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.
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.
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.
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.
This is the first time in the last three years that the funds linked to Pakistan in Swiss banks have exceeded that of Indians.
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.
This article aims at shattering some myths surrounding Swiss bank accounts by answering some very basic questions.
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.
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 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.
Swiss authorities have frozen more than $310 million in funds across multiple Swiss bank accounts as part of money laundering allegations into Adani Group, US-based short seller Hindenburg Research claimed citing media report - a charge that the conglomerate vehemently denied. In a post on X, Hindenburg cited "newly released Swiss criminal records reported by Swiss media outlet" to state that "Swiss authorities have frozen more than $310 million in funds across multiple Swiss bank accounts as part of a money laundering and securities forgery investigation into Adani, dating back as early as 2021."
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.
Getting a Swiss bank account is not an easy affair.
Swiss authorities have always maintained that assets held by Indian residents in Switzerland cannot be considered as 'black money' and they actively support India in its fight against tax fraud and evasion.
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.
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.
India is among 75 countries with which Switzerland's Federal Tax Administration has exchanged information on financial accounts within the framework of global standards on Automatic Exchange of Information.
India has received the fourth set of Swiss bank account details of its nationals and organisations as part of an annual automatic information exchange under which Switzerland has shared particulars of nearly 34 lakh financial accounts with 101 countries.
What many don't know is that Swiss banks are just like any bank in the world.
The income tax department has sought to prosecute Reliance Group chairman Anil Ambani under the Black Money Act for allegedly evading Rs 420 crore in taxes on undisclosed funds worth more than Rs 814 crore held in two Swiss bank accounts.
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.
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.
India has received the third set of Swiss bank account details of its nationals under an automatic exchange of information pact with Switzerland, as part of an annual exercise under which the European nation has shared the particulars of nearly 33 lakh financial accounts with 96 countries.
This article aims at shattering some myths surrounding Swiss bank accounts.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Lot of money is now being withdrawn from the Swiss banks and transferred to Singapore.
Securities held in custody accounts reached a new high.
India has moved up to 58th rank in terms of foreign money lying with Swiss banks, but it accounts for a meagre 0.15 per cent of an estimated $1.6 trillion total global wealth held in Switzerland's banking system.
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.
Key Team Anna member N Santosh Hegde has said that it's foolish to expect blackmoney stashed away in Swiss banks by Indians as they would have "cleaned out" by now and transferred it to other tax havens.
The charges of aiding tax fraud, to which Credit Suisse has admitted, are serious and reflect the deep malaise that afflicts the Swiss banking system.
Wegelin, founded in 1741, is Switzerland's oldest bank.
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.
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