Aqualectra and Wärtsilä representatives celebrate the order of a 25 MW / 25 MWh Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) to the Caribbean island of Curaҫao

From left to right: Rudolf Garmes, Joseph Everon, Reagan Celestijn, Marc Tarbox, Tganni Louisy, Neysa Isenia, Vianney Muzo, Staffan Nygard, Mathias West, Christoffer Ek, Edul Raphaela, Granger Jahnastasio.

CARIBPR WIRE, WILLEMSTAD, Curaçao, May 20, 2024: Technology group Wärtsilä will supply the Caribbean island of Curaҫao with a 25 MW / 25 MWh Battery Energy Storage System (BESS). The system will enable the expansion of renewable energy capacity and the reduction of carbon emissions, representing an important step towards a sustainable energy future for the island. The order was placed by Aqualectra, Curacao’s government owned utilities company, and will be booked by Wärtsilä in Q2, 2024.

The BESS and the GEMS Digital Energy Platform will provide grid stability and reliability, reduce unserved energy and help mitigate the risk of brownouts and blackouts. In addition, the BESS system will allow Aqualectra to expand their renewables’ vision thus allowing more renewable generation in the power system. The BESS system will also help smooth the intermittency of renewables.

“Aqualectra’s strategic objective is to provide the community with affordable, sustainable, and reliable electricity. The Wärtsilä solution will support all these objectives through reducing generation costs, enabling the integration of renewables, and decreasing CO2 emissions, while providing high reliability,” comments Joseph Everon, Advisor to the CTO at Aqualectra.

The order with Wärtsilä follows a detailed modelling of the power system to determine the best way forward.

“The BESS and GEMS provide the reserves needed to improve asset loading, and therefore efficiency, availability of energy, grid stability and reliability. Wärtsilä’s leading technologies and our capabilities of lifecycle services will support Aqualectra’s vision of a sustainable energy future. We are pleased to continue our close partnership with this project,” says Christoffer Ek, Director of Decarbonisation services at Wärtsilä Energy.

“The Caribbean has been an important region for Wärtsilä for decades and we have established many long-term relationships over that time. Aqualectra has been one of those great partners and this announcement to add BESS to their system with Wärtsilä is another sign of that strong relationship. Wärtsilä is here with solutions and capabilities for the Caribbean, and we are excited to continue serving this market for decades to come,” says Jon Rodriguez, Energy Business Director at Wärtsilä Energy.

The Wärtsilä equipment is scheduled for delivery in Q1/2025, and the project is expected to be fully operational by the end of Q2/2025.

Aqualectra is an existing Wärtsilä customer. The company operates three Wärtsilä engine power plants comprising a total of 16 generating sets.

All Wärtsilä releases are available at www.wartsila.com/media/news-releases and at news.cision.com/wartsila-corporation where also the images can be downloaded. Use of the image(s) is allowed only in connection with the contents of this press release. Wärtsilä images are available at www.wartsila.com/media/image-bank.

Wärtsilä Energy in brief
Wärtsilä Energy is at the forefront of the transition towards a 100% renewable energy future. We help our customers and the power sector to accelerate their decarbonisation journeys through our market-leading technologies and power system expertise. Our solutions include flexible engine power plants, energy storage and optimisation technology, and services for the whole lifecycle of our installations. Our engines are future-proof and can run on sustainable fuels. Our track record comprises 79 GW of power plant capacity, of which 18 GW are under service agreements, and over 125 energy storage systems, in 180 countries around the world.
www.wartsila.com/energy

Wärtsilä in brief
Wärtsilä is a global leader in innovative technologies and lifecycle solutions for the marine and energy markets. We emphasise innovation in sustainable technology and services to help our customers continuously improve environmental and economic performance. Our dedicated and passionate team of 17,800 professionals in more than 280 locations in 79 countries shape the decarbonisation transformation of our industries across the globe. In 2023, Wärtsilä’s net sales totalled EUR 6.0 billion. Wärtsilä is listed on Nasdaq Helsinki.
www.wartsila.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/a8af488e-6f63-4ea6-91b8-936849dd227f

Curazao da un paso importante hacia un futuro energético sostenible con el sistema de almacenamiento de energía en batería Wärtsilä

Los representantes de Aqualectra y Wärtsilä celebran el pedido de un sistema de almacenamiento de energía en batería (BESS) de 25 MW / 25 MWh para la isla caribeña de Curazao

De izquierda a derecha: Rudolf Garmes, Joseph Everon, Reagan Celestijn, Marc Tarbox, Tganni Louisy, Neysa Isenia, Vianney Muzo, Staffan Nygard, Mathias West, Christoffer Ek, Edul Raphaela y Granger Jahnastasio.

