Family offices are essentially private wealth management advisory firms that serve high-net-worth (HNW) investors. They are different from traditional wealth management advisories in that they offer a total outsourced solution to managing the financial and investment side of affluent individuals or families.

The 2017 G20 leaders’ summit took place in Hamburg last week where the European Commission Council and leaders discussed the priorities and primary projects for the upcoming summit. EC President Jean-Claude Juncker has stated that advancing the global combat against tax evasion is top of the list.

The European Commission has published proposals to tighten its rules on emergency freezing, return and confiscation of assets, including confiscating the wealth of unknown origin without a conviction.

We have compiled a list of answers to common questions regarding SLAs and basic tips on how your organisation or business can create effective SLAs with any vendors or business partners.

The Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission has recently released information to all Cyprus Investment Firms, Management Companies and Administrative Service Providers regarding fraudulent tax evasion, and also a proposal on the prevention of use of the financial system for the purpose of money laundering and terrorist financing.

This 2 part series is part of a guide detailing Annual Requirements for UK registered companies. It will cover the rules governing filing of annual returns and accounts of UK registered companies, by company type.

Many people are convinced that the cryptocurrency is likely to become an alternative to the established global financial system and open new opportunities to those segments of the population and citizens of those countries that are deprived of the opportunity to work with the banking financial system.

In a bid to make Singapore a shipping hub, various incentives were introduced to make it attractive to have shipping activities in Singapore. Essentially the provisions that govern the exemption of shipping activities in Singapore are found in Section 13A and Section 13F of the Singapore Income Tax Act (SITA).

AGENDA: Characteristics of a Company, Company formation & related issues, Separate Legal Entity: meaning and relevance, The corporate veil, Share Capital, Company constitution, Company objects

FATCA aims to facilitate the reporting of foreign financial assets, to find US accounts in foreign financial institutions’ and find those using different vehicles to reduce the tax burden located outside of the US.

A Cyprus company might decide to wind up as a result of various reasons and such procedures may be a challenging and lengthy task. The difficulties faced and time to complete is dependent upon many factors, including how well the company has been managed and administered throughout its existence, the method chosen for closing down and who performs such a processes.

An Electronic Money Institution (popularly known as an EMI for short) is a fully licensed financial institution which engages in electronic payment services. The full license for a Hong Kong electronic money institution currently has no restrictions to either trading period or sector of activities.

The financial and reporting requirements for Scottish Limited Partnerships (SLPs) vary depending on whether the company is a micro-entity, or a small, medium or large entity. Micro-entities and small companies benefit from less burdensome requirements.

One of many legal disputes resulting from the recent infamous Kazakhstan BTA bank fraud case has shed new light on a little-known immigration scheme colloquially known as the golden visa scheme and officially called a Tier 1 Investor visa in the UK.

As per a recent STEP seminar in London, the UK government has released an outline of amendments to be imposed relating to both entrepreneurs’ relief and dividend tax relief that will be in effect from the 6th April 2016.

The shareholders’ continuity test holds that the same shareholders must hold at least 50% of the company’s total shares as at both the relevant dates. If the test was not fulfilled, the losses would be dismissed permanently unless a waiver to fulfil the test is obtained from IRAS.

Cyprus tax reform 2026 analysis: 15% corporate tax, 8% crypto tax, dividend changes. Strategic insights for businesses and investors on upcoming fiscal changes.

Intellectual Property (IP) is one of the most valuable assets of an organisation. Choosing the right location for the management of Intellectual Property is an imperative strategic business decision.

Overseas companies may register a branch in Cyprus, according to the Companies Law, Chapter 113, regulated by section 347. A branch will not essentially consider as being a new legal entity in Cyprus.

The OECDs global tax transparency initiative was launched last year in April 2016, with the purpose of encouraging every jurisdiction across the world to commit to implementation of a CRS (Common Reporting Standard) for automatic exchange of information by 2018, and to sign the Multilateral Convention on the exchanging of tax data.

As companies develop and grow, in turn so their marketing priorities and budgets. What is required to obtain the first 10 clients will be entirely different to the first 100.

Since the report on the collapse of the Cooperative Credit System was released recently, everyone seemed to have an opinion on the matter about who was to blame for the whole debacle. The report was fairly conclusive, giving a general overview of what the public enquiry discovered.

