •  Rochelle Musgrove  
  •  Ervine Quelch (corporate development, former NIB board member) 

With the wheels already turning, it will bring new intrigue and possibly raise many questions once there is that formal launch and introduction of the entity.  

Uncategorized

RTCIPF Observes World Down Syndrome Day

Published

on

On March 21st, 2024, the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force joined the international, regional and local communities in observing World Down Syndrome Day. 

Officers showed their support by wearing brightly coloured and mismatched socks to raise awareness. 

The head of the Safeguarding and Public Protection Unit, Assistant Superintendent of Police Grantley Williams, Training Manager Mrs Odessa Forbes and Media Relations Officer Denyse Renne visited the SNAP Centre and interacted with the students.

In a message to the TCI community, the RTCIPF noted that stereotypes perpetuate stigma and hinder inclusion, preventing individuals from reaching their full potential. 

Instead, the RTCIPF calls for individuals to foster an environment of acceptance and support where everyone is valued for who they are. 

By breaking down barriers and challenging misconceptions, we can create a more inclusive society where individuals with Down Syndrome are empowered to live fulfilling lives and contribute meaningfully to their communities and, by extension, the TCI. 

As law enforcement officers, we must protect and serve all members of society, regardless of their abilities. 

Let’s work together to ensure that individuals with Down Syndrome are treated with dignity and respect and that their rights are upheld.

Continue Reading

Uncategorized

CARICOM speaks out on Climate Change, looking to May meeting to amplify call for Climate Funding

Published

on

March 3, 2024

 

The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) remains on the frontlines of global climate crisis, an issue the Region has been aggressively advocating on for the past thirty years. Despite the many commitments and promises of international partners, the window of opportunity to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels is rapidly closing.

Heads of Government are concerned that while COP 28 was widely regarded as a historic event, with the completion of the first global stocktake (GST), on progress in achievement of the Paris Agreement goals, the outcomes of GST show that emissions of greenhouse gases continue to rise and the nationally determined contributions (NDCs) of Parties will not keep global temperatures below the 1.5 degree goal enshrined in the Paris Agreement.

Heads of Government also expressed concern to be heading to COP 29 where a New Finance Goal will be articulated to replace the 100bn goal, which has not yet been met, even as developing countries require trillions to deal with the escalating impacts of climate change. Developed country parties have not provided enough finance at scale, technology and capacity building support required to help developing countries tackle their pressing needs to build their resilience, especially in adapting to the adverse and increasingly catastrophic impacts of climate change. The clear absence of definitive timelines for action and quantitative commitments for scaling up of investments, and particularly adaptation finance emerging out of COP 28, cause great concern to our Region.

The Conference noted that Small Island Developing States (SIDS), recognized as the most vulnerable group of countries and a special case for sustainable development, have been facing strong push back against the recognition of their special circumstances especially in the context of climate finance. There is limited international support for special allocations for SIDS within financing arrangements and available climate finance from international and private sources is limited, expensive and too onerous to access.

In light of the preceding, Heads of Government called for CARICOM to take a strategic, unified and coordinated approach to ensure that the Region remains influential in the climate and development arena through engagements with key partners and advocacy groups.

They called for renewed focus by the Region to advocate for inclusion of forests, nature-based solutions and blue carbon into market mechanisms with the aim of articulating clear regional positions and strategies.

Heads of Government reiterated the call for improved readiness programmes, simplified approval procedures, a change to the criteria for determining access to low-cost finance, and for the adoption of programmatic approaches to address the bottlenecks in accessing finance.

The Region reiterates its support for the Bridgetown Initiative’s call to expand capital adequacy of international financial institutions.

Heads recognized that the Fourth International Conference on Small Island Developing States, scheduled to be held in Antigua and Barbuda, 27 – 30 May 2024, will be an inflection point for many of these discussions to be articulated. As such, the Region remains committed to participating in the Conference at the highest level.

Continue Reading

TCI News

South Caicos Development Plans shared with Washington-Misick led Administration

Published

on

On Monday, 12 February 2024, the Premier led a delegation to tour the island of South Caicos to view the ongoing public and private sector projects, involving the remodelling and rebranding of the airport terminals, historical districts, and the East Bay Hotel.

The tour of the various developments reinforced the Government’s commitment to collaborating with stakeholders to boost the island’s activity and economy.

Photos courtesy of the TCI Office of the Premier

Continue Reading

FIND US ON FACEBOOK

TRENDING