As a result of the conclusions of the G20 summit, held last April in London, Madeira's International Business Centre has consolidated its position as a transparent jurisdiction, fully integrated in the new architecture of the world financial order.
Located in the centre of the Mediterranean, Malta is seen by corporate strategists as the gateway to the EU Single Market for financial services as well as an important bypass to the Arab and North African markets.
Hong Kong is Asia Pacific's leading international financial centre (IFC), attracting 70% of the world's largest banks and supporting a stock market that is the world's 7th largest and 3rd most capitalised in Asia.
It is fortuitous that at a time of market volatility, Jersey was already identifying growing business opportunities in the East.
I am not one for being overly negative but I think it is fair to describe the global economic conditions as gloomy. Guernsey has not been completely immune from these pressures however so far we have been able to shelter from the full force of the storm....
A downturn in sentiment has hit Middle East markets like Dubai as the global financial crisis continues.
The dust is settling on the banking secrecy saga of the past few months. To those with a clear conscience, it is evident that the Swiss government's decision in March to ease its banking secrecy regime will make this sophisticated Alpine jurisdiction...
There is a pension revolution going on in Jersey right now, and it's one that might affect every islander for the rest of their lives.
Tax has been constantly in the news in advance of the G-20 summit as Gordon Brown and other world leaders have made clear their intentions to identify and possibly take sanctions against 'non-cooperative jurisdictions' and 'tax havens'.
The spotlight is certainly on offshore centres at the moment with talk from newly elected President Obama about closing down tax havens, which has been quickly echoed by other world leaders such as Gordon Brown who perhaps sees an opportunity to divert...