A roundup of the latest ICT/technology news from across the Caribbean region for the period Monday 3 November to Sunday 9 December 2022.
Monday, 28 November 2021
AG defends FTX handling
Bahamas – As he defended The Bahamas’ response in the wake of the collapse of crypto giant FTX, Attorney General Ryan Pinder asserted last night that any attempt to lay the blame of the company’s fall at the feet of The Bahamas is an “oversimplification of reality”… more
AG DEFENDS THE NATION OVER FTX: Ryan Pinder hits out at assertions over Bahamas regulations
Bahamas – ATTORNEY General Ryan Pinder last night defended the country’s digital asset regulations in the wake of international criticisms over its regime following FTX’s collapse, calling assertions that FTX only came to The Bahamas because it was a poorly regulated jurisdiction “shocking” and ignorant… more
AG praises Securities Commission for swift and decisive action over FTX collapse
Bahamas – Attorney General Ryan Pinder yesterday praised the Securities Commission for its “swift and decisive” decisions in response to the abrupt collapse of crypto exchange giant FTX, stating that any attempt to lay the entirety of the blame for FTX debacle on this nation is a “gross oversimplification of reality.” … more
AG tells world: Don’t blame us over FTX
Bahamas – The Attorney General last night blasted that it was “a gross oversimplification of reality” for the world to blame The Bahamas for FTX’s collapse as no country had moved “as quickly” to tackle the crypto exchange’s implosion… more
FTX allegedly approached local banks to invest on crypto exchange
Bahamas – Cryptocurrency exchange FTX reportedly asked local banks to put their money in the exchange for a respectable return, a Wall Street Journal (WSJ) article explained… more
Lessons learned
Bahamas – The collapse of the FTX crypto exchange, and the controversy swirling around its founder, Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF), have plunged the crypto market into an existential crisis… more
Mitchell suggests FNM blowing FTX out of proportion
Bahamas – Minister of Foreign Affairs Fred Mitchell accused the Free National Movement (FNM) of “making much more of this FTX thing than there is to it”… more
Pinder projects confidence on FTX
Bahamas – Attorney General Ryan Pinder last night addressed the nation regarding the collapse of crypto currency giant FTX… more
Source: Crypto community has not gotten all the approvals it needs
Bahamas – A luxury cryptocurrency community that AGIA International Ltd. attends to build on the site where convicted conman Billy McFarland intended to hold his infamous Fyre Festival, has not gotten all the approvals needed to move ahead as suggested by a Businesswire.com article, Guardian Business understands… more
US senators call for DOJ action on FTX
Bahamas – United States (US) senators Elizabeth Warren and Sheldon Whitehouse are calling on the US Department of Justice (DOJ) to hold the executives of Bahamas-headquartered FTX accountable “to the fullest extent of the law” following the company’s collapse… more
Companies Register Goes Digital
Belize – Tonight, the Briceno Administration is celebrating a new online portal that has been launched to provide citizens with access to government sources… more
Over 90 police officers participate in 2-day Cybercrime symposium
Belize – Nіnеtу-nіnе роlісе оffісеrѕ frоm аrоund thе соuntrу аrе раrtісіраtіng іn а 2-dау сарасіtу buіldіng ѕуmроѕіum аt thе Nаtіоnаl Роlісе Тrаіnіng Асаdеmу іn Веlmораn… more
The cyberkill chain and how to break it
Caribbean – In a conversation with IT professionals on November 02, Marcelo Ardiles, cybersecurity consultant at Hitatchi Systems, explained what he described as the cyberkill chain of a ransomware attack… more
Tuesday, 29 November 2021
Cable to appeal URCA fines over TV ‘quality’
Bahamas – Cable Bahamas is pledging to appeal the adverse findings and fines levied against it following a probe into the “quality of service” provided to its pay-TV customers during the 2021 calendar year… more
Coindesk: Bahamas owed some sympathy over FTX collapse
Bahamas – The collapse of FTX cannot be laid only at “the Bahamas government’s feet”, CoinDesk’s Managing Editor for Global Policy and Regulation Nikhilesh De said during an online Coindesk show, where he contended that many people were caught off-guard by the cryptocurrency exchange’s reported misappropriation of customer funds, which led to its collapse two weeks ago… more
Deltec tight-lipped over 17 accounts tied to FTX, Sam Bankman-Fried
Bahamas – A Bahamian bank and trust company was yesterday tight-lipped over court documents showing that FTX and entities controlled by its besieged founder, Sam Bankman-Fried, held no fewer than 17 accounts with it… more
FNM: Govt silent as Bahamas attacked on FTX
Bahamas – THE Free National Movement criticised the Davis administration’s delayed response to the collapse of FTX, adding that the reputation of The Bahamas is “under attack” due to the silence of the government… more
FNM says AG’s speech came too late
