Our Island
With a rich history and culture, and an outstanding natural environment, Jersey is our home and we’re proud to represent the Island and its cosmopolitan community.
Small Island: Global Reach
UK airports offer flights to Jersey, including over 10 per day from London Heathrow, Gatwick, and Luton – getting to Jersey is easy
is the average flight time from the UK, making Jersey a convenient and accessible choice
banks — including over a third of the world’s top 25 banks — operate in Jersey, offering global connectivity and trusted financial expertise
held in Jersey bank deposits, reflecting the strength, stability, and international appeal of Jersey’s banking sector
Our main language is English, but most European languages are catered for in Jersey.
While we use the British pound and the Jersey pound (valued 1:1) as our main currency, we accept all major currencies for transactions.
Our status as a Crown Dependency allows everyone to benefit from an IFC that’s close to, but independent from, Britain and mainland Europe. As such Jersey law is different to that of the UK.
Our population and our government consider education to be vital to the Island, and we make sure that both children and adults are set up for positive futures.
A large proportion of Islanders work together in our finance and supporting industries, meaning our talent is both homegrown and ready to provide a world-class service.
Jersey is actively encouraging the growth of fintech initiatives, meaning they can provide quality support and a dynamic future for a finance industry.
We have world-leading business communications links, including high-speed telecommunications (the 2rd fastest broadband in the world*), together with cutting-edge information technology and postal services.
Jersey’s history has been a colourful one. The Island’s economy has evolved from the days of thriving knitting, boat building and fishing industries, to successes in agriculture, tourism and finance; the latter which now provides around 54% of the Island’s revenue.
Jersey's Unique History
A lot has happened over the centuries that’s shaped us into the Island we are today.
1204: The Anglo-Norman Kingdom divides and Jersey pledges allegiance to the English Crown.
1646: Islander Sir George (de) Carteret offers refuge to exiled Charles II during the English Civil War.
1660: Charles II returns to England after the Civil War, and gives George Carteret joint ownership of New Jersey, America, as a reward.
1945: World War II ends and Jersey is liberated from German occupation, leaving behind fortifications that are open for visitors today.
1961: Banks began to establish offshore operations in earnest to meet the growing demands of British customers living or working aboard.
1984: Jersey was the first jurisdiction to bring trust and company service providers within a regulatory regime by passing the Jersey Trust Law.
2001: Jersey Finance founded to promote Jersey as an international finance centre.
2009: Jersey Finance opened an office in Hong Kong and Jersey companies became able to list on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.
2018: Jersey Finance became the first international finance centre to set up an office in the Dubai International Finance Centre.
2019: EU Finance Ministers (ECOFIN) confirmed Jersey’s position as a co-operative jurisdiction following an extensive period of assessment.
2020: Post-Brexit, Jersey remains a stable jurisdiction, outside of the EU with strong access to both UK and global markets.
Jersey Facts
- The capital of the Island, St Helier, is one of the twelve parishes of Jersey and has a population of 35,822 – over one-third of the total population
- Jersey measures approximately nine miles by 5 miles, with over 48 miles of coast
- Given its location close to France, Jersey has a mixed Franco-British culture, however modern Jersey’s culture is very dominated by British cultural influences and has also been influenced by immigrant communities such as the Bretons and the Portuguese (mainly from Madeira)
- Jersey is, by nature, an island of migrants and, as explained by the Island Identity Project which seeks to understand how members of the public, parishes, businesses and organisations value Jersey, the migration of people over many thousands of years has shaped and influenced the Island we know today
- While financial services is Jersey’s largest economy, its traditional industries of farming, fishing and tourism are important to the Island as a source of income and jobs, and form a vital part of our heritage and of how Jersey is seen by the rest of the world. In recent years the Island has invested in new economic opportunities such as our thriving digital sector
- Jersey is considered an ‘offshore’ finance jurisdiction. The IMF define this as a “country or jurisdiction that provides financial services to nonresidents on a scale that is incommensurate with the size and the financing of its domestic economy” meaning the term often, but not always, refers to offshore islands
- Jèrriais is the traditional language of Jersey, which is closely related to French. While fewer than 2,500 people are now thought to speak the language, there is an active educational programme within the Island to ensure that Jèrriais remains a living language, and many of Jersey’s place names and roads are in Jèrriais
- Aside from our reputation as a finance centre, Jersey is well known for the Jersey cow, Jersey Royal potato, its bays and beaches making it a prime destination for holidays, and its fascinating history; did you know, for example, that New Jersey in the USA gets its name from us?
- More than 14,000 people work in the finance industry, making up around one-fifth of the total number of jobs in the economy
Find out about relocating to Jersey