According to Eugene Dirksz, Corporate Credit Manager at Aruba Bank, Aruba’s largest commercial bank has seen a surge in start-up business over the last couple of years. We also see that there are many entrepreneurs with good business ideas (plans) yet have many unanswered questions, and that is the main obstacle in their way to fulfilling their ambitions. Obtain licenses and permits, prepare business plans, and obtaining start-up capital to enterprise are a few of the obstacles that need to be overcome.
We have taken bold steps to move beyond banking services to tackle these obstacles. Through bank wide efforts we focus on education and networking opportunities in an effort to support and foster entrepreneurship in the Aruban community.
Over the last year Aruba Bank has focused on building a platform to introduce high school students to entrepreneurship and teaches them how to start, own, and operate their own business. Through the 2017 Good for the Neighborhood program youngsters from all socio-economic backgrounds had the opportunity to start their own business, learning basic business skills and principles which they internalize and use throughout their lives.
Aruba Bank also held its Academic Economic Forum at the beginning of 2017 in partnership with the University of Aruba.
The event hosted a group of panelists and an open floor to questions from the audience around “Shaping the Future of our Economy-Rethinking
our business models”. The core discussions analyzed the state of the Aruban economy, the trends that will influence the future of our economy, and the vision and shape of the future our economy.
Aruba Bank strongly believes encouraging entrepreneurship among the local youth can offer answers to many of the questions that current startups have. We are helping to move new business forward in Aruba by creating a path to employment that starting a business provides.