Samantha Sterling will be pursuing Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) studies at The Mico University College in the 2023/24 academic year on a fully paid scholarship provided by the Government of Jamaica. She is among 1,250 new student-teachers at the institution who will have their tuition fully covered over the next five years through a $2.5 billion investment. The...

The lifespan of Jamaica’s new banknotes is projected to extend by approximately 50 per cent on the timeline for the existing bills. This projection is based on the authorities’ decision to switch the choice of material used for printing from paper to polymer. The Bank of Jamaica (BOJ) Division Chief for Banking and Currency Operations, Chevanese Morais, tells JIS News...

The Bank of Jamaica (BOJ) says there has been a general reduction in inflation – that is, the rate of price increases – between April 2022, when headline or year-over-year inflation peaked at 11.8 per cent, and March this year when the out-turn fell to 6.2 per cent. The term ‘inflation’ is sometimes loosely used to refer to any increase...

Jamaica Employers’ Federation (JEF) President, David Wan, is anticipating that the Central Bank will commence lowering the policy interest rate on deposit-taking institutions’ overnight placements soon, based on the latest inflation rate out-turn. The Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN) reports that inflation, which peaked at 11.8 per cent in April 2022 and has been falling since, dipped to 6.2 per...

The Government’s decision to request access to approximately US$1.7 billion under the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Precautionary and Liquidity Line (PLL) and Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF), for which Jamaica qualifies, has been endorsed by business leaders. Both funding lines are intended to bolster Jamaica’s economic and climate resilience buffers and help the country to prepare for any future adverse...

Digital transactions remain pivotal to driving financial inclusion across Jamaica. Against this background and following groundwork by the administrators of the digital wallet, Lynk, persons without bank accounts are among the individuals now able to conduct transactions at select automated banking machines (ABMs) using their cellphones. This is being facilitated through the new Lynk ABM Cash in-Cash out feature. Lynk...

The Jamaica Social Stock Exchange (JSSE) has raised just under $50 million for charities and special-assistance appeals, since its establishment in 2019. This subsidiary of the Jamaica Stock Exchange (JSE) was created to mobilise resources into the social sector, as well as facilitate stakeholder capacity-building and the supporting ecosystem’s overall development. JSSE Manager, Nora Blake, tells JIS News that five...

One would not immediately associate the profession of accounting with law enforcement. Neither did trained accountant, Constable Simone Murray, when she decided to join the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) some eight years ago. Now a Policy Analyst in the JCF’s Planning, Research and Development Branch, Constable Murry is proud to be a member of the Force and will be pursuing...

Several local stakeholders have welcomed the new Caribbean Business Exchange (CBX) cable television channel. The CBX, which is a division of the Jamaica Stock Exchange (JSE), will provide 24 hours of comprehensive news and information on local, regional, and global business, financial and capital market developments to more than 30 countries across the Caribbean. The channel, which was formally launched...