Wealth management in Geneva: what to check before choosing a manager

Choosing a wealth manager in Geneva starts with questions of fact. Is the firm authorised? Who supervises it? Where are the assets held? What does the mandate cost, and what must the firm hand over to the client before it begins? Each of these questions has an answer that can be verified in a public register or in a written document. This guide sets out those criteria and where to check them, for residents and international clients alike, including expats looking for a Swiss wealth manager. It names no provider and does not say which type of manager suits which situation: the reader decides.

For the legal framework in detail, see FinIA and FinSA explained. For a comparison of the types, see private bank or independent asset manager.

Which types of provider are there in Geneva?

Our database lists 549 Geneva institutions (FINMA list and commercial register, registered office in Geneva, as of 17 October 2026; details on the Geneva data page).

What each type does, in a line or two:

• the private bank is a bank: it holds the assets and, as a rule, manages them too; FINMA supervises it directly;
• the independent asset manager (IAM; GFI in French, for gérant de fortune indépendant) manages investments under a mandate without holding the assets, which stay with a custodian bank; a supervisory organisation oversees it day to day;
• the family office organises and monitors the wealth of one or several families;
• the trustee manages assets held in a trust.

Independent asset managers and family offices also differ in the scope of their services: the page independent asset manager or family office compares them. The which-manager questionnaire helps readers find their way around these categories without naming any provider.

How do I check a licence in the FINMA list?

An asset manager or a trustee operates professionally under a FINMA licence (art. 5 and 17 FinIA). FINMA publishes its registers on its page on authorised institutions, individuals and products; the list of asset managers and trustees can also be downloaded from the dedicated page. For each entry, note:

1. the exact registered name, not a trading name;
2. the enterprise identification number (UID number, of the form CHE-…);
3. the type of licence (asset manager, trustee, bank, securities firm, manager of collective assets);
4. the supervisory organisation named.

A name that appears in no register is not proof of wrongdoing, but the reader then has no public way of checking the licence. That is why the directory lists only institutions that appear in a FINMA register (see the methodology).

What should be checked in the commercial register?

Zefix is the official search engine for companies entered in the commercial register. It lets the reader match what FINMA says against what the register shows.

Which supervisory organisation, and what difference does it make?

For asset managers and trustees, FINMA grants the licence and a supervisory organisation (SO) carries out day-to-day supervision (art. 61 FinIA). Four organisations appear in the FINMA list we use. Among the 549 Geneva institutions in our database (as of 17 October 2026, Geneva data):

Three institutions in the database have no supervision line in the FINMA data. Managers that appear under no organisation are licensed by FINMA under another status. The name of the organisation appears in the FINMA list; its own website sets out its rules and contact details. The contract and the list should name the same organisation.

Where are the assets held?

With an independent asset manager, the central point is the custodian bank: the assets are in principle held in an account in the client's name, and the manager acts under a power of attorney. The points to read in the documents are the name of the bank, the powers granted to the manager (management only, or also withdrawals and transfers), the bank's charges, and how the client receives statements directly from the bank. With a private bank, the bank and the manager are a single institution; the question then concerns the fee structure and any membership of a group.

Discretionary mandate or advisory mandate?

The type of contract determines who takes the investment decision.

The exact terms, the investment limits and the allocation of responsibilities are set out in writing in the contract: they are to be read before signing.

What must the provider hand over before the service?

The FinSA places duties on every financial service provider. These are the ones that translate into a document or information that can be requested:

• client segmentation: private, professional or institutional client, with the possibilities of opting-out and opting-in (art. 4 and 5 FinSA);
• information about the provider: name and address, field of activity, supervisory regime, access to an ombudsman service, general risks of financial instruments (art. 8 FinSA); costs and conflicts of interest also fall under the information and organisational duties of the act, to be checked in the text;
• the suitability check of the strategy against the client's situation (art. 12 FinSA) and its documentation (art. 15);
• third-party remuneration, commonly called retrocessions, to be disclosed before the service (art. 26 FinSA);
• affiliation to an ombudsman service (art. 74 and 77 to 79 FinSA).

The client can request these items in writing. Each article is set out in our FinIA and FinSA guide.

How are fees structured?

The fees of a mandate are read in several layers: the manager's fees, the custodian bank's charges (custody fees, brokerage, foreign exchange) and the costs of the products used. Neither the basis of calculation nor the amounts are set by law. The median fee is not published in our data at present (n = 1 across all types, published from 5 values). See the guide on management fees and the fee calculator, which computes a cost from the rates entered by the user.

What about the minimum investment?

The minimum investment is set by each provider. In our data, the share of institutions that publish a minimum is 1.1 % across all types: 5.6 % of private banks, 1.1 % of independent asset managers, 0 % of family offices and trustees (as of 17 October 2026, Geneva data). Across all types, the median of the 6 published minimums is CHF 250,000; by type, the threshold of 5 values is not reached. This figure says nothing about the minimum of any given institution, so the question is put to the provider directly, in writing, specifying whether the minimum applies to the mandate, the account or the relationship as a whole.

Which questions can be put to the provider?

A neutral list, to be adapted:

• What is your UID number and your type of FINMA licence?
• Which supervisory organisation oversees you, and since when?
• Which bank is the custodian, and is the account in my name?
• What powers does the mandate give you over my assets?
• Is the contract a discretionary or an advisory mandate? Who decides on transactions?
• Which client category have you placed me in?
• What fees do you charge, on what basis, and what fees are added by the bank and the products?
• Do you receive third-party remuneration? In what form will you inform me of it?
• What is the minimum investment, and what happens if it is no longer met?
• Which ombudsman service are you affiliated to?
• How can the mandate be terminated, and with what notice?
• Which team will handle my file, and who is the contact person?

What can be checked before signing?

• The licence: is the institution in the FINMA list, with the same name and the same UID number as in the contract and in Zefix?
• The supervisory organisation: named in the list, named in the contract, present on the organisation's website.
• The custodian bank: account in the client's name, the manager's powers limited to what the mandate provides.
• Fees in writing: tariff, basis of calculation, bank and product charges, before signing.
• Retrocessions and third-party payments: prior written information, in line with art. 26 FinSA.
• The ombudsman service: name given in the documents handed over.
• The minimum investment and exit conditions: in writing.

The directory remains a research tool: it does not assess the quality of a firm and does not replace legal or tax advice. To browse providers, see the page on wealth management in Geneva.