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International Monetary Fund. African Dept.
This Selected Issues paper focuses on housing affordability in Andorra. This paper shows a granular analysis of housing affordability, exploiting microdata from the Survey of Living Conditions, to identify the groups that are most affected and better inform and target housing policies. Evidence that affordability is lower for renters and that Andorra is a renter-dominated real estate market combines to create a housing affordability issue. Low-income and low-skilled workers are disproportionally affected. This study analyzes the evolution and characteristics of housing demand and supply dynamics in the country, which indicates a supply and demand mismatch in the affordable segment of the Andorran housing market as well as insufficient fluidity, which exacerbates the shortage of short-term rentals and complicates the hiring of foreign workers. A multipronged policy approach is needed, and a careful balance is needed to minimize market distortions while increasing the stock of housing in the medium-term.
José Garrido
,
Ms. Yan Liu
,
Joseph Sommer
, and
Juan Sebastián Viancha
This note explores the interactions between new technologies with key areas of commercial law and potential legal changes to respond to new developments in technology and businesses. Inspired by the Bali Fintech Agenda, this note argues that country authorities need to closely examine the adequacy of their legal frameworks to accommodate the use of new technologies and implement necessary legal reform so as to reap the benefits of fintech while mitigating risks. Given the cross-border nature of new technologies, international cooperation among all relevant stakeholders is critical. The note is structured as follows: Section II describes the relations between technology, business, and law, Section III discusses the nature and functions of commercial law; Section IV provides a brief overview of developments in fintech; Section V examines the interaction between technology and commercial law; and Section VI concludes with a preliminary agenda for legal reform to accommodate the use of new technologies.
Sebastian Beer
,
Maria Delgado Coelho
, and
Sebastien Leduc
We analyze the impact of exchange of information in tax matters in reducing international tax evasion between 1995 and 2018. Based on bilateral deposit data for 39 reporting countries and more than 200 counterparty jurisdictions, we find that recent automatic exchange of information frameworks reduced foreign-owned deposits in offshore jurisdictions by an average of 25 percent. This effect is statistically significant and, as expected, much larger than the effect of information exchange upon request, which is not significant. Furthermore, to test the sensitivity of our findings, we estimate countries’ offshore status and the impact of information exchange simultaneously using a finite mixture model. The results confirm that automatic (and not upon request) exchange of information impacts cross-border deposits in offshore jurisdictions, which are characterized by low income tax rates and strong financial secrecy.
International Monetary Fund. Legal Dept.
This Technical Note evaluates the state of Anti-Money Laundering and Combating the Financing of Terrorism in Liechtenstein. Liechtenstein has made significant steps and achieved considerable progress since the last mutual evaluation, particularly in bringing its legal framework more closely in line with the Financial Action Task Force recommendations, consolidating an overall robust institutional framework for combating money laundering and terrorist financing and moving toward greater transparency. Domestic cooperation is robust, and key stakeholders enjoy the trust of the financial and nonfinancial sectors. However, effective implementation is uneven and not always optimal. Liechtenstein’s proactive use of the in rem regime of confiscation of criminal proceeds has proven to be quite effective.
International Monetary Fund. Monetary and Capital Markets Department
This Detailed Assessment of Observance on the Insurance Core Principles on Switzerland analyzes that the insurance industry in Switzerland is well developed having among the highest insurance penetration and expenditure per capita in the world. The sector is dominated by a few players writing significant international business. The life sector is dominated by two players, responsible for 54 percent of the business and the top 10 life insurers account for 97 percent of the market. The industry has weathered the 2008 crisis well; however, the current low interest rate environment is affecting the sector. The lack of availability of Swiss government bonds to match long term liabilities of life insurers and pension funds could be a source of vulnerability. The long-term nature of the liabilities of life insurers and pension funds could in principle be matched by investment in Swiss government securities. Supervision focuses on ensuring sufficiency of liquid assets to meet policy liabilities. Policyholders have priority claims over the tied assets. In addition, robust solvency requirements ensure there is enough capital to safeguard the insurers’ financial soundness under adverse conditions.
International Monetary Fund
St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) is exposed to money laundering (ML) and financing of terrorism (FT) risk related to drug trafficking and international criminal groups. The financing of terrorism has also been criminalized and is largely in conformity with the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism (SFT) Convention. The legal and institutional framework regarding the cross-border transportation of cash and bearer instruments is largely in place. The preventive measures regime covers most of the financial and designated nonfinancial businesses and professions (DNFBP) sectors as required under the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Recommendations.