News and Articles

NEWS AND ARTICLES

Important Amendments to the BVI Business Companies Act for January 2025

December 31, 2024

The BVI Business Companies (Amendment) Act, 2024 (the Amendment Act), published in the BVI Gazette in September 2024, came into force on January 2, 2025. The amendments seek to ensure that the British Virgin Islands (BVI) keeps up to date…

Recruiting for 4-6 Year PQE Attorney for Civil and Commercial Litigation

December 3, 2024

O'Neal Webster

O’NEAL WEBSTER, a leading law firm in the British Virgin Islands, is recruiting for a 4 to 6-year PQE attorney for its civil/commercial litigation department. O’Neal Webster has a broad range of commercial litigation clients in the BVI and internationally.…

British Virgin Island Trustee (Amendment) Act, 2024 Highlights

December 2, 2024

O'Neal Webster

The British Virgin Islands (BVI) legislature has made several amendments to the Territory’s Trustee Act (the Act). These were made by the Trustee (Amendment) Act, 2024 (the Amendment Act). The relevant amendments have been made to reflect issues arising from…

BVI Minimum Wage Increase: POSTPONED Until Q1 2025

August 28, 2024

O'Neal Webster

The minimum wage in the British Virgin Islands (the BVI) was expected to increase by over 40 percent from $6.00 per hour to $8.50 per hour, effective November 30, 2024, heralding the BVI’s first increase since 2016 and its second…

BVI Wills and the Impact of Non-BVI Laws

June 24, 2024

O'Neal Webster

Private international law issues which need to be considered both before and after preparing a British Virgin Islands will disposing of shares in a British Virgin Islands company. Abstract This note considers the need, when preparing wills disposing of shares…

Digital Asset Industry: BVI Rises to the Top, Offers a Balanced Regulatory Regime

May 22, 2024

O'Neal Webster

Bitcoin’s recent surge in value, climbing from around US $21,000 per Bitcoin to over US $70,000 (currently circa US $69,000), has been a significant development. This, coupled with the introduction of mainstream ETFs in the U.S. and the discussions around…

Encouraging Successful Succession: Estate planning options for shareholders of BVI companies

May 10, 2024

O'Neal Webster

By Christopher McKenzie¹ Shortly after the International Business Companies Act (IBC Act) came into force in 1984, the British Virgin Islands (BVI) became one of the world’s most utilised jurisdictions for the incorporation of international business companies; these companies have…

Civil Procedure Takes a Bold Step: Unravelling the changes to service out of the jurisdiction and the Civil Procedure Rules in the British Virgin Islands

April 17, 2024

O'Neal Webster

Oxford University Press recently published OW attorney Paul Edwards’ article in the Trusts & Trustees Journal: “Civil Procedure Takes a Bold Step: Unravelling the changes to service out of the jurisdiction and the Civil Procedure Rules in the British Virgin Islands.”…

Chambers Global 2024 Names Christopher Simpson Among Outstanding Corporate, Finance & Funds Practitioners in the British Virgin Islands

February 26, 2024

O'Neal Webster

TORTOLA – Congratulations to O’Neal Webster Partner Christopher Simpson, who is again ranked by Chambers Global among outstanding Corporate, Finance, & Funds practitioners in the BVI for the 2024 edition. Chambers rankings are a definitive mark of excellence across the…