Tag Archive | "Switzerland"

My Story: I opened a Swiss Bank Account

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The GDP of Switzerland is higher than most of the countries in the world and that is why it is counted in one of the most prosperous nations in the world. To open an account there you will see the sign board outside the bank saying ‘Private Banking’, which is always a satisfying to anyone who wants to open a new account, especially at the Swiss Bank.  But actually that private bank is for millionaires, who are mostly from the third world countries and it requires $100,000 as a first deposit. Opening regular account does not need such a big deposit and is relatively the easier one.

An Account Opening

An Account Opening

In Switzerland, according to the laws and regulations any adult person can open an account. However, the bank holds the right to reject any customer for providing the services. For example, the bank can refuse to provide the services to a politically-exposed person, which can harm the bank’s reputation if that person becomes the bank client. The bank can also refuse to provide services to a person whose income sources are not reliable for the bank, or that person is generating income from criminal activities.

An Account for Companies

There are two types of accounts for companies in Switzerland.

  • Companies registered and working in Switzerland.
  • Companies registered and working abroad.

For the company, registered and working in Switzerland, the bank can gather the relevant information about the company.  The information can be collected from the Swizz Commercial Register on the company’s relevant website.

For the company, registered and working outside Switzerland than they must provide the relevant information required by the bank and prove its existence.

Swiss Banks Vs American Banks

One of the significant differences between the ordinary people bank and the Swiss bank is that, the regular banks let you pay the bills by sending pink slips in the mails. However, since American’s are used to the power of plastic while paying for the groceries or food at a restaurant, they hardly ever prefer the use of the credit cards. So when both the credit card and the checkbooks aren’t available, then there is no option left. One thing people don’t understand about the Swiss Banking is the monthly cash limit in the ATM machines. It’s quite confusing that why there are limits defined for the cash withdrawal. Different people go and try to persuade the teller to increase the monthly cash limit for the cash machines, and the tellers too, unwillingly, give them an approval.

PIN Privileges

Swiss accounts, sometimes also put people into trouble by changing their bank card. People often rush to the bank by such complaint and they are asked that they will get a different type of a bank card. Furthermore, the bank sometimes withdraws the PIN privileges. Read the full story

How to Open a Swiss Bank Account?

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Swiss bank accounts are very attractive due to their specific features. An average business man can now easily open a Swiss bank account. There are many new offers introduced for this purpose. It is considered very important to know about the specific aspects of these accounts. These accounts generally provide the secrecy and protection to the savings of people. Swiss bank accounts are operated with a number rather than account holder’s name. Some hard terms and conditions are led for opening these accounts.

swiss banking

Every new account needs an in-person appearance in Switzerland. There is a huge amount of money at least $100,000 required for an initial deposit. It also needs some more $300 per year for account maintenance. So, these secret accounts considered somewhat costly for an average person.

Cheaper ways to open a Swiss Bank account

There are some easier and cheaper ways also available to open Swiss Bank accounts. These secret accounts are working under the Swiss law from 1934. No Swiss bank official has right to disclose any information about an account. However, U.S. law enforcement agencies now may interfere for criminal investigations according to newly introduced rules for Swiss Bank accounts.

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Swiss bank accounts

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Switzerland has been the largest and safest offshore place for tax payers all across the globe.  Even though the Swiss banks supremacy for this identification has been shifted to new offshore banks, but still Swiss Bank account bestow you with the similar advantages that are supplied by other offshore banks. Now Swiss banks not only serve the very affluent people, but other small investors can also be benefited by these.

swiss bank account

In Offshore Banks, Swiss Banks are the Safest

Even in times of global turmoil and antagonism, Switzerland has managed to maintain its standing as an impartial country. Owing to this, Switzerland has developed into pinnacle of banking hubs all over the globe. It is therefore, acclaimed by every single one offshore financial expert as an ultimate place, because it protects people from social and political turmoil. Hence it means to offer more protection to your cash with stringent seclusion regulations.

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Laws related to Swiss Bank Accounts

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Opening an account in Swiss banks is accompanied with some rules, laws, and regulations. The basic rule is about the age of account opener, that if the account opener is a national of any other country, other than Switzerland, that account opener should be above 18 years old. The exemption and taxation on your amount is also done under certain rules.

