Our Global Partners

The BVI is at the hub of a global financial system that facilitates efficient trade in goods and services throughout the world. We are one of the largest centres for the incorporation of business in the world – especially created to facilitate cross-border trade and investment. We maintain modern and efficient company legislation which has been tailored to meet the demands of global business. This is supported by a sound and stable government, robust and globally respected financial regulation, and an excellent group of practitioners across the world.

The BVI meets all relevant global regulatory standards and is a respected and active participant in international bodies, including the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and Financial Stability Board Regional Bodies, the global standard for the securities sector (IOSCO), and the Egmont Group of Financial Intelligence Units. We are a member of the Steering Group of the OECD’s Global Forum on Tax Transparency and Exchange of Information and along with the UK and US rated as ‘largely compliant’ with the organisation’s requirements. We were also an early adopter of the OECD’s Common Reporting Standard for the automatic exchange of tax information, a member of the Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) initiative and have been recognised by the Global Forum as meeting its substantial activities standard. Our most recent development has been not only completing new legislation and guidance to satisfy the European Union (EU)’s Economic Substance requirements on time and on schedule but also to be put on the European so-called “white-list” for the purposes of tax transparency.

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Organisations of all types use BVI Business Companies to manage their cross-border activities. For example, the BVI is home to part of the group structures of over 140 major businesses listed on the London, New York, or Hong Kong main exchanges. BVI Business Companies are also used by major international development banks, including the World Bank’s International Finance Corporation and the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development, to help fund projects around the world. Finally, BVI Business Companies are utilized to invest in start-ups which seek to grow and realise investment beyond their borders.

The trust that international businesses have in the BVI will continue to help channel investment into developing countries, including that which might support small and medium sized enterprises. Countries and businesses in these developing countries can feel confident doing business with the BVI - not only because of the expertise of our practitioners, but because the confidence and security demonstrated by the almost $1.5 trillion of assets held by BVI companies , supported by our regulatory framework.

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Our jurisdiction’s attributes, to include a familiar legal system based on English common law, globally compliant regulations, and tax neutrality means that the BVI is well-placed to support international businesses seeking investment. It should be noted that the BVI is not a centre for profit shifting. It is simply tax neutral. While a company may be incorporated in the BVI, this does not preclude it from being liable for full taxation in other jurisdictions.

We are also a centre of excellence for dispute resolution - home to a well-regarded Commercial Court. Underpinning the BVI’s expertise in this area is the Commercial Division of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, which is based on the main island of Tortola. The court system deals with matters expeditiously, economically, and proportionately, and its highest court of appeal is the London Privy Council. The Commercial Court also brings confidence, stability, and transparency to all BVI legal proceedings. This is complemented by our state-of-the art International Arbitration Centre which provides best-in-service alternate dispute resolution.

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We are also building on the strength of the jurisdiction’s internationally renowned financial services sector by introducing new services to benefit clients in the digitally mobile era. Initiatives like these will continue to strengthen the BVI’s position as a premier international financial centre and a leading facilitator of global business and commerce.

BVI Finance is proud of the role we play in establishing platforms for partnerships, for now and long into the future.

It is a big question, but one with a simple answer: the BVI is one of the world’s most sophisticated and highly regarded international business and finance centres. With world-class products and services, the BVI is the go-to destination for cross-border trade, investment, and business.

The BVI mediates considerable foreign direct investment into developing countries. The BVI currently holds a direct investment relationship with multiple countries.

The independent report issued from the Overseas Development Institute (ODI) estimates that International Finance Centres (IFC) such as the BVI galvanized $1.6 trillion of additional finance to developing countries between 2007 and 2014. The report also found that IFCs boosted developing countries’ GDP by $400 billion and tax revenues by $100 billion during the same period.

The BVI plays a vital role in raising, managing, and distributing development funds into different regions. International private investors are often deterred by the lack of liquidity, and perceived political and foreign exchange risks of investing in developing countries, combined with concern regarding ability to effectively hedge or manage such risks. The BVI’s robust legal and regulatory framework, rooted in English common law, features a highly regarded commercial court and international arbitration centre which helps to mitigate such concerns.

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With the US dollar as its currency, the BVI also acts as a neutral location for funds to be pooled from multiple sources. This helps reduce the risk of investment to acceptable levels for international private investors.

Importantly, the BVI is able to better direct funds into areas that need the most support in Latin America. Sectors such as infrastructure and financial services, which contribute significantly to GDP growth, are more likely to receive investment via an IFC than directly. The ODI’s report found that through intermediation by centres such as the BVI, financial services sectors in developing nations had received an additional $0.6 trillion and infrastructure sectors had received some $1.0 trillion worth of extra investment.

