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Annual Regional Investment and Capital Markets Conference

Annual Regional Investment and Capital Markets Conference

January 31, 2018

cfg attended the Annual Regional Investments and Capital Markets Conference held by The Jamaica Stock Exchange (JSE) from Tuesday, January 23rd through to Thursday, January 25th, 2018 at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel in Kingston, Jamaica. The theme of this year was “Driving Growth: Regional Investments Driving the Climate of Change”.

In 2015, after 46 years of existence, the JSE topped the world with an impressive 80% return. This exceptional growth was caused by a new management approach of the JSE in close cooperation with the Jamaican Government to revive Jamaica’s capital markets.The vibrant capital markets community that has been created around the JSE has enabled the significant reduction in interest rates for businesses and capital to be distributed more efficiently to the best investment and business opportunities in the market.The JSE currently has more than 100 company listings and 3,000 active investors today, making it the most active and best performing stock market in the Caribbean. 

The JSE received the support from the Government of Jamaica which issued several reforms to help the JSE improve the local capital market. According to the Gov’t of Jamaica the Stock Exchange has an important role for businesses, investors and the economy of Jamaica. The JSE provides investment products for investors, and is an alternative source of financing and funding for businesses that are seeking access to capital. The continuous commitment of the JSE and the Jamaican government resulted in significant changes in government policies, the venture capital eco system, non-government agencies, the tax system and the capital market.

The Conference provided a productive and informative platform for cfg and many lessons learned that we will continue to share with our local Dutch Caribbean Securities Exchange (“DCSX”) and the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs. We firmly believe that an active DCSX will enable businesses and the economy to thrive through the more efficient distribution of capital to worthy opportunities in our local market.