Sancus (Gibraltar) Limited will be headed up by Stephen O’Brien, who has relocated to Gibraltar to run the office; and JTC Group Chairman Nigel Le Quesne will join the Board of the company as a non-executive director.

Group Chief Executive Officer, Andrew Whelan, said: “I am delighted to welcome Steve and Nigel to the Sancus Group. They are both highly regarded internationally in the offshore trust and intermediary sector, and I am confident they will bring a wealth of experience and enthusiasm to lead and direct our team in Gibraltar.”

Stephen O’Brien, Managing Director of Sancus (Gibraltar) Limited, said: “I am extremely excited to be part of Sancus’s growth plans in this fast-paced sector. Gibraltar is a major financial centre and is an exciting addition to the Group. It will provide us with a platform to service local SMEs and high net worth individuals as well as to strengthen our presence in Europe.”

Whelan added: “P2P or market place lending is growing worldwide at an incredibly fast rate. Since opening our doors to business in January 2014 we have now loaned over £110m to local companies and business based within the Channel Islands.”

The opening of Sancus (Gibraltar) Limited is the latest move in Sancus extending its focus on global offshore centres. Sancus plans to extend its operations in other offshore jurisdictions, such as the Isle of Man, Malta and Cayman Islands.