Liechtenstein: Wealth & Asset Management

Liechtenstein has long occupied a distinctive position in European and international private wealth structuring, because its trust, unlike many civil law instruments that merely approximate fiduciary ownership or contractual asset administration, is embedded in the Persons and Companies Act (PGR) as a flexible, statutory, internationally recognisable legal form which, while historically inspired by the Anglo-Saxon trust tradition, has developed into a characteristically Liechtenstein solution for asset protection, succession planning, family governance, philanthropy and cross-border wealth continuity.

Contrary to Switzerland where the Swiss Financial Market Authority (FMA) transferred client data on the basis of “fishing expeditions” (John Doe-summons - UBS case), Liechtenstein has never done this without court order, and only on the basis of sufficient case-by-case specification.

The Financial Market Authority registered more assets under management and more financial market participants