Corporate / Personal Accounts · Digital Bank Appointments
Zürcher Kantonalbank (independent public-law institution; refers to this statutory banking entity, not a holding company or brand mapping)
Zürcher Kantonalbank is an independent public-law institution established under the laws of the Canton of Zurich and Switzerland, and operates as a universal bank. Its website lists Swiss franc and foreign currency accounts for individuals, as well as Firmenkonto for businesses. The FINMA directory specifically lists the bank entity, but the public website does not confirm that all non-resident individuals or foreign companies can open accounts. It should therefore not be described as confirmed to accept overseas applications.
Topic number:europe-zuercher-kantonalbank
The project’s selection.json lists the institution among selected large Swiss banks in The Banker Top 1000 World Banks 2026 (Tier 1 by capital measure), without claiming an individual ranking. This selection is only a lead for choosing a project subject; it does not prove licensing, product eligibility or that any customer can open an account.
Bank’s official websiteThe official personal account page states that Privatkonto is a basic personal account for people aged 18 and older, and lists Swiss franc, euro, and foreign currency accounts. The page does not specify where account holders must or may reside. Whether Swiss residents meet the specific product requirements should still be confirmed based on the product and the bank’s review. The official materials do not confirm that non-Swiss residents, customers with foreign addresses, or people of specific nationalities may apply, and do not state the scope of service, application channels, or restrictions for these customers. Nonresident eligibility must be confirmed in writing by ZKB.
The ZKB Firmenkonto product page expressly states that the account is for companies, associations and federations with a registered office in Switzerland. The page also lists account management fees for domiciliary companies or companies with a registered office abroad, but disclosure of fees does not mean these entities will necessarily be approved to open an account. The page does not provide a complete eligibility policy for foreign-incorporated companies, foreign ultimate beneficial owners or foreign-based management. Swiss-registered businesses can ask the bank to confirm the conditions for this product; acceptance of foreign companies and other foreign entities remains subject to written confirmation.
General preparation suggestions, not ZKB's published requirements: Individuals should provide their actual residential address and tax residence. For Swiss individuals, the TIN in the CRS/AEOI context is the OASI/AHV number. Non-Swiss tax residents should prepare the TIN applicable in their tax residence (if issued there) and confirm with the bank whether it must be provided. A Swiss company's UID is its business identification number; a foreign company may prepare its domestic registration number and applicable tax identification number. The account product page does not confirm whether the bank requires utility bills, proof of residence, proof of registered address, original tax-number documents or other materials.
No public confirmation was found that ZKB offers online account opening, video identity verification or third-party witnessing for non-residents worldwide. Nor was it confirmed that overseas notarization, certification or witnessing can replace the bank’s verification. Account-opening materials for eBanking do not establish that account opening can be completed remotely. Ask ZKB in writing which account-opening and identity-verification methods are available for the applicant’s location.
FINMA explains that it supervises AMLA compliance by prudentially supervised banks. Swiss financial intermediaries must verify customer identity and the beneficial owner of assets, further investigate the background and purpose of transactions in unusual or high-risk relationships, and fulfill applicable recordkeeping and reporting obligations. This is a baseline for the Swiss jurisdiction, not ZKB’s publicly disclosed account-opening review threshold.
FINMA specifically refers to the Swiss Banks’ Code of Conduct with Regard to the Exercise of Due Diligence (CDB 20) concerning the verification of contracting-party identity and identification of beneficial owners. For unusual transactions, funds suspected to be of criminal origin, or relationships involving high-risk countries or politically exposed persons, the Swiss AML rules described by FINMA require more detailed clarification. Applicants should prepare accurate, verifiable information on ownership and source of funds; general advice must not be presented as a specific ZKB document checklist.
Switzerland’s AEOI legal framework entered into force on 2017-1-1 and is implemented by the Swiss Federal Tax Administration; Switzerland generally implements it under the MCAA and, for the EU, under bilateral agreements, with relationships updated according to official lists. Relevant financial institutions collect account information for tax residents of participating jurisdictions in accordance with applicable rules. Whether a particular applicant is reportable and how account information is handled should be confirmed based on tax residence and the bank’s forms.
