The Tribune

THE Bahamas Financial Services Board's (BFSB) main promotional event is set to make Landfall in Europe and Miami in June, as it seeks to educate intermediaries and their high net worth clients on what this jurisdiction has to offer. Bahamas Landfall is designed to provide financial services intermediaries and other service providers with updates on legislative and business developments in the Bahamas, and to enable participating BFSB members to connect with potential business opportunities. Bahamas Landfall: Destination Miami will take place on June 1 as part of the BFSB's participation and sponsorship of the third annual Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) Miami conference. Bahamas Landfall: Destination Europe will be held in Zurich, Geneva and London between June 18-25, coinciding with the BFSB's participation in one of Europe's largest trust events, Transcontinental Trusts 2012, which takes place in Geneva on June 20-21. The newly-appointed minister of financial services, Ryan Pinder, will travel to London to participate in the Landfall event there. "We are very pleased to have the Minister's involvement in London," said Aliya Allen, BFSB's chief executive and executive director. "His presence and participation will send a strong message on the importance of the financial services industry to the Bahamas, and the Government's commitment to its continued development and success." She added: "There is relentless competition by other jurisdictions for the attention of intermediaries and other influencers of business. It is vitally important that we meet face-to-face with them on their home grounds to establish relationships, and to provide them with the type of information that will allow them to consider the Bahamas as a jurisdiction of choice for their clients. "Bahamas Landfall events are designed to provide a business and social setting to facilitate business discussions and personal interaction. We have received great support from member firms for previous Bahamas Landfall events, and anticipate the same type of response for the upcoming events." Support for Bahamas Landfall: Destination Europe includes sponsorship by a number of BFSB member firms: BSI Overseas (Bahamas); Butterfield Bank (Bahamas); Credit Suisse AG Nassau Branch; Etienne Dupuch, Jr. Publications; Graham, Thompson & Co; Higgs & Johnson; International Protector Group; Julius Baer Bank & Trust (Bahamas); KPMG ; RBC Wealth Management; and Scotiatrust. Industry partner, the Bahamas Maritime Authority, also has come on board as a sponsor for Landfall Europe. The upcoming Landfall events, and connected conference participation, are part of a busy international promotion plan by the BFSB for May and June. Last week, the BFSB participated in the STEP Caribbean Conference 2012 in Grand Cayman, and in June it is attending the STEP Canada 14th National Conference in Toronto (June 11-12) and the fifth annual US Latin American Tax Planning Strategies Conference in Miami (June 14-15).