Since the revelations on government surveillance and data capture by Edward Snowden, journalists have rightfully raised concerns about governments’ insatiable appetite for data collection and the resulting encroachment on citizens’ civil liberties. In the EU an individual’s right to privacy is regarded as a human right in accordance with Art…. – Continue reading
UBS trades at 1.7 times book value while Barclays and Deutsche Bank trade at 0.7-0.8 times book value UBS RoE is 14 per cent while Barclays and Deutsche Bank can hardly manage five per cent. Ubs under Marcel Ospel was a victim of the 2008-09 global crash that lost $50… – Continue reading
Several close associates of Russian President Vladimir Putin may have benefited from Deutsche Bank AG trades that are now coming under the glare of U.S. prosecutors, according to people familiar with the matter. The U.S. Department of Justice is investigating whether Germany’s biggest bank properly vetted as much as $6… – Continue reading
FATCA was passed to prevent U.S. citizens from evading tax by focusing primarily on foreign financial institutions with U.S. account holders. The Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) was enacted as part of the 2010 Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment Act, and its provisions became effective as of 7/1/14. FATCA… – Continue reading
Swiss fund manager will use new Irish Icav structure to move product from the Caribbean domicile UBS has shifted a fund of hedge funds onshore to Ireland from the Cayman Islands, delivering another blow to the reputation of the Caribbean tax haven as the domicile of choice for international hedge… – Continue reading
Raoul Weil, a former UBS Group AG banker, faces tax-dodging charges in France less than a year after he was acquitted of U.S. tax conspiracy allegations. France’s national financial prosecutor charged Weil with helping tax evasion and illicit marketing and set a payment similar to bail at 200,000 euros ($226,000)… – Continue reading
Dozens of banks signed amnesty agreements disclosing tactics, providing prosecutors with valuable information At a rate of one or two a week, Swiss banks are doing what was once unthinkable: revealing to the world how they helped wealthy Americans cheat on their taxes. Once bastions of secrecy, 41 Swiss banks… – Continue reading
On October 5, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) unveiled the consensus plan reached by the Group of 20 and more than 40 other countries regarding its base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS) project. BEPS refers to tax-dodging tactics by multinationals that erode a home country’s tax base… – Continue reading
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — A former Swiss bank executive is due to be sentenced in Florida for conspiracy as part of a long-running U.S. investigation into tax evasion. Hansruedi Schumacher could avoid prison in the scheme because of his cooperation. He pleaded guilty in April to conspiring to… – Continue reading
Gabriel Zucman, one of 3 French economists who in recent times have published extensive research on wealth and equality, in a book, ‘The Hidden Wealth of Nations: The Scourge of Tax Havens,’ published this month, estimates that 8% of the world’s financial wealth — some US$7.6tn — is hidden in… – Continue reading
MIAMI (AP) — A former executive at Swiss bank UBS AG might avoid jail time and end up with probation because of his extensive cooperation in a long-running U.S. investigation into tax evasion using secret accounts. Prosecutors asked a judge to order five years’ probation and a $150,000 fine for… – Continue reading
The Netherlands have requested information on a large number of Swiss bank accounts held by residents of its country in connection with a tax probe, Swiss authorities confirmed at the weekend, reports the Swiss Local. Swiss tax authorities received a request from their Dutch counterparts in July for access to… – Continue reading
The Department of Justice announced today that Migros Bank AG (Migros) and Graubündner Kantonalbank (Graubündner) have reached resolutions under the department’s Swiss Bank Program. These banks will collectively pay penalties totaling more than $18 million. “It is abundantly clear from the agreements reached to date that for decades, many foreign… – Continue reading
(Corrects first and sixth paragraphs to make clear Intertrust does not provide tax advice) (Reuters) – Intertrust, which provides tax and regulatory compliance services to 17,000 companies, said on Monday it will seek an initial public offering (IPO) of shares on the Euronext stock exchange. The Amsterdam-based company did not… – Continue reading
U.S. authorities have targeted Belize-based banks in a new expansion of their hunt for Americans suspected of evading taxes by hiding income and assets in offshore accounts. A federal court in Miami on Wednesday approved special “John Doe” legal summonses seeking information about U.S. taxpayers who may hold undeclared accounts… – Continue reading
The Department of Justice announced today that Bank La Roche & Co AG has reached a resolution under the department’s Swiss Bank Program. “Today’s agreement is yet another example of a foreign financial institution coming forward, acknowledging its criminal conduct, taking the necessary steps to resolve its criminal exposure, cooperating… – Continue reading
An increasing number of Americans renounced their citizenship and cut-off long term residencies during the initial three months of 2015 due to a crackdown in the foreign tax rules. The exit wave went down a little in the second half, but has continued. The Internal Revenue Service and Treasury Department… – Continue reading