Bahamas – While praising Attorney General Ryan Pinder’s “comprehensive” statement on the collapse of FTX, Shadow Minister of Finance Kwasi Thompson said the government’s response took too long, which caused irreparable damage to the country’s reputation… more
FTX customers
Bahamas – EDITOR, The Tribune. I have seen a pie chart from, https://twitter.com/whalechart/status/ 1595384133827854336?s=21 – about the global distribution of FTX customers as of “The Petition Date”… more
Digicel rewards new customers with 10GB of any-use data until March 2023
Guyana – Digicel Guyana on Monday announced that it is rewarding new customers with 10GB bonus data through its exclusive SIM offer… more
WhatsApp jitters
Jamaica – News that Jamaica was among 84 countries affected by a WhatsApp data leak, with hundreds of thousands of local phone numbers compromised, leaving people open to being targeted by criminals, made many Jamaicans anxious on Monday, even as the platform’s parent company Meta denied that there had been a breach… more
Gonzales: No data compromised by malware at TSTT
Trinidad and Tobago – MARVIN GONZALES, Minister of Public Utilities, said no-one’s data was compromised during a malware incursion at TSTT, in reply to a question in the Senate on Tuesday by opposition senator Jearlean John… more
Online will app launched for T&T
Trinidad and Tobago – ARE you thinking about preparing a will, but are reluctant to go through with the exercise because of the expense, time and hassle? … more
Wednesday, 30 November 2021
Bankman-Fried admits that he prioritised Bahamian withdrawals
Bahamas – Disgraced former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried admitted that he temporarily reopened withdrawals just for Bahamian residents after pausing the platform… more
Crypto analyst: Nobody is ready to regulate cryptocurrency
Bahamas – A man who came to The Bahamas to find former FTX Chief Executive Officer Sam Bankman-Fried, contended in a recent video that after having a conversation with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), he is convinced that “nobody” is ready to regulate the cryptocurrency space… more
Ex-FTX CEO comes clean
Bahamas – As his company was being put into liquidation in The Bahamas and before he filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the US, former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried said he decided to prioritize Bahamian withdrawals from his cryptocurrency exchange because “you do not want to be in the country with a lot of angry people in it”… more
FTX’s Bahamas properties caught in Chapter 11’s net
Bahamas – FTX’s Bahamian real estate purchases – which could be worth a collective $300m – were made through a company currently covered by US Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings rather than the Bahamian provisional liquidators… more
FTX US gets approval to pay employees; FTX Bahamas excluded
Bahamas – While noting that it has resumed its salaries for employees and certain foreign contractors, FTX said on Monday that payments will not apply to employees or contractors of Bahamas-based FTX Digital Markets… more
Digital reporting opens for COVID booster side effects
Cayman Islands – The Public Health Department has introduced an online reporting mechanism for the surveillance of COVID-19 vaccination side effects for the Autumn booster… more
Bringing Public Health to the Digital Age
Guyana – The COVID-19 pandemic has left an indelible mark on our lives and on our societies. It has also reinforced the power and potential of digital technologies to advance public health… more
Bank of Jamaica extends eCurrency contract
Jamaica – CENTRAL bank digital currency (CBDC) infrastructure support provider eCurrency indicates that the Bank of Jamaica has extended its contract ahead of a full-scale roll-out in December 2023… more
Data-mining capacity boosted in tracking violence against women
Jamaica – Jamaica has increased the capacity of the National Statistical System (NSS) to collect, analyse, and disseminate data on violence against women and girls (VAWG)… more
Digital Society Transformation Process Begins – PM
Jamaica – Prime Minister, the Most Hon Andrew Holness, says the Government has commenced the process of transforming the country into a digital society… more
Green: NIDS will protect against identity theft
Jamaica – MINISTER without portfolio in the Office of the Prime Minister Floyd Green has warned that Jamaica’s current system of multiple identifiers is vulnerable to identity theft and other cybersecurity attacks, suggesting that this can be avoided by the implementation of a single approach such as the national identification system (NIDS)… more
JP Farms unlocks drone technology
Jamaica – JP Farms, the fresh produce subsidiary of the Jamaica Producers Group (JPG), has revolutionised local farming practices with the introduction of drone technology in agriculture… more
Lynk eyes government payments
