FEATURE: FOUNDATIONS - THE TRUST ALTERNATIVE?

Foundations have long existed in civil law countries where the concept of an Anglo-Saxon trust is unfamiliar. But as competition for a larger slice of the global wealth management cake has intensified in recent years, several, mainly offshore, common law jurisdictions have accommodated foundations laws into their own suites of offshore legislation in order to attract new money from a rapidly increasing population of wealthy individuals and families in emerging economies such as China, Russia, and in Latin America.

Globally, foundations come in all shapes and sizes and can be used for a wide variety of purposes. In the context of wealth management, the objective of a foundation is much the same as that of a trust – essentially protecting the family silver from the prying eyes of the ever-greedy onshore tax man or attack from another source. The manner in which a foundation is established and run, however, is quite distinct from a trust. Continue Reading

CONTRIBUTED ARTICLE: CYPRUS INTERNATIONAL TRUSTS

Contributed by Fiducenter

The use of the Trust in international business planning is becoming more and more popular, in many cases for purposes which would have been impossible to conceive back when the concept was originally formed. Cyprus is becoming an important player in the Trust arena since the Cyprus International Trust has countless advantages to offer not only confined to tax optimization. Continue Reading

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THE REPORT

Introduction: The History Of Offshore Trusts
It's a fairly well known fact that the trust originated in England many hundreds of years ago, and that its purpose was to preserve assets against depredations occurring through death, matrimonial and family squabbles, spendthrift descendants and the like... Continue Reading

Introduction: Development Of Professional Competence In The Jurisdictions
When offshore trusts began to be used in a major way, they were usually set up by professionals in the home jurisdiction of the settlor, reflecting the lack of professional expertise in the few offshore jurisdictions that were then available... Continue Reading

Introduction: What Future For The Trust?
Even the most devoted believer in the rights of humans to dispose of their own assets and to arrange their affairs to their own benefit would have to agree that the trust is an anachronism. But then so is offshore itself... Continue Reading

Introduction: The New Age of Transparency
By mid-2009, evidence was emerging that the trust and wealth management industries were adopting to the new age of transparency instigated by the OECD countries in response to the global financial metldown and subsequent economic crisis... Continue Reading

Introduction: The Swiss Association of Trust Companies
The Swiss Association of Trust Companies was officially launched in September, 2007, in Zurich and Geneva, in a bid 'to encourage the professional and ethical development of an industry in full expansion in Switzerland'... Continue Reading

Introduction: The Society of Trusts and Estates Practitioners
The Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners is the leading worldwide professional body for practitioners in the fields of trusts, estates and related issues... Continue Reading

Jurisdictions covered in the Offshore Trusts Guide:

Bahamas | Barbados | Bermuda | British Virgin Islands | Cayman Islands | Cook Islands | Cyprus | Gibraltar | Guernsey | Isle of Man | Jersey | Liechtenstein | Madeira | Malta | Mauritius | Monaco | Nevis | Panama | Seychelles | Turks & Caicos | Vanuatu