The Bahamas Financial Services Board (BFSB) on Friday responded to several
assertions made by Dublin-based firm Research and Markets Ltd in its Offshore
Financial Services Databook 2003.
The Databook, which is a study of the size of the offshore investment market,
suggested that investors' choice of deposit destination is related to the proximity
of investment centres to their home markets, announcing that European investors
account for 84% of all deposits in Dublin and 72% in the Isle of Man, whilst
US investors represent 62% of all deposits in the Bahamas.
However, in a statement, the BFSB responded by explaining that although the
Bahamas is a well-regarded booking centre for US deposits 'this does not necessarily
mean these deposits are from US individuals who might be impacted by initiatives
in the United States'. The Board went on to add that:
'Generally, Bahamian financial institutions have a diversified international
base of business.'
Furthermore, with regard to claims in the Offshore Financial Services Databook
that deposit levels in the Bahamas and the Netherland Antilles are set to contract
over the 2003-04 period, the BFSB announced that:
'A policy decision by the Bahamas to eliminate managed banks and in the process
further instill a 'mind and management' operating culture within all financial
institutions doing business in the country has likely led to some erosion in
deposits...The Central Bank foreshadowed an impact on the deposit base with
the introduction of this policy.'