MOSCOW — There is nothing new about offshore tax shelters. In ancient Athens, after the government decided to levy a 2% tax on all trade operations, merchants started avoiding the city, conducting business on the surrounding islands instead. Those Greek islands became the first offshore tax havens. The current offshore… – Continue reading
Nov 18 (Reuters) – BMO Capital Markets, the investment and corporate banking arm of Bank of Montreal Financial Group, said on Tuesday that it would add trade finance booking capabilities in Hong Kong as it moves to facilitate more business in Asia. The move comes just days after the central… – Continue reading
On November 13, 2014, Hong Kong announced that it had signed a Model 2 FATCA IGA. Under the agreement Hong Kong financial institutions will enter into separate FFI agreements with the IRS and will report information on U.S. account holders directly to the IRS. Hong Kong indicated its intention to… – Continue reading
Taipei, Nov. 18 (CNA) Chinese yuan-dominated remittances through the local banking system in Taiwan in October hit a new high since the local central bank lifted a ban to allow local banks to conduct yuan transactions in February 2013. Statistics compiled by the central bank showed that yuan remittances through… – Continue reading
Recent months saw various important developments that are relevant to Sino-European trade and investment. These include (i) changes to the EU Parent-Subsidiary Directive, (ii) the entry into force of the double tax treaty between Luxembourg and Taiwan, and (iii) proposed changes to China’s Foreign Investment Catalogue and the Governmental Verifications… – Continue reading
The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) has launched an onsite examination into Hong Kong-based Taiwanese banks’ loan exposure to mainland Chinese companies, banking sources said last week. The HKMA, which is responsible for maintaining Hong Kong’s monetary and banking stability, has stepped up its supervision of Hong Kong banks since… – Continue reading
Imagine a scenario in which a Hong Kong-based hedge fund manager establishes and appoints an offshore management company to provide investment management services for its fund. On one hand, the fund’s structure ensures a clear operational base. But at another level, key governance procedures are often neglected. These tasks include… – Continue reading
Nov 5 (Reuters) – The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) has launched an onsite examination into Hong Kong-based Taiwanese banks’ loan exposure to mainland Chinese companies, banking sources said on Tuesday. The HKMA, which is responsible for maintaining Hong Kong’s monetary and banking stability, stepped up its supervision of Hong… – Continue reading
Hong Kong has been witnessing an industry-wide increase in offshore yuan deposit rates since mid-September as banks scramble for the currency before the through train scheme launch. The window-dressing needs for year-end balance sheets, an anticipated rise in cross-border funding demand from mainland borrowers and the weakening of offshore yuan… – Continue reading
Banks offered repo line to grow market-making activities for their offshore renminbi products Seven banks were appointed primary liquidity providers for offshore yuan business in Hong Kong yesterday to cement the city’s leading role as an offshore yuan centre, even as the market regulator urged international fund managers to apply… – Continue reading
The offshore renminbi market in Hong Kong continues its development adding primary liquidity providers as a new swap agreement deal between the Hong Kong Monetary Authority and the People’s Bank of China is incoming. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) issued an announcement today designating seven banks as Primary Liquidity… – Continue reading
Mumbai, The Timblo family, named by the government in Supreme Court in connection with untaxed or black money in foreign accounts, parked money illegally in two foreign currency accounts in Hong Kong before pumping it back into India, NDTV has learnt. The family, which runs a Goa-based mining firm, had… – Continue reading
Geneva: A huge global pressure to break secrecy veils of Swiss banks notwithstanding, Switzerland remains the world’s largest offshore financial centre with client assets totalling over USD two trillion, a new study said. Besides the country is expected to remain “the biggest offshore centre for private banking in 2018,” with… – Continue reading
Oct 24 (Reuters) – China is studying pilot schemes that will allow domestic investors to make overseas investments using the Chinese currency, a move that could pump fresh oxygen into the stagnant offshore yuan pool. “The central bank is designing RQDII (Renminbi Qualified Domestic Institutional Investor) and QDII2 schemes to… – Continue reading
Around $180 million in undeclared offshore income has now been recovered as part of the amnesty, the ATO said. A further $1 billion in assets has also been recovered. Photo: Louie Douvis The Tax Office is keeping a close eye on foreign banks as part of its push to stop… – Continue reading
Standard Chartered has notified thousands of UAE small and medium enterprise customers it is closing their accounts as it responds to pressure from US regulators to cut its risks following an anti-money laundering settlement. “We regret to notify you that Standard Chartered Bank will no longer be able to provide… – Continue reading
