A photo taken inside the building that will house Banco Popular on Virgin Gorda. Photo: Facebook/File

The soon to open Banco Popular on Virgin Gorda will 24-hour ATM access. Photo: VINO/File

The bank has not confirmed the exact date for their opening but with photos of the facility at near completion and the media being invited to a press conference at the location on November 6, 2019, it is obvious they are close to commencing operation.

It has also been confirmed that initially the bank will be opened to the public on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays but will provide 24-hour ATM access.

The bank was originally scheduled to open in August 2019, however, this was delayed following some setbacks with the building.

Premier and Minister of Finance Honourable Andrew A. Fahie (R1), in a social media post on Friday, October 11, 2019, had shared a photo of the building to house the banking facility.  

"What a pretty sight in Virgin Gorda. Promise delayed but not denied. Physical banking facility will soon be a reality once again in VG. Persistence always beats resistance," Hon Fahie said in the caption.

Banco Popular is a financial services provider with operations in Puerto Rico, the United States, the Caribbean, and Latin America.

Strain on VG residents & businesses

Scotiabank closed its Virgin Gorda branch in 2018, putting a severe strain on residents and businesses as they had no choice but to commute almost daily for related businesses on Tortola.

Prior to being booted from Government, the Dr D. Orlando Smith administration had commenced talks with Banco Popular. Upon taking to government earlier this year; however, the Virgin Islands Party (VIP) administration of Honourable Andrew A. Fahie (R1) put wheels on the process and got it moving.

Today, the people of Virgin Gorda are elated and breathing a sigh of relief to soon be able to access such an essential service.