JMMB to launch remittance card, scan-to-pay options Loop Jamaica

Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: Jamaica News Loop News

The JMMB Group has announced the roll-out of new payment solutions, including a remittance prepaid card for individuals, and point-of-sale and scan-to-pay payment options for SMEs.

The new products are in keeping with JMMB’s digitization thrust to enhance the client experience by providing an omnichannel experience and improving operational efficiency.

According to the general manager of digital services at JMMB Group, Gifford Rankine, the pandemic has accelerated the acceptance of digital channels. As such, JMMB Group is seeking to better serve its clients by responding to their changing needs, preferences, and the changes across the industry.

“Will that mean that we will be closing all our branches? Most certainly not. Instead, we are looking to serve our clients where they are with our digital offerings,” he told the company’s annual general meeting last Thursday.

In the meantime, a select group of SME clients are piloting the new point-of-sale terminals and its scan-to-pay payment solution. JMMB said it would fully roll out the product soon.

“These payment solutions will allow especially smaller businesses to enable merchants to accept credit/debit card payments using various methods and provide their clients with easier and more convenient ways of making payments in the market,” Rankine said.

JMMB Group CEO Keith Duncan outlined that the payment systems (point-of-sales, mobile point-of-sales) and the corporate Moneyline are important to JMMB’s revenue streams but importantly to meeting the needs of it clients.

“We want to be able to facilitate the growth of our clients in the same way that JMMB Group has seen its growth over its 30 years from a single establishment to regional presence),” Duncan said.

In speaking about the deepening of its diversification strategy, Duncan revealed that JMMB continues to explore inorganic growth across the region to bolster and expand its current business lines.

For instance, JMMB, through its subsidiary in Trinidad and Tobago, JMMB Express Finance (T&T) Limited , is in the process of making a minority stake investment of 19.9 per cent ownership in Bayshore Finance (T&T) Limited (Bayshore).

Bayshore provides insurance premium financing solutions to retail and corporate customers in the twin-island republic.

JMMB said this acquisition of a minority stake in Bayshore is a strong strategic fit and is expected to allow JMMB Group to participate in the future growth of a solid and innovative company unlocking opportunities for increased market penetration and accretive synergies.

This transaction is subject to receiving relevant regulatory approvals from the Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobago (CBTT).

Earlier in August, JMMB Holding Company, SRI and its parent JMMB Group Limited announced that it had received final regulatory approval for the purchase of 100 per cent of the shares in Banco M?ltiple Bell Bank, S.A. in the Dominican Republic.

In sharing further diversification plans, Duncan noted that JMMB Group is also seeking to deepen business line diversification capitalizing on the growth potential in the commercial real estate market.

JMMB is making an initial investment of J$5 billion in the development of commercial, warehousing and business process outsourcing (BPO) projects.

Currently, JMMB Group is constructing over 160,000 square feet of real estate in downtown Kingston, Mandeville and Liguanea, which is expected to house its corporate offices and other operations.

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Budget snippet: Phoenix Park investment to expand

Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: Trinidad and Tobago Newsday

News

In this March 9 file photo, construction is ungoing at Phoenix Park Industrial Estate. – Photo by Angelo Marcelle

More than 70 lots are due to be rolled out at Phoenix Park Industrial Park in 2023, the Finance Minister, Colm Imbert, has announced.

In an update on the park in his budget presentation, Imbert said 78 lots and five factory shells are to be released in 2023. He said 11 investors are on board and negotiations are ongoing for nine more.

He said a fourth Chinese investor is among them. Plans for the park include a bonded trade and investment centre, and displays for up to 500 manufacturers.

An estimated $688 million was allocated for the park, which is under the management of Evolving Technologies Ltd. It is being built by Beijing Construction Engineering Group.

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Photos of the day: Budget 2023

Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: Trinidad and Tobago Newsday

News

Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar greets protesters who gathered outside Parliament on Monday ahead of the budget reading by Finance Minister Colm Imbert. – Photo by Roger Jacob

Newsday photographers captured these images outside Parliament on Monday ahead of the budget reading by Finance Minister Colm Imbert.