Unprecedented international collaboration is needed to overcome a single-, isolated-country view to tackling base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS) issues, Andrew Mills, Second Commissioner of Australian Taxation Office (ATO) for Law Design and Practice, has said. In a speech delivered at the Second Annual Tax Forum organized by the Tax… – Continue reading
(Reuters) – Italian luxury fashion house Prada SpA said on Monday its chairwoman Miuccia Prada and her husband, chief executive officer and fellow shareholder Patrizio Bertelli, are being investigated by Italian authorities over past taxes. The Hong Kong-listed company said in a statement it had been informed by the Italian… – Continue reading
Hang Seng Indexes Company and Markit have launched the Hang Seng Markit iBoxx Offshore RMB Bond Index family (HSM iBoxx). The bond index series will track the performance of offshore renminbi (RMB) sovereign and corporate debt using an enhanced methodology for the treatment of unrated bonds alongside comprehensive breakdowns by… – Continue reading
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has sent an advisory to banks cautioning them about the new trend of using forged or fake Bills of Entry to remit funds abroad, especially to tax havens such as Hong Kong. The apex bank has also started synchronising databases with the customs department… – Continue reading
Wealth inequality is growing worldwide, according to a new report by Credit Suisse. A greater share of wealth is being held by a smaller number of ultra-rich families worldwide as larger inheritances, family trusts, and similar arrangements to avoid taxes help the ultra-wealthy gain a greater portion of total capital… – Continue reading
A failed property development is linked to a tax haven company that triggered an alleged money laundering probe into a wealthy businessman. Albany Heights, more than 400 homes proposed to be built on Auckland’s North Shore, was marketed as an “investors’ dream” but companies connected to the project collapsed with… – Continue reading
NEW DELHI: Vodafone welcomed an Indian court ruling in favor of the British mobile giant which was engaged in a $490-million tax battle with local authorities. The tax fight is one of several embroiling the British company that has become a symbol of problems facing foreign firms doing business in… – Continue reading
Weak inflows and expanding channels for renminbi outflows are adding to challenges faced by Hong Kong banks in keeping offshore yuan Hong Kong’s offshore yuan pool risks drying up as offshore paper trades at its widest discount in more than two years, prompting mainland importers to avoid coming to Hong… – Continue reading
PEERING down from their gleaming tower blocks at pro-democracy activists on the streets, Hong Kong’s bankers and traders cannot help but worry that the island’s financial community will pay a heavy price if the city further infuriates Beijing. Hong Kong lives with the threat that its crucial role as China’s… – Continue reading
LABUAN: Police here on Thursday confirmed receiving a report from an offshore bank on an alleged illegal transfer of RM30.5 million to accounts in Hong Kong and Cambodia. According to the report lodged on Sept 18, one of its clients was tricked into revealing details and information regarding its account…. – Continue reading
Troubled Italian fashion giant Prada stonewalled questions over its tax affairs on Monday after it emerged that its top two executives are being investigated for allegedly not disclosing many millions in overseas earnings to Italian authorities. Chinese fashion titans look to Italy for value (29 Sep 14) Global fashion circus… – Continue reading
Troubled Italian fashion giant Prada stonewalled questions over its tax affairs on Monday after it emerged that its top two executives are being investigated for allegedly not disclosing many millions in overseas earnings to Italian authorities. Chinese fashion titans look to Italy for value (29 Sep 14) Global fashion circus… – Continue reading
Prada shares have also lost 30% of their value this year because of weak investor sentiment Continue reading the main story Related Stories Prada profit hit by fall in sales Prada shares fall on luxury warning The fashion business Prada’s two chief executives are being investigated by Italian authorities for… – Continue reading
Inversions are technically a financial transaction where a corporation from one country, say the United States, merges with a company in a foreign country, say Ireland. Nothing changes in the United States from a business point of view, except that the value and financial sustainability of the corporation goes up significantly. Why… – Continue reading
On 11 September 2014, Business BVI held its Annual Asia conference in Hong Kong — ‘Pivoting to Asia: the pathway to new opportunities’. Paul Christopher, managing partner of Mourant Ozannes’ Hong Kong office, appeared as a panellist in a key panel discussion on the event’s programme, entitled ‘The BVI-HK connection:… – Continue reading
Lenders spent nine months poring over the books, sizing up management and even checking out the factory floor at China’s Ultrasonic before deciding in August to give the Frankfurt-listed shoemaker an unsecured credit facility of US$60m. The loan was unsecured, in keeping with regulations in China at the time it… – Continue reading
HONG KONG – The government of Hong Kong has recently announced that it will support the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s (OECD) new global standards on the automatic exchange of information for the purpose of enhancing tax transparency and combating cross-border tax evasion. Earlier this year, the OECD released… – Continue reading
