More than 60 taxi operators in the British Virgin Islands have benefitted from a number of information sessions presented by the Financial Services Implementation Unit as part of the ongoing BVI Forward campaign to build greater awareness about financial services.

The FSIU presentations were part of the Taxi Academy 2016, which is a series of workshops organised by the Taxi and Livery Commission and also included presentations by the BVI Tourist Board.

The presentations provided basic information about the financial services industry to the taxi drivers and explained the importance of their role in the BVI Forward campaign.

FSIU Director, Mr. Kedrick Malone underscored the importance of the presentations noting that taxi operators are important ambassadors in the raising the level of awareness about financial services.

“They interact daily with residents and visitors and financial services will invariably be part of some conversations. Therefore, it is important that they are equipped with facts about the industry to help spread that knowledge. We are keen to create a society where a greater percentage of residents better understand the industry and its importance to the BVI economy and who can engage in informed conversations about financial services,” Mr. Malone said.

There are many misconceptions about financial services and the information sessions with taxi operators helped to dispel those. A hand-out comprising of 10 things to know about financial services was shared with participants.

Mr. Malone added, “The presentations delivered served as the starting point for any conversation on financial services but we went a step further by compiling a list of 10 basic facts that persons should know as it relates to financial services. We encouraged the taxi operators to keep these close at hand and refer to them often to ensure that they are sharing factual information and not inaccuracies.”

Director of the Taxi and Livery Commission, Mr. Dameon Percival said taxi operators are regarded as good resource persons in any community because they tend to know a little bit about everything and it is therefore important to ensure that they have factual information.

“In addition to providing the quality customer service we expect of persons involved in the tourism industry, we also expect our taxi operators to be knowledgeable about the other twin pillar of the BVI economy. We do not want them engaging in hearsay when they speak about the financial services industry; it is important that they know the facts and can share this information,” Mr. Percival stated.

While this series of presentations targeted taxi operators, the FSIU is willing to deliver similar presentations to other groups of persons around the Territory. Organisations are invited to submit requests to the FSIU for presentations on the financial services industry.

Engaging the population is one of the priority initiatives identified as part of the BVI Forward campaign to ensure a sustainable future for the industry. The underlying objective of the communications campaign is to help each resident of the BVI make a personal connection with the industry.