Most countries’ secrecy scores have improved – transparency has increased. . Real action is being taken to curb financial curb secrecy, as the OECD rolls out a system of automatic information exchange (AIE) where countries share relevant information to tackle tax evasion. The EU is starting to crack open shell companies by creating central registers of beneficial owners and making that information available to anyone with a legitimate interest. The EU is also requiring multinationals to provide country-by-country financial data.  But the U.S. is going the other way, rising to third on the list. Higher is bad and Switzerland tops the list, followed by Hong Kong.

Secrecy by country, listed from most to least.

l. Switzerland 2. Hong Kong  3. USA  4. Singapore 5. Cayman 6.  Luxembourg                7. Lebanon 8. Germany 9.  Bahrain 10. Dubai/UAE