Government of Bermuda
The Premier joined the Minister of Finance at the Consensus 2019 Conference, which is the largest gathering for digital asset companies. During this time the Premier engaged in a number of Business Development meetings both related to digital assets and traditional financial services in New York City. Some of the meetings the Premier engaged in are listed below:
The Premier traveled to the annual RIMS Conference where he and the Minister of Finance participated. Additionally, the Premier met with Circle, a digital asset company that is looking to be attracted to Bermuda. Also, there were multiple meetings with the Digital Currency Initiative at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to formalize relationships between the Government of Bermuda and MIT as Bermuda moves towards a pioneering electronic identity solution.
The Premier traveled to Washington D.C. to meet with members of the 116th United States Congress and had the opportunity to meet with Rep. Richard Neal, Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee in addition to hosting a breakfast for members of Congress to inform and update on issues pertaining to Bermuda.
In addition the Premier also met individually with:
The Premier and the Hon. Curtis L. Dickenson, Minister of Finance, traveled to the United Kingdom and Brussels to speak with officials regarding the removal of Bermuda from the list of non-cooperative jurisdictions for tax purposes. During these meetings in the United Kingdom, the Premier met with Mr. Robert Jenrick MP, Exchequer Secretary; Rt. Hon. Sir Nicholas Soames MP and Sir Henry Bellingham MP.
The Premier was invited to speak at the annual Bermuda Executive Forum where he opened the event with a panel that consisted of Mr. Brian Duperreault, who is the CEO of American International Group (AIG) and Mr. Michael Bloomberg, the former New York City Mayor.
In addition to hosting a reception for the event, the Premier participated in a number of Business Development meetings in the City with multiple individuals. Some of those meeting attendees include but are not limited to:
Mr. Marc Hochstein,
Managing Editor of Coindesk
Accommodation and transportation were complimentary.
The Premier was invited to attend the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. The Premier spoke at a number of on premise and off premise events and following that travelled to Brussels to open the Government of Bermuda Brussels office.
The Premier travelled to Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sloane School of Business for a discussion with the Digital Currency Initiative at MIT. Bermuda discussed its plans to launch a digital currency pilot and to enlist the support from MIT to assist in the design. He was joined by Sir. Andrew Large, Vice-Chair of the Bermuda Financial Policy Council, Philip Butterfield, Chairman of Bermuda First and Denis Pitcher, Fintech Advisor to the Government of Bermuda.
Premier was in Brussels to engage with Member States for political engagement on Bermuda’s assessment to the Code of Conduct Group. The Premier attend the Joint Ministerial Council Chaired by Minister of State to the Foreign & Commonwealth Office Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon as well as attended the Bermuda Business Development Forum in London. Also while in the UK the Premier attended the Bermuda London Office reception for Bermudians in the UK, held in both London and Nottingham.
Airfare, accommodation and incidentals were paid for by HSBC.
The Premier travelled with the Minister of Finance for meetings relating to the successful refinancing of Bermuda Government’s debt which reduced Bermuda’s interest expense. Further information can be obtained via the following link: http://parliament.bm/admin/uploads/ministerials/296b3022244cdbc02cdc3d4bbbb8b48b.pdf