The Swiss Bankers Association explains that current U.S.–Swiss FATCA arrangements use Model 2, under which Swiss financial institutions report relevant accounts directly to the IRS. The Association says that the planned transition to Model 1 is expected to take place in 2027, but requires domestic legislation. FATCA is a U.S. tax regime separate from CRS/AEOI; this does not support claiming that the United States has joined CRS. U.S. taxpayers should confirm ZKB’s specific reporting and documentation requirements with the bank.
Source:Swiss Bankers Association — Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA)
Swiss SECO provides a consolidated list and search tool for sanctioned individuals, companies, and organizations; SECO also explains that the search tool shows only directly sanctioned parties and does not provide information on potential ownership or control relationships. Local-list screening therefore cannot replace compliance assessments of control relationships and other applicable sanctions rules; this is a jurisdictional compliance baseline and does not claim to have verified ZKB’s specific internal screening system.
Source:SECO — Searching for subjects of sanctions and overall list
ZKB’s legal information page states that its deposits are protected under the Swiss deposit protection scheme, up to CHF 100,000 per customer per institution, and that the Canton of Zurich guarantee applies to liabilities if the bank’s own funds are insufficient, excluding subordinated liabilities. The page also states that the bank processes personal data; further details are available in its privacy notice and the terms and conditions for each product and service. This records only what the website discloses and does not expand on the scope of protection or eligibility in individual cases.
Source:ZKB — General Information ；OECD — Switzerland Information on Tax Identification Numbers
Compliance evidence
The bank’s stated requirements, local regulations, and preparation recommendations are presented separately. Acceptance in a specific case is subject to confirmation by the bank.
The subject is the Swiss public-law institution Zürcher Kantonalbank (ZKB). Its public business accounts are for companies, associations and federations with a registered office in Switzerland; its personal-customer information provides general account-opening routes but does not confirm eligibility for non-Swiss residents, and acceptance of foreign-incorporated companies is also unconfirmed. This guide does not treat product information or fees for foreign companies as a promise of account opening. If you engage assistance, Mr. Tang will personally follow up on documents and appointments; fees will be explained in advance and the timing confirmed. No bank outcome is guaranteed.
Date information checked:2026-10-26
Source:ZKB — Wie werde ich Kundin oder Kunde der Zürcher Kantonalbank?；Swiss Federal Tax Administration — Wegleitung zum internationalen automatischen Informationsaustausch in Steuersachen (2026)
Source:ZKB — ZKB Firmenkonto；Swiss Banking — Agreement on the Swiss banks' code of conduct with regard to the exercise of due diligence (CDB 20)
Source:ZKB — Wie werde ich Kundin oder Kunde der Zürcher Kantonalbank?；ZKB — ZKB Firmenkonto；Swiss Banking — Agreement on the Swiss banks' code of conduct with regard to the exercise of due diligence (CDB 20)
Under Swiss AEOI rules, anyone providing a tax self-certification must notify the reporting financial institution of relevant changes to their information; Federal Tax Administration guidance explains that changes in circumstances affecting tax-residence determinations may invalidate an existing self-certification. If a move changes tax residence, or an entity’s tax classification or controlling persons change, it is advisable to contact ZKB in writing promptly and update the forms it requires. A statutory obligation to update information does not mean that the bank has publicly disclosed a fixed annual review cycle.
CDB 20 provides for banks to identify contracting parties and controllers, and refers to the FINMA anti-money laundering ordinance requirements applicable in higher-risk situations. Account holders should retain contracts, invoices, salary/financial documents and documents relating to director or authorisation changes, and ensure that transactions are consistent with the purpose declared when opening the account. ZKB has not published a fixed periodic review frequency or deadline for providing additional documents for this account.
ZKB states that an account/product can be requested using an online form, and that identity can be verified online using a biometric passport or in a branch by presenting an official identity card/passport. This page does not state whether the remote process is available to non-residents or for all identity documents.
ZKB states that Firmenkonto is available to companies, associations, and federations with a registered office in Switzerland. It publishes general account management fees of CHF 7/month and CHF 50/month for domiciliary companies and companies domiciled abroad, and provides access to a corporate power of attorney form; however, it has not confirmed whether companies registered abroad are eligible to open an account or published a complete list of required documents.
