Jersey for Philanthropy

With a stable political and economic climate, Jersey is a self-governing British Crown Dependency that has complete autonomy over its domestic affairs, including taxation. The Island’s financial services industry has been a world leader for 60 years, benefiting from a location that’s readily accessible from the UK and a central time zone that makes it easy to work with philanthropists from across the globe.

Jersey’s Trusts Law and Foundations Law both emphasise flexibility, so structures can be tailored to the specific needs of a philanthropist and their family. The Island’s judicial system is held in high regard internationally and its trust law template has been adopted by many other jurisdictions across the world.

Jersey provides a tax-neutral environment for running philanthropic structures, including exemptions from income tax and goods and services tax (GST). This means that assets can be pooled for future deployment without complex cross-border taxation.

Jersey is able to apply a lighter touch to the regulation of charities because its regulatory standards are already high and its structures can only be managed by qualified and experienced professionals. The Jersey Financial Services Commission (JFSC) oversees Jersey’s robust regulatory framework, which not only meets the highest regulatory standards, but is often considered the benchmark for good compliance and adaptability.

Now that an increasing number of philanthropists want to measure the impact of their donations, they’re seeking advice in various areas including tax, structuring and financial management. Jersey has a world-class network of specialists in wealth management, private banking, law and accounting. These professionals are experts in setting up philanthropic structures, managing tax requirements and administering financial assets.

Jersey has excellent relations with the Middle East, Asia, India, Africa and the USA. Thanks to its first-class professional infrastructure and skills and its expert governance, the Island is able to provide vital support to philanthropists in each
region. In the Middle East, Jersey’s expertise and experience in Islamic finance ensures that philanthropic structures are established in a Shariah-compliant manner.

Jersey’s modern and sophisticated Charities Law supports the needs of small local charities as well as global philanthropic enterprises. The frameworks provided by the law are unique, combining flexibility with appropriate levels of governance and accountability.

As a forward-thinking jurisdiction, Jersey has high regulatory standards, reflected in the many endorsements received from authorities such as the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and MONEYVAL, the Council of Europe’s monitoring body for anti-money laundering.

Together with the many major financial services organisations based in Jersey’s capital, St. Helier, the Island’s financial services industry employs almost a quarter of the local workforce. Over its 60-year history, this industry has developed a breadth and depth of products and services that set Jersey apart from other jurisdictions – offerings that will continue to grow in the future.