Switzerland is global market leader in crossborder private banking

Assets managed in Switzerland

CHF 5,600 billion managed in Switzerland

In total, banks in Switzerland managed assets of around CHF 5,600 billion at end-2009, up 3.7% or CHF 200 billion from the previous year. Assets managed include the following items: securities, fiduciary deposits, savings and investment liabilities to clients and term deposits.

At end-2009, securities holdings at market value came to CHF 4,508 billion; of these, roughly 62% came from institutional investors, 29% from private clients and just under 10% from companies. Custody accounts for foreign clients comprised 55%, for domestic clients 45%. Between September 2009 and October 2010, securities holdings of foreign private investors fell by around CHF 68.9 billion or 9.6%. This was mainly due to currency effects, i.e. the appreciation of the Swiss franc, rather than outflows of client money.

Source: Wealth Management in Switzerland – SBA – February 2011

Significant increase in global assets

Global assets at the end of 2009 were USD 111,500 billion (BCG 2010a), roughly the same as the previous high seen in 2007 (see figure 1-1). This represents growth of USD 11,500 billion or 11.5% over the year, mainly driven by the recovery in financial markets. It is estimated that in 2014 global assets will reach USD 147.5 billion.

Source: Wealth Management in Switzerland – SBA – February 2011