Answer:
Bank secrecy laws and avoidance of paying taxes in other countries.
Explanation:
Even though offshore banking accounts have generally been associated with illegal activities and crime, it doesn't apply to all. Many offshore bank accounts have been used four laundering money, but not everyone that has an offshore bank account is a criminal or avoids paying taxes. During the 2012 presidential election campaign, it was made public that the republican candidate and current senator, Mitt Romney, had most of his wealth in offshore accounts. and it was completely legal, his family accounts were disclosed to the IRS many years ago, and they offered him the advantage of lower tax rates.
Apple did something similar at a corporate level with Ireland, and so did many corporations that established their world headquarters there just to pay lower taxes. In the US, more than 60% of all publicly traded companies are based in Delaware, it has more companies than people.
It is always nice to fantasize about secret agents, and big mobsters and villains that try to control the world from their hidden underground super secret bases, but reality is a little bit more boring. The same happens with offshore accounts, the vast majority of the accounts are reported to the corresponding governments. They exist because they provide tax incentives that are used by rich people to pay less taxes.
Even Switzerland which was a small country with giant banks, eliminated bank secrecy laws many years ago. They are even reluctant to take new customers, the same happens with Lichtenstein, Monaco, Luxembourg, and many British territories like Jersey Is., or the Virgin Is.
Mobsters and drug lords do not need offshore bank accounts to launder money, the last money laundry scandals that rocked the world involved the HSBC, Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs, Wachovia (now Wells Fargo), Standard Charter Bank, Danske Bank, and others. They are not located in small Caribbean islands.