Protesters gathered outside the Red House on Abercromby Street in Port of Spain ahead of the budget reading by Finance Minister Colm Imbert on Monday. – Photo by Sureash Cholai

“ROWLEY MUST GO!” Many of the protesters gathered outside the Red House shouted “Rowley must go!” ahead of the budget reading by Finance Minister Colm Imbert. – Photo by Sureash Cholai

The Prime Minister arrives at Parliament on Monday for the budget reading – Photo by Roger Jacob

Protesters at Woodford Square in Port of Spain on Monday ahead of the budget reading. – Photo by Sureash Cholai

These protesters held a banner showing the divers who lost their lives in the Paria tragedy. The protesters were soutside Parliament ahead of the budget reading. – Photo by Roger Jacob

A protester holds his placard saying, ‘Sign the petition: Return Chagville” outside the Red House on Abercromby Street in Port of Spain on Monday, before the budget reading by Finance Minister Colm Imbert. – Photo by Sureash Cholai

Barataria/San Juan MP Saddam Hosein makes his way to Parliament after greeting protesters before the budget reading. – Photo by Roger Jacob

The police kept close watch as protesters gathered outside Parliament on Monday. – Photo by Roger Jacob

Police and protesters outside Parliament on Monday before the budget reading . – Photo by Roger Jacob

MEET ME ON THE PAVEMENT: Protesters lined the pavement outside Parliament on Monday ahead of the budget reading. – Photo by Roger Jacob

Oropouche East MP Roodal Moonilal greets protesters outside Parliament before the budget reading on Monday. – Photo by Roger Jacob

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Imbert: Oil and gas production must be boosted

Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: Trinidad and Tobago Newsday

News

The Cassisa C platform in the east coast. – Photo courtesy bpTT

Finance Minister Colm Imbert said even though the non-oil sector contributed 50 per cent of GDP, the oil and gas sector will remain a cornerstone of the economy for years to come. He says to maintain revenue and growth, the country must boost oil and gas production

Speaking during the reading of the Estimates of Expenditure for Fiscal 2023, he said EOG Resources Trinidad Ltd anticipated its first output from its first Osprey West project at the end of 2022 and Phase I of Osprey East in 2023. He said production from Phase II of Osprey East projects in its southwest consortium block and the Mento Block, a joint venture with BPTT, is projected to come onstream in the medium term.

He said the company also plans to drill six wells, three exploratory and three development wells for the Osprey East and West projects within the next year and to invest approximately US$234 million between 2022 and 2023. An investment of US$555 million is expected to be made for the Mento Field Development project during 2023 to 2026.

The Finance Minister listed the results of several bid rounds carried out by the Ministry of Energy and Energy Industries.

Imbert said the government is also advancing its policy goal for including renewable energy in the electricity supply mix. He said the development of a 112 megawatt solar photovoltaic project at a cost of US$124 million is at an advanced stage of negotiation with a consortium of Light Source Renewable Development Ltd, Shell TT Ltd and BP Alternative Energy TT Ltd, with construction of the solar energy plant expected to begin in early 2023.

“We are also pursuing a broad mix of projects in our energy transition strategy. A feed-in tariff policy is being developed to facilitate residential and commercial renewable energy generation and contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. A renewable energy policy is being developed by TT, bearing in mind our carbon-emissions commitment and the target of 30 per cent renewable energy by 2030.”

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[UPDATED] Barrackpore woman: Rum killed my son

Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: Trinidad and Tobago Newsday

News

Chandroutie Kuarsingh, points at the steps where her son, David “Boyo” Steven fell and died after leaving a bar at Papourie Road, Lengua Village in Barrackpore. – Photo by Marvin Hamilton

The mother of a man who lost his balance and fell into a drain on his way home from a bar believes his alcohol addiction was what ultimately killed him.

Chandroutie Kuarsingh urged people to avoid alcohol.

“Stop it now. Stop the drinking,” the 53-year-old mother of four told Newsday on Monday at the family’s home.

