A Delhi court granted bail to a former accounts officer accused of swindling more than 2 lakh Swiss francs from India's Permanent Mission in Geneva to fund his crypto-gambling ventures.
This article aims at shattering some myths surrounding Swiss bank accounts by answering some very basic questions.
The Swiss banks' proposal to levy a withholding tax on the income generated from assets of Indian nationals and held in Swiss banks, is not worth treating seriously.
This is the first time in the last three years that the funds linked to Pakistan in Swiss banks have exceeded that of Indians.
A Delhi court granted bail to a former accounts officer accused of swindling more than 2 lakh Swiss francs from India's Permanent Mission in Geneva to fund his crypto-gambling ventures.
The finance ministry on Saturday asserted that Indian customer deposits in Swiss banks have fallen since 2019, but said it is seeking details from Swiss authorities on the relevant facts along with their view on possible reasons for changes in the funds parked by individuals and entities in 2020. In a statement, the ministry said the deposits have halved but did not give numbers. Quoting data from Switzerland's central bank, PTI had reported on June 17 that funds parked by Indian individuals and firms in Swiss banks, including through India-based branches and other financial institutions, jumped to a 13-year high of 2.55 billion Swiss francs (over Rs 20,700 crore) in 2020 on a sharp surge in holdings via securities and similar instruments, though customer deposits fell.
Getting a Swiss bank account is not an easy affair.
Funds parked by Indian individuals and firms in Swiss banks, including through India-based branches and other financial institutions, declined by 11 per cent in 2022 to 3.42 billion Swiss francs (nearly Rs 30,000 crore), annual data from Switzerland's central bank showed on Thursday.
Funds parked by Indian individuals and firms in Swiss banks, including through India-based branches and other financial institutions, jumped to 2.55 billion Swiss francs (over Rs 20,700 crore) in 2020 on a sharp surge in holdings via securities and similar instruments, though customer deposits fell, annual data from Switzerland's central bank showed on Thursday. The increase in aggregate funds of Indian clients with Swiss banks, from 899 million Swiss francs (Rs 6,625 crore) at the end of 2019, reverses a two-year declining trend and has taken the figure to the highest level in 13 years. It stood at a record high of nearly 6.5 billion Swiss francs in 2006, after which it has been mostly on a downward path, except for a few years including in 2011, 2013 and 2017, as per the Swiss National Bank (SNB) data.
Claiming that about Rs 21 lakh crore (Rs 21 trillion) had been deposited in Swiss banks, the BJP said instead of trying to suppress fact, the government should publicise the names particularly after WikiLeaks report on the matter.
The total money of Indians fell by 45 per cent during 2016 to CHF 675.75 million, marking the biggest ever yearly decline in such funds.
Amid claims from various quarters that Indians have stashed away thousands of crores in secret bank accounts in Switzerland, the Swiss banks have asserted that any statistics about black money "simply do not exist."
The Reserve Bank of India has sought views of the Union ministry of finance in giving permission for a 'Credit Suisse' Swiss Bank to open its first Indian branch in Mumbai.
Money parked by Indians in Swiss banks rose over 50 per cent to CHF 1.01 billion (Rs 7,000 crore) in 2017, reversing a three-year downward trend amid India's clampdown on suspected black money stashed there.
The funds officially held by Indians with banks in Switzerland now accounts for only 0.07 per cent of the total funds kept by all foreign clients in the Swiss banking system.
The Swiss Central Bank has estimated the total liabilities of Swiss banks toward Indian account holders at about $2.5 billion in 2010 as against the $1.5 trillion figure projected by some political parties and non-governmental organisations.
Funds parked by Indian individuals and firms in Swiss banks, including through India-based branches and other financial institutions, jumped to a 14-year-high of 3.83 billion Swiss francs (over Rs 30,500 crore) in 2021 on a sharp surge in holdings via securities and similar instruments while customer deposits rose as well, annual data from Switzerland's central bank showed on Thursday.
With one of the Swiss banks agreeing to provide information to the United States about its account- holders, the Communist Party of India-Marxist on Monday demanded that the United Progressive Alliance government should seek details of Indians who have illegally stashed funds in Switzerland and other tax havens.
Qatar snatched their first ever World Cup point with a stoppage-time goal to draw 1-1 with Switzerland in an energetic and one-sided Group B opener on Saturday.
The details that have been shared include identification, account and financial information, including name, address, country of residence and tax identification number, as well as information concerning the reporting financial institution, account balance and capital income.
What many don't know is that Swiss banks are just like any bank in the world.
Securities held in custody accounts reached a new high.
Swiss banks with secret accounts are known to hold substantial sums of money deposited by Indians. These funds amounting to billions of dollars were either illegally taken out of the country, or, were deposited in Switzerland and other tax havens instead of being repatriated to India.
Indian stock market benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty rebounded in early trade, driven by a decline in crude oil prices, supportive global cues, fresh foreign fund inflows, and buying in blue-chips like Reliance Industries and HDFC Bank. Track Sensex, Nifty movement on June 22, 2026.
Indian stock markets, including the Sensex and Nifty, rebounded significantly, driven by a decline in crude oil prices and positive global cues stemming from hopes of diplomatic progress in US-Iran negotiations.
This article aims at shattering some myths surrounding Swiss bank accounts.
Qatar celebrated their first World Cup point after a late own goal forced a 1-1 draw against Switzerland and sent the Gulf nation into jubilation on Saturday.
Asked about top Swiss bank UBS AG, reeling under criticism for sheltering American tax evaders, agreeing to US government's demand for disclosure, Kochhar generally hedged queries saying Indian banks were not in that kind of business. Black money had become a major issue in the run up to the Lok Sabha polls in April-May, with BJP leader L K Advani claiming that $500 billion of Indian money was stashed in banks abroad.
The Hindujas have taken off the veil over their mid-sized Amas Bank in Switzerland by renaming it as "Hinduja Bank", in what its chief executive described as a bold move to expand its activities in trade finance, wealth management and investment banking.
With a Swiss bank staffer handing over details of 2,000 secret Swiss bank accounts to whistle-blowing site Wikileaks, CPI demanded that names of Indian account holders be disclosed and their funds confiscated.
With the Swiss government showing eagerness to help India trace suspected black money hoarders, banks based in Switzerland appear to be losing traction among the wealthy Indian clients and could not get much business commitments during the just-ended WEF summit.
Lot of money is now being withdrawn from the Swiss banks and transferred to Singapore.
Swiss private bankers are likely to reduce their exposure to wealthy Indian clients as they cut down their discreet banking services in countries like Germany, France and the United States, analysts say.
In their local currency, the total funds held by individuals and entities from Pakistan in Swiss banks stood at over 15,000 crore (Rs 150 billion) Pakistani rupees as on December 31, 2012.
As per the official figures disclosed by Switzerland's central bank, the Swiss National Bank, total deposits of Indian individuals and companies with all the Swiss banks put together stood at about $2.5 billion at the end of 2010.
Swiss banks seek fresh undertakings from Indians.
Amid a growing global scrutiny of overseas funds deposited in Swiss banks, the quantum of total foreign assets managed by them has dipped by nearly 300 billion Swiss francs (about Rs 20 trillion) since 2008.
HSBC's Swiss bank routinely allowed clients to withdraw "bricks" of cash
While there are no specific data for money that could be of Indians, this includes outflows to the tune of 100 billion Swiss francs that are related to fine payments in the context of declaration of untaxed money, as per a new study by PwC.
