The francophone diasporas in Switzerland

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The francophone market is also present in Geneva itself. The diasporas from West Africa, the Maghreb, Lebanon and francophone Europe form communities of entrepreneurs, executives of international organisations, members of the liberal professions and retirees who together constitute a local French-speaking clientele of foreign origin. These communities maintain economic ties with their countries of origin: remittances, property investments, shareholdings in family businesses and philanthropic projects. Remittances from the African diasporas amount, at the scale of the continent, to sums exceeding official development assistance. Part of these flows passes through Switzerland.¹

For Geneva institutions, this local clientele is a point of entry to the markets of origin. A Lebanese entrepreneur settled in Geneva, a Senegalese family whose children study in Switzerland or a Moroccan executive at an international organisation introduces the institution to their networks. The retail banks, asset managers and fiduciaries that serve these clienteles in their own language and understand the constraints of their countries of origin, in particular exchange controls and taxation, develop a competence that foreign competitors lack.

Notes

World Bank, “En 2024, les envois de fonds des migrants vers les pays en développement devraient atteindre 685 milliards de dollars et dépasser le montant cumulé des IDE et de l’APD” (In 2024, migrant remittances to developing countries are expected to reach USD 685 billion and exceed FDI and ODA combined), blogs.worldbank.org, 18 December 2024: approximately USD 56 billion for sub-Saharan Africa in 2024. ↩

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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The francophone diasporas in Switzerland

Notes

Setting up or expanding in Switzerland?