In its role as a secure, reliable, and efficient jurisdiction, the BVI is established as a key pillar in the drive to support the world’s most significant emerging markets.

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The coming decade is one of huge opportunity for African businesses and investors looking to build across the continent. African economies are exhibiting impressive GDP growth rates where entire regions have doubled or even tripled the size over the past decade.

But challenges remain to help international business safely invest in the continent’s financial and infrastructure sectors. Some nations still lack the jurisdictional stability needed for institutional investors from Asia, North America, and Europe to commit significant direct investment into the continent.

At the same time, African businesses and entrepreneurs are seeking solutions as to how best to invest wealth to benefit future generations.

The ability to incorporate entities in the BVI, and the expertise we offer around trusts, investment funds and joint partnership agreements, make our jurisdiction the perfect international partner for investment into and out of Africa. The BVI means business and is synonymous for innovative cross-border business in a number of regions and the ambition is for this to be replicated throughout Africa.

As the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) helps develop the regional economies of Africa, the BVI will be able to support ongoing regional integration efforts, which are creating larger markets, fewer barriers and greater economies of scale, and ultimately bigger returns on investment.

In 2018, the African Union announced that 54 of the 55 countries in Africa had agreed upon the creation of the world’s largest free trade bloc, the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA). With a collective GDP of $3.2 trillion, the agreement is expected to catapult the economies of the continent forward. The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa estimates that the AfCFTA will boost intra-African trade by 52 percent by 2022. AfCFTA splits the continent into five regions. The BVI recognizes both the important role IFCs will play in stimulating and supporting the free trade agreement and also the fact that our region – the Caribbean - is part of the African Diaspora. As such, there is great opportunity for the BVI to play a role as the sixth region in the world’s largest free trade bloc.

Doing business in Africa in the 21st century requires both the flexibility and long-term strategic approach that our IFC offers investors and businesses alike. There are challenges ahead, but there is tremendous opportunity for Africa and for the BVI to fulfil our long-term potential for mutual prosperity.

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Approximately two-fifths of all BVI Business Companies are located in China and the rest of Asia, while 75 per cent of Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index is made up of companies with direct linkages to the BVI.

Asian companies accounted for 41 per cent of the US$ 1.5 trillion in assets mediated through the BVI, underscoring the offshore investment centre’s growing status as a hub for Chinese overseas investment.

Demand among Asian and Chinese companies for offshore centres to facilitate their cross-border business and investment continues to grow. Appeals by China’s senior leadership for companies to invest globally in priority sectors, as well as the need to help support the mainland’s ambitious infrastructure investment scheme, have been among the catalysts. 

The BVI has been successful in facilitating cross-border business because of its popular and flexible corporate structures. The BVI’s long and successful relationship with Asia is set to intensify as China and other Asian countries experience post-pandemic economic expansion. The projected growth represents new investment channels for the BVI and its business companies, which for three decades have proven successful for Chinese and other Asian investors and corporations doing cross-border trade.

Today, the BVI stands at the forefront of international corporate structuring for cross-border transactions and investment worldwide and assists Asian clients in structuring outbound investment across various priority sectors – among them energy, infrastructure, technology, and agriculture.

Post-pandemic economic activity will continue to bolster the strong and unabated preference to incorporate structures in the BVI. The Vistra 2020 report, which examines trends in the offshore finance industry, stated that, when it comes to China, “the BVI is an ‘embedded brand’ and still the go-to for most structuring conduits”.

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Approximately twenty per cent of all BVI Business Companies were located in Europe1, excluding the UK.

Such European companies accounted for 11 per cent of the US$ 1.5 trillion in assets mediated through the BVI, underscoring the offshore investment centre’s growing status as a hub for European overseas investment. Indeed, statistics for Europe, excluding the UK, evince outward investment stock mediated through the BVI, and jobs supported by inward investment mediated through the BVI, show USD$457 billion investment, generating 290,000 jobs across the region.

Demand among European companies for offshore centres to facilitate their cross-border business and investment continues to grow. The BVI has been successful in facilitating cross-border business because of its popular and flexible corporate structures.

The BVI’s long and successful relationship with Europe appears set to intensify as European countries experience post-pandemic economic expansion. The projected growth represents new investment channels for the BVI and its business companies, which for three decades have proven successful for European investors and corporations. Today, the BVI stands at the forefront of international corporate structuring for cross-border transactions and investment and assists European clients in structuring outbound investment across various priority sectors – among them energy, infrastructure, technology, and agriculture.

The coming decade is one of huge opportunity for Latin American businesses and investors looking to build across the continent.

But challenges remain to help international business safely invest in the continent’s financial and infrastructure sectors. Some nations still lack the jurisdictional stability needed for institutional investors from Asia, North America, and Europe to commit significant direct investment into the continent. At the same time, Latin American businesses and entrepreneurs are seeking solutions as to how best to invest wealth to benefit future generations.

