The nineteenth century and the first half of the twentieth

Date	Event	Part
1826	Foundation of the Journal de Genève	J
1846	Radical revolution of James Fazy	D
1847	Geneva constitution; demolition of the fortifications begun	D
1848	Federal Constitution; Swiss internal market	D
1850	Swiss monetary unification; Swiss franc	D
1857	Creation of the Geneva Stock Exchange, the first in Switzerland	D
1863	Foundation of the International Committee of the Red Cross	F
1864	First Geneva Convention	F
1872	Alabama arbitration in Geneva	F
1907	Swiss National Bank begins operations	D
1915	Société générale de surveillance established in Geneva	G
1919–1920	Geneva chosen as seat of the League of Nations	F
1931	Banking crisis; disappearance of a major Swiss bank	D
1932	Affair of the Banque commerciale de Bâle in Paris	D
8 November 1934	Federal Banking Act; Article 47 on banking secrecy	D
1941	Foundation of the École d’interprètes de Genève (Geneva School of Interpreters)	J
1942	Closure of the Swiss borders to refugees	D
1946	United Nations established in Geneva	F

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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