A perfect place to store gold bullion offshore? We expect gold storage operators will be opening shortly in the Singapore free zone. Peter Macfarlane reports below…

It’s not just money that Swiss banks have been haemorrhaging lately (as reported in our last Q Bytes). As Swiss and other private banks are increasingly moving asset protection and wealth management functions to Singapore banks, another interesting news item this past week was the opening of Singapore FreePort.

Singapore FreePort is a state-of-the-art secure storage facility that operates in its own duty-free zone adjacent to Singapore’s Changi Airport. The largest such facility in the world (270,000 square feet to be precise) it provides wealthy collectors with tax-free storage for their valuables.

“When you go to a bank and rent a safe, nobody knows what goes in. It’s the same thing here,” says Alain Vandenborre, president and co-founder of Singapore FreePort. “They only need to give a code that indicates the broad nature of the item—gold, wine or a painting. There’s no value, no ownership, no inventory list—all details are confidential. We offer more confidentiality than Geneva.”

Switzerland and neighboring Austria, home to the famous Das Safe, have typically been the jurisdictions of choice for ‘offshore’ storage of valuables. Geneva’s tax free port, for example, was established in 1888. But regulations and pressure are encouraging Swiss operators to look elsewhere.

It’s no surprise, therefore, to find that the majority shareholder is Natural Le Coultre, the largest art-storage and logistics operator at the Geneva Free Port. The new Singapore facility was planned by Swiss architects, Swiss engineers and Swiss security consultants.

Private rooms and vaults, barricaded by seven-ton doors, line the corridors. Unlike the free-port facilities in Switzerland, however, which are simply secure warehouses, the Singapore FreePort sought to combine security and style. A gigantic arching sculpture entitled “Cage sans Frontières,” (Cage Without Borders) spans the entire lobby.

We’ll be covering this facility in more depth in our Singapore report, due out over the summer for Q Wealth members. In the meantime, if you are not already on the distribution list for our free Q Bytes newsletter, please sign up here to receive more news like this directly in your inbox. We value your privacy.

Maybe you’ve read our recommendations on buying and storing physical gold bullion in a secure offshore location. Maybe you are looking for a secure storage solution for confidential documents. Anyway, a secure offshore safe deposit facility is a useful asset to any freedom-oriented individual.

The good news is that most Austrian or Swiss banks will be happy to rent you a safe deposit box, regardless of your passport. The bad news is that you need your passport! The famed Austrian and Swiss anonymous numbered bank accounts now only exist in the movies. Swiss banks usually want you to have an account from which they will deduct the annual box rental fee. Costs start at around 65 euro ($90) per year for a small box.

There is one exception: a safe deposit outfit in Vienna known as ‘Das Safe’- located in a beautiful Austrian palace. You’ll find more information in Peter Macfarlane’s Gold Report, available free to Q Wealth members.

Just about every bank in Austria or Switzerland also sells gold bullion coins. Purchases up to around CHF 25,000 do not require ID in Swiss banks.
Consider buying gold coins like the Austrian ‘Philharmonic’  a  one ounce Austrian gold coin, similar to the American Eagle, Krugerrand or Maple Leaf.

Austrian and Swiss law prohibits banks from opening your safe deposit box unless they are sure you are dead! Austria is one of the only countries in the world with this protection. I have been in Safety Deposit vaults in France and the USA where it seems half the boxes have stick-on government seals on them due to tax investigations, lawsuits, or  creditor claims. Those seals mean that the owner can’t get into his box, and it is scheduled to be drilled open for inspection if the owner doesn’t show up for an appointment with “the authorities.”

So Austrian and Swiss banks are great places to hold safe deposit boxes, but what if Latin America is your stomping ground? How can you buy and sell gold bullion bars and coins in major Latin American capitals like Panama City?

Unfortunately, buying gold in Panama is much harder. Banks selling gold are few and far between (though see the recommendations in Peter’s report) But there is a bit of good news… a new private, non-bank safe deposit facility is opening in Panama City, named “Best Safety Boxes” which is opening in the Credicorp Bank building in Panama City. Further details on Best Safety Boxes may be found here: Do Business in Panama – Best Safety Boxes article.