A tropical paradise of 115 islands, scattered across the azure waters of the western Indian Ocean, Seychelles is home to a harmonious population of nearly 90,000 warm and welcoming people, the descendents of European, African and Asian immigrants to the pristine islands.

Famed for its heart-stopping beautiful environment, Seychelles’ palm-fringed golden sanded beaches skirt granite islands, whose lushly vegetated mountainous peak rear up into the blue sky.

Nestled between 4 and 7 degrees south of the equator, the islands are safely outside the region’s cyclone belt and the combination of year round blue skies, unspoilt beaches and a convivial, smiling population has secured the country a reputation as one of the world’s most sought after tourist destinations.

In addition to a flourishing tourism industry, the Seychelles’ high standard of living, modern infrastructure and communications network, advanced levels of education, judicious legislation and multilingual population have allowed the country to realise its potential as a financial services hub.

Building upon a collaborative, mutually beneficial working relationship between the government, regulator and service provides, Seychelles off-shore industry has placed the maintenance of its OECD-compliant reputation at the forefront of its work. While geographically, politically and economically free from the undue influence of the EU and US regulatory system, Seychelles financial services industry nonetheless demands and maintains respect for the highest standards in business practice to guarantee the reputations of the jurisdiction, its service providers and their clients.

The official languages of Seychelles are English, French and Kreol. Unlike many tropical countries, Seychelles is free from malaria and the majority of other equatorial diseases.

The country’s legal system and laws are based upon the British system and will be familiar to legal practitioners from Commonwealth countries and the United States. Seychelles civil law is based upon French legislation.