Conclusion to Part F

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International Geneva and the financial centre share a city, a history and an image. The former was born in 1863 from the initiative of five Genevans drawn from the philanthropic elite described in the preceding parts. It developed with the League of Nations, then with the institutions of the United Nations, until it came to comprise some forty international organisations, more than four hundred non-governmental organisations and the missions of almost every state, representing around 36,000 jobs and expenditure of more than CHF 6 billion a year.

The financial centre draws from this presence a clientele, skills, networks and an image of neutrality and law, which international arbitration and philanthropy extend. It is also subject to its critical gaze and shares with International Geneva a common vulnerability to the decisions of the great powers, which the turbulence that began in 2025 has brought back to mind.

The following parts turn to the second pillar of the financial centre, commodity trading. Part G describes its history, its actors, its business and its economic weight. Part H examines its financing, its risks and the compliance requirements that accompany it. The encounter between the capital of international cooperation and one of the world’s principal centres of commodity trading is one of the city’s most fertile paradoxes.

For general information only. This article does not constitute legal or tax advice, does not replace advice on an individual case and creates no lawyer-client relationship. It reflects the legal position as of September 2025.

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Dr Alexander Ressos, TEP

Rechtsanwalt/Attorney-at-Law

I am a Swiss attorney-at-law and also admitted as a solicitor in Hong Kong and in England & Wales, with almost 25 years of experience.

Together with my multilingual team, including Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Ukrainian and French native speakers, I advise companies and their owners from around the world on the full range of banking, corporate, commercial and tax law matters in Switzerland, including international tax planning, fiduciary services, and legal family office services including immigration & relocation or real estate investments. My practice has a particular focus on clients from growth and frontier markets in Greater China, Central Asia and the Caucasus, the rest of Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America, and I equally advise clients from Europe and North America. Through an affiliated Swiss trust company, we also take care of the incorporation and ongoing administration of their companies and other structures, including accounting, tax returns and corporate secretarial services, and I serve as a professional director where required. With the support of a network of first-class cooperation partners, I also implement solutions worldwide.

My approach is to act as a trusted advisor who works directly with decision-makers, on an equal footing: I start from what you want to achieve and shape every structure, contract and tax decision around your commercial goals and how it improves your after-tax return. As “lawyers who make it happen”, my team and I stay involved until your company is set up, your structure is in place and your transaction has closed, and we remain available for any follow-on work that may be required. You benefit from bespoke solutions and personal attention, and sound, friendly and practical advice. We are not the lowest-cost provider in the market, nor do we intend to be; our aim is to deliver well-founded, proper solutions and excellent value for money.

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