Ayana Hull Named Maples Partner
Virgin Islander Ayana Hull has been appointed partner and head of the Regulatory & Financial Services team at Maples and Calder, a major international law firm with a strong BVI presence. Hull brings more than 20 years of BVI commercial and regulatory experience, including prior service at the BVI Financial Services Commission and leadership on key advisory committees.
Ayana Hull, a Virgin Islander with more than two decades of experience in local commercial and regulatory law, has been appointed partner and head of the Regulatory & Financial Services team at Maples and Calder, the law firm of the Maples Group. The firm described Hull's hire as a strategic investment in its BVI practice and global regulatory capabilities.
Hull’s practice covers regulatory compliance, licensing, anti-money laundering and counter‑terrorist financing measures, corporate structuring, data protection and emerging areas including digital assets and virtual asset service providers (VASPs). Her appointment is notable for both its local and sectoral significance.
Hull previously served within the BVI Financial Services Commission (FSC) and is active in shaping the territory’s regulatory framework: she chairs the FSC’s Securities and Investment Business Act Advisory Committee, sits on the Virtual Asset Service Provider Advisory Committee, and participates in the BVI Finance Marketing and Business Development sub‑committee.
She is also consistently recognised in the BVI Regulatory and Compliance Guide by Legal 500. Chris Capewell, Partner and Global Head of the Regulatory & Financial Services team at Maples, said Hull’s combination of local knowledge and market reputation will strengthen the firm’s support for clients navigating complex regulation. "With over two decades of experience practising law in the BVI, Ayana has an exceptional depth of knowledge of the territory’s regulatory landscape and an outstanding reputation in the market," he said.
Chris Newton, Managing Partner of Maples' BVI office, emphasised Hull’s practical insight gained from both private practice and regulatory service. "Clients will benefit enormously from her practical, solutions‑oriented approach," Newton said. Hull described the move as timely for her career and for the territory’s financial services industry. "The firm’s global platform, combined with its deep commitment to the BVI market, provides an ideal foundation from which to serve clients navigating the territory’s regulatory requirements," she said.
For BVI residents, the appointment underscores continued investment by international firms in local talent and regulatory expertise. As the territory positions itself at the forefront of global financial services regulation—especially in digital assets and VASP oversight—having senior local practitioners in international firms can help ensure BVI perspectives influence global practice while supporting local clients, businesses and the wider economy.
Maples and Calder’s hire of Hull signals both a vote of confidence in BVI regulatory leadership and a strengthening of the link between local regulators, industry stakeholders and global legal platforms.
Primary source: BVI News