Jersey’s funds industry is maintaining its upward trajectory – but evolution in the market, regulatory change and competition means that the Jersey Funds Association (JFA) is busier than ever, according to committee members speaking at the JFA’s recent Chairman’s Update event.

Held at the Pomme d’Or recently (1 March), the event saw Chairman Michael Johnson and Vice Chairman Joel Hernandez assess the current landscape and set out some of the priorities for the JFA over the coming year, whilst sub-committee heads also took part in a Q&A session highlighting some of the trends, challenges and opportunities on the horizon.

Pointing to the fact that the value of assets serviced in Jersey rose to new record levels of more than £0.5trn in 2022,Michael also emphasised how important it was to be alive to the potential for change in the wider landscape:

“Our figures continue to illustrate an upward trend, but it’s really important we stay ahead of the curve and anticipate regulatory change and shifts in investor behaviour to maintain our attractive ecosystem for alternative funds.

“Speed to market, cost-effectiveness and service quality are absolutely crucial in our segment of the alternatives market and we are fully focused not only on safeguarding our position but on enhancing our proposition in those areas. On the ESG front, for example, the key is to establish a robust framework but without creating hurdles, whilst on the innovation front we see opportunities to build up a track record in blockchain, tokenisation and digital assets.”

Joel added:

“From a legal and technical perspective, it has never been busier in terms of the need to respond to consultations and international and domestic regulatory change – such as looking at our AML/CFT frameworks, enhancing our range of fund structures and regimes, and ensuring we keep the cost of doing business with Jersey competitive.  We are fortunate in the JFA to have broad and diverse expertise through our membership to support our efforts in these areas.”

The JFA will be holding a series of further events for members over the coming months to explore key areas of note for the industry, including a Legal and Tax Masterclass (20 April) and two Town Hall events on ESG (15 May) and Digital (5 June). The JFA’s annual dinner has also been confirmed for 14 July. Further information can be found via the JFA website.

New Limited Liability Company (LLC) legislation can significantly enhance Jersey's proposition as a leading jurisdiction supporting US alternative fund managers.

Officially approved by the Government of Jersey this week (7 February), the law, which enters into force on 14 February, expands Jersey’s existing comprehensive suite of private fund vehicles, adding a new structure that is intended to be familiar to US private equity, venture capital and other alternative fund professionals.

Benefitting from a simple registration process and flexible governance requirements, the Jersey LLC, which will have separate legal personality and can be classed as a ‘body corporate’, is expected to offer a number of key opportunities, including being used for issuing securities, as a manager vehicle, and as a fund entity in conjunction with the hugely successful Jersey Private Fund (JPF) regime.

The structure also provides certainty for US managers looking to fundraise within the EU, with the Jersey LLC able to market into Europe, subject to the usual fund permissions from the Jersey Financial Services Commission (JFSC), under the Alternative Fund Managers Directive (AIFMD) third country private placement rules.

Elliot Refson, Head of Funds, Jersey Finance, said: “Following a period of extensive consultation, the introduction of the Jersey LLC is a significant development for Jersey’s funds sector and bolsters our ability considerably to support US fund managers.

 “The Jersey LLC has been deliberately and specifically developed to be a structure US managers and investors are familiar with, backed up by Jersey’s world-class ecosystem for cross-border alternative funds, our leading regulatory framework and our position as a non-EU European time-zone hub.

“Through the Jersey LLC, US fund managers will now be able to take advantage of seamless marketing into the EU via national private placement regimes, underlining our proposition as the ideal gateway into Europe.”

 Philip Pirecki, Jersey Finance Lead in the Americas, added: “LLCs are hugely popular in the US private markets space, with advisers, managers, and investors very familiar with the structure. In that light, we see significant opportunity for the Jersey LLC to support their needs.

 “Since opening our office in New York three years ago, we have seen our book of US business increase significantly. By adding the LLC structure to our proposition, we are expanding our solutions for the US market even further, as we look to meet the cross-border needs of US managers and sophisticated investors.”

