FAQs

Avenue Trust Company Limited (ATC) is an independent, owner-managed fiduciary based in St Peter Port, Guernsey, licensed by the Guernsey Financial Services Commission. The firm provides trust administration, corporate services, family office solutions, and private client wealth structuring, and has been operating from Guernsey since 1952. ATC is a sister company to Lince Salisbury, a Guernsey-based accountancy and audit firm, and an independent member of BKR International, a global professional network of more than 500 offices across 80 countries.

ATC is deliberately boutique. Every client relationship is led personally by a director, and in-house corporate entities provide the directors, trustees, and secretaries for client structures, so a senior member of the team is always directly involved in day-to-day administration rather than delegating it down. Clients of larger firms often report slow turnaround, high staff rotation, and a gap between the person who wins the business and the person who administers it. ATC's model is designed to remove that gap.

ATC is the sister company of Lince Salisbury, a Guernsey accountancy and audit firm with which it shares ownership and premises; the two firms work together on accounting, audit, and tax compliance for clients where relevant. Separately, ATC is an independent member of BKR International, a global network of more than 500 professional services offices across 80 countries, which gives ATC clients access to vetted local expertise in cross-border tax, mobility, intellectual property, and structuring wherever they need it.

Guernsey combines political and economic stability, a legal system based on English common law, and a tax-neutral environment (no capital gains, inheritance, wealth, or value-added taxes) with more than fifty years of established fiduciary expertise. For international families managing cross-border assets, this combination allows structures to be administered predictably and efficiently regardless of where family members live. Guernsey is also a recognised leader in green and sustainable finance, which matters increasingly to families building long-term legacies.

Yes. Guernsey is regulated by the Guernsey Financial Services Commission (GFSC), which oversees licensed fiduciaries, banks, investment firms, and insurance providers to standards benchmarked against international bodies including the OECD, FATF, and MONEYVAL. Guernsey has consistently achieved strong ratings in independent international assessments of tax transparency and anti-money-laundering compliance. Avenue Trust Company is licensed by the GFSC and has been operating under Guernsey regulation since 1952.

All three Crown Dependencies (Guernsey, Jersey, and the Isle of Man) offer broadly similar tax treatment, English common law foundations, and well-established fiduciary industries, so the choice often comes down to specialist expertise and firm fit rather than jurisdiction alone. Guernsey is typically favoured for private wealth, family offices, and investment structures, with particular strength in green finance and insurance; Jersey has deeper specialism in fund administration; the Isle of Man is often chosen for aviation, yacht, and e-gaming structures. For international families whose needs span trusts, companies, and cross-border structures, Guernsey remains one of the most widely used jurisdictions globally.

A Guernsey trust is a legal arrangement under which one party (the trustee) holds and administers assets for the benefit of others (the beneficiaries), governed by the Trusts (Guernsey) Law 2007. The person who creates the trust (the settlor) transfers assets to the trustee, who is then legally responsible for managing those assets in line with the trust deed and the beneficiaries' interests. Trusts are widely used for succession planning, asset protection, family governance, and holding structured investments across multiple jurisdictions.

A trust is typically the right choice when the goal is long-term succession, flexibility in how benefits are distributed across generations, and separation of legal ownership from economic benefit. A company makes more sense when the structure is primarily operational or investment-focused and active decision-making by directors is needed. A foundation sits between the two. It has a separate legal personality like a company but functions more like a trust, which makes it useful in civil-law jurisdictions where trusts are less well recognised. In practice, many families use a combination, and ATC can help work out which fits best for specific circumstances.

Legal ownership and control of the assets sit with the trustee, which in ATC-administered structures is typically one of ATC's in-house corporate trustees with a senior team member actively involved. The settlor can set out their intentions through the trust deed and a separate letter of wishes, which the trustee considers but is not bound by. This is what gives a trust its legal protection. For families who want more direct involvement in decision-making, ATC also establishes Private Trust Companies, which allow family members to sit on the board of the trustee itself while still maintaining the integrity of the trust structure.

Guernsey companies are used for a wide range of purposes including holding investments, owning real estate, running operating businesses, structuring intellectual property and image rights, acting as investment vehicles for family offices, and serving as special purpose vehicles for transactions. The Companies (Guernsey) Law 2008 provides for several company types including cell companies and protected cell companies, which allow segregated portfolios within a single legal entity. ATC administers Guernsey companies across all of these use cases, with in-house directors and company secretaries providing day-to-day management.

