Lugano

Lugano is the financial centre of Italian-speaking Switzerland and, by most measures, the third largest in the country after Zurich and Geneva. Its banks grew up serving clients from northern Italy, with Milan an hour away, and the city has since added commodity trading and, through the Plan ₿ programme it launched in 2022, a deliberate effort to attract blockchain and digital-asset businesses.

The gateway to Italy

For a company from Asia, the Middle East or Africa, Lugano is the Swiss location closest to Italy and to the markets of southern Europe. Its strengths are private banking and asset management, a community of commodity traders, and a university that trains staff in Italian, English and German.

Language and business community

Company, banking and anti-money laundering law are federal and apply in Lugano exactly as in Zurich, Geneva or Zug. What sets Ticino apart is its language, because the authorities, the commercial register and the courts work in Italian, and its business community, which has been shaped by private banking for Italian clients, by commodity trading and, since the city launched Plan ₿ in 2022, by companies working with blockchain and digital assets. The Gotthard Base Tunnel has brought Zurich within reach by train, so a company in Lugano can serve both the Italian and the German-speaking markets.

Trade with Italy

For businesses that trade with or through Italy, such as fashion and luxury goods, food, industrial supplies or commodities, Lugano offers Swiss legal certainty next door to one of Europe's largest economies. Many employees commute daily from Italy, and the agreement between Switzerland and Italy on the taxation of cross-border workers, which applies to new cross-border workers from 2024, governs how their salaries are taxed. The articles below cover the federal law that applies in Lugano as in the other financial centres: company formation, bank accounts, tax, anti-money laundering, sanctions and dispute resolution. Where Ticino has its own rules, in particular the cantonal tax burden, proceedings in Italian and the employment of cross-border commuters from Italy, a company settling in Lugano should plan for them from the start.

Across the Swiss financial centres

Corporate · Liquidation

Liquidating a Swiss company limited by shares (AG): routes, procedure and restrictions

Corporate · Restructuring

Capital loss and over-indebtedness under Swiss company law: the board's statutory duties

Social Security · Practice

Leaving Switzerland: AHV pensions abroad, refunds of contributions and voluntary insurance

Social Security · Practice

Social security agreements and secondments: the AHV in cross-border situations

Social Security · Practice

The AHV old-age pension in 2026: amounts, the 13th pension, early and deferred retirement

Social Security · Practice

Unpaid AHV contributions: the personal liability of directors and managers

Social Security · Practice

AHV for the self-employed and for persons without gainful activity

Social Security · Practice

AHV contributions on salaries in 2026: what employers and employees pay

Social Security · Practice

The Swiss AHV: how the first pillar works for foreign entrepreneurs and their families

Property · Commercial Property

Buying business premises and commercial property in Switzerland

Foreign companies can usually buy Swiss business premises without a permit. What qualifies as a permanent establishment, and where the limits lie.

Property · Purchase Process

The Swiss property purchase process: reservation, notarial deed and land register

From the reservation agreement to the land register entry: how a Swiss property purchase proceeds, what deposits are customary and how long it takes.

Property · Tax

Taxes on Swiss real estate: transfer tax, property gains tax and imputed rental value

Which taxes apply when Swiss property is bought, held and sold, how cantons differ and what the planned abolition of the imputed rental value means.

Property · Financing

Mortgage financing in Switzerland for foreign buyers

How Swiss banks assess affordability, how much equity they expect and why borrowers living abroad face stricter conditions.

Property · Commercial Leases

Renting office and commercial premises in Switzerland

Fixed terms, indexed rents, extension options and termination protection: what foreign companies should know before signing a Swiss commercial lease.

Property · Holiday Homes

Holiday homes and second homes in Switzerland

Foreign buyers need a Lex Koller permit within cantonal quotas, and the Second Homes Act limits new holiday homes in many mountain resorts.

Property · Corporate Ownership

Holding Swiss real estate through a company

Real estate companies can simplify ownership and succession, but Lex Koller and cantonal taxes on share transfers follow the property through the structure.

Property · Indirect Investment

Investing in Swiss real estate through funds and listed companies

Listed real estate companies and traded real estate funds give foreign investors access to Swiss property without a Lex Koller permit.

Residence · Settlement Permit

The settlement permit (C permit): permanent residence in Switzerland

When non-European residents can obtain the Swiss C permit, which integration and language criteria apply, and what changes once permanent residence has been granted.

Residence · Citizenship

Swiss citizenship: ordinary naturalisation and dual nationality

How ordinary naturalisation works under the Swiss Citizenship Act: residence periods, integration and language criteria, the three levels of procedure and the question of dual nationality.

Residence · Family Reunification

Family reunification: bringing your spouse and children to Switzerland

Under which conditions non-European residents can bring their spouse and children to Switzerland, how the permit type affects the outcome and why deadlines matter.

Residence · Departure

Leaving Switzerland: deregistration, taxes, pensions and permits

What residents should arrange before leaving Switzerland: deregistration, final tax assessment, pension capital withdrawals, the fate of residence permits and health insurance.

Private Client Tax · Wealth Tax

Wealth tax in Switzerland: how cantons tax net assets

Switzerland taxes net wealth at cantonal and communal level only. How assets are valued, which debts reduce the base and how foreign real estate is treated.

Private Client Tax · Inheritance and Gift Tax

Inheritance and gift tax in Switzerland

Swiss inheritance and gift tax is cantonal. Spouses are exempt everywhere and descendants in most cantons. Where the tax arises and what foreign heirs should know.

Private Client Tax · Capital Gains

Capital gains on private assets in Switzerland

Gains on private securities are tax-free in Switzerland, while dividends are taxed. When investors risk being treated as professional securities dealers.

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