Michael Johnson, Chair of the JFA, commented: “The funds industry has seen a sustained increase in business from the US over recent years, particularly as alternative managers have sought to draw on Jersey’s platform for accessing EU investor capital efficiently. The introduction of the long-awaited Jersey LLC meets a growing need in that light, offering a vehicle that is familiar to managers but at the same time that offers all the benefits of Jersey as an expert and well-regulated alternative funds centre in Europe. We expect to see strong appeal for the LLC in the months ahead from managers across the private equity and venture capital space.”

The introduction of the Jersey LLC follows a period of sustained growth for Jersey’s funds industry in relation to the US market, with funds business from US promoters more than doubling over the past five years.

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Professionals from across Jersey’s funds sector including lawyers, administrators, NEDs and compliance specialists, heard from the JFA’s Legal and Technical Sub-Committee this week, at a briefing outlining some of the measures the industry is taking to maintain Jersey’s leading position as a centre for alternative funds.

A number of speakers from the sub-committee, including Chris Patton, Head of Private Equity, Intertrust Group, Simon Burgess, Fund Advisor and Non-Executive Director, and Matt McManus, Managing Associate, Ogier, discussed a range of areas of regulatory and legislative focus for the JFA, including the recent JFSC AML Exemptions Consultation Paper, a JFSC Outsourcing Paper and JFSC Consultation on Senior Management.

The session was hosted by Joel Hernandez, Head of Funds, Mourant, Vice Chair of JFA, and Chair of the JFA Legal and Technical Sub-Committee, who said:

“Our role as a sub-committee is to look at ways to defend and develop our industry from a legal and technical perspective, working with other stakeholders and organisations, to enhance Jersey’s proposition and add value to the funds sector. The fact that so many people joined us for this session reflects the appetite to support the evolution of Jersey’s funds industry, which is fantastic to see.

“The most recent figures for our funds industry were extremely positive, with AUM and AUA reaching record levels yet again. It’s clear though, that there is a huge amount of work being undertaken by the JFA to maintain our position and appeal in a landscape that is extremely competitive and increasingly influenced by international regulatory and compliance pressures – and this is what the session really focused on.

“From looking at our AML/CFT frameworks and how we can keep the cost of doing business with Jersey competitive, to enhancing our Jersey Private Fund regime, as well as honing our ecosystem for virtual assets – there is a lot that the Committee has been working on. On balance, we feel that Jersey remains in a strong position, given the support of the JFA's members and its other partners.”

Following its recent Annual General Meeting (8 July), the Jersey Funds Association (JFA) has elected a new-look committee as it continues to champion Jersey's ecosystem for alternative funds.

With outgoing Chairman Tim Morgan completing his three-year tenure, Michael Johnson takes over the role, with Joel Hernandez taking on the position of Vice Chairman. Michael is Group Head of Institutional Services at Crestbridge, whilst Joel is a Partner at law firm Mourant.

The new committee features some continuity whilst also introducing a number of new faces, with Robin Wilson, Sophie Reguengo, Stephanie Hopkins, Clive Spears and John Riva all joining. Remaining on the committee this year are Richard Anthony, Mike Byrne, Steve Cartwright, Ben Dixon, Ben Honeywood, Dilmun Leach, Robert Milner, Tim Morgan, Simon Page, Martin Paul, Tom Powell, Peter Rioda, Ben Robins, Martin Rowley, Sarah Sandiford and Elliot Refson.

At the AGM, outgoing JFA Chair Tim Morgan, who is a Partner at law firm Maples, provided an assessment of achievements and highlights from the past year:

“Jersey's funds industry continues to operate in a fast-evolving market, with regulatory, economic and geopolitical uncertainty continuing to pose challenges – but the fact that Jersey’s funds industry succeeded in reaching new record highs of assets under administration in 2022 and in each of the past three years speaks volumes about the appeal of Jersey’s platform of stability. As ever we need to continue to work hard to underpin this.

