Its all about the profits.

These decisions in allocation of money to accomplish goals over other areas are ultimately by the headoffices in other countries and in conjunction with levels of generating profits by other countries the bank operates in the Caribbean. Seems always to get the most from the weakest voices.

Its all abouts Profits. The banks inability to meets the targets of profits in certain expected departments will simply first cut staff in other departments. If you cannot make the profits you cut the expenses in areas.

Banks profits from the Bahamas goes from leaps and bounds from year to year and are in hundreds of millions of Us dollars. Cannot say the same for other Caribbean countries the banks operate in. Simply if they make the profits then why is there no pronounced outbursts by the regulatory Bahamian offices to have made better ways for the Bahamas second largest sector to not thrive successfully by having these banks employ more staffing to expedite this long ongoing process? Why?

Going back 20 years or more the Bahamas had imposed onerous amounts of paperwork for customers to open the accounts and meet tough regulations. In 2018, after ton of papers to open bank accounts, it was extremely shocking that some 42,425 bank account owners could not have been found, and bearing in mind that the Bahamas population is actually squished on a 80 sq mile island and most reside in the more densely eastern half.

Bearing in mind that these opening conditions were in coordination with the government Bahamian regulators in compliance of the money laws, and Bahamian should know that the Police can locate anyone within hours, courts can locate anyone in short time, political generals can locate any voter in any constituency and even tell you how many voters are in the house (joke).but true. Who cannot find any of 42,452 adult people on this island or in the Bahamas and declare then not to exist and accoounts declared DOrmant? over years many financial institutions or insurance companies seem to place list of names of people to contact them.

The banks declaring 42,452 accounts dormant could have been reduced by having more staaff employed to find these customers with over 100 million in these accounts as a part of their business instead of passing it off to the very same regulators as they are dealing with in the current situation.

Investigations need to be done as to why these very negatives occurances keep going on to the hardships in the finance sector and having the bad occurances is like dentistry pulling teeth but instead it is actually reality of pulling food out of Bahamian peoples mout.!!!

Heads must roll.

'.....he questioned why there is no database that links the likes of driver’s licences, passports and NIB numbers so that banks can conduct confidential KYC searches to verify a new client’s identity without compromising confidentiality of their data."

Has he been drinking? Bahamians with their strict confidential business of their financial banking accounts has always been alarmed be these banks being headquartered in foreign contries and placed in unfair disadvantages competition with other countries. I believe the Bahamian banks produce the most profits for these banks and give back to Bahamians little in return and Bahamian profits contributions go towards employment of the citizens of other countries at expense of Bahamians first.

Already, people are pissed off when a foreigner barely speaking english and do not know that the Freeport branch is on another island but already knows all my bank business ------ and now these foreign workers as part of Bahamian banking would now know about Bahamian passport and NIB info .

Very good points.

What is critically needed is the schooling of Bahamians, is that the rights and freedoms which was struggled for by their parents and grandparents for which Bahamians enjoy, These freedoms and rights which Bahamians are taken for granted should be reinforced in selecting books like George Orwell's Animal Farm in schooling Bahamian students.

Thank you Uncle Sam for rescuing 166 people in Bahamian waters and more than 2,400 migrants who have illegally entered our sovereign Bahamaland borders in unseaworthy vessels..

Shouldn't you by now after all these years of where the VAT gone?......isn't it quite obvious a government agency is involved. lol

Many years ago many Cubans travelling abroad would try to defect and lots of ballet dancers and baseball players would do so.

The Cuban government obviously got smart for the survival of their communist regime and imposed a law to punish the defectors from returning for about 8 years to prevent any contact with their Cuban and friends. In addition to the punishment, the remaining families and friends of the defectors have to cope with the sigma of living in the Cuban communist controlled state.

It is naive for countries to not realize the the utter desperate measures to see Cubans intercepted by non Cuban vessels or photographed by planes in the waters trying to flee highly police controlled communist Cuba with many in makeshift inner rubber inflated rubber tube rafts. Extremely dangerous trying to travel through shark infested waters, limited drinking water, hot sun, through Bahamian waters Cay Sal area and to be lucky the currents float them to the US.

After years of Cubans trying to escape the confines of the evil communist state and the returning of Cubans leaving the country, it would seen obvious there must be extremely well enforced state measures in place to ensure its citizens return and with any amount of US hard currency for the continuance of the evil repressive communist regime over its population.

Yes.

the beginnings of government officials representing the nation starts with the individual having a good knowledge of the Constitution with is preamble being guided by Christian principles. Persons furthermore takes their oaths and places their hand on the Bible.

It should be fully aware that the the Communists guns, killing people who oppose them, jailing opponents, victimizations and repressions of the rights of the people have been documented. Opposite to the beliefs of Bahamians, Communists officials do not have Bibles in their hands nor allow religion.

Soon Bahamians will be reflecting on the Remembrance Day of our highly patriotic dutiful Bahamian sailors when our Bahamian Defence Force was doing their duties on their Bahamian naval vessel the Flamingo in protecting our beloved Bahamaland from invading Cuban criminals on Cuban vessels with 3,000 lbs stolen Bahamian resources.

They Cubans called their government ant their military Mig jet planes with big bullets starting gunning down our boat with its 19 crew and Bahamian flag clearly on top mast on our vessel. Even though the boat started sinking, the Cuban planes kept on shooting. Even our fellow Bahamian sailors was swimming to put distance from the sinking vessel the Cuban jet planes kept on shooting big bullets at our sailors in their backs. Our sailors, our brothers, our family Sturrup, Smith, Tucker and Williams bodies was never recovered.

Not only after murdering our Bahamian sailors in such atrocious manner, the Cuban planes then went on in our Bahamian territory clearly known as Bahamian islands and terriorized our families and citizens on Ragged Island without regard to notifying our Bahamian authorities of what is happening.

All Bahamians must have a look at the paintings depicting the horrible killings of our brothers by the Cuban government, as our Bahamian brothers and Flamingo patrol boat crew were on duty in their employed government duties and protection of our beloved Bahamaland.

Political asylum, perhaps not but a residency system based on skill levels and other points. A point should be for period of work location to family islands with housing for the approved resident medical personnel.

On the amounts of people involved from what seems to be the present levels currently employed in the Bahamas, seems to be a few hundred Cubans compared to the some 30,000 ? workers who annually seek to renew work permits and only some 12,000 have permits renewed.

Authorities need to publish these work permit data. No corrupt govt official(s) should not be a part of a system where humans, individually or in groups are rented out to other countries for a money price decided between one controlling govt official and another country's govt official especially when a democracy based constitution of freedoms and human rights as humans and government is a party.

Possible solution.

In light of the crises and the root of the issues going to the continuing attachment to communist regimes versus the democratic based regimes seems to be at least offer Political Asylum to these Cuban medical personnel and the teachers.

There are some 24,000 Cuban medical personnel in some 56 foreign countries filling critical gaps in those countries, should at least offered Political Asylum to remain and bring their immediate families to live democratic countries and of course their wages remain in those countries.