British Virgin Islands

Our British Virgin Islands team provides a seamless, round-the-clock client service from our offices in BVI, Cayman, Guernsey, Hong Kong, Jersey and London. 

We act for leading global financial institutions, investment managers and corporate entities from start-ups to global household names. We are instructed by many leading law firms and other intermediaries on many of the noteworthy and complex transactions and cases that involve British Virgin Islands law across sectors including financial services, investment funds, energy and infrastructure, consumer goods and retail, life sciences, leisure and entertainment, manufacturing and real estate. 

Our Corporate and Fiduciary Services business, Ogier Global, works closely with Ogier's partner-led legal teams in the British Virgin Islands, Cayman, Guernsey, Hong Kong and Jersey to incorporate and administer a wide variety of vehicles.

Ogier in the British Virgin Islands

Our track record

Our British Virgin Islands law team has advised on many firsts including: 

• The largest acquisition/disposal of a BVI company (Rosneft's US$ 55 billion acquisition of TNK-BP) 

• The largest listed note issuance by a British Virgin Islands issuer (Cemex's US$ 3 billion note issuance)

• The creation of the British Virgin Islands' largest joint venture company (TNK-BP)

• The largest debt restructuring involving multiple BVI companies (UCR's US$ 18 billion global debt restructure)

• The first takeover of a BVI company by way of a Court approved plan of arrangement

• The largest receivership sale involving BVI companies (42 BVI property companies in a hotel chain receivership disposal)

• The IPO of the then largest listed BVI company to date (Lenta Limited's US$ 1 billion listing on the Main Board of the London Stock Exchange and the Moscow Stock Exchange) 

We regularly advise on the most significant and high-value cases and deals in the British Virgin Islands. You can find our latest cases and deals here: BVI latest cases and deals. 

Our BVI law team has a long-standing commitment to the jurisdiction – having been in the British Virgin Islands since 2007 – and is independently sought out by governmental and public sector authorities to support and steer industry and regulatory best practice.

Why the British Virgin Islands?

The British Virgin Islands is a British overseas territory with a legal system based on English common law. Politically stable, the BVI has established a thriving international business industry, recognised and ranked among the world’s top international jurisdictions. 

As an international finance centre, the British Virgin Islands offers an independent and robust Financial Services Commission, acknowledged as a strong and sophisticated regulator, and an international platform with a global footprint where government has created strong international trade and diplomatic relationships. 

Major respected companies worldwide use BVI business companies to manage their cross-border activities. Over 140 major businesses listed on the London, New York or Hong Kong main stock exchanges use BVI vehicles to support their international investment activities. 

Companies, institutions, and private individuals use them for holding companies for various assets, corporate group structuring, investment business, joint ventures, listings, real estate, family, trust, estate and succession planning, and vessel or aircraft registration. 

Useful links  

Working at Ogier in the British Virgin Islands 
BVI Finance 
BVI Financial Services Commission 
Virgin Islands International Tax Authority