Very powerful account opened with one of the largest banks in Switzerland. Dedicated account manager and professional investment advisers. Well worth the extra minimum balance requirement.
- Opened with a very large, century old Swiss bank
- Powerful and easy-to-use online banking system
- Excellent investment services
- Branches all over Switzerland
- Very professional service
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| Jurisdiction |
Switzerland |
| About the bank |
This account is opened with a Swiss banking powerhouse, with over fifty thousand employees and operations all over the world. It is one of the largest banks in Switzerland and has branches everywhere in Switzerland. It has been in operations for more than 100 years.
You will be dealing with one dedicated account manager and his/her deputy. Account managers are all specialized by countries. They will be intimate with your country and fluent in English or and often also in your mother tongue.
The services offered by the bank are very comprehensive and so are the investments available. Money market funds, bond funds in every major currencies, custom-made equity portofolios, precious metals are all at your fingertips. The bank has a large investment research department at your service if you want to research your investments yourself.
All clients get attention and excellent services - not only very large clients. However, it should be clear that this bank specializes in clients, large and small, who will use the account to save and invest the money over the long run - not in current accounts. They understand that you need to start somewhere and will help you grow along the way.
When opening your account in person, you will meet with your account manager and his deputy in a private meeting room. The deputy will replace the account manager if the latter is not available. This ensures a much better service than having to deal with a pool of account managers who deal with thousands of clients. You will not have to explain everything from the start to a stranger everytime you call.
As a result of internal policies, the bank is not overly flexible with US clients so this is not a first choice if you are a US person. Also, the bank wants long-term accounts, not current accounts. If you are looking for a current account with no intention of leaving money to be saved, we have other accounts which are better suited for this use.
If you need this account for long-term saving this is one of the best account you can get and one that you can use during your whole life and then pass on to your children. We have been offering this account to clients all over the world for many years and receive very positive feedback.
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| Min balance |
The bank expects you to deposit at least 50,000 Swiss francs (equivalent to $38,000 or EUR 32,000 or £22,000) within a few months if you live in: Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Faroe Islands, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Guernsey, Iceland, Ireland, Isle of Man, Italy, Jersey, Liechtenstein, Luxemburg, Monaco, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands, UK.
Clients who live in other countries are expected to deposit 150,000 Swiss francs (equivalent to $115,000 or EUR 97,000 or £65,000).
The minimum balance can be deposited over a few months.
This dual policy reflects current views in the Swiss banking community about due diligence requirements. The bank considers that it is simpler to verify a client's background in some countries, and harder and more expensive in some other countries. The bank has country-specialized desks for many "risky" countries, such as Russia, Ukraine, Indonesia, etc... to provide good service from Swiss bankers who are fully knowledgeable of each country's particularities so that client can deal with the bank efficiently and on the basis of mutual trust. If you are not sure what account will match your requirements please contact us and we will see what solutions we can offer you.
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| Opening by mail |
Yes |
| Internet banking |
This account comes with one of the best online banking systems in Switzerland. You can access it from anywhere in the world 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with a standard web browser. The system is very easy to use and has many powerful features:
Security is ensured by military-grade encryption. You will receive a special device that looks like a pocket calculator. The device is very easy to use and very James Bond like. It generates a special code needed to access your account, each session uses a different code. In terms of security, this is the most advanced system we know for security.
The system is packed with powerful features:
 See your account statements online
Transfer funds to any bank account in the world
Access the bank's large investment research library
Manage your investments and trade online. You will have a direct access to electronic markets such as the Nasdaq or the Swiss stock exchange and will be able to enter your orders for all other world markets.
There are some restrictions if you live in:
Canada and UK : No online stock market orders.
Spain and Japan: No online stock market orders and no bank transfers online.
These restrictions are due to the bank's policy and depend on where you live, not on your citizenship. If you need a service not available in your country, please contact us to see if there are alternatives. In any case you can always send your orders by fax.
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| Mail retaining |
You can ask the bank to keep all bank mail for 200 Swiss francs a year (equivalent to $154, EUR 130 or £87). To read your mail, you can either ask the bank to send it to a specific address, say, three times a year, or come and read it in person.
For more flexibility and added features you can also use our mail retaining service in combination with this account.
