Central Bank’s Economic Explainer Series Returns for a Second Season

“What It Means; Why It Matters,” the Central Bank of Barbados’ economic explainer series, returns for its second season on Thursdays, starting October 3, at 7:53 p.m. Each episode will premiere simultaneously on the Bank’s YouTube channel and other social media platforms as well as on CBC TV 8.

“We’re excited to bring back this series, which helps Barbadians to understand many of the key economic terms and concepts they hear about in our press conferences and publications,” said Novaline Brewster, Director of Communications, Information, and Outreach at the Bank. “The feedback we received during the first season was extremely positive, with many people saying that they were not only educated by the series, but also thoroughly entertained by it.”

The series features the Bank’s Governor, Dr. Kevin Greenidge, as The Explainer, who shows up in unexpected places to answer people’s questions about economic issues and show how they relate to their daily lives. Some of the topics covered in the first season included the unemployment rate, international reserves, GDP and the debt-to-GDP ratio, revenue and expenditure, and the fiscal and primary balances.

Brewster previewed some of what viewers can expect in the second season. “Our first episode will focus on market conduct for financial institutions. In July, we issued a Market Conduct Guideline for commercial banks and other entities that we regulate, and the episode will continue to explain what that guideline covers and how it will benefit the average Barbadian. Other episodes will look at tourism, AML/CFT (anti-money laundering and combatting the financing of terrorism), local and foreign direct investment, and several other topical issues.

“If you haven’t seen all of the episodes from the first season, you can catch up on our YouTube channel. Then, we encourage you to tune in each week to learn what these terms we often hear economists using mean, and why they matter.”