The Tribune

Almost 30 Bahamian delegates attended the annual Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) Latin America conference, which was held in Mexico City from October 4-5.

STEP is the global professional association for specialists in family inheritance and succession planning. This year's conference focused on key issues such as the Common Reporting Standard (CRS) for automatic tax information exchange; tax evasion and corruption; the forms of family offices in Latin America; and the competing demands of transparency versus privacy.

Brent Symonette, minister of financial services, trade and industry, and Immigration, told the conference: "The Bahamas maintains its place as a premier international financial centre and has historically demonstrated its commitment to providing high quality service to families that span the globe as one of the world's foremost wealth management centres.

"And, while private wealth management serves as the foundation, The Bahamas offers a full range of services, including private banking, estate planning, asset management, fund administration and other corporate and financial services.

"We also provide services to the international capital markets, insurance and maritime industries. This diversity reflects The Bahamas' long history in providing financial services, as well as our ongoing commitment to maintaining our position as a provider of high-quality financial services."