“Reflecting on the past three years, there’s no doubt it has been a busy but exciting time to lead the JFA, through a complex period encompassing the implications for Jersey of the effects of Brexit, to the challenges of the global pandemic, to on going enhancements to Jersey’s international standing for tax and regulation. It is a credit to the committee and to the wider industry that Jersey’s funds offering has gone from strength to strength throughout this period. I’m really grateful for the efforts of all those who have given their time to the committee, including Caroline Harrington, who is retiring from her role as secretary of the JFA after many years. We have achieved a lot – from navigating tax and regulatory changes, to integrating ESG into our thinking and supporting cutting-edge training for our members.”

Meanwhile, newly appointed JFA Chairman Michael Johnson added:

“There’s no doubt that the landscape continues to pose challenges. Geopolitical developments have significantly worsened since the increased hostilities in Ukraine, and from a macro-economic perspective, inflation rates, interest rate changes and other economic indicators are pointing to a significantly more challenging economic environment. Jurisdictionally, the competitive environment remains intense and evolving too.

“But there is plenty for Jersey to be positive about. We have a compelling proposition, an industry that is growing at an impressive rate, and more and more managers of substance looking at Jersey to support their cross-border needs. Private equity, venture capital and real assets are at the heart of global economic rebuilding efforts, and we have precisely the experience and platform here to support that and make a positive impact.”

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The 2021 JFA Annual General Meeting will take place on Friday 9 July via Zoom. Any member who would like to join the meeting is asked to contact the Secretary at enquiries@jerseyfunds.org for the dial in details.

Any member who is interested in joining the Executive Committee is asked to complete an appropriate nomination form by close of business on Wednesday 7 July 2021. A Nomination Form can be obtained from the Secretary at enquiries@jerseyfunds.org

Accelerated digital adoption, upskilling and product innovation will be key themes for a “confident and ambitious” funds industry in Jersey over the coming years, according to the findings of the third annual survey of Jersey Funds Association (JFA) members.

Presented by JFA Chair and Maples Partner Tim Morgan at a recent virtual event, the findings of the survey, which explored key opportunities and issues for Jersey’s funds industry and the sentiment of practitioners, will be instrumental in informing the JFA’s strategy over the coming years.

Tim was joined at the event by a panel of experts including Mike Byrne, Partner at PwC, Amy Bryant, Deputy CEO at Jersey Finance, Martin Moloney, Director General at the Jersey Financial Services Commission, and Alex di Santo, Group Head of Private Equity at Crestbridge.

Amongst its key findings were that digital transformation will continue to be pivotal to the core operation of funds businesses in Jersey, shaping approaches to regulation, tax and governance over the coming years. Highlighting the impact of Covid-19in particular, 92% of respondents said that the pandemic had changed the way their business uses technology to some degree, with 63% saying it had significantly accelerated digital adoption within their business.

Further, while the vast majority (62%) considered that current skills training was sufficient, around 37% suggested that greater support was needed to support upskilling for a more digitised future.

Meanwhile, on the regulatory front, the survey indicated that Jersey’s response to economic substance rules had been broadly welcomed by the industry, with 42% of respondents claiming that substance rules had had a positive impact on Jersey’s competitiveness, while 70% suggested that Jersey is striking the right balance between ease of doing business and regulation.

It also highlighted that Brexit is still seen as, on balance, a neutral or positive factor for Jersey’s funds industry, with almost a third (31%) of respondents anticipating an increase in business as a result of Brexit.

The survey also painted a picture of an industry that is looking to grow and diversify, with 69% of respondents saying they were confident that their business would grow over the next five years, driven largely by organic growth (69%).

