Gros Islet, Saint Lucia, 18th September, 2026 – The way customers pay is changing, and for businesses, keeping up is no longer simply a matter of having a card machine at the counter.
That was the central message as Bank of Saint Lucia, in collaboration with Discover Network, brought merchants and members of the business community together for its 2026 Merchant Seminar and Expo. Held at Sandals Grande Saint Lucian Beach Resort and Spa under the theme “Empowering Merchants for the Future of Payments”, the full day event spoke to the realities of modern commerce. Staying on top of the game, Bank of Saint Lucia’s merchant services portfolio includes traditional point of sale solutions, and its Tap to Pay offering, which allows eligible merchants to accept contactless payments directly through an Android smartphone without additional hardware.
Bank of Saint Lucia’s Senior Manager, Card Services, Tarbula Aimable-Amedee, who delivered the opening remarks, described merchants as the frontliners. “They are the ones meeting the customer, taking the payment and, very often, solving the problem when something does not go as planned. Bank of Saint Lucia wants to ensure that they have the knowledge, tools and support to do so with confidence. Customers are traveling, they are on the move and they expect things to be seamless. The more prepared we are to give them that convenience, the better the experience we can provide. The payments conversation is moving quickly, and we want our merchants moving with it.”
With the supporting message “Adapting Today to Meet the Payment Needs of Tomorrow,” the programme featured contributions examining card acceptance and fraud disputes, e-commerce and card present payments through CyberSource. A global perspective was introduced by Onix Figueroa, Director, Business Development at Discover Network, who presented “Our Global Payment Network.” Discover Global Network says its network is accepted in more than 185 countries and territories and at millions of locations worldwide. That connection between local enterprise and global commerce was a recurring thread throughout the day’s discussions.
According to Figueroa “Saint Lucian businesses serve customers from around the Region. The goal is to ensure payments remain secure and convenient, while giving local institutions the tools to participate in a much bigger payments ecosystem. As digital payments continue to evolve, security remains an equally important part of the equation.” Discover Global Network requires merchants handling its cardholder data to comply with applicable Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards, underscoring that convenience and security have to move together.
A new feature of this year’s Seminar was the introduction of an interactive Merchant Expo, bringing together existing BOSL merchants and businesses that are not yet part of the Bank’s merchant network. The Expo featured Follicles, Soaring leads, Blush Flowers, Florenvilla758, Ron Henry Art Studio, Vel's Multiservices and D ‘Segment ATV, giving participating businesses an opportunity to showcase what they do. The addition of the Expo was intentional and an avenue created space for businesses to meet one another, demonstrate their products and services and see firsthand how payment solutions fit into different types of businesses.
Aimable-Amedee said the Expo added an important dimension to the event. “We did not want this to be a day where merchants simply sit and listen to presentations. Every business represented here has a different customer, a different operating model and different needs. We wanted them to be directly involved in the conversation.”
Bank of Saint Lucia remains committed to supporting the local business community through financial services, business solutions, education and partnerships that help enterprises navigate our digital economy.