If you are looking for:

• True 'Offshore' Banking For Your Company
• NO Bank References For The Account Signatory
• NO Reporting Requirements
• NO Taxation
• 24 Hour On-Line Electronic Banking From Your Own PC or Mac
• True Multi-Currency Accounts
• Low Account Management Charges
• International ATM Debit (Maestro) Card
  

We offer secured corporate accounts in conjunction with our associated offshore bank (a privately owned major banking institution located in Latvia, the Switzerland of the Baltic..

Eight years ago, this jurisdiction realised that there was a growing international need for banking services which offer a maximum of convenience and a minimum of documentation. As part of its plan for becoming the Switzerland of the North Europe in banking, the country has placed itself in an almost unique position in the international financial markets.

From the point of view of security and confidentiality, the Bank scores highly, thanks to Latvia's unique laws which prohibit either local police or international authorities from gaining access to your account information.

In addition to these tight banking confidentiality laws, opening and operating your account has been made simple.

• The now almost universal need for producing documentary proof of who you are and that you are a "fit" person to operate a bank account has been virtually eliminated. When we open an account for you, references from an existing bank are not required.
• Excellent English is spoken by the Bank staff, and both phone and fax communications are as good as anywhere in the world.
• A major advantage with accounts held at this institution is that they can be managed from anywhere from your own computer using a web browser, e-mail, telephone or fax.
• All internet banking communications are encrypted.
• No reports of your transactions are made to any government. (However, see our note on maintaining privacy as your money moves out of this bank’s jurisdiction into that of other banks.)
  

No references are sought from existing bankers. There are no reporting requirements and no taxation. We require only a notarised copy of a passport.

The account is fully electronic and can be managed from your own PC or Macintosh from anywhere in the world, is true multi-currency and can be opened to receive incoming funds within 15 days.

Full ATM Debit and Credit Card facilities are available. We include one Debit card with this account to simplify your withdrwal of funds and to mininze the cost by avoiding the wire fees on small withdrawals. (see our information on debit cards for more details.)

Account Opening Requirements:

• Notarised copy of passport for the person opening he account.
• A notarised signature on the specimen signature card.
• A street address, which can be a mail-drop for added security.
• Either a 'phone number, a fax number or an e-mail address. You can get a free, anonymous fax to e-mail acccount here
• Notarised copies of the corporate documents in the name of the account being opened.
  

As soon as we receive your order and your payment clears into our correspondant’s account - we will prepare the paperwork and will then send you an account package by courier. This package contains all the documentation required to open your account. We will have filled in the information based on your answers to our questionairre. (This is to simplify and speed your handling - the forms can be confusing.)

• a specimen signature card, a copy of the agreement with the bank
• your account name and number
• wire transfer instructions and full documentation - which should be completed as instructed then sent directly back to the bank by courier for speed and security (DHL will deliver from Europe within 1 to 2 days and from the rest of the world in 2 to 5 days).

Your account will be open to receive incoming wired credits immediately upon your receipt of the account number. Please remember, once the account number is in your hands, the relationship is between you and the bank. We retain no detail records of the transaction.

The documentation must be completed and returned to the bank before your account can be used for making payments or withdrawals, but if action is quick and a courier used, this should be possible within a few days. You determine the speed.

Confidentiality

There is little to no co-operation between our bank's country and outside. The country's own banking laws make it impossible for even their own police to obtain account information. No information whatsoever is revealed to foreign authorities.

The offshore bank that we have selected offers an excellent all round banking service, ideal for the needs of most offshore companies and private individuals They offer:

• Highly private and secure banking.
• 24 hour, PGP encrypted electronic account management from your own PC
• Both ATM debit cards and secured credit cards .
• High interest deposit accounts

Corporate Documentation

New Companies
Where we form a company for you in conjunction with a bank account,, we will provide all company documents and full instructions as to how to complete the opening of the account..

Existing Companies
Where you want us to open an account for an existing company, please note you will need to provide the following to us, by fax (so that we can work on your account. Once we have sent the account documents to you, you will need to forward these to the bank: :
Notarised copies of:

1. Memorandum and Articles of Association (Charter)
2. Certificate of Incorporation, Certificate of Good Standing
3. Power of Attorney naming the account signatories. (You can download a sample one here. We can provide one with a logo for the company via e-mail in either AppleWorks or Microsoft Word format if you wish.)
4. Notarised copy of the passport of the person opening the account. (This information will not be released. Our copy will be destroyed within 60 days of recceipt. We will keep no copies of information relating to your bank account.)