CARIBPR, WILLEMSTAD, Curazao, May 21, 2024: El grupo tecnológico Wärtsilä suministrará a la isla caribeña de Curazao un sistema de almacenamiento de energía en batería (BESS) de 25 MW / 25 MWh. El sistema permitirá la expansión de la capacidad de energía renovable y la reducción de las emisiones de carbono, lo que representa un paso importante hacia un futuro energético sostenible para la isla. El pedido fue realizado por Aqualectra, la empresa de servicios públicos propiedad del gobierno de Curazao, y será reservado por Wärtsilä en el segundo trimestre de 2024.

El BESS y la plataforma de energía digital GEMS ofrecerán estabilidad y confiabilidad a la red, reducirán la energía no servida y ayudarán a mitigar el riesgo de apagones y apagones. Además, el sistema BESS permitirá a Aqualectra ampliar la visión de sus energías renovables, permitiendo así una mayor generación renovable en el sistema eléctrico. El sistema BESS también ayudará a suavizar la intermitencia de las energías renovables.

“El objetivo estratégico de Aqualectra es ofrecer a la comunidad electricidad asequible, sostenible y confiable. La solución Wärtsilä apoyará todos estos objetivos a través de la reducción de costos de generación, permitiendo la integración de energías renovables y disminuyendo las emisiones de CO2, al tiempo que proporciona alta confiabilidad”, comenta Joseph Everon, asesor del director de tecnología de Aqualectra.

El pedido con Wärtsilä sigue un modelo detallado del sistema de energía para determinar el mejor camino a seguir.

“Los sistemas BESS y GEMS proporcionan las reservas necesarias para mejorar la carga de activos y, por lo tanto, eficacia, disponibilidad de energía, estabilidad de red y confiabilidad. Las tecnologías líderes de Wärtsilä y nuestras capacidades de servicios de ciclo de vida apoyarán la visión de Aqualectra de un futuro energético sostenible. Nos complace continuar nuestra estrecha asociación con este proyecto”, dice Christoffer Ek, director de servicios de descarbonización de Wärtsilä Energy.

“El Caribe ha sido una región importante para Wärtsilä durante décadas y hemos establecido muchas asociaciones de larga duración durante ese tiempo. Aqualectra está entre esos grandes socios y este anuncio de agregar a BESS a su sistema con Wärtsilä es otra señal de esa fuerte asociación. Wärtsilä está aquí con soluciones y capacidades para el Caribe, y estamos muy contentos de continuar sirviendo a este mercado en las próximas décadas”, dice Jon Rodríguez, director de la división de energía de Wärtsilä Energy.

El equipo Wärtsilä está programado para su entrega en el primer trimestre de 2025, y se espera que el proyecto esté completamente operativo para finales del segundo trimestre de 2025.

Aqualectra ya es cliente de Wärtsilä. La empresa opera tres centrales de energía de motores de Wärtsilä que incluyen un total de 16 grupos electrógenos.

Todos los comunicados de prensa de Wärtsilä están disponibles en, www.wartsila.com/media/news-releases y en news.cision.com/wartsila-corporation donde también se pueden descargar las imágenes. El uso de la (s) imagen(es) solo está permitido en conexión con el contenido de este comunicado de prensa. Las imágenes de Wärtsilä están disponibles en www.wartsila.com/media/image-bank.

Wärtsilä Energy en resumen
Wärtsilä Energy lidera la transición hacia un futuro energético cien por ciento renovable. Ayudamos a nuestros clientes y al sector de energía a acelerar sus procesos de descarbonización a través de nuestras tecnologías líderes en el mercado y experiencia en sistemas de energía. Nuestras soluciones incluyen centrales eléctricas de motores flexibles, tecnología de almacenamiento y optimización de energía y servicios para todo el ciclo de vida de nuestras instalaciones. Nuestros motores están preparados para el futuro y pueden funcionar con combustibles sostenibles. Nuestra trayectoria incluye 79 GW de capacidad de central eléctrica, de los cuales 18 GW están bajo acuerdos de servicio y más de 125 sistemas de almacenamiento de energía distribuidos a 180 países en todo el mundo.
www.wartsila.com/energy

Wärtsilä en resumen
Wärtsilä es un líder mundial en tecnologías innovadoras y soluciones de ciclo de vida para los mercados marino y energético. Enfatizamos la innovación en tecnología y servicios sostenibles para ayudar a nuestros clientes a mejorar continuamente el rendimiento ecológico y económico. Nuestro equipo dedicado y apasionado de 17.800 profesionales en más de 280 ubicaciones en 79 países da forma a la transformación de la descarbonización de nuestras industrias en todo el mundo. En 2023, las ventas netas de Wärtsilä alcanzaron un total de 6.0 mil millones de euros. Wärtsilä cotiza en el Nasdaq Helsinki.
www.wartsila.com

Una foto asociada con este comunicado de prensa está disponible en https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/a8af488e-6f63-4ea6-91b8-936849dd227f

]]> https://caribpr.com/cura%d2%abao-takes-important-step-towards-a-sustainable-energy-future-with-wartsila-battery-energy-storage-system/feed/ 0 https://caribpr.com/paysett-corporation-expands-its-regional-payments-partnership-with-sagicor/ https://caribpr.com/paysett-corporation-expands-its-regional-payments-partnership-with-sagicor/#comments Tue, 24 Oct 2023 17:09:34 +0000 caribpr http://caribpr.com/?p=15423

The real time payments (RTP) solution PayExpedite^® will further expand the financial institution’s payment capabilities in Barbados under the Amazon Web Services (AWS) platform.

