On the evening of December 5, BVI House Asia hosted its annual end of year event under the theme “BVI Festival for Christmas,” to celebrate the close of the year and thank the Financial Services Industry for its ongoing support of the British Virgin Islands as a jurisdiction. The widely attended event was hosted by outgoing Director, Mrs. Sherri Ortiz, and incoming Director, Dr. Ricardo Wheatley at the world class Murray Hotel in Central Hong Kong.  More than 140 guests and friends from the Financial Services Industry were in attendance, as well as a VIP delegation from the British Virgin Islands Government including the Hon Vincent Wheatley (Deputy Premier and Minster of Natural Resources & Labour), Dr. Cassandra Titley-O'Neal (Director of National Parks Trust of the Virgin Islands), and Ms. Lynette Harrigan, (Niche Marketing Manager of the BVI Tourist Board).

On December 2, BVI House Asia hosted an in-house visit by the BVI’s Mrs. Globe International Pageant delegation, led by former Mrs. BVI Globe Alicia Green now BVI Director, as they transited to mainland China through the city of Hong Kong to attend the competition. Mrs. British Virgin Islands, Shondrea N. Turnbull, is representing the BVI in the 2019 edition of the Mrs. Globe International Pageant (November 29-December 7), hosted by the Southern Chinese tech-city of Shenzhen. The delegation, comprised of friends, family, and government officials travelled to China in support of Shondrea’s bid for the crown.

The Government of the Virgin Islands is exploring the prospect   of the BVI being a hub for Financial Technology.

Premier and Minister of Finance Honourable Andrew A. Fahie has said that the International Business Company Act, 1984 which helped to establish the financial services industry in the British Virgin Islands has enabled the Territory to cement its position at the forefront of the global financial services market.

The Director of International Tax Authority, Ms. La Toya James is informing members of financial institutions and other stakeholders that the BVI Financial Accounts Reporting System is now back online and ready for use. 

Deputy Premier of the British Virgin Islands and Minister for Natural Resources, Labour and Immigration, Honourable Vincent O. Wheatley was in London last week to meet with international officials and various International Financial Centre (IFC) partners.

The Director of International Tax Authority Ms. La Toya James is informing members of financial institutions and other stakeholders that the BVI Financial Accounts Reporting System is not functional at this time. 

BVI Finance welcomes positive comments made by the UK Home Secretary reflecting the level of cooperation between UK and BVI law enforcement authorities, following a review into the implementation of the Exchange of Notes (EoN) on Beneficial Ownership information, 18 months after its initial introduction.

Virgin Islands Financial Institutions (VIFIs) are notified that the filing deadline for US FATCA and Common Reporting Standards for the 2018 reporting financial year has been extended to Wednesday July 31.

The size and scale of deals facilitated by the British Virgin Islands’ international business and financial centre has increased both in value and quality as the BVI reports its strongest incorporation numbers in three years.