Seychelles is an independent country and a member of the Commonwealth. Seychelles gained its independence in 1976, having been a British colony since 1812. Seychelles has a population of 83,000 and comprises a group of some 115 islands in the Indian Ocean, most of which are situated between 4 and 5 degrees south of the equator.

The country has good political stability with a democratically elected Government. Seychelles has comprehensive and modern international financial services laws. The Seychelles legal system is based on English Common Law and French Civil Law. The company, banking, trust and other financial services legislation is heavily based in English law and on comparable laws in the successful Caribbean offshore jurisdictions.

The Seychelles economy is primarily based on tourism, commercial fishing and a thriving offshore financial services industry. Encouraged by favourable tax policies, inward investment has increased significantly over recent years, especially in the financial services sector and the hotel and resort industry (for example, projects by Banyan Tree, Hilton, Four Seasons, Shangri-la, etc).