Offshore Banking Essay -- foreign bank, financial secrecy

Offshore banking is the action of having a bank account outside of the country of residence. Since its start, offshore banking has become a considerably lucrative business. Many of those who take part in offshore banking are looking for a secure location to place their income or seize the opportunity of having lower taxes. However, there are those who misuse the privilege of a foreign bank and use the business ventures for illegal actions rather than the original purpose of the dealings. Offshore banks seem to have an impartial acceptance of quite a few clients within the bank that create a lower standard of ethics in contrast to the ethics meant to be held—this includes those of a political position. Furthermore, this has the potential to be detrimental to the economy. Individuals that have offshore accounts control accounts through a credit card that has a unique and individual number and secret code. These would often be referred to as â€Å"identifier codes† called IBNs (International Bank Account Number)—where the account holder is identified by a sequence of characters—rather than the traditional system of recording names, as defined by National Westminster Bank. An IBN is not to be confused with an account number (though it not uncommon for an account number to be included) as it often varies between countries. Often times, a report must be filed for the purpose of obtaining this information. This system helps all of these banks provide financial secrecy which is that only you and your banker would legally be allowed to know the financial activity within your account. The financial secrecy, completely different from financial privacy, includes many regulations to maintain this asset of secrecy. For example, many banks would n... ....). Democracy Now!. Retrieved January 27, 2014, from http://www.democracynow.org/2011/4/15/offshore_banking_and_tax_havens_have Offshore banking. (2014, November 2). Wikipedia. Retrieved February 20, 2014, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Offshore_banking Purpari, M. (n.d.). How Far Offshore is Offshore Banking?. Suite101.com. Retrieved January 27, 2014, from https://suite101.com/a/how-far-offshore-is-offshore-banking-a344923 Ritchie, J. (n.d.). Connect With Us. MintLife Blog. Retrieved January 27, 2014, from https://www.mint.com/blog/trends/offshore-banking/ Warren, Z. (2013, September 23). U.S. government cracking down on offshore bank accounts through FATCA. U.S. government cracking down on offshore bank accounts through FATCA. Retrieved February 20, 2014, from http://www.insidecounsel.com/2013/09/23/us-government-cracking-down-on-offshore-bank-accou