Trusts

Trusts for Every Need

The Bahamas: one of the progressive jurisdictions in the world for innovative and premier trust legislation

Fertile environment to create wealth management structures tailored to the most discerning needs of high-net-worth individuals, families and institutional clients

Full trust services: trust creation and administration, estate and succession planning, creditor protection and financial planning accounting

Equity’s trust services are also employed for its comprehensive Family Office services

Broad portfolio of trust-related products and services include:

• Private Trust Companies (PTC’s)
• Purpose Trusts
• Foundation
• Bahamas Executive Entity
• Trustee services

Private Trust Companies (PTC)

A Private Trust Company (PTC) is a trust company that acts as trustee of one or more trusts for a Designated Person or Designated Persons or an individual or individuals who are related by consanguinity or other family relationships to the Designated Person

PTCs have grown in popularity because they allow wealth creators to achieve more control, greater efficiency and better governance

PTC Advantages

Involvement of trusted advisors and family in the governance and administration of the trusts

Efficiencies by consolidating administration within one single purpose entity

No limitation on the type of assets that can comprise the trust

The Bahamas Foundation

The foundation was adopted in The Bahamas for its extrinsic and intrinsic characteristics

Extrinsic characteristics accommodate the culture and custom of potential founders from Latin America and the rest of the civil law world

Intrinsic characteristics mean there is a reduced fiduciary responsibility for those administering the foundation’s assets

The Bahamas foundation is similar to trusts in three ways:

• It has provisions which recognize the supremacy of the governing law of the foundation;
• It has provisions which protect against forced heir-ship claims;
• It has provisions which provide for termination of a beneficiary’s interest upon challenge.

The Bahamas Executive Entity (BEE)

BEE is a type of structure for use in offshore wealth management structures and sets a new standard of excellence for trust and estate planning

Pioneering legislation establishes the BEE as a perpetual entity for the sole purpose of carrying out executive functions, such as acting as a shareholder of a Private Trust Company (PTC) or as a Protector, Enforcer, Advisory Board or Corporate Director

BEE Advantages

Removes unnecessary layers of ownership at the top level of wealth structures

Concentrates control in the right people who have the assurance of limited liability

Facilitates proper governance within the structure to avoid the risk of family conflict damaging the family wealth

The Family Office

Equity’s trust services are employed for its comprehensive Family Office services

Family Offices can be built around one or any number of structures or licences which provide true and, in some cases fully regulated substance in The Bahamas