Global Finance Magazine recognized RBC Caribbean as the best private bank in the Caribbean for its wealth-building insights and tax efficiency guidance. CIBC FirstCaribbean was awarded for sustainable investing, supporting renewable energy initiatives in the region. Citi Private Bank was lauded for its digital solutions, including the CitiDirect Digital Onboarding platform, and its commitment to innovation under Philip Watson's leadership. The Caribbean and Central America are also noted for their engagement with cryptocurrency, with the Bahamian 'sand dollar' and El Salvador's initiatives.

IBM celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2011, marking a year of innovation milestones including one year of its innovation lab in Brazil and 65 years of technological innovation. The company has amassed thousands of patents, with 5,896 in the previous year alone, and invests $6 billion annually in innovation. IBM defines innovation as the intersection of invention and social insight, focusing on market-valued innovations. Big bets like smart cities and large-scale analytics are key areas, with the Rio de Janeiro project exemplifying IBM's smart city initiatives. IBM's Annual Report states that it earns about $1 billion globally from patent commercialization, leading the list of most inventive companies for the 18th consecutive year. Over 7,000 inventors from the US and 29 other countries contributed to the 2010 patent inventory, with non-US inventors accounting for over 22% of the patents.