Updated
GL-P-05
01 / In 30 seconds
The short answer
- 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
02 / In plain words
What Private banking means
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.
A case from practice
After selling a stake in a business, a client was placing capital abroad. We assembled a file on the source of wealth and funds in advance and chose a bank to suit their purposes and structure. The account was opened without repeated requests, and the terms were discussed in substance from the outset.
When private banking is needed
- Relocation and moving capital
- Selling a business and placing the proceeds
- Asset-backed lending
- Investment products and a portfolio
- Succession planning
- Accounts for family members
03 / What it covers
What private banking includes
Upkeep
- A personal manager
- Priority transactions
- Individual tariffs
Finance
- Investment products
- Asset-backed lending
- Multi-currency accounts
Family
- Accounts for a spouse and children
- Succession planning
- Support when relocating
Compliance
- Source of Wealth
- Source of Funds
- Ownership structure
04 / How it works
How opening works
Choosing a bank for your purposes
We look at which banks work with your country and amount.
Preparing a file on your capital
Source of wealth, source of funds, ownership structure.
Introduction and compliance
Meeting the manager and the compliance review.
Opening an account
The account is opened after compliance approval.
Working with the manager
The manager handles accounts, payments and investments.
05 / Key facts
What the bank usually requests
01Format
A personal manager
Instead of a call centre, a manager; terms are agreed individually: accounts, investments, credit.
02The main check
Source of wealth
The bank looks at Source of Wealth, how the capital was built, and Source of Funds, where the specific money comes from.
03Ownership
The structure is disclosed in full
Companies, stakes, trusts and tax residency are shown in full. A hidden part is a reason to refuse.
04Choice of bank
By task, not by name
What matters is the real minimum balance, the client countries the bank serves and the services you need.
Common mistakes
Going to the bank without a wealth dossier
Gather documents on the origin of wealth and of the specific funds in advance.
Choosing a bank by its big name
Compare minimum balance, client countries and services against your goal.
Hiding part of the assets or structure
Disclose ownership in full: the bank will find it anyway, and anything hidden becomes a reason to refuse.
06 / Expert advice
How to prepare in advance
The file on the origin of capital is assembled before the first meeting: how the wealth was earned, where the specific funds came from, how the ownership of assets is structured, what the tax status is. The bank is chosen for the task — holding, investment, lending against assets, serving the family — not for the fame of its brand. A prepared client passes compliance quickly and gets the best terms.
What we do for you. 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.
Robert HaasHead of Company Formation
07 / Questions
Frequently asked questions
It is personal banking for wealthy clients: a personal manager, individual terms, access to investments and lending against assets.
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.
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.
No. A bank account and an immigration status are different things. But having a serviced account makes life easier when relocating.
Yes, lending secured on a portfolio or real estate is one of the typical services. The terms are negotiated individually.
They can. Most often the reason is an unclear origin of capital, a complex and opaque ownership structure or reputational risks.
INITIAL ASSESSMENT
Tell us what outcome your family needs
We will design a solution for your case, choose the country and the right status, and take the whole process through to the result.
