barry whiteside : commemorative coin for fiji ’ s iliesa delana welcome address by mr barry whiteside, governor of the reserve bank of fiji, at the unveiling of the iliesa delana commemorative 50 cent circulation coin at the reserve bank of fiji, suva, 18 september 2013. * * * chief guest mr iliesa delana distinguished guests board of directors, and colleagues members of the media ladies and gentlemen bula vinaka and a very warm welcome to you all. this is a truly special occasion and we thank you for accepting our invitation to help honour a true son and “ icon ” of fiji, iliesa delana, in a slightly different way from our morning tea after his london paralympic gold medal win last year. this is not to say that we did not treasure those earlier moments when our whole nation was at one, coming together to celebrate a bright shining star. after that morning tea we at the reserve bank of fiji really felt we could do better and make the recognition more lasting. after all, this was an achievement up there with the very best in our country ’ s history! today, we will be unveiling a commemorative circulation coin that will feature london 2012 paralympic games athlete, iliesa delana, in action winning the gold medal during the f42 high jump event. this is the first time that we have featured a sportsperson on our coins. we have had them on stamps, but never on a circulation coin! i am sure by now iliesa needs no introduction as he has become a household name throughout fiji and an inspiration to many. his achievements say it all. but let me say a few words in honour of iliesa anyway, and to also inspire the younger generation. iliesa believes in the motto “ disability is not a barrier in life but a challenge ” and i strongly believe that he continues to live up to his motto as he always continues to raise the bar. hailing from the village of naisausau, namara, in the province of tailevu, iliesa debuted at the far east and south pacific games for the disabled ( fespic ), kuala lumpur, malaysia in 2006. in 2011 iliesa participated at the world championships where he recorded a jump of 1. 73m in the f42 category and was ranked number 2 in the world. at the london 2012 paralympic games, iliesa ’ s jump cleared the bar of 1. 74m breaking

ewart s williams : a brief overview of developments in trinidad and tobago opening remarks by mr ewart s williams, governor of the central bank of trinidad and tobago, at the launch of intercommercial trust & merchant bank limited, port of spain, 16 february 2006. * * * i am delighted to be here to share in the celebration of what i believe is the rebirth of the intercommercial trust and merchant bank limited ( itmbl ). let me extend my sincere congratulations to the board, management and staff of intercommercial bank limited and its trust and merchant bank. the rebranding of the intercommercial trust and merchant bank and all that goes with it – its standalone status ; a new, restructured entity ; its new location, situated in port of spain, in the middle of the financial centre, as it were – all of this carries enormous significance. it sends the message that ibl is now a full - fledged national financial institution which, with the support of its strategic partners, is willing to take on competitors both locally and regionally. ladies and gentlemen, this significant event is taking place at a most important juncture in our country ’ s economic and financial ( history ). in 2005, trinidad and tobago registered its twelfth consecutive year of robust economic growth ; with inflation still basically in check ; with a very strong balance of payments and with unemployment at perhaps at its lowest point ever. while much of this success can be traced to our oil fortunes, it also has to do with several years of sound economic policies, of which the liberalization of the financial sector was a significant part. this re - launch of intercommercial trust and merchant bank is taking place at a time when we are seeing the full benefits of financial sector liberalization. this is being reflected in the proliferation of a diversified range of financial institutions and the exponential growth in the financial asset base. with the structural changes now ongoing in the financial sector, trinidad and tobago has become a major source of regional financing, while our home - based financial institutions have expanded their presence through the caricom region. despite the rapid pace of expansion, the banking system has remained robust, as evidenced by all the main macro - prudential indicators. the data shows, for example, that : ( i ) the banks are more than adequately capitalized, with their capital adequacy ratio averaging close to 20 percent, far exceeding the statutory 8 percent minimum ; ( ii ) non -