Financial opacity and financial secrecy: lessons for Nepal
| Date | 25 May 2023 |
| Pages | 383-394 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JMLC-03-2023-0049 |
| Published date | 25 May 2023 |
| Author | Abhiyan Upadhyay |
Financial opacity and financial
secrecy: lessons for Nepal
Abhiyan Upadhyay
Nepal Rastra Bank, Kathmandu, Nepal
Abstract
Purpose –The purposeof this paper is to understand the financial opaqueness establishedthrough offshore
businesses and financial secrecy through the requirements of information exchanges, andtheir deadly
combination for facilitating money-laundering activities and tax evasion. It also puts into light some key
recommendationsfor a country like Nepal that has been strugglingto put adequate efforts into understanding
financialopacity and secrecy.
Design/methodology/approach –This paper navigates through global issues on layering through
opaque corporate structures,and mechanisms required for information exchange so as to figure out solutions
and challengesto address them by developing countries like Nepal, with specificactions pertaining to Nepal.
Findings –Understandingfinancial opacity and secrecy is a prerequisite to tackling financialcrimes. While
focusing on global solutionsand inherent challenges regarding such issues, concertedefforts are required to
capacitatea country on contextual matters.
Originality/value –This work is an original workwith an analysis of a global issue in an interconnected
world with solutionscatered to the local contexts of Nepal.
Keywords Financial secrecy, Financial opacity, Tax evasion, Money laundering, Financial crime,
Offshore jurisdictions, Taxation, Information exchange, Cooperation, Registry, Global tax,
Multiple jurisdictions
Paper type Viewpoint
Background
The Cayman Islands is a self-governing British OverseasTerritory in Caribbean Sea. It had
a population of 68,136 as on December2021 (Worldometer, 2023). And it had 116,996 active
companies registered as on December 2021 according to the country’s General Registry
Statistics (Cayman Islands General Registry, 2023). So it had about 1.7 active companies
registered per capita as on year end(even including children and old age people) –which is
highly unusual for an island country with such small population andeconomy. Perhaps,
more striking is the finding that it is easier to form anonymous companies in OECD
countries than in Cayman Islands (Findley,2012). Cayman Island’s total financial assets as a
percentage of GDP was whopping 247,941%,highest among the review countries according
to a report by Financial Review Board,as on 2016 year end, implying a disproportionate size
of economy and assets (Financial Stability Board,2018). Its grandeur can be comprehended
from the same parameter of an emerging economy like India, which had total financial
assets of only around 150% of GDP accordingto the same report. Creating financial opacity
and maintaining financial secrecyto conduct illicit activities like money laundering and tax
evasion has fosteredsuch atypical financial magnitude in offshore financial centers.
Economists of developing countries like Nepal are keen on financial stability and try to
infer high GDP, low inflation, sustained growth, balanced trade and other macroeconomic
variables to measure financial soundness.But, little attention has been concentrated around
the mysteries of tax havens, offshore and financial secrecy, which comprise significant
Financial
opacity and
financial
secrecy
383
Journalof Money Laundering
Control
Vol.27 No. 2, 2024
pp. 383-394
© Emerald Publishing Limited
1368-5201
DOI 10.1108/JMLC-03-2023-0049
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
https://www.emerald.com/insight/1368-5201.htm
Get this document and AI-powered insights with a free trial of vLex and Vincent AI
Get Started for FreeStart Your Free Trial of vLex and Vincent AI, Your Precision-Engineered Legal Assistant
-
Access comprehensive legal content with no limitations across vLex's unparalleled global legal database
-
Build stronger arguments with verified citations and CERT citator that tracks case history and precedential strength
-
Transform your legal research from hours to minutes with Vincent AI's intelligent search and analysis capabilities
-
Elevate your practice by focusing your expertise where it matters most while Vincent handles the heavy lifting
Start Your Free Trial of vLex and Vincent AI, Your Precision-Engineered Legal Assistant
-
Access comprehensive legal content with no limitations across vLex's unparalleled global legal database
-
Build stronger arguments with verified citations and CERT citator that tracks case history and precedential strength
-
Transform your legal research from hours to minutes with Vincent AI's intelligent search and analysis capabilities
-
Elevate your practice by focusing your expertise where it matters most while Vincent handles the heavy lifting
Start Your Free Trial of vLex and Vincent AI, Your Precision-Engineered Legal Assistant
-
Access comprehensive legal content with no limitations across vLex's unparalleled global legal database
-
Build stronger arguments with verified citations and CERT citator that tracks case history and precedential strength
-
Transform your legal research from hours to minutes with Vincent AI's intelligent search and analysis capabilities
-
Elevate your practice by focusing your expertise where it matters most while Vincent handles the heavy lifting
Start Your Free Trial of vLex and Vincent AI, Your Precision-Engineered Legal Assistant
-
Access comprehensive legal content with no limitations across vLex's unparalleled global legal database
-
Build stronger arguments with verified citations and CERT citator that tracks case history and precedential strength
-
Transform your legal research from hours to minutes with Vincent AI's intelligent search and analysis capabilities
-
Elevate your practice by focusing your expertise where it matters most while Vincent handles the heavy lifting
Start Your Free Trial of vLex and Vincent AI, Your Precision-Engineered Legal Assistant
-
Access comprehensive legal content with no limitations across vLex's unparalleled global legal database
-
Build stronger arguments with verified citations and CERT citator that tracks case history and precedential strength
-
Transform your legal research from hours to minutes with Vincent AI's intelligent search and analysis capabilities
-
Elevate your practice by focusing your expertise where it matters most while Vincent handles the heavy lifting