Historically, the jurisdictions of choice for this US$1.2 trillion market have been the Cayman Islands and Ireland ...
OECD's minimum global corporate tax The most significant recent development in the arena of taxation internationally must be the Organisation for Economic Co-operation & Development's (the OECD) members' agreement in late 2021, to ensure that multinational enterprises (MNEs) with global revenue above EUR 750 million will be subject to a 15% tax rate ...
Alternative Dispute Resolution in Jersey In Jersey the courts do not experience the same delays as the English system. This year, in Jersey the family court has moved to a new location at International House – which has been specially designed to encourage parties to settle their matters outside the court. The new court provides various comfortable meeting rooms and parties are encouraged by the Registrars to attend court early to see if a resolution can be found ...
What is ATAD III? In December 2021, the European Commission (“EC”) published its proposed Anti-Tax Avoidance Directive (known as “ATAD III”). ATAD III is intended to discourage the misuse of shell companies within the European Union (“EU”). The Directive is aimed at EU-resident entities which claim benefits under double taxation treaties and other EU Directives, but which lack a minimum level of economic substance ...
Guernsey listed funds In addition, Guernsey has for some time been the domicile of choice for non-UK companies listing on the main market of the London Stock Exchange (“LSE”) and the Alternative Investment Market (“AIM”) ...
Voluntary Winding Up A Guernsey company may be voluntarily wound up by means of a special resolution of its shareholders (passed by a majority of 75%). A copy of the special resolution must be filed at the Guernsey Companies Registry within 30 days who will publish notice on its website. A copy of the special resolution must also be sent to the Guernsey Financial Services Commission ("GFSC") within 30 days of the special resolution being passed if the company is supervised by the GFSC ...
Whether CMC of a Guernsey company is exercised in the UK is question of fact. This briefing summarises UK tax residence points arising out of UK tax case law, focussing in particular on the most recent case of Development Securities (No. 9) Ltd and other v HMRC2, and also provides some practical guidance on how Guernsey companies can minimise UK CMC risks when there is no intention to make the company UK tax resident ...
We are often asked to opine on the status of anti-discrimination law on the island, as many believe that it does not exist. In fact it does exist, albeit to a limited extent: The Sex Discrimination (Employment) (Guernsey) Ordinance 2005 renders it unlawful for employers to discriminate against employees and job applicants on grounds of sex, marriage or gender reassignment ...
Contents Please click on the links below to jump to the relevant section: Legislation Relevant entities Relevant activities Tax residence requirements Guidance General requirements Directed and managed Core-income generating activities (CIGA) Premises Employees and personnel Expenditure Enhanced requirements Reduced requirements Outsourcing Enforcement authorities Reporting formalities Demonstrating compliance Penalties Recent developments Legal framework Legisl
Contents Creation Legal personality and duration Founder Guardian Beneficiaries Council and counsillors The register of foundations Resident Agent Disclosure of Beneficial Ownership Confidentiality and disclosure Regulation of foundations Tax position Tax Filings of a Foundation CRS, FATCA and Foundations Economic Substance and Foundations Creation A foundation comes into being upon the founder endowing the foundation with its initial capital, subscribing his name to th
Guernsey is a Crown Dependency. The Bailiwick of Guernsey (Guernsey, together with Herm, Sark, Alderney and the surrounding islets) is part of the British Isles but independent of the UK. It is neither a member nor an associate member of the European Union (the “EU”) and as such is classified das a third- country. Guernsey is therefore not required to comply with EU directives such as the Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive (the “AIFMD”) ...
ESG The Guernsey Financial Services Commission (“GFSC”) ran its Sustainable Finance Week in September and announced three initiatives that came into force from 20 September: The Natural Capital Fund Regime was launched and allows a regulatory designation for biodiversity and natural capital projects that positively contribute and/or reduce harm to the natural world. The regime has arguably more stringent criteria than those for the Guernsey Green Fund Regime ...
Guernsey’s funds industry Guernsey is one of the world’s largest offshore finance centres, with a thriving funds industry. Over 800 investment schemes are currently domiciled in the island. At the end of Q2 2021, there were over 1,400 investment funds and sub-funds under management and administration in Guernsey with a total net asset value of US $533 billion ...
