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Messi breaks World Cup’s all-time scoring record with 18 goals

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Messi breaks World Cup’s all-time scoring record with 18 goals

Lionel Messi has broken the record for the highest number of goals in the history of the FIFA World Cup after scoring his team’s opening goal in their Group J match against Austria, taking his tally to 18 goals in six tournaments.

The Argentinian captain reached the top of the charts on Monday when he swept home after 38 minutes in his team’s second group game, to deafening roars at Dallas Stadium in Arlington, Texas in the United States.

He added another deep into stoppage time to become the leading scorer in both men’s and women’s FIFA World Cups, surpassing Brazilian great Marta, who has 17 goals in FIFA Women’s World Cups.

Messi had equalled Miroslav Klose’s all-time mark of 16 World Cup goals by hitting a hat-trick in a 3-0 win over Algeria to open the South American nation’s title defence in North America last week.

The 38-year-old had missed a penalty earlier in the game.

Messi is playing at his sixth World Cup, his first coming in 2006, and he now has 121 goals in 201 games for his country.

He is the third player to score in six successive World Cups for his country.

His enduring quality augurs well for Argentina’s hopes of becoming the first team since Brazil in 1962 to win back-to-back World Cup titles.

Messi was tearful after his first goal against Algeria, and it later emerged that his father is recovering from an unspecified health issue.

Despite his personal travails and a troubled build-up because of a hamstring niggle, Messi’s mere presence inspires his teammates.

“If anyone thought this group was better off without Leo, today it became clear that Leo is the most important of them all,” said midfielder Alexis Mac Allister after the win against Algeria.

Inter Miami attacker Messi had not even committed to playing the tournament in North America until the last moment.

But nobody realistically expected him to be absent from spearheading Argentina’s title defence.

The former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain wizard dragged his country to World Cup glory four years ago.

Argentina can qualify for the next round with a victory over Austria and would be assured of finishing top of Group J if Jordan fail to beat Algeria later on Monday.

After former Germany forward Klose, next on the all-time list is Brazilian great Ronaldo, with 15 goals, one ahead of Gerd Muller and current France star Kylian Mbappe. (AL Jazeers)

Police seek help locating missing 12-year-old girl

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Police seek help locating missing 12-year-old girl

The Barbados Police Service is seeking the public’s assistance in locating 12-year-old Kalicia Ariana Layne of Vauxhall, Christ Church, who has been reported missing.

Police said Layne was last seen on Sunday, June 21, 2026.

She is described as being about 5 feet 7 inches tall, slimly built, and of brown complexion. She has full eyes, a medium-sized nose and a pointed chin. Her hair is braided in cornrows to the front with singles at the back.

At the time of her disappearance, she was wearing a black shirt and long brown pants.

Police said Layne is known to frequent the areas of Vauxhall Gardens, Adams Castle in Christ Church, and Bayville, St Michael.

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Kalicia Ariana Layne is asked to contact the Oistins Police Station at 418-2612 or 418-2604, Police Emergency at 211, Crime Stoppers at 1-800-TIPS (8477), or the nearest police station.

Clive Davis, music mogul behind Whitney Houston and Bruce Springsteen, dies aged 94

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Clive Davis, music mogul behind Whitney Houston and Bruce Springsteen, dies aged 94

Clive Davis, one of the most influential music executives in the history of rock and pop, has died at the age of 94.

A former head of Columbia and Arista Records, he signed and shaped the careers of artists including Aretha Franklin, Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, Whitney Houston, Santana, Janis Joplin, Christina Aguilera, Alicia Keys and many others.

He had recently been in hospital with respiratory problems and was recovering at home in Manhattan, New York, when he died, his family said.

“To the world, our father was the iconic music legend whose vision, instincts, and relentless pursuit of excellence shaped the soundtrack of countless lives,” they said in a statement.

“He discovered, mentored, and championed the greatest artists in modern music history, leaving an indelible mark on culture that will endure for generations.

