

Privacy and security are particularly important in banking.  Many
countries are very interested in protecting privacy and have laws to
do so.  For example, many countries will put a banker in jail if he
gives out information about a client or an account.  The United
States is not so interested in privacy, and does not have such laws.
In the US, random people can easily get a copy of your credit history.
People really interested in privacy must use banks in other countries.

Encryption and email have the potential to help with banking privacy.
Soon it will be possible to have private communication with a bank from
anywhere in the world for the low cost of an email message.


Books for those interested in bank privacy:

   Tax Havens
   Hoyt L. Barber
   McGraw-Hill, 1993
   ISBN 0-07-003659-4
   About $22 from local bookstore - well worth it.

   Tax havens
   A. Ginsberg
   Butterworths,  Durban, 1990
       Shows how to use several corporations when operating a business so
       that "profits" are in the corporations in tax havens.  Also gives
       general info on the tax havens.  Very good book.

   Personal Privacy Through Foreign Investing
   Trent Sands
   Loompanics Unlimited, 1993
   ISBN 1-55950-098-0
   Only a 70 page pamphlet, little info, has some mistakes, not very good.
   Loompanics sells for $10 (206) 385-2230
       Loompanics is on the net now as loompanx@pt.olympus.net but they
       do not yet take email orders.  You can get an online catalog as:
       gopher://gopher.well.sf.ca.us/00/Business/catalog.asc



David Chaum's company "DigiCash" in Netherlands:
  http://digicash.support.nl

Bank of America:
  http://www.commerce.net/directories/participants/bofa/bofa.home.html

>grep -i bank /alex/ch/switch/nic/registry/CH.domains
   BIRAG.CH         Banken- und Industrie-Rechenzentrum AG, Guemligen
   DSK.CH           Datenbank Schweizerischer Kulturgueter, Bern
   SBC.CH           Schweizerischer Bankverein, Basel
   UBS.ARCOM.CH     Union Bank Switzerland, Zuerich
   ZKB.CH           Zuercher Kantonalbank, Zuerich
   GREENNET.CH      Swiss Volksbank, Bern
   SBCCH.CH         Swiss Bank Corporation, Basel

So, there are Swiss banks on the Internet.  We can update
/alex/edu/washington/u/stein2/pub/user-supported/phantom/cpunk/swiss.banks
with a few Internet domains.  See below.

The Netherland's 2nd largest bank, the Rabobank, is on the net as "rabo.nl".


The following might also be interesting:
    koan.worldbank.org
    swissbank.swissbank.com


If I run "whois" on Panama, Antigua, Grenada or the Cook Islands (a few tax
havens) I get something interesting.  The output of these is at the bottom
of this file.

People interested in encryption and Cypherpunk things in general should
also check out:

  ftp://furmint.nectar.cs.cmu.edu/security/README.html

I will keep a current copy of this file available as:

  ftp://furmint.nectar.cs.cmu.edu/security/banks

If people send me other interesting and related info, I will add it to
this file.  Note that U.S. courts have ruled that you can not have
a copyright on a phone book, so it should be ok to type in bank phone
numbers from books (this is only a small part of the books anyway, and
will probably help sales as long as we say which book).


Anyone is welcome to copy this file, post this, etc.

  -- Vince
     vac@cs.cmu.edu


CAYMAN ISLAND BANKS (from page 118 of "Tax Havens" by Hoyt L. Barber):

Midland Bank Trust Corporation (Cayman) Limited
P.O. Box 1109
Grand Cayman, BWI
Tel: (809) 949-7755
Fax: (809) 949-7634

Finsbury Bank and Trust Company
Transnational House
West Bay Road
P.O. Box 1592
Grand Cayman, BWI
Tel: (809) 947-4011
Offers debit Gold Mastercard - works in cash machines etc. worldwide.

Bank of Nova Scotia
P.O. Box 689
Grand Cayman, BWI
Tel: (809) 949-7666

First Cayman Bank Ltd.
P.O. Box 1113
Grand Cayman, BWI
Tel: (809) 949-5266
Fax: (809) 949-5398
Min of $50 to open an account.

