Guernsey and Jersey finance businesses are to unite on a new website intended to reinforce the islands' reputation as offshore centres.

The site, www.offshoresearch.com has the backing of Guernsey Finance and aims to lead investors and intermediaries to the wealth of financial services available in the Channel Islands. It is believed to be the first major marketing initiative in which the two centres are presented as partners.

The site, a joint development project of Guernsey's The Partnership and web designers Byte Art, is presented as an online directory and web resource, structured by jurisdiction and sector, covering accounting, legal, banking, insurance, investment and trust.