IBC or International Business Company or as it is also called International Business Corporation is basically an offshore company that is usually incorporated under the laws of some jurisdictions worldwide as a tax neutral company, meaning that it is not subject to tax in the country of incorporation. It is also limited in the direct business activities it may engage in while operating in the context of the jurisdiction in which it is incorporated.

Importance and main functions of IBC
Often IBC features can vary by jurisdiction, but typically include confidentiality of business records, ability to issue shares, provision of a local registered agent or office, and exemption from local corporate income tax as the majority of offshore Jurisdictions that removed or are processing removal exempt IBC from local taxation while reducing corporate income tax to zero to avoid hurting the entire offshore finance industry.

Such companies are generally formed for offshore banking, international investment, asset protection, real estate and intellectual property ownership, and other business activities related to international trade.

A list of jurisdictions offering IBC as a business structure
As stated in Streber Weekly, there are many jurisdictions that offer IBC as a business structure. The list of such jurisdictions is quite long: Antigua and Barbuda, Anguilla, Barbados, Bahamas, Belize, Brunei, British Virgin Islands or BVI, Cook Islands, Comoros, Dominica, Grenada, Gambia, Mauritius, Marshall Islands, Monsterrat, Nauru, Saint Lucia, Samoa, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Seychelles and Vanuatu. This list includes most jurisdictions without considering their worldwide reputation. Some popular offshore jurisdictions not mentioned previously offer territorial taxation and other tax incentives in lieu of IBCs. These business structures can operate as Exempt Corporations, Free Zone Corporations, or Non-Resident Corporations, etc. without having the ease of IBC corporations: Panama, Hong Kong, Cayman Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI), United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bermuda.

For example, the jurisdiction of Panama is generally appropriate for International Foundation or IBC in terms of asset protection. The jurisdiction of Hong Kong in general is also convenient for international trade due to the favorable tax system as no withholding tax, capital gains tax, capital gains tax, VAT and other types of taxes are levied.

The most respected jurisdictions for IBCs
The British Virgin Islands (BVI) is recognized as the world's leading offshore business center with more than 450,000 operating companies registered on its territory. He is often referred to as the grandfather of all IBCs. International international business corporations have a fairly good reputation among other jurisdictions of this type due to the ability to transfer domicile and privacy of ownership for assets collected within the corporation. In general, the BVI provide flexible, cost-effective and fast international offshore company formation services.

Seychelles can be alternatives to BVI offshore companies as this jurisdiction also offers ease of administration, simplicity and privacy. Additionally, with more than 175,000 companies registered there, IBC is the most common type of company formed on islands. The IBCs of this jurisdiction are commonly used as consulting and staffing services firms, as well as holding companies for stocks, real estate, and stocks.

The Bahamas is one of the oldest offshore jurisdictions to be considered classic like the previously mentioned BVI as it is independent, politically stable, has an improving reputation and is gambling friendly.

Saint Kitts and Nevis has a good reputation but is also politically stable and has an average to low cost. However, this jurisdiction is more popular for its limited liability companies (LLC).

St. Vincent and the Grenadines has low costs. It is quite stable politically and has a good reputation which has improved in recent years due to increasing popularity due to financial deals conducted by Euro Pacific Bank and Loyal Bank.

Germany is a social market economy with a large capital stock, a highly qualified workforce, a high level of innovation and low levels of corruption. It is the largest economy in Europe and the fourth largest nation in the world in terms of nominal GDP. In addition to the intelligent economy and productive market structure, Germany also offers investment opportunities in its real estate segment.

What influences the German real estate market?
The volatility of the real estate market can be explained by numerous macroeconomic and social factors in the country. Due to the zero interest rate policy of the European Central Bank, mortgage interest rates remain at record lows and offer historically favorable financing conditions. In addition, the quantitative easing (QE) policy being pursued by the ECB is leading to higher liquidity, increasing investment pressure as investors seek potential investment opportunities with above-average returns in relatively safe sectors. QE is also weakening the euro, making the German real estate market even more attractive to investors from outside the euro zone.

New projects and construction activities lag far behind the growing demand, which leads to rising property prices. The German Property Index (GPI), which measures the return on all real estate investments in Germany, reached 14.7% in 2016, a record level since German reunification. The demand for high-quality real estate is increasing due to the demographic and overall economic development in Germany – ongoing urbanization and growing metropolitan areas. Germany is experiencing a positive reversal in birth rates and other demographic factors. The birth rate rose from 1.39 to 1.50 per woman between 2011 and 2015. In addition, Germany has a persistent migration surplus, which can partially compensate for the demographic imbalance.

Commercial real estate, especially office space, is also in high demand due to record employment and the low unemployment rate, and is also benefiting from increasing purchasing power and high consumer spending. Logistics and warehouse real estate is crucial for growing businesses and is therefore in high demand due to the increase in wholesale and retail trade. Below you will find an overview of the most important sectors of the German real estate market.

Residential real estate
The residential real estate market was able to recover from the financial crisis and market stagnation in the years after 2009. Residential property construction projects have risen steadily in recent years, resulting in around 277,000 completed residential units in 2016. 2015 Residential real estate With a total investment of EUR 170 billion, 60% of the total construction volume in Germany went into construction. Despite a significant increase in building permits issued (375,400 permits issued in 2016) and a record level of completed projects, demand still significantly exceeds the volume of completed residential projects.