The Department of Justice announced today that Valiant Bank AG has reached a resolution under the department’s Swiss Bank Program. “Offshore enforcement remains a top priority of the department, and banks seeking to avoid prosecution pursuant to the terms of the Swiss Bank Program continue to accept responsibility, provide a… – Continue reading
Lawyer Patrick Poulin says he helped clients set up offshore corporations in the Caribbean. And that’s what he was working on when he flew to Miami from the Turks and Caicos last year to meet with two Americans who wanted him to invest $2 million from a real estate deal…. – Continue reading
UBS Group AG and Credit Suisse Group AG accounted for about three out of four job losses in the Swiss banking industry last year, even though they employ less than half the local workforce. At the end of 2014, 104,053 people were working full-time in Switzerland for the country’s banks,… – Continue reading
Swiss banking secrecy is no longer viable as the U.S. Justice Department closes in on agreements with most of the institutions that may have helped Americans evade taxes, according to the top American diplomat in Switzerland. Negotiations with about one-third of Swiss lenders, known as Category 2 banks, to finalise… – Continue reading
Regulator demands Bank Leumi investigate top management in wake of U.S. tax-evasion settlement. Bank Leumi should take back bonuses it paid three former senior executives after the lender was forced to pay a huge penalty to the United States for tax violations that occurred under their watch, Banks Supervisor David… – Continue reading
The multinational companies in Latin America demand security, efficient services, infrastructure and good educational standards, but they are not very willing to contribute themselves by paying their fair share of tax. Honduras is a case in point, and is one of the most unequal countries on the continent. The government,… – Continue reading
FATCA was enacted into law by section 501(a) of the Hiring Incentives to Restore Employments (HIRE) Act 2010 as a revenue offset to help pay for the continuation of unemployment benefits for workers laid off during the 2008-2010 financial crisis. In July 2008, the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations… – Continue reading
Singapore-based wealth managers, already under pressure from a global move towards tax information sharing, face a more immediate threat as Asian countries including Indonesia and India look to chase undeclared money in the low-tax city state. A global crackdown on tax evasion launched during the 2008 financial crisis has already… – Continue reading
The U.S. and China enjoy increasingly strong connections. Yet virtually no Chinese family or business relishes dealing with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). American tax laws are famously complex, and dealing with the IRS can be like quicksand. Of course, whether they like it or not, U.S. citizens and green… – Continue reading
Until 2009 Switzerland had the questionable reputation of being the ideal parking spot for all kinds of money. The USA action against the UBS was the start of a series of actions to change old practices. Being the world number one in offshore money management, inevitably resulted in Switzerland being… – Continue reading
When it comes to opening its $5.7 trillion bond market to global central banks, China is rolling out the red carpet. The world’s top underwriters are struggling to get in the back door. Morgan Stanley set up a joint venture that’s helped manage 30.2 billion yuan ($4.9 billion) of note… – Continue reading
CAPITAL flight to offshore tax havens, estimated at between US$21 trillion to US$32 trillion, poses a major challenge especially in tackling income inequality, poverty and debt issues. In total, 10 million individuals around the world hold assets offshore, with almost half of the minimum estimate of US$21 trillion to US$9.8… – Continue reading
NEW YORK, USA — On the heels of revelations earlier this year about questionable Clinton family activities in Haiti, the Wall Street Journal revealed last week that presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and her husband accepted cash from Swiss bank UBS, after she intervened to help it out with the IRS,… – Continue reading
What is the difference between 30 per cent of zero and 20 per cent of zero? Correct: precisely $5227.27 less than a Bronwyn-Bishop-taxpayer-funded helicopter trip from Melbourne to Geelong. A reduction in the corporate tax rate, as unrelentingly espoused by the business lobby in its pro-GST campaign, may be a… – Continue reading
In the midst of the Special Investigative Team (SIT) on undisclosed money flagging concern on participatory notes (p-notes), the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) says it is probing a case of alleged round tripping. The term refers to transactions between companies that bolster their revenue but, in the… – Continue reading
Understanding FATCA and having a comprehensive FATCA compliance program is essential for financial firms to limit non-compliance risk and meet obligations with relevant IGA’s. The US has made inroads on the Exchange of Information front and tax havens like Switzerland have declared a willingness to meet or even exceed OECD… – Continue reading
A U.S. Senate investigative subcommittee, which has used its power for more than a decade to scrutinize corporations and financial institutions for wrongdoing, is shifting its focus to keeping tabs on the government. The U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations is slated to hold its first hearing under new leadership… – Continue reading