ATLANTA and BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, Oct. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ – PaySett Corporation a global provider of payment solutions and Sagicor Bank (Barbados) announced today the launch of the bank’s new real time payments service based on the ISO 20022 messaging standard running under the AWS platform.

George Thomas, CEO of Sagicor Bank (Barbados) stated, “As the region’s first digital bank, we are duty bound to work with our partners to ensure that their technology posture is robust, modern, and forward-thinking. We partnered with PaySett to future proof their solution and as such we worked with them to certify their platform in the cloud. This is a mutually beneficial and monumental achievement which is the first of its kind in the anglophone Caribbean.”

Jesus Garcia VP of Business Development at PaySett Corporation added, “The Sagicor Bank real time payments implementation with our market proven PayExpedite^® solution demonstrates the product’s flexibility to adapt to different operating environments of our customers while at the same time providing seamless integration with Sagicor Bank’s core banking system and origination channels, as well as the local clearing house. Our research indicates that over the coming years regional financial institutions will be looking to move some of their infrastructure to cloud platforms such as AWS in order to streamline operations and reduce costs. We are delighted to support these efforts. Additionally Sagicor Bank’s future electronic payment offerings will be backed by a world class payments engine that will complement the bank’s future strategy and is capable of supporting different types of payment services including P2P, digital wallets, eCommerce, and others for consumers, businesses, and government institutions.”

About PaySett Corporation

Atlanta Georgia based PaySett Corporation is a global provider of payment software solutions. PaySett provides products/services that allow global financial institutions  to effectively manage the way money moves throughout their organizations and for their customers. PaySett’s two decades of experience moving payments through national and international payment networks has allowed for the development of advance payment software for assisting global institutions with the capability to enhance their regional and global payment network processing capabilities. Twelve of the top twenty global financial institutions process payments through PaySett software.

About Sagicor Bank (Barbados)

Sagicor Bank (Barbados) is a dynamic digital financial institution offering commercial banking services to personal and business clients. We provide unmatched benefits and convenience to clients in our portfolio supported by a diversely skilled team located in Barbados. We are leading the digital banking revolution by boldly presenting banking options that are easy-to-get, simple-to-use, safe and secure and rewarding. Find out more by visiting www.sagicor.bank, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter or YouTube.

Sagicor Bank is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sagicor Financial Company. Sagicor Financial Company Ltd. (TSX: SFC) is a leading financial services provider in the Caribbean, with over 180 years of history, and has a growing presence as a provider of life insurance products in the United States. Sagicor offers a wide range of products and services, including life, health, and general insurance, banking, pensions, annuities, and real estate. Sagicor’s registered office is located at Clarendon House, 2 Church Street, Hamilton, HM 11, Bermuda, with its principal office located at Cecil F De Caires Building, Wildey, St. Michael, Barbados. Additional information about Sagicor can be obtained by visiting www.sagicor.com

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To listen to the live webcast and watch the presentation, please use the following link: https://app.webinar.net/39A5XB5PMgZ

Analysts and investors interested in participating in the question and answer session of the conference call may do so by calling 1-888-390-0546 (toll-free) (Conference ID: 19474746). International participants may call 1-800-389-0704 (toll free) (Conference ID: 19474746).

Please connect and log in approximately 10 minutes before the beginning of the call. The webcast will be available for replay two hours after the conference call ends at the link above. It will remain available for one year and will also be posted to www.parkland.ca.

Financial Statements and Management’s Discussion and Analysis will be posted to www.parkland.ca and www.sedar.com after the results are released.

Parkland is an international fuel distributor and retailer with operations in twenty-five countries. Our purpose is to Power Journeys and Energize Communities, and every day, we provide over one million customers with the essential fuels, convenience items and quality foods on which they depend.

With approximately 4,000 retail and commercial locations across Canada, the United States, and the Caribbean region, we have developed supply, distribution, and trading capabilities to accelerate growth and business performance. In addition to meeting our customers’ needs for essential fuels, we provide a range of choices to help them lower their environmental impact. These include carbon and renewables trading, solar power, renewables manufacturing and ultrafast Electric Vehicle charging.

Our proven business model is centred around organic growth, our supply advantage, driven by scale and our integrated refinery and supply infrastructure, acquiring prudently, and integrating successfully. Our strategy is focused on developing our existing business in resilient markets, growing our food, convenience, and renewable energy businesses, and helping customers to decarbonize. Our business is underpinned by our people, and our values; safety, integrity, community, and respect, which are deeply embedded across our organization.