Barclays Bank PLC
P.O. Box 68
Grand Cayman, BWI
Tel: (809)  949-7300

CIBC Bank and Trust Company (Cayman) Ltd.
P.O. Box 695
Grand Cayman, BWI
Tel: (809) 949-2366

Cayman National Bank and Trust Co.
P.O. Box 1097
Grand Cayman, BWI
Tel: (809) 949-4655

Royal Bank of Canada
P.O. Box 245
Grand Cayman, BWI
Tel: (809) 949-4600

Cititrust (Cayman) Ltd.
P.O. Box 309
George Town, Grand Cayman, BWI
Tel: (809) 949-5405

Canadian Imperial Bank, Ltd.
P.O. Box 695
George Town, Grand Cayman, BWI
Tel: (809) 949-2366

Chase Manhattan Trust Ltd.
P.O. Box 190
George Town, Grand Cayman, BWI
Tel: (809) 949-2081




******************************************************************************
Update of /alex/edu/washington/u/stein2/pub/user-supported/phantom/cpunk/swiss.
banks
******************************************************************************


Zuercher Kantonalbank
Net: zkb.ch
Tel: 41 1 275 71 11
Addr: Neue Hard 9
      8005 Zuerich, Switzerland

Union Bank of Switzerland
Net:  ubs.arcom.ch
Adr:  Bahnhofstrasse 45
      8021 Zurich, Switzerland
Tel:  29-4411

Swiss Bank Corporation
Net:  sbcch.ch
Tel:  23-2323
Addr: Aeschenborstadt 1
      4002 Basel, Switzerland


Swiss Credit Bank
Paradeplatez 8
8021 Zurich, Switzerland
Telephone: 29-2811

Foreign Commerce BAnk
Dept 284
Bellariastrasse 82
8022 Zurich, Switzerland
Telephone: (01) 45.66.88

Foreign Commerce BAnk
Dept 42
3 Rue de Marche
CH-1211
Geneva 3 Rive, Switzerland
Telephone: (01) 21.42.33

Bank Indiana Suisse
Attn: F.C. Mishari
50 Ave. de La Gare
1001 Lausanne, Switzerland
Telephone: 20.47.41

Bank Leu
Postfach
8022 Zurich, Switzerland

Cambio & Valorenbank
Postfach 535
8021 Zurich, Switzerland

Ueberseebank, A. G.
Limmatquai 2
8024 Zurich, Switzerland


******************************************************************************
This next section started from:

/alex/edu/washington/u/stein2/pub/user-supported/phantom/cpunk/tax.havens


>Date: Wed Nov 24 21:21:06 1993
>From: Jim Hart <hart@chaos.bsu.edu> <hart/daemon>
>Subject: Tax Havens on the Net
>
>
>---------------------
>Tax Havens on the Net
>---------------------
>compiled by James R. Hart
>
>sources:
>Internet Connectivity List -- Larry Landweber, U.Wisc.
>       ftp.cs.wisc.edu ../connectivity_table   Version 9,
>       August 1993
>Hoyt L. Barber, _Tax Havens_, McGraw-Hill 1993

But Vince has been updated it some 5/94.

******************************************************************************

Codes used to  indicate sites in each country with access to
the Global Multiprotocol Open Internet:

BITNET
b: minimal, one to five domestic BITNET sites
B: widespread, more than five domestic BITNET sites

IP INTERNET
I: = operational, accesible from entire IP Internet
i: = operational, not accesible via the NSFNET backbone

UUCP
u: minimal, one to five domestic UUCP sites
U: widespread, more than five domestic UUCP sites

FIDONET
f: minimal, one to five domestic FIDONET sites
F: widespread, more than five domestic FIDONET sites

OSI
o: minimal, one to five domestic X.400 sites
O: widespread, more than five domestic X.400 sites

------------------------
and without further ado:
------------------------

Aruba
net access: ---f-
languages: Papiamento, English, Dutch, Spanish
currency controls: none?
bank secrecy: moderate (numbered accounts not
        permitted)
preferred legal entities: Aruba Exempt Company,
        NV (Dutch legal tradition, bearer shares allowed)
taxes: no income tax on AEC or shareholders, no
        witholding of any kind
tax treaties: none?

Austria
net access: BIOUFO
language: German
currency controls: ??
bank secrecy: good; numbered accounts available
preferred legal entities: limited liability company, stock
        orporation
taxes: corporate tax.  no bank interest tax.  20% divident
        ax.
tax treaties: many, OECD model, primarily personal and
        orporate income
contact: Price Waterhouse, Austria

Barbados
net access: --u--
language: English
currency controls: some (none for offshore banks &
        nsurance)
preferred legal entities: company, public company,
        offshore bank, exempt  insurance
        company, foreign sales corporation ,
        international business company
taxes: income tax offshore banks and international
        business companies 2.5%, exempt insurance
        companies and foreign sales corporations none
tax treaties: double-tax treaties with 5 major countries (incl.
        U.K. & U.S.)

