If I tell you, “None of the banks of the United States is ranked among the top 10 secured banks in the world,” would you believe me? I bet you wouldn’t. Honestly, it’s really harsh to read all the statistics that say the USA is pretty bad in terms of safe banking.
It wasn’t long before when in 2008, amid the economic downfall in the USA, millionaires went bankrupt since the banking policy wasn’t investor-friendly back then. Still, the country’s fragile banking policy with abrupt government intrusion into individual accounts could leave anyone’s gut upset.
As everyone wants a secured vault to store their earnings where literally no one could invade, the need for a secured bank always comes into consideration.
This is where you should be looking for an offshore bank account where you can stock the thickest bundles of fortune in the safest manner possible.
So, let’s find out how an offshore bank account can save your resources and at the same time give you mental satisfaction. Besides, you’d be provided guidance so that you can apply for an offshore bank account yourself. So, buckle up, and let’s move on.
What is an Offshore Bank Account?
Well, have you ever opened any bank account outside your own state? The offshore bank account is kinda similar to that. But in this case, you are just opting for another country instead of a different state.
You can operate all basic banking functions using an offshore bank account using wire transfers or cards.
However, an offshore bank account generally requires a high level of financial sponsorship. But believing that it is not for average people will be prejudiced. Perhaps, you can open an offshore bank account within a few hours once you can provide the legal documents.
So, let me define offshore banking clearly once again – a bank account that has been established outside your own country is regarded as an offshore bank account. For example, if you own a bank account in Belgium and live in the United States, you are basically doing offshore banking.
Who can open an Offshore bank account?
Generally, individuals with a huge amount of money in their pocket reach out for an offshore bank account. But hold on, that doesn’t mean that you can’t open an account if you haven’t stuffed some bucks into your bag yet.
Certainly, you are eligible if you own a business in a foreign country. This will give you reasons to open a bank account overseas as you wouldn’t want to bring profits back home every day and give extra charges to the bank.
Besides, if you have investments outside your country that will surely place you into the necessity of offshore bank account. Alongside these, if you have any other purposes to stay away from your motherland and need to spend a good amount of money on occasion, you should reach for an account.
But most importantly, if your own country can’t guarantee you safe banking and instead cuts a portion from your labored earnings by the name of taxes, you must consider offshore banks as most of them are believed to have resided in tax havens.
What is the benefit of Offshore banking?
Some choose offshore banking out of insecurity and some want to optimize their income tax. But all in all, it provides confidential banking with the utmost customer satisfaction. Let’s see what else this popular banking strategy has the offer.
Safest Vault
The safety of your vault is the stand-out feature of an
offshore bank account. However, this is not like opening this account at any random county is considered safe. Obviously, you need to choose a safe nation where your funds will remain untouched.
However, not all people in the world need an offshore bank account. Because people in Canada shouldn’t feel the urge of it in the USA since their own country is providing a first-class banking experience.
But being an American, you should feel the necessity of operating outside the country since the state is unstable in terms of a secured banking strategy. You should be glad to know that foreign banks come with different policies that certify the safety of their clients to the fullest.
Out of Political Influence
Since the central government of the USA can invade, examine and seize any individual account cases, the risk of losing your asset always hovers around the corner. An offshore bank can certainly give you freedom as your government can’t interfere with a foreign bank’s server.
But why am I saying that? Why should your government be nosy about your bank account in the first place?
Well, subsequently, most of the potential offshore account clients possess a good stokehold, so it’s quite natural for the government to sneak into your account and try if they could capitalize something from it. As you know well, everyone wants a slice of pizza.
Again, having a handsome balance beside your name can give birth to new enemies to defend because ‘money is the root of all evil’. Your counterparts may want to trap you into trouble and get hold of your assets. This is where it’s wise to keep your funds out of reach of any wicked.
On the other hand, the government doesn’t think twice about cutting any of its citizens’ savings to keep the national economy alive. You can go through history where the government enforced unfavorable laws out of the blue and stirred a good portion of savings from citizens’ accounts.
Unmatched Fixed Deposit Offer
To be honest, the desire for an offshore bank account is generally created from insecurity. When you see your friend or neighbor going bankrupt or losing it all because of a hectic banking system, you’d definitely look for a safer place to store savings.
Keeping it in mind, most of the famous offshore bank accounts come with exciting offers that can allow its customer to yield a high yearly percentage. Tell you what, this is unapparelled to any of the US-based banks’ APY proposals.
For instance, you can earn up to 2.3% APY (depending on your asset) from the country of Belize.
Well, there is a brief example that you can make a safe house for your funds in a foreign country as well as harvest some interest from your savings too. But you shouldn’t only concentrate on that particular side alone. Try to be aware of the inflation rate of the country to make the most use of the interest.
Tax Optimization
The majority of offshore account holders chose abroad because these particular banks are good at tax optimization. Well, you shouldn’t consider an overseas bank account merely to avoid taxes. You can do it but that’ll be labeled totally ILLEGAL.
