JetBlue passengers purchasing the basic fare they call “Basic Blue” for flights after July 19 will no longer be able to bring a carry-on item aboard without paying a $65 USD extra charge. JetBlue currently flies to over 30 Caribbean, Central & South American locations.
PriceSmart Declares Dividend, Names New Directors, Reports Sales Up 5.2% For January
PriceSmart, Inc. (NASDAQ: PSMT) earlier this week declared an annual cash dividend in the total amount of $0.70 per share, with $0.35 per share payable on February 26, 2021 to stockholders of record as of February 15, 2021 and $0.35 per share payable on August 31, 2021 to stockholders of record as ...
Insight Crime: Jamaica Has Highest Homicide Rate In The Americas
Breaking from an overall decrease in “serious” crimes last year, shootings across the nation rose. Gangs in Jamaica and Haiti have reportedly been engaged in a deadly trade where marijuana is exchanged for guns. Boats loaded with up to 3,000 pounds of cannabis have been heading from Jamaica to nearby Haiti, where drugs are swapped for handguns and high-powered assault weapons, according to an investigative report by the Jamaica Gleaner.
New Firm Launched With $100 Million USD To Develop Renewable Energy With Projects In Jamaica, El Salvador, Colombia
The company website lists 5 projects under development in Colombia, plus one each in El Salvador and Jamaica, and says all projects will start construction in the second half of this year, and begin energy production at the end of 2022.
PriceSmart Announces Positive December Results, Currency Challenges In Trinidad
PriceSmart, Inc. (NASDAQ: PSMT) Net Merchandise Sales grew 2.8%, after negative 3.1% FX impact. Comparable Net Merchandise Sales decreased 1.7%, after 2.9% negative FX impact. E-Commerce Penetration was 2.8% of Total Net Merchandise Sales
Attend The 3rd Annual Desalination Latin America Conference & Exhibition, March 24-25
Join key industrial desalination companies, regulatory authorities, government, technology & equipment suppliers, and investors across Latin America, the US, Canada and Europe at the 3rd International investment conference and exhibition “Desalination Latin America” which will be held on 24-25 March 2021
Global Personal Freedom Declines Notably According to New Human Freedom Index
The HFI captures the degree to which people are free to enjoy important rights such as freedom of speech, religion, association, and assembly, and measures freedom of movement, women’s freedoms, crime and violence, and legal discrimination against same-sex relationships. While economic freedom around the world has increased slightly since 2008, the report finds that of the 12 major categories that make up the index, all but five have seen some deterioration, with Religion, Identity and Relationships, and Rule of Law seeing the largest decreases since 2008.
PayPal Is Serious About The Americas Says CTO Sri Shivananda In This Exclusive Interview
PayPal's Sri Shivananda: "In LatAm, PayPal continues to grow our partnerships with marketplaces like MercadoLibre, who recently added PayPal as a checkout option in Brazil and Mexico."
Free Report Available: Current Status Of The Latin American Lithium Industry 2020
Get the free report about Current Status of the Lithium Industry in Latin America 2020 prepared as a prologue to the 2nd Online Business Congress and 1-2-1 meetings “Lithium Latin America” (24-26 November), during which key industrial lithium producing enterprises, regulatory authorities, technology and equipment suppliers, and investors across Latin America, the US, Canada and Europe will discuss the issues of greatest impact for the development of the industry.
Pressured By Coronavirus Pandemic, August PriceSmart Sales Flat
PriceSmart, Inc. (NASDAQ: PSMT) announced that for the month of August 2020 net merchandise sales increased 0.9% to $262.4 million USD from $260.0 million in August a year earlier. Foreign currency exchange fluctuations impacted net merchandise sales negatively by 3.9%, or $10.1 million versus the same one-month period ...
US Citizens Outside The Country May Still Vote, Following These Guidelines:
The U.S. general elections are under three weeks away! The U.S. Embassy is not a polling location where you can vote on Election Day, so send in your ballot as soon as possible!
Join Finance Americas at The Online Hydropower Latin America 2020 Congress
The Online Business Congress and 1-2-1 meetings "Hydropower Latin America 2020" is an international, professional platform, bringing together over 250 C-level executives of hydropower plants, LatAm Ministries of Energy, hydropower companies, investors, EPCs, equipment and service providers from all over Latin America.
Despite Coronavirus Restrictions, PriceSmart Sales Down Less Than 2% In June
PriceSmart, Inc. (NASDAQ: PSMT) announced that for June 2020 net merchandise sales decreased 1.5% to $249.2 million USD from $253.1 million in June a year earlier in its warehouse clubs in The Caribbean & Latin America.
Over 30,000 May Die In Caribbean From COVID-19 Says University of Washington Institute
Caribbean mortality projection: 8,231 Central America mortality projection(ex-México): 22,546
Fitch Sees Rising Latin American Debt Defaults
The number of defaults in 2020 is on pace to exceed that of 2019 with indications there will be more to follow, given 6 group-level defaults YTD compared with 6 in all of 2019, and the high number of ratings at ‘CCC’ or below categories.
Costa Rica Invited To Join OECD
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has announced that it has extended an invitation to Costa Rica to become the 38th member state of the organization.
Jamaica, Paraguay, Guatemala, Nicaragua Escape Negative Credit Outlook & Remain Stable, Says Fitch
For most speculative-grade sovereigns, limited financing options either constrain fiscal stimulus or heighten liquidity and macroeconomic risks where it is enacted. All are on Negative Outlook except Jamaica (B+), Paraguay (BB+), Guatemala (BB-) and Nicaragua (B-), which all have a Stable Outlook.
