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The bridge between two
Continents |
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Situated on the isthmus adjoining Spain, and just 10 miles from North Africa, the
Gibraltar Finance Centre enjoys an  unique geographical
advantage.
Equipped with its own international air and sea ports,  the Rock provides an excellent stepping stone between Europe
and North Africa. Flights operate between Casablanca, Tangier, Tetouan and
Gibraltar on one side and to the United Kingdom on the other. Spain and the Golden
resorts of Marbella and Sotogrande are just a short drive away and make Gibraltar
the ideal financial base for those wishing to profit from a magnificent lifestyle.
Standing guard at the southern tip of the Iberian peninsula, Gibraltar has for
centuries been a strategic, symbolic and welcoming profile at the gateway between Africa
and Europe. Only ten miles of water separate Gibraltar from North Africa, and in many ways
Gibraltar and its surrounding region represents an idealised Africa -  Africa without the heat, without the drought, without
the sand and without the political instability. The modern name of Gibraltar comes from
the name of the Berber leader - Tarik ibn Zeyad who took the Rock in 711AD and thus
started the conquest of Iberia. Gibraltar is derived from Jebel Tarik - the mountain Tarik
which forms the basic substance of the great Rock itself. Across the Straits lies the
mountain of Jebel Musa in memory of another great Islamic war hero and these two peaks
zealously supervise the busy interchange between the Mediterranean and the Atlantic. With
Gibraltar acting as a springboard, the Moors went on to make the rest of Spain the
westernmost province of Islam, and stayed on her soil for seven hundred years. The epoch
left a golden mark on the Rock where libraries, universities, observatories and
architecture flourished.
It also taught Gibraltar about the irrigation, gardens and the elements of romanticism
- a forerunner of swirl, the quarter tone and the castanet. Gibraltar's former Islamic
life still shines through the garrison architecture and provides an important contribution
to Gibraltar's current happy multi-racial environment where all cultures, from the east or
the west, are made to feel at home.
The private banks have brought to Gibraltar the expertise and quiet style of older
banking centres. They and their clients are able to benefit from the Commitment of the
Government of Gibraltar to provide the infrastructure of legislation and administration
necessary for a bank to be able to offer to clients a package of services designed to make
investment through Gibraltar discrete, secure and cost effective, allowing the client to
structure his affairs generally in a tax effective manner with the added benefit of
residency where appropriate.
At the heart of private banking in Gibraltar is the need to preserve the
confidentiality of the client and his business. Equally the private banks recognise that
their clients respect investment expertise and have confidence in the financial soundness
of the banking system.
The private banks in Gibraltar are licensed by the Financial Services Commission and
are regulated to the standards of the European Union. The relationship between these
private banks and the Banking Supervisor ensures that, while the prudential supervision of
the banks is conducted to the highest standards, the confidentiality of client identity is
respected.
In the best tradition of private banking, services from the private banks to clients
are tailor-made to the specific needs of the clients, in particular by the effective use
of both common law and civil law solutions to financial planning. For example it is not
unusual to have a structure of both foundations and private companies to hold the assets
of the client deposited with the bank and for those assets to be invested in accordance
with the instructions of the client or his advisor by the bank on a fiduciary basis in the
name of the bank, more often than not in the Swiss bank of the client's choice.
The taxation regime in Gibraltar is designed to accommodate the client who needs
residency but whose lifestyle means that he rarely has the chance to spend long in one
place. Provision is made for officially agreed predetermination of annual tax liability
for a person who has acquired appropriate residential property and, along with his tax
status, the right to reside. Such status is not adversely affected by the conduct of
business operations from Gibraltar using tax-exempt companies.
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The leading commercial centre in Gibraltar is
Europort which spearheads a new business zone in Gibraltar, ten minutes from the centre of
town with commanding views across the Straits to Tangier. 
Much has been said of Gibraltar's strategic military
position in distant history, but it has also played an important role in recent conflicts
such as the Gulf War, the Yugoslavia peace Keeping Forces and the Falkland Islands
conflict. Equipped with its own military air and naval base, the Rock acts as a convenient
supply and auxiliary aid centre for operations both pertinent to the region and far
beyond. Gibraltar's strategic role is replicated in the commercial world. Gibraltar has
long prospered knowing how to exploit the many trading possibilities arising out of its
unique and pivotal geographical location.