Bermuda
net access: --Uf--
language:  English
currency controls: none for nonresidents
bank secrecy:  moderate
preferred legal entities:
                local (conduct business in Bermuda, must be 60%
                Bermuda owned),
        exempt (only conducts business outside
                Bermuda)
                -- min. capitalization US$12,000
                -- extensive background check on the
                    principles
taxes: no income, profit, sales, value added, witholding, or
        capital gains taxes
tax treaties:  no double-tax treaties.  U.S. can be provided
         with tax information concerning civil & criminal
        tax cases

Belize
net access:  --u-- BZ
language:  English


Cayman Islands
net access:  ----- KY
        can have bearer shares



Cook Islands
net access: --u-- CK
taxes:  none
        can have bearer shares


Costa Rica
net access: bIuf-
language: Spanish
currency controls: only on local currency, applies only to
        citizens or legal entities
bank secrecy: good
legal entities:
        individual enterprise/limited liability
        collective company
        limited partnership
        limited-liability company
        stock corporation (aka chartered company): most
        common
taxes: 15% on dividents for some nonresident
shareholders, moderate corporate
        income, payroll, imort, real estate taxes.
Exporters exempt from most
        taxes.
tax treaties: no double-tax treaties.  Caribbean Basin
Initiative exchange-of-information
        agreeement signed but not yet ratified (as of 1/93).



Grenada
net access:  --u-- GD



Hong Kong
net access: BI-F-
languages: Cantonese, English
currency controls: none
bank secrecy: moderate?
preferred legal entity: limited-liability corporation
        (English common law Companies Ordinance)
taxes: 16.5% domestic source corporate  income, 15%
        domestic employment wages, 15%  on domestic
        property rental income
tax treaties: no double-tax agreements
n.b.: treaty to return Hong Kong to Communist China in
        1997

Ireland
net access: BIUFO
language: English
currency controls: none?
bank secrecy: moderate?
preferred legal entity: noresident company (private
corporation w/limited liability,
        must conduct operations outside Ireland)
taxes: only on Irish operations
tax treaties: many double-tax treaties
n.b.: those with Irish grandparents can obtain second
        citizenship

Liechtenstein
net access: -I-f-
languages: German, Alemanni
currency controls: none
bank secrecy: excellent
preferred legal entities: allows any type found anywhere
in the world (!)
        establishment (limited liability, unlimited duration)
        company limited by shares
        foundations and trusts
taxes:  none for income outside Leichtenstein.  Net worth
        tax of 0.01% on capital and reserves (min. 1,000
        Swiss francs), local  resident taxes
tax treaties: not party directly or indirectly to any
        exchange-of-information agreements
        double-tax treaty exists only with Austria
n.b.: bankers won't assist law enforcement officials with
        drug, fraud, theft, or tax investigations.  They
        might assist in money laundering and insider
        trading investigations, informing the customer
        first.

Luxembourg
net access: bIUFO
languages: Letzeburgesh, French, German, English
bank secrecy: moderate
preferred legal entity: holding company
taxes: holding companies pays only 10% registration fee
on issued shares and
        0.20% annual capital tax on issued capital bonds.
tax treaties: many double-tax treaties
n.b.: EC member


Malta
net access: --u--
languages: Maltese, English
currency controls: none
bank secrecy: good
preferred legal entities: offshore notrading, trading,
banking (overseas, subsidiary, local), insurance, trusts
taxes: nontrading exempt, trading very low
tax treties: many double-tax treaties
n.b.: EC member

Netherlands
Net: The second largest duch bank, the Rabobank is on the net as rabo.nl
net access: BIUFO
language: Dutch
currency controls: ??
bank secrecy: poor/non-existant - all cash deposits above 20.000 guilders
                                  will be reported to the authorities.

preferred legal entities: private or public NV (can have bearer shares)

public= NV, private= BV, you can also incorporate in Delaware [=Inc] or
use another overseas "model" as long as you register with the local
Chambers of Commerce. You then save 40.000 guilders in capital.

taxes: complex, high (many loopholes for large offshore companies)
    a 40% corporate tax in profits till 250.000 guilders, the rest is
    taxed at 35%.  In the Netherlands it is possible to discuss a
    prospective transaction with the tax authorities and obtian a ruling
    wich will determine its tax treatment.

tax treaties: many



Netherlands Antilles
net access:  --u--
domain: AN



Panama
net access: b-uFO
languages: Spanish, English
curency controls:  none
bank secrecy: good; numbered accounts permissable
preferred legal entity:  corporation
taxes: none on income generated outside Panama
tax treaties: only on shipping income


Singapore
net access: bIuF-
languages: Malay, Mandarin, Tamil, English
currency controls: none
bank secrecy: moderate; numbered accounts available
preferred legal entities: private limited company
taxes: none  on dividends, foreign deposit interest, or
income derived from
        outside Singapore.
tax treaties: many

Switzerland
net access: BIUFO
languages: French, German, Italian, Romansch
currency controls: none
bank secrecy: moderate to good; numbered accounts
        available
preferred legal entity: AG (stock company under Laws of
        Obligation)
taxes: 3.6-9.8% worldwide income tax for operating
companies, 35%
        witholding tax on interest and dividends
tax treaties: many double-tax treaties

