Subjects:

Banking and Finance

Contents:

1. Linkages

2. The offshore environment

3. The service providers and the consumer (1)

4. The service providers and the consumer (2)

5. The significance of taxation

6. A description of regulatory and supervisory processes

7. The regulator and the regulatory authority

8. Money laundering

9. Some international organisations

10. Supranational focus (1) - FSF and IMF

11. Supranational focus (2) - FATF

12. Supranational focus (3) - OECD

13. Some problems offshore

14. Some problems on-shore

15. Small islands and offshore

16. Information on particular centres

17. UK and offshore

18. US and offshore

19. Can the problems be identified?

20. Does 'offshore' have a future?

21. How to assess an OFC

22. Conclusion.

It is estimated that up to sixty percent of the world's money may be located offshore, where half of all financial transactions are said to take place; however, there is a perception that secrecy about offshore is encouraged to obfuscate tax evasion and money laundering. McCann provides a detailed analysis of the global offshore environment, outlining the extent of the information available and how that information might be used in assessing the quality of individual jurisdictions, as well as examining whether some of the perceptions about 'offshore' are valid.

He analyses the ongoing work of the Financial Stability Forum, the Financial Action Task Force, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. The book also offers some suggestions as to what the future might hold for offshore finance.

• Unique in its presentation of information about offshore finance in a cohesive, logical and sequential manner, giving the reader access to information from a wide range of sources
• Describes offshore's history, development and future potential and includes a comprehensive history of the work of the supra-national authorities and other organisations that have an interest in or an involvement with offshore finance, offering readers a detailed understanding of the offshore arena
• Includes a detailed check-list which will help practitioners to assess the acceptability or otherwise of a particular jurisdiction