Offshore A-Z is a digital repository of companies operating across major tax havens. Offshore A-Z exploits the inscrutability of such companies to speculate on their possible nature and intent. Each company listed on here is real, but the information surrounding these consist of both actual records, obtained by dmstfctn, and speculative images and mission statements, generated by algorithms.

Tax havens, or secrecy jurisdictions, employ laws and corporate regulations different from those of most jurisdictions, using secrecy as a prime tool. Furthermore, the agents operating offshore on behalf of clients elsewhere have been observed by dmstfctn to willfully introduce mistakes in the records held on the companies they help forming. (Offshore Investigation Vehicle)

When offshore companies are but a bundle of papers held in private storages, these practices contribute to a number of possible configurations of any given offshore company, whose records are at once factually correct and conveniently flawed.

Offshore A-Z plays with the idea that truth is not one nor static, and that it does not need to be upheld equally at all times or in all fora.

Obtaining the data

The data contained within Offshore A-Z comes from a number of sources. Prior to the Offshore Leaks, the snippets of information available on offshore companies were largely confined to the outdated online registrars kept by tax havens, as an empty gesture towards transparency. Employing data scraping techniques, dmstfctn extracted records on hundreds of thousands of companies appearing in a number of such registrars.

Yielding varying amounts of information, and naturally full of gaps - sometimes full company details and descriptions, sometimes little more than a name - the records were cross referenced with data from the ICIJ’s Offshore Leaks as well as Financial Secrecy Index scores from the Tax Justice Network, and compiled into a single searchable database.

Training the algorithms

Algorithms were then trained to fill in the gaps in information. Using keywords from the company’s records as a trigger, the algorithms associate images with each nondescript company and complete missing fields by guessing possible incorporation dates or by generating corporate mission statement via a simple neural network. The coherency and accuracy of the neural network is directly undermined by the opaque source material, or incomplete input records. Finally, companies previously named in the Offshore Leaks ( for example) are hyperlinked to the relevant entry on the ICIJ database, allowing user to investigate further.

Compiling the template

The resulting information is autonomously built into a Web 2.0 page, employing a visual grammar similar to that used by existing registrars of companies. However, under intense scrutiny, the template mealts away revealing warm hues and floating forms.

This cycle of actions is repeated for each unreleased company found in the database and publicly announced by a Twitter bot.

Zooming in

Among the companies listed on the Offshore A-Z, a few appearing to be embedded in complex offshore vehicles were further investigated, resulting in three stories focusing on the funding behind Leave.EU, the corporate tax-avoidance of Barclays and the colonial origins of HSBC.

Offshore A-Z is a project by dmstfctn.

ESMIO N.V.

