In 1989, our founder, James Lau, identified a gap in the Canadian financial landscape: a lack of dedicated foreign exchange services for small and mid-sized enterprises. From a modest office in Toronto, he founded Jameson International Foreign Exchange Corporate, one of the first independent corporate FX houses in Canada.
Over the following two decades, Jameson grew from a single room into a national institution serving thousands of clients, with eighteen consecutive years of profitability. Citibank selected Jameson as the only FX house it would work with after the Patriot Act came into effect, and FINTRAC, Canada’s financial intelligence unit, chose Jameson to showcase its compliance standards. In time, Jameson became the first foreign exchange operation in Canada to earn a banking charter, taking its place among the Schedule I Canadian banks. In 2014, the bank was acquired by AFEX.
Sovereign Bank International represents the next chapter in that legacy. Founded in November 2023 and regulated by the Financial Services Regulatory Commission of Nevis, it was established to offer international clients a banking relationship built on prudence, transparency, and the protection of capital above all else.
We do not pursue growth for its own sake. We pursue the protection of our clients’ capital, the integrity of our operations, and the quality of the counsel we provide.
Foreign exchange and cross-border treasury are not a line of business at Sovereign Bank International; they are the reason it exists. Our founding team spent thirty-five years in this discipline before the bank was chartered, and the institution was built around that expertise. We work closely with our clients to understand their circumstances and their objectives, and we structure their banking to serve them.
Sovereign Bank International operates under the supervision of the Financial Services Regulatory Commission of Nevis. We hold ourselves to international best practice in governance and the prevention of financial crime.
James Lau is the founder of Sovereign Bank International and serves as its Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. He brings more than thirty-five years of experience building and leading financial institutions. In 1989 he founded Jameson International Foreign Exchange Corporate, which grew into a Schedule I Canadian bank under his leadership. He holds a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering and an MBA from McGill University, and has been nominated for Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year. His conviction that institutions must offer genuine value with uncompromising integrity is the founding principle of the bank.
Karanai Ravenscroft is the co-founder and operational architect of Sovereign Bank International. She brings more than two decades of experience in financial services, financial technology, and institutional management, including over fifteen years across the Caribbean alongside her work in the United States. As Chief Operating Officer she leads the bank’s operations, correspondent banking relationships, and the integration of technology into its banking platform, and she has driven its strategic growth, capital raising, and partnership development from the outset. Her career reflects a consistent commitment to building institutions of enduring value and to embedding a culture of excellence across every function of the bank.
Narindera Sund is a seasoned compliance leader with deep expertise in AML and CTF programme design, regulatory adherence, and risk mitigation. As Chief Compliance Officer she oversees the bank’s AML and KYC operations and ongoing monitoring across international regulations. She previously served for more than twelve years as Head of Compliance at Calforex, where she built an AML regime that supported successful licensing in the United States and the United Kingdom. She holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Calgary and holds the CAMS and CFCS certifications.
Daniel Mearns has held senior financial and operational leadership roles across a career spanning corporations including Singer Sewing, First USA Bank, and International Paper. His expertise ranges across strategic financial planning, treasury management, operational restructuring, and corporate governance. He holds a degree from McGill University and is a Fellow of the Society of Management Accountants.
Headquartered in Nevis, Saint Christopher and Nevis, with an operational branch at Pinney’s Beach, Sovereign Bank International occupies a setting that reflects both its Caribbean home and its international outlook.