There are many financial experts voicing their concerns over ICOs being too much of a risky investment, however should we be so quick to dismiss ICOs as a legitimate vehicle? ICOs can be used as a substitute for Venture Capital funding due to parallels in the phase of company’s lifespan and risk profiles, which give potential opportunities for future start-ups and companies.

Amendments to the Intellectual Property Bill, which came into force in May 2022, were passed in Parliament. The bill amends the existing Patent Law, Trademark Law, Registered Designs Law, Geographical Indications Law of 2014, and Plant Variety Protection Law to improve business friendliness, operational efficiency, and clarity of law and procedure.

Royalty is the consideration for the use of, or the right to use any copyright of literacy (Software), or any artistic or scientific work. It consists of patent, trade mark, design or model, secret formula, information or process which is usually a secret and not commonly available in the public domain. Information (know-how which is not registered) concerning industrial, commercial or scientific experience.

AGENDA: The division of power between the board of directors and the shareholders, Types of directors, their appointment and removal procedures, The purpose and extent of directors’ duties including to whom directors owe their duties, Nominee directors and risks that may arise, The regulation of directors contracting with their companies, The remedies and reliefs for breach of duty

While the crypto-frenzy has significantly cooled down so far in 2019, with values in currencies like Bitcoin falling; meanwhile Fin-tech has continued to snowball, pioneering the likes of blockchain technologies, digital wallets and mobile applications.

The Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act well known as FATCA is becoming increasingly important and has as its main initiative the monitoring of the financial accounts of the persons who live outside the United States or whether US citizens, currently residing in the US or not, have earnings they do not report to the Inland Revenue Department.

The bank’s obligations to keep the bank secrecy are usually implied within client contracts. The contract does not protect the client when a third party has retained and disclosed confidential information, whether it happens accidentally, with the intention or with consent.

There are a number of methods of obtaining a Cyprus Passport, giving freedom of movement to the rest of Europe, as per the Schengen Agreement.

The new MAS platform will strengthen the regulator's ability to exchange information in the field of AML/CTF, preserve the existing achievements, enhance protection against illegal activities such as money laundering or terrorist financing, and ensure economic stability.

Following Circulars No.2011/11 and No.2011/5, this article will explain what a “dormant company” is, its symptoms and consequent requirements. The following is an extract from PART 1.7 of the “Company Income Statement” form (EP 4), whereby a definition of a dormant company is considered to be a company that meets certain conditions.

Since 1 November 2007, companies in Singapore are required to file financial statements with ACRA, and filing financial statements in XBRL. With effect from 3 March 2014, the revised XBRL filing requirements under the BizFinx system apply.

This year, the Republic of Cyprus ratified The Hague Conventions’ definition of the legislation applicable to trusts and furthering the regulations surrounding their recognition. Cyprus common law now recognises trusts as a unique legal institution under equity.

Being unaware of Compliance Matters in Singapore could end up with Business Owners and founders of Singapore companies heading to Court, as ACRA puts a stop on companies that consistently do not hold an Annual General Meetings or AGM.

Compare Singapore vs Hong Kong for business in 2025. Expert analysis of taxes, industry opportunities, costs and which Asian hub suits your expansion goals.

Cyprus employees who are considered to have tax resident status, pay tax on their global income. Employees not considered to be tax resident are only charged for specific types of income that are originating from Cyprus-based sources.

Cyprus Minister of Finance Mr Harris Georgiades released a statement condemning critics of the Cyprus passport by investment programme that has seen raise over €4 billion since the launch of the scheme in 2013 which was implemented to attract foreign investment to mitigate damage in light of the banking crisis.

Officials from the British Virgin Islands have come together to clarify various filing deadlines as per the automatic exchange of information systems in a press release.

Agenda: Requirements for the Registration Certificate Application, Where to apply: the immigration buildings & office contacts, The full application procedure, What documentation and information do you need to bring?, When do you need to apply for your yellow slip?, Rights for family members and other dependents, When your family are citizens in a EU or EEA member state, Employed and self-employed applicants, Retired and non-working applicants, Validity Period of Registration Certificates, Using an agent.

Under Section 12(7) (d), rent or other payments under any agreement or arrangement for the use of any movable property shall be deemed derived from Singapore.

According to the Singapore regulations the digital tokens can be classified as “securities” or as “utilities”. The real nature of the digital token identifies the rights attached to it and the terms of its regulation.

