Considerations for establishing the BVI VISTA Trust

The establishment of a VISTA trust may be considered seriously in the following circumstances:

• Where the underlying assets of the trust are to comprise of speculative investments or investments which involve a degree of risk which would otherwise be regarded as inappropriate for the trustees of a non-VISTA trust.
• When the settlor wishes to retain control, because the trust can generally be structured so that settlor-control can be retained at the director (company) level.
• When the settlor intends the shares which he wishes to settle on trust and the underlying assets of the company to be retained.
• Where purpose trusts are needed for securisations and off-balance sheet transactions.
• When trustee involvement in the underlying company’s affairs is undesirable or inappropriate.