• Mauritius
• BVI
• Cyprus
• Cayman Islands
• Hong Kong
• Jersey
• New Zealand
• Isle of Man
• Switzerland
• UAE

1. Revocable Trust (Living Trust)

• The settlor retains the right to amend or revoke the trust during their lifetime.
• Commonly used for estate planning and avoiding probate.
• The settlor usually acts as the initial trustee.

2. Irrevocable Trust

• Once established, it cannot be modified or terminated without beneficiary consent or court approval.
• Provides stronger asset protection and tax planning advantages.
• Widely used for wealth preservation and inheritance planning.

3. Discretionary Trust

• The trustee has full discretion over how and when to distribute income or capital to beneficiaries.
• Often used for family wealth planning and asset protection.

4. Fixed (Interest-in-Possession) Trust

• Beneficiaries have defined rights to income or capital from the trust.
• Common in estate planning and succession structures.

5. Charitable Trust

• Established for charitable purposes such as education, religion, or public benefit.
• Often enjoys tax advantages depending on jurisdiction.

6. Asset Protection Trust

• Designed to protect assets from creditors, lawsuits, or claims.
• Often created in offshore jurisdictions.

7. Spendthrift Trust

• Protects beneficiaries from their own financial mismanagement by restricting their access to trust assets.
• Prevents creditors from claiming the beneficiary’s interest in the trust.

8. Purpose Trust

• Created for a specific purpose rather than beneficiaries (e.g., holding shares or maintaining assets).
• Common in offshore structures.

9. Unit Trust

• Beneficiaries hold units similar to shares in a fund.
• Frequently used in investment and collective investment structures.

10. Special Trusts

Some jurisdictions offer unique statutory trust types, for example:

• STAR Trust – allows trusts for purposes or persons with strong flexibility.
• VISTA Trust – designed to hold shares in **British Virgin Islands companies while limiting trustee intervention.

A common private wealth structure looks like:

Family (Settlor)
↓
Discretionary Trust
↓
Holding Company (BVI / Cayman / Cyprus)
↓
Operating Companies or Investments

This structure is widely used for:

• tax efficiency
• succession planning
• confidentiality
• asset protection

A trust is a relationship where a trustee (an individual or a company) carries on business for the benefit of other people (the beneficiaries). For instance, a trustee may carry on a business for the benefit of a particular family and distribute the yearly profit to them. A trust is not a separate legal entity.

A trust is created by a settlor, who transfers title to some or all of his or her property to a trustee, who then holds title to that property in trust for the benefit of the beneficiaries. The trust is governed by the terms under which it was created.

A trust is traditionally used for minimizing estate taxes and can offer other benefits as part of a well-crafted estate plan. A trust is a fiduciary arrangement that allows a third party, or trustee, to hold assets on behalf of a beneficiary or beneficiaries.

At GFSC Global, our team of international trust experts will help you create a strategy that will help you have peace of mind. We understand that trust formation is often an emotional issue. Our team is made up of all people you will need when creating your trust. Our team is made up of financial advisors and legal advisors with decades in the industry. Over the years, we have helped international citizens create the most tax-effective trusts.