Regulator · Defined Term
CIMA.
The Cayman Islands Monetary Authority — the jurisdiction's principal financial-services regulator. If your Cayman structure conducts regulated business (most commonly a fund), it is CIMA that registers and supervises it.
What CIMA regulates
- Mutual funds and private funds (registration and ongoing supervision).
- Fund managers and securities-investment businesses.
- Banks, trust companies, insurers and money-services businesses.
- Anti-money-laundering compliance across regulated entities.
When it matters to you
A plain Cayman exempted company used purely as a holding vehicle is not CIMA-regulated. The moment that company operates as, or manages, a fund, CIMA registration, audited accounts and an AML framework come into play — which is the main reason a Cayman fund costs materially more than a simple company.