The Cayman Islands was once again the busiest offshore destination in the third quarter of 2014, accounting for one quarter of all offshore deals.
This is according to Appleby’s latest Offshore-I report, which added that 155 deals were announced worth a total of $13.7 billion on Cayman and accounted for 29 percent of all dollars spent on offshore targets.
Appleby noted that Cayman’s dominance was not as stark as it has been in previous quarters, with deals on Cayman the second quarter of 2014 accounting for 33 percent of offshore deals and 48 percent of offshore spending. Those numbers reflected the $20 billion planned IPO of Alibaba Group, the Cayman Islands incorporated e-commerce site.
A look at the top 10 deals of the third quarter reveals a broad spread of offshore activity, with two targeting Cayman, three targeting the British Virgin Islands, two Jersey, two Bermuda, and one Hong Kong.
“Overall, the year 2014 is set up to be a peak year for value of deals conducted in our offshore markets,” said Cameron Adderley, partner and global head of corporate & commercial. “The first three quarters of the year have a combined total deal value north of USD200bn, which has only been exceeded in two years over the last decade. This year should surpass even those two annual totals when the Q4 numbers are included.”
Appleby, Offshore-I report, Cameron Adderley