Laws and Regulations of Swiss Banks

In Switzerland, nobody, even the Swiss government is allowed to reveal any information regarding accounts or account holders until an account holder is not a criminal.

swiss bank account

But in USA even a private citizen has an easy access to it, i.e. in America any one; even a normal citizen can get information of any account holder. The Swiss banker’s requirement of client confidentiality is found in Article 47 of the Federal Law on Banks and Savings Banks, which came into effect on November 8, 1934. In the books of banking laws, this article act is defined as;

“Anyone acting in his/her capacity as member of a banking body, as a bank employee, agent, liquidator or auditor, as an observer of the Swiss Federal Banking Commission (SFBC), or as a member of a body or an employee belonging to an accredited auditing institution, is not permitted to divulge information entrusted to him/her or of which he/she has been apprised because of his/her position.”

Exceptions of Swiss bank accounts

It is discussed in Swiss Bankers Association that no bank is allowed to provide the information and details of any account to any one.

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Swiss Banking Procedures

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Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA) regulates all the banks in Switzerland. The Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority is an institution that regulates activities related to bank, securities markets and investment funds.

Major Banks

Major Swiss Banks

Four type of banks operate in Switzerland, Central bank, private banks, semi-government banks, there are 327 authorized banks in Switzerland, UBS and Credit Suisse are the largest Swiss banks and account for over 50% of all the deposits in Switzerland. The Swiss National Bank, founded by Federal Act serves as central bank. The federal government does not hold any shares; its shares are publicly traded and are held by the individual investors, and are held by private and semi-government banks.

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Swiss Bank Account Advantages

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Swiss laws are very strict regarding the relationship between a bank and its customers.  If the bank violates this relationship a punishment shall be imposed. Banks must very careful therefore and not divulge any kind of information regarding their customers, without, taking permission.

Punishment

Swiss law treats a violation by the bank very seriously. The Swiss public attorney will immediately start prosecution against the bank.

HAUPTSITZ SCHWEIZER BANK

The punishment imposed could be up to 6 months of imprisonment and a fine of 50,000 Swiss Francs.  In addition you may even sue the bank separately.

Exceptions

There are certain exceptions to this strict law of privacy. Information may be divulged if criminal activities are taking place. This includes drug trafficking, organised crime or insider trading.

Privacy

The biggest advantage of having a Swiss bank account is the privacy that you can enjoy. The privacy allowed to a customer is indeed a blessing. You might not want anyone to know about your money.

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List of Swiss Banks and Type of Accounts

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There are many banks and account types in Switzerland. There are some universal banks in which there are all types of accounts and facilities are available for their clients and there are also some specialized banks, which deals only in specific field. Following are some details of different banks and account types in Switzerland.

Two largest banks in Switzerland

There are almost 400 banks in Switzerland and out of these 400 banks there are two large banks;

  • Union Bank of Switzerland, after its merger with Swiss Bank Corporation, it is also called UBS AG.
  • Credit Suisse Group

These two banks are managing the 50 percent of the account sheet of Switzerland banking business. They are handling the main economy of Switzerland.

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9 Places to Shift your Swiss bank’s million dollars?

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As the Swiss bank, UBS announces to turn over the names of suspected American tax evaders to US authorities, concerns have risen over the fate of the age-old banking system of Switzerland. For a very long time, Swiss banks have been trusted over secrecy on financial transactions. Now that analysts are predicting the end of Swiss banking system as we knew it, many wonder where to hide their million dollar stash. We have a few suggestions

swissbanksecrecy_iht

  1. Go to Zimbabwe: while Mr. Mugabe may promise to never give your names to concerned authorities, unfortunately your money would become almost worthless after being converted to Zimbabwean currency. Read the full story