“To his family, Clive was Dad and Granddaddy, the steady presence at the centre of our lives, the source of wisdom, strength, encouragement, and unconditional love.”

Among those paying tribute was rock iconoclast Patti Smith.

“Thanking Clive Davis for transforming music, and on a very personal note, for believing in me, shepherding my efforts and a half century of your love and support,” she posted on Instagram following news of his death.

Born in Brooklyn on 4 April, 1932, he grew up in the Crown Heights neighbourhood.

He graduated from Harvard Law School and had no knowledge of the music industry when he took a job at Columbia Records at the age of 28 – but he took night classes to educate himself on copyright law, contracts and litigation.

Davis used that knowledge to help defeat a federal antitrust suit over Columbia’s mail-order record club; and successfully persuaded Bob Dylan to remain with the label, after his original deal became void when the singer turned 21.

He was promoted to vice president of the record label in 1965 and shortly after became president. Among the acts he signed were Santana, Aerosmith, Pink Floyd and Springsteen, giving the label a new lease of life.

“I didn’t necessarily have an ear, but I think I developed one,” he later said.

“Whether there was a natural ear that was triggered, I don’t know the answer to that. But when you see a Joplin or a Springsteen, you know.”

Davis had a reputation for supporting artists, but his decisions could sometimes ruffle feathers.

After a playback for Simon and Garfunkel’s fifth album in 1970, he told the “aghast” artists that Cecilia shouldn’t be the first single.

“I felt Cecilia would be a hit but Bridge [Over Troubled Water] was something more,” he later told Simon’s biographer Robert Hilburn.

“Yes, it was a ballad; yes, it was lengthy,” he added, in a separate interview with the New York Times.

“But you’ve got to know when you have a home run. You can’t play everything by the rules.”

Two years later, he provided invaluable career advice to Bruce Springsteen, who had recently signed to Columbia for the princely sum of $25,000.

Watching the musician perform an early showcase, Davis noted that he rarely stepped away from the microphone, and offered a suggestion.

“I said, ‘Don’t do it if it’s not natural for you, but I know that the potential of the songs would lend itself to more physical movement on your part,'” Davis later recalled to People magazine.

A couple of weeks later, he went back to watch Springsteen at a club in Greenwhich.

“I was flabbergasted,” he said. “He jumped on every table… He was a whirling dervish.

“It was not just the movement, it was the spirit of it. It was electrifying.”

Afterwards, Davis went to speak to Springsteen backstage.

“I got to the dressing room. I remember opening the door and him looking up saying, ‘Clive, did I move around enough for you tonight?'”

Despite the success, he was ousted from Columbia when the company accused him of using company funds to pay for personal expenses, including his son’s bar mitzvah.

Davis was charged with six counts of tax evasion. He pleaded guilty on one count and was otherwise exonerated.

Within months, Davis had set up his own label, Arista. He immediately achieved commercial success by signing Barry Manilow; and critical acclaim for releasing Patti Smith’s influential debut album, Horses. (BBC News)

Burnham confirms Starmer succession bid as he is sworn in as MP

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Burnham confirms Starmer succession bid as he is sworn in as MP

Andy Burnham has been officially sworn in as Makerfield’s new MP amid loud cheers from his Labour colleagues in the House of Commons.

Just hours earlier, Sir Keir Starmer announced his resignation both as prime minister and Labour leader.

Former Greater Manchester Mayor Burnham, who won the Makerfield by-election by 9,000 votes last week after seeing off a challenge from Reform UK, has confirmed he wants to succeed Starmer.

The by-election was triggered when Labour’s Josh Simons stood down to make way for Burnham, who represented the neighbouring Greater Manchester constituency of Leigh between 2001 until 2017, when he became mayor.

Burnham bowed his head several times as he made his way through the Commons chamber and grinned as he was greeted by his colleagues.

