Leo Trust Switzerland has been shortlisted in the category of trust company of the year (midsize firm) in the prestigious STEP Private Client Awards, which highlights excellence among private client advisors in the international trust and financial services industry.
Leo Trust Switzerland has been shortlisted in the category of trust company of the year (midsize firm) in the prestigious STEP Private Client Awards 2021/2022, which highlights excellence among private client advisors in the international trust and financial services industry. The Awards are open for both STEP members and non-members. The shortlist of up to five nominees per category is assessed by experts in the industry and is a recognition of the highest standing service quality among peer groups and clients. This year, which is also STEP’s 30th anniversary, has seen a high number of nominations with 297 submissions across 23 countries, which makes the competition extremely intense. The winners of each category will be announced on 23 September 2021. With its entry, Leo Trust Switzerland also supports the World Literacy Foundation, which lifts children out of poverty by providing access to quality literacy and educational resources that transform the lives of these children and enables them to reach new horizons.
Leo Trust has been serving its clients since 1980 with a clear and committed vision of providing clients certainty that their assets are in the best hands based on a mission statement including first-class service quality, transparency and foresight.
In the past year, the newly appointed CEO implemented strategic re-structuring to accommodate for modern client needs such as an even higher focus on client-centricity by increasing the number of key relationship managers and trust officers significantly. The team was relocated to newly refurbished premises in the heart of Zurich for an accelerated client accessibility and a new subsidiary with a select group of experts was established abroad during the exceptionally restrictive period of COVID-19. At the same time, the existing international business ecosystem of highly skilled and qualified experts has been expanded strategically, re-positioning Leo Trust in becoming a leading trust company in the industry. Leo Trust has enhanced its offerings and services by expanding and streamlining existing internal processes such as onboarding and regular compliance reviews. We also embraced the digital era with the introduction of a centralised knowledge IT platform (organisational learning) and complete digitisation of documentations pertaining to over 1,000 institutional and private clients.
Leo Trust has a truly client-centric, trust-based strategy supported by processes that enable to convey relevant, cutting edge information to existing clients and prospects. Its loyal client relationships confirm demonstrated excellence. The introduction of committed relationship managers for key clients is already confirming this pro-active approach. Excellence in client service delivery is also demonstrated through the interdisciplinary teams of trust experts, many of whom have full TEP accreditation and more than 25 years of professional experience in the industry. New client requests in respect to trust and corporate formations, including transfer of management, are treated as individual, bespoke client projects, enabling a greater flexibility in their execution and reduction of the overall costs of the client. Important take-aways arising out of such projects are shared in the centralised knowledge base and in regular team meetings, increasing the competencies and know-how of the client relationship managers daily, enabling continuous learning. Regular meetings, whether these are virtual or in-person, are scheduled by the relationship managers or meetings on demand made by the respective clients. In such meetings, progress points are reviewed with the client and new needs and wants are added to provide a holistic client service delivery. In addition, excellence is sustained by the most modern IT platforms, including a CRM system, and an expert team of IT technicians. Change management at Leo Trust relies on short decisional processes, which are of key interest to wealthy clients in need of new, specific products and services.
Leo Trust follows the latest trends in corporate services and works with the best experts in the field in developing new, compliant services with them such as asset protection structures in new jurisdictions. Our processes are centred on client needs, which aim to reduce internal bureaucracy, supporting true client centricity. We have important resources such as inhouse lawyers, accountants and an efficient compliance department. This strategic advantage allows Leo Trust to act pro-actively in an efficient, timely and competent manner. We proactively approach clients individually, review their needs and analyse how these needs can be served best. Leo trust has access to the latest technological trends and market developments around the world, enabling it to be ahead of its competitors.
An important differentiation from the competitors is that Leo Trust is in an optimal position to provide highly compliant cryptocurrency services such as hot and cold storage by using state-of-the art software, which also banks and exchanges use to track and verify transactions. Leo Trust is one of the first trust companies to embrace such an advanced technology. We have an open and innovative employee ideas contribution process and internal training led by qualified experts. We search for client added value that no other trust companies address. Our remuneration system includes numerous soft factors that are not considered by our competitors, fostering cooperative teamwork based on fairness.
