In order to assist you in deciding whether and where to invest in the Caribbean, we have compiled some background material on each of the islands where Barclays maintains an offshore banking presence. In this section we have consolidated this information on a Caribbean-wide level, to provide a general backgound to the Caribbean, information on doing business in the Caribbean, the political and economic status of the region and the financial services industry.
More specific information is provided on the individual island sites.
Business in the Caribbean Many of the Caribbean islands offer excellent environments in which to do business. The world's leading accounting and legal firms are well represented across the Caribbean, and many of the islands have excellent local professionals well versed in international business procedures, who can provide a wide range of other more specialised services. Telecommunications facilities in the Caribbean are generally on a par with the US, with facsimile machines, direct dialling and internet access coupled with more advanced telecommunications facilities such as videoconferencing. The Caribbean comprises a number of different democracies, including British Dependent Territories such as the Turks and Caicos Islands and the Cayman Islands, independent states within the British Commonwealth such as Barbados and the Bahamas, and independent and dependent states of other nations including the US Virgin Islands, Guadaloupe and Martinique, departments of France, and the Netherlands Antilles. Due to their heritage, many of the islands have well established stable democratic systems.