The Bahamas Investor

...Her Majesty’s Counsel in 2009, Smith is the Freeport managing partner of Callenders& Co. The Rotary meeting starts at 12:30 pm. For information, phone 394-0677.......

...Bahamas and the US. The Tax Agreement provides for the provision of tax information by The Bahamas to the US on request and subject to certain criteria in criminal and civil matters. The Tax Agreement was one of several measures adopted by The Bahamas at the time that enhanced the regulatory regime governing its financial services sector and increased transparency. Under the Tax Agreement, The Bahamas was also certified as a Qualified Jurisdictio......

...at press time the Bahamian government had signed an additional 20 TIEAs, becoming compliant on March 10, 2010. TIEA fallout So what does this mean for The Bahamas’ traditional private banking business and the country’s competitiveness as an offshore financial centre going forward? Exchange of information between countries or tax authorities can be done bilaterally or multilaterally. When done bilaterally, two main types of agreements are used, nam......

...the policy considerations that have to be taken to ensure that we meet our commitment for 2018 implementation. There were additional roundtable discussions on: “Opportunities for Growth – International Business and Commerce” featuring Derek Newbold, Senior Business Development Manager, Grand Bahama Port Authority and Edison Sumner, CEO, Bahamas Chamber of Commerce. This session focused on opportunities to create linkages between investments, inter......

...Financial (Caribbean). RBC (Canada) is rated A by Standard & Poor’s and A1 by Moody’s for subordinated debt. The 15-year fixed rate bond bears interest of 4.375 per cent annually until maturity in 2027, and represents a significant investment inflow into the region. Proceeds of the bond issue will be used to augment CDB’s capital ratios further, particularly in the face of prevailing downward trending regional economic conditions and the marginal......

...hich provided the opportunity for local basketball coaches and athletes to compete against teams from US colleges, the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. “The teams that our players were up against can be considered seasoned professionals who spend hours a day practicing and playing. The players on our Atlantis team work all day and have limited time to practice,” says director of employee programmes at Atlantis Camille Fields. “Given this scenar......

...s Institute of Financial Services (BIFS) , Nancy Thevenin, special counsel for Baker & McKenzie’s International Arbitration Practice Group , highlighted the importance of having the necessary infrastructure, saying: “It is no good to have a centre [for arbitration] if people do not want to be here.” She pointed out that The Bahamas was already well equipped for arbitration, with a legal framework in place, good transport links, modern infrastructu......

...fficiency and satisfaction.” “The complement of partners is particularly relevant in building the strong litigation capabilities of the firm,” he added. “Partnership is not a gift. It is earned and I have every confidence and comfort in knowing that all three of these attorneys have earned their place as partners in this firm.” The firm’s other partners include Lester Mortimer, Stephen Turnquest, Chad Roberts and Fredrick Smith, QC in Grand Bahama......

...et a special incentive: the developer will pay all stamp tax. The standard practice is for buyers and sellers to share the Stamp Tax, each paying 5 per cent. “In the past several weeks, since we unveiled the new development plans, including the near-readiness of Nassau’s largest marina in number of slips and the conversion of the clubhouse into a full restaurant later this year among other amenities, we have enjoyed tremendous interest from real e......

...awyers Division, Small Firms/Solo Practitioners’ Division and the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. Held under the theme, “A Legacy of Service. A promise of Justice,” the meeting runs February 14-17 at the Sheraton Nassau Beach Resort. It provides an opportunity for continuing legal education through seminars and panel discussion featuring industry and experts. It also provides an avenue for networking during downtime. Sessions such a......

...already identified potential reforms, or at least partially identified reforms. “In addition, I have also asked for a list of longer term ideas that will probably require deeper consideration. Nothing in this request is meant to slow the public sector reform efforts already underway.” DPM Turnquest said for the strength of the industry, a strong, modern, responsive regulatory environment is critical, and the nation’s regulators are certainly up t......

...ding security online, the government implemented measures that are best in practice for secure transactions.” Halkitis said that the government plans to re-engineer its online services to improve efficiency. He said The Bahamas was recently ranked number 77 in the “2013 Ease of Doing Business Report”, out of some 185 nations, so there was room for improvement. Halkitis also said that they will have regular forums and engage in focus groups to ensu......

...iami, helping to boost the profile of The Bahamas. Minister of Financial Services Ryan Pinder was among the speakers at that conference, touting the country’s competence in handling the most complex of wealth, asset management and investment matters.......

...ferred creditor by its borrowing member shareholders, which is established by practice, is a pivotal component of this analysis. We could lower our ratings on CDB if the government borrower more than 180 days in arrears does not clear its arrears with CDB, if other member governments fall more than 180 days past due, or if (contrary to our expectation) the bank’s funding conditions or liquidity weaken. The ratings could stabilize at current levels......

...ted 15 years of service to authors in Sept. 2011.For more information or to publish a book visit authorhouse.com or call 1-888-519-5121. For the latest, follow @authorhouse on Twitter.......