Propaganda, Perception, And Power

In the accounts of noted Barbadian historian Professor Sir Hilary Beckles, the Vice Chancellor of the University of the West Indies, in a writing titled On Barbados, the Black Slave Society (8 April 2017), he stated: “By the 1650s, England was grandly celebrating Barbados as its premier global investment. The island had provided impetus for the breakthrough into profitable colonialism the nation had long desired but found irritatingly elusive. Henceforth, the national discourse on trade and economic growth, wealth creation and mercantilism.”

So significant was the island’s trade, it was more than that of the combined English colonies until the early 1700s, when that status was overtaken by geographically larger colonies such as Jamaica.  The estimated value of Barbados was put at £5.5 million in 1730.

Previously, the register of beneficial ownership was accessible by a competent authority, a financial intelligence unit, obliged entities[iv] and a person or organisation that demonstrates a legitimate interest.[v] In 2020 the final category, i.e., a “person or organisation that demonstrates a legitimate interest” was expanded to “a member of the public.”

The CJEU stated that:

“a fair balance should be sought in particular between the general public interest in the prevention of money laundering …and the data subjects’ fundamental rights.”

The CJEU decided that:

“the general public’s access to information on beneficial ownership…constitutes an interference with the rights guaranteed in Articles 7 and 8 of the Charter [of Fundamental Rights of the European Union].”[vi]

Previous research compared a small number of centres, typically just London, Frankfurt, Paris, and New York. Financial centre strength was already widely distributed at that point, and Z/Yen developed the GFCI to offer a dynamic measure of the strength of financial centres across the world. The first edition of the GFCI was published in 2007. In September 2022, Z/Yen published the 32nd edition of the index, which is updated twice a year.

The GFCI is a factor assessment index that combines two distinct sets of data to create a rating for financial centres:

• Instrumental Factors: Quantitative measures focused on cities and countries provided by a wide range of organisations including the United Nations, OECD, and World Bank. A total of 151 instrumental factors were used in GFCI 32.
• Financial Centre Assessments: Ratings of the competitiveness of financial centres provided by finance professionals across the world by means of an online questionnaire which has run continuously since 2007. F…

That is why, more than ever, it is vital for governments and international bodies to work together to support ambitious action that strengthens the sustainability of our societies and economies.

Part of that action needs to be focused on tackling illicit finance. Money laundering sustains illegal activity. It is estimated that two trillion dollars are laundered each year. Organised criminal syndicates, terrorists and corrupt officials launder their illicit profits and enjoy the fruit of their crimes. This cash fuels further serious crime and terrorism, undermines global financial systems, and makes societies less safe and economies less sustainable.

It is vital for national authorities to work together to target the financial flows that allow criminals to get away with their dirty money. By focusing on financial investigations, governments can go after the funds of drugs, weapons, and human traffickers, as well as the perpetrators of other illicit activities. 

However, the narrative of the ‘clean’ onshore jurisdiction versus the ‘dirty’ offshore jurisdiction is one that is becoming increasingly untenable to support. Through analysis by key practitioners, trade specialists and economists, we consider the disparity between perception and reality in offshore finance and contemplate the future of offshore in an increasingly regulated world.