The thunder of Credit Suisse’s bailout has faded, and the clouds have cleared with the waiver of the state guarantees. Peace returned to the largest global cross-border financial centre in Switzerland.
For certain private clients, Switzerland is no longer neutral since it independently follows the sanctions of the EU. This has advantages. We’re seeing more and more individuals from the United States, Scandinavia, the United Kingdom and Germany who want to settle in Switzerland both with their companies and privately. Swiss inheritance law was adjusted this year, and the forced heirship rules were softened, which is conducive to international inheritance planning. In the past, Swiss law provided that 50% of an inheritance goes to the decedent’s partner and 50% to their children. That’s been changed so that 25% goes to the decedent’s partner and 25% to their children, meaning that 50% of the inheritance is free to dedicate to other beneficiaries.
