Switzerland - Leading Asset Management Centre outside the E.U

Some 35% of the world's private funds under foreign management are managed from Switzerland, compared with 21% from the United Kingdom and 12% from the United States.

Geneva is both the cradle and the capital of international asset management. It has become a reference for other financial centres. The internationalization of the term 'private banking' underscores the fact that the quality criteria applied in Geneva - the birthplace of the private bank - are a benchmark for the profession all over the world.

It is in Geneva that the three major Swiss banks, Europe's foremost fund managers, have the largest proportion of their assets under management. Geneva is also the city selected by an increasing number of foreign banks as the base for their international asset management operations. Today, Geneva is home to 49 Swiss banks foreign banks. This cross-fertilization accounts for the centre's dynamism and is further enhanced by the activities of hundreds of finance companies and independent asset managers as well as the portfolio management departments of leading international accountancy firms and stockbrokers.

Do you think confidentiality is important? Banking secrecy in Switzerland meets a basic requirement for personal freedom and respect for the rights of the individual. It provides a legal basis for the absolute confidentiality which has always been a distinctive feature of Swiss banks.

Today, the judiciary may lift banking secrecy if there is compelling evidence that a serious crime has been committed. Except in such extreme cases you will enjoy unparalleled protection. Above all, you can rely on your account manager to be a model of discretion. In this area of human activity, culture and professional ethics go deeper than legislation.