Swiss banks
Secretive financial institutions
Swiss banks are financial institutions in Switzerland, known for strict secrecy laws that historically protected account holders' identities.
The phrase often implies hidden wealth, tax avoidance, or discreet storage of assets beyond the reach of other governments: The dictator kept his fortune in Swiss banks.
Swiss banking secrecy has eroded under international pressure but retains its mystique.
- accountsRecords of transactions
- numbered accountsBank holdings identified numerically
- savingsAccumulated money kept
- assetsOwned items of value
- secrecyPractice of hiding information
vault · deposits · safe deposit boxes · finance · wealth · old money · private equity · hedge funds · investment · financial privacy · capital preservation · neutrality · asset management · client confidentiality · dirty money · portfolio management · estate planning · tax optimization
- Swiss ExportsRolex, Lindt, Toblerone, watchmaking, Victorinox
- financial secrecynumbered accounts, offshore accounts, secrecy laws, financial privacy, confidentiality
- offshore financetax havens, tax haven, numbered accounts, secrecy laws, confidentiality
- SwitzerlandBern, Geneva, Zurich, Basel, Lausanne
- Banking HistoryFederal Reserve, gold standard, Glass-Steagall, FDIC, paper money
- banking termsaccount number, routing number, balance, FDIC, credit check