Posts about Interest Rate as of March 3, 2009

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Yahoo, my Mortgage is going down….again!cherylbower.typepad.com
03/03/2009
The Toronto Star March 3, 2009 Big banks cut lending rates <><> … cut its influential interest rate again by a half-point to a record low of 0.5 per cent. Commercial … . Record low interest rates will help those in the market for a new home.     OTTAWA–
03/03/2009
Central London residential property prices rose by 3.9% in July 2007, the highest jump in a single month for 31 years, according to the Knight Frank Prime Central Location index. Lack of supply of suitable properties is considered the reason for the continued rise in residential prices throughout central London, with rises in house prices [...]
03/03/2009
Paul Krugman and “Calculated Risk” seem to be willful in their misunderstanding of the latest Treasury scheme.  The gist, as reported in the WSJ: .. … by Krugman: By offering low interest non-recourse loans, these public-private entities can pay
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There are many different types of mortgage loans. Various types of loans make the whole process of home-buying quite intimidating … . There are two most prevalent mortgage interest rates. These are fixed mortgage interest rate and adjustable mortgage interest rate. This article briefly describes the …
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One of the key decisions in choosing a mortgage deal is which type of interest rate will best suit your needs … . With several different rate types available the one you select can have a really impact on how your mortgage works. This guide reviews the most common rate types, weighing up the pros and cons …
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If you’re thinking of selling your home, and you expect that the total amount you owe on your mortgage will be greater than the selling price of … interest rate; providing a different payment plan to help you get caught up; or providing a forbearance … advantage of your situation or pressure you to do something that isn’t in your best interest. A
?Avoiding Foreclosure – Refinancingblog.foreclopedia.com
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Is refinancing a solution to your problems if you’re worried about losing your house? … currently in a mortgage with a very high interest rate. Loan consolidation could also relieve … with high interest rates and terms that could cause you more severe problems in the near future
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by Kurt Schefken Profit is always the end goal in every investment. In recent years, buying property as a means of asset increased … because of the unpredictability of the interest rate even if the value of properties has increased
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If you’re looking to purchase a condominium with less than 25% down payment, it’s almost a safe bet that government financing will be the way to go … into a higher interest rate.  To absorb that fee into a higher interest rate, it would cost about an extra .25 … times” the rate of other mortgages in the company’s portfolio. “We have to manage these
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Most investors want to abandon everything and run for cover thanks to all the bad news, stock collapses and recession. Can it get any worse? Sandy Franks of the Taipan Publishing Group says, “no.” So what do you do with your money now? Here she recommends to buy gold,
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Economic News USD – USD Forecasted to Strengthen Through March The USD rose to its highest level in 2 years against all of its major currency … anticipated another interest rate cut and a shift to quantitative easing from the European Central Bank (ECB … about Eastern Europe has been of most market interest, which has been benefiting the Dollar.
Top Guide of Mortgage Bad Creditmyflhomebuyer.com
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by Anne Durrel Mortgage Bad Credit loans are turning out to be increasingly famous among people who less the appropriate credit score to … to hold a high interest rate. If you are in urgent requirement of funding , this type of loan
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by Lee A Beattie Bad Credit Loans are essentially debt consolidation loans with higher interest rates that can be exploited for many proposes … normally offers a lower interest rate . Bad credit becomes an result, when you require to make a major buy … loans depending on the interest rate given to you prior to receiving that new car when you can’
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Stocks Hit ’97 Level, Signaling Long Slump ‘Bad Bank’ Funding Plan Starts to Get Fleshed Out  ‘Unscathed’ JPMorgan Said to Reap $5 Billion Derivatives Profit Foreign tax havens targeted in U.S. bills Citi to Allow Jobless to Pay Less on Loans BofA chief admits Tarp aid ‘mistake’ HSBC May Use Rights Offer Money to Fund Takeovers Chrysler Talks
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Auto Loan Bad Credit Christian Significant Hint As you devour this article, … Christian and in some way related to Auto Insurance Tip, 30 Year Fixed Mortgage Rates, Car Loan Rate Comparison or Average Interest Rate For A Car Loan for …
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‘Bad bank’ funding starts to take shape. The White House is said to be considering creating multiple investment funds to buy some of the bad loans … as much as 50% more in interest for the company’s debt. Public broadcaster NHK reported that Toyota’s
?Avoiding Foreclosure – Refinancingblog.foreclopedia.com