Sir Desmond Swayne, a Conservative former minister, heckled as Burnham approached the clerks to be sworn in.

“Rome is saved,” he said.

In another heckle, MPs were told that “he’s not the messiah” and there was a shout of “water into wine”.

Nodding to Monty Python’s Life of Brian, Burnham replied: “Naughty boy.”

It was a “beyond celebratory” mood, the BBC’s chief political correspondent Henry Zeffman said in Westminster Hall, where MPs assembled to have their photo taken which is customary for all by-election winners.

Burnham was greeted with whoops and cheers from about 200 Labour MPs with notable senior figures from Starmer’s government among those who got there earliest for a prime spot including Rachel Reeves and Jonathan Reynolds, the chief whip – both front and centre – as well as Steve Reed and Nick Thomas-Symonds.

Starmer was not there for the welcome photograph.

Burnham later got out his phone and took a selfie with the crowd, straining to fit them all into one screen.

Burnham confirmed his intention to run for the leadership, posting on X earlier: “Keir has given huge service to our country and I want to thank him for his leadership and dedication during such a challenging period.

“His decision marks the beginning of a transition and it is important that this process is conducted in an orderly and responsible way.

“I will put myself forward as part of this process.

“The country expects stability, seriousness and a continued focus on the issues that matter most and that is what it will get.”

He added: “As we move forward, our priority must be to work together to get the country back to where we all want it to be.

“People want to see progress on economic growth, cost of living, public services, housing and opportunities for the next generation. Political change should never distract from the responsibility to improve people’s lives.

“The Labour movement has always been at its strongest when it looks forward with confidence and purpose. This is what we will do from here and we will make sure this transition is a positive process of renewal for our party and our country.”

Former health secretary Wes Streeting has announced he will back Burnham’s leadership bid.

Streeting resigned from the government last month, saying he had lost confidence in Starmer’s leadership.

Before catching a train to London, Burnham said farewell to his staff at the Greater Manchester Combined Authority.

He was given a Manchester-themed armchair as a leaving present, embroidered with bees – the symbol of Manchester – and the Manchester skyline.

It also contains the phrase “we do things differently here” on it.

Burnham “thanked staff from the bottom of his heart” as he appeared at a staff meeting before leaving Manchester.

He became emotional as he told the assembled crowd that the job of Greater Manchester mayor had been the “privilege” of his life. (BBC News)

St Gabriel’s students top 11-Plus examination results

Ashminnie Moonsammy
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St Gabriel’s students top 11-Plus examination results

The Ministry of Education Transformation released the 11-Plus examination results on Monday morning announcing that Benjamin Enzo Luciene is the top-performing boy and overall top student, while Xiomara Lascaris is the top-performing girl.

Both are students of St Gabriel’s School which had four of the top achievers.

Luciene achieved the highest overall score of 245.13 and has been allocated a place at Harrison College.

Lascaris, who placed fifth on the top 12 list, topped the girls with a score of 244.60 and has also achieved a place at Harrison College.

Paul Anthony Gibson of the Hilda Skeene Primary School scored 244.88 for a place at Harrison College while Kaden Orett Ward, who attended St Cyprian’s, also scored 244.88 and was allocated a place at Harrison College as was Peyton Michael Garnes of Blackman and Gollop Primary who also scored 244.60.

Danielle Shayla Benn of The Rock Christian recorded a score of 244.36 for Queen’s College while Sakai Arianna Maria Cox of George Primary scored 244.11 for a place at Harrison College.

Adelaide Mae Sikkens of St Gabriel’s scored 244.11 for a place at Harrison College, while Shiloh Noelle Brewster also of St Gabriel’s also scored 244.11 and for a place at Queen’s College.

Tarig Omarion Goddard of St George Primary scored 243.59 to attend Queen’s College while Ahron Carter Lovell of Will’s Primary also scored 243.59 for Harrison College.

Jaryd Allen Jones of People’s Cathedral Primary scored 243.56 and was allocated a place at Harrison College.

