Consolidated Prospectus for Switzerland
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Namibian National Payment System
UNDERSTANDING THE Namibian National Payment System Newsletter - January 2019 Content 1. Foreword from the Director of the Payment and Settlement Systems Department 1 2. Bank of Namibia: Overseer of the National Payment System and Provider of Settlement Services 2 3. The Evolution of Payments in Namibia 4 4. The National Payment System Regulatory Framework 6 5. Payment Instruments: The Security of the Card Payment Instrument 9 Foreword Since its establishment in 2002, Namibia’s National Furthermore, since Payment System (NPS) has evolved significantly. The one of the values Namibia Inter-bank Settlement System (NISS) – a stated in the NPS’s Real-Time Gross Settlement System (RTGS) – was Vision 2020 is introduced; the Payment System Management Act, transparency, the 2003 (No. 18 of 2003) (PSM Act) was promulgated, Bank of Namibia and several payment system reforms were continuously endeavours to educate the public about implemented, as outlined later herein under the some of the Bank of Namibia’s functions and objectives. heading “The evolution of payments in Namibia”. This publication aims to serve this end. Today, the NPS remains on this trajectory of steady I trust that the information provided herein will go a long modernisation. Various payment system regulations way towards fostering an understanding of the NPS. have been introduced and the PSM Act has been I also encourage the public to engage the Bank of amended. In addition, the Bank of Namibia continues Namibia in matters that relate to the NPS. to address the gaps in its NPS regulatory framework in order to maximise the effectiveness of its function Barbara Dreyer and to ensure the NPS operates safely, securely, Director: Payment and Settlement Systems efficiently and cost-effectively. -
FINANCE Offshore Finance.Pdf
This page intentionally left blank OFFSHORE FINANCE It is estimated that up to 60 per cent of the world’s money may be located oVshore, where half of all financial transactions are said to take place. Meanwhile, there is a perception that secrecy about oVshore is encouraged to obfuscate tax evasion and money laundering. Depending upon the criteria used to identify them, there are between forty and eighty oVshore finance centres spread around the world. The tax rules that apply in these jurisdictions are determined by the jurisdictions themselves and often are more benign than comparative rules that apply in the larger financial centres globally. This gives rise to potential for the development of tax mitigation strategies. McCann provides a detailed analysis of the global oVshore environment, outlining the extent of the information available and how that information might be used in assessing the quality of individual jurisdictions, as well as examining whether some of the perceptions about ‘OVshore’ are valid. He analyses the ongoing work of what have become known as the ‘standard setters’ – including the Financial Stability Forum, the Financial Action Task Force, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. The book also oVers some suggestions as to what the future might hold for oVshore finance. HILTON Mc CANN was the Acting Chief Executive of the Financial Services Commission, Mauritius. He has held senior positions in the respective regulatory authorities in the Isle of Man, Malta and Mauritius. Having trained as a banker, he began his regulatory career supervising banks in the Isle of Man. -
OFFSHORE INVESTMENT FUND PROPERTY RULES CLARIFIED by the TAX COURT Posted on July 28, 2016
OFFSHORE INVESTMENT FUND PROPERTY RULES CLARIFIED BY THE TAX COURT Posted on July 28, 2016 Categories: Insights, Publications The recent decision of the Tax Court of Canada in Gerbro Holdings Company v. The Queen ("Gerbro")[1] is the first judgment to consider the application of the offshore investment fund property rules (the "OIFP Rules") contained in section 94.1 of the Income Tax Act (Canada) (the "Tax Act") to interests in investment funds based in what have traditionally been viewed as "tax-havens".[2] The decision, a win for the taxpayer, held that tax considerations were not "one of the main reasons" motivating the taxpayer to invest in, and hold shares of, the offshore investment funds at issue. Therefore, the OIFP Rules were found not to apply to the taxpayer. Background The OIFP Rules are anti-avoidance rules intended to discourage taxpayers from investing in investment funds situated outside of Canada in order to reduce or defer their liabilities for Canadian tax. In highly simplified terms, the OIFP Rules apply where: 1. a taxpayer acquires an interest ("Offshore Property") in a foreign entity (other than a "controlled foreign affiliate"), 2. the investment can reasonably be considered to derive its value, directly or indirectly, principally from certain "portfolio investments" of the foreign entity (or any other non-resident person) (the "Portfolio Test"), and 3. it may reasonable be concluded that one of the main reasons for the taxpayer investing in the Offshore Property was to derive a benefit from portfolio investments in such a manner that the taxes, if any, on the income, profits and gains from such portfolio investments for any particular year are significantly less than the tax that would have been payable under Part I of the Tax Act if the income, profit and gains had been earned directly by the taxpayer (the "Motive Test"). -
BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS Jurisdic Onal Guide
BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS Jurisdic�onal Guide GENERAL INFORMATION The Bri�sh Virgin Islands (BVI) comprises of 50 islands in the Caribbean Sea, located approximately 96 km east of Puerto Rico, north of the Leeward Islands, and adjacent to the US Virgin Islands. Its principal Islands are Tortola, Virgin Gorda, Anegada and Jost Van Dyke, spanning a total area of 153 sq.km. The capital is Road Town, Tortola. The BVI is an economically and poli�cally stable non-sovereign, Bri�sh Overseas Territory with its legal system being based on English Common Law. The BVI’s economy is dependent mainly on tourism and financial services, with the la�er being the largest contributor to its GDP. The BVI is the world’s largest offshore corporate domicile with close to 500,000 ac�ve companies. It is also the world’s second-largest offshore investment funds domicile, with close to 3,000 ac�ve investment funds. BVI Business Companies (BCs) are very popular and widely used offshore vehicles because of their administra�ve ease, flexibility, taxa�on exempt status and the fact that they are widely accepted and understood by the interna�onal financial community. The BVI regime offers no controls on the import and export of currency, capital or profits, even though those are subject to An�-Money Laundering laws and regula�ons. There are no taxes on profits or dividends, nor is there any capital gains tax, income tax, capital transfer or estate tax. BVI also boasts one of the largest yach�ng industries in the Caribbean featuring over 20 yacht harbours and marinas, including an exclusive mega-yacht marina and several annual mega-yacht rega�as. -
International Trust Laws and Analysis, Company Laws, Wealth Management & Tax Planning Strategies, As Well As the U.S
INTERNATIONAL INTERNATIONAL TRUST LAWS TRUST LAWS AND ANALYSIS AND ANALYSIS Company Laws, Wealth Management, Company Laws, Wealth Management, & Tax Planning Strategies & Tax Planning Strategies VOLUME 1-10 VOLUME 1-10 William H. Byrnes and Robert J. Munro William H. Byrnes and Robert J. Munro of Texas A&M University School of Law of Texas A&M University School of Law Published by: Kluwer Law International B.V. PO Box 316 2400 AH Alphen aan den Rijn The Netherlands E-mail: [email protected] Website: lrus.wolterskluwer.com Sold and distributed in North, Central and South America by: Wolters Kluwer Legal & Regulatory U.S. 7201 McKinney Circle Frederick, MD 21704 United States of America Email: [email protected] Sold and distributed in all other countries: Air Business Subscriptions Rockwood House Haywards Heath West Sussex RH16 3DH United Kingdom Email: [email protected] Printed on acid-free paper ISBN 978-90-411-9830-3 This title is available on lrus.wolterskluwer.com © 2017, Kluwer Law International All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Permission to use this content must be obtained from the copyright owners. More information can be found at: lrus.wolterskluwer.com/policies/permissions-reprints- and-licensing. Website: lrus.wolterskluwer.com Printed in the United Kingdom. FOREWORD ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Primary Authors Professor William H. Byrnes, an Associate Dean of Texas A&M University School of Law, is one of the leading authors in the professional markets, authoring and co- authoring over 20 books and treatises that have sold in excess of 120,000 copies in print and online, with over 2,000 online database subscribers. -
ANNUAL FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 2020 Standardbank.Com.Na STANDARD BANK NAMIBIA LIMITED Annual Financial Statements 2020 1
Standard Bank Namibia Limited ANNUAL FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 2020 Standard Bank Namibia Limited ANNUAL FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 2020 standardbank.com.na STANDARD BANK NAMIBIA LIMITED Annual financial statements 2020 1 About Standard Bank Namibia Standard Bank opened its first commercial branch in August 1915 in Lüderitz, making it one of Namibia’s oldest companies today. Over the years, our customers and clients have come to rely on us to understand their needs, employ people with strong knowledge of local business conditions and connect borrowers with lenders. This vision created the foundation for the kind of bank it would become and the qualities which customers and clients expect. We are proud to be part of Standard Bank Group, a large financial services organisation rooted in Africa and with operations in 20 countries. From humble beginnings of three branches, today, Standard Bank operates a distribution network of 63 branches and 372 ATMs across Namibia. Our workforce has grown to over 1 500 employees and our roots have extended deep into the fabric of Namibian society. Standard Bank is committed to making banking available to all Namibians. To this end, we have evolved and adapted together with our customers and clients, developing a rich heritage while nurturing and protecting our reputation. We uphold high standards of corporate governance, are committed to advancing the principles and practices of sustainable development and are inspired to advance national development objectives. We are commercially and morally bound to serve Namibia and her people in return for the long-term profitable growth we aim to deliver as a leading financial services group in the country. -
