Commercial Awareness

Why the Caribbean Must Be Part of the Global Conversation on Free Zones

January 26, 2026 Ainsley Brown Leave a comment

The Caribbean occupies a strategic yet often underappreciated position in the global trade ecosystem. As a group of small, open economies with deep linkages to logistics, tourism, manufacturing, and services, Caribbean states tend to feel global economic shifts earlier—and more acutely—than many larger economies. Today, those shifts are accelerating. Supply chains are being reconfigured, investors are reassessing risk, and sustainability

Commercial Awareness, Special Economic Zone

Understanding the OECD Inclusive Framework, Pillar Two, and the Architecture of the Global Minimum Tax

January 22, 2026 Ainsley Brown Leave a comment

International corporate taxation is undergoing its most consequential reform in nearly a century. At the center of this transformation is the OECD/G20 Inclusive Framework on Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS)—a multilateral platform designed to modernize global tax rules for an economy defined by digitalization, mobility of capital, and highly integrated multinational enterprises (MNEs). These reforms are not merely technical.

Commercial Awareness, Government Policy, International, Investment, Tax, Treaty

Want to Understand ESG? Then Follow the Money

January 13, 2026 Ainsley Brown Leave a comment

“Wealth is not his that has it, but his that enjoys it.” – Benjamin Franklin Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) investing has become a focal point in today’s global business landscape, attracting billions in capital and reshaping corporate priorities. Yet, there is a critical element often overlooked in this conversation—the economic dimension. While ESG inherently tied to economic outcomes, it

Commercial Awareness, Corporate Governance, Corporate Social Responsibility, Environment, Ethics, Sustainable Development

Rules of Origin in Trade Agreements: Turning Compliance into Profit

January 10, 2026 Ainsley Brown Leave a comment

In today’s intricate web of global trade, understanding the nuances of trade agreements is not just a bureaucratic necessity but a strategic asset. At the core of this lies the concept of rules of origin (ROO) – a critical component that determines the economic nationality of a product. For businesses engaged in cross-border trade, mastering the complexities of ROO can

Commercial Awareness, Trade, Treaty, WTO

What is an Economic Engagement Network and why is it important to your business?

January 18, 2023 Ainsley Brown Leave a comment

Countries enter agreements between each other all the time for a variety of things. A burning question businesses frequently ask is how do they impact (positive or negative) me? For an Economic Engagement Network: the value is in the connections. In order to leverage this network and create value or mitigate any negatives for your business requires a total mindset change. Rather than viewing these agreements in isolation and disconnected I invite you to start viewing these agreements as networks and platforms that support global value chains.

Commercial Awareness, Economy, Government Policy, Trade

Aligning business, physical and governance models critical for special economic zone success

July 5, 2022 Ainsley Brown Leave a comment

In order for zone regimes and the investors they attract to set themselves up for the best success – have a go at it – much will depend on the regime’s design, the implementation of this design and its responsiveness to changing global investment and trade trends. What is more, both policymakers and investors alike in doing so have to make sure that their business models, physical designs and governance structures of their special economic zone are all aligned.

Commercial Awareness, Economy, Government Policy, Investment, Special Economic Zone

Building an Economic Engagement network between Africa and the Caribbean

January 4, 2022 Ainsley Brown Leave a comment

An Economic Engagement Network is about how nations can improve their competitiveness by finding and creating value through the complex interplay between the various agreements (e.g. trade, investment treaties, double taxation agreements, air service agreements, standards mutual recognition, etc.) that they enter between each other.

Commercial Awareness, Economy, Global Value Chains, International, Trade, Treaty

What is Global Economic Governance?

March 13, 2021 Ainsley Brown One comment

The global economic governance system not only limits but at times directs policy choice/options of policy makers especially in the developing world. It will come as no surprise then that policy makers ands investors alike take a keen interest in this system.

Commercial Awareness, Digitalisation, Global Value Chains, Government Policy, Regulation, Special Economic Zone, Tax, Trade, Treaty, WTO

Cover of Let's Talk SEZ: Economic Regulation

Economic Regulation: The ‘visible hand’ guiding special economic zones

January 15, 2021 Ainsley Brown Leave a comment

Economic Regulation provides…the he ‘visible hand’ guiding and enabling the special economic zone (SEZ) ecosystem to work more effectively to achieving the stated economic development objectives of a SEZ Programme.

Commercial Awareness, Economy, Government Policy, Investment, Regulation, Special Economic Zone

Living with COVID means every business has to be a safety business

January 8, 2021 Ainsley Brown Leave a comment

In December in 2020 I published an article in Jamaica’s oldest and largest newspaper, the Gleaner, under the title: COVID Has Made Every Firm A Safety Business. What follows is the original article with bonus materials. “For safety is not a gadget but a state of mind.” Eleanor Everet I spotted and read an article in May of this year

Commercial Awareness, Management, Travel/Tourism

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