ABOUT US
Avenue International (Cook Islands) Limited (“Avenue CI”) is a licensed trustee company in the Cook Islands offering integrated trust and wealth management solutions. Our services empower clients to manage, safeguard and grow their assets. The name "Avenue" holds a dual meaning: it represents a wide, straight road with trees on both sides, symbolising a clear and purposeful path. Additionally, it signifies a method or approach to achieving objectives. We chose this name as it well reflects the essence of our business of guiding you along your wealth management journey, providing protection and support just as the trees along an avenue shelter people from the sun and rain.
Regulated by the Cook Islands Financial Supervisory Commission (“FSC”), adhering to rigorous compliance and assuring due diligence, Avenue CI upholds the highest standards of legitimacy, integrity, transparency and credibility in its business operations and demonstrates accountability for the safety of client assets.
At Avenue CI, we strive to alleviate your concerns and facilitate your financial goals with accessible and affordable services. We aim to be your companion on the avenue of wealth management, offering expertise and guidance to help you seize every opportunity and overcome any obstacles that may arise.
Our Core Values
These words define who we are and how we run our business. While our team members’ backgrounds and experiences vary, we have this common language of values to steer us in the right direction and to guide us in working with our stakeholders to achieve our vision.
Efficient
Our approach is not to work longer hours than necessary, but rather to make the most of our time and effort. This is accomplished by streamlining workflows, taking a holistic approach to problem-solving, anticipating potential issues from the outset and utilising technology to optimise our performance.
Embrace Changes
We regularly engage in self-reflection, welcome challenges from others and participate in productive discussions. We do not change simply for the sake of change, but rather initiate and embrace changes that lead to progress and improvement.
Inspiring
We endeavour to establish a work environment where team members recognise their potential, feel empowered to voice their opinions, take ownership of their responsibilities and inspire one another. This culture motivates individuals to perform at their highest level.
Resilient
Things sometimes get tough and tangled and obstacles may show up unexpectedly. Yet, we stay strong, fight, bounce back and seek opportunities out of the challenges.
Respectful
When we win, we acknowledge all team members’ contributions. When we don’t meet expectations, we support and encourage each other. When we disagree, we put ourselves in others’ shoes, rethink, respect others’ viewpoints and try to reach a compromise that benefits the team as a whole.
Unique
We value the diverse backgrounds, perspectives and strengths of all team members. Their distinct inputs may seem small at first but can snowball into big deals or help fill gaps in our business quickly.
A Glimpse of the Cook Islands
The Cook Islands is a South Pacific Ocean country located halfway between New Zealand and Hawaii. Spanning 240 square kilometres, one-ninth the size of Tokyo, the country consists of 15 islands divided into the southern and northern groups. Rarotonga, one of the northern islands, is the largest and where the capital, Avarua, sits.
Named after Captain Cook, the former British protectorate became a self-governing territory in free association with New Zealand in 1965, thus having a sound common-law-based legal system with all judges chosen from New Zealand. Most of the approximately 18,000 inhabitants of the Cook Islands understand English and Cook Islands Māori, both are the official languages of the country.
The Cook Islands' economy is primarily driven by tourism and people from all over the world visit the country for its breathtaking scenery of blue skies, white clouds, fine-sand beaches and crystal-clear waters. Fishing, black pearls and offshore financial services are also important sources of revenue.
FAQs
What is a trust?
A trust is an arrangement involving three parties: the settlor, the trustee and the beneficiaries. The settlor establishes the trust and transfers the ownership of their assets to the trustee. The trustee is the individual or institution who manages the assets held in the trust for the benefit of those who it is intended will receive the assets in the future, the beneficiaries.
Who is Avenue International (Cook Islands) Limited?
Avenue International (Cook Islands) Limited ("Avenue CI") is a licensed trustee in the Cook Islands offering integrated trusts and wealth management solutions that assist clients in achieving goals. The core management encompasses seasoned legal and financial practitioners. They strive to bring readily accessible and affordable trust plans for clients who look to manage, protect and grow their assets.
What plans does Avenue CI offer?
Avenue CI offers four affordable trust plans, namely Cedar, Clover, Tiare and Plumeria.
Cedar: A regular savings plan with a plan term of 5 to 25 years with the capital allocated to a portfolio.
Clover: A single contribution plan with the capital allocated to a portfolio
Tiare: A regular savings plan with a plan term of 5 to 25 years with the capital allocated to physical commodities.
Plumeria: A single contribution plan with the capital allocated to physical commodities
What happens if Avenue CI encounters a financial crisis or becomes insolvent?
Since the assets you transfer to the trust are held in the custodian bank (DBS Bank Limited) and completely separated from those of Avenue CI, therefore your assets will not be affected in the unlikely event that Avenue CI undergoes a financial crisis or becomes insolvent.
What are the advantages of trust formation in the Cook Islands?
Trust is arguably one of the most versatile instruments that one can use to protect assets against claims and avoid probate procedures when passing assets to the intended beneficiaries.
The Cook Islands features several distinctive advantages for offshore trust formation, in addition to the general benefits that trusts provide:
- A sound trust law derived from the Common Law and enhanced by the International Trusts Act 1984
- Strict requirements for fraudulent claims
- Non-recognition of foreign judgements
- Unimpacted by forced heirship rules and settlor’s bankruptcy
- Tax advantages
- Confidentiality of trust structure
- Protection for spendthrift beneficiaries
Read more details here.
What are KYC and AML?
KYC is the short form for "Know Your Customer". It is a mandatory process that financial institutions, including but not limited to trustees, must execute to identify and verify the client's identity and their sources of wealth when opening an account for the clients and periodically afterwards.
AML is the short form for “Anti-money Laundering”. It refers to the laws and procedures aimed at preventing someone from disguising illegal financial assets as legitimate income. KYC is a part of the AML process.