The Ministry highlighted the strong performance across multiple schools as results continue to reflect competitive placement into top secondary institutions.

Lashley’s plan to pull Pine from the edge

Maria Bradshaw
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Lashley’s plan to pull Pine from the edge

Community activist and former parliamentarian Hamilton Lashley has unveiled a comprehensive plan to combat the escalating violence in The Pine community by looking to its past glories.

Lashley is spearheading the establishment of a community sports museum and Hall of Fame, an initiative he believes will restore identity and offer a sustainable path away from the gun violence that has plagued the area.

“The Pine has a very terrible reputation as being the murder capital of our area. We’ve got to change that,” he told the Sunday Sun in a recent interview.

He noted that between 2004 and 2026, 22 people in The Pine lost their lives to gun violence adding: “There is a cell block up at Dodds Prison called ‘The Pine Block’ and I am still counting because some of The Pine fellas get killed in other people’s territories.”

The initiative, driven by the Hamilton Lashley Human Development Foundation, aims to transform the narrative of The Pine.

Lashley, who served in the House of Assembly for 19 consecutive years from 1994 to 2013, representing the St Michael South East constituency, announced plans to convert the Delisle Bradshaw National Resource Centre in The Pine into the Barbados’s first community sports museum.

The facility will house a Hall of Fame to honour the area’s sporting heroes, ranging from football and cricket to netball and squash.

“All of those outstanding persons in The Pine community that represented Barbados internationally and regionally and their community locally will be inducted in large numbers in the Hall of Fame,” he said.

“Identity precedes participation,” Lashley asserted, quoting historian Walter Rodney.

“A community must know its history because as Marcus Garvey once said, a people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.”

The museum will feature mass inductions of athletes who represented Barbados and the region, including footballers, netballers like Marian Johnson and Sandra Fergusson, cricketers such as the Brooks brothers. He also mentioned names such as former Olympian Rawle Clarke. Special tributes will also be paid posthumously to persons such as Ralph Walker, who made outstanding contributions to the community Lashley highlighted the community’s rich history, noting its dominance in sports during the 1990s.

“In 1992, The Pine was in its glory days. They won all of the major trophies in football in Barbados – the Under-12s, Under-14s, Under 16s, Under-18s, the middle league football tournament, the knockout, everything,” Lashley recalled. The netballers won the league and also won the knockout championship.

However, he sadly revealed that the negativity started to creep back in during the years 2000 to 2006, describing it as a “horrific period in The Pine in terms of the murders with the gun being the preferred weapon of choice.”

He mentioned Princess Royal Avenue, Regent Hill and Golden Rock as notorious troubled spots.

However, Lashley argued that nostalgia alone would not solve the current crisis. He criticised the “get rich and switch” mentality of successful professionals who originated from housing areas but fail to give back. He said the new initiative required a holistic approach, including direct intervention from the private sector.

“The private sector has a critical role to play,” Lashley stated.

“We are putting a proposal to them to intervene in a practical way by offering not assistance in terms of money, but offering some jobs.”

With more than 75 firms located in and around The Pine, including the Barbados Olympic Association and various statutory corporations, Lashley believes these entities have an obligation to help stabilise the social environment.

“We can’t plan a programme and not want to involve them,” he added.

“That would be madness.” The project also includes collaboration with the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Community Empowerment, as well as the local secondary school. Lashley is targeting an August launch for the museum and is seeking to produce a 12-page pull-out publication to document the community’s achievements and honour its fallen heroes. He said businessman Henderson Williams would also partner with the Foundation “It is a holistic social intervention programme,” Lashley said. “We want to put the people on track in a prepared mood. We can’t continue with this killing no more in Barbados.” (MB)

Salah’s World Cup pain ends as he fires Egypt to historic win

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Salah’s World Cup pain ends as he fires Egypt to historic win

The Egyptian King’s match-winning second-half display against New Zealand helped the Pharaohs to their first-ever World Cup win, at their ninth attempt, and leaves them on the brink of qualifying for the last 32.

