Guernsey’s investment funds sector is seeking to build on more than £1tn of assets under management by positioning itself as a faster and more flexible jurisdiction for private capital, panellists at the Guernsey Funds Forum 2026 said.
Organised by Guernsey Finance, a joint government and industry initiative promoting Guernsey as an international finance centre, the sessions focused on the growing demand for faster fund formation as private markets managers face slower fundraising conditions and rising interest in continuation funds, co-investments and single-asset vehicles.
Guernsey oversees more than £1tn in investment assets and channels £58bn of international capital into the UK. Guernsey funds could direct a further £23bn into the UK by 2029, according to Frontier Economics.
Panellists said many private market structures now need to be established within weeks rather than months, particularly for continuation transactions and deal-by-deal investments tied to live transactions. Speed of execution, regulatory responsiveness and operational flexibility have become more important as private markets fundraising conditions remain challenging.
Fund managers are also increasingly using parallel structures, warehousing vehicles and bespoke arrangements as fundraising cycles lengthen and investors become more selective.
Additional regulatory and operational requirements in some European fund domiciles can increase the overall expense of running private market structures. According to panellists, these costs ultimately affect investor returns and can slow execution timelines.
Several panellists highlighted that some European institutional investors continue to prefer EU-domiciled structures despite higher operating costs, often because of internal policy requirements or perceptions around marketing access. However, Guernsey structures marketed under national private placement regimes remain a viable route for many managers targeting selected European investors.
Guernsey’s private investment fund regime — including an expedited one-day registration process and greater flexibility around fund structures — was described as helping simplify licensing processes for fund managers. The changes were also described as supportive for first-time and emerging managers by reducing operational barriers and improving speed to market.
Guernsey fund assets rose to £295.7bn in Q2 2024
Luxembourg was described as more expensive and operationally heavier for private market structures. Panellists argued that this can slow execution and reduce investor returns. Jersey was also discussed, with Guernsey presented as offering faster execution and greater flexibility for continuation funds, co-investments and other bespoke private market structures.
The next phase of growth for Guernsey’s funds sector is likely to come from new pools of capital, including Middle Eastern investors, private wealth and retail channels.
Some of the panellists included Paul Cunningham, partner, Helios Investment Partners; Tom Nield, MD, AnaCap; Marc Schubert, partner, Weil, Gotshal & Manges; Kate Solway, MD, Hedosophia; Tony Bienstock, co-managing partner, Spitfire Strategic Capital; Peter Boulle, partner, Sidley Austin; Ruth Murray, investment director, Gresham House and Louise Pilgrim, partner and chief financial officer, Bluewater Private Equity.
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