Offshore banking, or opening an offshore account, can be an excellent solution for protecting assets, reducing costs, and expanding investment opportunities. Despite the convenience and benefits of offshore banking, it also poses certain risks.
Most of them can be circumvented or minimized, but to do so, you need to be aware of these dangers. Our experts have prepared a guide on such risks and how to reduce them.
What are the dangers of an offshore account?
Offshore banking does not mean only opening an account in distant exotic jurisdictions. This concept is much broader and means opening an account outside the country or the economic block of your permanent residence.
For example, for a resident of Germany, offshore banking is available in Nevis, the UK, the US, or Sierra Leone. And for a US citizen, it is available in Germany, Panama, and other countries.
An offshore bank can be located either very far away from you or relatively close. The main thing is that the financial institution is located in a different jurisdiction and is subject to different rules. This, in turn, creates advantages and disadvantages of offshore banking.
Offshore accounts are more expensive to maintain
Opening an offshore account is entirely legal. In many cases (especially after COVID-19), it has become possible to open such an account remotely.
However, it is essential to understand that opening an account abroad requires more investment than within the country. The legal expenses that you will have to incur when working with offshore banking include the following:
- translating documents into English or another language
- apostille/certification of documents
- courier delivery of originals (although often you can start with digital copies)
- application processing fees
- deposit.
In addition, foreign clients face higher requirements. This means that your documents will be scrutinized more carefully, and the first deposit amount will be higher.
Depending on the bank, the deposit can start from USD 1,000, EUR 5,000, or even USD/EUR 0.5-1 million.
Therefore, it is important to choose an offshore bank in such a way that it is useful and profitable for you. Sometimes, selecting a specific bank can be just a part of the path to more serious credit and financial institutions.
Lack of deposit insurance
Some countries and banks do not offer deposit insurance. If it is essential for you to have such mandatory insurance, book a consultation with our experts, and they will advise you where to open an account.
In particular, the deposit insurance system operates in the EU, the US, and some other countries.
Force majeure circumstances: hurricanes, riots, and other disasters
No bank or country is insured against force majeure, but some regions are more prone to these problems than others. For example, the Caribbean region offers excellent offshore services, but sometimes storms and hurricanes occur here, causing severe damage to the infrastructure. The bank may be without power and temporarily inaccessible.
On the other hand, in response to such events, jurisdictions can often offer even more interesting conditions and benefits to retain old and attract new clients. For example, after a tropical storm in 2015, the Commonwealth of Dominica suffered greatly. Significant funds were required for its recovery, and the island offered incentives for a citizenship-by-investment program. The Commonwealth of Dominica program is generally among the most affordable, but it was even more advantageous at that time.
Risk of falling victim to scammers
You should not forget about scammers. The fact that a bank is located far away from you means fewer opportunities to verify its reliability and legality. However, there are several markers that will help distinguish scammers from genuine offshore banks:
- Check if the bank has a SWIFT code.
- Make sure that the bank has an active license issued by the relevant financial institution.
- If it is a payment system that has the right to provide banking services, including opening offshore accounts, also check where and what license has been issued.
- Read reviews.
- Consult with experts.
There are thousands of banks worldwide, and not all of them will be suitable for you to work with, even if you are 100% sure that the bank is legal and operates according to the rules. There are institutions that do not accept clients from certain countries or require a considerable deposit. Besides, there are banks that are simply not beneficial for you. For example, an institution specializing in high-risk clients and charging significant fees is unlikely to be useful for an individual for daily transactions.
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Difficulties with tax compliance
When it comes to working with offshore or foreign banks, it’s important to remember that you need to comply with both local and international laws, particularly tax laws. While paying taxes is necessary, evading this responsibility is a crime even punishable by imprisonment in some countries.
There is always the question of “How much to pay?” especially when it comes to legal tax planning. However, just having an offshore account does not solve this task. It can serve as a wallet for personal income, work in conjunction with a foreign company or trust, and in both cases, there will be different outcomes and solutions.
To learn how to legally reduce taxes and comply with the law, it’s worth consulting with the appropriate experts. We have such experts on our team. Contact us, and we will get back to you as soon as possible to answer all your questions!
Automatic exchange of information
In the context of complying with laws, it is important to remember that almost all countries in the world exchange information on tax matters. Some countries do this upon request, while others do it automatically.
Theoretically, you can open an offshore account and engage in banking activities in a jurisdiction that does not automatically exchange data (CRS). But who knows whether this will not change in the near future? It was the case with Serbia, and it will be the case with many other countries establishing relations with developed states.
Many offshore jurisdictions, including classic ones like Nevis, exchange data with other countries automatically.
This brings us back to the idea that offshore banking does not work for tax evasion and breaking the law. It can provide additional privacy, asset protection, and even become part of a system for reducing the tax burden. But banks will not engage in concealment – the risk is too high.
Are offshore banks reliable, and what are the advantages of foreign banks?
Despite the described risks, offshore banking has numerous advantages that are worth highlighting:
- Risk diversification – you do not keep all your assets in one place but spread the risks across countries, banks, and asset classes.
- Anyone with legal income and a deposit of at least USD 10,000 can open an offshore account. At this level, foreign investments begin to make serious sense.
- Convenient management of international money flows through offshore banking.
- Offshore banking provides access to new ways of investing, buying assets worldwide.
- A foreign account is easier to use when working with international clients, partners, and customers.
- Offshore banking is convenient for those who travel a lot, live abroad, or have relatives overseas.
- Ultimately, offshore accounts allow you to build a system for reliable asset protection: foreign company + account + trust + other elements.
To learn more about opening offshore accounts and connecting to the offshore banking system, please contact us at info@offshore-pro.info.
