Financial services to companies own by foreigners

[XYZ]

Hello, a straightforward question:
Is it allowed (legal) for a Taiwanese bank that offers banking services to local companies owned by foreign residents (permanently) in Taiwan to offer differentiated services to Taiwanese citizens and foreign citizens?

[Marco]

@XYZ

Allowed (legal)

No. But they know you won’t sue for enforcement.

[Andrew]

@XYZ

Is it allowed (legal) for a Taiwanese bank that offers banking services to local companies owned by foreign residents (permanently) in Taiwan to offer differentiated services to Taiwanese citizens and foreign citizens?

I think not (Article 62 of the Immigration Act and Article 7 of the Financial Consumer Protection Act), but the government bodies that have been complained to so far haven’t agreed and have claimed it to fall under freedom of contract without being discrimination. The government has been pretty useless tbh.

Not so straightforward a question actually. See also these threads, and especially the government responses in the first one:

‘Online’ Bank’s xenophobic reasoning for denying "foreigners" the ability to open an account online

Ever wonder why Koko Bank don’t offer us “foreigners” any service? It is because we only have overseas secondary documents! And they cannot verify our overseas drivers licenses and overseas health insurance cards… Because we don’t have Taiwanese ones apparently. Think it’s ridiculous? That’s the explanation they gave me after complaining to the FSC in regards to their policy of denying even Taiwanese citizens who were born abroad! Apparently we are all driving in Taiwan illegally on our foreig…

Which digital banks in Taiwan refuse to provide services to foreigners?

After the Richart/Taishin/JKO thing, I’m intending to make a follow-up complaint to the MOI and probably the FSC about those digital banks that don’t provide services to foreigners at all, based on something the MOI previously wrote about the provision of limited services not constituting discrimination. Actually, come to think of it now, if I can be bothered I might complain to the banks themselves first as well and ask if they have any timeline for providing a fair and non-discriminatory serv…

If you’ve encountered something that affects you, you could also file your own complaints about the discrimination to the FSC and MOI. The government itself is unlikely to be useful here, but the more complaints the better IMO, and even if the government isn’t willing to enforce anything the complaints can at least put pressure on the bank to fix the problem for you if you’re insistent enough.

[XYZ]

The most frustrating part is that the first response I get is, “Our bank doesn’t offer this kind of service.”
Only after I point out that their official website actually lists the service I’m asking for, they start typing on their computers to come up with a better excuse to get rid of me quickly. Something like “oh, it’s very difficult…the process…we need to check…the manager is not here today…etc”.

Since banks usually make money from these kinds of services, it feels a bit strange to be rejected without them even checking my company’s financial status, assets, reputation, etc. It really seems more like laziness of employees to avoid doing a little extra work.

[Marco]

Record it.