Highlights

The Cayman Islands, the British Virgin Islands (BVI) and Bermuda are amongst the world's leading offshore jurisdictions, and entities registered in such jurisdictions are particularly renowned for transactions of all types including equity and debt capital markets transactions, including listings on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and Nasdaq/NYSE, mergers and acquisitions and joint ventures and insurance, as well as for establishment of investment funds and trusts.

This seminar will give an overview of the Cayman Islands, Bermuda and the British Virgin Islands as offshore jurisdictions, characteristics, types and features of offshore trusts and foundations, as well as the latest amendments to the BVI Business Companies Act.

Outline

1. Overview of Offshore jurisdictions: Cayman Islands, BVI and Bermuda

2. What is a Trust?

3. Characteristics of a Trust 

4. Types of Offshore Trusts 

5. Features of Offshore Trusts and Foundations 

6. Trustees / Foundations 

7. Latest Amendments to the BVI Business Companies Act

Speaker(s)

Mr. Vincent Chan, B Com (Hon) (Actuarial Studies), LLB, LLM (Merit), TEP, Partner of Appleby

Vincent is a Partner of Appleby´s Hong Kong office. He has over 18 years of offshore law experience specializing in IPO/equity capital markets, debt capital markets/ bonds issuance, public & private mergers & acquisitions, takeovers & privatizations, private equity investments, joint-ventures, pre-IPO financings and general corporate advisory. Clients include Bermuda, British Virgin Islands (BVI) and Cayman Islands companies listed on stock exchanges in Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, New York, NASDAQ and London, as well as private companies, banks, financial institutions, private equity houses and asset management firms.

Being a full member of The Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) for more than 12 years, Vincent also assists clients in setting up family, employee benefit and commercial/orphan trusts, providing relevant advice to listed and start-up companies, high net worth individuals, family offices and trustees.

Vincent has been selected as a growth driver (international) by the China Business Law Journal (A-list) in 2025-26, one of the top 50 offshore lawyers by the Asian Business Law Journal in 2024, and one of the region’s most notable offshore lawyers in the Asian Legal Business’ Offshore Client Choice in 2020-25, and was ranked in the 2019 Asian Legal Business “top 40 under 40” list which highlights “outstanding legal professionals in the region”. He has been widely recognised by legal directories, with IFLR1000 2019-25 noting him as a “Notable Practitioner” and with Legal500 (Asia Pacific) noting him as “very impressive” and a “key equity capital markets practitioner” who also “handles a significant amount of M&A mandates“, being “the stand-out name. He is excellent in knowledge and is technically superb. His advice is always concise, to-the-point and brings with him an infectious enthusiasm to deals that [worked] on together”, with “ability to provide timely and practical Cayman law advice”, as well as “a tremendous asset to have on transactions… very responsive, on-the-ball, with a sharp commercial acumen”, and “while Cayman law advices generally are commoditised in terms on Hong Kong capital markets, Vincent distinguishes himself in his professionalism, responsiveness and also the commerciality of his advice. He is also a very hands-on partner and we can usually expect matters that require his attention to be responded very promptly and efficiently”. 

Vincent regularly publishes articles and gives presentations on developments in the areas of IPO, mergers & acquisitions, privatizations, re-domicile of companies, early-stage financing and economic substance.