Articles
Gain deeper insight with articles that give our considered opinion and predictions of where the industry will go next.
Muinmos and TConsult ink deal over digital investor tax self-declarations
Muinmos and TConsult have signed an agreement to integrate TConsult’s Investor Self-Declaration platform (ISD) into Muinmos’ Client Onboarding Platform, enabling Muinmos’ clients, typically financial institutions, to automatically obtain ISDs instead of using multiple paper tax certification forms to document the tax status of their clients.
Argentina becomes latest jurisdiction to sign an IGA with the USA
The latest FATCA news is that Argentina has signed a Model 1A IGA with the US. We consider what this means for Argentine financial institutions.
FATCA AML/KYC procedures in Hong Kong: State-of-the-art compliance?
Can tax authorities rely on the fact that financial institutions have adequate AML/KYC and client due diligence procedures in place to populate and file the fiscal information required under FATCA?
FATCA and CRS Curing Periods
Our affiliate, Marco Zawar, asks if FATCA and CRS document curing and classification requests to verify Change in Circumstances are being correctly implemented.
Deferral of FATCA and CRS Reporting Deadlines – Should You Be Taking Advantage?
With the entrance of Covid-19, a lot of things have changed in the world, and a lot of extra stressors have piled on. And it's left firms wondering, should they take advantage of the defered FATCA and CRS reporting deadlines?
Nationality, domicile, residency, citizenship and beneficial ownership
We often find that linguistic issues can cause problems for firms looking to establish the correct withholding rate for their clients. In particular, we have seen the distinctions between nationality, citizenship, domicile, residency and beneficial ownership cause a degree of avoidable consternation. In this post, we present a quick reference guide.
FATCA Failures: Holistic compliance or just full of holes?
In the last eighteen months we’ve conducted compliance reviews in five countries on twelve Tier 2 and Tier 3 financial institutions. In this post, we unpick the strategies we have seen firms use to approach their QI and FATCA obligations, and highlight the problems we have observed when firms fail to take a holistic approach to compliance.
Validating W-8 Forms: Cultivating an Eye for Detail
We are often asked what constitutes a consequential or an inconsequential error when validating a W-8 form. Some errors are obviously consequential, but what happens if an error appears relatively trivial, such as an incorrect date format? In this post, we explore how you can assess the risks involved and make a judgement about whether to reject or validate a W-8 form.
I speak English, French and FATCA
Acronyms have two main uses: to facilitate efficient communication between professionals within a given discipline where the long form of technical terms would be unwieldy, and to create a barrier to communication - a secret language that you can only understand if you are within the profession. In this post, Ross McGill gives a quick guide to the acronyms of FATCA.
Do You Need A Degree To Get Into Financial Services?
July 10, 2015Do you need a degree to get into financial services? In this post, Ross McGill gives his perspective on the issue of qualifications and career progression within the sector and how to make it in financial services.Read more
Joining the Compliance Dots: Periodic Reviews
July 3, 2015FATCA due diligence deadlines are starting to pass so it is time to breath a big sigh of relief. Well, no. In this post, Ross McGill explains the FACTA control and oversight system and why Responsible Officers should be considering interim period reviews.Read more
Benchmarking: Custodians
June 30, 2015Ross McGill addresses the issues custodians face in regards to successfully benchmarking tax reclamations since so many factors affect the process.Read more
“Have I got a deal for you!” Models of the Custodian World
June 23, 2015Ross McGill discusses the failings of current pricing models within the custodian world and how they affect the financial industry as a whole.Read more
QI vs NQI, That is the Question
May 14, 2015In this post, Ross McGill discusses QI status vs NQI status and asks why so many financial firms are recommending that clients become QIs.Read more