Mergers and Acquisitions – A BVI Guide

The British Virgin Islands (BVI) remains a popular and accessible jurisdiction for merger and acquisition transactions (M&A), with a range of flexible options for both public and private deals. Many of these options and concepts will be familiar to onshore lawyers, but are often simplified and expedited in the BVI. As a result, BVI companies are frequently used in significant global M&A deals, and listed on some of the world’s largest stock exchanges.

This guide explores the types of M&A structures available for transactions involving BVI companies (including BVI statutory merger, share sale, asset sale and BVI schemes/plans of arrangement), highlights the regulatory issues in BVI M&A to be alive to (including rules for foreign buyers), and touches upon some recent noteworthy developments in the BVI M&A market.