This exhibition takes Chinese enterprises as the main body, takes the needs of buyers in Central and North America and Caribbean region as the core, and uses the digital exhibition platform to provide enterprises with online negotiation opportunities and accurate matching services. It is expected that more than 10,000 buyers will visit and connect online. The exhibits cover Textile, Clothing and Xinjiang cotton products, Medical devices, Building materials and Hardware, Gifts and office supplies, Home appliances and Furniture, Consumer electronics and other fields. The exhibition also set up 14 exhibition areas, among which the “Chinese Brand” exhibition area highlights Chinese brand enterprises, products and services, and establishes a good image of Chinese Brands; In the “Service Trade” exhibition area, service trade enterprises are preferred, and efforts are made to promote “Chinese services” to go global and deeply integrate into the global industrial chain, value chain and logistics chain.

At present, the digital mode combining online and offline is becoming the new normal of the exhibition industry. The China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) actively plans to continue to help Chinese enterprises “maintain orders” and “stabilize foreign trade” by relying on the accumulated experience in organizing digital exhibitions, and make full use of the platform advantages of the “CCPIT cloud Exhibition” to display China’s development achievements, the economic and trade cooperation between China and Central and North America and Caribbean region, while introducing the business environment in Central and North America and Caribbean, interpreting the relevant free trade agreements and the global economic and trade friction index and other important information. During the exhibition, six industry matchmaking meetings will be held, with the theme of textile clothing and Xinjiang cotton products, auto parts, hardware and building materials, consumer goods, household appliances and household appliances, and consumer electronics, to help Chinese enterprises further communicate online with politicians and businessmen in Central and North America and the Caribbean region. The exhibition period of this expo is 10 days and will end on November 18, 2022.

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The three-day forum was convened by African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), the Government of Barbados in collaboration with the African Union Commission (AUC), African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat, Africa Business Council, the Caribbean Community Secretariat, and the Caribbean Export Development Agency.

The Prime Minister of Barbados – Mia Amor Mottley, expressed pleasure at being selected as the host country for ACTIF 2022. She asserted that Africa and the Caribbean share common roots and need to work and act together in various sectors. Participants committed to building a commercial bridge between the two regions for their prosperous future.

ACTIF 2022 was the first forum of its kind between the two regions and aimed to provide an opportunity for the Caribbean and African business communities, as well as governments, to establish new commercial and strategic relationships with the goal of expanding trade and investment between both the regions. The high-level support between the two regions is intended to boost bilateral cooperation and engagement in trade, investment, technology transfer, innovation, tourism, culture and other sectors. The forum also opened doors to effective business matchmaking between the two regions.

The three-day conference featured various panel discussions on several topics, which were based on business-to-business engagements. The delegates discussed topics such as: developing special economic zones (SEZs) and industrial parks; boosting industrialisation and manufacturing; improving infrastructure, financing and trade logistics, including regional integration, promoting trade and tourism, creating the environment to accelerate private sector investment, improving agricultural productivity and increasing agribusiness opportunities and food security.

Along with this, the forum also witnessed the signing ceremony of two partnership agreements, 10 MoUs and three finance facilities. The star document of the forum, which signified the success of the summit, was the partnership agreement between seven members of the Caribbean Community and Afreximbank to promote and finance South-South trade and investment between Africa and the Caribbean. Its ultimate goal is to promote and provide insurance and guarantee services covering commercial and non-commercial risks associated with African and Caribbean exports.

Caribbean countries such as Barbados, the Republic of Suriname, the Federation of St Kitts and Nevis, the Commonwealth of Dominica, Saint Lucia, Antigua and Barbuda and St Vincent and the Grenadines signed the agreement with African Export-Import Bank.

The agreement will help to boost knowledge sharing between Africa and the Caribbean region with technical cooperation, research and several joint events. It also has the potential to accelerate the membership of CARICOM nations in Afreximbank as it will enable the bank to operate in the region and deliver on the new vision.

Over and above this, in order to mobilise trade and investment between the two regions, Afreximbank also signed a US$250 million Trade and Investment Agreement with the Central Bank of Barbados.

Further, Afreximbank outlined their aim to establish the export-import as they signed a MoU with the Caribbean Association of Banks. The signing ceremony took place in the presence of hundreds of delegates comprising African and Caribbean business leaders and government officials discussing how to improve trade and investment between the two regions. It was signed by the Chief Executive Officer, CAB, Wendy Delmar, and the Executive Vice President of Afreximbank, Denys Denya.

To sustain these efforts, Africa-Caribbean Business Council, CARICOM Private Sector Organisation and Afreximbank also signed another MoU. The rest of the memos included Ghana Export Promotion Authority and Barbados Investment and Development Corporation signed by BIDC’s Hill and GEPA’s Dr Afua Asare, and BIDC, GUTA’s Dr Joseph Obeng and BCCI’s Anthony Branker, Ghana Union of Trade Association and Barbados Chamber of Commerce and Industry signed by Hill.