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| Credit cards |
The bank can issue you international credit and ATM cards you can use all over the world to pay in restaurants and shops or to withdraw cash at ATMs.
Mastercard and Visa credit cards available in Swiss Francs, US dollars and Euros, with or without the bank logo. Each withdrawal at an ATM cost a flat fee of 5 Swiss francs (equivalent to $3.85 or EUR 3.24 or £2.17).
The bank will issue credit cards only when your account balance reaches 100,000 Swiss francs (equivalent to $77,000 or EUR 65,000 or £43,000) and you will need a security of at least one time the monthly credit limit.
International ATM cards are also available with a maximum withdrawal of 1,000 Swiss francs per day (equivalent to $769 or EUR 649 or £434) and 5,000 Swiss francs per month (equivalent to $3,800 or EUR 3,200 or £2,200). These cards work anywhere you see the EC Maestro logo (several hundred thousands distributors all over the world). Withdrawals cost 5 Swiss francs per withdrawal (equivalent to $3.85 or EUR 3.24 or £2.17). There is no security required to get this card and no extra minimum balance requirement.
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| Investment options |
This account offers a very large variety of powerful investment options. You can either manage your investments yourself or ask the bank to manage it.
You can invest your funds in simple, safe and easy to understand investment programs for long-term growth. As your account grows you can ask a dedicated portofolio manager to actively manage your investments. In this case your funds will be invested by a highly-skilled Swiss banker who spends his entire life managing assets on behalf of clients according to tailor-made specifications you set.
If you want to manage your investments yourself or with the help of your account manager, you can choose between hundreds of mutual funds and all major currencies, or invest in specific equities. Here are a few categories of investments available:
Monetary investments - these are the most secure short to medium term investments available. The bank offers a great variety of fiduciary deposits and runs its own money market funds in Swiss francs, US, Canadian and Australian dollars, British pounds and euros.
Bonds - these are conservative, medium to long-term investments. The bank manages its own bond funds in Swiss francs, US, Canadian and Australian dollars, Euros and Pounds. For most currencies bond funds with various durations are available (short term, medium term and long term). This gives you an efficient way to diversify your bond holdings even with a small investment so as not to put all your eggs in the same basket. You can also invest directly in a large variety of bonds, in most currencies.
Stocks - through your account you can buy shares of companies all over the world. Your name will not appear anywhere - the bank will buy everything under its own name. Any stock market in the world is accessible directly through your account. Electronic markets such as Virt-x, Nasdaq, Nyse, etc... can also be accessed directly through online banking without even speaking to your account manager.
Gold & Precious Metals - invest in Gold, Silver, Platinum, Palladium and other precious metals directly from your account. You can buy gold bars and store them for example in a safe deposit box in the bank, or buy gold. For more convenience you can also have a metal account and buy precious metals by the ounce, like you would buy equities. For more complex investments you can buy shares of gold mines and even precious metal futures and options. Switzerland is the biggest market for banking gold in the world.
Complex investment products are also available for advanced investors, including futures and other derivatives as well as stock participation programs with guaranteed minimum returns and a share of the stock investment return. There are few other Swiss banks with such a rich offer of investments.
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| Expenses |
The basic account maintenance fee is 36 Swiss francs a year (equivalent to $28 or EUR 23 or £16).
Incoming international bank transfers are free of charge. You can send money to any bank in the world by bank transfer for 5 Swiss francs (equivalent to $3.85 or EUR 3.24 or £2.17) + the costs charged by the receiving bank.
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| Account officer language |
- French
- English
- German
- Italian
- Russian
- Arabic
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| Available currencies |
Any Currency |
| Restricted countries |
No restrictions |
| Restricted citizenships |
If you are a citizen of one of the following countries you cannot open this account: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Colombia, Nigeria. |
| Set-up fee |
The one-time setup fee to open this account is 1199.00 Swiss Francs (equivalent to $922 or EUR 778 or £521). |
| Setup Mode |
The account can be opened by mail or in person if you who live in: Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Faroe Islands, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Guernsey, Iceland, Ireland, Isle of Man, Italy, Jersey, Liechtenstein, Luxemburg, Monaco, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands, UK.
Clients who live in other countries must come personnally to Switzerland to open their account. We can expedite the opening in person within 3 hours for most clients.
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