In terms of strategic priorities, both in the short and medium terms, the focus remains on private equity, real estate, venture capital and debt funds, whilst geographically, Jersey’s funds industry is increasingly global in nature, with the US West and East coasts and Middle East markets seen as increasingly important, complementing the existing strong focus on the UK.

Commenting on the findings, Tim said: “Despite the challenges of the last year, Jersey’s funds industry has continued to see hugely impressive growth, with the latest figures for funds business registered in Jersey rising to a new record level of some £378 billion in 2020. The ecosystem Jersey provides for alternatives – its stable platform, quality regulatory framework, expertise and service quality – is clearly resonating with investors, and the outlook for the coming years remains very positive.

“Nevertheless, what this survey shows is that Jersey’s funds industry is both confident and ambitious, and continues to look to push boundaries, innovate and improve. The focus on digital adoption and upskilling comes across clearly this year, with the industry keen to position itself as an authority in the alternatives space, while there are also real ambitions to diversify and grow, including in the ESG space.

“These findings will be vital in informing how we continue to enhance our funds ecosystem, and I’d like to thank our membership for their time and support in putting their views forward.”

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Oakbridge FundServices (Jersey) Limited (“Oakbridge Funds”), a specialist independent fund administrator based in Jersey has launched to service the alternative funds sector.

Expert in the main alternative asset classes with a focus on Private Equity and Venture Capital, Oakbridge Funds will provide administration services to offshore closed and open-ended funds and corporate structures.

The Oakbridge team previously worked together at a pan European multi-jurisdictional fund administration business and have more than 40 years’ experience of working in the fund services sector.

Experienced private equity professionals Robin de Gruchy-Wilson, Alex Smyth and Jonathan Crawford will lead Oakbridge Funds’ operations and service led approach.  Jamie Crawford joins the Oakbridge Funds Board as a Director.  Jamie brings a wealth of financial services and investment knowledge and is a Director of ED Group.  

Oakbridge Funds benefits from the resources and experience of its majority owner, ED Group. ED Group is an investment business with activities in the UK, Europe, North America and theChannel Islands. In Jersey, ED Group also owns a regulated Investment Business, Oakbridge Limited, and a regulated Trust Company Business, ED Capital Limited.

Oakbridge Funds Managing Director, Robin de Gruchy-Wilson, said: ‘We have founded Oakbridge Funds with a clear vision.  We are a dynamic and ambitious team.  We have a clear strategy for growth and our independent ownership structure means we are navigators of our own journey.’

‘Oakbridge Funds’ launch comes at a time when there is demand in the market for a truly independent specialist provider.  We are based in Jersey with a focus on carrying out fund administration for multi-jurisdictional funds using industry leading technology and have no intention to outsource any of this work. We believe in excellence and attention to detail and our experienced Jersey based team is very well placed to achieve this.’

ED Group Director, Jamie Crawford, said: ‘Our venture with Oakbridge Funds echoes ED Group’s ethos of investing in and helping innovative companies grow. We already have substantial experience and resource in the local financial services sector between our existing trust company and investment businesses. We look forward to working with Robin, Alex and Jonathan to grow Oakbridge Funds into a leading specialist administrator in the funds sector. ED Group is delighted to provide a solid foundation for the launch and growth of Oakbridge Funds.’

Oakbridge Funds is regulated by the Jersey Financial Services Commission for the conduct of Fund Services Business and Trust Company Business.

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In the 12th edition of Jersey - First for Finance, JFA chair Tim Morgan explores how Jersey's funds industry is focused on honing its vision to provide the perfect ecosystem for cross-border alternative funds.

The full article and publication can be found here.

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As previously advised, in light of continuing COVID-19 related restrictions for holding large-scale events, the JFA committee has, with regret, resolved that it will no longer be possible to proceed with the 2020 dinner, scheduled for 15 October.

