Major investment conference in TT

The forum is called the 2015 Caribbean Finance and Investment Forum. Scheduled to take place at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Port-of-Spain from March 4 to 5, the objective of the forum is to “bring together regional public and private sector leaders with international investors, financiers and corporate leaders for two days of interactive panel discussions, informative presentations and pre-arranged one-on-one meetings, designed to explore investment opportunities, connect participants and meaningfully drive forward the regional agenda.”

Information provided to Business Day about the upcoming forum states that, “from tourism and banking to energy and infrastructure, the economies of the Caribbean provide investors with a wealth of investment opportunities across a wide spectrum of industries and asset classes.”

According to a draft agenda for the forum, Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar is listed to give the keynote address on the opening day, March 4. Persad-Bissessar will be amongst regional leaders attending the first ever Caribbean Energy Security Summit in Washington DC on January 26, which will be hosted by US Vice President Joe Biden.

At a news conference on Monday, Planning Minister Dr Bhoe Tewarie indicated Persad-Bissessar will seek to advance talks on the establishment of a new regional agreement on energy market matters – including Petrocaribe – at this conference.

The first panel discussion to follow the Prime Minister’s address at the 2015 Caribbean Finance and Investment Forum is entitled, “What is the roadmap to a connected future?”

With the World Bank estimating that the Caribbean could experience economic growth of 3.6 percent in 2015, participants in this panel discussion will examine the current health of the region’s economies; the current condition of its capital markets; regional initiative in energy, infrastructure, health and education and how renewable energy and services can provide a stable foundation for generations to come.

This panel will be moderated by Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Latin Finance, Katie Llanos Small. Members of the panel include Trade Minister Vasant Bharath; Massy Group President and CEO, Gervase Warner and Hans Schulz, Vice-President for the Private Sector and Non- Sovereign Guaranteed Operations of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).

Later on the opening day, there will be a panel discussion on sovereign debt and public finances in the Caribbean. This panel will be moderated by Latin Finance CEO Taimur Ahmad. Finance and Economy Minister Larry Howai is listed as one of the members of this panel.

Subsequent panels on March 4 will focus on issues such as financing infrastructure and renewable energy projects in the Caribbean; developing a corporate debt market in the Caribbean; energy-oil and gas in the Caribbean and funding growth in the regional tourism industry.

The final day of the forum will address issues such as the expanded Panama Canal and the Caribbean’s opportunity; opportunities for investment in Haiti’s tourism sector and opportunities for investment in the Caribbean Green Economy.

Latin Finance is the Latin America focused subsidiary of Euromoney Institutional Investor (EII). Founded in 1988, Latin Finance is headquartered in Miami, with a second office in New York.

With correspondents spread throughout Latin America, Latin Finance is one of four EII flagship titles along with Euromoney; Institutional Investor and Asiamoney. The primary focus of Latin Finance is debt, equity, structured finance, syndicated lending and multilateral financing and on the practical application of these products in finance and/or investment by sovereign, financial and corporate issues and portfolio, private equity and hedge fund investors. Latin Finance exists to explain Latin America, its countries, companies and assets to international investors.

The TTIFC is an investment promotion agency created to boost a company’s operations by connecting prospective partners in financial services with excellent right sourcing resources and talent in TT. The TTIFC’s vision is to make this country “the premier location in the Western Hemisphere for financial services.” The organisation’s mission statement is, “To attract and facilitate foreign direct investment in the financial services sector, that would enhance the growth and diversification of the economy by creating sustainable employment.”