Salah’s 67th-minute goal gave Egypt the lead – after they recovered from a shock early New Zealand opener – before his corner was headed home by Trezeguet to seal the historic 3-1 win.

Salah had made a slow start to the tournament, with an ineffectual display in their opening draw with Belgium followed up by a quiet opening half against the Kiwis.

But, just when it looked like his own World Cup nightmares were about to continue, the 34-year-old became the latest superstar to make his mark on the tournament, following in the footsteps of Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland and Harry Kane.

After a forgettable World Cup campaign in 2018 and failure to qualify four years later in Qatar, Egypt’s greatest player has finally had his moment on the biggest stage.

And he will know a point against Iran will see his country through to the next round – and they may not even need that.

Salah said: “It’s a great achievement for all the players. It’s a great win. It’s a great vibe. The next game is very important.”

Salah’s club future remains uncertain after a forgettable final campaign at Liverpool, which saw him fall out with then manager Arne Slot before announcing he was leaving this summer.

He has been linked with various clubs across the world but was determined to focus on his country’s World Cup campaign first in a bid to put right the wrongs of the past.

In 2018, Salah faced a race against time to make the World Cup because of injury and, despite making the squad, had to settle for a place on the bench in their opening defeat to Uruguay.

His converted penalty was then merely a consolation in a 3-1 loss to hosts Russia before he missed a sitter as Egypt suffered a humiliating loss to Saudi Arabia.

The fallout to that World Cup failure was huge, with Salah accusing Egypt’s FA of disrupting preparations and reports he was close to quitting international football.

Things didn’t get better as four years later they failed to qualify for Qatar and – after 45 minutes on Sunday – it looked like Salah’s World Cup misery was set to continue.

Egypt manager Hossam Hassan even had to speak out before the match to deny any fall out with Salah – after substituting him during the draw with Belgium.

But, just when it looked like the Iran match could be the last-chance saloon, Salah took matters into his hands to spark wild celebrations among Egypt fans across the world. (BBC News)

Pollard passes Gayle to become highest T20 run scorer

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Pollard passes Gayle to become highest T20 run scorer

Kieron Pollard is now the highest run scorer in T20 cricket after passing his former West Indies teammate Chris Gayle while competing in Major League Cricket (MLC) on Saturday.

The 39-year-old scored an unbeaten, even century for MI New York in a losing cause against the Washington Freedom at Grand Prairie Stadium.

Pollard reached the milestone in spectacular fashion by launching Asif Mehmood over long-off for six to go from 79 to 85 and carry his tally to 14,567 runs, overtaking Gayle’s 12-year record of 14, 562 runs in the process.

His unbeaten century – his second in T20s – carried him to 14, 582 runs in his 736th match at a strike rate of 151.12.

Only 22 of Pollard’s 653 T20 innings have come from higher than No. 4, while 286 innings have come while batting at 6 and 7 combined.

Speaking on his achievement, Pollard said he was honoured to have broken the record as a middle-order batsman.

He said surpassing Gayle, widely known as the ‘Universe Boss’, was a special feeling.

“Surpassing Chris Gayle, someone we looked up to in the West Indies over a period of time, is special. He has done great things in all formats of cricket, so again, sorry Universe Boss, but we are both at the top there.

“Having said that, batting at No. 6 or 7 is very difficult. Somebody needs to do the dirty work, though, and while everyone rushes to bat at the top of the order, a cricket match involves 11 people, and everyone has a role to play,” Pollard said.

“I guess my role over time was to finish matches, and I embraced that. Once you embrace the challenge and practice for it, good things come.”

Pollard said while milestones had been far from his mind when he started, there was satisfaction in seeing how T20 had changed the sport after the likes of himself, Gayle and Dwayne Bravo faced “ridicule” for opting to prioritise the format.