Technical expertise at Leo Trust ranges from international wealth and estate planning, to trust, foundation and company formation and management, including services relating to cryptocurrencies. In this context, the key technical expertise are the experienced management and staff members, who have the technical know-how in structuring and facilitating state-of-the-art set-ups for individual and institutional clients in numerous legislations, management of crypto, project and change management, mediation and recovery, legal and fiscal analysis, topic-specified presentations and webinars of client interest and residence analysis for relocation purposes. The company has experienced and dedicated specialists for the Swiss, LATAM, Eurasian and Russian markets, fluent in the respective languages. We also have considerable technical inhouse expertise in certain jurisdictions such as Channel Islands and Liechtenstein. In respect to continuing professional development and education, all employees are highly encouraged and supported to pass the STEP Certificate in International Trust Management and the route towards TEP accreditation. Furthermore, all employees are encouraged to participate in webinars and conferences, if possible organised by STEP and other experts in the industry. In addition, Leo Trust supports education and specified certifications in finance, including CIWN (Certified International Wealth Manager), CIIA (Certified International Investment Analyst) or similar qualifications. Progress in continued education is measured and discussed on a regular basis during reviews between the CEO and the respective employee. New talent identification and development is an important instrument used to ensure continuity of quality service at the company. We also provide qualified individual internal training sessions.
Leo Trust has applied for full membership at the Swiss Association of Trust Companies (SATC) in view of its commitment to quality and reaching out to a wider profession. In Switzerland, the licensing of trustees by FINMA is a relatively new process and we belong to the first movers. We are full member of VQF, which is the leading and largest officially recognised self-regulatory organisation in the Swiss financial sector. Certain employees of the company are actively involved in the ongoing governmental discussions with regards to the introduction of a Lex Trust in Switzerland, alternative approaches in this context and the latest Swiss CRS guidelines, which are of importance to trustees and other competitors working in the Swiss financial services industry. In these new times of increased transparency, where governments all over the world receive detailed financial information about private wealth, financial flows, where the reporting of relevant information is important and the implementation of structures are put into question, Leo Trust Switzerland AG is committed to support all these processes by informing its clients on a continuous basis.
Family office trends are changing the face of the financial and fiduciary services industry. Shifting family office preferences require the accommodation of practitioners’ services and an adapted mindset. In this STEP Journal article Dr Roderik J. P. Strobl, TEP from Leo Trust Switzerland surveys the global family office landscape and analyses its trends.
Discover the importance of succession planning for BVI entities and explore options to improve it in our expert article – contact us at corporate@leotrust.ch for more details and an in-person meeting.
Moncucchetto 2024, co-hosted with EFG Bank, featured insightful presentations by Dr. Daniel Murray on the influence of politics on investments and Prof. Dr. Paolo Bernasconi on AI and cybercrime.
Dr. Roderik J. P. Strobl, TEP appointed as new CEO, Natalie Sigrist joins Leo Trust Management as Head of Private Clients
Leo Trust Switzerland AG is bronze sponsor of this year's STEP ALPINE CONFERENCE
The long-awaited updated of Leo Trust Switzerland’s Economic Substance & Beneficial Ownership Reporting general overview of various jurisdictions is available.
This article describes key changes in the new Swiss inheritance law, including some examples.
The Role of the Board of Directors and Management in Sustainable Value Creation
We are very pleased to announce that Leo Trust Switzerland AG has won for the second time in a row at the prestigious Swiss Wealth Briefing Awards 2023 in the Private Client Category Best Institutional Trust or Fiduciary Company.
The authors of this article review the 78 submissions presented on 475 pages to the Swiss Federal Government in Italian.
In this article, Dr. Strobl explores the growing importance of smart contracts and the significant growth in the Crypto Valley, which is gaining importance.
COVID-19 has had a profound impact on family businesses, especially with respect to operations, investments, digital money and the coaching of the next generation.
It is time to raise the awareness of the UK’s registers that it has put into place and intends to introduce regarding beneficial ownerships, which refers to the person who ultimately owns or controls an asset such as a property or a company and may differ from the legal owner. The purpose of beneficial ownership registers is to prevent individuals from being able to hide assets and income on which they own tax.
