Investment funds

Guernsey is a leading specialist centre in the servicing of alternative assets such as private equity, infrastructure and alternative debt. For nearly 50 years, Guernsey has provided an alternative but complementary domicile for fund managers to domicile their funds.

The administration of alternative assets is a specialist discipline and one can find specialist providers of legal, tax, audit and administration services in Guernsey.

Unlike their peers in other jurisdictions, service providers in Guernsey have experienced the life cycle of a private equity fund many times and will be familiar with the unique challenges faced during each stage.

Today, more than £120 billion of regulated private equity funds are domiciled in Guernsey and more than 100 Guernsey companies are listed on the London Stock Exchange.

Flexible and responsive

Guernsey provides a flexible and responsive legal, regulatory and business environment for specialist fund managers and sophisticated investors.

Guernsey’s flexible and responsive regulator offers proven, smarter and faster regulatory products for sophisticated investors. For example:

• the Private Investment Fund dispenses with formal requirements for information particulars
• Class Q open-ended and Registered closed-ended funds benefit from fast-track license applications

Further, derogations are available on applications to the GFSC, who consider each application on a case-by-case basis.

The Limited Partnerships (Migration) Regulations, 2020 were introduced together with a new fast-track licence application regime for managers to enable limited partnerships and managers seeking the security of an EU and OECD whitelisted jurisdiction for substance, to migrate to Guernsey simply and quickly.   

Modern companies and limited partnerships legislation facilitate ease of investment and return of capital to investors.

Global distribution

National private placement regimes (NPPR) provide a proven, smarter and faster route to access UK and European investors, which provides:

• Access to institutional investors in the UK and EU27 Member States including Ireland, Benelux, Germany and the Nordics.
• cost savings in excess of 1% of assets under management over the lifetime of the fund are typical
• greater speed to market than European counterparts

Outside of the EU, a Guernsey fund reaches institutional investors in jurisdictions representing more than 80% of the world’s wealth.

The GFSC have consistently delivered a timely service to my clients and a commercial approach to regulation over many years. They understand that "time is of the essence". It is for that reason that I recommend Guernsey as the location of choice for non-EU fund managers.
Jason Glover, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP