中国企業のためのスイス銀行口座開設
- Summary
A Chinese company that sets up in Switzerland needs a Swiss bank account twice: first a capital deposit account, so that the share capital can be paid in before the company is entered in the commercial register, and then the operating account from which the business pays salaries, rent and suppliers. Swiss banks open accounts for companies from mainland China and Hong Kong every week, but they decide on the basis of a file, and a thin file is the most common reason for delay or refusal.
The bank has to identify the company, establish who ultimately owns and controls it, and understand where the money comes from and what the Swiss company will do. For a Chinese group this means a clear chart of the ownership chain up to the natural persons, documents that the bank can read and verify, and a plausible account of the source of funds, including the Chinese outbound investment approvals where they apply. A company that has real substance in Switzerland, with an office, staff and a business purpose that fits the flows on the account, is opened more quickly than a shell.
Prepared properly, with the bank chosen to fit the business, the account is usually a matter of weeks. Prepared badly, it can take months or fail altogether.
- Key points
- A new Swiss AG or GmbH needs a capital deposit account before it can be registered; the operating account follows once the company exists.
- The bank must identify the beneficial owners: the natural persons who control 25 % or more of the company, up through every holding level in China, Hong Kong or elsewhere.
- Source of funds and source of wealth must be documented, not just asserted. For money leaving mainland China, the outbound investment filings are part of that record.
- Substance in Switzerland and a business model the bank understands are the strongest arguments in the onboarding file.
- The choice of bank matters: not every Swiss bank has the appetite, the language skills and the internal approvals for clients from China.
- Transcript
Why is the bank account the step that clients from China worry about most?
Because it is the step they control least. The company can be formed in a few days, the notary and the commercial register work to a timetable. The bank decides at its own discretion, and it has no obligation to accept a client. What we can control is the file the bank receives, and that is where most of the work lies.
Which accounts does a new Swiss company need?
Two, in sequence. Before an AG or a GmbH is entered in the commercial register, the share capital has to be paid into a blocked capital deposit account at a Swiss bank, and the bank confirms the deposit for the notary. Once the company is registered, the funds are released, and the operating account is opened. In practice we ask the same bank for both, so that the onboarding is done once.
What does the bank want to know?
Three things. Who you are: the company documents, the register extract, the directors and the authorised signatories. Who stands behind you: the beneficial owners, meaning the individuals who ultimately own or control the company, through every holding level up to the natural persons. And what the money is: where the funds come from, how the wealth behind them was built, and what payments will run through the account once the business operates.
What is specific to a company from mainland China?
Two points. First, the ownership chain is often long, with a Hong Kong or offshore holding between the Chinese parent and the Swiss company, and the bank needs to see every level with documents it can verify. Second, capital that leaves mainland China for an investment abroad usually passes through the outbound investment procedures with the Chinese authorities and the bank that remits the funds. Those filings are part of the source-of-funds record, and a Swiss bank will ask for them.
Do Chinese documents have to be translated?
Usually yes. Banks work in German, French or English, and they expect certified translations of the key documents, sometimes with an apostille or a legalisation. We agree with the bank in advance which documents it needs in which form, so that nothing has to be sent twice.
What makes a file succeed?
Substance and consistency. A Swiss company with a real office, people on the ground and a business that fits the expected flows is easy to understand. A company that exists only on paper, with money arriving from many countries and no explanation, is hard to accept. The bank wants to see that the story, the documents and the numbers match.
How long does it take?
With a complete file and the right bank, a few weeks. Where the structure is complex or the documents are incomplete, it can take considerably longer. That is why we start preparing the bank file at the same time as the company formation, not afterwards.
And if a bank says no?
A refusal is not a verdict on the business. Banks differ in their risk appetite, in the countries and sectors they cover and in whether they have staff who speak Mandarin or Cantonese. We choose the bank to fit the client, and we prepare the file so that the second bank does not see the same gaps as the first.
- What this means in practice
If you are planning a Swiss company, treat the bank account as part of the formation, not as the last step.
- Prepare an ownership chart up to the natural persons, with register extracts for every entity in the chain.
- Document the source of funds for the share capital and the first months of operation, including the Chinese outbound investment filings where they apply.
- Write a short business description that explains the expected payments: counterparties, countries, currencies and volumes.
- Arrange certified translations and apostilles early, after agreeing with the bank which documents it needs.
- Plan real substance in Switzerland: a registered office, a local director where required, and people who run the business.
- Frequently asked questions
Can the account be opened without travelling to Switzerland?
Some banks accept identification by video or through a correspondent abroad; others require a personal meeting in Switzerland, at least with the directors and the main beneficial owner. It depends on the bank and on the risk profile of the client, so we clarify it before the file is submitted.
How much capital has to be paid in?
For an AG the minimum share capital is CHF 100,000, of which at least CHF 50,000 must be paid in; for a GmbH it is CHF 20,000, paid in full. Where the business needs more working capital, it is usually paid in at the same time.
Does it help to have a Hong Kong holding company?
A Hong Kong holding can make sense for tax or group reasons, but it adds a level that the bank must look through. It helps only if its purpose is clear and its documents are complete.
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- About the video
- Speaker: Dr Alexander Ressos, Rechtsanwalt/Attorney-at-Law, Zurich
- Published: 29 September 2026
- Subject: Banking, onboarding and compliance
- Jurisdiction: Switzerland
- Running time: 5 minutes
- About the speaker
Dr Alexander Ressos is a Swiss lawyer entered in the Register of Attorneys of the Canton of Zurich and admitted as a solicitor in Hong Kong and in England and Wales. He is also admitted as a Rechtsanwalt in Germany. He practised in Singapore and Hong Kong for more than 15 years and advises companies from Greater China, Asia, the Middle East and Africa on setting up and doing business in Switzerland. Attorney Profile and Qualifications
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本記事は一般的な情報提供のみを目的としています。法律上または税務上の助言を構成するものではなく、個別案件に関する助言に代わるものでもなく、弁護士と依頼者との間に委任関係を生じさせるものでもありません。本記事は2026年9月時点の法的状況を反映しています。