Switzerland is one of the largest centres for cross-border private wealth, and its banks remain the central institutions of its financial centres. The articles collected here explain the Banking Act and the protection of bank client secrecy under Article 47, the rules of conduct under the Financial Services Act, the licensing of asset managers and trustees under the Financial Institutions Act, due diligence and discretionary mandates, retrocessions and their restitution, and dormant assets. They also trace the history of Swiss private banking and the consolidation of the banks in recent decades.
Swiss banks have served international clients for more than two centuries, and their reputation rests on stability, discretion and professional asset management. Since the end of banking secrecy for foreign taxpayers, that reputation depends on transparency and on strict rules of conduct, which the Financial Services Act and the Financial Institutions Act have codified since 2020.
For a foreign family or company, opening a Swiss bank account is often the first practical step, and it can take longer than expected. Banks must identify the beneficial owner, establish the source of wealth and understand the purpose of the relationship. Clients who prepare corporate documents, tax confirmations and a clear account of how their wealth was built usually find the process considerably smoother.
Swiss banks range from large international groups and cantonal banks to private banks and specialised boutiques. Each has its own minimum asset thresholds, service model and appetite for clients from particular regions. Comparing several institutions before committing assets helps a client find a bank that understands the structure of the family or business and can serve it in the right language.
The client then decides how much control to keep. An advisory mandate leaves investment decisions with the client, while a discretionary mandate allows the bank or an independent asset manager to act within an agreed strategy. Fees, retrocessions, custody arrangements and reporting deserve close attention, because over many years they affect returns as much as the choice of investments.
The articles explain how Swiss banks and asset managers are regulated, what bank client secrecy still protects, how discretionary mandates and retrocessions work, and what happens to dormant assets. Historical articles trace the private bankers of Geneva and the consolidation of the banks in recent decades.
Choosing a Swiss private bank
Private banks, universal banks and cantonal banks serve international clients in different ways. How to compare them, why the booking centre matters and which questions to ask. Read more Wealth Management · Mandate typesDiscretionary mandate, advisory mandate or execution-only
Under FinSA, the type of mandate determines what the bank must check, explain and document. An overview of client segmentation, opting-in and opting-out, and the suitability tests. Read more Wealth Management · Asset managersIndependent asset managers and custody banks
Working with an independent asset manager creates a three-party relationship with the custody bank. How it works, how fees are structured and what clients should know about retrocessions. Read more Wealth Management · LendingLombard loans and wealth financing
A Lombard loan provides liquidity against a pledged securities portfolio. How lending values and margin calls work, and why caution is warranted when using the funds for property or business. Read more Wealth Management · ConfidentialitySwiss bank secrecy today
Swiss bank secrecy still exists, but it no longer shields assets from foreign tax authorities. What Art. 47 BankA protects, how information exchange works and what clients can expect. Read more Private Client · Family OfficesFamily offices in Switzerland: licence, legal form and governance
A family office brings the management of a family's wealth under one roof: investments, real estate, companies, tax, philanthropy and… Read more Geneva · FiguresThe Geneva financial centre in figures
Figures on the weight of the Geneva financial centre circulate widely, often without their year, source or definition. This article… Read more Banking · FiguresThe consolidation of Swiss private banks in figures
The number of private banks in Switzerland has roughly halved since 2010, while the assets they manage have reached a… Read more Banking · PracticeDormant assets: from loss of contact to transfer to the Confederation
Swiss banks hold assets whose owners have stopped responding and cannot be traced. This article follows the procedure that applies… Read more Banking · PracticeRetrocessions: disclosure, waiver and the duty to restitute
Retrocessions are remuneration received from third parties, long paid in particular by custodian banks to the independent portfolio managers whose… Read more Banking · FundamentalsArticle 47 of the Banking Act: what bank client secrecy still protects
Article 47 of the Banking Act (BankA) still makes a breach of banking secrecy a criminal offence, although the protection… Read more Financial History · TimelineThe Bergier Commission: what it examined and what followed
The Independent Commission of Experts Switzerland – Second World War, chaired by the historian Jean-François Bergier, carried out the most… Read more Wealth Management · PracticeWealth management under FinSA and FinIA: the regulatory frame in practice
Since 1 January 2020 independent asset managers in Switzerland require a licence. The transition reshaped the market visibly: of 1,864… Read more Private Banking · FundamentalsThe Geneva private banker: legal form, unlimited liability and the move to the corporation
In English, private banking describes an activity. In Switzerland, Privatbankier describes a legal form. The distinction is regularly missed in… Read more Banking Secrecy · HistorySwiss banking secrecy: enacted in 1934, ended in 2017 — and what is left of it
Swiss banking secrecy was never an absolute secret, and it has not disappeared. What entered into force in 1934 was… Read more Financial History · BankingThe Banque protestante: Huguenots, the Refuge and eighteenth-century capital
Banking in Geneva was founded by refugees and their descendants. Read the family names of the oldest houses and you… Read more