ARTICLE · 04 FEBRUARY 2010

Combating International Fraud

MKS Law

Explore more from MKS Law

With the development of the BVI as an offshore financial centre ('OFC') in the early 1980s many companies have decided to establish domicile in the jurisdiction.

British Virgin IslandsWealth Management

The Importance of the Norwich Pharmacal/Bankers Trust Jurisdiction in the BVI

With the development of the BVI as an offshore financial centre ('OFC') in the early 1980s many companies have decided to establish domicile in the jurisdiction. Demand for OFC services is growing — so much so that 740,000 companies are currently registered in the BVI.¹ High taxation, complex laws and excessive regulations in many industrialised countries, and political instability and economic uncertainty in developing countries, have certainly contributed to the high demand for OFC services. Furthermore, OFCs have generated interest because privacy/secrecy is one of the hallmarks of OFCs. In the BVI, very little company information is publicly available other than:

We operate a free-to-view policy, asking only that you register in order to read all of our content. Please login or register to view the rest of this article.

Register for freeORLog in

Related Articles

BVI Corporate Review – Q2 2026

British Virgin IslandsWealth Management

Strong First Quarter Results For The BVI Financial Services Sector

British Virgin IslandsWealth Management

BVI Private Wealth Solutions For Latin American High-net-worth Families

British Virgin IslandsWealth Management

Managing The Property And Affairs Of Incapacitated Persons In The British Virgin Islands

British Virgin IslandsWealth Management

British Virgin Islands: Special Purpose Vehicles For Luxury Assets

European UnionWealth Management

Legal Intelligence Newsletters: sign up for the latest legal and regulatory news on your chosen topics

Read more about

See more popular content from

Wealth Management

Guiding You Through Sham Trusts

At a time when trusts are coming increasingly under attack, it is quite common for the validity of a trust to be questioned on the basis that the instrument creating it is a sham document or fails to fulfil the requirements for the creation of a valid trust.

British Virgin IslandsWealth Management

Comparison Of Trusts In The British Virgin Islands, The Cayman Islands And Jersey

The decision as to where to establish an offshore trust can only be made based on the specific requirements of the client.

British Virgin IslandsWealth Management

A Guide To Trust Law In The British Virgin Islands

British Virgin IslandsWealth Management

BVI Corporate Review – Q2 2026

The British Virgin Islands has reported its strongest first quarter for new company incorporations since 2022, with 7,671 new entities formed in Q1 2026. This represents a 10% increase year-over-year and brings the total number of active companies to 362,165, while the investment funds sector maintains 2,242 registered funds.

British Virgin IslandsWealth Management

BVI: New Registry fees For BVI Business Companies

The Government of the British Virgin Islands gazetted the BVI Business Companies Act (Amendment of Schedule 1)(No. 3) Order, 2016 on 20 December 2016 concerning new Registry fees to be charged to BVI Business Companies.

British Virgin IslandsWealth Management

The BVI Courts Appoint A Receiver To Take Control Of A PRC Judgment Debtor's Assets

A recent decision in the British Virgin Islands ("BVI"), BVIHC (Com) 0032 of 2018, is notable as being the first case of which we are aware where the BVI Court

British Virgin IslandsWealth Management

BVI Private Wealth Solutions For Latin American High-net-worth Families

The British Virgin Islands has emerged as a premier offshore jurisdiction for Latin American high-net-worth families seeking sophisticated wealth preservation and succession planning solutions.

British Virgin IslandsWealth Management

British Virgin Islands: Special Purpose Vehicles For Luxury Assets

For family offices, high-net-worth individuals (HNWI) and ultra-high-net-worth individuals (UHNWI) considering the purchase of luxury assets (in particular yachts...

European UnionWealth Management

The BVI's New Non-Profit Organisation Registration Regime

The Non-Profit Organisation Act, 2012 (the "Act") came into force on 1 January 2013 and introduces a registration and compliance regime for non-profit organisations operating in the British Virgin Islands.

British Virgin IslandsWealth Management

'Chabra' Relief In The BVI – Freezing The Assets Of A Person Who Is Not A Substantive Defendant

A Chabra injunction is a powerful weapon which can substantially enhance the scope of assets which a claimant can ring-fence. Here, Carey Olsen's Jeremy Lightfoot, Richard Brown and Catie Wang...

British Virgin IslandsWealth Management