AGENDA: Tax Residency – general application, Cyprus Tax Residency rules, General Rule VS “60 Day” Rule, Procedure to obtain Cyprus Tax Residency under “60 Day” Rule, Main tax guidelines for Cyprus Tax residents

AGENDA: What is SAR, Importance of SAR reports, When do I need to send a SAR?, Sending SAR in non-regulated sectors, Reliability of information specified in the SAR, The concept of Tipping off, SAR Online

Financial analysts and organisations are beginning to welcome the idea that in specific cases, tax efficiency isn’t enough when structuring a business vehicle that will be automatically placed under investigation by certain countries that are becoming increasingly wary of any tax avoidance patterns or practices.

Cyprus is a European country that is attracting the most interest from critics of the scheme due to Cyprus being the jurisdiction granting the highest number of passports. Opponents of the scheme are also alluding to the prospect of using potentially recycled or laundered funds to keep Europe a float.

On July 1st 2015, the President of Cyprus Nikos Anastasiadis, has officially declared that the Cyprus taxation system needs rapid changes to increase the level of the country’s competitiveness. In order to achieve this goal, a number of amendments should be made to the tax law.

The Cyprus Assessment and Collection Law, as amended in 2002, introduced a regime with a provisional income tax system. Corporate tax in Cyprus is levied at a rate of 12.5% and can be paid through the JCC Smart platform. Based on the current period's results, companies that do not expect taxable profits do not submit a tax calculation.

How to register a company in Singapore in 2025. Expert guide to ACRA requirements, corporate taxation, compliance and costs for foreign entrepreneurs.

The provision of Payment Services in Cyprus is regulated by The Payment Services and Access to Payment Systems Laws of 2018 and 2019, which transposed into national law regarding the provisions of the Payment Services Directive in the Cyprus market. With the license, an EMI in Cyprus may offer its services freely within the entire EU market.

A new regulation will require certain British Virgin Islands companies to gather and retain details of Beneficial Owners with 25% or more of the company’s shareholding rights, with an ongoing requirement to keep the details up to date.

AGENDA: Forms of Business Entities, Incorporation Procedure, Company documents, Director and Secretary of the Company, Shareholders and types of shares, Know Your Client (KYC), Filing Requirements for Companies, Liquidation & Strike Off

When expanding your business overseas, not only do you have to comply with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and accounting standards, thought must also be given to the specific jurisdictions own rules and regulations.

This 2 part series is part of a guide detailing Annual Requirements for UK registered companies. It will cover the rules governing filing of annual returns and accounts of UK registered companies, by company type.

Reaching the 100 clients mark means this is more work than any one person in the company can keep track of, and the business must have a significantly larger budget. In terms of marketing this is huge, as the company now has access to real client data and general branding activities.

AGENDA: What is a contract?, How is a contract made?, What is required for a legally binding contract?, When does a contract become effective?, Illegal and voidable contracts, Remedies

Singapore is gaining more attraction as a trust jurisdiction internationally. A range of factors have contributed to achieving a reputable offshore trust status, including but not limited to the several reasons.

Cyprus has quickly gained a reputation as a reliable, legitimate offshore jurisdiction, and is universally accepted as the most beneficial tax system in the EU; making it the perfect location for incorporating a company of any type.

To the inexperienced trader, ICOs might sound similar to Initial Public Offerings however there are resounding differences between the two. Even with the vast amount of funding being spent and the craze surrounding them, most retail investors have little in-depth knowledge of this ground-breaking fundraising vehicle.

Expats are people who do not live where they were born and not in the country whose citizenship they have - this is a separate class of people who follow a prestigious job and a comfortable life. And among many countries, they choose those that they like.

Applying for a residence permit (also known as the yellow slip) is a process which is to be completed by every EU citizen living and working in Cyprus. And once you have managed to obtain it, the permit does not expire and is valid indefinitely.

Berlin-based non-governmental organisation Transparency International are putting pressure on the European Commission to create plans to allow for reporting and full disclosure of all passport schemes of member states that allow foreign investors to acquire either EU citizenship or residence permit.

Pursuant to Part III of Chapter 113 of Cyprus legislation, Mortgage Registration with the Cyprus Registrar emerges as compulsory by law. Certain formalities need to be followed regarding the filing of such registration as well as any amendment, concession and any other alteration which takes place following the formation of a Company in the Republic of Cyprus.

