St Peters Trust Company Limited

St Peters Trust Company Limited was established in Guernsey in 1976 and is an experienced independent provider of international financial services.  The company’s directors have acquired extensive experience over many years in dealing with clients’ affairs and other senior personnel have wide ranging experience and qualifications to provide support for the company’s services. 

St Peters Trust is wholly owned by its directors, who are residents of Guernsey, and therefore whilst the company works with correspondents in a number of jurisdictions, it is wholly independent and therefore free from influences which may conflict with its ability to provide a truly impartial service to its clients. 

Guernsey has evolved into an international financial centre over the past 40 plus years.  During this period the many thousands of professionals providing diverse advice and services have gained extensive experience in their field. 

There are many reasons for Guernsey having become and continuing to be a successful international financial centre which include:

• Political stability - Guernsey has experienced over 800 years of independence, having pledged allegiance to the English Crown but not the English Government, in 1204. It is not a member of the European Union, although it has been granted a special status whereby it is included for the purposes of freedom of movement of goods.

• The basic rate of personal taxation has remained at 20% since the 1950’s with no capital gains tax, inheritance tax, gift or wealth taxes being imposed.

It is clear that proper and effective management and control (using the Island’s extensive pool of expertise) can be exercised there without adverse implications, the standard rate of corporate taxation being 0%.

• Guernsey is internationally recognised as one of the best regulated financial centres in the world. As well as regulating banks, insurance service providers, fund managers, it is one of the few jurisdictions which not only regulates but licenses trust and corporate service providers.

• It has up to date and innovative legislation with regard to trusts, foundations and companies. The latter includes a provision to establish protected and incorporated cell companies as well as those with both guarantee and shareholder members.

• It has extremely good communications links into London, where much international business is undertaken.

• It is financially stable with no significant government borrowing or locally established banks, which the Island would be required to support in the event of problems arising.

In this world of increasing uncertainty, political instability and financial strains elsewhere, Guernsey has to be seen as an ideal location in which to establish and administer, trusts, companies and foundations by individuals who wish to ensure that assets are protected and managed in a professional and discreet manner. 

Traditionally, Russian clients have used jurisdictions such as Cyprus and the British Virgin Islands, the former benefitting from a double taxation treaty with Russia.  Effective structuring used to be relatively simple.  However, the advent of Russian Controlled Foreign Company legislation this year and the likelihood of the Common Reporting Standard being introduced within the next few years, political instability, international sanctions and conflicts means that many Russians are looking for more sophisticated structures in order to protect assets for themselves and future generations. 

St Peters Trust specialise in providing a professional and responsive service to our clients and is able to tailor its services according to the requirements of each individual client by the use of companies, trusts, foundations and partnerships established in Guernsey and other jurisdictions. 

St Peters Trust’s comprehensive range of services, incorporating independent professional advice with a high standard of personal service and attention to detail, include:

• Family office services
• Asset protection
• Estate and inheritance planning
• Investment holding
• Property holding
• Commercial and international trading
• Yacht registration
• Aircraft registration
• Intellectual property holding

In order to provide our services and to meet our clients exacting requirements we establish and administer many types of trusts and entities in many jurisdictions around the world which may include:

• Trusts
• Foundations
• Companies
• Partnerships