Various senior government representatives, business leaders, representatives of business associations, prospective investors and buyers, project promoters, development agencies, multilateral finance institutions, think tanks and research institutions from Africa and the Caribbean were in attendance at ACTIF 2022 with more than 1,500 delegates representing 93 countries (comprising 48 African countries, 12 Caribbean countries, and 33 other countries).

The specific objectives of ACTIF2022 were:

• Promotion of inter-bank relationships, which includes financial flow and fostering payment.
• Development of cultural and creative engagements between two regions that can be commercially viable.
• Creation of a business case for a potential AfriCaribbean Free Trade Area.
• Creating a suitable platform which helps to disseminate trade and investment information and other products and initiatives of the bank, which will support trade between Africa and Africans in the diaspora.
• Help in the reduction of the counterpart risk perception among African and Caribbean businesses in dealing among themselves.
• Promotion of trade and investment between Africa and the Caribbean as the forum served as the platform for market identification, building business partnerships, exchange of trade and market information, and co-investments.
• The forum also facilitates Afri-Caribbean investments by fostering and bolstering cross-regional business and investment linkages.

Seen as an industry voice and reliable source for those looking to vet CBI programmes around the world, the CBI Index is published annually by the Private Wealth Management magazine, a publication of the Financial Times, and in partnership with CS Global Partners.

This year, St Lucia was ranked alongside Antigua and Barbuda, Austria, Cambodia, Dominica, Egypt, Grenada, Jordan, Malta, Montenegro, St Kitts and Nevis, Turkey, and Vanuatu.

The CBI Index ranked these jurisdictions across nine pillars including Freedom of Movement, Standard of Living, Minimum Investment Outlay, Mandatory Travel or Residence, Citizenship Timeline, Ease of Processing, Due Diligence, Family and Certainty of Product.

Having recently welcomed Mc Claude Emmanuel to the position of Chief Executive Officer of its CBI unit, St Lucia was recognised its affordable minimum investment outlay, reasonable mandatory travel or residence requirements and ease of application processing.

“This recognition means a lot to us. The CBI Index is a globally recognised report that has been assessing CBI programmes for the last six years and not only will investors gain insight into our programme but it also gives us an opportunity to improve aspects of our programme to increase our scores next year,” said notes Mc Claude Emmanuel, CEO of St Lucia’s CPI Unit.

Investors can become a citizen of St Lucia in as little as 90 days by investing only a minimum of US$100,000 through its National Economic Fund, and busy entrepreneurs are not required to stay in the country for prescribed periods of time.

There weren’t many significant changes in the minimum investment outlays since the 2021 CBI Index, this was reflected in no change in the order of the final scores.

There were also no changes from the 2021 CBI Index to scores under the Mandatory Travel or Residence Pillar – Caribbean nations continue to rank highly in this area.

The country scored 87% overall.

St Lucia scored 9 out of ten for Due Diligence, Citizenship Timeline, and Family.

A very important aspect of any CBI programme is its ability to vet applicants and ensure that only honest individuals who can account for how they make a living are accepted into the programmes.

“We are on an ongoing drive to continuously enhance the due diligence processes of our programme as we are very keen to protect its integrity and value,” noted Mc Claude Emmanuel.

With ongoing geopolitical tensions, special attention is now being given to jurisdictions that offer CBI programmes. The international community is concerned that these programmes may offer boltholes for suspect characters looking to evade the law.

International respect is vital for any CBI programme to thrive, and a layer of ongoing monitoring is becoming a key pillar of reputable CBI Units such as that of St Lucia. Caribbean nations are setting global best practices when it comes to advancements in due diligence processes.

The Citizenship Timeline Pillar looks at the average time taken for citizenship to be secured by the applicant. One of the key merits of CBI programmes is their ability to provide a rapid route to second citizenship; St Lucia was awarded top points for its short turnaround times, which takes three months for citizenship to be granted from the date the Authorised Agent is notified that the application has been accepted for processing.

The CBI Index recognises that the rise of increasingly complex family relationships is driving investors to seek programmes that allow for a more diverse range of family members to be included under a primary application.

As an additional layer of nuance to its scoring system, this year’s CBI Index also draws a distinction between family members who are allowed to apply with and obtain citizenship at the same time as the main applicant and those who can apply at a later stage and because of the main applicant has already received citizenship.

Multiple family member categories were considered, with points being awarded for adult children, parents, grandparents and even siblings. Additional merit was also given to programmes with provisions for family members of the main applicant’s spouse. Additionally, the degree of flexibility within each of these categories can differ radically from programme to programme.

St Lucia scored 8 out of 10 in the Certainty of Product pillar. This pillar encompasses a range of factors that measure a programme’s certainty across five different dimensions: longevity, popularity and renown, stability, reputation, and adaptability.

Longevity measures the age of a given programme while Popularity and renown evaluate the number of applications and naturalisations under each programme per year, as well as a programme’s eminence in the industry.

