Opinion: No Functioning Bank on Saba: Banking Is a Necessity, Not a Luxury

How does a bank send out “URGENT ACTION REQUIRED” emails threatening loss of access to accounts within 45 days if no compliance is completed, while at the same time temporarily closing the only branch on the island?

Residents are being instructed to visit an RBC branch, contact their “relationship manager” or  notarize documents through third parties and send via couriers, while many customers report repeated requests for documents that were already submitted previously in the branch on Saba.

Unfortunately, this is only one part of a much larger issue.

Customers on Saba have been dealing with:
• Wire transfers randomly failing
• Local transfers bouncing back
• Other online banking issues
• Unexplained fees
• Returned-funds charges when failures were not the customer’s fault, but online banking errors.
• Phones rarely being answered in branch
• Constant teller and management turnover
• Branch hours non- consistent
• Systems repeatedly failing
• Eeports of documents being lost within the branch
• Customers being told Saba “cannot help” and to contact SXM instead
• business accounts being opened on Saba, yet business clients being unable to receive proper assistance on Saba afterward
• Brand-new bank cards reportedly not functioning properly since distribution.
• Businesses still waiting on new cards and no ETA.
• Repeated compliance requests even after documents were already submitted

Many residents and businesses rely on these accounts for mortgages, payroll, suppliers, automated payments, transfers, school expenses, and day-to-day living. Banking failures create real financial consequences for families and businesses attempting to operate responsibly.

The reality is that RBC is currently the only bank operating on Saba. When services fail or become inaccessible, the island effectively has no fully functioning bank available to residents.

Saba residents deserve reliable, accessible, and properly functioning banking services. Banking is not a luxury — it is a necessity.

I hope this issue receives the public attention and accountability it deserves, because Saba deserves better.

Regards,
A concerned resident.