“I’d be lying if I said that [scoring this number of runs was on my mind]. But what I’m proud of, individually and with all those other guys like Chris, is that we took a leap of faith and we got ridiculed a lot for it,” Pollard said.

“Now you live to see guys at a young age even retiring from international cricket to play franchise cricket because again cricket is not just a sport anymore; it’s a business.

“One thing I’ve understood in life about human beings is that when you do something different, change is something we’re not really accustomed to. I’m happy that I’ve lived the day to see it, and I hope everyone who criticised us over the years can sit back and say, ‘Cheers’. We don’t need a sorry. Respect each and every format of the game, but understand that just like technology, everything is changing,” he added. (CMC)

Alan Greenspan, architect of the modern American economy, dies aged 100

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Alan Greenspan, architect of the modern American economy, dies aged 100

Former US Federal Reserve chair Alan Greenspan has died aged 100, his wife has said.

NBC News correspondent Andrea Mitchell said in a statement reported by her employer that her husband had died from complications of Parkinson’s Disease.

Mitchell’s statement said Greenspan was “a giant of a man who helped shape the US economy for decades under presidents of both parties, but was always honest in acknowledging his mistakes”.

For nearly 20 years, Alan Greenspan was charged with safeguarding the US economy and keeping the dollar sound.

As chairman of the Federal Reserve from 1987-2006, a post described as the second most important after the presidency, he presided over the longest sustained period of US economic growth in a generation.

Described as the “God in the machine” of American finance, Greenspan declined all requests for interviews during his time at the Fed.

But the media and the money markets hung on his few public statements, and a sign in his office said simply, “the buck starts here”.

But critics argue that an over-reliance on easy credit fuelled the dot-com bubble of the late 1990s and caused the sub-prime mortgage crisis of 2008.

Alan Greenspan was born in New York City on 6 March 1926. His mother, who worked in a furniture store, brought him up single-handed.

Far from being a budding economist, the young Greenspan was a talented musician, who studied the clarinet at New York’s renowned Julliard School of Music.

He played in a band with Stan Getz, the legendary jazz saxophonist, before touring the country with the Henry Jerome Band. This peripatetic lifestyle gave him a valuable practical insight into the workings of US business.

And while his fellow musicians spent their evenings smoking marijuana, Alan Greenspan busied himself by swotting up on economics and doing the band’s accounts.

At the age of 19, he enrolled as an economics student at New York University, where he became an apostle of the free market, and eventually found employment as an economic consultant and, later, as a member of the board at JP Morgan.

In 1952, Greenspan met the right-wing novelist and social philosopher Ayn Rand, whose views were to have a profound influence on him.

She called him “the undertaker” because of his liking for dark, sombre suits.

But the young economist came to support her belief that society functions most efficiently when people actively pursue their own self-interests, to the exclusion of the interests of society as a whole.

In an article he wrote in 1966, he declared “the welfare state” as “nothing more than a mechanism by which governments confiscate the wealth of the productive members of a society”.

Having successfully predicted the Eisenhower recession, Greenspan advised Richard Nixon during his successful presidential election campaign in 1968.

He went on to become head of the Council of Economic Advisers.

Greenspan later wrote that he found the president to be “sadly paranoid, misanthropic and cynical”, but the economist’s success at curbing inflation impressed Nixon’s successors.

Gerald Ford asked Greenspan to continue at the Council of Economic Advisers and – in the early 1980s – Ronald Reagan chose him to lead an inquiry into the reform of the America’s state pension system.

In August 1987, Reagan promoted him to chairman of the US Federal Reserve, and – for the next two decades – he became one of the most powerful men in the world. (BBC News)

Credit union group hits $2.09b

Shawn Cumberbatch
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Credit union group hits $2.09b

The financial services group headed by Barbados’ largest credit union has surged well past $2 billion in assets, fuelled by increases in cash resources, financial investments, and loans and advances.

