Latest / IMI Podcasts / This Week in IM - Feb 19: 🇳🇱 to Tax Unrealized Gains, 🇻🇨 CBI Compared to “Cocaine”, 🇦🇫 Taliban Wants Investors, ++

Transcript

This Week in IM - Feb 19: 🇳🇱 to Tax Unrealized Gains, 🇻🇨 CBI Compared to “Cocaine”, 🇦🇫 Taliban Wants Investors, ++ · IMI Podcasts

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: You're listening to IMI This Week.
• 0:03
  SPEAKER_00: In this edition of 10 on the Weekend, Dwayne Chawhan, co-founder and CEO of Vance Capital, addresses RCBI reputation challenges and calls for stronger compliance.
• 0:14
  SPEAKER_00: Having completed the process himself, he now aims to engage with policymakers to strengthen industry credibility.
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_00: At least 14 countries have proposed citizenship by investment programs in recent years, but only St.
• 0:27
  SPEAKER_00: Vincent and the Grenadines has confirmed a launch date.
• 0:31
  SPEAKER_00: Argentina is building its program architecture, while several African, Pacific, and Central Asian initiatives have stalled or pivoted to residency routes.
• 0:40
  SPEAKER_00: As IMI Pro Sam Bayet observes, designing a CBI program is far easier than operating one.
• 0:48
  SPEAKER_00: Dutch lawmakers approved legislation that will tax residents 36% on unrealized returns from stocks in crypto, starting in 2028.
• 0:57
  SPEAKER_00: While only real estate and startup shares will be taxed upon sale, most financial assets will be assessed annually.
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_00: Afghanistan's Taliban administration has endorsed a proposal to grant one to ten year residency permits to foreign investors, yet few details have been announced.
• 1:16
  SPEAKER_00: The initiative comes after a 27% economic contraction, but experts argue that security and transparency will determine whether investors respond.
• 1:26
  SPEAKER_00: St.
• 1:26
  SPEAKER_00: Vincent and the Grenadines's planned CBI program sparked a parliamentary battle.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_00: While newly elected Prime Minister Goodwin Friday presenting it as a sovereign capital strategy, former PM Ralph Gonsalves compared CBI revenues to cocaine and claimed Washington advised against CBI and a diplomatic pivot to China.
• 1:47
  SPEAKER_00: Malaysia's revamped MM2H has generated 3.87 billion ringgit in 18 months, reversing years of decline.
• 1:55
  SPEAKER_00: Lower thresholds and relaxed rules have driven 9,511 approvals and strong property inflows, with Chinese nationals leading demand.
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_00: The overhaul has placed MM2H atop Southeast Asian residency programs.
• 2:11
  SPEAKER_00: Flag Theory 2.0 has shifted from tax arbitrage to transparent, multi-jurisdictional legitimacy.
• 2:18
  SPEAKER_00: In the current era of automatic data exchange, individuals diversify citizenship, residency, and assets across regional blocks and financial systems to prevent any single government from monopolizing control over their entire life.
• 2:33
  SPEAKER_00: At the inaugural EU Caribbean Parliamentary Assembly, Antigua and Barbuda's Prime Minister Gaston Brown defended Caribbean CBI programs, arguing their vetting exceeds EU visa standards.
• 2:46
  SPEAKER_00: He noted that CBI is a sovereign development tool and that ECCIRA-led harmonization reinforces credibility of the Caribbean programs.
• 2:55
  SPEAKER_00: Brown urged dialogue over coercion as EU and U.S.
• 2:59
  SPEAKER_00: pressure intensifies.
• 3:01
  SPEAKER_00: A Cypriot court acquitted former Parliament President Dimitris Salouris and ex-MP Christakis Giovanni's in a major golden passport case, citing prosecutorial failures.
• 3:13
  SPEAKER_00: The Attorney General plans to appeal.
• 3:16
  SPEAKER_00: With other trials pending and EU scrutiny ongoing, the scandal continues to shadow Cyprus's rule of law record and Schengen ambitions.
• 3:25
  SPEAKER_00: New Zealand's revamped Active Investor Plus visa has drawn 573 applications representing 3.39 billion New Zealand dollars in potential investment in just 10 months.
• 3:37
  SPEAKER_00: After slashing thresholds, the program has surged 48fold over the prior regime.
• 3:43
  SPEAKER_00: IME Pros, Misha Manixopi and James Hall, weigh in on the program led by strong U.S.
• 3:49
  SPEAKER_00: demand and 25-day processing times.
• 3:53
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks for joining us today on IMI Podcasts.
• 3:56
  SPEAKER_00: Subscribe for free to the IMI Daily Newsletter for breaking news and updates from the investment migration industry.
• 4:03
  SPEAKER_00: And consider upgrading your membership to IMI Pro to get access to our exclusive professional community, industry events, data, and members only content.