A roundup of the latest ICT/technology news from across the Caribbean region for the period Monday 16 October to Sunday 22 October 2023.
Monday, 16 October 2023
ArawakX: Wind-up to cause ‘serious harm’ on BOB battle
Bahamas – The Bahamas’ first-ever crowd-funding platform will suffer “serious harm” if it is placed into provisional liquidation before it can pursue or settle its legal battle with Bank of The Bahamas over the freezing of its accounts… more
Bahamas beginning to write a new narrative on digital assets and regulation, says Rolle
Bahamas – The Bahamas is beginning to set its own narrative in the digital assets space after the country’s regulation came under a microscope following the collapse of cryptocurrency exchange FTX almost a year ago, Executive Director of the Securities Commission of The Bahamas (SCB) Christina Rolle told Guardian Business… more
Central Bank sees big reduction in mobile wallet top-up
Bahamas – The Central Bank of The Bahamas (CBOB) has seen a four-fold reduction in mobile wallet top-ups in the first seven months of the year, the bank said… more
Top ArawakX investor ‘seriously prejudiced’ over BOB unfreezing
Bahamas – ArawakX’s largest investor has moved to intervene in its dispute with Bank of The Bahamas by alleging that the two sides’ agreement to unfreeze the crowd-funding platform’s accounts “seriously prejudices” his interests… more
DEREK SMITH: Develop cyber security plan to meet your need
Caribbean – As technology becomes an essential feature in every business, there is a growing need to ensure its safe use. Companies store crucial data and depend on technology for their day-to-day operations… more
SK chief discusses ICT partnerships with Estonia, Carribean Community
Caribbean – SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won discussed economic cooperation with high-ranking government officials from Estonia and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) during their official visits to South Korea earlier last week, according to the Korean conglomerate on Sunday… more
Sun, Sand and Smart Cities
Caribbean – Imagine a city that talked to itself. Garbage bins that alert the council when they need to be emptied, road sensors that tell drivers about available parking spots or suggest ways to avoid traffic, digital kiosks that sync with phones to rate nearby restaurants, LED streetlights that brighten when there’s a crowd, and dim if no-one’s around… more
Data Protection Integral To Guyana’s Development
Guyana – Given the value that is placed on data in a technological era, the recently passed Data Protection Act is an integral piece of legislation that seeks to ensure that data is not misused or stolen. It also seeks to safeguard the personal data of Guyanese… more
Flow sues Gov’t, CHEC over infrastructure damage from road project
Jamaica – One of the island’s major telecommunication firms, Cable and Wireless Jamaica, known as Flow Jamaica, is suing the Government and China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) to recover millions for damage allegedly done to its infrastructure during the implementation of the Major Infrastructure Development Programme (MIDP) along several roadways in Kingston… more
Orbtronics is hosting a Digital Literacy Program in Micoud
Saint Lucia – The Digital Literacy Program is a 4-day in-person educational training workshop, developed and implemented by Orbtronics Ltd, through partnership with our sponsors – The Eastern Caribbean Central Bank and Republic Bank’s Power to Make a Difference program… more
Budget 2024: What is it doing for the digital economy?
Trinidad and Tobago – The 2024 budget, read in Parliament on October 02 by Finance Minister Colm Imbert, leans in heavily on infrastructure… more
Ministry of Digital Transformation presents D’Hub proof of concept awards to developers
Trinidad and Tobago – The Ministry of Digital Transformation hosted its concept awards ceremony for the first D’Hub Challenge on September 29. The selected developers will create a proof of concept based on their project submissions… more
Tuesday, 17 October 2023
Bahamas crypto exchange set to ‘add another chapter’
Bahamas – A crypto currency exchange Bahamian subsidiary says it will unveil a new feature for its platform next month to further cement its “significant” contribution to the parent’s global brand… more
Steady interest in digital asset firm registration, says SCB boss
Bahamas – Securities Commission of The Bahamas (SCB) Executive Director Christina Rolle told Guardian Business that while there was an initial stigma of being a jurisdiction associated with failed cryptocurrency exchange FTX, there continues to be steady interest in this jurisdiction as one with effective digital assets legislation… more
#BTColumn – Beyond Paradise Barbados: Battle for Digital Equality
Barbados – In the Caribbean, digital businesses, including software development, confront a formidable challenge: the quest for global competitiveness by small island nations like Barbados. In this field of information technology, we consistently grapple with the harsh reality that the playing field is far from level… more
Duguid: Digital transformation a must for regional economies
