The former British colony, known as ‘the spa of the Caribbean’, has high hopes of developing its financial services industry and the island’s senior politician visited Jersey this week to see how we operate and also to drum up business.
Nevis covers 36 square miles with a population of 12,000 and, for the time being, is federated with its island neighbour St Kitts.
The circular island is dominated by the dormant volcano of Nevis Peak.
Its shores are typically Caribbean, and not surprisingly, the authorities are keen to develop its tourist potential, particularly the luxury end of the market.
s well as tourism, Nevis is looking to nurture a reputable finance industry and the island’s eight-member assembly has just passed a raft of laws and regulations to raise its international profile.
he man who heads that assembly is the island’s Premier, the Hon Vance Amory.
The island was previously blacklisted by the OECD but we have since gone to great lengths to clean up our act,’ said Mr Amory, whose trip to the Channel Islands was organised by the Dixcart Trust, based in St Peter Port, which has an office in the capital of Nevis, Charlestown.
We now have strong but user-friendly anti-money laundering legislation and regulations to ensure that people’s assets are protected.
Businesses and individuals can be confident that their money will be safe in Nevis.
While Nevis is a potential competitor of Jersey, companies can be registered in Nevis but administered by firms in third party jurisdictions like Jersey – and it was these firms that Mr Amory addressed at a seminar in Jersey on Monday.
He also met senior politicians, civil servants and businessmen.
‘I invite anybody from Jersey to come and see what Nevis has to offer,’ said Mr Amory.
‘It is a beautiful island with a stable democracy and a very friendly and well educated people.
There are a growing number of business and leisure opportunities there and the government is determined to develop high quality tourist and finance industries.
