Private banking
Private banking
- What it is
- Personal banking services for wealthy clients
- What it gives
- A personal manager, individual terms, access to investments and lending against assets
- Entry threshold
- Depends on the bank: usually from several hundred thousand to millions
- What you give in return
- A deeper check on the origin of capital
- Who it is relevant to
- On relocation, the sale of a business, succession planning
In plain words
Private banking is a form of service for wealthy clients in which, instead of a call centre, you have a personal manager and terms are negotiated individually. Put simply: the bank treats you as an individual case rather than a line in a tariff table.
What is usually included: a personal banker and priority service, individual tariffs and exchange rates, access to investment products, lending secured on assets, help with structuring capital and succession matters, and support in opening accounts for family members. The entry threshold depends on the bank and jurisdiction — as a rule, sums from several hundred thousand to millions.
The flip side: the higher the level of service, the deeper the check. Private banking always means enhanced compliance: the bank examines in detail the source of wealth and funds, the ownership structure and the tax status. Clients with a transparent file get genuinely comfortable terms; those who turn up unprepared are often refused at the introduction stage.
When private banking is needed
What private banking includes
- A personal manager
- Priority transactions
- Individual tariffs
- Investment products
- Asset-backed lending
- Multi-currency accounts
- Accounts for a spouse and children
- Succession planning
- Support when relocating
- Source of Wealth
- Source of Funds
- Ownership structure
How opening works
- 01Choosing a bank for your purposes
- 02Preparing a file on your capital
- 03Introduction and compliance
- 04Opening an account
- 05Working with the manager
What the bank usually requests
- Source of wealth
- Source of the specific funds
- The ownership structure of the business and assets
- Tax residence and tax returns
- PEP status and public mentions
Common mistakes
- Coming to the bank without a ready file on your capital
- Choosing a bank only for its famous name
- Concealing some assets or the ownership structure
- Not confirming the actual balance requirements
- Opening an account “just in case” with no clear purpose
What this means for a BRIDGES client
We prepare a client for private banking as seriously as for programme due diligence: we assemble a file on the origin of capital, put the ownership structure in order and choose a bank for the specific purposes. This noticeably increases the chance of the account being opened first time.
Frequently asked questions
01 /What is private banking, in plain words?
It is personal banking for wealthy clients: a personal manager, individual terms, access to investments and lending against assets.
02 /How much capital is needed?
The threshold depends on the bank and jurisdiction — as a rule, from several hundred thousand to millions. One bank may have several levels of service.
03 /Are clients checked more strictly?
Yes. The higher the level of service and the sum, the deeper the compliance: the bank examines in detail the source of wealth and funds, the ownership structure and the tax status.
04 /Does an account give a residence permit?
No. A bank account and an immigration status are different things. But having a serviced account makes life easier when relocating.
05 /Can you borrow against assets?
Yes, lending secured on a portfolio or real estate is one of the typical services. The terms are negotiated individually.
06 /Can they refuse?
They can. Most often the reason is an unclear origin of capital, a complex and opaque ownership structure or reputational risks.
See also
Read next
This material has undergone editorial review by BRIDGES.
Placing capital abroad?
We will choose a bank and prepare the source-of-funds file — so that the account is opened without refusals.