As we look forward to the start of a new year, we do so with a sense of optimism, having endured another year in which, despite the ongoing challenges we face, our team here at Jersey Finance has maintained focus on building and nurturing international relationships.
For my business development team, the past few weeks alone have seen our Jersey-based staff completing visits to the UK, Europe, Gulf Region, and the USA. It’s been a pleasure to be back alongside our colleagues based in those regions doing what we enjoy and value the most: working closely with our key partners; meeting with investors, intermediaries, advisers and other professionals; and holding our flagship educational and networking events. If you have made it to one of our many virtual and physical events in this final quarter of the year then thank you for joining us. Our events programme for 2022 is already shaping up to be superb, so we trust that you will find something of interest within it and look forward to seeing you in the coming year.
A key global event in recent months has been COP26, and the increasing demand for action on Sustainable Finance. There is already plenty of evidence that many private clients are driving this shift in investment strategies to ensure they align with their own socially-conscious thinking and of course it is true that formulating ESG strategies is already a priority within the finance industry. At Jersey Finance, we are working on our own vision to meet this challenge. By 2030, we want Jersey to be recognised by its clients, key stakeholders and other partners as the leading sustainable international finance centre in the markets we serve.
Also of special note since we last wrote to you, in November Jersey Finance signed an MoU with the Dubai International Finance Centre (DIFC) Authority. A significant development, it will pave the way for closer collaboration and cooperation over the coming years. This is just one example of how nurturing global relationships is a key part of our strategic vision – in fact, as our CEO Joe Moynihan explains in a recent blog, today more than half of new business booked in Jersey is from markets beyond Europe, right across the private wealth, funds, banking and corporate areas.
As we head into 2022, we look forward to continuing to grow those global relationships, and connecting with our partners, clients and contacts, old and new. In the meantime, I send you my warm wishes for a healthy and happy holiday season, and a peaceful and prosperous new year.