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Trust & Trustee Services

A Trust can help preserve your wealth while offering you greater flexibility over the management and distribution of your assets.

The most common type of fiduciary structure is a Trust, a binding arrangement whereby assets are transferred to a “Trustee” who is required to administer the Trust assets for the benefit of specified beneficiaries strictly in accordance with the terms of the Trust.

The provision of Offshore Trust services is not a purely mechanical and administrative role. Judgment and expertise are required. Trust law is a complex and demanding area. Our global offices have the requisite legal and accounting infrastructure to maintain a high level of professional expertise when setting up and administering a Trust on your behalf. 

Through OCRA Worldwide’s licensed Trust and Trustee companies, clients are offered:

  • A bespoke service regarding the establishment of an Offshore Trust
  • Trusteeship and related services
  • Administration of Trust funds
  • Trust accounting and maintenance of asset ledgers
  • Reporting and filing as appropriate
  • Advice and guidance

When considering the appointment of a OCRA Worldwide as your Trust & Trustee service provider, clients should also note the following advantages offered:

  • Independence – OCRA Worldwide has no conflicts of interest. Our Trustees always act in the best interests of the Beneficiaries of the Offshore Trust. We do not compromise that position. Thus, independence from investment, legal or accounting advisors is critical and should be an absolute requirement by persons seeking to establish a Trust.
  • Size and substance – OCRA Worldwide has been providing Trustee Services for over four decades. We are a professionally managed company. Compliance, corporate governance and the pursuit of quality are fundamental to everything we do. Our approach to business and client matters is prudent.
  • Value – Many believe that the costs of establishing and administering an Offshore Trust are prohibitive. It is true that many of the major banks and other financial institutions make sizeable charges for setting up an Offshore Trust and receive a percentage of the Trust assets in annual administration fees. Our fees are generally far more reasonable and we can therefore provide access to Trusts to those with relatively modest assets. As all cases are different, fees will differ, but they are probably a lot less than you thought.
  • Jurisdiction – Our dedicated Offshore Trust Company, OCRA Trustees (Seychelles) Limited acts as Trustees where the proper law is that of the Seychelles.

For more information, please refer to the Trust & Foundations FAQ & Guides below.

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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.

Middle East & Indian Ocean

Mauritius
+230 217 5100
ocra@ocra-mauritius.com
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Seychelles
+248 422 5555
ocra@ocra-seychelles.com
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United Arab Emirates
+971 567 527 000
ocra@ocra.ae
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Asia-Pacific

Hong Kong
+852 2522 0172
hongkong@ocra.com.hk
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Shanghai
+86 (21) 6288 2288
shanghai@ocra.com.cn
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Samoa
+685 29404
samoa@ocra.ws
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Singapore
+65 6535 3382
singapore@ocra.com.sg
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OCRA Worldwide respects your privacy. Your details will never be disclosed to any third party for any purpose without your prior written consent.

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