‘After the decision for the UK to leave the EU was made, we could not risk any impact to our advisers’ EU passporting status. We took immediate action to Brexit-proof the business and our Cyprus office has been operational for some time. It is a testament to the work of the team on the ground that this licence has now been approved.’ says John Westwood, Founder & Group Managing Director of the Blacktower Group.
‘We remain committed to Gibraltar; we have a strong operations team working from there and are constantly seeking ways to promote the benefits of this jurisdiction. All EU resident clients though will be moved to the Cypriot entities during 2020, enabling us to continue to service our clients in Europe, while Blacktower Financial Management (International) Limited will maintain a book of non-EU clients.’ he confirms.
The development follows the launch of Blacktower Cayman Limited back in November 2019, along with the expansion of the Group’s IFA network, Nexus Global, into the US and precedes plans to expand into Australia, South Africa and UAE later this year.
This communication is for informational purposes only and is not intended to constitute, and should not be construed as, investment advice, investment recommendations or investment research. You should seek advice from a professional adviser before embarking on any financial planning activity. Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the information contained in this communication is correct, we are not responsible for any errors or omissions.
Recently, the Financial Conduct Authority released its Financial Lives Survey 2017, which suggests that many savers lack understanding of how their pensions work. The survey gathered responses from just under 13,000 UK consumers and aimed to gain an insight into their experiences of retail financial products and services.
An investigation by The Pensions Regulator has for the first time resulted in an immediate custodial sentence for the perpetrator of professional pensions fraud, after William Bessent, an accountant who used his position as the trustee and administrator of a pension scheme to steal his clients’ savings, was sentenced to 40 months in prison. He pleaded guilty to multiple fraud charges, making prohibited employer-related investments, and separate charges of acting as a director while disqualified.