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KINGSTON, Jamaica — Against a backdrop of persistent global economic headwinds and shifting financial industry dynamics, VM Investments Limited (VMIL) is ramping up strategic initiatives to build a far more diversified earnings structure, with the dual goals of cutting its vulnerability to volatile market swings and laying a resilient foundation for sustained long-term expansion.

Addressing shareholders at the firm’s annual general meeting held on June 4, VMIL Chairman Michael McMorris outlined that the investment group is intentionally repositioning its core business lines to prioritize three high-stability segments: recurring fee-based income, holistic wealth management services, and alternative asset classes including private equity and commercial and residential real estate.

This strategic shift aligns with a widespread transformation across the global financial services sector, where institutions of all sizes are increasingly prioritizing predictable, recurring revenue streams that carry far less sensitivity to cyclical market conditions and fluctuations in trading volume compared to traditional market-dependent revenue models.

“This strategic repositioning is designed to boost the consistency of our earnings, cut our exposure to broad market volatility, and put VMIL in a strong position to capitalize on high-value opportunities across both local Jamaican and broader Caribbean regional markets,” McMorris explained during the meeting.

Per the company’s official updates, VMIL made consistent progress throughout 2025 in expanding its wealth management division and growing its footprint in alternative investments, while retaining an active, influential role in regional capital markets via its advisory and transaction service lines.

As part of its long-term growth enablement efforts, VMIL also allocated substantial capital to upgrades in financial technology, expanded talent acquisition and development, and enhancements to its enterprise risk management systems in 2025. These strategic investments pushed full-year operating expenses 3.7% higher year-over-year, a move company leadership framed as a measured balance between targeted growth spending and disciplined cost oversight.

The ongoing business transformation is unfolding against what McMorris called an unusually challenging operating landscape, marked by tightened global monetary policy, gradually moderating but still uncertain inflation trajectories, heightened geopolitical instability across major markets, and reduced overall liquidity in regional financial systems. The disruptions caused by Hurricane Melissa also added extra pressure on local market conditions over the past year.

Even in the face of these overlapping headwinds, VMIL delivered strong financial results by the close of 2025. The firm reported total assets reaching JMD 35.1 billion, up from JMD 30.5 billion at the end of 2024. Adjusted for a one-time gain booked in 2024 from the sale of the group’s private equity stake in Carilend, profit after tax jumped 24.1% year-over-year, signaling robust improvement in the company’s core operating performance.

That positive momentum has carried over into the first quarter of 2026, according to VMIL’s latest financial disclosures. The firm posted a net profit of JMD 70.1 million for the three-month period, a sharp reversal from the JMD 32.5 million net loss recorded in the same quarter last year. Meanwhile, operating revenue rose 16.8% year-over-year to start the year.

McMorris confirmed that the VMIL board remains fully confident in the company’s long-term strategic direction. The firm will continue prioritizing expansion of its investment product offerings, deepening personalized client relationships, and pursuing targeted opportunities that drive sustainable growth, all while upholding strict standards for prudent risk and capital management.

The entire transformation initiative is being carried out under the corporate branding theme “Future Ready”, a label VMIL says captures its commitment to strengthening its operational and financial foundation to capture emerging opportunities as the global and regional financial landscape continues to evolve.

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Amid intensifying global market headwinds and widespread economic uncertainty, Caribbean conglomerate Pan Jamaica Group Limited (PJAM) is doubling down on strengthened corporate governance and strategic business diversification to offset the challenges of a highly turbulent 2026.

Jeffrey Hall, PJAM’s chief executive officer and vice-chairman, outlined the group’s risk-mitigation strategy to shareholders on Thursday, emphasizing that the current global landscape demands deliberate, proactive planning for stakeholders who entrust the firm with their capital. “This is not an ordinary time for markets, and it is critical that we are transparent about the risks we see on the horizon,” Hall stated.

His remarks followed the release of the group’s first-quarter financial results, which delivered a 14% year-over-year rise in consolidated revenue to JMD $11.13 billion, but a sharp decline in net earnings driven by overlapping global and local shocks. Consolidated net profit plummeted 56% from $2.11 billion in the prior year period to $924.47 million for the quarter ending March 31, while net profit attributable to shareholders fell even more sharply, dropping 71% to $487.26 million.

