Bank of Jamaica

Inflation reached 7.5 per cent in July, breaking the national target for a second consecutive month. The Bank has explained…

For all the polished kitchens, guarded entrances and artist impressions of sunlit balconies, the Jamaican property market is being shaped…

The containers are coming. So are the costs. A sharp rise in global shipping prices could work its way from the docks into Jamaican kitchens, building sites and household budgets for months to come.

A complete analysis of Jamaica’s nineteen-month BOJ Payment System Data Bulletin series, June 2024 to December 2025. JAMCLEAR-RTGS volumes reflected sustained interbank activity, POS transactions grew as card adoption accelerated, and cheque usage declined structurally — together tracing the arc of Jamaica’s payment modernisation programme.

A complete analysis of Jamaica’s seventeen-month BOJ ABM Performance Bulletin series, December 2024 to April 2026. Hurricane Melissa triggered seven consecutive months of uptime non-compliance, the permanent loss of eleven Scotia Bank machines, and a 137-machine fleet refresh programme — the largest in the series. Rural uptime finally recovered above 95% in April 2026.

A complete analysis of Jamaica’s seventeen-month Bank of Jamaica Remittance Bulletin series, from December 2024 through April 2026. Fiscal 2025/26 became the first year to exceed US$3 billion in diaspora inflows, with corridor trends, regional benchmarks and housing market implications examined across the full dataset.

Scotia Bank has launched a 137-machine ABM fleet refresh programme as Hurricane Melissa recovery enters its seventh month. System uptime remained at 93.6% in April 2026 — below the 95% minimum for a seventh consecutive month — though rural uptime crossed above the threshold for the first time since the storm.

Jamaica’s remittances fell 0.8% in April 2026 to US$274.5 million — the first monthly contraction of the year — but calendar year-to-date growth remains positive at 3.3%, with cumulative inflows reaching US$1.07 billion through April.

Jamaica’s ABM network achieved 95.4% operational in March 2026 — clearing the BOJ minimum for the sixth consecutive month — but system uptime remained at 92.9%, below the 95% standard, as Hurricane Melissa’s telecommunications impact continued six months after the storm and JN Bank recorded the month’s lowest uptime at 88.3%.

Jamaica’s diaspora remittances surpassed US$3 billion in fiscal 2025/26 for the first time, reaching US$3,284.4 million. March inflows rose 5.2% to US$297.7 million as the USA corridor hit 69.6%, its highest share in the series.

Jamaica’s ABM network hit a post-Melissa high of 96.2% operational in February 2026, but system uptime slipped to 92.1% — below BOJ’s 95% minimum for a fifth straight month — with JMMB’s rural machines recording an extraordinary 17.1-hour average recovery time, while Hanover and Trelawny confirmed full Hurricane Melissa recovery.

Jamaica received US$247.6 million in remittances in February 2026, growing 3.8% year-on-year, as the USA source share rebounded to 68.4% and the UK corridor moderated to 11.7% from its 12.5% Christmas peak. The fiscal year-to-date total reached US$2,986.6 million, approaching the US$3 billion milestone for the first time.

Jamaica’s ABM network improved to 94.1% operational in January 2026 as six institutions achieved 100% operational rates, but system uptime remained at 93.0% — below BOJ’s 95% minimum standard for the third consecutive month — with Hurricane Melissa’s telecommunications damage still affecting Scotia Bank’s fleet.

Jamaica received US$273.2 million in remittances in January 2026, a 5.0% year-on-year increase, as the USA source share fell to 67.5% — its lowest January reading in the BOJ series — and the UK corridor held at 12.2%, confirming that the elevated corridor levels of late 2025 are sustaining into the new year.

As 2025 ended and 2026 began, Jamaica secured the largest disaster recovery financing in its history. But with the economy having contracted 7.1% in Q4 and tens of thousands still displaced, the scale of the task ahead was becoming clearer.