Kaohsiung Zone of the Asian Asset Management Center
With collaboration between the central and local governments, Taiwan's first 'Local Asset Management Zone' under the Asian Asset Management Center program was established in Kaohsiung in July 2025.
Five Core Services of the Zone
One-Stop Financial Services
Establish a comprehensive financial service platform that enhances overseas asset management capabilities, including the facilitation of OBU (Offshore Banking Unit) and OSU (Offshore Securities Unit) services. This includes acting as an agent in the trading of foreign currency bonds and the distribution of foreign currency funds and private equity funds outside of centralized markets.
Strengthened Transaction Collaboration
Allow OBUs to collaborate with domestic securities firms to place orders for foreign securities such as stocks and ETFs, thereby enhancing cooperative trading efforts.
Agency Payment and Sales Services
Banks can distribute trust funds, offshore funds, and private equity funds through agency collection and payment services. By facilitating fund subscriptions in the name of institutions, customer transaction convenience is significantly enhanced.Liquidity and Flexibility for Client Funds
Policy and Premium Financing Banks can offer financing services secured by insurance contracts of high-net-worth clients.
Pledge Lending Services
Banks and securities firms can engage in pledge lending secured by the beneficial rights of self-benefit specific money trusts The maximum loan-to-value ratio is not limited to 50%, and repledging is permitted.
Financial Asset Portfolio Lending (Lombard Lending)
Banks can use the entirety of a client's financial asset portfolio as collateral. Under robust credit risk management, they offer portfolio-based lending services to meet clients' financial needs.Cross-Border Financial Services by Domestic Banks and Securities Firms
Attract Overseas Investors to Return to Taiwan
Provide offshore high-net-worth clients with financial products and services through both local and overseas branches.
Enhanced Joint Management Mechanism
Strengthen collaboration in financial service management between headquarters (parent companies) and overseas branches.
Zone Operating Unit Services
Permit operating units of domestic banks or securities firms within the zone to offer services to offshore high-net-worth clients. Staff from overseas branches returning to Taiwan can provide relevant services to offshore high-net-worth clients when accompanied by personnel from Zone operating units.
Improved Wealth Management Efficiency
Enhance the efficiency and appeal of wealth management services.
Diversified Products and Services
Family Office Establishment
Banks can set up family offices for high-net-worth clients, offering legal, tax, wealth management, and other advisory services in collaboration with third parties.
External Asset Management Advisory
Securities investment advisory firms, including those engaging in related trust and securities businesses, provide external asset management advisory services to high-net-worth clients.
Wealth Management in the Insurance Sector:
Introduce health insurance products with multiple benefit payments in foreign currency.
Launch insurance products that are not subject to minimum ratio restrictions between death benefits and policy value reserves.Creating More Financial Collaboration
Joint Account Opening Operations
With customer consent and in compliance with professional qualification requirements, OBU, OSU, and OIU may conduct joint account openings — for example, completing high-net-worth customer verification in a single process.
Banks as Securities Introducing Brokers
Banks may assist customers by placing orders for foreign stocks on their behalf.
Collaborate with insurance companies to provide policy pledge and premium financing.
Assistance in Fund Sales
Banks and securities firms assist SITEs and SICEs in distributing offshore funds or private equity funds they have introduced,particularly those that do not have the nature of securities investment trust funds.
As of September 2025
the Kaohsiung Zone has welcomed the presence of 15 banks, 4 insurance companies, and 8 securities investment and advisory firms.
Business Trials in the Zone
On April 1, 2025, the Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC) announced the "Operation Directions for Financial Institutions Applying for Business Trials in Local Asset Management Zones," authorizing 38 business trials within the Zone.Banking Industry
International Financial Services
- Trial wealth management businesses:
- Banks' offshore banking units (OBU) conduct agency business of foreign bonds or commission agency, brokerage, and agency business of other foreign currency denominated financial products approved by the competent authority. They may also trade foreign bonds in the bank's own name with the consent of the customer.
- Banks' OBUs act as securities introducing broker, opening omnibus accounts with domestic securities firms in the bank's own name, and placing orders on behalf of customers for foreign securities other than those specified in the preceding item (e.g., stocks and ETFs).
- Banks' OBUs may sell foreign currency funds and private equity funds through agency collection and payment services after signing contracts with issuers of foreign currency funds and private equity funds not traded on the centralized market, and may process subscriptions in the name of the bank with the consent of its customer.
- Policy and premium financing secured by insurance contracts of high-asset customers.
- Lombard lending secured with the financial assets of high-asset customers with the scope of collateral limited to the financial assets held by the customers themselves.
- Family office businesses, including consulting for setting up family offices, financial commodity investment (including alternative investments) and financing, succession and estate consulting, trust services, insurance services, philanthropy consulting, wealth management consulting (including legal, tax and risk management), and other related businesses.
- OBUs and offshore securities units (OSUs) and the offshore insurance units (OIUs) may carry out joint marketing, collaborative promotion, or joint account opening operations:
- Article 23-1 of the "Regulations Governing the Scope of Business, Restrictions on Transfer of Beneficiary Rights, Risk Disclosure, Marketing, and Conclusion of Contract by Trust Enterprises" regarding the pre-sale reviews of financial products does not apply to the sales procedures for high-asset customers designating the purchase of unlisted financial products through trusts.
- The maximum lending ratio of a loan secured by beneficial rights of self-benefit specific money trusts is not limited to 50%, and repledging is permitted.
- Other business trial items of offshore banking business.
High-Net-Worth Services
- Banks may sell securities investment trust funds and offshore funds in the nature of a securities investment trust fund through agency collection and payment services, and may process subscriptions in the name of the bank with the consent of its customer.
