total 37. 6 13. 9 51. 6 7. 6 30. 0 0. 7 13. 3 8. 3 43. 3 5. 7 31. 2 0. 5 13. 4 6. 2 44. 6 of which retail commerc'l / other of which cash non - cash source : central bank of the bahamas chart 1 : domestic deposit inflows in 2018 ( $ billions ) source : central bank of the bahamas table 2 : canadian banks ’ share of domestic deposit inflows, 2018 ( % ) deposited funds bsd non - bsd total 82 % 98 % 87 % 68 % 86 % 96 % 98 % 70 % 90 % of which retail commerc'l / other of which cash non - cash 85 % 84 % 96 % 98 % 86 % 88 % we can see that the three canadian banking groups accounted for 90 per cent of the funds placed in commercial deposit accounts, and nearly all non - bahamian dollar gross deposits. on the commercial and, particularly, the cross - border side, the standard of aml / cft risk management in these operations in nassau or freeport would be the same as in toronto or winnipeg. bahamian - owned banks are less engaged in commercial banking, but have about 30 % of the deposits placed by individuals. let ’ s now look at the 17 individual categories where global experience suggests we should be looking hardest for money laundering. source : central bank of the bahamas the aggregate 2018 deposits in each segment can be viewed from several perspectives : by bahamian dollars versus foreign currency accounts, and split by cash versus non - cash deposits. broadly speaking, cash carries more aml risk than non - cash deposit. that said, only about 10 per cent of the funds deposited in bahamian banks in 2018 fell into these 17 sector categories, with the remainder in less potentially troublesome areas. there are several lessons apparent from the data. first, many segments which the international community and standards setting bodies flag as susceptible are simply too small in the bahamas to constitute a material money laundering risk in the domestic economy. examples include diplomatic establishments, pawnshops, and wholesale jewellery stores. the domestic banks have yet to commence taking deposits from crypto - asset sources, but this may change in the future. second, nearly all segments are dominated by non - cash deposits. when looking at retail jewellery stores, auto dealers, and maritime sectors, for example, very low cash flows were evident, with electronic payments such as credit and

looks far less unusual. though less evident than the headline statistics about earnings and stock prices, there is also a positive financial story to tell about corporate america over the past couple of years. specifically, as in the case of households, the recent low - interest - rate environment has allowed firm managers to restructure their balance sheets in ways that have made them financially better prepared to expand their businesses when they judge that the time is right. first, by borrowing at lower rates and refinancing old loans, firms have been able to significantly reduce their current interest charges. the ratio of interest expenses to outstanding debt for nonfinancial firms indicates that the average interest rate has fallen about 1 - 1 / 4 percentage points from its recent high at year - end 2000, to under 6 percent on average. with lower interest rates and higher profits, the average ratio of firms'interest expense to cash flow improved considerably in 2002, to about 18 percent ( compared with a peak of 27 percent in 1991 ). second, firms have also restructured by substituting long - term debt for short - term obligations, resulting in a sharp decline in the average ratio of current debt to assets. average liquidity also improved markedly in 2002, reflecting declines in short - term liabilities, higher cash flows, and reduced payouts to shareholders. finally, on net, firms took on little new debt last year. the bottom line from this restructuring activity is healthier balance sheets for many firms. so, are firms financially able to fund new investment and new hiring, if and when they decide that expansion is justified by the fundamentals? i think that, for the most part, the answer is " yes. " most firms have ample cash and liquid assets to fund investment internally, and they have access to the capital markets as needed to fund investment externally. though risk premiums remain elevated and lenders are selective, both the corporate bond markets and bank lending windows are " open " to additionally, many firms will be required to change accounting assumptions about expected rates of return in their pension plans, which may raise future contributions further. reasonably sound borrowers. indeed, over the past year gross issuance - even of speculative - grade bonds - continued at a moderate pace. the possible exceptions to the presumption that funds are available are the weakest firms in the most troubled sectors. these firms are generally also the ones with the poorest earnings prospects and the most severe problems of excess capacity, and hence they are likely the