Multiple interconnected factors drove the earnings slump. Geopolitical tensions between the U.S. and Iran have sent global fuel prices soaring, amplifying inflation across markets and squeezing margins for PJAM’s operating subsidiaries spread across the Americas and Europe.

Extreme weather events also dealt major blows to the group’s agricultural and logistics segments. Hurricane Melissa destroyed nearly 100% of PJAM’s banana and plantain farms, pushing first-quarter operating costs $120 million higher as the group works to rebuild production. Two subsequent North Atlantic storms disrupted the group’s ocean logistics division, which operates five refrigerated cargo vessels, causing $150 million in losses. Hall detailed that one storm knocked deck-stored containers overboard into the ocean, triggering costly delays that threw the vessel’s entire scheduled route off course.

Adding to the financial pressure, the group recorded a $200 million foreign exchange loss during the quarter, driven by appreciation of the Jamaican dollar against the U.S. dollar that hit the conglomerate’s long FX position, which includes its 43% stake in subsidiary Kingston Wharves Limited. The group also logged a $249.57 million unrealized loss on its domestic Jamaican listed securities holdings, a stark reversal from the $16.71 million unrealized gain recorded in the same quarter last year. Even with these headwinds, the group is actively working to divest $5.5 billion in non-core assets to streamline its balance sheet.

Hall stressed that the group’s core strategy to weather volatility remains centred on governance, diversification and maintaining healthy cash reserves, rather than pulling back from expansion plans. “We are not stepping away from growth; we are just proceeding with greater care,” he explained. “We believe our business is structured effectively to remain resilient through these challenges.”

Even amid broader market uncertainty, PJAM is pushing forward with targeted growth across key segments. Its specialty foods division is rapidly expanding its juice business across Europe, where the group already owns four operating companies across Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark. In October 2025, PJAM acquired a 64.1% stake in Danish firm Frankly Juice A/S for $410 million to solidify its footprint in the Nordic market, and sales to Eastern European markets are now hitting all-time highs. The firm is currently rolling out new operations in the Czech Republic and Romania, even amid ongoing global risk.

In its global services division, flagship subsidiary Kingston Wharves is pursuing growth via acquisitions of freight forwarding and logistics businesses, with plans to expand its presence in Western Jamaica. On the property and infrastructure front, subsidiary Baywest Development Limited has secured all necessary approvals to build a new resort development in Freeport, Montego Bay, with construction slated to begin in 2027. Separately, Capital Infrastructure Group Limited is set to begin benefiting from operations next year, when Rio Cobre Water Limited completes construction of a new 5-million-gallon-per-day water treatment plant.

PJAM also plans to support upcoming debt and equity raises for the Sagicor Group Caribbean Limited (SGC) restructuring transaction, scheduled to close later this year, which will see Sagicor Group Jamaica Limited and Sagicor Life Inc become subsidiaries of the new regional holding company. Hall noted that periods of market disruption often open the door to transformative long-term opportunities, pointing to the group’s history of making successful big moves during past crises.

As of the end of the first quarter, PJAM’s total assets declined 1% year-over-year, with $39.72 billion held in associates and joint ventures and $8.79 billion in cash and deposits. Total liabilities fell 3% to $37.06 billion, including $23.68 billion in outstanding debt, while consolidated equity rose to $114.62 billion, with $85.61 billion attributable to shareholders.

PJAM’s share price closed Thursday at $45.03, marking a 12% decline for the year to date and giving the firm a market capitalization of $73.29 billion. The group will pay a $0.175 per share dividend, totalling $284.85 million, on June 25 to shareholders of record as of May 29.

In leadership news, PJAM Chief Operating Officer Philip Armstrong will step down from his executive role on June 30 to take up the position of lead independent director on July 1. Armstrong joined the group in September 2022 as chief strategy officer and oversaw the successful amalgamation of PJAM and Jamaica Producers Group Limited. Hall noted that as the group has grown into a complex, multi-sector, multi-country enterprise, robust governance has become more critical than ever. Armstrong will lead the development and rollout of stricter, more robust governance frameworks for each of the group’s operating businesses.