Jersey Finance has launched new research to an audience of business leaders and politicians in London this week, which found that Jersey's finance industry facilitates almost €190bn of foreign investment into the EU (excluding the UK) supporting in the order of 88,000 jobs across those EU Member States.

The Jersey Finance-commissioned research, entitled 'Jersey's Value to Europe', was published by Capital Economics and launched at an event held in the UK Parliament building attended by senior business leaders, politicians, civil servants, academics and think-tank representatives. Presented by Jersey Finance CEO Geoff Cook, the event also included Mark Pragnell from Capital Economics, and the Jersey's Assistant Chief Minister, Senator Philip Ozouf.

Jersey's Value to Britain

Meanwhile, a separate report from Capital Economics ('Jersey's Value to Britain'), launched at the same time, builds on previous research undertaken in 2013 to outline the current value of Jersey to the UK. The two new reports are aimed at providing a comprehensive and up to date assessment of the impact of Jersey's finance industry to the UK and the rest of the EU. Key points from the reports include:

  • Jersey is a conduit for €188bn of foreign investment in to the European Union (excluding the UK), which is equivalent to 4% of the bloc's total net international investment and supports in the order of 88,000 European jobs
  • Around one third of all fund assets administered and managed in Jersey are located in EU countries other than the UK
  • Jersey is estimated to be a conduit for almost £500 billion of foreign investment into the UK, equivalent to 5% of the total stock of foreign owned assets in the country
  • Jersey supports an estimated 250,000 British jobs, of which 190,000 are from foreign investment alone, and adds £14bn to the UK economy
  • Jersey banks upstream £89bn of deposits to UK banks, providing 1.5% of the funding of the whole UK banking sector

The research also emphasises that, whilst the UK and the EU are core markets for Jersey, a focus on global markets is vital for Jersey's future success. It found that, globally, cross-border lending and borrowing by banks has risen from just over US$1 trillion in 1980 to US$25 trillion in 2015. Against that backdrop, Jersey is now custodian of €1.7 trillion of wealth in its banks, trust companies, corporate structures and fund vehicles, with around two-fifths (37%) originating from investors outside of Europe.

Generating value in the global economy

Geoff Cook, CEO, Jersey Finance, said: "It is really important to have open discussions about what it is that Jersey does to generate value in the global economy and over the past few years we have sought to do that and differentiate ourselves as an IFC by producing a series of thought leadership papers and reports. Our efforts this week to engage with senior policy makers and influencers in the UK and beyond were positively received and will be critical in telling Jersey's story in a meaningful way and in an evolving and complex environment.

"These latest figures demonstrate that Jersey shares an important and positive partnership with both the UK and the rest of the EU, supporting jobs, facilitating overseas investment and encouraging growth. At the same time, the research also shows that cross-border financial flows are a global phenomenon and Jersey's strategy of engaging increasingly with markets beyond Europe, including Asia and Africa, will become more and more important."

Read the reports

Report: Jersey's Value to Europe

Report: Jersey's Value to Britain 2016

Linkedin - www.linkedin.com/company/jersey-finance
Twitter - @jerseyfinance
Youtube - www.youtube.com/jerseyfinance

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.