BVI Office in Hong Kong Launches Financial Services Seminars

BVI House Asia, which was opened in Hong Kong by the British Virgin Islands in September this year, launched a series of seminars focused on the financial services products of the offshore jurisdiction.

The first seminar was devoted to BVI trust and estate law, and was led by Christopher McKenzie - a partner from O'Neal Webster law firm, who has chaired the STEP (Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners) committee responsible for making the proposals to the BVI government to make trust innovations of 2003 and 2013. Case studies on BVI trusts in practice were also presented by Maples and Calder’s lawyers. 

The seminar focused on the unique features of BVI trust legislation, including VISTA (Virgin Islands Special Trusts Act) that creates a special trust regime and is very popular in Asia and particularly in Hong Kong. Another focus of the presentations was the PTC Regulations, enabling unlicensed BVI companies to be set up as a confidential way of holding trust assets.

According to the director of BVI House Asia, Lorna Smith, this seminar is a precursor to the type of activities that will be put on by BVI House Asia in Hong Kong and Asia to provide updates and education on BVI's financial services products to the practitioners in the region.