The number of new companies incorporated in the Virgin Islands in 2023 slumped to its lowest level for 25 years, new figures show. The tally for the final quarter of …
Smith hits back after Labour MP’s ‘dirty money’ claims
Deputy Premier Lorna Smith pushed back this week after the Virgin Islands and other overseas territories were accused of deliberately defying the British parliament’s attempts to crack down on “dirty …
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‘No great rush’ on Global Minimum Tax
The Virgin Islands expects the next United Kingdom government to respect its decision on whether to sign up for the Global Minimum Tax initiative, Deputy Premier Lorna Smith said April …
Smith: Money-crime report not ‘damning’
The Virgin Islands is not facing a crisis in combating financial crime despite a recent report by international watchdogs which some experts viewed as scathing, Deputy Premier Lorna Smith said …
Government hosts ‘sanctions training’
In keeping with a recent recommendation from the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force, the Virgin Islands government is establishing a dedicated unit to handle sanctions like the ones that have …
Arbitrators discuss Caribbean industries
Construction, oil and gas, renewable energy and fintech were among the Caribbean industries that topped the discussion agenda last week during the fifth annual BVI Arbitration Week. The five-day event …
EDITORIAL: Public input vital to tourism plan
For about two decades, the Virgin Islands has been operating without a national tourism strategy. It shows. Government’s tourism decisions tend to take the form of haphazard knee-jerk reactions rather …
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Second cohort finishes fintech programme 18 professionals graduate
Eighteen professionals recently graduated as the second cohort of the new fintech programme at the Robert Mathavious Institute for Financial Services at H. Lavity Stoutt Community College. During the six-month …
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VI mission strengthens Guyana links
Representatives from the Virgin Islands private sector joined leaders including Deputy Premier Lorna Smith, Junior Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries Dr. Karl Dawson, and BVI Finance CEO Elise Donovan in …
Government aims for pre-Irma tourism numbers
Preliminary data shows growth in visitor arrivals in the first quarter of this year, and the trend is expected to accelerate with the help of the daily direct flights between …
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EDITORIAL: Rebranded ministry a double-edged sword
We see a step forward and a step backward in the new government’s decision to replace the former Ministry of Natural Resources and Labour with the rebranded Ministry of Financial …
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‘Economic Zone’ plan revised amid delays
When leaders broke ground on the Huntums Ghut Economic Zone in October 2020, they said the project would include three commercial warehouses that would accommodate up to six businesses each. …
Businesses still at forefront of building back
When Hurricane Irma came for the Bitter End Yacht Club, it destroyed nearly 100 buildings across 64 acres. But that didn’t mean that all of the resort was lost, said …
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Draft reopening protocols complete but not public
With less than seven weeks until the Virgin Islands’ borders are set to reopen to non-residents for the first time since late March, government has launched a series of meetings …
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Pinching pennies amid pandemic
In March, just as Covid-19 hit the Caribbean, Peter George, CEO of the Trinidad-based restaurant group Trent Limited, closed his portfolio of eateries before the government made him. “You could …
EDITORIAL: Consumer Protection Act is a big win
Kudos to the government for working closely with the opposition to finally pass consumer protection legislation, which Virgin Islands leaders have been promising for more than three decades. The achievement …
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Beaches and more businesses reopen
On Tuesday afternoon, Premier Andrew Fahie presided over his first coronavirus press conference since March 24, fielding questions from the media and reminding residents that “freedom” is in their “own …
Re-opening for business: After lockdown, economy chugging back to life
On Monday morning, for the first time in more than three weeks, patrons queued up in front of banks, farmers sold their wares on shaded sidewalks, and residents wandered supermarket …
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Business and government share dialogue in “solution forum”
A group of around 40 of what BVI Chamber of Commerce and Hotel Association Chairwoman Shaina Smith called the “unsung heroes” of the Virgin Islands economic recovery gathered on Tuesday …
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Microloans offered for small businesses
In August, therapist Kelvin Fahie had just opened his addiction-counselling practice, A Place Where Healing Begins, in Road Reef. Thanks to last year’s Kickstart BVI Small Business Loan Programme, he …