High quality global journalism requires investment. Please share this article with others using the link below, do not cut & paste the article. See our Ts&Cs and Copyright Policy for more detail. Email ftsales.support@ft.com to buy additional rights. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/3fbed922-3d51-11e4-871d-00144feabdc0.html#ixzz3Eo63WbfR The British Virgin Islands has long attracted Chinese companies looking to… – Continue reading
Banks in the British Virgin Islands are making it more difficulty for new accounts to be opened after a rise in reports of suspicious transactions relating to the Caribbean tax haven. Difficulties in opening bank accounts are seen to have helped business, including an increase in new incorporations, in the… – Continue reading
HONG KONG, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) — China’s Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government supports the new global standard for automatic exchange of financial account information which can enhance tax transparency and combat cross-border tax evasion, Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury KC Chan said here Monday. “It… – Continue reading
American taxpayers are being robbed by yet another giant corporation that is deserting the USA after using the country’s advantages to build untold wealth. Burger King’s recent decision to pursue a corporate inversion to Canada is the culmination of years of maneuvering to dodge paying its fair share in corporate… – Continue reading
Using foreign stocks to diversify your portfolio can be a good move for investors looking to collect dividends and protect capital. But owners of dividend paying foreign stocks can find themselves being hit by another type of tax: foreign dividend withholding tax. Keeping as much of your dividends as possible… – Continue reading
London and Singapore are fast closing the gap on Hong Kong in the race to become centres for offshore renminbi business and capitalise on Beijing’s ambition to make the RMB a global currency. Fred DiCocco, Asia-Pacific head of sales & relationship management for BNY Mellon’s Treasury Services business, says London… – Continue reading
Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) has been in force for a month and still more countries are joining the tax network. So far, 101 countries and financial jurisdictions have either signed or agreed to join FATCA. FATCA is aimed at identifying US taxpayers with offshore bank accounts and investments. Overseas… – Continue reading
Despite the political and media pressure on offshore financial centers, new incorporations of offshore companies worldwide continue to grow. A new report on offshore company incorporations by law and fiduciary firm Appleby shows that new company registrations increased in most offshore jurisdictions in the second half of 2013. “As the… – Continue reading
Hong Kong’s banks, in the midst of adapting to the new US Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA), are now facing a tax headache on a global scale. In July, the month where FATCA became a reality for the region, the OECD published guidelines on the adoption of a much… – Continue reading
Hong Kong (HKSAR) – The Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Professor K C Chan, today (July 8) signed in Hong Kong an agreement with Korea for the avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income on behalf of the Hong… – Continue reading
Borrowing costs of offshore yuan in Hong Kong surged to their highest levels in a year last week as banks became more reluctant to part with their money in the run-up to the end of the half-year and demand for funds increased with the opening up of more channels for… – Continue reading
While financial companies in city gear up for compliance with Fatca, those with mainland affiliates are unlikely to meet requirements Hong Kong financial institutions with mainland affiliates are hoping Beijing signs an agreement with Washington soon on a new US tax disclosure law, because of concerns mainland financial institutions will… – Continue reading
On May 9, 2014, the U.S. Treasury announced that Hong Kong had agreed in substance on a Model 2 FATCA IGA. Under the IGA, Hong Kong financial institutions will report information on financial accounts held by U.S. persons directly to the Internal Revenue Service. Hong Kong is only the seventh country… – Continue reading
Hong Kong and the United States have concluded their discussions on the implementation of the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act, with Hong Kong expected to sign a model 2 intergovernmental agreement later this year. Under the model 2 agreement, financial institutions in Hong Kong will need to register and conclude… – Continue reading
Hong Kong and the United States have substantially concluded discussions on an inter-governmental agreement (IGA) to simplify Hong Kong financial institutions’ compliance with the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act. The Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau (FSTB) said that the IGA “will reduce Hong Kong financial institutions’ reporting burden and… – Continue reading
Agreement will help ease reporting burden of financial firms of American customers The government said yesterday it would sign a tax agreement with the United States this year that will help reduce the reporting burden of financial firms under the US Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (Fatca). The accord will… – Continue reading