Cyprus is a favourable jurisdiction for creating international trusts which are governed by the 1992 International Trusts Law which regulates the establishment and administration of International Trusts. The International Trust Law compliments the Trustee Law which is based on the English Trustee Act 1925.

Recently, the Cyprus economy has seen relatively steady growth rates and booming tourism levels over the last few years. The relatively high increase of GDP can be attributed to a number of factors: declining official unemployment rates; surplus government funds and the raising of large financial deals in international markets.

Cyprus has seen rapid growth in the number of startups. This increase is due to tax incentives and favourable conditions for intellectual property and innovative companies offered by Cyprus, making it a pleasant country for the development of startups.

The Accounting and Corporate Regulation Authority (ACRA) of the Republic of Singapore defines the Charge as “a form of security interest usually taken by a lender or creditor (“chargee”) to secure the repayment of a loan”.

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has issued amendments to the current legislation regarding company mergers and commercial take-overs as per section 139 of the Securities and Futures Act in Singapore.

The fact that money can be transferred from one jurisdiction to another means, that money laundering as a concept involves the entire modern world. In the United Kingdom, banks are always under the supervision of strict regulatory bodies.

The European Commission proposed an ambitious and comprehensive package of measures to tackle non-performing loans (NPLs) in Europe, making the most out of the promising progress already made in reducing risks in the banking sector.

According to a recent report published by the US State Department’s Anti-Money Laundering (AML) unit, Cyprus continues to upgrade its established AML legal framework, while authorities successfully 26 individuals and entities for money laundering related offences in 2018.

In an attempt to recover the approximate 600B euros lost within various EU countries to tax evasion schemes each year; the European Union has released its first official blacklist naming 17 jurisdictions that have failed to meet international standards of implementing sufficient regulations and transparency measures.

Section 2(1) of the SITA defines a PE to mean a fixed place where a business is wholly or partly carried out including a place of management, a branch, an office, a factory, a warehouse, a workshop, a farm or plantation, a mine, oil well, quarry or other place of extraction of natural resources, a building or work site or a construction, installation or assembly project.

In an effort to improve the global reporting standard of local tax systems and combat tax avoidance, governments from various jurisdictions will bring the automatic exchange of information in tax matters for all countries up to the same standard. This is referred to as the Common Reporting Standard (CRS).

Some call it symbol, others name it as mark or logo but in reality, it is the way the public at large can identify and recognise a particular product and or service and has been considered by many people as the most valuable asset and as indicators of source.

Following the recent commotion created by the Swiss National Bank’s decision to discontinue the minimum exchange rate of 1.20 Swiss francs per euro with immediate effect, the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC) is endeavouring to instigate an assessment of how far Cyprus Investment Firms (CIFs) have been affected.

The key for a successful Financial Organisation and/or Administrative Service Provider is to have a completed and accurate profile for each new and existing client they have a business relationship with.

The June 2019 plenary session of the global Financial Action Task Force (FATF) ended with the issuance of a binding interpretive note for international regulation of virtual assets and virtual-asset service providers.

Immigrants wishing to live work or study in Cyprus are required to have either a valid work or residence permit. Fines may be imposed on anyone found to be employed in the country without valid and up-to-date paperwork. Citizens of any EU country can freely enter Cyprus with the correct passport/ID card.

Singapore has established the Register of Registrable Controllers (RORC) as part of its ongoing commitment to fostering transparency and combating illicit financial activities. This article will delve into the critical aspects of the RORC, its significance, and how it reinforces corporate governance in Singapore.

Selection of an MIS can help increase understanding and control in an organisation and can be scaled to suit the complexity of most modern businesses. If the right MIS is selected and it is implemented correctly it can provide a competitive advantage for the organisations utilising it.

Complete guide to Singapore CSP Act 2024 registration requirements, AML/CFT rules for corporate service providers and extended 13O/13U tax incentives for family offices.

AGENDA: Relevant legislation requirements, What is Know Your Client and the KYC Procedure, KYC Procedure – Client Acceptance Policy, Categorization of Customers, What is Due Diligence

Startups are growing and changing the Singapore ecosystem for the better with their innovative ideas and new technologies. Like small and young companies, startups may need funding and guidance to start their business. If you are a startup founder looking for investors for your business and want to know how to attract them, this article is for you.