Financial Secrecy

This book examines the notion of financial secrecy as a "product" that has value, and can be discussed in a modern industrial organization framework. There are those who need financial confidentiality and are willing to pay for it - how much depends on likely damage caused by disclosure. To meet this demand, there are those - individuals, firms and countries - that offer to safeguard financial secrets, for a price.

These two contours meet in a global market which can be assessed much like any other market, and that has broad implications, both good and bad, for market participants and for social welfare more broadly. This means that the market is of public interest and warrants the attention of national as well as global authorities.

This important and timely new book focuses on these issues as they have developed over time, including the emergence of cryptocurrencies and virtual assets as secrecy vehicles.