Private Placement Life Insurance (PPLI) is a form of variable universal life insurance offered privately to qualified investors. Unlike traditional retail life insurance products, PPLI can be fully tailored to address global or country-specific planning needs. Whether the goal is wealth protection or enabling strategic access to investments and currencies otherwise restricted or costly, PPLI offers a versatile, legally recognised framework for high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs) and families.

In an era marked by growing regulation, political instability and capital constraints, PPLI has become especially relevant. Countries with foreign exchange controls, limitations on outbound investment, or underdeveloped capital markets, present real challenges for globally mobile families seeking diversification and long-term preservation. Offshore PPLI, when structured correctly, can offer a compliant and efficient bridge between onshore limitations and global opportunities.

Within this context, the Geneva entities – comprising Geneva International Insurance, a Barbados-based 953(d) electing carrier, and Clarity Life Insurance, a non-953(d) PPLI provider – offer clients a dual-pathway approach to cross-border planning. While Geneva International focuses on US-connected clients seeking compliant offshore structures, Clarity specialises in addressing the needs of non-US clients, including families from regions such as Africa and Latin America. Both carriers deliver solutions grounded in regulatory integrity and built to solve real-world financial challenges such as capital mobility, investment access and long-term succession planning.

Clients no longer ask only how to protect wealth – they ask how to grow it, use it and pass it on

Traditionally, PPLI has been associated with tax deferral, estate planning and asset protection – particularly in jurisdictions like the US (under IRC 7702) and Canada (under Exempt Testing). These functions remain vital. However, today’s market has evolved. Families are now seeking more than protection; they want participation – access to and protection of private equity, venture capital, real estate, intellectual property, ESG-aligned investments and even alternative assets like art.

Imagine a successful family business in a country with outbound investment restrictions – seeking to diversify not just its corporate assets but its generational wealth. Through Geneva entities’ PPLI offering, the family may pay premiums into a Barbados-domiciled policy, appoint a globally recognised investment advisor and custodian, and structure the policy to reflect their risk appetite. The result is a globally diversified investment portfolio that complies with international standards while preserving capital, ensuring continuity and enabling intergenerational transfer. This is the core of what we refer to as participatory wealth planning – a philosophy where protection and access are not mutually exclusive but work together to serve broader family and financial goals.

Capital constraints and access barriers

Access to global assets is not guaranteed for many investors. Families in countries which often face challenges with hard currency access, repatriation of funds and institutional barriers to investing internationally. Geneva entities have supported clients from such jurisdictions by creating compliant, robust policy structures that offer both protection and participation. These policies become a gateway to managed investment portfolios denominated in USD or EUR, administered by professional asset managers outside the constraints of the client’s local financial system. This capability transforms PPLI from a passive holding structure into a dynamic financial tool – one that enables liquidity, flexibility and global reach while retaining the traditional benefits of insurance and wealth transfer.

Why Barbados?

Barbados has steadily built a reputation as a co-operative, compliant and capable jurisdiction for wealth structuring. It maintains economic substance requirements, has a strong bilateral treaty network and offers regulatory transparency aligned with OECD and FATF standards. The country also provides a mature legal and financial services environment supported by experienced professionals. For Geneva entities, Barbados is more than a base – it is a strategic platform. The jurisdiction enables us to meet the complex needs of globally mobile clients while adhering to international regulatory expectations. In a world where compliance and substance are as critical as innovation, Barbados offers the right blend of both.

Technology and customisation

Geneva entities are actively advancing its digital transformation to deliver a more seamless and transparent PPLI experience. From streamlined onboarding to improved policy access and compliance workflows, our goal is a responsive, tech-enabled platform. As part of this evolution, investment profiling – including ESG alignment and risk scoring – will ensure each policy reflects the client’s unique objectives and values.

The future of wealth planning

As wealth planning shifts away from secrecy toward strategy, clients no longer ask only how to protect wealth – they ask how to grow it, use it and pass it on. PPLI, especially when structured from a forward-looking jurisdiction like Barbados, offers a clear path toward that vision.

Geneva entities are proud to stand at the intersection of access and protection, helping clients around the world unlock new possibilities through a reimagined approach to private wealth.