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FINCO non-accruals strike 11.84% mark
FINCO non-accruals strike 11.84% mark By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor Finance Corporation of the Bahamas (FINCO) saw its non-performing loans increase by less than 1 per cent or $519,000 during the first quarter of its 2012 financial year, hitt
Bahamasair's $120m finance for new fleet
Two major global financial institutions have been hired to raise $120 million for Bahamasair before year-end, Tribune Business can reveal.
Five years until Credit Bureau is ‘meaningful’
Commonwealth Bank’s president yesterday said it could take up to five years for the proposed Credit Bureau to become a “meaningful tool” for commercial banks, due to the time required to build its database.
MP fears Baha Mar impact on sovereign rating
An Opposition MP yesterday warned that the Bahamas’ sovereign creditworthiness could be “very negatively” impacted if the $3.5 billion Baha Mar project fails to open within the next three to six months.
‘Wonderful opportunity’ for Long Island revival
The resolution to a 10-year dispute over Long Island’s one-time largest employer presents “a wonderful opportunity” to revive the island’s economy, its MP yesterday describing the surrounding area as “ghost town”.
QC demands new Port ownership
A well-known QC has called for new ownership and management at the Grand Bahama Port Authority (GBPA), arguing that this is a major reason for Freeport’s “listlessness”.
BOB two years from profitability
Prime Minister Perry Christie yesterday revealed it will take a further two years for Bank of the Bahamas to return to profitability, as he confirmed plans to recapitalise the troubled institution.
Brewery unveils'strong Q1' with44% profits rise
Commonwealth Brewery is today unveiling a "strong first quarter" for 2012 with net income up 44.2 per cent year-over-year, its management team telling Tribune Bus
1,200 room loss left Bahamas as 'most exposed' in Caribbean
1,200 room loss left Bahamas as 'most exposed' in Caribbean By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor The Royal Oasis and Nassau Beach Hotel closures left the Bahamas as the "most exposed destination by far" in the Caribbean when the recession hit, the
‘Wild Wild West’ web shop oversight hits Gaming Board
* AG: ‘Difficulty’ undermines ‘blue ribbon’ status * Gov’t ‘seconding’ anti-money launder specialists * Will ‘address forthwith’ web shop money transfers
THE Gaming Board’s “blue ribbon” reputation has been hurt by taking on regulation of the “Wild Wild West” web shop sector, the Attorney General said yesterday. Carl Bethel QC told Tribune Business that the Government was now seconding more experienced anti-money laundering regulators from other agencies to the Gaming Board in a bid to get to grips with a sector deemed “high risk”.
HOPE 8.7% FISCAL DEFICIT DECLINE A 'SUSTAINABLE TREND'
By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor A former finance minister yesterday expressed hope that the 8.7 per cent decline in the fiscal deficit for the 2011-2012 Budget year's first quarter represented the start of a "sustainable trend", even though the
QC: Don’t reward $35m Nygard ‘law breaking’
The Government was yesterday urged not to reward two decades of alleged law-breaking by approving Peter Nygard’s new development applications, a well-known QC suggesting he had seized land worth $35 million without permission.
BTC slammed with $1.581m fine over network outage
The Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) was last night hit with a $1.581 million fine for last March’s network outage, the sector regulator finding it did not take action to maintain a “functioning” communications system.
Union chief seeks 100-133% increase in minimum wage
The Trade Union Congress’s (TUC) president yesterday backed a 100-133 per cent increase in the Bahamas’ minimum wage, describing this as “reasonable”.
Gov’t braces for tax breaks legal battle
The Government was last night bracing for an outspoken QC’s latest Judicial Review salvo, after it missed his deadline to provide “an undertaking” that no decisions will be taken on Freeport’s tax and economic regime.
Governor: ‘Credible’ growth plan key to satisfying Moody’s
The Central Bank’s governor yesterday said it was “within the Government’s reach” to lay out an economic growth strategy that convinces Moody’s not to further slash the Bahamas’ credit rating.
Bran: 'Very dodgy' to interfere with business pricing
The Government will be "in very dodgy territory" should it seek to interfere with how Bahamian businesses price their goods and services, the DNA leader has warned.
Provider: We can support asset ‘doubling’ to $900m
A Bahamian financial services provider yesterday said it has the infrastructure to support a “doubling” in size to over $900 million in assets under administration, as it seeks to avoid being “pigeon-holed” in the corporate market.
IDB brands price controls ‘poorly targeted subsidy’
The Government’s price controls are a poorly-targeted mechanism to counter soaring 16 percent food inflation as they benefit the rich as much as low income and vulnerable families, a multilateral lender is arguing.
Baha Mar 'close' to $150m spend on Bahamians
BAHA Mar is "close" to investing $150 million with Bahamian contractors for its Cable Beach redevelopment, as it prepares to today launch the $2.6 billion project's 300 luxury Residences to high net-worth buyers from across the world in London.