A standard Guernsey company can typically be incorporated within 3 to 5 working days from the point at which all client due diligence and KYC information has been received and approved. More complex structures, for example those involving unusual share classes, multiple jurisdictions, or regulated activities, take longer and are quoted individually. ATC commits to a 3-hour initial response on new enquiries and provides a clear onboarding timeline at the outset so clients and their advisers know exactly what to expect.

A Guernsey foundation is a legal entity with its own separate personality (like a company) that holds assets for a defined purpose or for beneficiaries (like a trust), established under the Foundations (Guernsey) Law 2012. Unlike a trust, a foundation can contract, sue, and be sued in its own name, which makes it more familiar to beneficiaries and counterparties in civil-law jurisdictions where trusts are less well understood. Foundations are governed by a council rather than a trustee, and the founder can reserve specific powers in the constitution.

Foundations are often the right choice for families or founders connected to civil-law jurisdictions (parts of Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, and Asia), where a separate legal entity is more easily recognised than a trust. They also suit situations where the founder wants the structure to have its own legal identity, for example holding operating assets, managing philanthropic activity, or acting as a long-term stewardship vehicle for a family business. ATC establishes and administers Guernsey foundations and can advise on whether a foundation, trust, or combination best fits specific circumstances.

ATC offers both. For families who want a fully outsourced solution, ATC can establish and run a dedicated family office within the firm, handling day-to-day financial and administrative affairs, governance, structuring, and coordination with external advisers. For families who already have in-house resources or prefer to retain certain functions, ATC provides modular support, for example establishing Family Limited Partnerships, Private Trust Companies, or foundations; structuring intellectual property and image rights; or acting as the Guernsey administrative hub within a multi-jurisdiction family office. The right model depends on family size, complexity, and preference, and ATC works through this during initial conversations.

A dedicated family office typically makes sense from around £20 to 30 million of investable assets upwards, where the cost of bespoke governance and administration is justified by the scale and complexity of the family's affairs. Below that level, a single-purpose structure such as a trust, foundation, or Private Trust Company often achieves the same objectives at much lower cost. ATC's approach is to recommend the right-sized structure for the actual need, not the most elaborate one, which is why initial conversations always start with the family's objectives rather than a standard product.

ATC has significant expertise in structuring for digital assets and on-chain holdings and works with clients and their advisers on how to integrate these assets into trusts, companies, and foundations. ATC is not itself a licensed Virtual Asset Service Provider (VASP), which means ATC does not take custody of digital assets directly. Custody sits with an appropriately licensed counterparty. What ATC provides is the fiduciary structure around the holdings, ensuring the legal, governance, and succession framework works for digital assets in the same way it does for traditional wealth.

The main practical risks are custody (who holds the keys and how), valuation (digital assets can be volatile and valuation methodologies vary), succession (keys and access must transfer reliably to future trustees or beneficiaries), and regulatory change (the VASP and reporting landscape is still evolving). A well-designed structure addresses each of these explicitly rather than treating digital assets as an afterthought. Matt Godfrey holds a specialist Crypto Asset Accounting qualification, and ATC's approach is to plan for these risks at the outset, which is the difference between a structure that works in practice and one that looks right on paper.

ATC charges through a combination of annual responsibility fees (fixed charges for ongoing fiduciary responsibility), time-based charges (for specific administrative work, billed in 10-minute units), and fixed compliance fees (based on the risk rating of each entity). Annual responsibility fees cover the legal responsibility of acting as trustee, director, or registered office. They do not include day-to-day administrative work, which is billed separately at hourly rates ranging from £132 for junior administrators to £378 for director-level time. Every structure receives a detailed proposal upfront setting out expected costs, and clients can request a fixed-fee arrangement where the scope allows. The full 2026 fee schedule and minimum fee guidelines are published on the Transparent Pricing page.

For a Guernsey trust with full trustee responsibility, the estimated minimum annual running cost is £6,175, covering the trustee fee (£2,855), FATCA/CRS classification and reporting (£520), administration from £2,400, and a regulatory and compliance fee from £400. For a Guernsey company with full fiduciary responsibility (including directors, registered office, and resident agent), the estimated minimum is £6,835, covering the responsibility fee (£2,855), registered office and resident agent (£3,900), FATCA/CRS reporting (£520), administration from £2,400, regulatory and compliance fee from £400, and statutory filing (£660). These figures exclude bookkeeping and the preparation of financial statements, which are billed separately from £1,560.

