Expat Banking News

5 Mar at 6 PM 2020

N26 digital bank decision causing chaos for British expats in Spain

British expats in Spain with N26 digital bank accounts are rushing to change their registered addresses. The Germany-based relatively new expat banking service became popular amongst British expats in Spain due to its straightforward fund transfers, but the digital bank is now pulling out of the UK market. Brexit is the reason, and the change is due to close down some 200,000 UK-registered accounts. Many UK expats living, working or retiring in Spain still have registered UK addresses and are now rushing to change to their Spanish...

4 Mar at 6 PM 2020

Vacancies in Beijing and Hong Kong now the norm due to virus spread

Hong Kong and Beijing are running short of expat bankers as the coronavirus threat grows. As attempts to regulate the spread of the virus become even more restrictive, thousands of international bankers are fleeing Hong Kong and mainland China for offices outside the immediate danger zone. International schools are closing for the time being and the luxurious lives of the mega-wealthy expatriate professionals are being seriously disrupted as their trusted domestic staff are unable to follow them to safer locations. For those...

22 Oct at 6 PM 2019

Wealthy Hong Kong expats looking to emigrate to Oz

In spite of reports suggesting expat bankers in Hong Kong are in it for the long-haul, realtors are seeing a rush to invest in Australian property. Both expat professionals and Hong Kong’s wealthy elite are now hedging their bets on the outcome of the seemingly endless weekend protests. Although it seems no-one actually wants to leave, those with enough folding money are quietly investing in Australian property as a hedge against a full Chinese military takeover of one of the world’s most important financial hubs. From expat...

5 Aug at 6 PM 2019

Hong Kong expat banking community decimated by job cuts

Fewer opportunities for Hong Kong’s laid-off expat bankers are destroying the dream. Once a prime location for expat bankers, Hong Kong is now immersed in seemingly endless violent protests as well as an employment desert for expat bankers recently laid off by their employers. Reasons for the banking sector’s shrinking labour market include increasing demand for Mandarin speakers and cost-cutting by international banks located on the island. Deutsche Bank’s recent announcement of a swathe of cuts made the situation even worse...

31 Oct at 6 PM 2017

Qatar eases banking regulations for expats with expired visas

As the regional economic boycott enters its sixth month, Qatar’s central bank is loosening up on expat banking rules. According to the regulator, lenders must now allow expat workers whose visas have expired a full 90 days before their accounts are closed. Formerly, accounts were shut down immediately on visa expiry. The news was posted on the regulator’s website last Sunday, and is in line with an existing law which allows a stay of up to three months for expats whose residency permits have ended. The declared aim of the new...

2 Oct at 6 PM 2017

UK banks discrimination against expat Britons is now illegal

UK expats living overseas will be happy to hear British banks’ discrimination against those wishing to retain or open accounts with high street banks is now against UK law. Over the past few years, British banks have been operating an almost total ban on non-resident, non-domiciled, UK expats wishing to open bank accounts in their home country. Worse still, the majority of high-street banks have been busily closing existing expat accounts, often with very little notice, thus causing huge problems for British citizens living...

20 Jul at 6 PM 2017

Paris preparing to poach EU expat bankers from London

Now under its new President, Paris is planning to attract EU expat bankers and financial experts from post-Brexit London. Newly elected President Macron’s previous dislike of the banking fraternity seems to have evaporated under the necessity to up Paris’s game as regards attracting the brightest and best the City of London has to offer. A former banker himself, Macron is now offering tax breaks for financial professionals from overseas, the easing of EU regulations, more international schools and rules making it easier to hire...

20 Jun at 6 PM 2017

Hong Kong expat exodus opens doors for Chinese investment bankers

Two decades after the Hong Kong archipelago was given back to China, investment bankers and financiers from the mainland are taking over as Western expats leave. Following an exodus of Western expat bankers, Hong Kong’s elite financial ranks are now being swollen by an influx of professionals from the Chinese mainland. Western banks’ lay-offs of expensive professionals in the sector has created opportunities for equally talented incomers from mainland China eager to create their own brand of financial prowess. The influx is...

16 Mar at 6 PM 2017

Offshore account benefits for UK expats

Deciding how to organise expat banking needs in order to give easy access to cash held outside the new country of residence can be a trying aspect of planning for a new life abroad. Offshore accounts are often the first option on the to-do list necessary for a smooth transfer from the home country to the chosen expat destination, whether the move is for retirement or for a new job overseas. One thing’s for sure, many expats now feel safer in these difficult days knowing the bulk of their savings is in a secure offshore bank rather...

28 Oct at 6 PM 2016

Expat bankers in Hong Kong mourn the old days

The ‘good old days’ of Hong Kong’s expat banking community are now long gone, with conspicuous consumption and extravagant lifestyles being replaced by discretion and lower spending. In the days before the 2008 financial crisis, Hong Kong was the dream relocation for a huge number of expat bankers, all gifted with packages covering everything from luxury housing through kids’ schooling and expense account entertainment. Salaries and generous bonuses were lavished on the city’s upscale nightlife, riotous parties and every...