Tell you what, this is why offshore banking is often evaluated from a negative perspective. But what you can do is ‘optimize’ your taxes so that you can pay less tax than your native country. This process guarantees you a stress-free taxing method from your earnings as well as savings.
The Basic Requirements to Open an Offshore Bank Account
Now let’s focus on our main discussion. What are the basic requirements to start offshore banking and depositing cash? Well, to be honest, first of all, you need to be confident enough to open an offshore bank account.
Because this isn’t any joke and it involves massive risk to open an account overseas. If you can’t maintain proper legal procedure, chances are there that you might end up behind the bars. You may need to prove that this isn’t an act of unfair means like money laundering or tax evasion or so.
Once you are clear and honest on your approach, you can start focusing on your offshore banking strategies and go for the glory.
Similar to opening a bank account in your native country, offshore banks also require basic documents such as your name, date of birth, copy of your passport, physical address, and citizen certificate as well as your occupational clarification.
You need to provide a government-issued document that can certify your personal information. For example, utility bills or driver’s license is often regarded as the standard in this case.
Record says many people came up with fake papers and tried to open the account. This is why many offshore banks now prefer to receive documents that come with additional authentication. So, it’s always better to provide a notarized copy of your documents to be accepted easily.
To prove that your intention is not skeptical, you might need to provide your current bank statement to the offshore bank authority. This bank statement will also give them an indication of your average balances as well as your reputation with the bank.
On top of that, offshore banks require an individual’s income sources since the law nowadays is not as easygoing as it was before. So, even if not all, you might need to provide your major income sources’ documentation too.
If all these go in your way, you may be asked for an online meeting with the bank representative for an interview. Well, this is just not like any examination or job interview. They just want to see your face and might ask some friendly questions to verify that this is you who wants the bank account.
You can also go physically to the bank’s branches to apply for the account. But as the banks happen to be situated outside your country, this won’t be easy for you to go and talk with them in person. So, I recommend you should choose the online meetup if they ask for it in the first place.
Tell you what, it might seem as easy as opening a bank account in your neighborhood but there are lots of risks involved in it. If you think you are smart enough to open it by yourself then you can try it. But to be honest, a specialist’s supervision in this event is always the smartest way.
Which Country is the Best for Opening an Offshore Account?
A stable political and economical atmosphere is the first thing that you should be focused on before considering a country for your offshore banking state. Besides, depending on your banking strategy you should choose the bank that you want.
For example, if you just want top-notch protection of your assets, you can take Switzerland as your best option. Because Swiss banking policy is globally reputed for secured privacy protection. They have dedicated laws that prevent any of their bankers from disclosing your information to anyone.
Singapore also happens to be one of the best countries that provide premium security for wealthy customers. Besides, its political climate is not risky for anyone to transfer his assets to this luxurious country.
On the other hand, if you want to minimize your tax from your earnings, you may go to the Cayman Islands. Well, some of you might have heard of it before as they are one of the supreme nations that have been providing offshore bank accounts for clients all over the world.
You’ll be glad to hear that this particular country’s offshore banking doesn’t put a tax upon you for increasing capital, nor does it charge for fund transfers in and out of the country. This is why most of the people who want to optimize their taxes from income prefer the Cayman Islands.
However, Germany, Georgia, Krane, and Belize could also be better options for offshore banking.
Before You Dive into the Uncharted Water
No matter where you choose to open an offshore bank account, always try to stick to the basics. Some countries might attract you with overwhelming benefits but as it is your hard-earning that you are dealing with – try to go with the bank that is highly reputed and suits your demands well.
It’s always wise to hire a professional before you start your offshore account. Since the international wire transfer requires a charge, you should be well aware of the taxes that you have to pay to both countries. It’s better to keep things right from the beginning than mess them up in the middle.
Some Common Questions and Answers Regarding Offshore Banking
As we know that offshore banking has been treated unfairly over time, and people seem to come up with questions about it. Well, you shouldn’t be shaky about your finances in any circumstances. Let’s bust some of the common myths about offshore banking.
Can I change currency while banking offshore?
Yes, you can. Perhaps offshore banking’s basic characteristic is that it offers users to transfer their funds from their native country into any preferred currency they want. If you feel that the future of your domestic currency is dark, you should really use this feature to turn things around.
How do offshore banks transfer gigantic funds?
Well, they don’t transfer your physical funds from one bank to another. Instead, they use an electronic wire transfer method just like your native banks. But in this case, the wire transfer fees are high and you should always look for a better deal before
transferring your funds.
Can My Government Seize My Offshore Bank Account?
Technically, they can’t. As your account is under the laws and in the hand of a foreign country’s system, your govt. can’t interfere there. But what they can do best is enforce bureaucratic pressure upon that country to get some insights into your account if it does possess any national interest.
Do I Need to Declare My Account to the Government?
Yes. Under the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act, of 2010 every citizen having an offshore bank account must report it to the government so that they can make sure taxes are being paid in due time.
