This past year we have seen a confluence of geopolitical tensions, climate crisis, macroeconomic shocks and other events that have created instability in the investment landscape. Evidence has demonstrated that in times of crisis, investors must stay the course and look beyond the short-term volatility to areas of burgeoning opportunities.

Service providers operating in the British Virgin Islands (BVI) are witnessing a transformation in the type of work being carried out in the jurisdiction, as entities incorporated here are more active and engaged.

Hedge funds and private equity funds were traditionally considered to be two completely different alternative investment classes, but as managers and investors increasingly seek to take advantage of exposure to both asset classes, the industry has witnessed a significant rise in the popularity of hybrid funds.

The British Virgin Islands (BVI) have been the rightful home for some of the largest players in the digital assets space for many years now. The combination of a sophisticated public and private sector with a deep understanding of the industry, along with a stable regulatory environment have created the perfect foundation for even the most complex and intricate blockchain projects to thrive.

Managing family wealth through a designated family office has become more popular in recent years. Family offices come in many different shapes and sizes. They can be set up as a single family office or as multi-family office and be based in a number of different jurisdictions across the globe.

The aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic has started to bite. The IMF’s World Economic Outlook as at October 2022 records a broad-based and sharper-than-expected slowdown in global economic activity. Inflation is at decades high levels.

There is correspondingly less commentary on the inevitable corollary: the end. What we call the beginning is often the end. And to make an end is to make a beginning (T.S.

Q&A with Paul Waldron, Walkers 1. How has the sentiment towards crypto and digital assets changed in the past year? Does this differ within the BVI compared to other regions? Sentiment in BVI towards crypto and digital assets generally has largely tracked sentiment internationally.  Interest in crypto and digital assets generally spiked during the pandemic, with prices for Bitcoin and most major crypto currencies, coins and NFTs hitting a peak in late 2021.  Since then, as the prices of crypto currencies and tokens drifted lower (and in some cases to close to zero) the sense of FOMO gradually evaporated from the market.  Managers and investors have taken a more cautious approach to investing in crypto generally.  Following some high-profile failures of crypto-focussed hedge funds, exchanges and lenders during the course of 2022 managers and investors are taking a harder look at investment in crypto and digital assets.

Flexibility has long been a cornerstone of the British Virgin Islands’ financial services industry. BVI companies are often used as public companies and listed on major exchanges worldwide, but they can just as easily be used as an asset-holding vehicle for an individual or family office.