Offshore Certificates of Deposits
Offshore
bank deposits (certificates of deposit, or "CD's") are one
of the most widely chosen offshore investments because they offer
fixed, guaranteed, monthly income to the investor.
How
a CD Works
A
certificate of deposit (CD) from a reputable offshore bank is the
most secure offshore investment available. An investor signs a deposit
contract with the bank, in which the bank guarantees the investor
a fixed annual interest rate (normally the interest is paid on a
monthly pro-rated basis) in return for the use of a specified sum
of the investors money for a specified time period. Once that time
period expires, the investor has the option to either renew the
deposit contract, or take the money back.
Advantages
of Offshore Bank CD's
1.
Higher Interest Rates: Interest rates for offshore
CD's are normally higher than the interest rates offered by domestic
banks (in the US, Canada, UK, Australia, etc.) because offshore
banks are less regulated and are more free to do offer credit and
invest as they wish. Domestic banks are highly regulated, and are
restricted from certain types of credit policies, or investing in
certain types of funds, currencies, etc.
2.
No Interest Income Taxes: Offshore banks in most
offshore jurisdictions do not with-hold any of the interest paid
to the depositor as domestic banks do. Domestic banks in most high
taxed countries are forced by their respective governments to with-hold
a certain percentage (normally about 30%) of your interest payments
for interest income taxes. Offshore banks in tax havens (such as
Panama, Antigua, St. Vincent, etc.) do not tax investors on interest
income because their governments do not impose interest income taxes.
3.
Asset Protection: In an offshore bank, your funds
are more secure from an asset protection standpoint. Offshore banks
are forced to adhere to strict banking secrecy laws, therefore making
it virtually impossible for any creditor, ex-spouse, or anyone trying
to attack your assets, to locate your offshore funds. Plus, even
if they did manage to locate your offshore funds, it would be impossible
for them to sequester (freeze) those funds because they are in an
entirely different country that is not under the jurisdiction of
the courts of your domestic country.
Interest
Rates
Interest
rates of offshore bank CD's range depending on the jurisdiction,
the specific bank, the deposit term, and the deposit amount.
Currently,
depending on the specific recommended bank, we are able to obtain
up to 9.32% (rates chart) annual interest rates for offshore bank
CD's with our recommended banks. Please note that our recommended
banks require a minimum of US$10,000 for CD investments.
*Quoted
rates may change without notice, vary depending on the LIBOR (London
InterBank Offering Rate), and be subject to minimum deposits and/or
minimum balance requirements and/or certain terms for CD's.
Jurisdiction
For
investments in CD's, we generally recommend banks in Panama for
the following reasons:
1.
Panama banks pay the highest interest,
2.
Panama banks are the most stable, and offer the most security,
3.
Panama banks deal in USD (it is the circulating currency).
More
About Panama Banking Security
Panama
banks can pay higher interest on bank deposits for the following
reasons: Panama is home to the second largest international trade
zone in the world (Colon Free Trade Zone) and the Panama Canal.
Here, businesses from all over the world buy, sell and ship goods,
and therefore these same companies constantly need letters of credit,
loans, etc. from banks in Panama to manage their ongoing business
transactions. Therefore, banks in Panama receive a wide range of
international clientelle and charge them higher rates for loans,
letters of credit, etc.
Panama's
banking infrastructure is of the best in world, being home to the
second largest banking center in the world next to Switzerland.
In some offshore jurisdictions, such as Cayman Islands,
Bahamas, ST. Vincent, Vanuatu, Nevis, ST. Kitts, etc.,
one can establish an offshore bank with as little as US$100,000.
Unlike banks in other offshore jurisdictions, Panama has high banking
standards requiring a minimum of US$15 million dollars in capitalization
in order to establish a banking license.
Panamanian
banks do not carry FDIC (Federal Deposit Insurance
Corporation) insurance as banks in the United States do. However,
Panama has a similar banking insurance program through a banking
division of the government of Panama called the Superintendencia
de Bancos, which is operated through the central clearing bank of
Panama, (BNP/Banco Nacional de Panama).
All
banks in Panama are required to hold a reserve account of a certain
percentage of the entire banks deposits (varies according to the
size of the bank) with the government bank of Panama ( BNP
- Banco Nacional de Panama ). As the banks receive
deposits on a monthly basis, they must submit a report to the BNP
and adjust the deposit balance accordingly.
The
BNP also monitors each banks credit policies to ensure that no irregularities
exist, and that depositors funds are not being misappropriated.
Each bank has compliance officers that monitor the banks activities
on a daily basis. In addition, most banks maintain a private insurance
policy, through large international insurance companies, protecting
depositors funds for additional amounts over what the BNP protects.
If
you are interested in establishing an offshore bank account or investing
in an offshore bank CD, please contact us for the most up to date
information about the banks we are recommending, current interest
rates, and set up procedures.
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