British Virgin Islands: The Use Of Offshore SPVs In Shariah Compliant Transactions Post-FATCA

In recent years, international financial centers (IFCs) such as the British Virgin Islands (BVI) and the Cayman Islands (Cayman) have faced unprecedented political and regulatory pressure from governments and international organizations to open up and become more transparent in their business practices. The impression is that these jurisdictions are secret tax havens. However, IFCs are more compliant with international regulatory requirements than they are portrayed to be. The benefits of using an entity incorporated in an IFC are such that they will remain vital components of international structures, even in the face of mounting pressure from onshore governments.