From left, Cayman Islands Stock Exchange Head of Listings, Eva Holt; Deputy Premier André Ebanks; Vice Minister for Internal Affairs, Financial Services Agency of Japan, Shigeru Ariizumi; and Cayman Islands Stock Exchange CEO, Marco Archer met in Tokyo.
Deputy Premier André Ebanks will be part of a Cayman Islands Government delegation representing the country at the upcoming Financial Action Task Force (FATF) plenary in Paris next week.
Led by the Attorney General Samuel Bulgin, the delegation will consist of representatives from multiple agencies within Cayman’s anti-money laundering framework, including the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service, Cayman Islands Monetary Authority, and the Ministry of Financial Services and Commerce.
The FATF plenary will take place 21 to 25 Oct and consider, among other items, the listing and delisting of countries with anti-money laundering and countering of terrorism deficiencies; matters with direct relevance to the Cayman Islands such as beneficial ownership and virtual asset standards; and jurisdictional updates leading into the next round of mutual evaluations.
“With evolving matters with direct relevance on the agenda, it is important for Cayman to be present at a high political and technical level to engage on these matters, especially in preparation for the 5th Round of FATF mutual evaluations,” the deputy premier said.
Attending the plenary represents the latest official travel for the deputy premier, who is also the minister of financial services and commerce. Ebanks recently met with regulators, firms and asset managers in Tokyo and Seoul, and spoke with US stakeholders during meetings in New York earlier in September. Overall, he noted that the initiatives broadened and strengthened Cayman’s international regulatory and business development relationships.
“These meetings and engagements bolstered our promotional efforts in each jurisdiction and presented an opportunity for the Cayman Islands to liaise with regulators, officials and practitioners on the regulatory and legislative enhancements that will boost our international reputation. The Seoul visit was particularly enlightening as I gained greater insights into the possibilities for Cayman in the South Korean market,” the deputy premier said.
He visited Tokyo and Seoul from 29 Sept to 5 Oct. His Tokyo schedule included discussions with financial services representatives in asset management, legal services, banking, audit services and corporate administration. Meetings with the Alternative Investment Managers Association, and his presentation at the Nikkei Symposium completed the itinerary.
In Seoul, the deputy premier met with financial services practitioners in investment funds and venture capital.
In New York, from 16 to 20 Sept, he spoke at a reinsurance roundtable, organised by the Cayman International Reinsurance Companies Association and Cayman Finance, as well as at the Ogier Funds Symposium. In addition, he attended several client meetings.
