Here we go with our May recap: Covid-19 update per jurisdiction!

Korporatio aims to create a new generation of cutting edge, truly global businesses, led by entrepreneurs who are citizens of the world. A new era in which everyone is empowered to incorporate, innovate and realise their dreams.

 

GENERAL

The world is still heavily impacted by COVID-19. Many countries are still in lockdown while others are reopening their doors. People are starting to go back to work. It has been yet another month during which running some requests has been a little complicated; some requests are still pending as things like international postages are still closed. However, we have tried our best to ensure all users are being supported. This month’s recap will be divided by country; I’d like to show which activities are back to normal, and which are still affected by the pandemic. 

 

SEYCHELLES

As Seychelles is our most popular jurisdiction to date, it’s only fair to start with it. Incorporation of new companies was never stopped here, however we did experience some delays here and there with specific requests. Let’s go into details. 

Public offices are now fully open. This means that apostille on documents are back in operation, and delays in company incorporation are a thing of the past. 

Private offices have reopened as well: employees are back in the buildings and this means that requests like notarization of documents are back as well.

Shipment of documents via DHL and FedEx has been reactivated. So for users who need physical copies of their documents, this feature is now fully functional once again. However, local couriers are still not in operation. This means that if someone needs a physical document, either they can select the option of DHL or FedEx or they will need to wait a bit longer for the national flights to restart their operations. 

Outlook of the jurisdiction

Majority of activities in Seychelles is back to normal and at full speed. Therefore we don’t expect any new significant delays in the workflow for people interested in setting up Smart Companies in Seychelles.

 

SINGAPORE

The situation is rather different for those who want to create a Smart Company in Singapore. The country is still in lock-down and it seems like the situation will not be too different for the entire month of June. 

Offices are still closed and employees are working from home. Luckily, because we execute all things related to Smart Company incorporation online, our model is still in full operation. 

Activities such as face-to-face meetings are not possible at the moment. Therefore, for  some requests, we have to send documents to people’s houses and rely completely on the postage system of the country. The positive side is that the postage is in full operation in Singapore. So even if delays are present, execution of the requests is perfectly on point. 

For specific requests such as to open a bank account, face-to-face meetings at the bank branch are required. The government has included those activities in the essential group. Therefore, people are allowed to jump in a taxi, reach the bank office and sign all required documents to have their bank account open. 

The only limitation compared to the past is the fact that the person will need to wear a face mask and scan a QR code to confirm check-in and check-out from the bank’s office. 

Outlook of the jurisdiction

I would say that our activities in Singapore are almost at full speed, but the need to rely on the postage system has increased the time needed to execute specific activities. Unfortunately, for the time being, the 48h company incorporation we aim for is not possible. Fortunately, however, users are still able to incorporate new companies. And as always, we’ve been able to take care of accounting as well as other relevant requests. 

 

PANAMA

The situation in Panama is not the best at the moment. The country is still in lock-down; both public and private offices are closed and the postage system is currently having the same issue as countries like Seychelles. 

We have managed to incorporate all Smart Companies in Panama that our clients have requested. Once again, the fact of being fully paperless and digital has been our biggest advantage in this difficult situation. 

Although we’ve managed to create all requested Smart Companies in Panama during the lockdown, the workflow is broken at the moment. For things such as opening a bank account, documents need to be notarized and such requests are not being executed at the moment. 

Outlook of the jurisdiction

As Seychelles has reopened in the past weeks, we expect Panama to follow the same roadmap. Therefore, we are confident that June will be the month of being back in full-operation. 

If you are thinking of opening a Smart Company in Panama and don’t need a physical bank account at the moment, you will not see any delay. (We assist you in opening an e-bank account anyhow. Learn more here.) However, if you are running business activities that require a bank account, please be aware that you will likely need to wait a few more weeks in order to get all the needed documents.  

So far, of all our jurisdictions, Panama has taken one of the strongest approaches to fight the COVID-19. However, we are extremely happy that our day-to-day operations are still up and running.

 

SAINT VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES

St. Vincent didn’t have any lock-down. No measurements were taken as the government didn’t have a need for it. The number of cases has been very small and businesses are running as usual. 

However, we believe the postage situation is similar to places like Seychelles and Panama. Therefore if you need physical documents, make sure to request a solution like DHL or FedEx. Otherwise it’ll take a few weeks to ship the documents. 

The fact that St. Vincent didn’t have any slowdown in their daily activities has given us the chance to discuss some improvements in the current workflow. And we will update all of you most likely in our next monthly recap. 

Outlook of the jurisdiction

Not really much to say about this jurisdiction as we saw no changes to our day-to-day activities.

 

WYOMING (US)

The U.S. in general is not having a good time at the moment due to the Covid-19. The country has been in a semi lockdown for quite some time at this point but it seems that slowly things are starting reopening. 

Wyoming is strong in terms of digital innovation. Therefore our incorporation workflow didn’t see any slowdown and we’ve been able to incorporate Smart Companies in Wyoming as usual. 

However, postage for countries outside the U.S. has been basically blocked at this point. This means that for people looking to get an EIN-number to open a bank account, the option of sending the documents to the IRS via air mail is not the best option at the moment. Luckily, there is still the option to send a Fax, which you can nowadays send via the internet without having to leave the house. 

Slowdowns are happening in the same way that countries like Singapore, so, as long as the requests can be executed fully online, no issues have been found on this part. Unfortunately, if there is a need for a physical visit, or a physical activity in order to certify a document, such requests are currently on hold. 

Outlook of the jurisdiction

Wyoming has received huge financial support from the government and we believe things should get back to normal quite soon. Overall we would say that minor delays might happen during the incorporation process but nothing too problematic for business owners. 

We are in the process of finally delivering some very big news in the coming month.

Therefore we strongly suggest to stay in the loop as next monthly recap will have a lot of sweet things. In the meantime, stay safe and good luck!

 

For this month, this is everything we have to share, as usual, we would love your feedback, and please join our Discord!