- Banks may sell offshore funds that do not have the nature of a securities investment trust fund through agency collection and payment services after signing contracts with foreign asset management organizations or their designated institutions, and may process subscriptions in the name of the bank with the consent of its customer.
- Banks may, through trust business or agency collection and payment services, sell private equity funds that are either managed under trust by securities investment trust enterprises or established by their subsidiaries acting as general partners, after signing contracts with such enterprises. With the customer's consent, banks may also process subscription transactions in the name of the bank.
- Banks may, through trust business or agency collection and payment services, sell offshore funds that do not have the nature of a securities investment trust fund, as introduced by securities investment trust enterprises and securities investment consulting enterprises, after signing contracts with such institutions. With the customer's consent, banks may also process subscription transactions in the name of the bank.
- Policy and premium financing secured by insurance contracts of high-asset customers.
- Lombard lending secured with the financial assets of high-asset customers with the scope of collateral limited to the financial assets held by the customers themselves. However, if a customer uses financial assets denominated in NTD as collateral for a foreign currency loan, it cannot be converted into NTD.
- Family office businesses, including consulting for setting up family offices, financial commodity investment (including alternative investments) and financing, succession and estate consulting, trust services, insurance services, philanthropy consulting, wealth management consulting (including legal, tax and risk management), and other related businesses.
- Article 23-1 of the "Regulations Governing the Scope of Business, Restrictions on Transfer of Beneficiary Rights, Risk Disclosure, Marketing, and Conclusion of Contract by Trust Enterprises" regarding the pre-sale reviews of financial products does not apply to the sales procedures for high-asset customers designating the purchase of unlisted financial products through trusts.
- The maximum lending ratio of a loan secured by beneficial rights of self-benefit specific money trusts is not limited to 50%, and repledging is permitted.
- Other business trial items of high-asset business.
Domestic Banks Cross-Border Financial Services
- Introducing or soliciting financial products and services from foreign branches to offshore high-asset customers, including soliciting the opening of bank accounts and the sale of financial products from foreign branches.
- Assisting foreign branches in handling the account opening procedures for offshore high-asset customers, including the delivery and verification of relevant documents, identity confirmation with the customer’s signature, and contract confirmation procedures.
- Processing the delivery and confirmation of financial transaction documents or the transmission of transaction instructions for customers of foreign branches.
- When personnel from foreign branches return to Taiwan, they may provide services specified in the preceding three subparagraphs to offshore high-asset customers when they are accompanied by personnel from Zone operating units.
Securities Investment and Advisory Services
External Asset Management Services
- securities investment consulting enterprises(SICEs), including securities investment trust enterprises(SITEs) and securities firms which concurrently operate securities investment consulting business, provide external asset management services to high-net-worth clients.
Multi-channel Sales of Offshore Funds that do not have the nature of a Securities Investment Trust Fund
- Multi-channel Sales of Offshore Funds that do not have the nature of a Securities Investment Trust Fund
Securities Industry
Offshore Securities Business
- When OSUs conduct agency business of foreign bonds, the buyers may be offshore customers and there is no special restriction on the foreign bonds.
- Foreign currency denominated structured notes issued by overseas subsidiaries of securities firms may be offered through OSUs to offshore customers, domestic high-asset customers, and domestic professional investors.
- OSUs may be appointed by foreign private equity firms to introduce offshore customers and domestic high-asset customers to invest in private equity funds denominated in foreign currencies.
- OSUs may sell offshore funds that do not have the nature of a securities investment trust fund to offshore customers and domestic high-asset customers.
- Article 23-1 of the "Regulations Governing the Scope of Business, Restrictions on Transfer of Beneficiary Rights, Risk Disclosure, Marketing, and Conclusion of Contract by Trust Enterprises" regarding the pre-sale reviews of financial products does not apply to the sales procedures for offshore customers and high-asset customers designating the purchase of unlisted financial products through trusts.
- The maximum lending ratio of a loan secured by beneficial rights of self-benefit specific money trusts is not limited to 50%, and repledging is permitted, provided that the borrowed funds may not be exchanged for NTD and repayments may not be made with foreign currencies bought with NTD.
- OSUs, OBUs, and OIUs may carry out joint marketing, collaborative promotion, or joint account opening operations in accordance with Point 6, Subparagraph 5.
- Other business trial items of offshore securities business.
High-Net-Worth Services
- Securities firms may sign contracts with securities investment trust enterprises and securities investment advisory businesses to sell offshore funds that do not have the characteristics of securities investment trust funds, and with client consent, conduct subscription operations in the firm's own name.
- High-net-worth clients may use trusts to designate the purchase of unlisted financial products, exempt from pre-listing review requirements under Article 23-1 of the "Guidelines for Risk Disclosure and Contract Management in Trust Business Operations."
- Conduct New Taiwan Dollar pledge lending based on the beneficiary rights of self-benefit money trusts, with no upper limit on the loan-to-value ratio and the ability to further pledge.
- Securities firms that have received approval from the relevant authority to operate securities investment advisory services and discretionary investment business, with a reissued business license, may apply for pilot projects under Point 13.
- Other pilot projects related to high-net-worth services.
Domestic Securities Firms Cross-Border Financial Services
- Promote or solicit financial products and services from overseas subsidiaries to high-net-worth foreign clients, including opening securities accounts and selling financial products from overseas subsidiaries.
- During their stay in Taiwan, personnel from overseas subsidiaries may provide the aforementioned services to high-net-worth foreign clients at zone branch locations, accompanied by branch staff.
Insurance Industry
Wealth Management Services and International Insurance Business
- Wealth Management Services
- International Insurance Business