A New Zealand Offshore Financial Company
As the flow of wealth from many nations of tax advantaged, “offshore,” jurisdictions continues the need for and profitability of offshore banking services increases virtually day by day. The problem in this picture is that as the demand for offshore banking services has increased the ease of setting an offshore bank has become more difficult throughout most of the “offshore” world. A jurisdiction that has not suffered many of the problems that inhibit other offshore jurisdictions is New Zealand. A New Zealand Offshore Financial Company provides an excellent opportunity to provide offshore banking services and avoid a number of problems that plague other offshore banking jurisdictions.
The Problem Elsewhere
For those interested in setting up an offshore banking presence in most, but not all, jurisdictions the bad news is primarily related to the United States Patriot Act enacted after the destruction of the World Trade Center twin towers. An offshore bank is typically not allowed to do business with residents of the jurisdiction in which it is licensed but its license allows it to do business throughout the world. To do so the bank will need correspondent banks in other countries. Banks throughout the world that do business with banks in the USA typically need to satisfy certain criteria based on the Patriot Act.
Because many banks are not willing to jeopardize their current banking relationships they will often not take on correspondent accounts with new offshore banks. Sometimes there are, in fact, problems with the jurisdiction or the bank involved and sometimes the bank simply does not want to take a risk of being branded by US authorities.
Because of this situation some jurisdictions no longer offer 中小企報稅 offshore banking licenses. Some still do but the problem of getting correspondent banks remains so that it has become very difficult to actually do any banking even if an individual or corporation has obtained a license and set up an offshore banking business.
The Opportunity in New Zealand
A New Zealand Offshore Financial Company (NZOFC), also called a New Zealand Offshore Financial Institution (NZOFI) can be set up to provide a whole range of financial services without being called or being a bank. Because there are no capital requirements for setting up a NZOFC such a venture can be entered into at low cost.
Correspondent Accounts, Shell Banks, and Problems Elsewhere
A correspondent account is an account established by a domestic banking institution. It receives deposits from and makes payments on behalf of a foreign financial institution. A correspondent account allows foreign banks to conduct business and provide services to their clients without the expense of a physical presence in that country. Typically the larger bank provides deposit and lending services allowing the smaller, usually offshore, bank to experience a lower cost of operation.
Patriotic Act restrictions prohibit banks from doing business with offshore banks that have no affiliate in the USA. This fact and a number of other restrictions make setting up and running an offshore bank very difficult in this day and age.
A NZOFC, especially with a New Zealand director, will typically not have problems setting up a working relationship with a registered bank in New Zealand.
