As part of the government’s Brexit strategy to expand Jersey’s client base outside EU markets, Senator Gorst attended the World Economic Forum meeting in Manhattan on Tuesday, promoting the Island to an audience of politicians and business leaders from across the world.
He has also been taking the opportunity to talk to the British Consul in New York about plans to set up a new JFL office there, funding for which he said was expected to be agreed by Jersey’s government early next week.
Speaking to the JEP from New York, Senator Gorst said that his attendance at the WEF’s Partnering Against Corruption Initiative has been a prime opportunity to put Jersey on the map.
‘All of these trips are about building our global market outside the EU,’ he said. ‘Building our contacts in New York is a natural move for us. It is a centre that works very closely with London. The situation was described to me yesterday as “one city separated by the Atlantic ocean”, which is an interesting way of describing what happens in both cities from a financial services perspective.
‘They work very closely together. Either one or the other is always the world’s premier finance centre.’
Commenting on plans to establish a JFL office in New York, which were reported by the JEP in February, Senator Gorst said that they were aiming to have the office up and running by the beginning of next year.
‘The funding for this office comes from government, so there’s a bid in now, which we are hoping will be approved either later this week or early next week. We’re looking to have somebody on the ground at the start of next year.’
He added that reception for the idea of a representative office in New York had been ‘really positive’.
‘Yesterday, before the WEF programme started, I met the British Consul in New York. We talked about setting up a Jersey Finance promotional office, how JFL can best do that and how it can be linked to existing networks here. That was really positive and welcoming.’
