Minister Straughn Calls on Corporate Barbados to Embrace Technology for Secure and Convenient Business Transactions

As the government drives the nation towards a fully digital society, Minister in the Ministry of Finance Ryan Straughn on Wednesday called on corporate Barbados to adopt technology, enabling citizens to benefit from business transactions without the need for in-person interactions.

Straughn emphasised that embracing digital technology not only enhances security for businesses but also makes it easier for customers to access services and commodities online, benefiting all stakeholders involved.

He made this appeal during his speech at the launch of SurePay’s upgraded portal, celebrating the 20th anniversary of the electronic bill payment service at PBS Facey House, Warrens Industrial Complex, St Michael.

“We also have to take these innovations regional and collaborate with our partners in the region in order to ensure that we can lower the cost of doing business, not just in Barbados but regionally and generally lowering the cost of how people do business when they do business,” the minister said.

Straughn highlighted that adopting digital technologies enhances physical security for operators, eliminating concerns about issues like robbery. He advised operators to view risk reduction as a significant benefit of embracing technology.

“Be confident that rather than having to be opened physically for someone to do business with you, whether you are a vendor in Swan Street or you are a coconut vendor, you can accept orders and be paid so that when you wake up in the morning, you know that [you] have 20 orders to be delivered today without having to wait for someone to come into your space physically.

“This is the type of transformation that we are talking about that now must be delivered through entities like SurePay, leveraging the technology so that ordinary people will see the benefit of being able to adopt these technologies.”

He urged Barbadians to adopt digital payment systems, which will not only enhance their quality of life but also create new jobs, change traditional business processes and deliver better services.

Straughn said: “I want to urge Barbadians, wherever you are, that the adoption of the digital payment systems that are being rolled out across Barbados will make a substantive difference to the way that our quality of life will be enhanced and would be able to provide a range of opportunities, not just within the traditional business but allowing other jobs to be created which will help to absorb of the unemployment that currently exists. But we must be able to change the way that we do things, look at how we process and be able then to make sure that we can deliver better for our citizens going forward.”

(AH)