Offshore firm Appleby has opened another office less than two weeks after announcing its merger with Dickinson Cruikshank.

The firm has launched in Victoria, the capital of Seychelles, to service clients investing in Asia and India. The office will be headed by Malcolm Moller, currently the managing partner of the Mauritius office.

Hong Kong managing partner Francis Woo said that launch was prompted by growing economic relations between Asia and Seychelles. "Seychelles has become more popular in Asia over the past few years,” she said. “For the Asian markets, Seychelles is on the "white list" of the OECD and also has a good network of double taxation treaties, including with China and Indonesia.”

The firm aims to capture a stake in the niche market, extending its level of service to emerging economies. “As the world's attention turns more to Asia—especially as China’s prominence grows—Seychelles will play an important part in the conduct of tax efficient business there through the Seychelles-China double taxation agreement,” said Woo.

The firm has also appointed local corporate figure Conrad Benoiton, the former chairman of the Seychelles International Business Authority (SIBA), as the managing director of its Seychelles corporate services division, which will work alongside the Seychelles office providing corporate and trust administration services.

The firm's merger with Isle of Man-based firm Dickinson Cruikshank will be finalised in October this year, creating the largest offshore firm measured by the number of partners.

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