Multi-Currency Accounts

Our Secured Corporate Bank Accounts are true multi-currency accounts. Although most are held in US dollars, you may open accounts in any of the major hard currencies and may instruct the bank to make payments from your account in any other currency. Exchange rates used are those prevailing internationally at the time of payment, not artificially low ones designed to maximise the bank's profits.

Electronic Account Management

What can you do?

1. Establish an anonymous web browsing capabiliy by using this redirecting site. (Note: there are limitations to the functionality you can obtain this way, but this is an effective tool for keeping your own location confidential and is good to use when you are browsing around the web in general.)
2. Securely send money orders to our bank at any time you find comfortable and without leaving your home or office.
3. Receive balance reports from the bank.
4. On your request, a report can be prepared for a certain range of dates.
5. Create and send messages to the bank.
6. When using a portable computer, operate your account from any place in the world where a telephone line is or you have Internet access.

World Wide Web access

Internet online account access is enabled via our bank's Online Banking System that allows you to view accounts, send payments and exchange messages in a fast and secure way at convenient times from any place in the world that has Internet access. The bank’s Online Banking System uses the capabilities of your standard Internet browsers (Netscape Navigator or Microsoft Internet Explorer) so you require no special software at all. The bank charges US$80 to set up your account with this access, and $10 a month thereafter.

The bank system is on-line round the clock, seven days a week. To logon to the system, you need to either have an Internet connection to exchange documents through the Bank's Internet server, or to call the bank and to enable the cc:Mail email-based exchange of data between your modem and the bank modem.

During regular banking hours, account statements are generated automatically on an hourly basis, starting from 11 am and till 11 pm local time (CET+1, EST+7). Clients' orders and messages are forwarded to operators for execution or action within 10 minutes after your sending.

Security

All electronic instructions and messages to and from the bank using its proprietary software are encrypted using extremely secure 128 bit SSL. A password and digital signature are required to initiate any connection to the bank's computer.

For clients who do not either have access to the Internet or who do not wish to use it for communicating with the bank, account instructions are accepted by coded fax messages. A special set of code tables, unique to each client, can be provided for this purpose on request. Special charges apply.

Depositing Funds

Deposits into your account can be made in three ways:

1. By wire transfer from an existing account.
   For security and anonymity reasons we would strongly suggest that wire transfers, especially from the US, are kept below the US$10,000 reporting requirement limit. If you wish to transfer large amounts, either transfer by way of a number of smaller wires or arrange matters so that the transfer does not come from your prime 'onshore' account. Click here to see our primer on moving money.
   
2. By sending a check or international money order directly to the bank. If you do this, again remember the cash reporting requirement where applicable, buy money orders using cash and if purchasing several, buy them from a number of different banks. If sending checks or money orders, always send them registered mail or use a courier.
   

We require a minimum of $500 as an initiial deposit for opening your account. This is necessary to activate your withdrawal privilages and to cover any shipping charges that arise.

Important Note: Apart from the initial fee to open your account, we do not handle any client funds. Once your account is open, we have nothing further to do with it or its management. All correspondence with the bank will be by direct contact between you and the bank. We maintain no documents relating to the establishment of the account after 60 days.

Costs - Account Management Fees

Whilst operating an offshore account is in many ways similar to operating a 'local' account, because the vast majority of transfers, both in and out, are carried out over international distances and sometimes several intermediary banks and different currencies are involved, charges are higher.

Charges:

• Account Opening US$400 which covers:
  • All administrative and account opening fees for both us and the Bank
  • Any and all initial support and assistance with your account
  • Full and exclusive use of a highly secure and confidential multi-currency offshore bank account
  • No references will be sought and other than the return of the signed account agreement and a notarised copy of the account administrator's passport which will be kept completely confidential by the bank.
  • No written correspondence sent to your address unless you request - you may even use a mail drop address for the return of the agreement.
  • All mailing/couriering of documents by the bank and Offshore Inc
    
• ATM Debit Card for the account opening charge: US$240 - additional cards are US$40 each.