Jamaica – Digital payment service provider Lynk is hoping that when the Ministry of Labour and Social Security (MLSS) next advertises for service providers to undertake electronic/automatic payments on a bimonthly basis to 128,000 families for the Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH), it will be considered… more
Using Wise to receive money from PayPal & the world
Jamaica – IF you are someone who has been trying to work remotely, whether it’s for a company or for yourself, but the company you work for or the clients you have want to pay via PayPal then no doubt you have run into the issue of struggling to receive your funds… more
Beacon Insurance reports IT ‘security incident’
Trinidad and Tobago – THE Beacon Insurance Company has reported that some of its IT systems were recently affected by a security incident… more
TSTT retirees dying as CWU fiddles
Trinidad and Tobago – THE EDITOR: With persistence we can effectuate change, not for the whole world but our own little space… more
Customers across both Internet Service Providers impacted by freak outage Saturday
Turks and Caicos Islands – Magnetic Media can report, the strange countrywide outage affecting both Flow and Digicel customers over the weekend was a regional issue not just affecting The Turks and Caicos according to the service providers… more
Thursday, 1 December 2021
Antiguans and Barbudans encouraged to seize chance to learn to code
Antigua and Barbuda – The leader of a local tech firm says learning code is the key to opening a door to a world full of opportunities… more
Bankman-Fried: Bahamian real estate purchases were aimed at luring top Silicon Valley employees
Bahamas – Embattled former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried claims that the company’s reported $300 million in Bahamian real estate purchases were aimed at attracting top Silicon Valley employees to The Bahamas… more
EDITORIAL: FTX founder’s long list of unknowns
Bahamas – FOR someone in charge of a multi-billion operation, Sam Bankman-Fried seems to not know a lot of things… more
Former PM says AG’s address on FTX insufficient
Bahamas – Former Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis says that Attorney General Ryan Pinder’s recent address on the FTX debacle is insufficient to allay concerns regarding the fall-out from the collapsed crypto exchange, telling Eyewitness News that there is serious concern that the matter goes far deeper than the public is being made to believe… more
‘I did not try to commit FTX fraud’
Bahamas – FORMER FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried said he did not try to commit fraud and unknowingly commingled funds of his company’s customers with his hedge fund Alameda Research… more
Liquidators says “significant uncertainty” remains around outcome of FTX Digital Markets proceedings
Bahamas – The Court appointed joint provisional liquidators for Bahamas-based FTX Digital markets said yesterday that there remains “significant uncertainty” around the outcome of proceedings involving the company, noting that their work has been hampered by a lack of access to its books, records and customer information stored on could-based servers… more
Liquidators seeking access to FTX servers, records
Bahamas – Joint provisional liquidators (JPLs) revealed in a statement released yesterday that uncertainties remain over the outcome of the bankruptcy proceedings involving FTX Digital Markets (FDM), as they continue trying to gain access to cloud-based servers, books and records; and contend with FTX US’s new chief executive officer directing the company’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy… more
Liquidators to go after FTX Bahamas payouts
Bahamas – The joint provisional liquidators for FTX’s Bahamian subsidiary are “guaranteed” to go after any payouts to local investors if they violated the Supreme Court freeze imposed as the crypto exchange imploded, it was revealed yesterday… more
Teenager believes technology can help Barbados achieve global goals
Barbados – Nineteen-year-old Jasmine Greene is on a mission to rally young Barbadians to help the country achieve the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals of climate action and quality education… more
5 content creation tips with Omi868
Caribbean – As a business owner trying to build your brand online, raise awareness and sell your products or services, you are undoubtedly going to have to learn how to create content… more
Latin America And The Caribbean Will Need Additional 2.5 Million ICT Professionals In Next 5 Years, Says Expert
Caribbean – Latin America and the Caribbean will need an additional 2.5 million ICT-related professionals by 2026, an industry executive said Thursday at the LAC ICT Talent Summit jointly organized by Huawei, UNESCO and EFE, citing research findings by international consultancy, IDC… more
Maloney: TechBeach Retreat helps people connect over passion rather than position
Caribbean – When the Forbes magazine published its richest self-made women under 40 in June a surprise name made the list… more
Sagicor Life launches eLife online platform
