Growing up in The Bahamas, I remember my grandmother’s asue. There weren’t any banks where she lived on the island of Inagua, and even if there had been, it wasn’t customary for women to frequent them. To adapt, women (and sometimes men) formed their own informal savings groups, known as asues. As her group’s custodian, my grandmother collected a weekly contribution from … [Read more...] about Three ways to strengthen financing for private companies in the Caribbean
Caribbean
Three ways multilaterals support local banks and drive innovation in the Caribbean
Local banks are a core component of the market architecture in Latin America and the Caribbean with the potential to catalyze innovation and growth. As I return from the Americas Competitiveness Forum in Trinidad & Tobago, my third visit to the country this year, I am reminded how dynamic and innovative its business environment is and how multilaterals can better engage … [Read more...] about Three ways multilaterals support local banks and drive innovation in the Caribbean
Defining Expectations: An interview with Jamaica’s Maureen Hayden-Cater on women and leadership
A Caribbean bank leader highlights her experience promoting gender equality both inside and out Maureen Hayden-Cater, President of Jamaica’s First Global Bank, visited the IDB Group to participate in our speaker series “Promoting Women Leaders in the Private Sector.” The initiative is part of the IDB Group Private Sector’s goal to showcase women leaders in the region and … [Read more...] about Defining Expectations: An interview with Jamaica’s Maureen Hayden-Cater on women and leadership
The Caribbean Private Sector: How to expand lending
“All cassava have the same skin, but all don’t taste the same way,” is a Caribbean proverb which serves as a reminder that while people may appear alike on the outside, each is quite unique on the inside. The saying, which first originated in Guyana, speaks about the individuality of people, yet it also resonates with me as a development professional when thinking about the … [Read more...] about The Caribbean Private Sector: How to expand lending