The Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) and its partners have launched Financial Information Month (FIM) 2025 under the theme Financial Investing: From Savers to Investors, with a packed month of activities aimed at deepening financial literacy and encouraging practical investment across Montserrat.
The regional festival officially began on 30 September with a media launch hosted from the ECCB’s headquarters in Basseterre, St Kitts and Nevis, connecting partners, educators, financial professionals and government representatives from across the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union (ECCU).
Deputy Governor Dr Valda F. Henry underscored the Bank’s ongoing mission to make access to banking more inclusive. “With the ECCB’s Mission Statement ‘Advancing the good of the people of the currency union by maintaining monetary and financial stability and promoting growth and development’ at the heart of everything we do, we have worked to make access to banking simpler and more inclusive,” she said.
Dr Henry pointed to key ECCB initiatives such as the First Step Savings Account, designed to bring more citizens into the formal banking system, and the Regional Government Securities Market (RGSM) Retail Bond Initiative, which opens up investment opportunities to everyday savers across the region.
The regional launch, chaired by ECCB Corporate Relations Director Shermalon Kirby, featured several presentations, including one by Fiscal and Debt Specialist Juletta Edinborough on the new ECCB Retail Bond Programme, and Youlouca Armony-Browne of the Eastern Caribbean Securities Exchange, who highlighted the third annual Regional Schools Investment Competition.
Month-long Calendar for Montserrat
Montserrat’s local programme, coordinated by the ECCB Agency Office in collaboration with local financial institutions and partners, began with a special church service on October 5 at the Wesleyan Holiness Church in St Peters, followed by a radio address on October 6 by ECCB Country Manager, Angela Estwick.
Throughout October, a series of 30-minute radio presentations will run on ZJB Radio, featuring experts such as Mr Alan Sheppard, Mrs Juletta Edinborough, Mr Paul Maxwell, Ms Nadia Duberry, and Mrs Josephine George. Topics range from Goal-Based Investing and Exploring Regional Investment Options to High Risk, Low Risk, No Risk and Invest Today, Celebrate Tomorrow.
Interactive and community-focused events are also scheduled, including a Storytime, Chat and Paint session at the Montserrat Public Library on October 18, a High Visibility Walk from Cudjoe Head to Little Bay on October 25, and a Kahoot Competition on October 26.
A Q&A session with Premier and Minister of Finance Reuben T. Meade on October 13 will focus on the government’s role in promoting financial resilience and investment opportunities on the island.
The month closes with a 45-minute panel discussion on October 29 featuring managers of Montserrat’s major financial institutions, followed by a Charity Contribution and Closing Ceremony on October 31, and a Games Night Wind Down at the ECCB Agency Office on November 1.
Daily Financial Tips and a Radio Quiz will also air on ZJB throughout the month, with residents encouraged to participate in FIM Shirt Fridays by wearing branded shirts each Friday in October.
A Culture of Financial Empowerment
Financial Information Month, first launched in 2002 as Financial Literacy Month, has evolved into a regional festival of financial empowerment. Now in its 23rd year, the initiative brings together 115 institutional partners across the ECCB’s eight member territories to build financial resilience, promote inclusion, and encourage long-term investing.
Through its mix of education, outreach, and community participation, FIM 2025 aims to shift financial culture in Montserrat and across the region, from saving for security to investing for growth.
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