Standard Bank Group
Standard Bank Group Annual integrated report 2013 About Standard Bank Contents Standard Bank Group (the group or SBG), also trading as About this report 2 Stanbic Bank, is a leading African financial services group with a unique footprint across 20 African countries. Headquartered Our business in Johannesburg, we listed on the Johannesburg Stock How we make money 4 Exchange (JSE) in 1970 and started building our southern How we create value 6 African franchise in the early 1990s. Today, the group is the largest African banking group by assets and earnings. Our strategy A sustainable strategy 8 Our strategic position, which enables us to connect Africa to In, for and across Africa 10 other selected emerging markets as well as pools of capital in Material issues impacting our sustainability 12 developed markets, and our balanced portfolio of businesses Executing our strategy 14 provide significant opportunities for growth. The largest bank in the world by total assets, the Industrial and Commercial Realising the Africa opportunity 16 Bank of China (ICBC), is a 20.1% shareholder in the group, Key performance indicators 18 enabling a powerful relationship that connects us to this Our performance economic power. Chairman’s report to stakeholders 20 Group chief executives’ report 22 Executive committee 26 Salient features* Business unit reviews Personal & Business Banking 29 Headline earnings Corporate & Investment Banking 37 Liberty 43 Stakeholder engagement 48 R17 194 million Socioeconomic impact 50 2012: R14 918 million Employee report 52 -
Mapping Financial Centres
Helpdesk Report Mapping Financial Centres Hannah Timmis Institute of Development Studies 15 May 2018 Question What are the key financial centres that affect developing countries? Contents 1. Overview 2. IFCs and developing countries 3. Key IFCs 4. References The K4D helpdesk service provides brief summaries of current research, evidence, and lessons learned. Helpdesk reports are not rigorous or systematic reviews; they are intended to provide an introduction to the most important evidence related to a research question. They draw on a rapid desk- based review of published literature and consultation with subject specialists. Helpdesk reports are commissioned by the UK Department for International Development and other Government departments, but the views and opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of DFID, the UK Government, K4D or any other contributing organisation. For further information, please contact [email protected]. 1. Overview International financial centres (IFCs) are characterised by favourable tax regimes for foreign corporations. They are theorised to affect developing countries in three key ways. First, they divert real and financial flows away from developing countries. Second, they erode developing countries’ tax bases and thus public resources. Third, IFCs can affect developing countries’ own tax policies by motivating governments to engage in tax competition. The form and scale of these effects across different countries depend on complex interactions between their national tax policies and those of IFCs. In order to better understand the relationship between national tax regimes and development, in 2006, the IMF, OECD, UN and World Bank recommended to the G-20 that all members undertake “spillover analyses” to assess the impact of their tax policies on developing countries. -
The$Price$Of$Offshore
# THE$PRICE$OF$OFFSHORE$REVISITED*$ # NEW#ESTIMATES#FOR#MISSING#GLOBAL#PRIVATE### WEALTH,#INCOME,#INEQUALITY,#AND#LOST#TAXES# # # At#dinner#they#did#dIscourse#very#fInely#to#us#of#the#probabilIty## that#there#Is#a#vast%deal%of%money#hid#In#the#land.# $ SS##Samuel#Pepys,##Diary#(1663)# # Dye%mon,%gen%mon% SS#HaItian#proverb # Theres%something%out%there%.%.%.%and%its%GROWING!% SS#RIpley# # # James$S.$Henry$ # Senior#AdvIsor/#Global#Board#Member# # Tax#JustIce#Network# # July#2012# # # # # *# Thanks# to# James# Boyce,# John# ChrIstensen,# Alex# Cobham,# RIchard# Murphy,# Ronan# Palan,# Sol#PIccIotto,# and#Nicholas# Shaxson#for# their# constructive# feedback.# Thanks# are# also#due#to#the#World#Bank,#the#IMF,#the#BIS,#and#the#UN#for#much#of#the#basIc#data# analyzed#In#this#report.##$ ©#James#S.#Henry,#TJN#2012# # 1 $ $ TABLE$OF$CONTENTS$ # The$Price$of$Offshore$Revisited$$$ # # # $ 1.$INTRODUCTION/$SUMMARY$AND$KEY$FINDINGS$ $ 2.$WHERE$IS$OFFSHORE,$ANYWAY?$$ $ 3.$THE$GLOBAL$HAVEN$INDUSTRY$ $ 4.$OLD$ESTIMATES$ $ 5.$NEW$ESTIMATES$$ $ 6.$TRADE$MISPRICING$$AN$ASIDE$ $ 7$.$IMPLICATIONS$ $ # # # # APPENDIX$I:$THE$PREVHISTORY$OF$$OFFSHORE$ESTIMATES$ $ APPENDIX$II:$$EXPLAINING$CAPITAL$FLIGHT$ $ APPENDIX$III:$KEY$CHARTS$ # # # # # ©#James#S.#Henry,#TJN#2012# # 2 # 1.$INTRODUCTION/$SUMMARY$$ # The#defInitIon#of#vIctory#for#this#paper#Is#to#revIew#and#Improve#upon#exIstIng#estImates# of##the#sIze,#growth#and#distrIbutIon#of#untaxed#prIvate#wealth#protected#and#servIced#by# the#global#offshore#Industry.## # This# Is# necessarIly# an# exercise# In# night# -
Global Financial Services Regulatory Guide