Company Name ESMIO N.V.
Date of Registration 30th June 2003
Company Objective 1. EXERCISING A TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMPANY TO THE FULLEST SENSE;
2. THE ACT AS AGENT OR OTHER TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMPANIES REPRESENTATIVE;
3. INSTALLATION AND NOW HAVE SPECIFIC DIGITAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS EQUIPMENT FOR THE PROVISION OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS SERVICES RELATING TO TERMINALS IN ARUBA AND RELATING TO END STATIONS AND OTHER PLANTS OUT OF ARUBA;
4. THE PROVISION OF SERVICES AND THE INSTALLATION AND PROVISION OF EQUIPMENT FOR THE PROVISION OF A SERVICE THAT IT MAY MAKE THAT COMPANIES AND / OR PERSONS TO ACCESS INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATIONS AND ANY OTHER THROUGH THE COMPUTER;
5. THE PROVISION OF SERVICES RELATED TO MULTIMEDIA SYSTEMS;
6. TAKING APPLICATIONS FOR VARIOUS APPLICATIONS
7. GIVING ADVICE IN THE FIELD OF DATA COMMUNICATIONS TELECOMMUNICATIONS WORKS AND ELECTRONICS AND AUTOMATION TO THE FULLEST SENSE;
8. INTRODUCING AND MANAGING SMART CARD SYSTEMS;
9. GROOMING FOR TRAINING IN of- AND MAKING AND MAINTAINING WEB SITES;
10. VERKOOPM THE RENTAL AND MAINTENANCE OF EQUIPMENT AND ACCESOOIRES BENEFIT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS;
11. DOING 'ELECTRONIC COMMERCE'.
12 SELLING ADS / ADVERTISING ON THE INTERNET;
13 THE CONSTRUCTION, MAINTAINING AND EXPLOIT OF ACCESS SYSTEMS IN THE ELECTRONIC HIGHWAY (INTERNET).
14 HAVING EQUIPMENT IN POSSESSION. NECESSARY FOR THE CONSTRUCTION, MAINTAINING AND eXPLOIT OF ACCESS SYSTEMS TO THE INTERNET;
15 REQUESTING, OBTAINING AND HAVE (IF ANY REQUIRED) LICENCE IS NECESSARY TO HAVE EQUIPMENT HELD NECESSARY FOR CONSTRUCTION UNTIL THE INTERNET MAINTAINING AND eXPLOIT OF TOEGAANGSSYSTEMEN. ;
16 GRANT FOR REMUNERATION CONNECTION TO SUBSCRIBERS AND / OR AUTHORIZED THIRD PARTIES TO ACCESS SYSTEMS TO THE INTERNET,.
17 OBTAINING INCOME IN PARTICULAR (BUT NOT LIMITED TO) THOSE ARISING FROM THE OPERATION OF ACCESS SYSTEMS TO THE INTERNET, AND THOSE ARISING FROM THE COMPANY ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE OF THE COMPANY MADE INVESTMENTS;
18 IT AT YOUR OWN NAME AND ON THEIR OWN ACCOUNT eXPLOIT OF ONE OR MORE CAFE RESTAURANTS OCCASIONS IN PARTICULAR THE SALE FOR cONSUMPTION OF candy and candy, ice cream. Fish BREADS, SNACKS AND GENERALLY WHAT IS MEANT BY "SNACKS" HAMBURGERS, FRIED CHICKEN AND FISH AND ASSOCIATED iNGREDIENTS, cIGARS, CIGARETTES AND OTHER TOBACCO GOODS AND NON-ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES;
19. THE ABOVE DEFINED GOAL CAN ONLY WORDS MADE TO THE EXTENT OF THE COMPANY FOR THAT PURPOSE THE REQUIRED AUTHORIZATION OR OBTAINED CONCESSIONS;
20. ALL OR PART OF BUILDING AND PENSION BENEFIT OF EMPLOYEES OR FORMER EMPLOYEES OF THE COMPANY AND / OR THEIR SURVIVORS;
21. Acting as a finance and mediating in THE CREATION OF FINANCING OF VARIOUS TYPES OF TRANSACTIONS;
22. THE COMPANY MAY SUB 21 LISTED ACTIVITIES ONLY BE MADE IN THE CONTEXT OF ITS NORMAL BUSINESS - NET ACTION BEING SIGNIFICANTLY AS FINANCIERINGSMAATSCHAPPIJ- AND IN SUCH A WAY THAT IT CAN NOT BE REGARDED AS CREDIT INSTITUTIONS UNDER THE NATIONAL ORDINANCE CREDIT MONITORING BEING EVEN IS IT EXPRESSLY PROHIBITED TO RAISE fUNDS FROM THE PUBLIC AND / OR APPLY TO TURN OUT TO THE PUBLIC;
23. PARTICIPATING IN, SUPPORT GRANT TO OR IN ANY WAY FURTHER INTEREST, OR THE DIRECTORS CARRIED OVER OR REPRESENTATION SIGHTING OF OTHER COMPANIES, COMPANIES AND LEGAL PERSONS, REGARDLESS OF THE TARGET DEFINITION;
24. PERFORM ALL WORK AND ALL MEASURES WHICH THE ABOVE MAXIMUM SENTENCE INDE CONNECTED, ARISING THEREFROM OR MAY HAVE THEM FOSTER.
Country
aruba
Financial Secrecy Index [more info] 68
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