The reputation of a programme was determined by the amount of negative press or the number of scandals it has been linked to, affecting investors’ broader perceptions of the countries in which they invest. Just as important, however, is evidence that programme funds are being utilised for social good. Points were awarded for a jurisdiction’s transparent use of CBI funds, for example for the development of domestic healthcare, education, tourism and other infrastructure. One of the main ways that investors can become citizens of St Lucia is through its Economic Fund which Mc Claude Emmanuel has said will “benefit all St Lucians by investing in social interventions and assisting the country to be food secure as assistance will be given to local farmers.”

Lastly, adaptability reflects a programme’s ability to rapidly respond to, and sometimes even predict, the needs of applicants and the industry.

St Lucia continues to offer a popular programme with consistently high application volumes, stability with no caps on the number of applications or specific calls to end the programme, and adaptability both in respect of changes to keep the programme functioning during Covid-19 and its swift response to the Russian invasion.

St Lucia, along with Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada and St Kitts and Nevis scored seven out of 10 in the Freedom of Movement pillar. St Lucia has access to 15 of the 20 key business hubs assessed in the 2022 CBI Index.

Lastly, St Lucia scored six out of 10 for its decent freedom, GDP growth and GNI scores.

Download the full CBI Index here, to get further insights into the CBI industry and a full evaluation of the CBI programmes of the 12 other jurisdictions in the rankings.

Released amid a year that has, again, been marked by heightened uncertainty, increased security risk, political instability and intensifying calls to act on the global warming threat, the CBI Index comes at a time when most individuals are reassessing the base they call home and are looking for more stable environments that not only offer security but business, health and education opportunities for generations to come.

Despite a tumultuous global environment and an investment industry harrowed by scrutiny from the EU and USA, this year’s CBI Index hints at opportunity amidst the chaos – opportunity for the CBI industry to evolve and perhaps be the answer to those who look to it to harness the world’s offerings.

Often thought of as a Plan B, the CBI Index infers that in a post-pandemic reset, there has been a shift in trust away from government as individuals obtain second, or multiple citizenships, and take control of their destinies. The new global citizen will look to invest in ‘Plan A’ and a more positive future for people and planet.

While the CBI Index is a rating system designed to measure the performance and appeal of global citizenship by investment (CBI) programmes across a diverse range of indicators, it is also a voice for the industry and a forward-looking manual that offers readers a glimpse of what the industry could be provided that industry players come together and shape its regulatory environment to benefit not only host countries, but citizens around the world who have realised that home need not be their place of birth, but where opportunities lie.

This Index is intended as a practical tool, both for those who wish to compare CBI programmes as a whole and for those who wish to compare specific aspects of each programme.

Its purpose is to provide a rigorous and systematic mechanism for appraising programmes, to facilitate the decision-making process for individuals considering them, and to bring value to the CBI industry.

The CBI Index assesses all countries with operational CBI programmes, which, in 2022, include Antigua and Barbuda, Austria, Cambodia, Dominica, Egypt, Grenada, Jordan, Malta, Montenegro, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, Turkey and Vanuatu.

The CBI Index rates CBI programmes according to these nine pillars: Freedom of Movement, Standard of Living, Minimum Investment Outlay, Mandatory Travel or Residence, Citizenship Timeline, Ease of Processing, Due Diligence, Family and Certainty of Product.

Freedom of Movement measures the relative strength of each country’s citizenship based on three equally weighted factors: the number of destinations to which a country’s passport allows travel without restriction, the number of prime business hubs to which it provides access, and the degree to which a given citizenship provides settlement rights in other nations.

The Standard of Living pillar is a measure of the quality of life offered by the 13 CBI jurisdictions under assessment and this pillar is vital to those who yearn to relocate and secure a prosperous and fulfilling lifestyle. Similarly, it is key to those wanting to take advantage of local business opportunities or needing to transfer and safeguard their assets.

The Minimum Investment Outlay pillar measures one of the most practical and foremost considerations of CBI – how much capital is required for the investor to become an eligible applicant for the programme of their choosing. The cost of applying for CBI increases with the number of dependants — or qualifying family members — included in an application. In some jurisdictions this increase is proportional, while in others the cost only increases following the inclusion of multiple dependants.

Mandatory Travel or Residence examines the travel or residence conditions imposed on applicants both before and after the granting of citizenship.

The Citizenship Timeline pillar looks at the average time taken for citizenship to be secured by the applicant.

The Ease of Processing pillar measures the end-to-end complexity of the CBI application process. In some jurisdictions, the application process can be a labour-intensive and painstaking task that is time-consuming for the applicant; in others, it is streamlined, and the applicant receives clear directives on how to proceed. The overall effortlessness of the application process is a particularly important component, and the promise of a smooth, hassle-free process can generate readiness to engage with a programme.

The Due Diligence pillar focuses on each nation’s commitment to ensuring that their programme remains transparent and effective at evaluating potential candidates for citizenship. It is therefore a measure of each programme’s integrity.

