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Banking and Money

Geneva’s financial Place

Geneva, world leader in asset management

Effectiveness and efficiency combined with banker’s discretion have forged Geneva’s worldwide reputation.

While Switzerland as a whole manages 27 % of the world’s private offshore assets, Geneva is the birthplace and capital of international asset management. It is a benchmark of excellence for other financial centres. The success of the term of "private banking" underlines the fact that the criteria of quality that are applied to Geneva, where private banking was born 200 years ago, represent a world reference for the profession.

Geneva is where the two largest Swiss banks, the top fund managers in Europe, look after their largest assets. It is also in Geneva that an increasing number of foreign banks are now concentrating their international asset management teams. There are around 60 foreign-controlled banks in Geneva today. This cross-fertilization is responsible for its dynamic financial activity, further stimulated by hundreds of finance companies, independent asset managers, and asset management departments of large foreign fiduciaries and brokers.  source: Geneva Financial Centre

List of banks in Geneva

Cantonal bank

 

Large banks

(source: Geneva Financial Centre)

 

Post office's financial services

Postfinance also proposes a great number of financial services.

 

Cantonal bank in canton of Vaud

BCV - Banque cantonale vaudoise

 

Payment Options

Shortly after you arrive, you will need to pay invoices (rental, telephone, water, electricity, television, subscriptions, etc…) with red inpayments slips (IS or BV in french). To make payments you will have to go the post office counter with these impayments slips. You can pay your bills either on the Internet through your financial institution or E-finance (PostFinance) which allows you to handle your financial transactions online around the clock. Learn more...www.postfinance.ch

 

  • The cheque is not used very often with the Swiss bank accounts.
  • The majority of cash machines also distribute Euros.

Budget

Geneva is one of the most expensive cities in the world. To plan your budget, you can find out what you'll have to pay by reading page 54 of the booklet of Bureau de l'intégration des étrangers.