Islamic Banking
This will be a short one and on a topic that’s not in line with what I usually write about. Introduction With many international financial centers having a large Muslim population, the concept of...
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Jurisdiction Spotlight: Qatar
We are going to stay in the Middle East for a little bit longer to today take a look at Qatar, which has a land border with Saudi Arabia and is tucked between Bahrain and UAE (emirate of Abu Dhabi)....
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The Roles of OECD, FATF-GAFI, and Others
There are a handful of organizations that we talk about a lot in this industry. In this article, I will talk a bit about what they do and how or why they matter. OECD FATF-GAFI APGML CFATF-GAFIC EAG...
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Jurisdiction Spotlight: Uruguay
Today, we return to the Americas and to one of my personal favourites: Uruguay. The instantly recognizable flag of Uruguay portrays the nine original (now 19) departments of the republic, and in the...
View ArticleAEOI
What is AEOI? In very simple terms: jurisdiction sign the Common Reporting Standard (CRS) which dictate what information is to be shared and the MCAA (Mutual Competent Authority Agreement) which sets...
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Jurisdiction Spotlight: Grenada
A tax haven that has fallen from its previous prime and glory, Grenada today is a husk of what it once was: a free-for-all for tax evaders and money launderers. Grenada is a former French (1649 – 1763)...
View ArticleTerritorial Taxation
This is going to be one of those articles that I start with a disclaimer about how irresponsible you would be to take my word as gospel. I talk about complex subjects on a high level, sweeping manner....
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Jurisdiction Spotlight: Guatemala
Guatemala has most of everything one has come to expect from a Spanish-speaking tax haven in South America: territorial taxation, low taxation, secretive banking, and a very comfortable lifestyle....
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Banking in the Philippines
At this point, you might have heard about the Philippines as an unusual but not necessarily offshore banking jurisdiction. I have contemplated doing a Jurisdiction Spotlight about the Philippines and...
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Jurisdiction Spotlight: San Marino
Tucked away up in the Apennine Mountains of Italy, which fully surrounds the tiny nation, San Marino is the longest surviving sovereign state and republic, tracing its origins to the 3rd of September...
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The Reality of Secrecy Today
This is a companion article to my recent article on Automatic Exchange of Information (AEOI). It spurred from a discussions over at the forum about Real Jurisdiction secrecy and AEOI (among other...
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Jurisdiction Spotlight: Nauru
That’s actually not the Curaçao flag, but good eye! The butt of many jokes in the financial services sector, Nauru is a husk of what it once was. And thank goodness for that. When people think about...
View ArticleFlags of Convenience
Ahoy, skipper! Unless you are looking for brief, general information about which tax haven to register your freight ship or yacht in and how flags of convenience work, this probably isn’t going to be...
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Jurisdiction Spotlight: The Gambia
The most recent member to the international financial centers, The Gambia threw its hat in the mix only a few years ago by enacting a couple of new laws and setting up a superficially very impressive...
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What’s up in Myanmar?
When I scheduled this post, many months if not a year ago, Myanmar was not at all in the news the way it has been in recent times following the election. I aim to keep this blog apolitical, and I will...
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Jurisdiction Spotlight: Luxembourg
We’re back in Europe, today taking a look at one of the least tax-haven-like tax havens: Luxembourg. Or, if you ask a local: Luxembourg (French), Luxemburg (in German), or Lëtzebuerg (Luxembourgish)....
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Banking in the Philippines
At this point, you might have heard about the Philippines as an unusual but not necessarily offshore banking jurisdiction. I have contemplated doing a Jurisdiction Spotlight about the Philippines and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Jurisdiction Spotlight: San Marino
Tucked away up in the Apennine Mountains of Italy, which fully surrounds the tiny nation, San Marino is the longest surviving sovereign state and republic, tracing its origins to the 3rd of September...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Reality of Secrecy Today
This is a companion article to my recent article on Automatic Exchange of Information (AEOI). It spurred from a discussions over at the forum about Real Jurisdiction secrecy and AEOI (among other...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Jurisdiction Spotlight: Nauru
That’s actually not the Curaçao flag, but good eye! The butt of many jokes in the financial services sector, Nauru is a husk of what it once was. And thank goodness for that. When people think about...
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