my experience is simply different with real accounts, not hearsay from friends. most asian countries have strict restrictions for overseas accounts, of course there is the law, and the respect of the law
Do you have official source for "Singapore authorities forbid residents from investing overseas" (here I thought you meant overseas brokers?). I really want to know. Thanks.
I tried to do a Google search but all I got was "foreigners opening accounts in Sing" which is not what we want. I could try to find old compliance records to demonstrate what really happened and why but don't know for sure if I still have them. It's an interesting topic. Wish I could help. Maybe a search on the MAS website. If you find anything, let me know, maybe some rules have changed or been relaxed. I know rich Singaporeans tend to "ignore" the laws when they can get away with it, so that practice might be rampant in some circles. The Australian education channel for the kids was often used as an excuse to "funnel" money overseas
Singaporeans can certainly trade overseas. There may be some confusion on this thread regarding GST as too am not aware of a financial tax but everyone's situation is different as some clients are orgs, accredited/professional, retail, etc. @Cyrix, please PM me as I believe may have a solution for you under our IBSG entity.