Guyana Goldfields Rejects Gran Colombia Gold Stock Swap Offer
Guyana Goldfields Inc. (TSX: GUY) has said that its board of directors has unanimously determined to reject the unsolicited proposal announced by Gran Colombia Gold Corp. (TSX: GCM) made last week to acquire the company in a stock swap.
Guyana Goldfields & Gold X To Be Acquired By Gran Colombia Gold
Toronto, Canada based Gran Colombia Gold Corp. (TSX: GCM; OTCQX: TPRFF) announced today that it has signed a definitive agreement to complete a business combination with Gold X Mining Corp. (TSXV: GLDX, OTCQX: SSPXF) and that it has submitted a ...
PriceSmart Sees Sales Surge Almost 20% In March, Postpones New Jamaica, Colombia, Costa Rica Stores, To Launch Online Shopping & Delivery Option
International warehouse club operator PriceSmart announced that for the month of March 2020 net merchandise sales increased 17.1% to $306.1 million USD in the midst of the Coronavirus COVID-19 Pandemic.
Copa Airlines Contemplates Temporary Total Shutdown of Operations
With travel restrictions in place due to the Coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, Copa Airlines issued a filing indicating that the company will reduce capacity by 80% but may shut down completely.
Work From Home Programs Deserve A New Look In Light Of Coronavirus Pandemic
Smart enterprises have already deployed telework and work-from-home strategies. With the coronavirus pandemic and travel bans, now is the time for less proactive companies to catch up...and fast! Some of the most knowledgeable experts in business share their insights.
Even Without Infections, Fitch Says Coronavirus Threatens Caribbean & LatAm Economies
Sovereign and corporate issuers in Latin America will be adversely affected by slower Chinese demand and commodity price weakness caused by coronavirus due to high commodity export dependence and direct trade exposure to China, says Fitch Ratings.
Guyana, Guatemala, Guadeloupe: JetBlue Extends Caribbean/LatAm Connectivity With New Flights
JetBlue (NASDAQ: JBLU) has extended connectivity between its John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) home base in New York and Guatemala City in Central America, Guadeloupe in the Caribbean, and Guyana in South America. Last week the airline flew its ...
Bogotá Colombia Attracts Record 48 Foreign Direct Investment Projects In 2019
During 2019, Invest in Bogota (IIB), the city of Bogotá's investment promotion agency, supported 48 greenfield Foreign Direct Investment projects, its highest number for a calendar year since its institution in 2006.
Author Ram Charan On How Countries Like Guyana, Suriname & Colombia Can Leapfrog Past The Resource Curse
Ram Charan shared his insights with Finance America on topics like digital disruption: a topic he addressed in his books Global Tilt and Attacker's Advantage.
LatAm Countries Not Well Positioned To Withstand Next Recession Says Fitch Ratings
Growth in public debt burdens and fiscal deficits in many Latin American countries over the past decade will undermine the ability of governments to respond to shocks and a sharper than expected global slowdown in 2020, says Fitch Ratings. Weakening ...
itelBPO Sells 30% Equity to Jamaican Investment Funds
Jamaican contact center outsourcing company itelBPO announced yesterday that it has sold 15% ownership stakes to Portland Private Equity, a Jamaican private equity firm, and PanJam Investment Limited, a publicly traded Jamaican investment company listed on the Jamaican Stock Exchange. ...
Unisys To Support Bancolombia With Biometric Identity, Service Desk Solutions
Unisys Corporation (NYSE: UIS) today announced that Bancolombia (NYSE: CIB) has selected Unisys to support the bank’s digital transformation. Unisys will provide secure digital workplace service capabilities supporting more than 24,000 employees, including a help desk that typically processes more ...
OAS Member States Use Big Data, Artificial Intelligence and Analytics To Combat Corruption & Inform Citizens
Prior to the OAS General Assembly held last month in Medellín, Colombia, member countries of the Organization of American States proposed to strengthen the use of technology to combat corruption in The Americas. “According to the Corruption Perception Index prepared ...
Amazon AWS Announces Additional Edge Locations, Commitments In CALA Region
Amazon Web Services (AWS) (NASDAQ: AMZN) announced in Bogotá yesterday that it would activate an edge location in Colombia by the end of 2019, making Colombia Amazon AWS’s first Latin American network access point outside of North America or Brazil. ...
Critical Factors to Consider Before Selecting a Nearshore Location, Part 8: Governmental Agencies and Support
“There’s a marketing arms race,” says Johan Gott of AT Kearney. “Who can get their message out?”
SWIFT Transaction Leads to Money Laundering Charges Linked to Drug Trafficking Ring
Colombian authorities believe that Nieto is linked to a large drug-trafficking network that has been operating for more than a decade.
Outsourcing and Global Services Outlook 2017: Everything Is Changing
Customers and providers that adopt the “as a service” model will find themselves relatively insulated from political winds — and perhaps better positioned for the wider evolution already underway.
Ahead of the Pack: How Trinidad and Tobago Outpaces Nearshore Competitors in Key Site Selection Criteria
A country that wasn’t on the radar for most multinationals a decade ago is now moving to the front of the pack.
Embarrassing Website Outage Ensnares Colombia’s Largest Bank
The downtime was reportedly due to Bancolombia's failure to renew a domain.
Expert Opinion: Silvestre Melo Discusses The Trinidad & Tobago Advantage for FP&A Outsourcing
Silvestre Melo is an outsourcing professional with a career spanning over 20 years in the US and Latin America, leading teams from Nortel, PwC, Pepsico, and others, from Brazil to the USA and destinations in between. After recently visiting Trinidad ...