Jamaica Stock Exchange to Establish Micro Market
By: , March 13, 2025
Photo: Adrian Walker
Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Hon. Fayval Williams, delivers the opening 2025/26 Budget Debate presentation in the House of Representatives on Tuesday (March 11).The Full Story
The Government has accepted a proposal from the Jamaica Stock Exchange (JSE) to establish a Micro Market.
The JSE Micro Market will meet the needs of micro, small and medium-size enterprises (MSMEs) in the $10 million to $50 million participating equity capital bracket.
This was announced by Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Hon. Fayval Williams, while opening the 2025/26 Budget Debate in the House of Representatives on Tuesday (March 11).
Mrs. Williams stated that the Government will act expeditiously to appoint a technical working committee, comprising representatives from the Finance Ministry, the JSE, the Companies Office of Jamaica, the Securities Dealers’ Association, the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica, and the legal fraternity.
“We fully expect that a fully functioning micro market will put structure to more businesses in Jamaica for sustainability and growth and access to equity capital. We will begin these meetings of the technical working committee as soon as we start the new fiscal year,” the Minister further indicated.
She shared that the JSE has identified more than 250 micro and small businesses that are in need of equity funding.
These, Mrs. Williams pointed out, are reasonably organised but are unable to go public because they are not yet at the level of accounting and reporting to meet the requirements of the JSE’s main or junior markets for initial public offerings (IPOs).
“It will be a joy to see the first of these 250 micro and small businesses listed on the JSE’s Micro Market not too long from now,” she said.
Mrs. Williams added that the Government believes in the stock market as an enabler of wealth creation.
Highlighting the success of the Junior Market, launched in April 2009, Minister Williams noted that over the past five years, listed companies have contributed more than $1 billion in statutory deductions, $1.6 billion in general consumption tax (GCT), $1.6 billion in income tax, and raised $20.2 billion in capital in the equity market.