Guernsey has been independent for more than 800 years, making its own laws and raising its own taxes.

Guernsey has been a centre for international finance since the mid-1960s.

Over 1,000 investment funds are domiciled or administered in Guernsey.

Guernsey is the largest captive insurance domicile in Europe

Guernsey is not a sovereign state but a dependency of the British Crown: The Queen is the island's Head of State, as the latter-day successor to the Duke of Normandy, and Guernsey's Lieutenant - Governor is Her Majesty's personal representative in the island. In 2004, Guernsey celebrated 800 years as a dependency of the British Crown. The island has its own parliament, the States of Guernsey, which is democratically elected every four years.

In Guernsey, the regulatory regime for financial services has a close connection to the island's excellent reputation in banking, fiduciary services, insurance, investment management, and pensions. Day - to - day responsibility for the regulation and supervision of financial services rests with the Guernsey Financial Services Commissions(GFSC) who, since 1987, has regulated and supervised financial services in Guernsey with integrity, proportionality and professional excellence.

In 2016, Guernsey was determined as 'compliant' or 'largely compliant' with 48/49 of the Financial Action Task Force's (FATF) recommendations with respect to anti - money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism. The best score of any jurisdiction.

The personal income tax rate for Guernsey residents is 20 % after deduction of personal allowances. Guernsey has a basic rate of corporation tax of 0 % on profits arising applicable to most companies which are Guernsey tax resident. A 10 % rate of corporation tax is applicable to income arising from certain regulated activities including banking and insurance. There are no capital gains, inheritance, or sales taxes.

Guernsey has an AA-credit rating from Standard & Poor's, representing the island's 'very strong' capacity to meet its financial commitments.