Popular holiday destination or major international financial centre? Both, says Harris Makriyiannis. The Managing Director of Leo Trust Cyprus talks also about services, products, the future – and eco-label awarded beaches.
Asia Outbound, designed to assist corporate structuring, asset protection, and immigration service providers, is one of the most trusted resources for Asia’s business and investment leaders. Leo Trust was not just attending this year’s Asia Outbound Summit in Dubai but participating with various key-note speeches.
What Leo Trust specialised in a few years ago was a much-discussed topic at this year's World Economic Forum: Non-Fungible Tokens, NFT. Leo Trust shed light on the fascination of NFT from an investment perspective at the WEF in Davos – and captivated the numerous guests with a live tokenization of a work of art.
Trusts have become an integral part of international wealth structuring and estate planning. Switzerland does not yet have its own trust law. Nevertheless, in 2018 the Federal Council was mandated to create the legal basis for a Swiss trust to strengthen Switzerland as a financial centre. But what is the situation today and what does the future hold?
Interlaken was calling. A delegation of Leo Trust Switzerland participated this year’s STEP Alpine Conference and talked, amongst others, about the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on the private client industry and provided insights to more than 300 participants.
At Leo Trust’s special event, special investigator of the Kantonspolizei Zürich, Adrian Leuzinger, appeared in front of a «full house». The deputy head of the task force did not, of course, go into the tactical and technical procedures of the police, but nevertheless revealed a great deal.
Switzerland's flat-rate taxation is an attractive tax model for wealthy foreign individuals. The approved flat-rate taxation, also called «lump-sum», «golden visa» or «tax ruling», is at the same time a residence permit. But beware: Requirements, handling, assessment bases etc. can vary from canton to canton. Moreover, not every canton offers this tax model.
Trust is an integral part of customer relationships and services, including digital services. But what are trust factors, what about the charter of trust – and what role plays artificial intelligence?
Thanks to client-centric and trust-based strategy, first-class service quality, committed interdisciplinary teams of trust experts and the optimal position to provide highly complied crypto currency services – Leo Trust Switzerland wins the WealthBriefing Swiss Awards 2022 in the category «Institutional Trust or Fiduciary Company».
Investors and trustees need a clearer assessment of their investment risks, which calls for new risk assessment models and tax regulations for crypto assets.
In 2022, Panama will enforce two new obligations on entities: exclusively asset holding companies will be subject to the requirement to maintain accounting records going back five years, and both «commercial» entities operating outside Panama and exclusively asset holding entities will be obliged to submit annual accounting records to their Resident Agents.
On 15 October 2021, Cyprus approved the «Strategy for Attracting Businesses for Activities or/and Expansion of their Activities in Cyprus». With various key proposals, this action plan offers significant advantages for investors in Cyprus – and shows how Cyprus is becoming ever more business friendly.
Forward-looking asset management includes estate planning. If assets are inherited on death or given away during the donor’s lifetime, inheritance or gift taxes are incurred. It is possible to reduce the tax burden by making a gift during your lifetime, with a usufruct.
Economic Substance Act, Beneficial Onwership Act, possible sanctions, deadlines ... Are you keen on some insights on Bahamas, Belize, B.V.I., Cayman Islands, Marshall Islands Panama and Cyprus?
Polo sport is interdisciplinary, sophisticated, strategically challenging and racy. On top of that, it is synergizing tradition and innovation. No wonder we were excited to be part of the Patrons Cup.
Congratulations to Accuro Fiduciary, the winner of the STEP Private Client Awards 2021/2022 – category trust company of the year (midsize firm).
What may lead to a loss of trust between Swiss family offices and Swiss financial institutions and how it may be restored.
Leo Trust Switzerland has been shortlisted in the category of trust company of the year (midsize firm) in the prestigious STEP Private Client Awards, which highlights excellence among private client advisors in the international trust and financial services industry.
Leo Trust Switzerland AG is a globally active financial services provider for 40 years, offering a variety of services for institutional and private clients. However, the business is changing. On the one hand, due to constantly changing regulatory standards and laws; on the other hand, due to digitalisation, globalisation and highly specific client expectations.
