BUILDING financial independence, especially among youths, is what one can expect to learn from the University of Guyana (U.G.)’s Money Week 2025, as Dr. Marlene Street Forrest, Managing Director of the Jamaica Stock Exchange (JSE) delivered a sharp focus during the special forum held on Wednesday.

In an interview with the Guyana Chronicle on Tuesday, Dr. Street Forrest stated that questions such as: “How do you trade in, for example, for the stock exchange, what are the type of securities one can buy? What are the safeguards in terms of, you know, investing?” will be tackled.
U.G’s Money Week is scheduled for June 3 to 5, 2025.

After a brief hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the initiative is back in full swing, offering a dynamic three-day series of forums, workshops, and discussions under the theme: “Building Your Prosperity: Dollar by Dollar.”

Hosted at the Turkeyen Campus from 10:00 hours to 17:00 hours daily, Money Week 2025 is a face-to-face, free-of-charge event open to students, faculty, alumni, and the general public. Since its launch in 2017, Money Week has been dedicated to advancing financial literacy and empowering attendees, especially young people, with the tools and knowledge needed to manage money, build wealth, and navigate the financial world with confidence.

This year’s edition promises to be especially impactful, with a strong emphasis on technology, investing, and innovation, including sessions on cryptocurrency and fintech. One of the major highlights will be a forum led by the JSE held today and it features Dr. Street Forrest.

Topics to be covered at the JSE-led forum include: The Jamaica Stock Exchange: A Safe, Secure & Transparent Stock Market; The Role of Fintech in Promoting Financial Inclusion in Developing Economies; Making Your Money Work for You on the Stock Market; and a panel discussion: “Financing your Business for Growth – What are the Options?”
Attendees will gain practical insights into managing personal finances, making sound investment decisions, and creating generational wealth. Additionally, businesses and entrepreneurs will have the chance to network with financial service providers, learn about funding opportunities for SMEs, and get expert advice on accessing capital for business growth.

Local investment brokers, commercial banks, Wallet Wisdom, One Communications, Action Coach Guyana, and HerVenture are among the entities that will be present. Interactive conversations with successful local business icons will also add a rich, real-world perspective for aspiring entrepreneurs.

Another key feature will be access to UG Recruit, the university’s in-house digital platform that connects job seekers with employment opportunities.
Dr. Street Forrest also noted the broader regional context of her visit, citing increased collaboration between the JSE and financial sectors including Guyana, as well as efforts to strengthen capital markets through several initiatives.

She said: “Since we have started to have a collaboration with Guyana, we have strengthened our ties based on our association with the Chamber of Commerce, our association with various private sector organisations. This will be our third year in August for the regional conference, and we have been looking at how, as a stock exchange, we integrate, not only have we done that, but over the past three years, we have continued with other market investment activities- zoom meetings for small and medium sized companies, and we are in the process now, as you probably know, of looking at a memorandum of association to strengthen the stock exchange.”