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Is refinancing a solution to your problems if you’re worried about losing your house? … currently in a mortgage with a very high interest rate. Loan consolidation could also relieve … with high interest rates and terms that could cause you more severe problems in the near future
Paid Off Mortgage and the Smith Manoeuvremilliondollarjourney.com
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A reader question that I’ve been getting quite a bit lately is, what if you’ve paid off your non deductible mortgage while implementing the Smith Manoeuvre?  What do you do with the large remaining investment loan? For new readers out there, lets get into a little background information
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By Adam Kritzer Only three years ago, the first currency exchange traded fund (ETF) … of higher-yielding alternatives, with the goal of earning a spread based on the interest rate differential
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by Amy Nutt It’s not uncommon for someone to look for the lowest price on any purchase that they are planning on making – this goes double for a … monthly payment they can get on a car, on an apartment and on a house – often the lowest monthly rate, at least at the start of the loan, will be with an adjustable rate mortgage so a lot of folks jump
03/03/2009
by Amy Nutt It’s not uncommon for someone to look for the lowest price on any purchase that they are planning on making – this goes double for a … monthly payment they can get on a car, on an apartment and on a house – often the lowest monthly rate, at least at the start of the loan, will be with an adjustable rate mortgage so a lot of folks jump
03/03/2009
California has quickly turned into a case study for the long-term effects of the housing market … -services companies and other state vendors in the form of warrants paying a 5% interest rate … in the housing market to the United States economy. Couple that with a low property tax rate (among other things
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Are you considering refinancing your new car or home? If so, there are certain things you want to be aware of before doing so … . Every time interest rates drop, people automatically think of refinancing their loans. Whether it is their home, car, etc. If you are currently paying a high interest rate, it is worth looking …
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Berne  – The Swiss economy shrank in the fourth quarter of 2008 by 0 … and demands for services.Last year, the Swiss National Bank cut its benchmark interest rate to 0.5 per cent … . With the latest economic news, analysts did not expect the rate to change.The head of the SNB, Jean-Pierre Roth
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TOKYO, March 3 (Reuters) – The yearning unkind up generally on weekday as the notch in welfare rates between Nihon and another countries is due to narrowing this week. The note index, a judge of the currency’s capableness against a goal of sextet another field Read solon
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by Brian H. Miller It is not fun being in debt. When you owe someone money, you always have that in the back of your mind, … dollars to your friend, probably interest free, you may feel less obliged to pay it back right away than if you owe a thousands dollars to an uncle at a 10 percent interest rate. It is not often
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by Mijnadviseur Most people make a decision for a certain lender based on the mortgage rate quoted … mortgage is a fixed rate mortgage. With this type of mortgage, you know what the interest rate is, because … and you can not easily change it to profit form certain interest rate dips. Most fixed rate
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by Brian H. Miller Have you ever owed anyone money before? Didn’t it place a burden on you? … with a 10 percent agreed upon interest rate, you’d have a bit more of a burden on your shoulders … . It’s the larger debts with high interest rates that are problematic. Credit cards
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by Krissy Mangum Sometimes things are tough and the ceiling feels like it is caving in on you … have on file for you. Once you have a final tally of debts owed and a weighted average interest rateinterest rate fee. If you end up using one then make sure you pay off the loan as fast
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by Krissy Mangum Lately a lot of people have gotten bad credit … to the interest rates you are paying. Once you have added it up go and get a credit history report … lenders and people that claim to be a friend. Typically they will charge an extremely high interest
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‘Unscathed’ JPMorgan Said to Reap $5 Billion Derivatives ProfitBy Matthew Leising and Elizabeth Hester March 3 (Bloomberg) — JPMorgan Chase & Co … earnings for its interest-rate swap, municipal bond and foreign exchange derivatives group. The unit … such as stocks, commodities or interest rates. Over-the-counter refers to a type of private,
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Liberal Democrat Shadow Home Secretary, Chris Huhne   said on BBC’s 2 Newsnight that the rise in the use of illegal loan sharks was shored up by … with an interest rate of 1100 per cent,” he added. Chris Huhne also said the first and most important thing
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Sydney  – Interest rates in Australia were unchanged at 3 … in value in the wake of an announcement that preserves the differential between the interest rate … of the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) not cutting the rate it charges banks for borrowing.The pause