Billionaire offshore tax cheat Igor Olenicoff has won a big one in his long running court battle with his former Swiss bank, UBS AG, and his former UBS banker turned whistleblower, Bradley Birkenfeld. In a ruling from the bench Thursday, Orange County Superior Court Judge Kim G. Dunning shot down… – Continue reading
Russian businesses are preparing to issue a blitz of foreign debt, despite financial sanctions that have all but closed the country’s access to international capital markets for the last year, according to the head of one of its leading banks, reports the Financial Times. Igor Vayn, chief executive of investment… – Continue reading
LAUSANNE — Julius Baer Group should have cash to purchase rivals even as it prepares to settle a four-year probe into tax evasion by the US justice department. Switzerland’s third-largest wealth manager said last month it set aside $350m to fund a financial agreement over the bank’s role in helping… – Continue reading
Swiss banks can more easily take on clients in neighbouring Germany, the Swiss government said on Thursday, after a deal that ends a lengthy standoff between the two countries over hidden offshore accounts, Reuters reports. Germany’s wealthy have traditionally been the largest client base for Swiss private banking services, but… – Continue reading
The Justice Department announced Thursday that its Swiss Bank Program snared another three financial institutions in its battle against offshore tax evasion. Mercantil Bank will pay a $1.2 million fine, Banque Cantonale Neuchâteloise (BCN) will pay $1.1 million and Nidwaldner Kantonalbank will fork over $856,000 the federal government. By joining… – Continue reading
On Friday, the Seventh Circuit upheld what it determined to be a substantively reasonable sentence for billionaire Ty Warner, the creator of Beanie Babies. We previously blogged about Warner’s district court sentencing, during which Judge Kocoras found that Warner’s “very unique” circumstances warranted a non-incarceration sentence – well below the… – Continue reading
Private client banks such as Royal Bank of Scotland’s Coutts, HSBC and UBS have been sued by clients for wrongly advising them to invest in film investment specialist Ingenious as its schemes have since been labelled by tax authorities as tax-avoidance vehicles. Ingenious Media and around 50 other associated financial… – Continue reading
Switzerland and the EU have signed a major accord to automatically exchange information on the financial accounts of each other’s residents. EU taxpayers will no longer be able to hide undeclared funds in Swiss banks. After coming up to increased international pressure in recent years, Switzerland has signed up to… – Continue reading
Wealthy City investors are suing finance firm Ingenious along with banks Coutts and HSBC over the billion-pound film production schemes that Revenue & Customs has labelled tax avoidance vehicles. More than 100 investors, including Ken Costa, former chairman of investment bank Lazard, and Christian Hess of investment bank Investec, have… – Continue reading
Banque Pasche SA Will Pay $7.229 Million Penalty and ARVEST Privatbank AG Will Pay $1.044 Million Penalty; Both Continue to Cooperate With Department of Justice Washington, DC—(ENEWSPF)—July 9, 2015. The Department of Justice announced today that two banks, Banque Pasche SA and ARVEST Privatbank AG, have reached resolutions under the… – Continue reading
Washington, DC—(ENEWSPF)—July 9, 2015. The Department of Justice announced today that two banks, Banque Pasche SA and ARVEST Privatbank AG, have reached resolutions under the department’s Swiss Bank Program. “Banque Pasche and ARVEST have provided detailed information regarding the ways in which Swiss banks helped U.S. taxpayers conceal foreign accounts… – Continue reading
Banks have intensified their calls for George Osborne, the UK chancellor, to give them a break on the bank levy in this week’s Budget by arguing that it has already caused a 13 per cent shrinkage of UK banking assets, reports the Financial Times. Optimism is growing among senior bankers… – Continue reading
Washington, DC—(ENEWSPF)—July 2, 2015. The Department of Justice announced today that Privatbank Von Graffenried AG has reached a resolution under the department’s Swiss Bank The Swiss Bank Program, which was announced on Aug. 29, 2013, provides a path for Swiss banks to resolve potential criminal liabilities in the United States…. – Continue reading
Chinese banks, encouraged by Premier Li Keqiang’s “going-out” strategy, are rocketing up the international bond arranging league tables in Asia, leaving investment banking stalwarts in their wake. Industrial & Commercial Bank of China Ltd., the world’s biggest lender by assets, jumped four spots from the end of last year to… – Continue reading
June 30 — Taxpayers continue to wrestle with big questions a year after the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act opened for business. Acknowledging that the Internal Revenue Service is doing its best to implement a complex law, issues still remain as the reach of FATCA goes global, practitioners told Bloomberg… – Continue reading
Switzerland’s private banks are close to ridding themselves of undeclared European accounts, a salutary process but one which has undermined efforts to grow their businesses. Following the financial crisis, cash-strapped governments chased accounts hidden at banks in Zurich, Geneva and Ticino where wealthy Europeans had taken advantage of Switzerland’s famous… – Continue reading
