Business View Caribbean - December 2015 13
“Unlocking finance for Caribbean-born developers
and existing regional companies is key as govern-
ments continue to struggle to grow their econo-
mies,” says Felicia J. Persaud, CEO at Invest Carib-
bean Now (ICN).
With banks in the region now less bullish on lend-
ing there, ICN, the definitive private sector invest-
ment agency of the Caribbean, has teamed up with
several global private lenders to offer multi-million
financing for projects ranging
from US$5 million and up for
major projects being devel-
oped in the Caribbean includ-
ing building of villas, hotels,
and mixed-use properties.
This comes as the KPMG
2015 Caribbean Hospitality
Financing Survey found that
non-banks are more bullish
on the Caribbean these days,
with 17 percent saying it is
the perfect time to lend in the
region especially in Antigua,
Barbados, Jamaica, Trinidad &
Tobago, and Turks & Caicos.
Not to be left out, ICN is also
offering access to capital for
Caribbean & Hispanic small
to medium enterprises in the
U.S. or Canada. The options
include cash advances to existing micro-enterprises
on invoices as well as low interest loans and lines of
credit of between US$5,000 to $250,000 to quali-
fied business owners seeking capital for expansion
and growth.
Key projects ICN is teaming to support include hotel
financing, refinancing and/or expansion; renovation,
expansion and acquisition of existing hotels; and
building and renovating apartments or villas. Other
sectors will be considered on a project by project
basis.
Invest Caribbean Now promotes and pushes for the
right investment opportunities in the Caribbean re-
gion; offers a concierge service for high end inves-
tors seeking to make the right connection with key
opportunities, governments and other parties in any
Caribbean destination; and connects major real es-
tate projects with debt financing and small entrepre-
neurs in the U.S. and Canadian Diaspora with small
business loans and cash advances.