Caribbean – Sagicor Life Inc has launched an online platform – eLife – which will allow people to purchase life insurance policies online. In addition, a new product, Easy Choice, will allow people to choose the amount of coverage they want with the option of saving… more
Digicel rolls out eSIM for Christmas
Guyana – In another major stride towards delivering powerful digital experiences to its customers, Digicel is pleased to announce the launch of eSIMs to support Electronic SIM enabled devices, for Christmas… more
Infrastructural Development And Digitization Of Records Identified As Areas To Address At The Basseterre Health Center
Saint Kitts and Nevis – Following a walkthrough of the Basseterre Health Center earlier today, Monday, November 28, Prime Minister and Minister of Health, the Honourable Dr. Terrance Drew pledged the Government’s commitment to improving the physical and digital infrastructure of the health institution… more
Friday, 2 December 2021
Crypto community principal explains NFT property process
Bahamas – The luxury cryptocurrency community that AGIA International Ltd. intends to build at Rokers Point Estates, Exuma will carry out the sale of property and the construction agreements for houses in the traditional way, but the way to begin that ownership journey starts with a non-fungible token (NFT) and $10,000, one of the company’s principals Erik Sanderson explained to Guardian Business yesterday… more
FTX could impact next election
Bahamas – Dear Editor, The full financial, social and political impact of FTX’s collapse is far from being known – in my view. One thing is certain, and that is a multitude of ordinary hardworking folks throughout the world have lost their whole life savings – or a significant portion of it as a result of FTX’s burst bubble… more
FTX impact
Bahamas – EDITOR, The Tribune. The full financial, social and political impact of FTX’s collapse is far from being known – in my view. One thing is certain, and that is a multitude of ordinary hardworking folks throughout the world have lost their whole life savings – or a significant portion of it as a result of FTX’s burst bubble… more
FTX payout probe urged as US trustee intervenes
Bahamas – FTX’s Bahamian provisional liquidators were yesterday urged to “thoroughly investigate” any payouts to local investors that violated the Supreme Court asset freeze as the US Justice Department moved to intervene in Delaware… more
‘No impact’
Bahamas – Prime Minister Philip Davis said yesterday that the collapse of Bahamas-headquartered FTX will not impact The Bahamas’ real estate market despite the $300 million worth of property reportedly bought by the bankrupt cryptocurrency giant… more
PM: Authorities quiz FTX founder
Bahamas – PRIME Minister Phillip “Brave” Davis said yesterday he was informed that embattled former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried has been interviewed by local authorities as investigations continue into the collapse of the crypto giant… more
CTU And CARICAD Sign MOU
Caribbean – The Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU) and the Caribbean Centre for Development Administration (CARICAD) signed a memorandum of understanding at CARICAD’s Bridgetown offices… more
Digital scarcity drives value in the metaverse
Caribbean – The metaverse – a three-dimensional immersive virtual space – is often described as the next iteration of the internet… more
Saturday, 3 December 2022
CoI questions if GECOM IT officer had time to change SOP figures
Guyana – Questions were yesterday raised by the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the 2020 elections as it relates to the time that Information Technology (IT) Officer Enrique Livan would have had to change the number of figures from some of the Statements of Poll (SOPs) as alleged by many of the observers on hand, since some video evidence has suggested that he had no particular time to do so… more
Sunday, 4 December 2022
New Digital Family Module Included in ECSC eLitigation Portal for Magistrate Court
Caribbean – Law officials from the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) have implemented a new digital family module to its Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (ECSC) eLitigation Portal for Saint Lucia Magistrate’s Court… more
Taiwan Invests in ICT in St. Lucia: Government Provides the Impetus
Saint Lucia – THE government and people of Taiwan invested in the government and people of St. Lucia through ICT in our Education System. It means therefore, that they have provided the money and confidence which is needed to boost St. Lucia’s Education System and give it a chance to grow… more
Lawyers warned against touting on social media
Trinidad and Tobago – THE Law Association (LATT) is warning lawyers about using social media to advertise, an act long frowned upon and prohibited… more
Supernova Technologies aiming to improve cyber security around the region
Trinidad and Tobago – With the global uptick in cyber security attacks and technology breaches, Supernova Technologies Ltd is prepared to usher in digital transformation and change cyber security implementation across the region… more
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