Webinar “Implementing A Digital Catalyst for Caribbean Prosperity”

Background

The Caribbean region faces severe structural financial challenges, including limited financial connectivity, high transaction costs together with low transaction speed, and dependency on foreign correspondent banks and the US dollar for cross-border transfers. These hurdles restrict regional trade, in particular the development of CARICOM’s Vision 25 by 2025 food and nutrition security initiative and slow the progress of the digital CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME). 

Complementary currencies offer a solution to these barriers by providing additional liquidity, facilitating seamless cross-border transactions, and supporting economic resilience. Furthermore, they may be designed in a manner to foster regional development by appropriately adjusting their core parameters. Carib$, a Caribbean digital, asset-backed complementary currency, has proven its functionality in 2024 several times and at the same time has generated significant interest amongst multilaterals and within the agricultural sector. 

Purpose and Objective of Webinar 

The purpose of the webinar is to explore and demonstrate how Carib$ can act as a catalyst for regional economic development.

Objectives:

1. Educate participants about the potential value propositions of complementary currencies, specifically Carib$, for regional economic development.
2. Highlight progress on the introduction of Carib$ and its alignment with regional priorities such as digital CSME and Vision 25 by 2025 and present a proposed roadmap.
3. Foster discussion among key regional stakeholders on pathways to leverage Carib$ for economic transformation, particularly in agriculture, digital trade, and financial inclusion.
4. Add elements to the roadmap for integrating Carib$ into the broader CARICOM economic framework.

Format and Outline of Webinar 

The webinar will consist of featured presentations, a multi-stakeholder panel discussion, and an interactive Q&A session.

Duration: 2 hours
Proposed Platform: Zoom
Proposed Date & Time: March 21, 2025; 10.00 AM -12.00 PM AST

Target Audience  

This webinar is designed for:

• Policymakers from CARICOM member states.
• Financial sector leaders and regulators
• CARICOM business community, particularly in agriculture and ICT.
• Academics and students focused on regional development and financial innovation.

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Implementing A Digital Catalyst for Caribbean Prosperity Webinar

Provisional Agenda (Download)

TIME	EVENT	SPEAKER
10:00	Welcome	Mr. Rodney Taylor Secretary-General Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU)
10:05	Overview and Introductions	Moderator: Ms. Michelle Marius Consultant, Founder, ICT Pulse, Jamaica
10:10	Opening Remarks: The Role of Digital Financial Innovation in Advancing the CSME	Dr. Wendell Samuel Assistant Secretary-General, CARICOM
10:20	Keynote Presentation: The Economic Case for Complementary Currencies in Regional Development	Mr. Gianlucca Dettori Chairman Sardex Pay
10:35	Keynote Presentation:  Carib$: A Practical Tool for Economic Resilience and Growth in the Caribbean	Dr. Jan Schröder Co-Founder and Chief System Architect Carib$
10:50	Panel: The Road to Integration	Moderator: Ms. Michelle Marius ICT Pulse   Panelists: Hon. Saboto Cesar Minister of Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries, Rural Transformation, Industry and Labour St. Vincent and the Grenadines   Dr. Patrick Antoine Chief Executive Officer CARICOM Private Sector Organisation   Mr. John Outridge Chief Executive Officer The Trinidad and Tobago Financial Centre
11:30	Question and Answer segment	Moderator: Ms. Michelle Marius ICT Pulse
11:50	Wrap and Closing Remarks	Mr. Rodney Taylor, CTU
12:00	End of Webinar

OPEN IN NEW WINDOW

Minister of Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries and Rural transformation St. Vincent a Hon. Saboto Caesar Saboto Caesar is a young, brilliant, energetic community activist and advocate. A lawyer by profession, Caesar was born and  raised in the constituency of South Central Windward. He is a devoted Christian and family oriented young man. The former Island Scholar and Banana Growers Association scholarship recipient is a graduate of the Diamonds Government Primary School. His wide-ranging professional experience was garnered from his work as a lawyer, community worker, Government Senator and Minister. Caesar continues to be a force for progress in the constituency of South Central Windward. He has worked with numerous sporting and cultural groups alike and maintains an active interest in football, basketball, cricket and netball. He has played a key role in mobilizing the South Central Windward Development Organization, to launch and complete community projects such as Mt Grenan Playing Field, the Diamonds Playing Field, the Lowmans Pan Yard, the refurbishment of the Greiggs Basketball Court and several capacity building programmes.

Secretary-General, Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU) Mr. Rodney Taylor Mr. Rodney Taylor, a national of Barbados, was appointed Secretary-General of the Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU) on March 1, 2021. Prior to this, he held senior positions in the Government of Barbados, serving as the Chief Digital Technology Officer at Barbados’ Ministry of Industry, Innovation, Science and Technology(MIST) where he led the nation’s digital transformation, focusing on enhancing public sector service delivery through strategic innovation, science, and SMART technology applications. Additionally, Mr. Taylor served as the Head of the Information Systems Unit at Barbados’ Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, where he oversaw operations at both local and overseas missions. With over 30 years of professional experience in the Public Sector, Mr. Taylor currently supports collaboration amongst Caribbean Governments and other ICT Stakeholders in shaping regional ICT policies and in implementation of national digital transformation strategies. Mr. Taylor currently chairs the International Telecommunication Union’s (ITU) Informal Expert Group for the World Telecommunication/ICT Policy Forum 2026 (IEG-WTPF).  He is also a member of the International Advisory Body for Submarine Cable Resilience which was established by the ITU in partnership with the International Cable Protection Committee (ICPC) in November 2024.