This was after a financial year in which revenue streams, expense management, and operational efficiency improved.

Barbados Public Workers’ Co-operative Credit Union Limited’s (BPWCCUL) 2026 consolidated annual report says the group recorded net income of $10.1 million, a “significant improvement” over the prior year’s $6 million, driven by strong net interest income of $76.4 million and other income of $17.2 million.

The group’s leadership also reported that “despite operating expenses of $81.5 million, disciplined cost management and improved credit performance supported overall profitability”.

Parent entity BPWCCUL owns and operates the subsidiaries Allied Co-operators Inc. and BPW Financial Holdings Inc., the holding company for the CAPITA Group. The CAPITA Group includes subsidiaries CAPITA Financial Services Inc. and CAPITA Insurance Brokers Limited.

Ahead of the annual general meeting on Saturday at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre, president Lindell Earle said in the annual report on the board of directors’ behalf that the group, which has 120 908 members, saw total assets surging from $2.01 billion in 2025 to $2.09 billion in the financial year ended March 31.

He said this was “fuelled by increases in cash resources, financial investments, and loans and advances”.

“Deposits rose to $1.82 billion, underscoring continued member confidence. Equity strengthened to $205.1 million, compared to $198.6 million in the prior year, reflecting retained earnings growth and prudent reserve allocations,” Earle reported.

“Our capital base remains robust, positioning us well for future opportunities and challenges.”

The group also had an improved cash flow. “Operating activities generated $75.5 million in net cash, up from $50.9 million in 2025, supported by deposit growth and stable interest income,” Earle said.

“Investing activities reflected strategic expansion, with $10.5 million invested in property and equipment and $41.5 million in financial investments. Financing activities resulted in modest outflows, primarily due to member distributions and lease repayments.”

The credit union is by far the biggest part of the group. Its total assets “rose to $1.90 billion, supported by higher liquidity, member lending, and strategic investments. Deposits expanded by 5.4 per cent, reinforcing our core funding base, while equity improved to $202.6 million”.

Net income of $9.2 million reflected disciplined expense management, diversified income streams, and reduced credit risk provisions.

The annual report said that during fiscal 2026, the credit union’s net loans increased by $21.9 million.

“Further analysis showed that increases in mortgage loans were the primary driver of loan growth, with net mortgages growing by $14.5 million or 2.7 percent per cent. This financial year, consumer loans grew by $8.1 million . . . while business loans contracted by $236.100,” it stated.

CAPITA Financial Services Inc. earned a net profit of $934 000 “after taxes, total deposits in excess of $240 million, and total assets of $316.5 million at year end”.

The report said that CAPITA Financial “remained focused on the development of its five-year strategy plan and the introduction of a new suite of deposit products that are key to providing diversification of its funding sources, and reviewing and exploring ways to reduce delinquency and recover the current stock of non-performing loans.

“In addition, major emphasis was placed on reviewing the brand identity and the development of a more focused marketing strategy that will cater to the targeted customer segments.”

Commenting on the group’s performance in the context of its strategic outlook, Earle said, “This performance underscores our resilience, prudent risk management, and commitment to efficiency. We remain focused on strengthening our core business, investing in digital transformation, and delivering sustainable value to stakeholders.

“At the same time, we continue to balance growth with prudence, building reserves, maintaining a sound capital position, and investing in technology, infrastructure, and member services to ensure long-term sustainability and enhanced member value.

The group is planning to pursue “strategic goals that align with our mission to enhance the financial, economic, and social well-being of our members”.

Key targets in that period include achieving total revenue growth of 13.7 per cent by 2027; expanding the deposit base by 4.1 per cent by 2027; completing the Lower Broad Street facility expansion by 2028; and maintaining employee and member engagement scores between 80 to 90 per cent by 2028.

To realise these ambitions, the organisation will focus on the following four strategic pillars: member satisfaction and growth, financial stability and profitability, operational excellence, and workforce development and culture. (SC)

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