On Sunday, her son David “Boyo” Steven died at Papourie Road, Lengua Village, near Franco’s Café in Barrackpore. Steven, a labourer, turned 29 on Saturday.

“He was a hard worker. His only problem was he liked to drink a lot. Plenty of people talked to him about it. I talked to him many times, and he promised to ease it up.

“When he drank, he would come home, eat and sleep,” Kuarsingh said. “Saturday was his birthday, and he came home drunk that night. Earlier this year, he fell from the stairs and fractured three ribs. Sometimes his friends would come and carry him to drink out the road.”

The grieving mother said Steven was sickly and had liquid in his lungs. Doctors advised him not to work for at least a year. He applied for public assistance and was expected to collect his first grant next month.

The police found Steven’s body in the drain at around 2 pm on Sunday.

Minutes earlier, he and his friend Marlon Rampersad had been liming in a bar.

Rampersad recalled that he and Steven drank two nips of puncheon rum in 30 minutes and, at around 1.30 pm, decided to return to their separate homes in the area.

“I was walking in front of him, and when I looked back, I did not see him. It seems he slipped, but I did not hear anything,” Rampersad said. “When I looked, I saw blood, and he was not moving.

“I flagged down a car, and a guy stopped to help. He called the police, and I went to the station to tell them what had happened.

“I was at Boyo’s home earlier in the day, and we drank soup before leaving to go to the bar.”

PCs Sandy, Nabbie, Ramdeo and Maharaj found the Steven lying on his back with head wounds. A DMO later ordered Steven’s body taken to the mortuary of the San Fernando General Hospital.

An autopsy is set to be done during the week at the Forensic Science Centre in St James.

Sgt Narine, Cpl Khallie, and other Barrackpore police gathered evidence.

Investigations are ongoing.

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Wanted bulletin issued for businessman Dorwain Bess

Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: INews Guyana

The Guyana Police Force have issued a wanted bulletin for businessman Dorwain Bess as it continues its investigation into the publication of a defamatory publication in an effort to extort.

In the wanted bulletin Police said that the 45-year-old man’s last known address is Lot 162 Rupa Place, Bel Air Park, Georgetown.

The businessman was implicated by Alex Wayne and Gary Eleazar, the two reporters who were arrested last during a sting operation by Police as they allegedly attempted to extort $1 million from an auto dealer.

Police in a statement said that investigators conducted video and audio interviews with Marlon Gary Eleazar on Sunday. According to Police during the interview Eleazar claimed that he was contacted by Dorwain Bess, who told him that a businessman was evading taxes on imported vehicles, and he subsequently wrote the article and sent same to Dorwain Bess.

“Eleazar said Bess sent the article to Rickford Burke where several paragraphs were added, and posted it on the Guyana News Network Facebook page and website. Notably, Eleazar also said that he had access to the GNN website for over a year, and was given the website’s password and username by Rickford Burke to manage the website, and he subsequently uploaded about five articles to the site,” the police statement read.

Additionally, Police said that Eleazar claimed that he also would have sent other articles targeting other persons including Guyana Energy Agency to Dorwain Bess and sent them to Burke, who would then post the said articles to the GNN’s website and Facebook page.

“In particular, he said that Dorwain Bess told him that the article in question, was to threaten the businessman because of $100,000,000 that he had lost while they were in business,” Police said in the statement.

As the Police intensify its probe into attempts to extort a whopping $90 million from the local auto dealer, Eleazar and Wayne remain in custody.

On Saturday, it was revealed that two reporters –Wayne, 49, of Huntly Village, Mahaicony, East Coast Demerara; and 41-year-old Eleazar of Da Silva Street, Newtown, Kitty, Georgetown – were arrested after they were caught extorting monies, during a sting operation, from an auto dealer in exchange for the removal of a “libellous” article from a social media platform.

The article was published on the Facebook page of Guyana News Network (GNN), which purports to be a “news agency”, with the auto dealer’s photograph alleging that he is involved in illegal activities – something which he said is untrue but caused him to be “embarrassed” and his “reputation was tarnished”. The site is said to be operated by an overseas-based political activist.