Incorporating a new Guernsey company starts from £1,750, and forming a new Guernsey trust starts from £2,500. Transfers in from another service provider, and transfers out or terminations, are quoted on a point-of-application basis because costs vary significantly depending on the complexity of the existing structure, the volume of records to be reviewed, and the counterparty involved. The proposal shared at the outset of any engagement sets out the full expected setup cost before work begins, so there are no surprises.

No. ATC publishes the full 2026 fee schedule and minimum fee guidelines on the website, which is unusual in the fiduciary sector. Most firms treat pricing as confidential. Disbursements (such as Guernsey Registry filing fees, regulatory levies, and third-party costs) are charged at cost without mark-up, and any travel or specialist external advice is agreed with the client in advance. The only fees clients pay are those in the published schedule or specifically set out in the engagement proposal.

ATC tends to be the right fit for international families, entrepreneurs, and advisers who want a boutique relationship with a senior team directly involved in their structures, and who value responsiveness, transparent pricing, and the practical expertise to handle modern assets including digital holdings and intellectual property. ATC is not designed for clients who need a large institutional brand, who require in-house tax advice (ATC coordinates with specialist tax advisers through the BKR network rather than providing tax advice directly), or who need custody of digital assets (ATC structures around these but does not hold them). A first conversation is usually the quickest way to tell. ATC will be direct about whether there's a good fit or whether a different provider would serve better.

The first call is usually a 30 to 45 minute conversation with Matt Godfrey or Nico Alexandre, with no cost and no obligation. The purpose is to understand what the client or adviser is trying to achieve, discuss the options, and assess whether ATC is the right fit. By the end of the call, clients typically have a clear view of which structure makes sense, the likely timeline, and an indicative cost, with a written proposal to follow within a few working days if both sides want to move forward.

Onboarding typically takes 2 to 6 weeks depending on the complexity of the structure and the speed at which due diligence documents can be assembled. ATC requires identification and verification documents for all connected parties (settlors, beneficiaries, directors, ultimate beneficial owners), source-of-funds and source-of-wealth evidence, and supporting documentation for the underlying assets or activities. The specific list is shared upfront so there are no surprises. For straightforward structures where documents are readily available, onboarding can complete in as little as 2 weeks; more complex cases with multiple jurisdictions or unusual assets take longer.

Yes. ATC regularly takes on existing trusts, companies, and foundations from other fiduciaries. The process is known as a transfer in. The incoming review covers the current trust deed or constitution, the existing administration records, historic compliance documentation, and the underlying assets and liabilities, to make sure the structure is sound and that ATC understands exactly what it is assuming responsibility for. Transfer-in costs are quoted on a point-of-application basis because the work varies significantly depending on the quality of existing records and the complexity of the structure.

ATC works alongside the adviser's existing network rather than trying to replace it. The client's lawyers, investment managers, bankers, and accountants remain the client's chosen professionals. ATC's role is the fiduciary structure around them, coordinating where needed but not competing for the relationships the adviser has built. Where the client needs capability the existing network doesn't have, for example in a new jurisdiction, ATC can introduce a vetted professional from the BKR International network without disturbing the advisers already in place.

No. ATC's model is explicitly independent. The firm does not provide investment management, private banking, or tax advice, and has no financial incentive to move client assets to a preferred counterparty. Investment mandates, banking relationships, and tax advisers remain with the professionals the client has chosen. This is a deliberate positioning choice. Advisers who introduce clients to ATC consistently report that one of the biggest frustrations with other fiduciaries is pressure to change investment arrangements or sidelined adviser relationships, and ATC exists to be the alternative.

ATC commits to a 3-hour initial response on new adviser introductions during working hours, with the first substantive conversation typically happening within 24 to 48 hours. The adviser receives a copy of the onboarding timeline and is kept informed at each stage, so they can answer their client's questions without having to chase ATC for updates. Once a client is live, ATC operates with a traffic-light urgency system (red, amber, green) so advisers can flag anything time-sensitive and know it will be treated accordingly.