The Bahamas Financial Services Board (BFSB) is spearheading a business development mission to Asia beginning October 24 with stops in Hong Kong, Shanghai and Singapore.

*“The Asian market with its growing influence and importance to global economic growth increasingly will play a greater role in the development of financial centres in the Americas,”* says Paul Winder, BFSB’s Chairman. *“Our strategic plan for the sector recognises that The Bahamas must be an active player in Asia and therefore it incorporates steps to grow business from this region.”*

In Hong Kong on October 24 and 25, under the banner [Bahamas Landfall: Destination Hong Kong](https://bfsb-bahamas.com/bahamaslandfall/hongkong2011/), breakfast and luncheon presentations have been scheduled for intermediaries and business leaders. These will focus on the Bahamas’ financial services industry’s legal and regulatory regime; specifically, private wealth and asset management products and services, inclusive of investment funds.

Hong Kong also will be the site for The Bahamas Advantage, an evening presentation on October 25, highlighting business and lifestyle opportunities in The Bahamas and covering financial services, maritime, transshipment, logistics and residency.

Wendy Warren, BFSB’s CEO and Executive Director says, “*BFSB member firms increasingly have expressed the need for The Bahamas to establish a strong presence in this market to expand our historical business base.”* Reflective of this growing private sector interest is the number of individuals who will be traveling to Asia with BFSB and the number of firms which are sponsoring the presentations in Hong Kong.

Bahamas Landfall participants from The Bahamas include Anita Bain, Dianne Bingham, Geoffrey Hooper, Ivy Cassar, James Stooke, John Lawrence, Julien Martel, Osborne Lockhart and Surinder Deal.

Bahamas Landfall sponsors are ATC Trustees (Bahamas) Limited, Bank of Bahamas, BSI Overseas (Bahamas) Limited, Butterfield Bank and Trust, Deltec, Equity Trust, Higgs & Johnson, Scotia Private Client Group, Societe Generale, Windermere Corporate Management Limited and The Winterbotham Trust Company Limited.

Sponsors of The Bahamas Advantage are the Bahamas Maritime Authority and BORCO.

*“We appreciate the support of our sponsors and the individuals who are traveling to Asia for this major undertaking in Asia,”* says Ms. Warren. *“The promotional trip is a significant investment on their part.”*

In Shanghai, BFSB will participate in the China Offshore Summit on October 26 and 27 – as a panelist, exhibitor and host of a dinner for invited guests.

The two-day summit will gather China’s leading financial intermediaries with international trust companies, bankers, lawyers, and corporate service providers for an exclusive and in-depth conference examining the full spectrum of investment, trade, and wealth management coming out of China.

The China Offshore Summit has been designed to explain to China’s top financial intermediaries how they can benefit from the unique asset management and corporate product offerings available in the world’s international offshore financial centres.

In Singapore BFSB will be exhibiting at the STEP Asia conference on November 1 and 2.The event is expected to draw approximately 400 trust and estate practitioners from the region.