The board of directors Composition and conduct The Protection of Investors (Bailiwick of Guernsey) Law, 2020 (the “POI Law”) Where the entity is a licensee under the POI Law (“a POI Licensee”), the POI Law requires each director, controller, partner or manager of the POI Licensee to be a “fit and proper person” to hold that position. Factors such as his/her probity, competence, experience and judgment will go to making this determination ...
The registered fund regime offers a significantly faster approval process than that of authorised funds (other than QIFs): three days for RCIS Funds and one day for PIFs, relying in each case upon increased due diligence obligations on the part of the fund’s administrator ...
Guernsey Insurance M&A Our specialist insurance M&A team have advised on a number of other high-profile insurance industry transactions, including: the sale of Humboldt Re by the Credit Suisse Pension Fund; the acquisition of Kelvin Re by Humboldt Re, and the subsequent merger to create Marco Re; the acquisition of Old Mutual Guernsey by Northstar Bermuda; the acquisition by Islands Insurance Group of Hepburns Insurance, including its operations in both Jersey and Guernsey; the
Guernsey insurance mergers and acquisitions (M&A) Our specialist insurance mergers and acquisitions (M&A) team have advised on a number of other high-profile insurance industry transactions, including: the sale of Humboldt Re by the Credit Suisse Pension Fund; the acquisition of Kelvin Re by Humboldt Re, and the subsequent merger to create Marco Re; the acquisition of Old Mutual Guernsey by Northstar Bermuda; the acquisition by Islands Insurance Group of Hepburns Insurance, incl
Background On 15 July 2021 the States of Deliberation (Guernsey's parliament) approved the Income Tax (Guernsey) (Amendment) Ordinance, 2021 (the "Ordinance") which makes a number of important amendments to Guernsey's Income Tax Law ...
Guernsey investment funds update - Q4 2023 Changes to the requirements for individuals acting as a director As noted in our previous update, on 8 July 2023 new regulations to The Regulation of Fiduciaries, Administration Businesses and Company Directors, etc (Bailiwick of Guernsey) Law, 2020 (the “Fiduciaries Law”) came into operation, introducing additional exemptions from the need to obtain a personal licence pursuant to the Fiduciaries Law ...
Guernsey investment funds update Q1 2024 Guernsey funds up Q4 2023 The total net asset value of Guernsey funds at the end of Q4 2023 was c. US$368.2 billion, an increase of c. US$3.6 billion (+1.0%) over the quarter. Guernsey closed-ended funds increased over the quarter by just under c. US$3.1 billion (+1.0%) to c. US$305.2 billion. The Guernsey-domiciled open-ended sector increased over the quarter by just under c. US$638 million (+1.0%) to c. US$63 billion ...
CONTENTS General Litigation funding Initiating a lawsuit Pre-trial proceedings Discovery Injunctive relief Trials and hearings Settlement Damages and judgment Appeal Costs Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Arbitration Outlook and COVID-19 GENERAL General Characteristics of the Legal System The Bailiwick of Guernsey is a British Crown dependency ...
Guernsey Litigation Guides 2024 (Chambers) CONTENTS General Litigation funding Initiating a lawsuit Pre-trial proceedings Discovery Injunctive relief Trials and hearings Settlement Damages and judgment Appeal Costs Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Arbitration Outlook GENERAL General Characteristics of the Legal System The Bailiwick of Guernsey is a British Crown dependency ...
One solution to this issue is for pension funds to transfer longevity risk to the reinsurance market. Such a transfer can be attractive for both parties. From the pension fund’s perspective, a life reinsurer is often an attractive counterparty, both because of its deep understanding of the nature of the risk being transferred, and because it can provide a balance sheet big enough to assume a meaningful amount of risk from the fund ...
With the introduction of foundations as an alternative type of structure to companies, the trustee can be formed as a private trust foundations (“PTF”) instead of a PTC, offering increased choice to the client. To help guide this choice, this briefing note considers key issues relating to the establishment and use of a PTC or a PTF in the context of private wealth management. References to “PTVs” are to both PTCs and PTFs ...
This guide provides an overview of the following: The growth of GPUTs GPUT trustees What is a GPUT? Regulation of GPUTs in Guernsey Collective Investment Schemes (Funds) Introduction As a politically stable and tax neutral jurisdiction with over 40 years accumulated experience as an international finance centre, Guernsey has gained a strong reputation as a prime location in which to establish investment structures of all descriptions including a large number of property funds