Global Financial Services Regulatory Guide Baker McKenzie’s Global Financial Services Regulatory Guide Baker McKenzie’s Global Financial Services Regulatory Guide Table of Contents Introduction .......................................................................................... 1 Argentina .............................................................................................. 3 Australia ............................................................................................. 10 Austria ................................................................................................ 22 Azerbaijan .......................................................................................... 34 Belgium .............................................................................................. 40 Brazil .................................................................................................. 52 Canada ................................................................................................ 64 Chile ................................................................................................... 74 People’s Republic of China ................................................................ 78 Colombia ............................................................................................ 85 Czech Republic ................................................................................... 96 France ............................................................................................... 108 Germany -
Offshore Banking and the Prospects for the Ghanaian Economy
GHAN F A O K N 7 A B 5 9 1 EST. OFFSHORE BANKING AND THE PROSPECTS FOR THE GHANAIAN ECONOMY RESEARCH DEPARTMENT BANK OF GHANA OCTOBER 2008 The Sector Study reports are prepared by the Research Department of Bank of Ghana for the deliberations of the Bank’s Board of Directors. The reports are subsequently made available as public information. This Study Report was prepared under the general direction of Dr. Ernest Addison. Primary contributors were Dr. Johnson Asiama and Ibrahim Abdulai. Further information may be obtained from: The Head Research Department Bank of Ghana P. O. Box GP 2674 Accra, Ghana. Tel: 233-21-666902-8 ISBN: 0855-658X TabLE of Contents 1.0 IntrodUction 1 1.1 History and Size 2 2.0 OVerVieW of Offshore FinanciaL Centres 4 2.1 Definitional Issues and Uses of Offshore Financial Centres 4 2.2 The Potential Risks from Offshore Operations and Country Experiences 7 3.0 FinanciaL SerVices Centre And Offshore Banking in Ghana 11 3.1 Background 11 3.2 Prospects and Benefits to the Ghanaian Economy 12 3.3 Channel of Influence between Offshore Banks and Domestic Banking Institutions 14 4.0 RegULation of Offshore Banks in Ghana 16 4.1 Why regulate 16 4.2 The Banking (Amendment) Act, 2007 (Act 738) and offshore banking 16 5.0 ConcLUsion and POLicy Recommendations 18 AppendiX 19 References 20 1.0 IntrodUction One of the key developments in the world economy during the last few decades has been the growing international mobility of capital. An element in this process has been the growth of offshore finance. -
Offshore Funds Symposium
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY OFFSHORE FUNDS SYMPOSIUM 6th - 8th, November 2012 / Rio de Janeiro / São Paulo well respected jurisdictions such as Luxembourg, Ireland and Cayman Islands, local OFFSHORE FUNDS SYMPOSIUM managers can then launch marketing programs to access global investors for both their traditional and alternative products. HAVE YOU CONSIDERED ALL THE POSSIBILITIES? • BNP Paribas’ symposium today addresses the dynamics of the global distribution On 6 November 2012 in Rio de Janeiro, and on 8 November 2012 in São Paulo, BNP markets for funds registered offshore as either UCITS, non-UCITS and private Paribas Securities Services Brazil conducted presentations and workshops for asset placements. Our experts will explore the particular characteristics of the global manager clients interested in deploying various international and offshore distribution distribution markets and the three principal offshore markets. To illustrate case structures as a means to expand their investor base and generate additional assets histories for success in going offshore, we are pleased to have local managers for their traditional and alternative funds. Also attending were local institutional discuss how their offshore registered vehicles have enhanced their asset growth investors such as family offices, pension funds and private banks interested in potential strategies. investment in offshore fund structures. • Given today’s current macro economic environment of low interest rates and higher inflation that have provided limited investment returns in fixed income and equities, The events, both identical in content and format, covered current issues, trends and many global investors see Brazilian assets as a way to diversify into a higher growth regulations that drive managers’ decisions to launch funds in the principal offshore potential market.