Despite the demise of Soviet support, Cuba's banking sector has experienced a period of spectacular growth, reports Karina Robinson from the Caribbean island. By establishing competition and efficiency into the system the country is more than managing to ride the storm.
A 19th-century bishop based in Cuba reportedly wrote to his superiors in Europe: "Al Cubano le importa mas el alma de los negocios que el negocio del alma" - the soul of business matters more to the Cuban than the business of the soul. Whatever regime the population has laboured under, be it the Spaniards, the Americans or the current 43-year-old administration of president Fidel Castro, Cubans busy themselves with earning a living.