Business
Vanessa King Is BVI Woman of the Year – Citywealth Magazine’s 2023 Powerwomen Awards Programme
O’Neal Webster Managing Partner Vanessa King is the “Woman of the Year ” in the British Virgin Islands category of the Citywealth Magazine’s 2023 Powerwomen Awards Programme.
The award was fittingly bestowed on King who has an impressive legal career in the financial sector.
The Citywealth Powerwomen Awards celebrates women leaders in the wealth sector for the past 12 years by shining a spotlight on individuals and companies who support female leadership, caregiving responsibilities, and diversity.
King’s peers and clients voted for her online from January to March.
Her company’s website shared that she “covers the major financial centres of the world, where her clients include international and domestic financial institutions, law firms, family offices, trust companies, and high net worth individuals. She is frequently instructed to establish or amend BVI trusts and various forms of corporate finance, such as bilateral and syndicated loans, project finance, property finance, and restructuring. As managing partner, she leads the law firm in areas of strategic vision and growth, client satisfaction, process improvement, and other management initiatives.”
King is also the Deputy Chair of the BVI Financial Services Commission Appeals Board and chairs the Caribbean and Latin America Region of STEP, the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners, and the BVI STEP Branch. Additionally, she sits on the STEP Caribbean Conference Steering Committee and is a member and former secretary of the BVI Bar Association.
On the community level, she is the co-chair of the Board of Directors of Green VI Ltd.; the deputy chair of the Board of Trustees for Cedar International School, and contributes countless hours to pro-bono services.
King has been honoured throughout her career. In 2016, she was the global recipient of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners’ ninth annual Founder’s Award. In 2021, she received the BVI Financial Services Awards’ 2020 “Lawyer of the Year.”
Business
BVI Financial Investigation Agency and Jersey Financial Services Commission Sign Agreement to Strengthen Cooperation in Tackling Financial Crimes
The Financial Investigation Agency (FIA) of the British Virgin Islands (BVI) has recently strengthened ties with the Jersey Financial Services Commission (JFSC) through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed on 25 October. The agreement formalises a cooperative framework for consultation and information-sharing between the two regulatory bodies, enhancing their oversight in financial regulation.
The MoU signals a shared commitment by the BVI and Jersey to uphold rigorous financial standards and combat financial crimes. By sharing essential intelligence, the FIA and JFSC aim to bolster efforts to detect, prevent, and investigate crimes such as money laundering, terrorist financing, and proliferation financing.
Errol George, Director of the FIA BVI, expressed the importance of the partnership, stating, “The signing of this MoU establishes a framework for information exchange between the FIA BVI and JFSC, supporting compliance with the laws, regulations, and rules relating to the functions of our Authorities. I am indeed pleased with the progress we are making in the Territory to tackle financial crime.”
Through this agreement, both agencies will, upon request, provide critical information that strengthens regulatory practices across the Designated Non-Financial Businesses and Professions (DNFBP) sector. Shared data will include details on corporate structures, management standards, and organisational quality, all essential for effective supervision.
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Business
Virgin Islands Secures $100 Million Loan to Drive Infrastructure and Community Development
Business
FirstBank Customers Accounts Show Zero or Negative Balances Electronically
– Persons Accessing Cash In Bank
This morning account holders at 1FirstBank awoke to discover that their online account balances had disappeared. A widespread issue, affecting both personal and business accounts, has left customers unable to access their funds, with many reporting negative or zero balances on the bank’s digital platform.
The issue was discovered early Tuesday morning when users attempting to log in to their accounts were met with unsettling balances, with some even seeing their accounts marked as overdrawn despite no recent transactions. Several customers described seeing a balance of zero on their account’s home screen despite previously having substantial savings.
“I thought it was just me, but when I called a friend who banks with FirstBank, they had the same problem,” said the account holder. “It’s incredibly stressful, especially since there’s been no word from the bank yet.”
The problem, which seems to have affected customers across the territory, has prompted many to visit local branches in person. Several individuals reported being able to access their accounts once they arrived at the bank. However, the disruption has rendered ATM services and card transactions nonfunctional, leaving customers unable to withdraw cash or make payments.
JTV News reached out to 1FirstBank, where a representative confirmed that the electronic banking system is currently down and the matter is being addressed at the international level. Customers were advised that, for the time being, they would need to visit a branch to resolve any issues, as card swipes and ATM withdrawals were temporarily disabled.
While FirstBank has yet to release an official statement on the cause of the outage, customers are growing increasingly concerned about the safety of their funds. The nature of the problem—whether it is a technical glitch or something more serious like a security breach—remains unclear.
At this stage, it is unknown when the issue will be resolved or if all accounts will be restored to their proper balances.
The financial uncertainty has left both personal and business account holders on edge, with some businesses reporting disruptions in their daily operations due to the inability to access company funds.
JTV News will continue to monitor the situation closely and provide updates as more information becomes available.
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