Introduction
The purpose of this briefing note is to set out some of the
benefits of Guernsey foundations. A Guernsey foundation is designed
to blend the highly attractive features of both Guernsey companies
and Guernsey trusts. They therefore provide Guernsey with an
additional vehicle for financial planning, wealth management and
charitable purposes.
What is a Guernsey foundation?
The Foundations (Guernsey) Law 2012 (the
"Foundations Law") which came into force
on 8 January 2013 permits foundations to be created under the laws
of Guernsey. Foundations are highly flexible vehicles and can be
used for a variety of purposes.
The nature of a foundation is that it has separate legal
personality that is, it exists in the same way that a person or
company exists. A foundation can therefore contract with third
parties, can sue and be sued in its own name and can hold assets in
its own name. In that sense it is like a company but differs from a
trust, which does not
