Research

SMART Funds: The Bahamas’ Innovative Creation to Investment Vehicles

December 2011 | Paul Winder, ATC Bahamas


A number of years ago, in order to further enhance the growing financial service sector in The Bahamas, which has contributed significantly to the country’s developmental progress, the government enacted legislation that would cater to the investment needs and interests of sophisticated investors interested in a stable economy. The proposed legislation was designed to allow considerable flexibility for its promoters but with an appropriate level of governance. The platform, the Investment Fund Act 2003 (IFA), created four classes of funds, including the Specific Mandate Alternative Regulatory Test Fund, hereinafter referred to as ‘SMART Funds’.