by Amanda Banks -
The Anguilla financial services industry will be spotlighted this week at the Asia Offshore 2004 Conference, a four-day event hosted by the Asia Pacific Offshore Institute (APOI) which commences in Shanghai today.
At this year’s conference, themed 'A Brave New World – Investing into and Keeping Abreast with the Offshore Financial World,' Anguilla will be represented by, among others, Ms. Pam Webster, partner with Anguilla based law firm Webster Dyrud Mitchell and President of the Anguilla Financial Services Association (AFSA), the body responsible for promoting Anguilla’s offshore sector.
In a presentation entitled 'Anguilla: The New Face of Offshore', Ms Webster will explain recent developments in the legislative framework of the jurisdiction’s financial services sector, including the establishment of the Financial Services Commission, and recently passed legislation concerning mutual funds and captive insurance.
Ms Webster observed: “While many of the conference attendees will be familiar with Anguilla as a financial services centre, and our advantages such as the Anguilla Commercial Online Registration Network (ACORN), we have had recent developments that make Anguilla an even more attractive financial services jurisdiction.”
She added that AFSA’s participation at this year’s conference “will provide the opportunity to share these developments with the very important Asia market.”
Speaking on Anguilla’s past participation at the APOI conference Mr. Lanston Connor, Government of Anguilla Registrar of Companies, also part of the Anguillan delegation, noted how the jurisdiction’s profile has risen internationally in recent years.
“When we first began attending the APOI conference, we had to first educate the Asia market on Anguilla, the island. The market had to be comfortable and confident in Anguilla financial services. Now that Anguilla has been favourably received in the Asia market, our task now is to present our recent changes that make Anguilla an even more attractive financial services jurisdiction,” he explained.
Mr Connor continued: “Along with the advantage the ACORN system provides in the company formation sector, we are now competitive in the mutual funds and captive insurance sectors as well. And the new Financial Services Commission strongly solidifies our reputation as a well regulated jurisdiction.”
The Anguilla delegation will also visit Anguillian registered overseas agents based in Shanghai.
“It is very important to establish personal relationships in order to create a higher degree of trust and confidence in each other,” stressed Mr O’Connor.
The Asia Pacific Offshore Institute (APOI) provides research, news and information on the offshore finance industry. Its mission is to raise the standard of the offshore industry in Asia, to provide an international forum in Asia for information relevant to government and financial services practitioners, and provide a networking base for its members.
Source: Investors Offshore
