A roundup of the latest ICT/technology news from across the Caribbean region for the period Monday 7 November to Sunday 13 November 2022.
Monday, 7 November 2021
Gary Allen | TVJ and digital switchover – expanding footprints
Jamaica – Last week we looked into the transition of TVJ into the digital era and what value additions it is bringing to our viewers. Part 2 looks at the way forward as we embrace the new technology… more
Huawei trains 55 students in digital technology
Trinidad and Tobago – In a virtual ceremony on Friday, 55 selected students from Jamaica, Suriname and TT were welcomed to Huawei’s 14th Seeds of the Future programme, which provides young people access to education in information and communication technology (ICT)… more
Tuesday, 8 November 2021
BTC chief says fibre roll-out 70% finished
Bahamas – THE BAHAMAS Telecommunications Company (BTC) will be increasingly relying on a fibre network roll-out that is 70 percent complete to drive revenue growth and market share, its newly-appointed chief executive says… more
Exchange control ease urged for digital assets participation
Bahamas – AN ACCOUNTANT has called for further exchange control “relaxation” so that more Bahamians can participate freely in digital assets and crypto currency trading… more
More e-commerce options coming for small businesses
Jamaica – SCOTIABANK is improving its e-commerce solutions for micro to large businesses seeking to accept online payments… more
Vulnerable households get digital Jump from Flow
Jamaica – Jump, Flow’s programme to bridge the digital divide by providing broadband connectivity, devices and digital training to the most vulnerable households through a public-private partnership, was launched on October 19 at the Jamaica Pegasus hotel… more
Appeal Court blanks TSTT over $26.4m fund-payment challenge
Trinidad and Tobago – LOCAL telecom provider TSTT and its subsidiary internet service provider Amplia will have to petition the Privy Council directly if it wants to challenge the ruling of the local court in a lawsuit brought by the Telecommunication Authority (TATT) over the failure to pay $26.4 million to a national fund to develop internet connectivity in rural communities… more
T&T needs better cyber safeguards
Trinidad and Tobago – AS THE Government moves to digitise the public service, it also needs to put safeguards in place to protect citizens’ data… more
Wednesday, 9 November 2021
Commission eyes 20 DARE Act registrants
Bahamas – THE Securities Commission’s top executive yesterday said the regulator expects to have 20 entities registered under the Digital Assets and Registered Exchanges (DARE) Act by year-end 2022… more
‘FTX forced sale will not undermine’ nation plans
Bahamas – The seemingly-forced sale of The Bahamas’ flagship digital assets investor will not undermine the country’s ambitions to become a major “hub” in this space, a prominent banker argued yesterday… more
Future of FTX in The Bahamas in limbo after major rival agrees to acquisition
Bahamas – FTX’s future in The Bahamas appears uncertain after it was revealed yesterday that its rival—crypto giant Binance—would acquire the company amid liquidity concerns… more
Smart Belize establishes FREE Wi-fi centers in Belize City
Belize – Last Wednesday, Hurricane Lisa battered Belize damaging homes, schools, businesses and knocking off power and internet… more
Cybersecurity tops expenses for CAB
Caribbean – Regional insurance brokerage firm Caribbean Assurance Brokers Limited (CAB) at the end of its third quarter ended September saw expenses increase above 12 per cent as the company ramped up its cybersecurity initiatives… more
Antonette Brown: Early fascination leads to tech career
Jamaica – Jamaican-born Antonette Brown, IT project manager at ArchCare, recounts she was fascinated by how technology could solve various problems in different ways. “The beauty of technology is that it changes every day and offers a unique experience of continued learning,” Brown stated… more
Battling cyberattacks
Jamaica – We have all heard horror stories about cybercrime. Businesses have had their network hacked, customer data stolen, and money siphoned away. But what’s most interesting about these stories is that all companies that have fallen victim to these attacks had some level of protection. So, how did the hack happen?… more
Thursday, 10 November 2021
Bahamian regulator probing FTX woes
Bahamas – The Securities Commission was yesterday investigating the crisis that has left The Bahamas’ flagship digital assets investor on the brink of collapse after a rival crypto currency exchange walked away from a rescue deal… more
Binance pulls out of FTX bailout deal
Bahamas – Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, revealed yesterday via Twitter that it will not make good on its conditional intent to bail out Bahamian-headquartered cryptocurrency exchange FTX, owned by Sam Bankman-Fried, who has reportedly filed for bankruptcy according to many sources… more
Central Bank aims to expand merchant network for greater Sand Dollar adoption
Bahamas – The Central Bank is ramping up efforts to expand the number of local merchant accepting Sand Dollar payments so as to accelerate adoption of the digital currency ,according to Central Bank Governor John Rolle… more
FTX fate in jeopardy after Binance backs out of acquisition
Bahamas – The fate of crypto exchange giant FTX appears murky after its major rival Binance backed out of a deal to acquire the company which has its headquarters in The Bahamas… more
FTX unravels
Bahamas – The unraveling of crypto exchange FTX, which is headquartered in The Bahamas, is amounting to a major reputational threat for this jurisdiction, and has local authorities and average citizens alike trying to wrap their minds around the extent of the impact… more
Ministry of Health and Wellness receives donation of 15 laptops from PAHO/WHO
