Each has a product at a fixed price. Legal setting, taxes and — the question people actually ask — who keeps which register and whether it is public.
Eastern Caribbean · Commonwealth · common law
The fastest route to your own company: three to five business days, English law, English as the official language and the lowest entry cost in the catalogue.
Beneficial ownership registers are maintained but are not publicly accessible.
North America · common law · US dollar
In the United States, company law is state law. You therefore do not choose a country called "the USA" but a state — and that choice determines cost, visibility and how investors will see you.
Wyoming maintains no public register of members. The same applies to the members of a Delaware LLC.
South Caucasus · civil law · EU association
Corporate tax on the Estonian model: 15 per cent, but only on distributed profits. Reinvest and you pay nothing — which is why growing companies come here.
The National Public Register records members and directors and is publicly accessible. Georgia is therefore the most transparent of the four jurisdictions.
Central Pacific · Delaware-style law · US dollar
Company law closely follows Delaware, and the islands operate the world’s second-largest ship registry. For shipping and charter structures, that is the actual reason to come here.
Registers of directors and members are maintained but are not publicly accessible.
EU member · eurozone · English-influenced company law
Full EU market access at 12.5 per cent corporate tax — one of the lowest rates in the Union. Formerly British: English is the business language and is accepted in court.
As an EU member, Cyprus keeps a register of beneficial owners. Since the 2022 ruling of the Court of Justice, access is limited to those with a legitimate interest rather than open to everyone.
City state · common law · gateway to ASEAN
Years at the top of international rankings for rule of law, freedom from corruption and ease of doing business. The leading financial centre of Southeast Asia.
The ACRA register records directors and members and is publicly searchable for a fee. That places Singapore among the more transparent locations in the catalogue.
Largest economy in the EU · civil law · euro
The real value of a German company is its reputation. Where an offshore structure raises questions, a GmbH opens doors — with banks, with large customers, with public sector clients.
The commercial register and the transparency register are public. The list of members and the beneficial owners are visible; annual accounts are published depending on size class. Germany is the most transparent location in the catalogue.
Special Administrative Region · common law · free port
Two-tier profits tax from 8.25 per cent and strictly territorial taxation. A free port without customs duties, the deepest capital market in Asia, direct access to mainland China.
The Companies Registry records directors and members and is publicly searchable. A register of significant controllers is kept at the company and must be produced on demand, but is not public.
British Overseas Territory · common law · Privy Council
The real reason for the BVI is not tax but the court: the Commercial Division has dense case law on shareholder disputes. If you are building with several partners, you get a forum here that decides conflicts reliably.
Registers of directors are kept but are not publicly accessible. A register of beneficial owners exists for the authorities; public access has been announced but is not in force.
EU member · civil law · German-speaking administration
Since the 2024 reform the minimum share capital is €10,000 instead of €35,000. That makes Austria cheaper on capital than Germany for the first time — and a serious alternative as an EU seat with German-speaking administration.
The Firmenbuch and the register of beneficial owners are both maintained; the Firmenbuch is public. Access to the ownership register has been limited to legitimate interest since the 2022 ruling of the Court of Justice.
Not an EU member · 26 cantons with their own tax powers
The decisive point for holding structures: there are no recurring shareholder costs. Formation is more expensive, running it costs nothing.
The commercial register is public and names management and authorised signatories. There is no public register of beneficial owners; the company keeps an internal record.
British Overseas Territory · common law · fund domicile
The world’s leading domicile for investment funds. The Cayman Islands are not on the EU list of non-cooperative jurisdictions — the difference between a structure that lasts and one that has to be explained at every bank review.
Registers of members and directors are kept but are not publicly accessible. A register of beneficial owners exists for the authorities. Automatic exchange of information under CRS and FATCA runs independently of that.
EEA member · own tax powers · company law of 1926
Full access to the EU single market with its own tax powers — that combination exists nowhere else. The Persons and Companies Act of 1926 knows legal forms no other country has in this form.
The commercial register is public. Different rules apply to foundations and trust enterprises: deposited foundations do not appear in the public register. A register of beneficial owners is kept for the authorities.
For this jurisdiction we offer trusts and foundations — a wealth structure, not a trading entity. That is discussed, not ordered.
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