The Family pillar measures the extent to which investors can obtain citizenship for their immediate and extended family. The CBI Index recognises that the rise of increasingly complex family relationships is driving investors to seek programmes that allow for a more diverse range of family members to be included under a primary application.

Lastly, Certainty of Product encompasses a range of factors that measure a programme’s certainty across five different dimensions: longevity, popularity and renown, stability, reputation and adaptability. Additionally, it assesses a programme’s responsiveness to major global events, such as the Covid-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine that have had a significant impact on global mobility and due diligence requirements.

As the CBI industry undergoes its own challenges and metamorphosis, the CBI Index gives worldly investors a reliable analysis of reputable programmes that will enable them to choose second citizenship in destinations that will fulfil their needs.

Download the full report here to see which of the thirteen countries took top spot and gain further insight into the CBI industry.

Available products include Flex Seal, Flex Tape®, Flex Glue®, Flex Seal Liquid®, Flex Shot® and the Flex Seal Mini® products, each in a variety of their respective colors. These products are available at over 30 locations in-store and on some websites.

“The whole Flex Seal Family joins me in the excitement of this new opportunity and growth for our company,” said Phil Swift, CEO, Inventor and Spokesperson. “We are proud to partner with these new retailers and expand our offering of products to more countries globally.”

It’s important to protect your home and property during the storm season, and The Flex Seal Family of Products is there for you. Each product is useful for a variety of fixes and weatherizing around the home.

About The Flex Seal Family of Products
Swift Response, LLC is the distributor and marketer of The Flex Seal® Family of Products. Founded in 2011, the company provides a variety of DIY home repair and maintenance products specializing in waterproofing, adhesive, bonding and sealing.

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1158617/Flex_Seal_Logo.jpg

“I would like to thank ibex and all my co-workers for this wonderful gift,” said Willis. “This company treats you like family. I love and appreciate ibex for all they have done.”

In addition to raising funds to help Willis, ibex is committed to the fight against breast cancer and plans to make a donation to the Jamaica Cancer Society later this year. The company also supports local children’s homes across the island and has donated educational tablets to various schools.

“We are all so proud of our team here in Jamaica for their overwhelming compassion and generosity for our dear friend and colleague, Charmonique,” said Jaime Vergara, SVP and Country Manager, ibex. “ibex cares about our people and has a long history of giving to help support the communities where they live and work.”

ibex is the leading BPO in Jamaica with six facilities, including Ocho Rios, Portmore and Kingston, and is growing across multiple vertical markets, such as travel and hospitality, insurance, finance, retail, and others. This growth is helping to further reinforce Jamaica’s position as a global shared services hub that is digitally transforming our clients’ customer experience.

ibex recently celebrated the 5^th anniversary of ibex Cares, its philanthropic program that supports local communities where the company operates. This year, the program will be responsible for giving more than $250,000 in donations to local charities and causes.

About ibex
ibex delivers innovative business process outsourcing (BPO), smart digital marketing, online acquisition technology, and end-to-end customer engagement solutions to help companies acquire, engage, and retain valuable customers. Today, ibex operates a global CX delivery center model consisting of 34 operations facilities around the world, while deploying next-generation technology to drive superior customer experiences for many of the world’s leading companies across retail, e-commerce, healthcare, fintech, utilities and logistics.

ibex leverages its diverse global team of over 30,000 employees together with industry-leading technology, including its Wave X platform, to manage nearly 200 million critical customer interactions, adding over $2.2B in lifetime customer revenue each year and driving a truly differentiated customer experience. To learn more, visit our website at ibex.co and connect with us on LinkedIn.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/6ea21bb9-516e-4f09-9b21-bd51850514a8

ibex Cares: Equipo de Jamaica recauda $ 1 millón de JMD para ayudar a compañera de trabajo

CaribPR Wire, PORTMORE, Jamaica, April 27, 2022: – ibex (NASDAQ: IBEX), un proveedor líder mundial de externalización de procesos de negocios (BPO) y soluciones de tecnología de participación del cliente, anunció hoy que su equipo en Jamaica recaudó $ 1 millón de dólares jamaiquinos (JMD) para ayudar a pagar las nuevas prótesis de piernas para su compañera de equipo, Charmonique Willis. Charmonique perdió las piernas cuando tenía dos años y necesita nuevas prótesis.

“Me gustaría agradecer a ibex y a todos mis compañeros de trabajo por este maravilloso regalo”, dijo Charmonique. “Esta empresa te trata como familia. Quiero y aprecio a ibex por todo lo que han hecho”.

Además de recaudar fondos para ayudar a Willis, ibex mantiene su compromiso con la lucha contra el cáncer de mama y planea hacer una donación a la Jamaica Cancer Society a finales de este año. La empresa también apoya hogares infantiles locales en toda la isla y donó tabletas educativas a varias escuelas.

