LIECHTENSTEIN

Liechtenstein Strengthens Financial Centre Strategy

Determined to improve the attractiveness and stability of the Liechtenstein financial centre, the Principality’s government announced recently that Christoph Weder has now joined the new office responsible for international financial centre agendas (SIFA).

Underlining the fact that the Liechtenstein financial centre is one of the central pillars of the country’s economy, the Liechtenstein government said that it fully supports any necessary reorganization and adjustments, associated with a changed international environment, with specific framework conditions. As part of its plans to coordinate the implementation and further development of the government’s financial centre strategy, it elected to appoint an expert with both national and international experience, it explains.

Commenting on the latest announcement, Liechtenstein’s Prime Minister and Finance Minister Klaus Tshütscher stated that the decision was intended to strengthen the structure designed to support the vital and ongoing development process. The move will also serve to further strengthen the attractiveness and stability of the Principality’s financial centre, he continued, noting that Weder provides a key additional point of contact for Liechtenstein’s financial centre participants.

The government stresses that the decision reflects efforts to more intensively coordinate both the development and the reorganization of the Liechtenstein financial centre, which began with the Liechtenstein Declaration. Working alongside the Head of the new unit, Katja Gey, Weder’s role involves supporting the development of new business for the financial centre, preparing government decision documents to transform and to reorganize the financial centre, as well as coordinating responsibilities in the area of financial market regulation.

Welcoming the appointment, SIFA Head Katje Gey emphasized that measures introduced by the government in the last few years and months have steered the country on the right path. International developments in financial and tax matters continue to pose challenges to the Liechtenstein financial centre, however, which must be overcome working together with industry, she added.

Liechtenstein’s SIFA office became established and operational at the beginning of February, 2011, replacing the Futuro office (SFU), whose responsibility was to implement the vision for Liechtenstein as an economic location, observe trends and developments in international economic locations and to propose new initiatives for Liechtenstein accordingly, forming part of the ongoing ‘Futuro Strategy’.

Quelle: Tax-News.com

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