We have, therefore, decided to concentrate our efforts on arranging the 2021 Dinner and have secured the  Royal Jersey Showground for Friday 7 May when hopefully restrictions will have been lifted and we can hold an event on the same lines as previously.  We are delighted to confirm that Tom Allen, TV comedian and presenter (pictured below) is, as previously planned, lined up as our Guest speaker for the evening.

Bookings already made will be rolled forward to the revised date in 2021.  However, if you have any queries, or if you would like to make a booking please contact me at enquiries@jerseyfunds.org.

We will continue to monitor the situation but we hope to see you for a celebration on 7 May.

In light of continuing COVID-19 related restrictions for holding large-scale events, the JFA committee has, with regret, resolved that it will no longer be possible to proceed with the 2020 dinner, scheduled for 15 October. Therefore we will be postponing this event, with a view to reinstating the flagship event for Jersey's funds industry in Spring 2021.

We are disappointed to have had to make this decision, however we trust you'll understand our position and that supporting Jersey's Framework for managing COVID-19 and ensuring Members' health and wellbeing is our priority at this time.

The JFA is continuing to plan for the coming year, in anticipation that a return to more normality should hopefully be more realistic from Spring 2021.

In the meantime, we are continuing to proceed with other events on a virtual basis and we'd actively encourage you to participate in these if you can.

The Jersey Funds Association (JFA) has elected its new committee for the coming year as it looks to maintain momentum and continue to champion Jersey as the perfect ecosystem for alternative funds.

Elected at the JFA’s recent Annual General Meeting (17 July), the committee retains some continuity whilst also introducing a number of new faces. Tim Morgan remains Chairman and Michael Johnson Vice Chairman, whilst the remainder of the committee now also includes Richard Anthony, Mike Byrne, Steve Cartwright, Ben Dixon, Mark Grenyer, Ben Honeywood, Niamh Lalor, Dilmun Leach, Chris Marshall, Robert Milner, Simon Page, Martin Paul, Tom Powell, Peter Rioda, Ben Robins, Martin Rowley and Sarah Sandiford.

At the AGM, Chairman Tim Morgan also delivered an annual report identifying the key challenges and opportunities for the industry:

 “Jersey's funds industry operates in a fast evolving environment, with the ongoing economic and social implications of the coronavirus pandemic needing to being absorbed by a market that was already seeking to plan for and adjust to the political uncertainties relating to the UK's ongoing Brexit process.

“The pandemic is already proving to affect asset classes and sectors in very different ways, but for Jersey the essential positive message remains that we offer a platform of stability in a rapidly changing market which is borne out through very high levels of activity through the recent period covering the pandemic. This is a message that the new-look JFA committee will continue to champion over the coming year.”

Meanwhile, pointing to specific areas where the JFA had identified opportunities for Jersey, Tim commented:

“A trend away from widely-held blind pool structures and towards more narrowly-held joint venture and co-investment vehicles appears to be continuing, particularly in the private equity, real estate and adjacent sectors. The Jersey Private Fund regime continues to provide a popular, cost-effective and strong solution in this space.

“In addition, the trend of inward migration by substance managers, particularly in the hedge fund but also more recently in the private equity and venture capital space, continues and Jersey is an increasingly important hub for managers with a substantive local presence.

“Meanwhile, as the market develops further through the process of Brexit and as EU regulation continues to build, we anticipate increasing opportunities in Jersey for a wide variety of asset classes, transaction structures and investor bases.”

Acknowledging the work and achievements of outgoing committee members, Tim concluded by thanking all those supporting the work of the JFA:

“I’m really grateful for the efforts of the committee over the past twelve months. We have achieved a lot. I’m also pleased to welcome some new faces to help drive forward our plans for the coming year across our legal and technical, education and training and communications remit. In particular, I’m delighted that Tom Powell will be leading a new group for us to coordinate a strategy around ESG, an area that is now a fundamental part of our overall proposition as a jurisdiction.”

