Continuing with our Fintech in the Caribbean series, we are focussing on fintech in Trinidad and Tobago, with Maria Daniel, President of the FinTech Association of Trinidad and Tobago. In our conversation, Maria highlights the Association and discusses the state of fintech in Trinidad and Tobago, key challenges that have been hindering fintech development; and where she would like to see fintech in Trinidad and Tobago in the next 2 to 3 years.

 

This episode is also available on SoundCloud, Apple iTunes, Google Play Music, Spotify, Amazon Music and on Stitcher!

For anyone who has been paying attention to the business or services sector in the Caribbean over the past decade may recall the twin-island republic, Trinidad and Tobago, being highlighted a “country to watch. By almost any measure, the country had a compelling value proposition, which included: a highly educated workforce; a well-developed financial services industry; air connectivity/logistics capability; and it was already home to a number of international firms. Hence, the country had the potential to be a business and financial services hub in the region.

However, currently, the Trinidad and Tobago has not been featuring prominently in the region’s fintech space. Countries, such as The Bahamas, Barbados, Jamaica, and even those of the OECS, have realised some developments, and so have been enjoying consistent visibility over the past four or so years. Trinidad and Tobago is not being mentioned in the same breath of as these countries.

To that end, we are continuing our conversation on fintech in the Caribbean, and in this episode, we will be discussing on fintech in Trinidad and Tobago, through the lens of the FinTech Association of Trinidad and Tobago (more commonly known as FintechTT).

FinTechTT is a not-for-profit organization and is one of the pillars of the ‘FinTech Roadmap’ for Trinidad and Tobago. Essentially, it could be seen as a bridge connecting the regulators, and the public and private sectors, and it has the goal of “A globally competitive domestic ecosystem that will establish Trinidad & Tobago as the leading FinTech-enabled society in Latin America and the Caribbean.” (Source: FinTechTT).

FinTechTT was established in 2020, with founding members are Chandradath Maharaj, Keva Doyle , Cherisse Flemming , Tracy Hackshaw, Duane Hinkson, Garth Lezama, Rudolph Hanamji, and Maria Daniel, all of whom volunteer their services. The current Board of Directors is supported by working groups in Public Education, Infrastructure and Regulatory. Recently, the organisation reached a milestone: hiring a General Manager, Helen Llanos, who is known in the payment systems industry, and brings a wealth of experience and knowledge.

 

Introducing our guest

Maria Daniel

Maria Daniel is a Partner in the Strategy and Transactions practice based in the Ernst & Young (EY) Trinidad office, but works across the Caribbean. Over the last three  years, she has focussed on digital strategy and transformation, assisting clients to transform business models through customer centric experiences enabled by digital solutions.

Maria is also leading Sustainability  Services For EY Caribbean and is part of the EY Global Sustainability team focusing on clients’ environmental, social and governance (ESG) initiatives and assisting clients with creating a Long Term Value Strategy through sustainable initiatives. However, and whilst financial services is a key sector for Maria, she also works closely with the Entrepreneurial Sector and Family businesses.

Maria worked with the EY Singapore Office and local team to develop the FinTech roadmap for Trinidad and Tobago for the TTIFC in 2018/2019. She continued working on it as a volunteer with working teams to bring the roadmap into reality by joining the first Board of Directors for the FinTechTT in 2020, and currently serves as its President. Maria is passionate about seeing Trinidad and Tobago regain its leadership in the financial services sector, enabling economic growth through digital financial services .

 

Insights into our conversation

In participating in earlier discussions on the potential of Trinidad and Tobago in business and financial services, and now noting that the country is rarely mentioned in current conversations on financial services, and fintech in particular, is quite disconcerting. Hence our conversation with Maria was especially insightful.

Two interesting points Maria raised, which is part of the fintech strategy and roadmap for Trinidad and Tobago, is to centralise the Know Your Customer (KYC) and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) requirements, and to address digital identification. So far, these topics do not appear to be priorities in other Caribbean countries, particularly those that are focussed on fintech. However, on closer review, it ought to be appreciated that KYC, AML and digital IDs could become major roadblocks in countries’ fintech development path, and so will need to be addressed. Interesting times ahead…

Below are key questions posed to Maria during our conversation.

  1. So, to start us off Maria, tell us a bit about yourself.
  2. Talk to us about FinTechTT. When was it established, what are its objectives? How many members? What are the criteria for membership?
  3. FinTechTT is supposed to be one of the pillars of the ‘FinTech Roadmap’ for Trinidad and Tobago. Can you give us an overview of the Roadmap and the role FinTechTT is supposed to play?
  4. What was the impact of the pandemic on fintech in Trinidad and Tobago?
  5. What are key challenges the Association has identified in Trinidad and Tobago, with respect to fintech development, versus adoption and use by businesses and consumers?
  6. One of the challenges in the fintech space that may not be getting the attention it deserves is take-up or adoption by consumers. Is that a challenge that exists in Trinidad and Tobago, and if so, how can it be better addressed?
  7. Are there any specific issues that the Association has been tackling? Or has it identified any priorities that it has been focussing its attention?
  8. Where would you like to see fintech in Trinidad and Tobago in the next 2 to 3 years?

 

We would love to hear from you!

Do leave us a comment either here beneath this article, or on our Facebook or LinkedIn pages, or via Twitter, @ICTPulse.

Also, if you or a member of your network is interested in joining us for an episode, do get in touch.

Let’s make it happen!

 

Below are links to some of the organisations and resources that either were mentioned during the episode, or otherwise, might be useful:

 

 

Images credit:  FintechTT; Jonas Leupe (Unsplash); Wikipedia;  Wikimedia Commons

Music credit: The Last Word (Oui Ma Chérie), by Andy Narrell

Podcast editing support: Mayra Bonilla Lopez