What is the minimum wealth for international private banking?

It depends on bank and jurisdiction: roughly USD 250,000 for entry-level service, above USD 2 million for genuinely bespoke mandates and lombard lending.

Is a foreign bank account legal for a resident taxpayer?

Yes, when declared. The account must appear in your annual foreign-asset reporting and income taxed at home; the offence is omission, not the account itself.

International private banking: complete 2026 guide

International private banking: how it works and who it suits

7 min readUpdated 2026-08-14

International private banking combines custody, investment management and tax planning in a single relationship. What sets it apart from retail banking is not promised performance but access to jurisdictions, currencies and instruments an ordinary branch never handles.

Entry thresholds and how the relationship is built

Private banks segment clients by wealth band: below a threshold the service stays standardised, above it you get a dedicated banker and tailored mandates. Check which band would actually handle your assets before opening anything.

Typical thresholds between USD/EUR 250,000 and 2 million
Multi-currency account, custody and lombard credit lines
Dedicated banker, investment committee and consolidated reporting

Account opening and anti-money-laundering checks

Onboarding focuses on the origin of funds: corporate documents, tax returns, sale deeds or contracts explaining every material flow. A well-prepared file closes in weeks; an incomplete one is declined without explanation.

Identity, tax residence and ownership structure
Documentary proof of source of funds and source of wealth
Sanctions and PEP screening, beneficial-owner verification

Fees, mandates and tax transparency

Real cost is management fee plus custody, FX spreads and product charges. On tax, a foreign account is never anonymous: automatic exchange of information reports balances and income to your country of residence, so the structure must be declared correctly.

Discretionary, advisory or execution-only mandates
Management, custody and performance fees compared
CRS/FATCA exchange and annual reporting obligations

Key takeaways

Pick the bank for the wealth band that will actually serve you, not the brand.
Source-of-funds evidence decides whether the account is opened.
No offshore account is opaque: plan the tax position before transferring.

Frequently asked questions

What is the minimum wealth for international private banking?: It depends on bank and jurisdiction: roughly USD 250,000 for entry-level service, above USD 2 million for genuinely bespoke mandates and lombard lending.
Is a foreign bank account legal for a resident taxpayer?: Yes, when declared. The account must appear in your annual foreign-asset reporting and income taxed at home; the offence is omission, not the account itself.

Liquidity, regularization and crypto conversion

Five operational areas we handle for individuals and companies, with documented procedures, correspondent banks and international tax advice.

Liquidity management

Cash-flow planning across personal and corporate accounts, selection of custodian banks, holding currencies and short-term instruments to protect purchasing power.

Typical example: A company collecting in three currencies centralises cash in a multi-currency account and sets a periodic conversion plan to cut FX exposure.

Liquidity regularization

Voluntary disclosure of undeclared capital and liquidity: reconstructing the source of funds, building the document file, and liaising with the bank and tax advisers in each country involved.

Typical example: Funds held abroad for years are consolidated into a file with a complete banking trail, so they can be moved to a declared account.

Investment sanctions management

Compliance screening of counterparties, banks and financial instruments against EU, OFAC and local sanctions lists, plus restructuring of frozen or at-risk portfolios.

Typical example: A portfolio holding restricted securities is mapped position by position and reorganised into equivalent unrestricted instruments.

Cash to crypto

Converting cash into digital assets through regulated venues, with KYC/AML checks, custody arrangements and tax reporting of the position.

Typical example: Part of a company's cash is converted into digital assets via a regulated exchange, with institutional custody and monthly accounting statements.

Crypto to cash

Liquidating digital assets into bank accounts: proof of source, choosing a bank that accepts the credit, capital-gains calculation and filing.

Typical example: A multi-year crypto position is cashed out in tranches to a European account, with the purchase chain documented and a capital-gains schedule.

Let's discuss your case

Confidential preliminary review: describe the transaction and receive the documentation path and estimated timeline.

Request advice More on regularization