Financial institution (also referred to as Foreign financial institution or “FFI” under FATCA) - an entity created or organised outside of the U.S. and includes:
a) Depository institution – entity that accepts deposits in the ordinary course of banking or similar business (banks, credit unions), or
b) Custodial institution – entity that holds financial assets for the account of others as a substantial portion of its business (brokers, custodians), or
c) Investments entity –means any entity that conducts as a business (or is managed by an entity that conducts as a business) one or more of the following activities or operations for or on behalf of a customer:
trading in money market instruments (cheques, bills, certificates of deposit, derivatives, etc.); foreign exchange; exchange; interest rate and index instruments; transferable securities; or commodity futures trading;
individual and collective portfolio management; o
otherwise investing, administering, or managing funds or money on behalf of other persons.
Non-Financial Foreign Entity (“NFFE”) - any non-U.S. entity that is not a financial institution. NFFE can be either Active NFFE or Passive NFFE (refer below for more details).
U.S. citizen or U.S. resident for tax purposes – includes:
anyone born in the U.S. (who hasn’t renounced their citizenship)
anyone living in the U.S.
a green card holder
U.S. passport holder
U.S. companies, trusts or partnerships
Controlling Persons - means the natural persons who exercise control over an Entity. In the case of a trust, such term means the settlor, the trustees, the protector (if any), the beneficiaries or class of beneficiaries, and any other natural person exercising ultimate effective control over the trust, and in the case of a legal arrangement other than a trust, such term means persons in equivalent or similar positions. The term “Controlling Persons” shall be interpreted in a manner consistent with the Financial Action Task Force Recommendations.
GIIN - Global Intermediary Identification Number is an IRS registration number for financial institutions.
TIN – is U.S. Taxpayer Identification Number and may include Social Security Number (SSN) or Employer Identification Number (EIN).
IGA - Agreement between the Government of Australia and the Government of the United States of America to Improve International Tax Compliance and to Implement FATCA.
Australian Retirement Fund
Any plan, scheme, fund, trust, or other arrangement operated principally to administer or provide pension, retirement, superannuation, or death benefits that is a superannuation entity or public sector superannuation scheme (including an exempt public sector superannuation scheme) as defined in the Superannuation Industry (Supervision) Act 1993, or a constitutionally protected fund as defined in the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997.
A pooled superannuation trust as defined in the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997.
Any Entity that is wholly owned by, and conducts investment activities, accepts deposits from, or holds financial assets exclusively for or on behalf of, one or more plans, schemes, funds, trusts, or other arrangements referred to in subparagraphs (1) or (2) of this paragraph.