A source close to the investigation told Guyana Times on Sunday that the Police have since obtained voice recordings of the political activist, who has ties to the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR), and the Guyanese businessman, both demanding $90 million from the local auto dealer in order to remove the article published about him.

In addition, the source also revealed to this publication that Eleazar, who has access to the social media page, along with Wayne approached the auto dealer separately and requested $10 million instead to remove the article from social media.

It was at this point that the auto dealer went to the Police on August 29 and filed a report about the extortion. This resulted in the Police setting up the sting operation to catch the two journalists, who are reportedly close associates of the overseas-based businessman.

The intelligence-led operation was conducted on the East Coast of Demerara sometime between 15:40h and 16:35h on Friday. During the sting operation, both Wayne and Eleazar went to the businessman to extort cash.

The two reporters were then seen arriving at the location and going to the businessman. The trio engaged in conversation during which Wayne and Eleazar demanded $1 million in order to remove the post from the GNN Facebook page.

Wayne then took out his computer and handed same over to Eleazar, who went to the website and attempted to remove the post but then claimed that the password that he was in possession of, was not working at the time for some reason.

As a result, the $1 million was handed over to the two journalists as a down payment in keeping with their demands. The duo collected the money and indicated to the businessman that they would return sometime after to remove the post and collect the outstanding monies.

However, as Wayne and Eleazar were about to leave they were intercepted by the Police and told of the allegation. The officers then conducted a search during which a portion of the money was found on Eleazar, while some was found on Wayne.

Additionally, two cellular phones and a laptop were immediately seized from the duo.

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At least 3.5 billion EC dollars to be allocated for various capital projects over the next three years

Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: NBC SVG

Some 3.5 billion EC dollars in Capital Projects will be undertaken here in St. Vincent and the Grenadines over the next three years.

This is according to Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves as he highlighted several issues at an event in New York on Saturday night.

https://www.nbcsvg.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/NEW-PROJECTS.mp3

Prime Minister Gonsalves said that the bulk of the money will go towards the Kingstown Port Modernization Project.

https://www.nbcsvg.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/OUR-PROJECTS.mp3

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Keisal Peters; Permanent Representative to the OAS, Louanne Gilchrist and Consulate General, Rondy McIntosh also addressed the event.

The event entitled “Vincy Diaspora Dialogue – Re-engaging the Vincentian Diaspora in the Post-COVID and Post-Eruption Era” was held at the Friends of Crown Heights Educational Center.

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Government plans to take a more aggressive approach to collecting unpaid taxes from defaulters

Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: NBC SVG

Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Camilo Gonsalves says the Government will take a more aggressive approach to collecting unpaid taxes from defaulters.

This was among issues addressed by Minister Gonsalves while speaking on Radio yesterday.

He said his Ministry will provide the resources for the Inland Revenue Department to pursue this matter.

https://www.nbcsvg.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/TAX-DEFAULTERS.mp3

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NBC’s Covid-19 Update – Monday September 26th 2022

Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: NBC SVG

Minister of Social Development Dr. Orando Brewster says a  Covid 19  Relief Project is set to set to begin here next month.

Dr. Brewster said the project will be supported by the Caribbean Development Bank, CDB.

Rawdica Stephen tells us more in NBC’s Covid-19 Update.

https://www.nbcsvg.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/COVID-19-UPDATE-618.mp3

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NBC’s Special Report – Monday September 26th 2022

Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: NBC SVG

It’s three months into the Atlantic Hurricane Season, and the St.Vincent and the Grenadines has so far not been impacted by any disaster.

Director of the National Emergency Management Organization NEMO  provided an update on the hurricane season to date on NBC’s Face to Face programme this morning.

She explained how damage assessment is being carried out following a severe disaster.

Rawdica Stephen tells us more in today’s special report.

https://www.nbcsvg.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/NEMO-DAMAGE-ASSESMENT-REPORT-1.mp3

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