The new international Standard for Automatic Exchange of Financial Account Information in Tax Matters recently received signatures from many countries, but one signatory has been conspicuous by its absence.

Fifty-one jurisdictions, many represented by their government ministers, took part in a mass signing in October. The standard is in line with the Multilateral Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters. The 'early adopters' among them pledged to work towards launching their first exchanges of information by September 2017, with others expected to follow in 2018. The United States has not signed so far, a fact that has outraged some in view of its coercion of dozens of reluctant states into co-operation with its Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA), which became law in March 2010.

Countries that have plumped for a deadline in September 2017 include: Anguilla; Argentina; Bermuda; the British Virgin Islands; the Cayman Islands; Curacao; Cyprus; Gibraltar; Guernsey; Ireland; the Isle of Man; Jersey; Liechtenstein; Luxembourg; Malta; Mauritius; Montserrat; the Turks & Caicos Islands; and the UK. There are only four signatories for September 2018: Aruba, Austria, Albania and Switzerland.