Blacktower Ready to Respond to New Challenges

The Cayman Islands has a new governor following the announcement that Martyn Roper OBE, a career diplomat and corporate leadership veteran, has been appointed to the role. He takes over from Anwar Choudhury, who had recently faced a number of complaints regarding his conduct.

The move is largely thought to be positive step for financial management services in the Cayman Islands, as Roper has said he will make it a priority of his role to “listen and learn” from those around him.

Mr. Roper brings a wealth of experience to the job. He was most recently minister and deputy head of mission for the U.K. in Beijing, China, but has worked in other notable capacities, including as the UK Ambassador to Algeria, Deputy Head of Mission in Brasilia and, of particular interest to the financial management industry in the Cayman Islands, as First Secretary for Economics and Development with the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Paris.

2018 has brought good news for many expats tackling the idiosyncrasies of finance in Spain and, especially for those who want to manage their legacy planning successfully.

This is because British and other EU citizen expatriates in Spain have received a boost in relation to succession tax laws.

Under the Spanish regional system, expats in Spain (but not those from outside the EU or EEA) can avoid costly Spanish state succession rules on passing; instead they are able to take advantage of kinder regional laws, such as those just implemented by Murcia and Andalucía.

In these areas, if you have Spanish assets but have not quite yet become a fully-fledged expat or indeed if you have Spanish property but still reside full-time in the UK; your heirs, wherever they may live, are entitled to the full range of succession tax reliefs offered by the region in which your assets are invested. Sometimes this may be as much as 99% succession tax relief or, in some cases, total exemption.