Sheree Martin (left), senior assistant general manager, group marketing and communication, National Commercial Bank, receives a copy of 'Depression to Decolonization: Barclays Bank (DCO) in the West Indies, 1926-1962' from author Kathleen Monteith, senior lecturer at the University of the West Indies (UWI), and Donna Muirhead, manager marketing and sales, UWI Press. - Contributed

The University of the West Indies (UWI) Press has published what it is labelling the first study of a major bank in the Caribbean.

Depression to Decolonization: Barclays Bank (DCO) in the West Indies, 1926-1962, written by Kathleen Monteith, senior lecturer at the UWI, is also being considered the first academic work in the region's business history.

According to a release from UWI Press, the book portrays an important aspect of the history of the National Commercial Bank (NCB).

"The book covers the bank's products and services, the competitive challenges it faced from the Canadian banks, the regulatory environment in which it operated, and its recruitment practices and organisational structure," the release stated.

Oldest commercial bank

NCB) formerly Barclays, is the oldest commercial bank operating in Jamaica. The institution was established in 1837 as the Colonial Bank in Jamaica and other West Indian territories. The bank was reconstituted as Barclays Bank in December 1925 and became NCB when the Jamaican Government gained controlling assets of the British bank in 1977.

The bank's history was further transformed in 2002 when the Canadian AIC group, led by Jamaican Michael Lee Chin, acquired controlling shares in the institution.

Depression to Decolonization is available in local book stores.