Financial Services

While Trinidad and Tobago’s primary bond market has seen 59 issuances since 2013, fewer than 15% were private corporate issuances. The government, either directly or through state-owned enterprises, has maintained a dominating presence in the debt market, which it taps to borrow the funds needed for infrastructure development projects and recurrent expenditures such as salary...

The decade closed with an uptick in activity in Trinidad and Tobago’s capital markets, largely due to increases in initial public offerings (IPOs), a series of mergers and acquisitions (M&As), and a number of bonds issued in the latter half of 2018 and into 2019. Even so, activity in the financial markets remains muted, a pattern seen across many bourses in the Caribbean....

Wealth management divisions have become an integral part of business models for the majority of commercial banks and non-bank financial institutions in Trinidad and Tobago. Initially created to cater to the needs of institutional investors – particularly those of employee benefit plans – wealth management services have now expanded to include high-networth individuals. T&T...

Despite being a commodity-based economy – indeed, 36.1% of Trinidad and Tobago’s GDP is from the energy sector – local capital market investors have traditionally shied away from commodities investing. The asset class worldwide has underperformed compared to traditional investment vehicles such as stocks and bonds. The Bloomberg Commodities Index had an average annualised...

In the face of economic sluggishness in 2019, Trinidad and Tobago’s banking sector showed continued consolidation and resilience. As the sector plays an increasingly critical role in the country’s diversification progress, executives are focused on supporting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). In the near term, domestic banks are seeking to hone their competitive edge...