More than 120 people attended the latest meeting designed to educate and encourage Bahamians on the greater use of digital bankings and payment services.

The Live Digital town hall took place at the South Andros Gymnasium in The Bluff on Friday, November 21, in an area where there is only one commercial bank providing in-person services - on just one day per week.

Residents were able to share their concerns directly with John Rolle, the Central Bank of The Bahamas governor, during a question-and-answer session as well as with other speakers from the financial sector.

Earl Miller, whose family owns Nathan’s Lodge in South Andros, said events such as these were “needed” and he encouraged return visits. He said: “Nobody’s carrying cash these days – everybody has a card they want to swipe, or they want to pay by Sand Dollar or they have their wallets out.

“The more the businesses can get online with that, the more it’s going to be easier for them. Everybody’s going cashless anyway, so if you don’t get on board you’re going to get left behind. That’s the key.”

Mr Rolle acknowledged the difficulty some South Andros residents have in accessing banking, and said: “Part of the engagement here was to acknowledge that the community wants to have a better experience.

“Looking beyond the event, I think what you will see is increasing receptivity to using digital channels. That is a process that’s going to take time, but most important is the understanding and appreciation of the direction we’re heading in The Bahamas.”

He added: “We had a very strong turnout and a very interactive session with the community, and I think there is a better appreciation in terms of how they can tie into a lot more of the digital platforms for banking and payment services.”

Speakers at the event included Mr Rolle; Aaron Chea of Sand Dollar; Roselie Munroe of Fidelity Bank; Michella Perpall of Bank of The Bahamas; Lorian Russell of SunCash; Rithmond McKinney of Scotiabank; and Brooke Greene of Kanoo.

Wenrick Clarke, assistant vice-president of marketing and business development at Commonwealth Bank, said: “For us, we’re very much community minded and big on giving back to the communities in which we serve – and we don’t just serve the places and the spaces where we have a physical branch.

“With your smart phone, you have access to every single banking capability that we have where there’s a physical presence. With your cellphone you can have that same level of access and without any impediments.”

Lorian Russell, sales promotion and events manager at SunCash, said: “I think we have a very bright future in South Andros. The entire island of Andros as a whole. It doesn’t matter if it’s a personal wallet or a business doing their day-to-day payments that they are receiving, I just see this relationship with this community growing.”

Residents visited booths set up by the financial providers to learn about opening new accounts online, how to make payments and how to use digital finance. Participating financial institutions reported a record number of people signing up for digital services compared to previous Town Halls.

The event was organised by Diane Phillips & Associates (DPA) for the Central Bank and the Clearing Banks Association in co-operation with Percitta Brown, island administrator, Angela Rolle, administrator for the gymnasium, and Carolyn Stuart, former principal of South Andros High School.