SERVICES

The way we are helping overseas investors is revolutionary

At CastGlobal Trust, we currently offer four main services

  • We make investments through our Specified Beneficial Interest Securities-issuing Trust (SBIST) scheme
  • We make investments through a general trust beneficial interest scheme
  • We act as a real estate agent to help investors find the right properties to invest in
  • We offer quasi-escrow services

How we invest in real estate for foreign investors through our SBIST scheme

Our core service, the Specified Beneficial Interest Securities-issuing Trust (SBIST), helps foreign investors make investments in Japanese real estate through our trust.

Japanese banks offer two main real estate investment schemes, GK–TK and TMK, but they usually only deal with very large investments. However, under a trust agreement at CastGlobal Trust, we can work with investors who want to invest smaller amounts — of even just a few hundred thousand US dollars.

The SBIST scheme allows clients to enjoy an overall tax burden of as little as 10%, depending on the double tax treaty between Japan and the country where investors reside and are investing from (such as the one between Japan and Hong Kong). Clients can also borrow money towards a property’s purchase price from a Japanese financial institution (subject to its policy).

Our trust services provide clients with a fundamentally different alternative to Japan’s existing investment schemes.

Find out more about SBIST

We do what banks are
reluctant to do

Most Japanese banks, which are allowed to act as trusts, have long been hesitant to work with overseas clients to invest in real estate in Japan, except through the complicated and costly GK–TK and TMK schemes. But we aren’t. And we have the skills and knowledge to respond effectively to our clients’ needs and help them meet their goals.

  • We employ advisors who can speak English or Chinese
  • We are well versed in Japan’s anti-money laundering requirements
  • We have a deep understanding of many non-Japanese cultures and how overseas investors think

Investing through our general trust beneficial interest scheme

Unlike our SBIST scheme, the general trust beneficial interest scheme does not entail the issuing of securities.

Any profits arising from this scheme are deemed to be real estate income, from rent, or the transfer of income (the capital gains investors may receive when they sell their properties to third parties). These profits are subject to income tax, for individual investors, or corporate tax, for incorporated investors, both of which are higher than 10% — the tax rate you could enjoy through our SBIST scheme, depending on where you reside. However, the complicated rules of the SBIST scheme (such as the 2.5% rule) do not apply to the general trust beneficial interest scheme.

Both schemes have their pros and cons, and we expect every investor to have a clear understanding of them all after having consulted with their own independent advisors.

We ensure funds are handled safely and securely

We will be adding information about our quasi-escrow services soon.

If prospective clients have questions about our services or our SBIST scheme, we have already answered a number of them on our FAQ page.

Find out more