Geneva’s durable strengths

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In the face of this competition, Geneva has strengths that the preceding chapters have described and that the actors of the sector emphasise. The cluster of financing, inspection, chartering, law and training is the first. Bilan sees in it the reason why Geneva keeps first place ahead of Dubai.¹ Switzerland’s political and legal stability, its neutrality, the quality of its institutions and the safety of persons are the second. The time zone, which makes it possible to cover Asia and the Americas within the same day, and the air links are the third. The quality of life, the international environment and multilingualism are the fourth.

These strengths are threatened by developments that the financial centre controls only in part: the cost of living, the taxation of natural persons, sanctions, the withdrawal of banks and the contraction of International Geneva. Preserving them presupposes a coherent policy on the part of the federal, cantonal and municipal authorities, a dialogue with the sector and constant attention to reputation, which Part H will show to be the most fragile factor.

Notes

Bilan, 23 March 2026, cited above. ↩

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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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.

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