Future prospects call for applications for new building permits to increase to 272,000 units per year by 2020 and further slow down to 230,000 units per year by 2030. Meanwhile, the number of residential properties could increase to 380,000 units in the short term due to increased immigration.

However, the demand for residential real estate differs greatly from region to region. In some regions, the gap between demand and supply could close soon, especially in eastern Germany. In some regions, especially in prosperous metropolitan areas, the available housing units will remain very scarce.

Along with the insufficient supply, the asking rents have risen accordingly. In large cities in particular, the trend towards rising rents is quite dynamic. For example, the annual growth rate of residential rents in Germany has been around 1.7% since 2004. In the meantime, rents in Berlin and Munich have risen by 3.9% and 3.5% annually, respectively. Both cities recorded an annual growth in purchase prices of 6% in this real estate sector.

Office Properties
Similarly as residential properties, also office properties’ market is in a good and forward-looking shape mainly due to positive migration balance and historically low unemployment rates. In 2016, approximately 3.9 million square meters of office space was rented in the top 7 cities in Germany. This indicates a growth of 12% in comparison to the previous period. A particularly dynamic development was observed in Frankfurt, Cologne and Stuttgart with growth rates ranging between 25% and 48.4%. Meanwhile, Hamburg, Dusseldorf, Munich and Berlin have experienced a cool-down in floor-space turnover in comparison to previous years.

The overall vacancy rate of office properties has decreased due to several factors: a dynamic demand, a slow expansion of floor space and high pre-letting rates. Across the top 7 cities mentioned above, the vacancy rate decreased by 0.7% points to 4.9%. In the top 7 real estate locations in Germany, the prime office rents range between 21 EUR/m2 and 37.50 EUR/m2 giving an attractive potential for investment return. This especially applies to Berlin, where rents have increased by more than 17% in comparison to 2015 reaching 28.7 EUR/m2. Currently, the highest office rents are in Frankfurt and Munich (37.50 EUR/m2 and 35 EUR/m2 accordingly).

Local investors retain the dominant market position accounting for around 60% of the total transaction activity in office property market. Meanwhile, foreign investors account for approximately two fifths (or 20.9 billion EUR) of the transaction volume.

In terms of political and civil liberties, Estonia is 1. Citizens in Estonia experience total freedom. The majority of countries where citizens enjoy wide civil liberties and political liberties are representative democracies, where officials are directly elected by the citizens to advocate for their needs and wants. Free countries are often empowered by healthy economies and well-functioning governments. The companies in Estonia are 2 in terms of economic freedom. Citizens in Estonia are considered to be largely free in their economic decisions. While the government exercises some control over trade, citizens can still control their own finances and property. Corruption may exist, but it does not greatly impede economic growth or freedom. In terms of journalistic freedom, Estonia's media are in a 1. In Estonia, journalists are generally allowed to express a variety of opinions and there are a number of news sources. However, the government can criticize or disapprove of certain subjects or publications. This is considered satisfactory.

Albania is considered a large nation due to its total area. Its total land area is 28,748 km² (about 11,100 mi²). The continental shelf of Albania is approximately 6,979 km² (approximately 2,695 mi²). Albania is in Europe. Europe is a continent whose borders date back to ancient times. European countries include the United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Malta and the Vatican, among others. Albania has 4 neighboring countries. Its neighbors include Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro. Albania is not a landlocked country. It means it is bounded by at least one major body of water. The average altitude range of Albania is 708 m (2,323 ft).

Neighbors
The total length of land borders of Albania is 691 kilometers (~267 miles). Albania shares its land borders with 4 different countries and has the same number of unique land borders with neighboring territories. If, as in the case of Albania, a country has the same number of distinct neighboring regions as land borders, then that country does not have non-contiguous sections of a land border. This is in contrast to several countries that have multiple non-contiguous stretches of land borders. Albania has 4 neighboring countries. Its neighbors include Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia and Montenegro. The lengths of land borders of Albania with its neighboring countries are as follows:

Greece - 282 km (175 miles),
Kosovo - 112 km (70 miles),
Macedonia - 151 km (94 mi),
Montenegro - 172 km (107 miles).

Cities
The capital of Albania is Tirana. The biggest cities in Albania are Tirana, Durres, Elbasanm, Vlore.

Elevation
The average altitude range of Albania is 708 m (2,323 ft). The highest point in Albania is Maja e Korabit with an official elevation of 2764 m (9,069 ft). The lowest point in Albania is the Adriatic Sea. The difference in altitude between the highest (Maja e Korabit) and the lowest (Adriatic) point in Albania is 2764 m (2 ft).

Area
The total land area of ​​Albania is 28,748 km² (about 11,100 mi²). and the total Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) is 13,691 km² (~5,286 mi²). The continental shelf of Albania is approximately 6,979 km² (around 2,695 mi²). Including the landmass and the EEZ, the total area of ​​Albania is approximately 42,439 km² (~16,386 mi²). Albania is considered a large nation due to its total area.

Forest and farmland
7,716 km² of Albania's territory is covered with forests, and forest areas account for 27% of the total land area. In Albania, there are 5,507 km² of arable land, which accounts for 19% of the country's total area.