New Volume of Statistical Bulletin Issued by BVI FSC

This week, the Commission published the twenty-eighth volume of its Quarterly Statistical Bulletin, comprising statistics and analysis of BVI financial services industry for the third quarter of 2012. In the three month period, ended September 2012, 16,251 new companies and 20 limited partnerships were incorporated on the territory – more than in the second quarter of the year. As compared to the previous years, the number of company incorporations in the third quarter of 2012 was less than in the same quarter of 2011 (17,056), but more than in the years 2010 and 2009 (15,946 and 13,368, respectively). According to the Registry of Corporate Affairs, cumulative number of active business companies achieved 473,707 as at 30 September 2012, and cumulative number of limited partnerships achieved 496.

By the Banking and Fiduciary Services statistics, banking sector of the British Virgin Islands showed the following figures in the third quarter of 2012 (in thousands of US$): Cash items in the amount of $689,815, loans and advances in the amount of $1,600,974, total assets - $2,438,154, total shareholders’ equity - $449,670, net income - $31,235.

In the Investment Business, 3 new Investment Business licenses and 29 Mutual Funds licenses were granted in the reported period. Cumulative number of active mutual funds in Q3 2012 was 157 public funds (181 in Q3 2011), 591 private funds (718 in Q3 2011), and 1,610 professional funds (1,728 in Q3 2011).

In the sector of Legal and Enforcement and International Cooperation, 51 enforcement matters were registered in the reported period, and 31 formal requests for international cooperation, requiring the disclosure of non-public information. There were 14 enforcement actions, 12 of them – before the Enforcement Committee. Among the matters referred to the Licensing and Supervisory Committee in the third quarter of 2012, 79 related to Banking and Fiduciary Services, 332 related to Investment Business, 46 – to Insurance, and 7 – to Insolvency Services.