Chief System Architect, CaribCoin Jan Schröder In 1991 Jan stopped chasing elementary particles at CERN in Geneva. Since then he has been highly active in the field of social innovation with a focus on network governance and social impact management. To achieve social and economical sustainable solutions he always works together with others in networks. Internationally he is renowned as architect of the German initiative ‘Local Alliances for Family’, bringing together more than 25.000 institutions in over 700 local stakeholder networks with 1bn media contacts. He is involved in leveraging the possibilities of Distributed Ledger Technology (Blockchain) to scale social impact. He leads an experienced team bringing Carib$ a Complementary Currency to the Caribbean. Furthermore, he is manager for innovation and network management in a consultancy for the health and care sector. One focus of his work is applying AI to the field of societal inclusion.

CEO and Technical Director, CARICOM PRIVATE SECTOR ORGANIZATION Dr. Patrick Antoine Dr. Patrick Antoine is a renowned Caribbean Intellectual and Regional Thinker with a wealth of experience in both the public and private spheres. Dr. Patrick Antoine is an Economist by profession and holds over thirty (30) years of experience working throughout the Caribbean, North America, Latin America, and Africa. Dr. Antoine currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer and Technical Director of the CARICOM Private Sector Organization (CPSO) Secretariat, the most recent Associate Institution of the Caribbean Community, which serves to mobilize private sector participation in the CARICOM Institutionality. Dr. Antoine has served as Ambassador to the World Trade Organization; Ambassador to CARICOM; Ambassador to the OECS; Grenada’s Trade and Economic Commissioner to the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago; and Policy Advisor to the Government of Grenada. He also sits as a Director on several regional boards, and has lectured in the Master in International Trade Policy Programme of the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus.

Assistant Secretary-General, CARICOM Secretariat Dr. Wendell Samuel Wendell Samuel, a national of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, is Senior Advisor to the CARICOM Secretary-General and Acting Assistant Secretary-General, Economic Integration Innovation and Development. Before joining the Secretariat, Mr. Samuel held positions of Deputy Division Chief in the African, and Western Hemisphere Departments of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and most recently the Center Coordinator for Caribbean Regional Technical Assistance Center (CARTAC). Prior to joining the IMF, Mr. Samuel held positions of Senior Director of Research and Information at the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank and Lecturer in Economics at University of the West Indies (UWI), Cave Hill Campus.  He holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Economics from UWI, and a Ph.D. in Economics from New York University.

Chairman of the Board, Sardex Mr. Gianluca Dettori Gianluca Dettori is the founder and president of Primo Capital SGR (www.primo.vc), an independent asset management company and one of Italy’s leading players in high-potential technology investments. Born in 1967, he has been an Internet expert since 1995. In 1999 he co-founded Vitaminic, the platform for the distribution of digital music, bringing it to the stock exchange. He is a Fellow of the Kauffman Society (www.kfp.org) and cofounder of Italian Tech Alliance https://www.italiantechalliance.com/.

Chief Executive Officer, Trinidad and Tobago International Finance Centre Mr. John Outridge John is currently the Chief Executive Officer of the Trinidad and Tobago International Finance Centre and is responsible for leading the company as it executes its mandate of driving digital financial services adoption across all sectors so Trinidad & Tobago can become a premier location for FinTech-enabled services and maintain its position as the Financial Hub of the region. He has over 10 years of senior management experience and has worked for firms such as EY, and Price Waterhouse Coopers (PWC). He has supported both public and private sector institutions with strategic guidance, fintech strategies as well as the modernisation of public financial management systems for various Governments throughout the region. During his career, Mr. Outridge has amassed a wealth of expertise and experience in the areas such as -but not limited to – Digital Transformation, Payment Systems & Electronic Funds Transfer Implementation, and Strategy and Digital Operating Model Design for state enterprises and financial services organisations. He holds a Master of Small and Medium Enterprise Management (distinction) from the Arthur Lok Jack Graduate School of Business, Diploma from The University of Cambridge Fintech & Regulatory Innovation program, Diploma in Governance and Public Innovation for Leaders of Latin America and the Caribbean from The University of the West Indies, Cave Hill School of Business, and lectures on programmes relating to digital and technology management for the University of Bedfordshire. John is also the Deputy Chair of the American Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAMTT), Digital Transformation subcommittee. This committee is focused on supporting national policy development for Trinidad and Tobago as it relates to enabling technology to facilitate both the ease of doing business as well as enhancing citizen service delivery.

Director, ICT Pulse Ms. Michele Marius An experienced Consultant, Manager, Regulator, Engineer and Author, Michele Marius has 20 years’ experience in the ICT and telecommunications space. She has worked in both the private and public sectors, and in developed and developing countries in the Caribbean, Southeast Asia and the South Pacific. Currently, Michele is the Director of ICT Pulse Consulting Limited, a research and advisory firm that specialises in a broad range of ICT and telecommunications issues, and is based in Jamaica. She is also the Founder of Project Calls (www.projectcalls.com), an online platform that collates tender opportunities from across the Caribbean region. Finally, Michele is the Publisher, Editor and Primary Contributor of ICT Pulse (www.ict-pulse.com), a well-respected and longstanding online publication that discusses topical telecommunications and ICT issues from a Caribbean perspective, which has wide readership across the region and internationally. She also hosts of the ICT Pulse Podcast, through which to deep dive into important ICT/technology issues occurring in the Caribbean, thus enriching the conversation we, in the region, could be having.

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