The BFSB website now includes mini sites on various industry sectors and a section on International Cooperation. The changes have been designed to make it easier and faster to access information on the Bahamas financial services industry and documents relating to The Bahamas stance on international tax cooperation. Watch this space www.bfsib-bahamas.com for further developments including a library of technical articles written by professionals in The Bahamas.

Mini sites

Mini sites on Private Wealth Management, Investment Funds, E-Business and Maritime Services can now be accessed directly from the home page where information on news, events and service providers are immediately available for each sector as well as downloadable Guides which provide detailed technical information. In the coming months, mini sites on the Asset Management and Insurance industries in The Bahamas will be launched.

The mini sites can be accessed through the Industry Services section which also includes links to Legislative updates.

International Cooperation

This section which can be accessed from the News & Media section of the site includes:

I. Bahamas Stance on International Tax Cooperation

II. Bahamas Related Agreements

◦ Tax Information Exchange Agreements (TIEAs)

◦ Legal Arrangements

III.Developments In Tax Cooperation

◦ Jurisdictional Responses & Updates (See Industry News-Tax Cooperation for more updates)

◦ Paradigms in Motion

The Bahamas Stance on International Tax Cooperation includes the Government's most recent pronouncements relating to TIEA negotiations, as well as the March 2009 reaffirmation of its commitment to international standards on information exchange. Here we have also posted archived articles from January 2002 when The Bahamas US TIEA was signed with the United States of America. This feature complements the existing Industry News and Reports features on the main BFSB site where ongoing news items on international tax co-operation initiatives appear. It will be updated as developments occur.