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2020 Annual General Meeting

Please be advised the 2020 Jersey Funds Association Annual General Meeting will take place on Friday 17 July commencing at 1.00pm via video call.  Any member who would like to attend the AGM is asked to contact Caroline Harrington at enquiries@jerseyfunds.org to obtain the dial-in details.

Below are links to the associated documents relating to the Annual General Meeting.  Any member interested in joining the Committee is asked to complete and return the nomination form to Caroline Harrington by close of business on Friday 10 July.

2020 AGM Letter to Members

2020 AGM Notice & Agenda

2020 Nomination Form

2019 AGM Minutes

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Resilience in the face of an uncertain market, including the Covid-19 pandemic, and a stable platform designed to provide the perfect ecosystem for alternative funds should position Jersey strongly in the short and long-term, according to the chairman of the Jersey Funds Association (JFA).

With this year’s JFA Annual Dinner being postponed until later this year, Chair Tim Morgan gave a webinar update last week (3 June), when he provided an overview of the current funds landscape, the work of the JFA and also outlined future opportunities for the industry.

 Pointing to the fact that Jersey’s funds industry recorded a new record high of fund assets being administered last year (£346bn), a figure that included a 19% year-on-year jump in private equity business in particular, Tim commented

“In the first part of 2020, we continued to see a steady demand for Jersey funds, including from existing managers continuing to launch, often with larger, successor funds. Just as importantly, we’ve seen a sustained strong take up of the Jersey Private Fund, with managers converting to the structure and a growing number of smaller, start-up and spin-out managers opting for it too where the JPF's scalability and cost effectiveness, combined with Jersey's opt in approach for EU marketing, makes it a particularly strong choice for new structures. There are now more than 350 JPFs, which is a hugely positive story and a great endorsement of Jersey’s reputation as a specialist centre for alternatives.”

In addition, Tim highlighted some key findings from a recent survey of JFA members, which revealed a widespread positivity around key issues such as Brexit:

“The European market is still grappling with Brexit uncertainty, but actually more than 80% of our members consider that Brexit will have either a neutral or positive impact on business flows – due largely to the success of Jersey’s market access model,including private placement into Europe and seamless global access into other geographies.

“Of course, the coronavirus pandemic remains front and centre of minds at the moment too, but Jersey has shown real resilience, flexed its digital muscle and introduced measures such as enhanced digital filing and electronic powers of attorney, as well as guidelines on meetings during the pandemic to help keep business flowing in difficult times. In fact, with 100% of homes and businesses in Jersey connected to a pure fibre gigabit-speed network which is the fastest of any jurisdiction in Europe, Jersey’s connectivity has supported high service levels and has helped launch some notable funds during the course of lockdown.”

Looking to the future, Tim highlighted that Jersey’s strengths in alternatives would position it ideally against global market trends, with PwC forecasting growth of almost 9% across the asset classes over the coming five years*. He said:

“Our core strengths as an alternative funds centre, particularly across private equity, real estate,infrastructure and credit funds remain the same – our stability, experience, expertise,service levels, cost-effectiveness, legal framework, tax transparency and regulatory standards. However, competition from other centres remains strong and the regulatory environment remains highly complex, so we need to keep innovating and adapting to meet the needs of alternative fund managers.

“To that end, we are focused on enhancing our range of structuring options, and we are focused on promoting our capabilities in the ESG space. We’re also anticipating a rise in co-investment and fund finance activity, a resurgence in the use of Jersey property unit trusts to facilitate investment into the real estate market, and opportunities in outsourced work as managers look for specific support expertise such as governance and compliance, areas where Jersey excels.”

*PwC Market ResearchCentre

At the end of last year, we presented the findings of our second annual JFA members survey – a project that will be instrumental in informing the organisation’s and our industry’s direction and strategy this year and beyond.

Exploring key opportunities and issues for Jersey’s funds industry, the findings painted a generally positive picture as far as the sentiment of practitioners is concerned, and their perceptions of Jersey as a specialist alternative funds jurisdiction.