The BVI innately understands both the challenges and the opportunities faced by public and private enterprises in Latin America. We are ready to lend our expertise and the attributes of our world-renowned IFC to not only facilitate international investment into Latin America, but also to stimulate home-grown businesses and entrepreneurs by offering them a stable and secure platform for their wealth and assets.

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The ability to incorporate entities in the BVI, and the expertise we offer around trusts, investment funds, and joint partnership agreements, make our jurisdiction the perfect international partner for investment into and out of Latin America. The BVI means business and is synonymous for innovative cross-border business in a number of regions. Our ambition is for this to be replicated throughout Latin America.

As Mercosur continues to help develop the regional economies of South America, and the USMCA replaces NAFTA, the BVI will be able to support ongoing regional integration efforts which are working to create larger markets, fewer barriers and greater economies of scale, and ultimately bigger returns on investment.

Doing business in Latin America in the 21st century will require both the flexibility and a long-term strategic approach that our IFC offers investors and businesses alike. There are challenges ahead, but there is tremendous opportunity for Latin America and for the BVI to fulfil our long-term potential for mutual prosperity.

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With close to 5 per cent of all BVI Business Companies currently located in the Middle East, the BVI is seeing increasing interest from Family Offices and the Private Offices of UHNWIs in its range of offerings. This is not just a reflection of its overall offering but the BVI’s presence in key developing markets such as Africa, Latin America and Southeast Asia. Middle Eastern companies accounted for 3 per cent of the US$ 1.5 trillion in assets mediated through the BVI, underscoring the offshore investment centre’s growing status as a hub for Middle Eastern overseas investment.

Demand among Middle East companies for offshore centres continues to grow. The BVI has been successful in facilitating cross-border business because of its popular and flexible corporate structures.

The BVI’s successful relationship with the Middle East is set to intensify as Middle Eastern countries experience post-pandemic economic expansion and look to capitalize on the Chinese One Belt and Road initiative in Africa. The projected growth represents new investment channels for the BVI and its business companies, which for three decades have proven successful for Middle Eastern investors and corporations doing cross-border trade. Today, the BVI stands at the forefront of international corporate structuring for cross-border transactions and investment worldwide. The BVI assists Middle Eastern clients in structuring outbound investment across various priority sectors – among them energy, infrastructure, technology, and agriculture.

Approximately 7% of all BVI Business Companies are located in North America, including Canada.

North American companies accounted for 12 per cent of the USD$1.5 trillion in assets mediated through the BVI, underscoring the offshore investment centre’s growing status as a hub for North American overseas investment. Indeed, statistics for North America including Canada, evince outward investment stock mediated through the BVI, and jobs supported by inward investment mediated through the BVI, show USD$87 billion investment generating 80,000 jobs across the region.

Demand among North American companies for offshore centres to facilitate their cross-border business and investment continues to grow. The BVI has been successful in facilitating cross-border business because of its popular and flexible corporate structures.

The BVI’s long and successful relationship with North America is set to intensify as North American countries experience post-pandemic economic expansion. The projected growth represents new investment channels for the BVI and its business companies, which for three decades have proven successful for North American investors and corporations doing cross-border trade. Today, the BVI stands at the forefront of international corporate structuring for cross-border transactions and investment worldwide and assists North American clients in structuring outbound investment across various priority sectors – among them energy, infrastructure, technology, and agriculture.

Approximately two-fifths of all BVI Business Companies were located in the United Kingdom, Channel Islands and Isle of Man.

Asian companies accounted for 41 per cent of the US$ 1.5 trillion in assets mediated through the BVI, underscoring the offshore investment centre’s growing status as a hub for Chinese overseas investment.

Demand among UK, Channel Island and Isle of Man companies for offshore centres to facilitate their cross-border business and investment continues to grow. The BVI has been successful in facilitating cross-border business because of its popular and flexible corporate structures.

The BVI’s long and successful relationship with the UK appears set to intensify as the UK and Channel Islands experience post-pandemic economic expansion. The projected growth represents new investment channels for the BVI and its business companies, which for three decades have proven successful for UK, Channel Islands and Isle of Man investors and corporations doing cross-border trade. Today, the BVI stands at the forefront of international corporate structuring for cross-border transactions and investment worldwide and assists UK, Channel Island and Isle of Man clients in structuring outbound investment across various priority sectors – among them energy, infrastructure, technology, and agriculture.

The post-pandemic economic activity, will surely bolster the strong and unabated preference to incorporate structures in the BVI. The Vistra 2020 report, which examines trends in the offshore finance industry, stated that, “the BVI is an ‘embedded brand’ and still the go-to for most structuring conduits”.

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