JERSEYGOV financial services & crime amalgamation

The Government of Jersey has announced changes to the teams which support both the development and regulation of financial services. 

The internal restructure within the Department for the Economy brings the FINANCIAL SERVICES AND THE FINANCIAL CRIME STRATEGY teams into a single directorate, led by Helen De La Cour, the newly appointed Director of Financial and Professional Services. 

The restructure is ongoing, and the FINANCIAL AND PROFESSIONAL SERVICES DIRECTORATE will be formally launched once the changes are completed. 

The Minister for Financial Services and External Relations, Deputy Ian Gorst, said:

• “These changes are designed to continue our focus on protecting the financial services industry along with a renewed focus on competitiveness and innovation. 
• “We continue to devote the same resource to supporting financial services, but this change allows us to use resources most efficiently whilst continuing to build on Jersey’s successful MONEYVAL result earlier this year.” 

Following the completion of the MONEYVAL assessment of Jersey against international standards for anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism,

George Pearmain will leave the role of Director of Financial Crime Strategy and Head of Delegation to MONEYVAL on Friday, 22 November 2024. 

George has held this role since 2020, after working in Paris for the Financial Action Task Force, the international standard-setter on financial crime. He previously worked for the Government of Jersey between 2012 and 2018. 

Deputy Gorst said:

• “George’s departure marks more than a decade of public service to Jersey around financial services and financial crime strategy, and I thank him for all his work.
• MONEYVAL concluded that Jersey’s effectiveness in preventing financial crime was among the highest levels found among any jurisdiction.
• That evaluation was in no small part down to George. 
• “I also congratulate Helen on her new appointment. She has been Director of Financial Services since 2023​ and continues to lead an excellent and well-established team with clear objectives against which to deliver. 
• “A clear priority for me and the Council of Ministers is maintaining Jersey’s valuable reputation in effectively fighting financial crime, and I look forward to continuing this commitment alongside new and exciting ambitions for growth in financial services through my initiative of a specific competitiveness workstream that is now underway.”