The Society of Indian Law Firms (SILF) organised a reception for the high-level delegation from the British Virgin Islands (BVI), led by Premier and Minister of Finance Natalio Wheatley and Minister of Financial Services Lorna Smith, that was recently in India on a four-city tour.
At the reception, Smith highlighted the global nature of the BVI’s financial services ecosystem and the key role of lawyers.
“Lawyers are an integral part of this [BVI financial services] ecosystem and play an important role in helping us understand and navigate the financial services and globalisation. Our engagements with the government of India have already opened discussions around areas for greater co-operation and capacity building,” Smith said.
Many notable personalities from the Indian legal fraternity met the delegation and discussed cross-border co-operation, protection in the AI age, ESG and energy transition.
SILF President Lalit Bhasin welcomed the delegation, adding that the visit was a timely step towards the goal of building a legal architecture for a connected global economy. “The high-profile delegation … highlights the need for mutual economic co-operation between India and the BVI,” he said.
Mukesh Butani, managing partner of BMR Legal in New Delhi, said, “The BVI [is] a trusted and commercially efficient platform for cross-border investment, fund structuring and wealth preservation.
“The visit marks a significant milestone for Indian private equity sponsors and family offices. The strategic importance of the BVI lies not merely in its role as an international financial centre, but in its ability to offer legal certainty, sophisticated corporate structures, and seamless access to the global market.”
Smith also expressed interest in India’s unified payments interface (UPI) system, adding that this trip would be followed by more visits in the future.
