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BTC owner dismisses Cable’s mobile threat

The Bahamas Telecommunications Company’s (BTC) controlling owner yesterday dismissed the competitive threat Cable Bahamas will pose if it wins the second cellular licence, saying it was “not a big player” when compared to the likes of Digicel.

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Baha May delay’s 50% cut to growth

Baha Mar’s delayed opening could potentially slash 50 per cent off the Bahamas’ 2015 economic growth forecast, a well-known businessman has warned.

$20-$30M INVESTMENT AT LAST HOTEL CORP HOTEL

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor An Illinois-based investor is eyeing a $20-$30 million investment during the first two phases of its plans to transform the last Hotel Corporation-owned property into an upscale boutique resort, with talks aiming

IDB: $13M 'RETROACTIVE' TO STOP ROADWORKS SHUTDOWN

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor An alarmed Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) is providing $13 million in retroactive financing to prevent a "cash flow shortfall" from bringing the New Providence Road Improvement Project to a temporary halt,

Revived Mortgage Plan may assist ‘over 1,000’

The Government yesterday unveiled a revised Mortgage Relief Plan it believes could assist “upwards of 1,000 delinquent borrowers”, via a 20-25 per cent cut to monthly loan payments.

Kosoy, Sterling eye Hurricane Hole deal

David Kosoy’s Sterling Global Financial is in negotiations to acquire Paradise Island’s Hurricane Hole property from Atlantis’s owner, Tribune Business can reveal.

OIL EXPLORER UNVEILS 'BAHAMIANISE' PLAN

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor A Bahamas-based oil exploration company's Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is expected to be released for public consultation on January 23 next year, the company also unveiling plans to "Bahamianise" through

SUPERVALUE IN 'OVER 20%' XMAS SALES RISE

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor The Supervalue supermarket chain saw a more than 20 per cent year-over-year increase in its Christmas sales figures, its owner and president telling Tribune Business yesterday the company was likely to invest a fu

BAHA MAR'S OCCUPANCIES 3-4% ABOVE FORECAST LEVEL

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor While occupancies at Baha Mar's two existing Cable Beach resorts are trending 3-4 per cent ahead of 2012 forecasts, the resort developer yesterday said they had yet to reach "levels considered acceptable", followi

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'Almost $900m' raised on LPIA redevelopment

THE Nassau Airport Development Company (NAD) yesterday told Tribune Business it had now raised "almost $900 million" via six separate financial transactions, having just closed the final $225 million round to fund Lynden Pindling International Airport's (LPIA) $409.5 million redevelopment.

THE 'BAHAMIAN DREAM' HAS SOURED FOR SO MANY

Anyone who reads the local newspapers cannot help but notice the large number of distressed Bahamian homes advertised for sale by banks under their mortgage powers. Never before in the history of the Bahamas have so many families suffered the humiliation,

Oil explorer: New fiscal regime does not apply to us

The Bahamas Petroleum Company’s (BPC) chief executive yesterday said the Government’s increased ‘take’ from oil exploration would not apply to its activities, because its fiscal terms were already set.

BAHAMAS URGED: ADDRESS FINANCIAL LAW WEAKNESSES

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor The US government has again urged the Bahamas to strengthen its anti-terror financing laws and make membership of organised criminal gangs a criminal offence, according to a recently-released US State Department r

Insurers ‘not oblivious’ to Bahamas sanctions threat

THE insurance industry “is not oblivious” to the need for the Bahamas to comply with global anti-financial crime standards and avoid sanctions, its chairman said yesterday.

Shareholder outrage over ‘no change’ BOB

Bank of the Bahamas shareholders yesterday reacted with outrage over the decision to nominate the existing Board of Directors for re-election, one demanding: “Where does the buck stop?”

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Atlantis’s 4.5% Xmas rate rise beats hotel norm

Atlantis has seen a “quite substantial” 4.5 per cent year-over-year increase in average daily room rates (ADRs) for the upcoming peak Christmas/New Year season, a growth rate exceeding industry norms.

Bahamians urged: Show ‘more ‘outrage’ over financial crimes

BAHAMIANS were yesterday urged to show “more outrage” over financial crime and poor business practices, a prominent cleric arguing that these had become “entrenched in our culture”.

Development Bank fund ‘sinking’: Covers 1/3 of $46m bonds

* Just 28.4% of loans ‘performing’ * Accumulated losses over $60m * Solvency deficiency at $31.31m

THE Bahamas Development Bank’s (BDB) ‘sinking fund’ covered just one-third of its $46 million outstanding bond debt at year-end 2016, with only 28.4 per cent of its loans ‘performing’. The BDB’s 2016 financial statements, tabled in the House of Assembly in Wednesday by the Prime Minister, reveal the parlous state of another state-owned enterprise (SOE) that has racked up more than $60 million in losses for the Bahamian taxpayer during its 43-year existence.

SMALL BUSINESS BILL DISCUSSION TARGET BEFORE 2012 ELECTION

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor A government minister says he is "reasonably certain" that broad consultation with stakeholders on the much-awaited Small and Medium-Sized Business (SME) Development Bill can be held prior to the general election,

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Baha Mar avoids damages on $10m 'credit letter'

Baha Mar has reached a legal settlement that prevents a former hotel partner seeking specific damages against it for trying to draw down a $10 million Letter of Credit, although arbitration proceedings remain alive.