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  Liberal Democrat Shadow Home Secretary, Chris Huhne   said on BBC’s 2 Newsnight the rise in the use of illegal loan sharks was shored … You can find someone taking a payday loan… with an interest rate of 1100 per cent,” he added
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By Paul Easton Few tips on how to enhance your savings during a recession. Saving up in this current crisis can be very hard … interest rate compared to your credit rating. By asking your banker, you could perhaps refinance
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AIG stuns with massive loss, gets US$30b lifeline US$61.7b Q4 loss is biggest in corporate history, federal officials say they have no choice but intervene (NEW YORK) In a troubling sign that the financial crisis is far from over, the US government yesterday agreed to provide another US$30 billion to the American International Group and loosen
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3. March 2009 Expectations for a 50bp rate cut by the Bank of Canada is likely to weigh on the exchange rate over the next 24 hours of trading, and as the region is…Cliccare qui per leggere l’intero
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Sydney  – Interest rates in Australia were unchanged at 3 … in value in the wake of an announcement that preserves the differential between the interest rate … of the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) not cutting the rate it charges banks for borrowing.The pause
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Rhode Island Home Equity Loan Student Loan Interest Rate Free Significant Guideline Are you searching for information related to Rhode Island Home Equity Loan Student Loan Interest Rate or other information somehow related to Federal Student Loan Consolidation Rate, or Top Private Student Loan? If yes, this article will give you helpful
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Here is the first thing I was ever taught about regression analysis — never, … for believing to exist.  For example, I might think that home ownership rates might drop as interest rates rose, and vice versa, because interest rate increases effectively increase the cost of a house
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Reserve Bank of Australia Surprises, Leaves Rates Unchanged at 3 … : Speculators are short CHF and commercials are long CHF. Overnight Interest Rate Update 03.03.09 … .25% The Reserve Bank of Australia surprised the market by keeping interest rates unchanged
03/03/2009
When you use a debt settlement company to help fix your debt, lenders are more likely to get approved for future loans with low interest rates. This can help you if wanting a loan for an unforeseen incident that may come about. Using a debt settlement company can help you qualify for low interest rate loans within a year of using
03/03/2009
Tuesday, March 3rd, 2009 at 3: … , by getting a unique and lower monthly payment, plus a reduced interest rate applied in a monthly base, it is unarguable that a lower interest rate in a fixed amount of debt is better than a higher
03/03/2009
Tuesday, March 3rd, 2009 at 3: … between ten to twenty percent. Department store credit cards reach a higher interest rate at twenty … benefits. Rather than multiple high interest monthly payments, the consumer has one payment which
03/03/2009
Tuesday, March 3rd, 2009 at 3: … , the one with the lower interest rate will always be your first option. However, loans with longer repayment terms will have a higher interest rate than a debt consolidation loan with a shorter repayment period
03/03/2009
Tuesday, March 3rd, 2009 at 3: … the benefits will be a lower interest rate than you would get otherwise because of the protection … for you. They will talk terms with your lenders to reduce your interest rates, stop all the late charges
03/03/2009
After the 1929 October 24, 28 and 29 market crash, the weekly entertainment industry magazine Variety (on October 30) published its most famous ever headline: “Wall Street Lays an Egg.” In October 2008, history repeated, and since the October 2007 peak, equity prices plunged over 50% after the Dow and S & P (in February)

7 Myths About Opening a Swiss Bank Account

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Mention Swiss bank account and heads turn and people tend to get more attentive. First thing that comes to mind is filthy rich people. Swiss bank accounts are usually associated with drug and corruption money due to popular media and fictional movies. This lead me into a quest for truth among all the myths surrounding Swiss bank accounts. It was only a matter of understanding Swiss people and their legal and banking system. All myths evaporated as facts came forward to clear the mist. let me share what I found about Swiss bank accounts.

Swiss Bank Account

Only millionaires can have Swiss bank accounts

This is most popular of the myths. It is not true that Swiss Accounts are only for very rich people. In fact most of the people holding Swiss Bank accounts are not leading industrialists or movie stars. It is everyday people. businessmen, IT professionals, engineers, doctors and government employees etc. Gone are the days when Swiss bank accounts were only for rich.

Barrier to entry are considerably low. Minimum amount to open an account in Swiss Bank is just 5000 Swiss Franc. There are even Swiss accounts available where you don’t need to maintain a minimum balance.

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