Initial Public Offerings 2018: British Virgin Islands

Introduction

In this chapter we will focus on the popularity of British Virgin Islands ("BVI") companies as listing vehicles on international stock exchanges, including the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, the London Stock Exchange and the New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE"). The British Virgin Islands does not have a stock exchange but since the 1990s, the British Virgin Islands has been a popular jurisdiction for the incorporation of issuers to be listed on international stock exchanges. As the British Virgin Islands continues to develop its legal and regulatory regime to remain at the forefront of international standards, we anticipate that the use of British Virgin Islands companies as internationally listed companies will continue to grow. Reasons for the use of British Virgin Islands companies include: