A delegation from Guernsey will be visiting Hong Kong and Shanghai in October to promote the Island's expertise in fiduciary services.
The delegation will spend a week in each centre highlighting how Chinese institutions and high net worth individuals can benefit from using trust and corporate services provided by Guernsey.
There will be a focus on recent enhancements to Guernsey's offering such as the extension to the range of products and services available as a result of the introduction of a new Trust Law in March and the streamlining of the Island's company incorporation process through the simultaneous launch in July of a new Company Law and new Guernsey Company Registry.
The delegation team will be showcasing Guernsey as lead sponsor and exhibitor at the STEP Asia conference in Hong Kong, through a specific educational seminar in both locations and a series of meetings with key decision makers in the two centres. Discussions with Chinese government and regulatory officials are also planned and will be led by Guernsey's most senior politician, Chief Minister Lyndon Trott.
The delegation team also includes, as well as a group of leading practitioners from the Island's fiduciary industry, Stephen Trevor, Director of Fiduciary and Intelligence Services at the Guernsey Financial Services Commission (GFSC); Mark Whiteley, Guernsey Registrar of Companies; and Peter Niven, Chief Executive of Guernsey Finance – the promotional agency for the Island's finance industry.
"Our substantial amount of activity in the region over the past year means that we have been able to build our profile, acquire contacts and indentify fiduciary services as a particular area where we can win business by stepping up our efforts to highlight the strength of our offering," said Mr Niven.
"Through this delegation in October we will not only be reinforcing our relationships with government and regulatory officials but showing key fiduciary decision makers in the region how Guernsey can deliver significant benefits to Chinese institutions and high net worth individuals."
The October visit follows from a delegation in March to Shanghai where a Guernsey office staffed by permanent representative Wendy Weng was officially opened. In addition, Mr Niven visited Shanghai and Beijing in June as part of the Lord Mayor of the City of London's delegation to the region.
Mr Niven commented: "This was a very busy ten days but it was extremely useful in helping develop our presence in Beijing and further raise our growing profile in Shanghai."
As part of the programme Mr Niven met regulatory officials, the Vice-Premier of China, the Major of Beijing and the Vice-Mayor of Shanghai. In addition, he was able to network with the other members of the delegation, including lawyers and accountants from London.
The visit also provided an opportunity to hold separate meetings with a number of service providers in the region, including company incorporators, in preparation for the October delegation with its focus on fiduciary services and the new Guernsey Company Registry
For more information about Guernsey's finance industry please visit www.guernseyfinance.com.
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