The relevant provisions of CDB 20 have been reviewed: Article 20 sets out the identification sequence for controlling persons of operating legal entities/partnerships, requiring the identification of persons holding 25% or more of voting rights/capital interests; Article 21 requires written records of the controlling persons’ names and actual residential addresses and allows banks to use their own forms with equivalent content.
The chapters of the Federal Tax Administration’s AEOI implementation guidance for 2026 on the validity period of self-certifications and changes in circumstances have been reviewed. The guidance states that changes in information may affect validity and that a person providing a self-certification must inform the reporting financial institution of changes to their information. This source does not establish any ZKB-specific form or review timeframe.
The ZKB Firmenkonto page lists account management fees of CHF 7/month in general, and CHF 50/month for Sitzgesellschaften (domiciliary companies) and Firmen mit Domizil Ausland (companies domiciled abroad). These are the CHF amounts shown on the business account page as of the date reviewed (2026-10-26). The page does not specify whether the fees apply to every type of foreign application, and the fee information does not constitute confirmation that an account application will be accepted. The official materials reviewed do not confirm personal account opening fees, account processing times, minimum deposits/balances or other fees for foreign applicants; no estimates are provided.
Zürcher Kantonalbank was found in a specific entry in FINMA’s official “Authorised banks and securities firms” list: city Zürich, authorisation category Bank, bank category Category 2. No separate licence number that could be used was found in the list. ZKB’s own legal information page also states that it holds FINMA authorisation for banking activities under the Swiss Banking Act and is subject to ongoing supervision. FINMA notes that its list is updated regularly, but supervised institutions may not yet have been added, or institutions that have lost their authorisation may still appear. The PDF obtained did not specify a version date that could be used to verify this extraction. Accordingly, this confirms that a specific entity entry was found, but does not imply that an account application will be accepted or that the list is error-free in real time.
Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA) Official registration or recordZKB’s website states that its personal basic account can be used for personal payments and lists Swiss franc and foreign currency accounts. It says the standard Privatkonto is for persons aged 18 and over; the page does not disclose non-resident eligibility or complete personal account-opening requirements.
The stated scope of business account products is companies, associations and federations with a registered office in Switzerland. The website publishes general account management fees of CHF 7/month and CHF 50/month for companies domiciled abroad, and provides business account features and access to business authorization forms, but does not confirm acceptance of foreign companies or provide complete account-opening documentation.
ZKB describes itself as an independent public-law institution established under the laws of the Canton of Zurich and Switzerland. It discloses its legal name, UID CHE-108.954.607, scope of banking business, FINMA banking authorisation and ongoing supervision, and CHF 100,000 deposit protection and the scope of the Canton of Zurich guarantee. The page indicates it was last updated in 2023 year, 1 month.
The body of the FINMA official authorised banks list includes Zürcher Kantonalbank, city Zürich, license category Bank, Category 2. This is a specific record for the entity, not merely a directory entry point. No version date verifiable from this extraction is shown in the PDF.
FINMA explains that the authorised institutions list is updated periodically and notes that supervised institutions may not yet be listed, or institutions that have lost authorization may still appear. This supports qualifying the timeliness of records in the authorised institutions list.
FINMA explains that Swiss banks and other prudentially supervised institutions comply with AMLA, and outlines customer identity verification, beneficial owner identification, further clarification of unusual or high-risk relationships, and the bank CDB 20 rules.
Official Swiss information states that the AEOI legal framework took effect on 2017-1-1 and is implemented by the Federal Tax Administration; Switzerland generally acts under the MCAA and, for the EU, under bilateral treaties, and lists partner jurisdictions and implementation information.
The Swiss Bankers Association explains that current U.S.–Swiss FATCA arrangements use Model 2, with Swiss banks reporting directly to the IRS, and describes the expected transition to Model 1 in 2027 and the legislative conditions. It notes that FATCA is U.S. tax law.
OECD Swiss TIN guidance states that Swiss individuals use the OASI/AHV number as their tax identification number in the AEOI context, while businesses/entities use the UID number, and explains the respective scope of individual numbers and entity UIDs.
The Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) provides an overall list of sanctioned individuals, companies and organisations. Its search tool displays only directly sanctioned targets and does not show potential ownership or control relationships.