Belize – Тоdау, Dr. Меlіѕѕа Dіаz, Dіrесtоr оf Рublіс Неаlth аnd Wеllnеѕѕ rесеіvеd 15 lарtорѕ аlоng wіth 15 lарtор bаgѕ frоm thе Раn Аmеrісаn Неаlth Оrgаnіzаtіоn/ Wоrld Неаlth Оrgаnіzаtіоn (РАНО/WНО) Веlіzе оffісе… more
Jamaica’s first digital bank kicks off with free money
Jamaica – Jamaica’s first digital-based all-inclusive loans company has announced its presence in a big way… more
Huawei, TSTT team up to train students in technology
Trinidad and Tobago – Huawei and the Telecommunications Services of TT (TSTT) teamed up to give 19 university students of Huawei’s Seeds for the Future programme, first-hand knowledge of advanced technology at the TSTT data centre on Monday… more
Look out for the 2022 business technology winner
Trinidad and Tobago – The winner of the 2022 award for business technology will be revealed at the grand finale of the Champions of Business awards and cocktail reception on November 24, at the National Academy for the Performing Arts… more
Friday, 11 November 2021
AML Foods targets e-commerce launch
Bahamas – BISX-listed AML Foods is planning to launch an e-commerce division during its current financial year that will enable the group to supply clients “throughout The Bahamas”… more
‘Don’t build financial services on crypto’
Bahamas – FTX’s collapse into provisional liquidation is a warning that The Bahamas should “not build the whole financial services recovery” on digital assets, a prominent Bahamian accountant said yesterday… more
Edwards: FTX collapse not fatal but reputational issues will emerge
Bahamas – The potential failure of FTX represents a bump in the path of The Bahamas in its effort to establish itself as a major digital asset centre, according to a governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) expert yesterday… more
FTX’s assets frozen
Bahamas – As FTX Digital Markets (FDM) chief Sam Bankman-Fried rang out a mea culpa chorus peppered with expletives to his followers, clients and investors through Twitter yesterday, the Securities Commission of The Bahamas (SCB) froze his company’s assets and appointed a provisional liquidator for the embattled FTX now making international headlines… more
FTX boss apologizes for crypto exchange collapse
Bahamas – FTX Digital Markets (FDM) chief Sam Bankman-Fried took to Twitter yesterday to apologize for his mishandling of his multibillion-dollar cryptocurrency exchange and related digital asset businesses… more
How should The Bahamas respond to the FTX debacle?
Bahamas – The potential failure of FTX represents a bump in the path of The Bahamas in its effort to establish itself as a major digital asset center. However, nothing about this development is anywhere near fatal… more
Island Pay launches Tourist Wallet App and Small Merchant App
Bahamas – Bahamian digital payments provider Island Pay, is pushing to drive increased tourism to The Bahamas and help small merchants become a larger part of the financial ecosystem with the launch of the world’s first-ever digital Tourist Wallet App and the Small Merchant App… more
Regulator ‘freezes’ FTX and sends in liquidator
Bahamas – Regulators yesterday moved to protect clients of The Bahamas’ flagship crypto currency investor by “freezing” its assets, and seizing control of the company, amid reports it acquired $74m in local real estate this year alone… more
Securities Commission freezes assets of FTX
Bahamas – The Securities Commission of The Bahamas said yesterday that it had taken action to freeze assets of FTX Digital Markets and related parties, as the crypto exchange is teetering on the verge of collapse due to liquidity fears… more
Digicel predicts drop in performance for Haitian subsidiary
Haiti – Telecommunications company Digicel is forecasting a drop in performance for its Haitian subsidiary from October to March of 2023… more
Flow rakes in US$108m in September quarter
Jamaica – Telecommunications provider Flow Jamaica made US$108.5 million ($16.6 billion) in quarterly revenue to September, up by nearly eight per cent year-on-year due to increased customers… more
Saturday, 12 November 2022
Phone records examined after Sheraton Mall murder
Barbados – Several calls were made from a cellular phone registered to the father of murder accused Hakeem Roberto Stuart minutes after Damian Trotman was shot dead in Sheraton Mall almost four years ago… more
GECOM IT Manager recounts efforts to safeguard SOPs
Guyana – Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Information Technology (IT) manager Aneal Giddings has said although he tried to safeguard election materials, including Statement of Polls (SOPs) from the March 2, 2020 elections, then Deputy Chief Election Officer (DCEO), Roxanne Myers accused him of breaching emergency protocols… more
Sunday, 13 November 2022
Guyana, UAE formalize Agreement on Cyber Security
Guyana – The Government of Guyana and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have formalized an agreement on cyber security, the Department of Public Information (DPI) announced Saturday… more
Lynk gets remittance licence
Jamaica – After having its launch in December 2021 and getting a $2.05-billion capital injection by NCBFG, TFOB (2021) Limited has become the eighth company to be approved by the Bank of Jamaica (BOJ) to operate a remittance service as a primary agent. TFOB will offer the remittance option via its mobile wallet dubbed Lynk… more
NCB profit vaults to $40b, to offer remittance via Lynk
Jamaica – NCB Financial Group, operator of Jamaica’s largest commercial bank, said Friday that a member company has received approval to offer remittance services through the Lynk digital wallet, allowing it to tap into ‘US$3.3 billion’ market… more
Under cyberattack!
Jamaica – Cybercriminals used an Internet protocol (IP) address based in Jamaica last Thursday to distribute some 1,160 malware attacks per hour to devices here and overseas, the agency that monitors the country’s cybersecurity space has disclosed… more
Images credit: Bank Phrom (Unsplash); Flow (Facebook); Wikimedia Commons; Central Bank of The Bahamas (Twitter); Island Pay (Facebook); Wikimedia
