James Rasteh, founding partner of Coast Capital, had a compelling choice of jurisdictions when he made the decision to relocate from the United States to earlier this year. But there was no doubt in his mind the Cayman Islands had more to offer than any other location he considered.
PARTNER CONTENT
By James Rasteh
founding partner, Coast Capital
James Rasteh, founding partner of Coast Capital, had a compelling choice of jurisdictions when he made the decision to relocate from the United States to earlier this year. But there was no doubt in his mind the Cayman Islands had more to offer than any other location he considered.
Born in Iran and raised in France and Canada, James lived in New York for most of the past 25 years, although like many others he relocated from Manhattan to Miami during the COVID 19 pandemic.
Long acquainted with Cayman as a centre of excellence for alternative investments, Rasteh has always been impressed with the regulatory regime. “Cayman has a very established compliance, regulatory, and legal apparatus that is exacting, and that is reassuring to me.” This includes the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority (CIMA), which, Rasteh says, is more engaged than other regulators. “CIMA is incredibly proactive at communicating with their registered funds and their registered directors about best-in-class performance from a compliance perspective.
His familiarity with Cayman as a financial centre led him to look closer at the islands as a location to move to, one where he could run his business and enjoy a more leisurely way of life.
“From a business perspective, Cayman is simply a great jurisdiction. It is a global leader…the leading financial center for sophisticated funds. I have always been impressed with how sharp, well connected, and helpful the local counterparts are,” Rasteh explained, “Lifestyle-wise, Cayman is incomparably healthier than anywhere else I have ever lived. I wake up at 5:30a.m. and an hour later I am swimming in the ocean. By 8a.m., I’m on a call with our investment team. It has been an invigorating experience.”
The fund manager had good reasons to consider other destinations. “We invest a lot in Europe, and so London would have been a natural choice. I grew up in France, did part of my high school in Paris, French is my second language, and I have family there, so that was another option. And I love to ski, so Switzerland was also an attractive location.”
Residents of the Cayman Islands enjoy one of the highest standards of living in the Caribbean, a healthy and robust economy, modern infrastructure, an active real estate market and a thriving financial services industry. Rasteh is not the first, nor will he be the last, to decide to relocate to a country where he can not only easily run his business operations, but also enjoy all that the Cayman Islands lifestyle has to offer.
If you’re an investment funds professional interested in living and working in the Cayman Islands, why not visit the Cayman Finance website or reach out to the team to find out more today. As Rasteh explains, you may be surprised by the welcome you receive. “The extraordinary warmth of the local community has helped me feel more at home than anywhere else I have lived so far.”
To learn more about Coast Capital visit https://www.coastcapitalllc.com
To learn more about the financial services industry in the Cayman Islands visit www.caymanfinance.ky
