Overview

Liechtenstein is a beautiful, calm country, but the reason why you should consider investing there is that, in recent years, it has become one of the principal financial hubs in the world.

The reason for this is simple: economic and political stability, excellent incentives for foreigners to use its financial system, and legal certainty that allows banks to grow and thrive.

Financial services represent 25% of Liechtenstein’s GDP, so you can be assured that the government won’t mess with such a vital source of money. In fact, they encourage it.

In what products do Liechtenstein banks specialize? Mostly in wealth management and private banking. They are so good in this that most uber-wealthy families in Europe go there to safeguard their fortunes. Not Switzerland, not the Cayman Islands. Liechtenstein.

Liechtenstein is the keystone of most major European large family offices. To be sure, it is not cheap nor easy to get there, but it is worth the effort.

If you are looking to further your asset protection strategy, this is the place. Look no further.

The Liechtenstein banking sector is so strong that in the depth of the 2008´s global crisis, they were the only banks in Europe that did not need financial aid from the government to overcome the global crisis.

Why?

Close ties with Swiss banks
Premier discretion
Low taxes (12.5% corporate tax rate)
Outstanding political stability
Liechtenstein uses the Swiss Franc, which is one of the most stable currencies in the world
It is a privileged path to Europe’s financial system.

These are just some of the reasons why Liechtenstein should be the first option for protecting your legacy.

Below, we´ll explain more about this.

Why should you open a bank account in Liechtenstein?

Every human discipline has players that rise above the rest. Soccer has Lionel Messi, physics has Einstein, watches have Rolex, and tennis has Federer. When you talk about wealth management and private banking, the best player in the world is Liechtenstein.

So, if you are looking to protect your assets or want other private banking activities, Liechtenstein is the place. Banks are used for many types of international structures. You can ensure that they will find the solution that adapts to your needs.

Can foreign companies open accounts there? Of course. In fact, Liechtenstein is well known for having more companies registered in the country (37,000) than the population (35,000). Foreign capital comes to Liechtenstein because of the strength of its financial system and the competitive tax rates.

People who invest in Liechtenstein can be sure that their money is safe. The government is fiscally responsible, and the economy is so strong that Standard & Poor’s rates its debt as AAA, the firm´s highest rate.

Additionally, banks work through commissions, not risky investments, like many European and American counterparts. Thus, they will not usually lend your money to third-parties (at least not much of it) but keep it safe in their banks. This also means that Liechtenstein banks are highly liquid, which protects them from international financial turmoil. When we say there’s no better place for your money on the planet, we mean it.

You may have heard that Liechtenstein was listed as a tax haven. Not anymore. In 2018, the OECD removed it from the list of Uncooperative Tax Haven, meaning that you can save your money in this perfectly whitelisted jurisdiction without any issues. You have the best of both worlds: top-level tax optimization and privacy, with full compliance with OECD regulations.

Another thing is privacy. Third parties, such as creditors, don’t have the right to access your banking information. Nobody could access your account unless you committed a crime. Actually, Liechtenstein banks are ranked second globally in terms of personal information protection, just after Switzerland.

Which activities can you do with a bank account in Liechtenstein?

The banks of this tiny country provide numerous financial services, like:

Money deposits, transfers and payment methods for both national and foreign customers.
Credit cards and internet banking.
Family office management.
Management of investments.
Trading accounts in foreign currency, regarding imports and exports.
Access to your account through the bank´s online system, 24/7 the 365 days of the year.

We could continue listing all day about the benefits of having Liechtenstein as an attractive destination to protect your money, but we´ll keep it short: Liechtenstein is the perfect place for people and companies that want to protect their wealth.

The reasons are its solid and specialized banking system, low tax rates, and strategic position that allows free access to Europe´s financial market.

How to open a bank account in Liechtenstein

Foreign residents and companies can open bank accounts in Liechtenstein, so you won’t need to worry about this. However, not all banks offer services for foreigners, so you need to be careful about which bank to choose.

In Mundo, we are specialists in financial services. We have first-level experts in Liechtenstein that can help you select the best alternative and handle every step, so you won't have to worry about the paperwork and dealing with bankers.

Conditions vary, but there are many financial possibilities for non-residents. For personal and corporate accounts, the minimum deposit and monthly balance depends on the purpose of the bank account. For example, private banks might ask you to have from CHF500,000 up to CHF1,000,000 in assets, but it always depends.

Personal bank account

If you are looking to open a personal bank account, here we are listing the documentation you´ll need to provide to Mundo:

A copy of your passport or ID Card
A bank reference
Complete all the forms required for the bank and send them signed by the person who will open the account.
A copy of your curriculum vitae

All the documents must be translated to English; most banks require that the documents have been notarized less than three months ago. We recommend you to notarize the documents again if the term is about to expire. Depending on the case, the bank could require additional documents for finishing the process.

Corporate bank account

For opening a corporate bank account in Liechtenstein, you´ll need to provide these documents to Mundo, about each stakeholder or authorized person:

Copy of the certificate of incorporation.
Copy of the Good Standing/Incumbency certificate
Copy of the shares certificate (only if the company has registered shares)
Document that proves the company address.
An original power of attorney that authorizes a lawyer to proceed to the opening and administration for the account. This power of attorney will stay achieved in the bank.
Copy of the trust’s declaration.
Business Model of the company, mentioning the shareholders, webpages.
Contracts, brochures, and other documentation regarding information about the company (if those are available).

As usual, we work with a pre-approval system where we send your documents to prospective banks to tell us if they might be interested in entering a business relationship with you. This does not guarantee success, but it dramatically increases your chances. The whole process will look like this:

You sent your documents to our experts.
Our experts review them and start the pre-approval process.
After the pre-approval, they send your documents to the chosen bank.
When the bank checks everything is in order and the procedure is done, you’ll have opened your account.

Once the account is opened, you can access it through the internet. Confidentiality is granted in every step of the process.

An outstanding service and strict privacy rules and a strong economy make Liechtenstein the best place for you to open an account. For more information, in Mundo, we can help you make the process whole easier.