Premier Alden McLaughlin spoke at the Central Bank Meets Blockchain Conference in Barbados today on what officials said was the “ongoing successes of the Cayman Islands in its continuing work to improve e-government services and embrace digital technologies and industries”. McLaughlin joined a number of other speakers at the conference, including Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley. He reportedly told the conference that the Cayman Islands had taken a regional leadership role “in progressive reforms” with the development of legislation, regulation and policy in relation to e-government and digital technology.
McLaughlin noted that Prime Minister Mottley had committed to follow many of the e-government initiatives that Cayman is adopting, as well as “the encouragement we are providing to attract companies that operate in the digital sector”.
He was asked to speak by Marla Dukharan, the chief economist of Bitt Inc., a Barbados-based technology company focused on digital payments. According to a release from the premier’s office, Dukharan “has repeatedly touted the Cayman Islands as ‘the best run economy in the Caribbean’ in talks and discussions around the region.
Yesterday McLaughlin met with Sen. Kay McConney, who heads up the Ministry of Innovation, Science, and Smart Technology in Barbados, to discuss the “Cayman Islands’ wide ranging programme of e-government initiatives”.
Barbados is said to have looked at the “advances made by Cayman in recent years” regarding e-government, according to the release, and is seeking to move along a similar path.
McLaughlin said e-government initiatives were a priority of the last administration he led, when a dedicated unit was created under his ministry. The current administration has continued, with several initiatives underway.
While there have been some significant improvements in the amount of information and documentation the Cayman government now provides online, the issue of buying and paying for services over the internet remains a significant barrier to further development.
The issue of e-business is not confined to government but also impacts the private sector, where the ability to order and pay for goods or services online is still a challenge for shoppers and merchants alike.
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Quelle/Source: Cayman News Service, 19.09.2018
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