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At the CANTO Connect 2026 conference, Liberty Caribbean CEO Inge Smidts delivered a powerful address challenging Caribbean leaders to harness the region’s digital infrastructure for measurable economic advancement. Speaking as head of the telecommunications giant operating Flow, Liberty Business and BTC services, Smidts presented a strategic framework for converting connectivity into concrete opportunities.

With the conference theme ‘Elevate the Caribbean — From Connectivity to Global Competitiveness’ as backdrop, Smidts outlined three critical priorities: embedding technology within Caribbean cultural identity, constructing people-centered intelligent networks, and accelerating telecom companies’ evolution into technology platforms that generate local opportunities.

“Our foundation of connectivity is established,” Smidts declared. “The pressing question now is what we will build upon it. Combining Caribbean creativity with reliable connectivity and intelligent policy unlocks jobs, services, and businesses capable of competing internationally.”

The CEO emphasized Liberty Caribbean’s commitment to leading this transformation through investments in human capital, strategic partnerships, and technological platforms. She called for enhanced public-private collaboration models extending beyond financing to include co-regulation, regulatory sandboxes, and shared governance structures.

“Public-private partnership serves as the engine for progress acceleration,” Smidts explained. “Governments provide vision and legitimacy, industry contributes scale and technical capability, while universities and civil society offer scrutiny and social purpose. Aligned incentives produce tangible impact.”

Liberty Caribbean demonstrated its commitment through concrete offers to connect investors with developers, align government programs with cloud infrastructure, and expand apprenticeship pipelines to empower Caribbean entrepreneurs and technologists.

Smidts highlighted the company’s practical initiatives including the JUMP inclusion program, which provides subsidized access, devices, training, and entrepreneurial support to households and microentrepreneurs. She stressed that intelligent connectivity must address authentic local needs while engineered for resilience in a disaster-prone region.

“In hurricane zones, active fault lines, and volcanic regions, connectivity becomes lifesaving rather than optional,” Smidts noted. “Our emergency response work proves that industry collaboration with satellite providers and governments can restore critical communications within hours instead of days.”

The address specifically acknowledged Trinidad and Tobago’s progress driven by policy initiatives including the Blueprint Revitalisation Plan, successful investor engagement, and a $1 billion bond roadshow. National digital projects such as the ANANSI digital assistant, UNESCO/UNDP AI assessment collaboration, OpenAI partnerships for education transformation, and the Developers’ Hub for SME-government co-creation received particular emphasis as examples of the nation’s ambitious digital transformation.

Scotia Group Jamaica Limited (SGJ) is undergoing significant leadership changes as board chair Anya Schnoor announces her retirement to dedicate her expertise exclusively to expanding Scotiabank’s global insurance strategy. Schnoor will conclude her five-year tenure as director by not seeking re-election at the upcoming annual general meeting scheduled for March 4th.

This transition marks the end of a groundbreaking chapter for Jamaican corporate leadership, as Schnoor made history in December 2022 by becoming the first Jamaican woman to chair Scotia Group’s board. Her banking career with Scotiabank Jamaica began in May 2006, culminating in her November 2024 appointment as Executive Vice-President of global insurance.

Vernon Douglas, current chair of The Bank of Nova Scotia Jamaica Limited, will assume the SGJ chairman role following Schnoor’s departure. This promotion triggers subsequent leadership adjustments, with Audrey Richards—currently chairing both Scotia Investments Jamaica Limited and Scotia Jamaica Life Insurance Company Limited—prepared to succeed Douglas at Scotiabank Jamaica.

The corporate reshuffling occurs as Scotia Group Jamaica prepares to host its annual meeting at Montego Bay’s Iberostar Selection Rose Hall, notably shifting from its traditional Kingston venue. This geographical change reflects the financial conglomerate’s commitment to supporting western Jamaica’s recovery efforts following the devastating impact of Hurricane Melissa.

In her departure statement, Schnoor reflected on her career origins: “I started my career with Scotiabank here in Jamaica and have been proud that the first home for Scotiabank outside of North America continues to set the bar for financial performance and good corporate governance in the local market.” She expressed full confidence in the institution’s continued excellence for decades to come.

