This weekend, Minister for Financial services, Gilbert Licudi, attended the FONDS 13 conference and exhibition in Zurich. Also in attendance of the conference was the Gibraltar Funds and Investments Association (GFIA) who has six member firms exhibiting at the conference.

Speaking at the event, Minister Licudi noted Gibraltar’s status within the EU and its access to the single market. He also stressed that ‘Gibraltar is well on course for the transposition of AIFM and we are determined to hone our funds product range still further so as to become even more attractive for Swiss asset managers to consider using Gibraltar in various ways’.

Swiss asset managers are also under pressure because of a material increase in the degree of regulation that they will be experiencing. Gibraltar’s regulatory regime is no less strict but it affords the rights to passport throughout Europe; a benefit that the Swiss regime does not have. Mr Licudi also took the opportunity of visiting a number of the stands and addressed a focused break-out session on the topic of: ‘investing through stable international financial centres in uncertain global markets.’

The Finance Centre stall was manned by Mrs. Maite Mir-Parody, Logistics and Marketing Officer and Mrs. Joanne Martinez, Executive Officer. Finance Centre Director, James Tipping held meetings with fund managers during the event.