Caribbean – Digital transformation is no longer a choice for Caribbean countries, but it is imperative and must be placed at the forefront of the regional agenda… more
BUSINESS BYTE: Flow rolls out its new Store on Wheels
Dominica – Flow Dominica rolled out its latest innovation on Friday with the launch of ‘Store on Wheels’. This new initiative is being touted as part of the company’s revolutionizing of its customer retail experience… more
Nokia and EGC are selected by KFTL to deploy the first private wireless network in a Caribbean port
Jamaica – Nokia today announced that it has been selected by Kingston Freeport Terminal Limited (KFTL) to deploy the first private wireless network at a port in the Caribbean, at its container terminal. The network will be deployed with the support of Nokia partner EGC International… more
Wednesday, 18 October 2023
BTC digitises learning and recruitment roles
Bahamas – The Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) yesterday said it has completed the digitisation of its learning and recruitment processes in a bid to provide on-demand education for staff and better efficiency… more
REPORT: PM asked Bankman-Fried to give his son advice on NFT project
Bahamas – Two months prior to the collapse of FTX, Prime Minister Philip Davis asked FTX co-founder Sam Bankman-Fried to speak with his son regarding an NFT project he was consulting for, according to an email presented by prosecutors on Tuesday… more
Securities Commission partners with UB and University of Cambridge to offer exclusive Fintech programme
Bahamas – The Securities Commission of The Bahamas (the Commission) announced an exclusive five-year licensing agreement to offer the Cambridge FinTech and Regulatory Innovation (CFTRI) Programme at the University of The Bahamas, during the inaugural D3 Bahamas Web3 and FinTech Conference… more
Government transformation insight shared at first-ever Caribbean Digital Summit
Barbados – The inaugural Caribbean Digital Summit brought together senior public servants from more than 10 countries to share insight on the challenges of achieving digital transformation in public services and government operations, and the region’s success stories… more
BUSINESS BYTE: Digicel marks Cyber Security Awareness Month
Caribbean – As the world embraces the digital era, the importance of robust cybersecurity measures cannot be overstated. In honor of Cyber Security Awareness Month this October, Digicel Business reaffirms its commitment to safeguarding businesses of all sizes with cutting-edge cyber solutions… more
EU launches 9.5 million-euro support to Digital Jamaica initiative
Jamaica – Jamaica’s digital transformation agenda has received its first concrete grant-funded multi-sector initiative in the form of the Digital Transitioning Programme for Jamaica (Digital Jamaica), a collaborative effort between the European Union (EU) and the Government of Jamaica, with a total investment of 9.5 million euro. The launch event for the initiative was recently hosted at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade… more
itel bolsters presence with 800 new seats and key client acquisitions
Jamaica – Jamaican BPO (business process outsourcing) company itel will add over 800 seats to its Jamaica and Saint Lucia destinations and generate another 1,800 CX (customer experience) jobs in the region over the next six to eight months… more
JaCIRT evolves into national cyber authority for enhanced cybersecurity
Jamaica – The Jamaica Cyber Incident Response Team (JaCIRT), a division under the Ministry of Science, Energy, Telecommunications and Transport, is undergoing a significant transformation, evolving from a national security operations centre to the nation’s cybersecurity authority… more
Mass uptick in reported cyber incidents
Jamaica – Significantly driven by the evolution of new technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML) and quantum computing, stakeholders have indicated that they are now witnessing a more than 200 per cent increase in the number of locally reported cybersecurity breaches annually… more
‘Not OUR purview’
Jamaica – THE Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR) has hit back at claims that it is not adequately monitoring telephone calls for tax purposes, saying its regulatory role does not extend to such monitoring and is instead the purview of Tax Administration Jamaica (TAJ)… more
OIC gets ready for DPA despite skills gap hurdle
Jamaica – WITH little over a month left before the Data Protection Act (DPA) is set to take full effect, the Office of the Information Commissioner (OIC) said it has been increasing its readiness but cites skills gap concerns atop its immediate challenges… more
Credit Union Week 2023: Digital Transformation For Financial Inclusion
Saint Kitts and Nevis – Credit Union Week is being celebrated this week and Prime Minister Hon. Terrence Drew opened the week encouraging the unions to continue embracing digital transformations… more
MIC-IT’s entrepreneurship unit hosts BiZ Day
Trinidad and Tobago – On October 13, the Entrepreneurship Unit of MIC-IT organised an Entrepreneurship BiZ Day as part of its BizStart Programme, under the theme Building Business Communities. The event aimed to support and guide aspiring entrepreneurs on their journey to building successful businesses… more
