The JMMB Group Ltd (JMMBGL) yesterday advised that its T&T financial entities (including JMMB Bank (T&T) Limited) are now indirectly controlled by JMMB Financial Holdings Ltd.
JMMB Financial Holdings Ltd is the financial holding company of the JMMB Group licensed by the Bank of Jamaica as required under the Banking Services Act (2014).
In a notice posted on the Trinidad and Tobago Stock Exchange, the JMMB group stated that its Trinidad and Tobago financial entities are now controlled by Jamaica Money Market Brokers (Trinidad and Tobago) Ltd, which is in turn controlled by JMMB Financial Holdings Ltd which is in controlled by the ultimate parent JMMB Group Ltd.
The notice stated that this change does not impact the services provided by the subsidiaries in T&T.
The change was effected via an amalgamation and took effect on January 31 2024.
The notice stated that confirmation of the effective date was received from the Trinidad and Tobago Companies Registry on February 16, 2024.
JMMBGL is publicly listed on the stock exchanges of Jamaica and T&T.
Last Friday, JMMBGL The Directors are pleased to announce that the JMMB Group Limited posted net profit of J$17 billion(TT$739 million) for the nine months ended December 31, 2023. That compares to a loss of J$7.77 million (TT$338 million) for the same period in 2022.
In remarks on the company’s performance, Keith Duncan, the CEO of financial services group Kingston, Jamaica said its profits were buoyed by a material one-off occurrence, as the group’s investment in Sagicor Financial Company (SFC) contributed to JMMBGL in share of profit over the nine-month period.
The material one-off occurrence is as a result of SFC’s acquisition of 100 per cent of Ivari Holdings, a mid-sized insurance company in Canada for a consideration of C$375 million (TT$1.87 billion).
“A formal Business Acquisition Report (BAR) was filed with the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) on December 14 2023, which highlighted a bargain purchase gain of US$434.7 million (TT$2.95 billion) of which 23.44 per cent or J$14.6 billion (TT$634.7 million) accrued to JMMB Group,” according to the JMMBGL financial statement.
Investopedia defines a bargain purchase gain as a business combination in which assets are acquired for less than fair market value.
“Current accounting rules for business combinations require the acquirer to record the difference between the fair value of the acquired net assets and the purchase price as a gain on its income statement due to negative goodwill,” Investopedia said.