Last week witnessed the launch of a ground-breaking report highlighting how the British Virgin Islands (BVI) enables global investment and trade which supports more than two million jobs worldwide.
The report, Creating Value: The BVI’s Global Contribution, was undertaken by independent economics consultancy Capital Economic and analyses the significant global economic contribution of the BVI.
There has been significant activity around the launch of the report including launches in BVI, London and Hong Kong. There was also a press briefing for local media, a forum for BVI Finance members, a simulcast with a briefing for the private sector in London and Hong Kong as well as meetings with parliamentarians in the UK.
Commenting on the report’s Lorna Smith, OBE, Interim Executive Director of BVI Finance said, “This report has been invaluable for us in drawing a line in the sand for the BVI. The evidence base has enabled us to have valuable engagement across the waterfront over the last week, from policymakers and media in Asia and Europe, but also here in BVI.
She added, “However this is only the start, as this report will give us the platform for ongoing engagement as we continue to tell our story and make our case for how much BVI contributes to the global economy.”
BVI Finance Ltd invested $154,000 to commission the report, with over a third of this coming from industry.
Smith went on to further explain, “This report has created real value for us, in that it has enabled us to engage in a way that we have never been able to before. It will also continue to prove its value in the months and years ahead.
“The research is important for the financial services industry worldwide as well as in the BVI. The findings will be a useful tool for supporting their business activities and helping them continue to promote our unique offering for financial and business services.
“It is also a testament to the combined efforts of the public and the private sector in delivering this report which is of benefit to all of us, both within the financial services sector but also for the Territory as a whole.”
The key findings and the full report can be downloaded from www.bviglobalimpact.com