Amongst its key findings, for example, were that the industry’s approach to the key macro issues were largely optimistic. On Brexit and new economic substance rules, attitudes were balanced but largely positive, with over 80% of respondents saying Brexit would be neutral or increase business and around three quarters saying the same about substance rules.

Members were also very positive in terms of their overall growth outlook for the year ahead, with 84% saying they were confident or very confident of growth over the coming five years, a significant increase from last year.

These responses tally with the performance we saw in our industry over 2019, with NAV figures reaching new record highs of £342bn and private equity in particular being the stand out performer.

We’ve also seen asset managers continuing to commit to relocating to and establishing a presence in Jersey, which is a huge positive in light of the economic substance rules introduced last year, whilst the number of managers making use of private placement through Jersey and into the EU reflects the high regard in which Jersey is held for straightforward, seamless market access.

We really shouldn’t underestimate just how positive the outcome of Jersey’s work around the key issues such as Brexit and substance have been, or just how significant the recognition Jersey received from the EU almost exactly a year ago was for our industry – it signposted that, without doubt, as a jurisdiction we are serious about cooperation and global standards, and that has translated into good business flows.

The fact that practitioners are confident that Jersey can maintain this growth trajectory against what continues to be a challenging global environment is hugely encouraging.

Future

But that’s only really half the story, because what really stands out from the survey findings is that, despite being so positive about the future, our industry is not complacent and is pragmatic and ready to find ways to continue to enhance our proposition and hone our vision to provide the perfect ecosystem for cross border alternative funds – conscious that competition is very real and that the environment around us continues to change.

As an industry, we are very clear that maintaining growth requires a commitment to innovation, continuing to source the best talent, engaging with stakeholders, and differentiating ourselves through service quality, ease of doing business and stability.

In respect of technology, for instance, the survey indicated a clear trend, with over 56% of respondents saying that they had employed automated technology over the past year. That sort of investment is impressive, and will be pivotal in meeting the needs of alternative managers in the coming years in areas like cyber security, reporting and data management – around 95% of respondents said they considered automation will have a moderate or significant impact on them over the coming five years.

Meanwhile, there’s a real appetite to back product development – around three quarters of member firms said they would be willing to contribute ring-fenced fees to the regulator in order to fund product development. Enhancing onboarding procedures for new clients came out particularly strongly in this respect, rather than bringing new products to market – through automation and online portals, and by looking again at significant simplification and clarification of Jersey’s AML regime.

There were also a number of calls amongst respondents to look at ways to further enhance Jersey’s private placement regime and revisit third country passporting, whilst respondents also pointed to the need to be more proactive in meeting the demands of and responding to the needs of an industry that is increasingly engaging on the green finance and ESG agenda.

Outsourcing is another potentially exciting opportunity – around 40% of respondents said they saw outsourcing increasing over the coming three years. But we need to find ways to change perceptions of what outsourcing is all about and how, through embracing technology and understanding risk, we can meet outsourcing demands.

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...members are unequivocal – it is simplicity, ease of doing business and clarity that will resonate with fund managers and investors...

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The overwhelming message, though, was that our absolute focus should be on providing clarity and simplicity in everything that we do. In a hugely complex environment, our members are unequivocal – it is simplicity, ease of doing business and clarity that will resonate with fund managers and investors, and we should not lose sight of that.

Jersey is not a volume player; we are all about service quality and standards and those, the survey suggests, will be our differentiators.

Over the coming months, we’ll be working hard to engage with industry and key stakeholders both on and off island to respond to the challenges this survey has set out, capitalise on our core identified strengths and look at ways to innovate in order to enhance our funds ecosystem.

With almost 90% of firms indicating that they considered promoters, investors and gatekeepers would give Jersey a four or five star rating, we have a good basis to start from, and with the backing of a clearly very ambitious and focused industry, we are on a good path to maintain and improve on the success we saw in 2019.

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