The Government of Gibraltar and the financial services community held its traditional Gibraltar Day in London series of events for the first time since 2019. The occasion saw a range of politicians and finance experts congregate to celebrate long-standing links between Gibraltar and London and to enjoy a showcase of Gibraltar’s financial services offering. The event came as Rishi Sunak took the helm and the treaty to define post-Brexit Gibraltar looms. The series of events covered financial services, insurance, digital finance, family office & private clients, as well as funds & asset management.
The lunch saw around 350 guests attend at the Guildhall, with most attendees coming from the UK. Chief Minister Fabian Picardo addressed the guests with a message highlighting the importance of stability, efficiency and relationships. Sir Philip Barton, the permanent undersecretary at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office spoke on behalf of the UK Government to stress the trickiness and the fundamentality of the arrangement’s technicalities.
The speakers recognised the challenges faced, including those over Brexit, COVID, the FATF’s grey listing and the passing of Queen Elizabeth II. However, Gibraltar’s resilience through turbulent times continues to prove itself. The Chief Minister asserted that the financial sector will be at the forefront of international regulatory practice while developing Gibraltar’s attractiveness of doing business.
Albert Isola emphasised the strength of Gibraltar’s crypto sector, owing to the development of its regulatory framework that aims to support firms licensed in Gibraltar in the DLT seminar held in Canary Wharf. One panel discussed the Government’s integration of blockchain technology into government services and a subsequent panel discussed regulation for market integrity in a virtual asset world.
A funds and asset management breakfast held at the National Liberal Club heard a panel discuss Gibraltar’s fund and asset management service offering and why the jurisdiction is uniquely positioned for the formation of hedge funds and other investment businesses. The panel was comprised of representatives of Whitehall Capital, Laven Partners and the financial services regulator.
Gibraltar Day in London concluded with an event attended by professionals from the private clients and family office sectors. It was opened by Albert Isola who highlighted the importance of transparency and adherence to international standards. Albert Isola also described Gibraltar’s private client sector’s professionalism and the close relationship enjoyed with UK-based clients and intermediaries. Keynote speaker Stuart Musgrave presented the importance of appropriate communication within family governance structures as family dynamics evolve with passing generations. The event was closed with Minister Albert Isola thanking the Gibraltar Finance Centre staff and the attendees who made Gibraltar Day 2022 a formidable event attended by over 1,000 people in total.
Decision of the Financial Action Task Force[...]