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Mayberry Jamaican Equities Limited experienced a dramatic financial reversal in 2025 as widespread declines on the Jamaica Stock Exchange triggered substantial unrealized losses within its investment portfolio. The market downturn effectively erased previous gains and significantly diminished the company’s net asset value.

The investment firm reported unaudited results showing a total comprehensive loss of $5.7 billion for the twelve-month period ending December 31, 2025—a stark contrast to the $584 million gain recorded in 2024. Net losses reached $4.9 billion, with loss per share expanding dramatically to $4.10 from just 12 cents the previous year.

Notably, the losses stemmed not from operational deficiencies but from depreciating market valuations. Operating expenses actually decreased throughout the year, while dividend income from portfolio companies increased. The comprehensive loss primarily reflected declining equity prices across the local exchange, reversing valuation gains achieved in 2024.

The company’s asset value contracted by 22.4% to $18.3 billion as share prices fell. Shareholders’ equity declined by approximately one-third to $12.2 billion, reducing net asset value per share to $10.12 from $14.89 at the close of 2024.

Mayberry’s share price mirrored this downward trajectory, closing the year at $8.75—a 26.2% year-on-year decrease. The stock currently trades below its reported underlying value, indicating persistent investor caution toward the sector.

Portfolio concentration emerged as a critical vulnerability during the market downturn. More than half of Mayberry’s investment value remains concentrated in a single holding, Supreme Ventures Limited, with the remainder distributed across 24 other Jamaica Stock Exchange-listed companies. This concentration strategy, while potentially rewarding during bull markets, amplified losses during the downturn, with declines in a limited number of large holdings—including investments classified as associates—accounting for most of the portfolio’s value reduction.

The market weakness occurred despite improving macroeconomic conditions. Jamaica’s economy expanded in 2025 following hurricane-related disruptions the previous year, supported by growth in both services and goods-producing industries. However, this recovery failed to translate into equity market gains, with both the Main and Junior Market indices closing lower due to valuation adjustments, elevated inflation in the latter half of the year, and ongoing uncertainty regarding extreme weather risks.

Additional market pressures included modest weakening of the Jamaican dollar against the US dollar, prompting repeated foreign-exchange interventions by the Bank of Jamaica to stabilize market conditions.

Despite the substantial losses, Mayberry Jamaican Equities concluded the year with financial stability intact, maintaining positive shareholders’ equity and manageable debt levels without immediate signs of financial distress. However, the erosion of asset values has diminished the company’s capacity to withstand further market volatility in 2026. Future performance will likely depend less on cost control—which remained effective throughout 2025—and more on the recovery of equity prices, particularly among its largest holdings.

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Two prominent hospitality entities within the Margaritaville Caribbean Group consortium have announced significant delays in their financial reporting schedules, attributing the postponements to operational disruptions caused by Hurricane Melissa’s recent passage through the region.

Margaritaville (Turks) Limited disclosed Thursday that its board of directors has formally rescheduled the publication of its upcoming financial report to February 27, 2026. Company officials confirmed the delay stems directly from hurricane-related complications that impaired normal accounting functions and data collection processes.

In a parallel development, Express Catering revealed similar reporting challenges, announcing the deferral of its second-quarter 2026 interim financial statements to the same revised date of February 27, 2026. The food service provider cited identical storm-related operational disruptions affecting its financial documentation pipeline.

Both organizations emphasized their commitment to expedite publication should operational conditions improve ahead of the revised timeline. The coordinated delay highlights the broader challenges facing Caribbean businesses following October 2025’s Hurricane Melissa, which severely impacted commercial activity, supply chain logistics, and administrative capabilities across multiple industrial sectors throughout the region.

The hurricane’s aftermath has created particularly complex challenges for hospitality and tourism-dependent businesses, which must simultaneously manage recovery operations while maintaining regulatory compliance. Industry analysts note that such reporting delays are not uncommon following major natural disasters, though the nearly three-week postponement indicates significant systemic disruption to financial infrastructure.