A reference circuit includes a band-gap core, two current sources, and an amplifier circuit that are arranged in cooperation. The band-gap core circuit is biased by current that is supplied from a local power supply via the first current source. The second current source shunts the excess away from the band-gap core circuit in response to a control signal. The control signal is provided by the amplifier circuit, which is arranged to monitor the signals in the band-gap core circuit. The feedback loop that is formed with the amplifier circuit is compensated with a capacitor that is not referenced to the local power supply. The first current source can be further improved by cascading. The reference circuit has excellent characteristics for use in switching applications, where the local supply is perturbed by fast switching transients.