Frequently asked questions

Trusts & Foundation FAQs & Guides

A bespoke ‘offshore’ solution can be complex and requires careful planning and execution. Please follow the ‘How to Proceed’ link below to enquire at the relevant office and we will gladly assist with advice on how to approach your particular challenge.

Frequently Asked Questions

A fiduciary structure such as an Offshore Trust can help to preserve wealth and offers a great deal of flexibility over the management and distribution of your assets.

The most widely used vehicle for asset protection is the Trust. A Trust is able to hold a variety of assets including immovable assets, stocks and shares, investment products, real and intellectual property, bank deposits and life insurance policies.

An Offshore Trust is created when assets are transferred to a Trustee. The Trustee becomes the legal owner and is responsible for managing the assets and distributing them to the beneficiaries of the Offshore Trust (which could include the person or corporation which transferred the assets to the trustees) in accordance with the terms of the Trust Deed.

The terms on which the Trustees administer the Trust assets are detailed in a Trust Deed and Trust legislation to govern Trusts has been enacted in many common law jurisdictions.

A Trust is the solution for individuals who:

  • Want to preserve their wealth against uncertainty, political, economic or family
  • Want to transfer wealth to their heirs in a tax-efficient manner
  • Want to plan their estate to maximize the benefits of their wealth for family members and others
  • Want to transfer wealth to their heirs in accordance with their wishes and not in accordance with the laws of the country where they live
  • Want to consolidate the ownership of assets owned throughout the world in one location
  • Want centralised reporting
  • Want to minimise or eliminate estate taxes arising on the death of the settlor

When a Trust is established in a suitable offshore jurisdiction, provided that residents of the offshore jurisdiction are excluded from receiving benefit from the offshore trust, then there will be no local taxes applicable to the assets and income of the trust.

Foundations are a very important component when structuring the ownership of family and corporate assets and are particularly important where Trusts are not generally recognised. They are in many respects similar to corporate entities but afford the protection and continuity derived from the use of Trusts.

A Foundation is the solution for individuals who:

  • Want to preserve their wealth against uncertainty; either political, economic or family related
  • Want to transfer wealth to their heirs in a tax-efficient manner.
  • Want to plan their estate to maximise the benefits of their wealth for family members and others
  • Want to transfer wealth to their heirs in accordance with their wishes and not in accordance with the laws of the country where they live
  • Want to consolidate the ownership of assets owned throughout the world in one location
  • Want centralised reporting
  • Want to minimise or eliminate estate taxes arising on the death of the founder

When a Foundation is established in a suitable offshore jurisdiction, provided that residents of the offshore jurisdiction are excluded from receiving benefit from the Foundation, then there will be no local taxes applicable to the assets and income of the Foundation.

Please contact any of our offices or submit an enquiry to the office of your choice and a consultant will shortly be in touch to arrange a free consultation.

OCRA Worldwide announces strategic merger with Acclime

17th November 2022, Hong Kong - OCRA Worldwide (OCRA), announces today that it has completed the strategic merger with Asia Pacific’s premier corporate services provider Acclime (www.acclime.com). This is the latest step in Acclime’s active expansion as the Asia specialist in compliance and corporate services throughout the region.

Established in 1975 and led by Bart Dekker and Dharmesh Naik, OCRA is one of the industry pioneers in the corporate services sector with a full suite of corporate services from company formation, company secretarial support, accounting, and HR services. Over the past 40 years, OCRA has become a truly global business by providing very personalised services to their clients, most of whom are private investors or companies investing abroad.

From its founding base in Europe, OCRA has morphed over the past decade to focus on the faster growing markets of Asia and the Indian Ocean, and currently has teams in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Singapore, Mauritius and the Seychelles with around 80 staff. Additionally, OCRA is licensed in Samoa and the UAE to provide incorporation services to clients and referral partners.

"The high quality of the team, the interesting gateway jurisdictions of Mauritius and UAE which are important investment hubs for Africa and India, and the synergy of offering OCRA clients more services and Asian locations for expanding their business were the strategic logic for Acclime's interest in acquiring OCRA," said Martin Crawford, CEO and Co-Founder of Acclime. "We look forward to introducing OCRA’s corporate clients to our regional experts in China, Hong Kong, Australia, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, India, Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam," he added.

The sale of the business was managed by the corporate advisory team of Mazars in London (Paul Joyce & Fred Dearden), acting for the ultimate shareholder of OCRA, and was opened for bids. "Acclime was chosen as the preferred bidder as the team recognised the cultural similarities, with high quality, personalised services at the core," said Bart Dekker, OCRA’s Managing Director, Asia Pacific. Dharmesh Naik, OCRA's Managing Director, Middle East and Indian Ocean, added, "We are excited and delighted to become an integral part of a large international team with the established resources across Acclime's network, and to execute the transaction in line with OCRA's long term succession plan in the interest of all of our stakeholders."

OCRA will operate as an independent business unit within Acclime, supported by funding, IT and marketing initiatives that will grow the business further. Bart Dekker and Dharmesh Naik will remain running the business post-acquisition.

The transaction is subjected to regulatory approvals in several locations and Acclime is expected to complete the acquisition by the end of 2022.

About OCRA
Established in 1975, OCRA is one of the industry pioneers in the corporate services sector with a full suite of corporate services from company formation, company secretarial support, accounting and HR services. For over 40 years, OCRA has been providing personalised services to its clients, most of whom are private investors or companies investing abroad.

About Acclime
Acclime, the premier corporate services provider in Asia, helps corporate and private clients to advance their businesses and interests in difficult-to-navigate markets in emerging Asia. The company’s vision is to reinvent the corporate services sector with innovative solutions that are seamlessly delivered to the highest global standards.

Enquiries: enquiries@ocra.com