Vanuata
net access: --u--
languages: Melanesian, French, English
currency controls: none
bank secrecy: moderate?
preferred legal entities: holding, trading, agency, mgmt.
service, contracting
taxes: no income or capital gains taxes
tax treaties: none

Western Samoa
net access: --u--
languages: Samoan, English
currency controls: none
bank secrecy: good
preferred legal entities: international company, offshore
        bank, insurance company
taxes: none for companies under offshore acts
tax treaties: none

If you like having this information, let me know.  Also let
me know  what other kinds of information you need on tax
havens and net access; I'd love to be of service.  If you
have corrections to or additional information for the Tax
Havens on the Net list, I'd be  happy to add it with full
attribution (or full privacy, as you prefer).   To preserve
your privacy, feel free to use anonymous remailers and
encryption.  My PGP key enclosed below.


James R. Hart                   hart@chaos.bsu.edu

-----BEGIN PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK-----
Version: 2.2

mQCNAiz0Br4AAAEEAJohFjXdkx6i2Mq6nJXdJN+VGupeKwuu1SAiRvsBK7TQ1ajY
d3wEFohbwaHGn3iq7A1//koipvzE5S/C6pPxIAHFeoYOUzeI/cWmh6vsuaF3/lVm
K9lx/L7PyaF8rvd4FOmLqkvs1xk/24S9ZQaBb3cjhLV571NaiPCIc3SPJUKXAAUT
tCJKYW1lcyBSLiBIYXJ0IDxoYXJ0QGNoYW9zLmJzdS5lZHU+
=z2UE
-----END PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK-----


******************************************************************************
whois on a number of interesting countries
******************************************************************************

Panama (Republic of) top-level domain (PA3-DOM)
   PANAMANIAN ACADEMIC NATIONAL NETWORK (PANNET)
   UNIVERSIDAD TECNOLOGICA DE PANAMA
   P.O. BOX 6-2894
   PANAMA 6A

   Domain Name: PA
   Domain Status: On Hold Pending Server Activation

   Administrative Contact:
      Lopez, Victor  (VL7)  VLOPEZ@NS.PA
      (507) 64-1771
   Technical Contact, Zone Contact:
      Lezcano, Julio  (JL78)  JLEZCANO%UTPVM1.BITNET@UGA.CC.UGA.EDU
      (507) 64-1771

   Record last updated on 25-May-94.

   Domain servers in listed order:

   NS.PA                        168.77.8.2
   NS.USMA.PA                   168.77.100.2
   NS.CR                        163.178.8.2
   ICM1.ICP.NET                 192.94.207.66

******************************************************************************


Antigua and Barbuda top-level domain (AG-DOM1)
   University of Puerto Rico
   Central Administration Building
   P.O. Box 364984G
   San Juan P.R. 00936

   Domain Name: AG

   Administrative Contact:
      Junquera, Belinda  (BJ2)  b_junquera@UPR1.UPR.CLU.EDU
      (809) 250-0000 ext. 5400 (FAX) (809) 763-6760
   Technical Contact, Zone Contact:
      Ramos, Felix G.  (FGR)  f_ramos@UPR1.UPR.CLU.EDU
      (809) 250-0000 ext. 5454 (FAX) (809) 763-6760

   Record last updated on 28-Apr-94.

   Domain servers in listed order:

   UPR1.UPR.CLU.EDU             136.145.1.4

   Top Level domain for Antigua


******************************************************************************


Grenada (Republic of) top-level domain (GD1-DOM)
   University of Puerto Rico
   Central Administration Building
   P.O. Box 364984G
   San Juan P.R. 00936

   Domain Name: GD

   Administrative Contact:
      Junquera, Belinda  (BJ2)  b_junquera@UPR1.UPR.CLU.EDU
      (809) 250-0000 ext. 5400 (FAX) (809) 763-6760
   Technical Contact, Zone Contact:
      Ramos, Felix G.  (FGR)  f_ramos@UPR1.UPR.CLU.EDU
      (809) 250-0000 ext. 5454 (FAX) (809) 763-6760

   Record last updated on 28-Apr-94.

   Domain servers in listed order:

   UPR1.UPR.CLU.EDU             136.145.1.4

   Top Level domain for the Republic of Grenada



******************************************************************************

Cook Islands Network Information Center (CKNIC-DOM)
   Reserved by Asia Pacific NIC

   Domain Name: CKNIC.NET

   Administrative Contact, Technical Contact, Zone Contact:
      Asia Pacific Network Information Center  (APNIC)  admin@apnic.net
      +81-3-3580-3781 +81-3-3580-3784 (FAX) +81-3-3580-3782

   Record last updated on 28-Feb-94.

******************************************************************************

