Saint Lucia, Thursday 9 March, 2022: The Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC®) hosted its 2021 Regional Top Award Ceremony recently. Among those honoured was the best-performing student in Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations® (CAPE®) Financial Services Studies. In recognition of her achievement, Anatassia Hastings received a trophy, and an award of USD $2,500.00 from the Caribbean Association of Banks (CAB) Inc. Miss Hastings is the first recipient of the CAB award for this subject. She achieved a Grade 2 in Financial Services Studies Unit 1, Grade 3 in Financial Services Studies Unit 2, Grade 2 in Accounting Unit 1, and Management of Business Units 1 and 2, Grade 3 in Caribbean Studies and Communication Studies, and Grade 4 in Pure Mathematics Unit 1.
A student of St. Elizabeth Technical High School in Jamaica, she was congratulated by CAB CEO, Ms. Wendy Delmar, who delivered remarks via video recording. Said Ms. Delmar:
“On behalf of the Board of Directors and members of the Caribbean Association of Banks Inc, it is my distinct pleasure to extend congratulations to Anatassia Hastings, our top performing student in Financial Services Studies at the 2021 CAPE exams. I am sure that her former teachers, her family and friends must be just as proud of her as we are. Of course, we at CAB would love to see her become a career banker. The Caribbean financial services sector is vibrant, dynamic, and rich with possibilities, and it is certainly an exciting area in which to enter.
“CAPE® Financial Services Studies is meant to serve as part of the foundation for developing greater regional expertise in financial services, and more and more students are taking up this subject. The growth in the number of candidates in a relatively short period is commendable, and we look forward to continued growth. Once again, congratulations to you, Miss Hastings, and thank you to the CXC family.”
Financial Services Studies is considered a “New Generation” CAPE® subject, having been introduced in 2016. According to CXC, these subjects were introduced in response to the changing social and economic demands of the Caribbean. Specifically, CAPE® Financial Services Studies is intended to assist in the formal preparation and certification of Caribbean persons to access an untapped market space and contribute to the development of more competent international financial services experts in an area which is poised for high profitable growth across the region.
In 2021, 63 candidates wrote Unit 1 of CAPE® Financial Services Studies, whilst a further 38 wrote Unit 2. 32 candidates wrote Unit 2 in 2020, whilst only 13 attempted Unit 2 in 2019. The CAB Award for Financial Services Studies comes out of a memorandum of understanding established in 2020 between two of the foremost regional entities in the Caribbean.