Thursday, 19 October 2023
Cybersecurity Important To Bahamas National Strategy
Bahamas – Minister of Economic Affairs Sen. the Hon. Michael Halkitis said cybersecurity plays a pivotal role in The Bahamas’ national strategy and is crucial for advancing the nation’s utilization of information and communications technology and managing cyber risks-particularly from an economic, but also from a national security perspective… more
Digital payments ‘paramount’ to tourism continuing success
Bahamas – DIGITAL engagement by the tourism sector is “paramount” to the continued success of the industry, according to Rafique Symonette, chairman of the Tourism Development Corporation (TDC)… more
Team to tackle cybersecurity issues ‘to launch in December
Bahamas – As part of efforts to strengthen cybersecurity, the National Computer Incident Response Team (CIRT) will be launched in December, according to Minister of Economic Affairs Michael Halkitis… more
Barbados looking to refine digital strategies
Barbados – Minister of Industry, Innovation, Science and Technology Davidson Ishmael is hoping the Digital Summit being held here will help the government refine its digital strategies for a modern public sector… more
Culprit/s steal all equipment and printers from Carmelita’s Digital Connect Centre
Belize – Міnіѕtеr оf Неаlth аnd Wеllnеѕѕ, Кеvіn Веrnаrd іѕ dіѕhеаrtеnеd fоllоwіng thе nеwѕ thаt thіеvеѕ brоkе іntо thе nеw Dіgіtаl Соnnесt Сеntrе іn Саrmеlіtа аnd еѕсареd wіth аll thе еquірmеnt аnd рrіntеrѕ… more
Konris Maynard at Caribbean Digital Summit and ICT Week 2023
Caribbean – The Minister of Technology and Communication for St Kitts and Nevis, Konris Mayard is currently attending the Caribbean Digital Summit held at the Accra Beach Hotel and Spa, Rockley, Christ Church, Barbados, from October 16th to 20th, 2023… more
EU launches Digital Transition Programme for Jamaica
Jamaica – The European Union recently launched a Digital Transition Programme for Jamaica in support of the country’s transition towards a digital economy and society… more
Shift the AI mindset
Trinidad and Tobago – Addressing staff fears and data-security concerns is key to capturing the great potential gains of artificial intelligence (AI)… more
Trinidad and Tobago students selected for Huawei ICT training
Trinidad and Tobago – TEN university students from TT are in Costa Rica, alongside 92 students from Central America and the Caribbean, where they will compete for US$100,000 as part of Huawei Technologies Global Seeds for the Future Programme… more
Using big data, AI to optimise Trinidad and Tobago’s energy sector
Trinidad and Tobago – Data analytics and big data have emerged as powerful tools that can revolutionise industries globally… more
Friday, 20 October 2023
Bahamas kickstarts FTX assets sell-off
Bahamas – An auto dealer yesterday disclosed he expects to sell 60 percent of the former FTX vehicle fleet assigned to him within 30 days, but warned: “This is not a fire sale.” … more
Delays in CCTV network rollout, but system ‘never been better’
British Virgin Islands – Police Commissioner Mark Collins has assured residents that CCTV camera systems across the territory are up and working and suggested that he has not gotten any reports indicating that the system is not functioning as it should… more
Cybercrime reprieve
Jamaica – A security guard, who was taken to court for stealing images of a woman from her mobile phone and threatening to post them on social media if she did not comply with his sexual and financial demands, was eventually freed after both parties reached an amicable settlement in a mediation session… more
$$ approved for President’s Office, Digital Transformation Ministry
Trinidad and Tobago – THE Standing Finance Committee of the House of Representatives approved a budgetary allocation of $23,871,470 for the Office of the President (OTP) when it met at the Red House on Wednesday… more
Saturday, 21 October 2023
In the digital age, Guyana’s economy is still predominantly cash-based
Guyana – We now have smart phones, online banking, and contactless payments. You can transfer credit from your phone to a friend but yet you find that some businesses still do not have the means or refuse to accommodate electronic payments… more
Sunday, 22 October 2023
Embracing Artificial Intelligence?
Saint Lucia – ARTIFICIAL Intelligence, this ever-evolving field of computer science, which has taken the world by storm, has a strong presence in Saint Lucia, but are we taking it seriously? And by a strong presence we mean that from the moment a Saint Lucian wakes up to check his/her smartphone, or watch another Netflix recommended movie, artificial intelligence is staring them in the face… more
Flow, Digicel in Support of TR4 Awareness Activities
Saint Lucia – THE TR4 Communications Committee of the Ministry of Agriculture is collaborating with telecommunications providers Digicel and Flow set to release Fusarium Wilt TR4 text messages to all their customers. The messages will also be released on their respective websites and social media platforms as well… more
Images credit: rawpixel.com (Pexels); Wikipedia; Wikipedia; Wikimedia Commons; Wikipedia; Wikimedia Commons
