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AS they battled the elements on a wet, blustery day and fought to keep their gazebo on the ground for a community drop-in event, talking to Islanders about their banking needs, no one would have blamed Butterfield’s Jersey team for abandoning their pitch and returning to the comfort of their warm office at the International Finance Centre.
Yet, wrapped up in their Butterfield-branded jackets and fleeces, the team remained in position despite the weather on a day which branch manager Michelle Le Blond describes as one of the “highlights” of the year.
“That day really exemplified the dedication of our team and their commitment to engaging with the community and explaining who we are and what we offer,” she said.
And such events – many more of which have taken place in much cosier settings – underline, Michelle adds, Butterfield’s determination not just to raise awareness of its banking services but also to engage with the community.
“The only way to understand what people in the community need is to speak to them,” she said. “We are different to other banks, and bring a new and exciting personalised approach to banking, which is based around meeting the needs of local businesses and individuals. While we are driven to succeed commercially, Jersey is our home and we want to be truly embedded in the community.”
It is, Michelle says, a dual approach which seems to be working. Having focused primarily on corporate and private banking during many of its 50 years in Guernsey, the bank has more recently extended its offer to the Channel Islands local market, something which reflects the “core business” in Butterfield’s Bermuda and Cayman base.
“The corporate side is still hugely important to us, and we have tremendous potential to grow this arm of the business in Jersey,” she said. “However, we are also very keen to build our local presence in line with our core offering across all our banking jurisdictions.
“Our ethos centres around building a friendly, Island-based team to develop relationships with local clients and deliver products and services that are specifically designed to meet their needs. We want to identify gaps in the market and be a true local community bank.”
It is in pursuit of those goals that Butterfield has launched a range of new products including corporate accounts, business saver accounts and, most recently, corporate credit cards for business and intermediary clients, as well as extending its suite of retail products.
“As we have identified gaps in the market, we have launched a range of mortgages, credit cards and savings accounts, all of which are supported by our personal touch,” Michelle explained. “One of the key factors which differentiates us is that open-door approach, which means clients can come in and meet a member of the team whenever they want to.”
And it is that dialogue, says Michelle, which has informed some of the new products which the bank is planning to bring to market in 2026.
“We have learnt a lot from talking to families who have attended the various community events we have supported, among which was Arthouse Jersey’s Bubbletecture, part of the Butterfield public art series, which took place at the International Finance Centre in September,” she reflected.
“During these conversations, we gained a real insight into families’ needs and are now working on some new savings products which we are hoping to launch in the first quarter of 2026.
“Alongside this, in the first quarter of the year, we are planning to launch our collaboration with Nudge, a financial literacy programme, which will consist of a series of online tutorials, designed to help people build a healthy relationship with their money.
“In particular, we will be focusing on credit cards, something which our conversations have shown some people are keen to have but interested in knowing how best to use them. If you use a credit card in the right way, you can earn rewards or access discounts, for example.”
Also during 2026, says Michelle, the team will be focusing on technology, both to provide enhanced digital services for clients who prefer that approach and to support the development of further products.
“At the moment, we are very much a savings and lending bank, but we see tremendous potential to grow and add debit cards and current accounts to our offer,” she said.
“However, this is something we need to get right, and therefore the focus next year will be on carrying out the preparatory work and making sure we have the right technology in place to support that offer.”
While product development and client growth will remain a key focus for Michelle and the Jersey-based team, this will also be supported by a wider commitment to the community.
As well as sponsoring a number of initiatives, including ArtHouse Jersey’s public art series, the Liberation Games, Jersey on Ice and LEAP, the bank supports local third-sector organisations through the newly launched Butterfield Charitable Trust – Channel Islands, something about which Michelle is particularly passionate.
“This trust was born in 2025 to provide funding to registered charities in Jersey and Guernsey,” she said. “Through this initiative, which focuses on community support, inclusivity and the environment, we allocated more than £80,000 to island charities this year.”
In Jersey, the beneficiaries of the inaugural round of funding were Art In The Frame, Healing Waves, Project Linus, Brighter Futures, Jersey Employment Trust and Wet Wheels.
“This money funded everything from art packs and specialist seasonal workers to wool and a support programme enabling people to visit family members at La Moye prison,” Michelle added.
“We also awarded a grant to Friends of Maggie’s, supporting cancer patients in both Jersey and Guernsey who use the centre while receiving treatment in Southampton.”
