BVI Urged UK Government to Back Modern Partnership with OTs

At the recent meeting at the House of Commons with Andrew Rosindell, MP, chairman of the the Overseas Territories All Party Parliamentary Group in the UK government, the special representative of the British Virgin Islands urged to support the renewal of partnership with Overseas Territories including BVI.

Benito Wheatley welcomed the position of the UK government stated by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office not to force the OTs to adopt the UK decisions on the Territories in areas of governance “constitutionally devolved to them without their consent”. He added: “It is now time for the UK Parliament to support a renewal of the modern partnership between the UK and Overseas Territories based on the principle of self-governance and we hope there will be no further parliamentary moves to undermine the UK Government position that rejects the use of Orders in Council against the Territories.” 

Wheatley also praised Rosindell for his long-standing support to the Overseas Territories including BVI and for respecting their constitutions. It is known that the UK government is taking steps to mitigate possible adverse effects that Brexit, which is now planned on October 31, can have on the British Virgin Islands. Governor Augustus Jaspert stated that many of the benefits that the BVI currently receives from its association with the EU, including EU funding and trade benefits, would go unchanged when Brexit is finalised - among them.

BVI FSC Issued Statistical Bulletin for Q4 2018

The British Virgin Islands Financial Services Commission has issued the fifty-third volume of its Quarterly Statistical Bulletin, providing analysis and information about financial services activities for the fourth quarter of 2018. According to the information published by the Registry of Corporate Affairs, which maintains the required registers of companies, there were 8,916 new incorporations of business companies in Q4 2018 (a 6.88% decrease when compared to 9,575 in Q3 2018 and 4.43% increase when compared to 8,538 in Q4 2017). Cumulative number of companies on the Register was 402,907 as at 31 December 2018.

In the fourth quarter of the year, there were 37 Limited Partnerships (LPs) newly formed in the BVI. There was a 37.04% increase in the number of new Limited Partnerships formed in Q4 2018 when compared to 27 in Q4 2017, and a 67.54% decrease in the number of LPs when compared to 114 in Q3 2018. Cumulative number of active LPs was 940 in the year 2018.

According to the information of the Intellectual Property Unit within the Registry of Corporate Affairs, which is responsible for administering all laws relating to intellectual property in the British Virgin Islands, in Q4 2018 there were 58 applications to register a trade mark - that is 61.11% increase when compared to 36 in Q4 2017, and 15.94% decrease compared to 69 in Q3 2018.

The figures of Banking, Insolvency and Fiduciary Services statistics recorded for all commercial banks show the decrease of cash items quarter over quarter and increase year over year. Loans and advances increased quarter over quarter and decreased year over year, while investments decreased quarter over quarter. The Net Interest Income for commercial banks decreased by 1.72% in Q4 2018 when compared to Q4 2017, and decreased by 23.68% in Q4 2018 when compared to Q3 2018.

Further information, including also Investment business and Insurance statistics, can be found on the BVI FSC homepage.