US Government Continues to Pressure Swiss Banks

The US government is putting pressure on Switzerland to end its tradition of “banking secrecy”, as part of a global crackdown on tax evasion. Since forcing UBS to pay a USD780 million fine in 2009 for helping US citizens evade

FATCA Enforcement Softens

Realizing the large administrative burden of FATCA, the IRS has announced a “soft opening” of FATCA and enforcement at the IRS’ discretion for an initial transitional period.  FATCA, which was signed in March 2010, requires foreign banks and other financial institutions

India Signs FATCA Model Intergovernmental Agreement to Share Account Information with the US

The U.S. Treasury announced that on April 11, 2014, India agreed “in substance” to sign a Model 1 FATCA Model Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) with the US. The IGA would therefore require Indian financial institutions to report information on U.S. account holders to