Applications, which are assessed both by members of the bank’s team and by an independent charitable trust committee, will reopen in January, and organisations are invited to submit their grant requests before 31 March 2026.
But it is not just charities which Butterfield is keen to support, with Michelle also highlighting another initiative which is close to her heart.
“At Butterfield, we are very keen to invest in education and help young people to gain the foundation they need to support their career aspirations, particularly if they are considering a future in one of the many areas of the financial services industry,” she said.
“To this end, we have launched the Channel Islands Undergraduate Scholarship, which gives the winning student up to $30,000 a year for up to four years of study, taking the total value of the scholarship up to $120,000.
“This is an initiative I love because it enables someone who may not think they have the opportunity to go to university to access that further education. And even if you don’t get the funding, going through the process and putting yourself forward for the scholarship is tremendously powerful, as you learn so much from the experience.”
In addition to the funding, the scholarship includes an internship programme, enabling the recipient to work at Butterfield during the holidays and after graduation if a suitable role exists.
“This scholarship is another demonstration of our commitment to the local community,” said Michelle. “We want the younger generation to return to the Island when they complete their studies and, if they are going to do that, then they need to be supported, which is where initiatives such as this are invaluable.
“This is what we mean when we say that we want to be part of the community. Jersey as a whole is hugely important to Butterfield and to everyone who works here and that is why we really want to support the longer-term view, not just in terms of building our own business but in investing in the Island.”
Credit cards are only available to over-18s and residents of the Channel Islands. Credit cards will be issued from Butterfield Bank (Channel Islands) Limited.
Butterfield Bank (Channel Islands) Limited (“BBCIL”) acting through its Jersey branch (Butterfield Bank (Channel Islands) Limited, Jersey Branch) under the registered business name ‘Butterfield Bank Jersey’ (“Butterfield Bank Jersey”) is regulated by the Jersey Financial Services Commission to conduct deposit-taking business under the Banking Business (Jersey) Law 1991 (as amended), and investment business, fund service business and money service business pursuant to the Financial Services (Jersey) Law 1998 (as amended). Butterfield Bank Jersey is registered under the Data Protection (Jersey) Law 2018 (as amended) and its business name is registered with the Jersey Registrar of Companies (with registration number 35466) under the Registration of Business Names (Jersey) Law 1956 (as amended).Butterfield Bank Jersey’s registered office address and principal place of business is at IFC6, IFC Jersey, St Helier, Jersey JE2 3BZ. Butterfield Bank Jersey is a participant in the Jersey Bank Depositors Compensation Scheme. The Scheme offers protection for eligible deposits of up to £50,000. The maximum total amount of compensation is capped at £100,000,000 in any five-year period. Full details of the Scheme and banking groups covered are available on the Government of Jersey website www.gov.je/dcs, or on request.
BBCIL is licensed and regulated by the Guernsey Financial Services Commission under The Banking Supervision (Bailiwick of Guernsey) Law, 2020, The Protection of Investors (Bailiwick of Guernsey) Law, 2020, and The Lending, Credit and Finance (Bailiwick of Guernsey) Law, 2022, each as amended from time to time, under registration number 85. BBCIL is registered with the Guernsey Registry under registration number 21061. BBCIL’s registered office address is P.O. Box 25, Martello Court, Admiral Park, St Peter Port, Guernsey, GY1 3AP.
BBCIL is registered under the Data Protection (Bailiwick of Guernsey) Law 2017, under registration number 11160. BBCIL’s products and services are available in Guernsey and only in those other jurisdictions where they may be legally offered or obtained.
BBCIL is a participant in the Guernsey Banking Deposit Compensation Scheme (the “Scheme”) established by The Banking Deposit Compensation Scheme (Bailiwick of Guernsey) Ordinance, 2008 (the “Ordinance”). The Scheme offers protection only in respect of ‘qualifying deposits’ (as that term is used in the Ordinance) of up to £50,000, subject to certain limitations as set out in the Ordinance. The maximum total amount of compensation is capped at £100,000,000 in any 5 year period. Full details are available on the Scheme’s website www.dcs.gg or upon request. Deposits are not covered by the UK Financial Services Compensation Scheme under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, nor are deposits covered by any equivalent scheme outside of the Bailiwick of Guernsey.
BBCIL is a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Bank of N.T. Butterfield & Son Limited. Terms and Conditions can be obtained from our website and copies of the latest audited accounts are available on request.
