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LOWTAX OFFSHORE

ARUBA: E-COMMERCE


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BACK TO ARUBA INFORMATION: BUSINESS, TAXATION AND OFFSHORE

On this Page:

- ARUBA OFFSHORE ACTIVITIES
- ARUBA CASE STUDIES


The Internet had, until recently, not had much direct impact on the conduct of offshore business from Aruba.

However, the market for telecommunications in Aruba has been liberalized. Besides SETAR N.V. (Servicio di Telecomunicacion di Aruba), as the first provider of telecommunications there are two private companies that have obtained a licence to operate a mobile phone network. SETAR N.V. being the first provider on the island, provides most of the telecommunications services.

There are also additional internet service providers and high speed internet is available. However, broadband is expensive compared with other countries; at the time of writing an ADSL service with a 3mbps download capacity costs about 160 Af per month.

Nonetheless, the telecommunication infrastructure of Aruba has advanced in recent years and the island has both a fibre optic and digital microwave network. Aruba is also a landing point of the Pan American Submarine Cable System, and is connected with the world fibre optic network. International calls can be made to all countries in the world directly or via international operator service.

SETAR N.V. has a packet switching node for credit card validation purposes and additional data communication services. In addition SETAR N.V. offers a mobile communication infrastructure and a city-paging system for tone, voice (mail), numeric and alphanumeric options. A cellular telephone and trunking system (public mobile radio system) is also available.


Aruba Offshore Activities

The natural bonding of the Internet and Offshore stems from the fact that both, of their nature, manage to avoid tax. Businesses which can operate on the Internet without, so to speak, touching ground in a high-tax jurisdiction will naturally migrate to offshore jurisdictions; while business that already have offshore existence will find it highly convenient to be able to use the Internet to trade with their high-tax customers without having to make a landing in their countries.

As a major offshore jurisdiction with more than ten thousand of offshore enterprises already installed, including many trading companies, it is only a matter of time before Aruba becomes a centre of e-commerce activity. The island's geographical location, its good telecommunications links and sophisticated business infrastructure add to the inevitability of an e-future for Aruba.

In September, 2005, First Atlantic Commerce Ltd (FAC), a leading Bermuda-based e-Commerce payment solutions provider, introduced an innovative solution that offers companies the ability to apply for merchant accounts in both Europe and the Netherlands Antilles, including Aruba, leveraging a single Dutch corporate structure.

FAC’s Kingdom of the Netherlands solution enables merchants acquiring through FAC’s partner banks in Europe and/or the Netherlands Antilles or both - creating a dual acquiring presence in the Latin America Caribbean Region and the European Union.

“To meet with the Card Associations cross border compliance all merchants are required to establish a corporate presence in the same jurisdiction as their settlement bank,” said FAC CEO Andrea Wilson. “Merchants who establish a Dutch Company in the Netherlands Antilles (Curacao, Sint Maarten or Aruba) are then eligible to apply for merchant accounts in both The Netherlands and the Netherlands Antilles leveraging one single Dutch corporate structure.”

FAC’s solution provides merchants with the opportunity to offer their customers a number of secure payment choices including US Dollars, Euros, Pounds Sterling, and Swiss Francs with the merchant having the choice of settlement jurisdictions within the LACR and/or Europe.

FAC’s Dutch Kingdom banking solution automatically protects eligible merchants with Verified By VISA and MasterCard SecureCode™ on qualifying VISA and MasterCard transactions. Based on the Card Associations’ 3-D Secure ™ technology, cGate®SecureVerify provides merchants with protection from fraudulent transactions, unauthorized payments and chargeback liability shift.

FAC’s banking partners in Europe and the Netherlands Antilles offer full Internet banking services enabling merchants to easily and securely manage their accounts.

First Atlantic Commerce is headquartered in Bermuda, and was established in 1998 to create secure card based payment solutions for e-businesses, FAC provides powerful technology designed to work with most merchant platforms, including Microsoft®, UNIX, and LINUX platforms. FAC’s cGate® technology offers state-of-the-art service, flexibility and security to adapt to many business and bank acquirer requirements. Business solutions such as 3-D Secure™ Payer Authentication, Virtual Corporations and offshore multi-currency payment solutions are available in the LACR and Europe.

In May 2008, Mio, a fast growing provider of broadband mobile communication services in the Caribbean Islands, has announced that it would soon be launching mobile voice, broadband Internet access and WiMax services in Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao.

Mio claimed that it would be the first in the Caribbean to offer affordable unlimited wireless broadband Internet access and voice plans.

High Speed Wireless Broadband will further enable new IP (Internet Protocol) services such as static IP addresses, VoIP (Voice over IP), hosted and managed services, video on demand, video conferencing, web hosting, and many other services to be offered. Additionally, it does not require a landline as ADSL does.

Marc Dinee, VP of Sales and Marketing at the Mio Group, stated at the time of the announcement that: "Mio is determined to meet the needs of the various segments in the Caribbean market and, in that vein, we will be unveiling a number of other new products and services targeting these segments over the next several months. We are very excited to introduce our offerings of mobile voice, data, and broadband services to consumers and businesses in these islands. Our services provide our customers with always-on connectivity and high quality reliable services."

For information about the impact of e-commerce on a number of the main offshore activities which take place in the Aruba, click on a link below to go to our specialist E-commerce site Offshore-e-com.com

 

Sales and Distribution of Physical Products
Sales and Distribution of Digital Products
Banking and Financial Services (including Investment Funds)
Corporate Support Functions

To see an analysis of the current state of legal and tax issues surrounding offshore e-commerce, click here.

BACK TO TOP

Aruba Case Studies

This section will contain case studies of e-commerce solutions applied to offshore business activities carried out from Aruba.To be kept updated as to our progress click here.

BACK TO TOP


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