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The 34th edition of the largest international business fair in Havana (FIHAV 2016) has been scheduled from October 31 to November 4. The event will contribute not only to promote Cuban exports, but also it aims to attract foreign capital.
Among the side events, the celebration of the First Investment Forum which will take place during 1st and 2nd of November which includes the Business Portfolio 2016, as well as bilateral meetings between Cuban and foreign investors. In addition, a panel of experts will inform about the opportunities the Cuban market offers.
According to the Minister of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment, the priority sectors are tourism, renewable energy, agriculture and the Special Economic Development Zone of Mariel (ZEDM). In the field of exports beyond traditional elements such as cigars and rum, medical and pharmaceutical services are now the primary goods for export.
FIHAV 2016, advertised as the best of its kind in the Cuban capital. 75 countries has been confirmed its participation, as well as the representation of 325 national companies.
(Prensa Latina) Cuba and the United States are negotiating six new cooperation agreements in sectors of mutual interest, said Cuban Foreign Ministry official Josefina Vidal after the fourth meeting of the Bilateral Commission on Friday.
The director general of the U.S. Department at the Cuban Foreign Ministry noted the accords cover law enforcement, seismic monitoring, exchange of meteorological information, protected marine areas, search and rescue operations and the response to hydrocarbon spillage in the Gulf of Mexico and the Straits of Florida.
These agreements that we are negotiating would be adopted, if possible, before the end of 2016, she noted during a Q&A session on Twitter, a virtual dialogue she had under the tag #AskCubaUS.
Vidal, who on Friday chaired the new meeting of the commission, informed that between October and December, officials from the two countries will pay high-level visits and will hold about a dozen technical meetings.
The bilateral mechanism that was activated a year ago held its fourth meeting on Friday, when both parties reviewed the results of discussions during the previous contact in May. They also analyzed the new steps to move forward in bilateral relations, which were reestablished in July 2015.
According to Vidal, once again, the Cuban delegation noted to its counterpart, headed by the joint secretary for the Western Hemisphere, Mari Carmen Aponte, the need to put an end to U.S. policies that affect rapprochement, like the economic, commercial and financial blockade and the programs aimed at causing internal changes in Cuba.
Cuba has officially authorized the first flight of the US airline JetBlue between Florida and Cuba. This Wednesday will start its Go nonstop to Cuba services. The first regular commercial will take off from, Florida and arrive in Santa Clara.
JetBlue will initially operate flights on three routes between Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) and:
Santa Clara– Abel Santamaría Airport (SNU)
Monday, Wednesday & Friday flights starting August 31, 2016
Daily flights starting October 1, 2016
Camagüey – Ignacio Agramonte Airport (CMW)
Daily flights starting November 3, 2016
Holguín – Frank País Airport (HOG)
Daily flights starting November 10, 2016
AT&T has reached agreements for Cuba roaming and direct interconnection with Empresa De Telecomunicaciones De Cuba (ETECSA). The deal continues to enhance AT&T’s global coverage for customers – the best of any U.S. wireless provider.
“Cuba is a growing international calling destination for our customers,” said Bill Hague, executive vice president, AT&T Global Connection Management. “With this agreement, AT&T customers soon will be able to seamlessly connect with talk, text and data while visiting Cuba.” We will announce commencement of wireless roaming availability and pricing for AT&T customers visiting Cuba at a later date.
Money transfer institutions and companies from 14 countries attend the first International Money Transfer Conferences (IMTC), which takes place this week in Havana.
The First Vice President of the Central Bank of Cuba, Irma Margarita Martinez, said that this event is part of the process of normalization of relations between Cuba and the United States.
IMTC Cuba 2016 conferences: ‘A global overview of remittances’, ‘Latin America and remittances’, ‘Regulation of the financial sector and the transfer companies from the United States’, and ‘Financial relation between United States and Cuba and its continental influence’.
Our main objective of this one-of-a-kind historic event is to explore remittances and its link to financial services in Cuba, as well as migrant services, looking at the past to understand the present & analyzing what the future will bring. We want to witness the transformation first hand, from the role of the banking sector, the emerging non-bank financial sector, the present and the future importance of remittances, the foreign exchange market to the card and mobile financial services developments in the island. We are grateful to Banco Central and Fincimex for their help and to our event manager.
Obama’s unprecedented reforms towards Cuba, are already showing results. And not just for the entertainment industry.
This dramatic and emotional outburst is growing like a bamboo tree, and the influence of social media has lead people eagerness to know what’s on in the mystical island. Celebrities are no longer concerned in keeping a low profile while traveling to Cuba, the opposite, they are on the front page of any newspaper, some of the bolder ones have made history by extending their trip to cultural events, such as the concert of the Rollin Stone, the fashion show by the legendary Karl Lagerfeld who took his Resort 2017 Chanel show to Havana Cuba.
Hollywood’s filmmakers, supported by the country’s independent production industry shot House of Lies and Fast & Furious in the most impressive historical city, the Old Havana.
So, how did they pull it off?
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) removed Cuba from its exclusion list enabling U.S.-based telecom operators to provide telephone and Internet services to Cuba without the need of a separate approval from the FCC. And based on that IDT Corp. has formed a J-V with the Cuba’s telecommunications company ETECSA; Verizon Communications Inc. is offer roaming wireless services to its American customers while in Cuba.
According the OFAC, transactions that are directly incident to professional media or artistic productions of information or informational materials for exportation, importation, or transmission, including the filming or production of media programs (such as movies and television program). The Cuban record enterprise EGREM and Sony Music Entertainment signed a licensing agreement for the international distribution of EGREM’s catalog of Cuban music.
Carnival cruise line – Fathom – cultural immersion and people-to-people connections.
All this does not represent a legislative change, as the embargo remains in place, however recent changes have been the cornerstone to overcome the complex red tape procedure in order to get the green light from the US treasure department in any project related to Cuba.
People are changing their skeptical approach, they are coping with the governments bureaucracy by being more persistent and patient, and focusing on results. A couple of examples: Cleber LLC the first US enterprise to operate in the Cuba Mariel Development Zone, Starwood Hotels signed three new hotel deals in Cuba, it’s the first U.S. company in the hospitality sector to launch in the Cuban market.
OFAC has issued a general license authorizing carrier services between the United States and Cuba, directly or indirectly, by vessel, in addition to the existing authorization for provision of such services by aircraft. Its doesn’t include general aviation.
JetBlue the leading airline to the Caribbean already offers nonstop charter services to and from New York, Fort Lauderdale and Havana.
American Airlines, Delta, United Airlines among others have submitted their applications to the US transportation department, hopping to get the required license to fly to Cuba.
Do you need a license, in which category does your business or interest fall?
Different interpretations arrive via different paths, so make sure you are well in formed, by reading the Cuba-US, FAQs