Bank account in Liechtenstein

Open bank account in Liechtenstein

The Principality of Liechtenstein is a small country being world-famous safe haven for banking. With its highly efficient banking system it has a reputation of having an excellent expertise in private wealth management. Besides, its financial institutions guarantee anonymity and stability of assets. The banks are responsible in any loss of client’s wealth and property. This jurisdiction is extensively used for establishing trust companies.

Liechtenstein has only 15 licensed banks that together manage more than 128 billion Swiss francs.

The official currency of Liechtenstein is Swiss francs. The Principality’s banks provide high quality services and most of the banks has consultants speaking foreign languages, including English, German, Italian, French, Spanish, Russian, Ukrainian, Mandarin, etc.

For the past few years, Liechtenstein is favoured by digital and high technological companies seeking for new solutions to cover their needs.

What bank services are offered by banks in Liechtenstein?

Any customer can be sure to find what is needed in Liechtenstein. The variety of services and its excellent quality is the cornerstone of its banking system. Liechtenstein banks offer family office financial services, personal and corporate accounts, merchant and trading accounts, international payments, online banking, debit and credit payment cards, asset management and family office, trade finance services, brokerage services, deposit accounts, IPO and investment funds, escrow accounts, trust and custody services, Lombard services, investment banking services.

Can non-resident entities open a bank account in Liechtenstein?

Non-residents may open a bank account in Liechtenstein. However, most non-residents choose to establish trust or other forms of legal entities in Liechtenstein.

Liechtenstein banks accept documents online and process account opening documents quickly. It is highly advisable to get a preliminary consultation on opening accounts in Liechtenstein and to seek assistance with preparation of corporate and personal documents. Besides, consultants help with introduction of potential clients to the bank and communicate/mediate with the bank on behalf of the client.

What are the benefits of opening a bank account in Liechtenstein?

Liechtenstein is one of the main financial centre. Liechtenstein banks are committed to maintaining high quality services, asset safety and excellent profitability when it comes to asset management. On top of that, the benefits of banking in Liechtenstein are:

• Liechtenstein banks provide high confidentiality, banking privacy and secrecy at all levels;
• Liechtenstein is known for ages as the most reputable financial centers of the world;
• Liechtenstein’s country ranking is AAA according to Standard & Poor;
• Liechtenstein’s banks are best-capitalised in the world;
• Liechtenstein’s currency is the Swiss franc which is one of the most stable currency;
• Liechtenstein is a member of the customs and currency union of Switzerland and European Economic Area;
• Deposit guarantee scheme of Liechtenstein covers up to 100,000 CHF per bank per depositor;
• Accounts can be managed online 24/7 through secure internet banking tools;
• Most banks offer multi-currency accounts and freedom to move funds across the world;
• Accounts can be opened remotely;
• Private banking is the core specialization of Liechtenstein’s banks;
• Banking services are available in several languages.

What are the requirements for opening a bank account in Liechtenstein?

The exact set of documents may differ from bank to bank. The general set of documents is:

For individuals a bank requires the following:

• notarized copy passport or ID
• Corporate clients present the following documents:
• certificate of incorporation;
• articles of association;
• board resolution;
• company registers;
• certificate of good standing;
• share certificate;
• deed of trust;
• passports of directors and shareholders.

This is a minimum set of documents. All documents should be in English or accompanied by notarized translation into English.

What banks operate in Liechtenstein?

Banks in Liechtenstein are the best-capitalized banks in the world that managed to successfully pass through the world crisis in 2008 compared to other countries. These banks are well-known for their stability, reliability and independence. Moreover, banking sector is one of the principal activity of this small country.

The top banks in Liechtenstein are:

• LGT Bank
  LGT Bank is the largest bank in Liechtenstein (approx. 46% of the market share). It operates in other counties. The specialization of the bank is private banking and management services. The bank has Moody’s high grade of Aa2. LGT Bank participates in deposit guarantee scheme of Liechtenstein which covers up to 100,000 CHF per bank per depositor.
• Liechtensteinische Landesbank AG
  This is one of the oldest and largest banks in Liechtenstein established in 1861. The banking services include retail banking, corporate banking, investment management and private banking.
• VP Bank
  VP Bank is the third largest bank in Liechtenstein. The banking products include asset management and investment advisory services. Besides, this is one of the fastest growing banks in the Principality.

Other major banks in Liechtenstein are (given in alphabetical order):

• Bank Alpinum
• Bank Frick
• Bank von Ernst
• Bank Vontobel
• Banque Havilland
• Centrum Bank
• Kaiser Ritter Partner Privatbank
• Lamda Privatbank
• Neue Bank
• Raiffeisen Bank
• Valartis Bank
• Volksbank

How can I close an account in Liechtenstein?

Liechtenstein banks are equally reliable when it comes to termination of a bank account. A customer may close an account at any time upon termination notice. The funds can be transferred to any account in local or international bank.