The Bahamas Financial Services Board (BFSB) has announced a partnership with Livemocha, the world’s largest language learning service, which offers online language courses to over 14 million members from all countries. Under the programme, BFSB member firms will have access to over 38 languages.

BFSB’s chief executive, Aliya Allen, said language proficiency will be a key component in helping drive the organisation’s vision for the Bahamas as “a globally competitive international business jurisdiction for private wealth management, international investment into the Americas and emerging markets and residency for High New Worth Individuals (HNWIs), creating high value jobs and business”.

She added that it was gratifying to see the early interest in both Portuguese and Mandarin. A BFSB team just returned from Brazil, where it concluded a successful Bahamas Landfall: Destination Brazil promotional tour in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo. October will see a Bahamas Landfall: Destination Asia tour, in fa ollow up to the

first one scheduled there in 2011.

Owen Brewer, director of sales at Livemocha, said: “Global interest in language learning is exploding. Trade, immigration and travel are conducted across countries and continents like never before in human history.

“The result is a powerful desire shared by people around the world to communicate with one another and understand different cultures. Our mission is to provide a more accessible, affordable and engaging way to learn a language for a world hungry to communicate. Livemocha allows people around the world to help each other with language learning, and provides our community with opportunities to learn and practice new languages together.”

The BFSB member language programme starts on October 1, 2012, with over 140 registrants. It runs for a full year, and with opportunity for annual renewals for another stream of registrants.

The BFSB also is in discussions with the College of the Bahamas for a specialised Brazilian Portuguese course.