By Patrick Haller
Port of Spain - Trinidad
Institutionalized corruption, crime so high that it merits its own website, a state of emergency, low education levels and employee distrust of executives might not be the first things that come to mind when thinking of Trinidad and Tobago (T&T), but this archipelagic nation of just under 1,400,000 inhabitants has been plagued by all of these things –since pirates first landed upon its shores in 1498. This week Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar said the State of Emergency and curfew implemented in several areas of Trinidad since August 2011 will remain in effect until security improves.
Honduras Starts to Make Real Headway as a BPO Player
September 23rd, 2011By Peter Ryan
As the potential options for Nearshore delivery to the US continue to increase, Ovum notes with interest the slow but steady emergence of Honduras as a viable location for BPO delivery. Although arguably not a country on the shortlist of many prospective investors even two years ago because of concerns surrounding stability and crime, more vendors and their clients are looking at Honduras in a different light.
Free Trade Agreements Essential to DR
September 9th, 2011Source: Dominican Today
World Bank International Trade Department director Mona Haddad urged the country to diversify its markets to be competitive and rise in the values chain.
The expert spoke on the topic “Managing trade opening” in a video-conference with government officials and local private sector representatives, under the auspices of the Industry and Commerce, and Economy ministries, and World Bank technicians, from their Washington offices.
In the activity, World Bank senior economist Maurizio Bussolo, addressing the “DR-CAFTA (free trade agreement with the United States) and the extensive margin: an analysis concerning business,” said Dominican Republic needs a different integration and to sponsor more Free Agreements Trade (TLC), noting that they are an incentive to spur foreign investment.
Bussolo, responding to questions, said the DR-CAFTA has been beneficial for the country and represents a good starting point to be used as experience in future negotiations.
Haddad agreed that the country needs new …
Outsourcing to Brazil: Seeing the Complete Picture
July 19th, 2011
A leading outsourcing expert takes a deep dive into the largest and most complex Latin American sourcing destination
By Atul Vashistha
Diversify your stock portfolio. This is a mantra we have been hearing for ages. Well, it is now ringing true in sourcing too! As global sourcing continues to grow, so does the interest in new locations. Companies are interested in new locations to diversify risk but also to better serve their own diverse operations or diverse needs.
Brazil is emerging as an alternative (or complement) to other offshore locations, with an interesting combination of characteristics that are similar but also very different from the traditional low-cost locations, such as India and the Philippines.
Parts of $500 Million in World Bank Funds Targeted Toward Latin America and Caribbean Businesses
February 1st, 2010The World Bank expects to secure $500 million in a first round of money raising for a private equity fund to co-invest in companies in sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, President Robert Zoellick said.
“All of you, as African leaders, know the perils of this economic crisis,” Zoellick said at the African Union Summit in Ethiopia today, according to a copy of his speech. “But you also know about Africa’s opportunities and its potential to be another source of growth for the world economy.”
The International Finance Corp., the World Bank unit that lends to companies, will manage the fund, as well as a $200 million pool to invest “in systemically important banks” in Africa, Zoellick said. Investors are pension funds and sovereign wealth funds, according to the World Bank.
The Washington-based institution, which has committed $88 billion to poor and middle-income countries since the middle of 2008, …
Expert: Latin America is Positioned to Lead World Recovery
September 30th, 2009As the United States and Europe still stagger under the financial crisis, Latin America finds itself in a unique position: leading a recovery.
Thanks to banking reforms and increased trade ties beyond the hemisphere, the region is about five months ahead of most industrialized nations in rebounding, said Augusto de la Torre, World Bank chief economist for Latin America and the Caribbean, on Tuesday.
While the real gross domestic product in Latin America is expected to shrink 2 percent to 2.5 percent this year, it should rebound about 3 percent next year, he said at the 13th Annual Americas Conference in Coral Gables.
In the past, Latin American economic woes have often led to regional bank panics, hyperinflation and political instability. This time the troubles have been largely contained.
Peru’s GDP is expected to grow 2 percent to 2.5 percent this year, putting it among the handful of countries in …
