Offshore Investment Centre

Also known as Offshore Jurisdiction.

A financial centre that is used as a foreign base for overseas operations where the investor may move in and out of his investment freely. An offshore investment centre is also used as a base for such international activities as commodity transactions, futures trading for options, calls and puts, export-import trading, mutual and other investment funds, exchange and securities hedging, and patent and trademark licensing. Large amounts of financial assets or foreign currencies may be sold without delay at low cost as compared with other types of financial centres.

Some examples of well-known offshore jurisdictions are:

• Antigua
• The Bahamas
• Belize
• The British Virgin Islands
• The Isle of Man
• Luxembourg
• Nevis and St. Kitts
• The Turks and Caicos