“Todos estamos muy orgullosos de nuestro equipo aquí en Jamaica por su abrumadora compasión y generosidad para nuestra querida amiga y colega, Charmonique”, dijo Jaime Vergara, vicepresidente sénior y gerente de país de ibex. “ibex se preocupa por nuestra gente y tiene una larga historia de donaciones para ayudar a apoyar a las comunidades donde viven y trabajan”.

ibex es el BPO líder en Jamaica con seis instalaciones, incluyendo Ocho Ríos, Portmore y Kingston, y está creciendo en varios mercados verticales, como viajes y hospitalidad, seguros, finanzas, minorista y otros. Este crecimiento ayuda a reforzar aún más la posición de Jamaica como un centro global de servicios compartidos que está transformando de forma digital la experiencia de consumo de nuestros clientes.

ibex recientemente celebró el quinto aniversario de ibex Cares, su programa filantrópico que apoya a las comunidades locales donde opera la empresa. Este año, el programa se encargará de entregar más de $ 250,000 en donaciones a organizaciones benéficas y causas locales.

Acerca de ibex
ibex ofrece externalización de procesos de negocios (BPO) innovadores, marketing digital inteligente, tecnología de adquisición en línea y soluciones de participación del cliente de extremo a extremo para ayudar a las empresas en la adquisición, participación y retención de clientes valiosos. Hoy, ibex opera un modelo de centro de entrega de experiencia del cliente (CX) global que consiste de 34 instalaciones de operaciones en todo el mundo, al mismo tiempo que implementa tecnología de última generación para promover experiencias superiores para el cliente para muchas de las empresas líderes mundiales en los sectores minorista, comercio electrónico, atención médica, tecnología financiera (fintech), servicios públicos y logística.

ibex aprovecha su diverso equipo global de más de 30.000 empleados junto con tecnología líder en el sector, incluyendo su plataforma Wave X, para la gestión de cerca de 200 millones de interacciones críticas con clientes, añadiendo más de $2.2 mil millones en ingresos vitalicios de clientes cada año e impulsando una experiencia de cliente verdaderamente diferenciada. Para más información, visite nuestro sitio web ibex.co y comuníquese con nosotros en LinkedIn.

Una foto adjunta a este comunicado de prensa está disponible en https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/6ea21bb9-516e-4f09-9b21-bd51850514a8

]]> https://caribpr.com/ibex-cares-jamaica-team-raises-1-million-jmd-to-help-coworker/feed/ 0 https://caribpr.com/caribbean-employment-services-enhances-its-recruitment-advertising-solutions-to-help-employers-find-top-talent/ https://caribpr.com/caribbean-employment-services-enhances-its-recruitment-advertising-solutions-to-help-employers-find-top-talent/#comments Thu, 10 Mar 2022 16:21:43 +0000 caribpr http://caribpr.com/?p=14812

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — Since its launch two years ago, Barbados-based Caribbean Employment Services has been helping employers recruit for positions in the Caribbean through their cost-effective online job board.

Caribbean Employment Services’ forward-thinking approach to advertising vacancies has seen it quickly become one of the market-leading recruitment advertising specialists in the Caribbean.

Combining its specialist experience with a proactive and responsive approach to recruitment advertising, the company has introduced two new recruitment advertising solutions.

Developed to help HR Directors, Managers and Recruitment Agencies attract the best talent to the Caribbean-based roles in their businesses, Optimal Recruitment Advertising Campaigns and Recruitment Partner Programmes are customised campaigns to meet monthly or annual recruitment needs.

Optimal Recruitment Advertising Campaigns use from the latest, cutting-edge search technology and proven marketing activities to attract the best candidates to your roles, including social media marketing through Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Caribbean Employment Services’ team of experts works with clients on their Recruitment Partner Programmes to develop trackable campaigns that include Cost per Click, Cost per Applicant and PR campaigns through news channels, including press release distribution, ensuring that employers stand out amongst other businesses.

Employers on the Recruitment Partner Programme benefit from publication in Caribbean Employment Services’ widely distributed and popular news articles, as well as press releases written and distributed through their PR team, ensuring even wider exposure for their recruitment campaigns.

Joseph Boll, CEO at Caribbean Employment Services, said “We’re delighted to be in a position to offer two new recruitment advertising solutions, developed specifically for our clients who need to find the very best talent for their roles in the Caribbean quickly and efficiently.”

Contact Details:
Caribbean Employment Services
Phone:            (1 246) 537-0395
Email:             hello@caribbeanemployment.com
Website:         https://caribbeanemployment.com/

Notes to Editors:

1. Further information and images are available on request.
2. Caribbean Employment Services is one of the market-leading and most cost-effective recruitment advertising specialists in the Caribbean.
3. It offers a range of proven recruitment advertising solutions for clients with Caribbean-based roles, including an Online Job Board, Optimal Recruitment Advertising Campaigns and Recruitment Partner Programmes.
4. For further information on Caribbean Employment Services, please visit https://caribbeanemployment.com/