About Us

Who we are

Preserving Wealth
with Care, Discretion and Continuity.

Capital Trustees AG is an independent Swiss trustee company, founded in 2005 and licensed by FINMA in 2022 under Switzerland’s new licensing regime for trustees, with offices in Zurich and Lugano. Operating exclusively from Switzerland, we establish and administer trusts governed by different trust laws and provide Swiss corporate and personal services to an international client base.

Our independence is structural. Ownership remains entirely internal, with no external shareholders, outside capital or third-party influence. This allows us to take a long-term view, maintain continuity in decision-making and adapt quickly to the evolving needs of clients and structures. We are not affiliated with any bank, law firm, private equity group or other financial institution.

Our Mission

To engineer one-of-one structures for global families, navigating the volatility of a shifting economic and regulatory landscape to ensure the seamless preservation of their legacy across future generations.

Strategic Framework

What Guides Us

Our work is guided by a set of strategic principles that reflect who we are, how we think and how we approach complex structures.

Depth Before Scale

We continue to invest in our internal professional infrastructure, strengthening our people, systems and processes so that complex structures can be managed with discipline, consistency and accountability.

Switzerland as a Choice

Switzerland is our chosen strategic base. From Zurich and Lugano, and under FINMA supervision, we provide private client services with the stability, judgement and professional culture that our clients expect.

The Right Network

We build and maintain relationships with selected professionals in relevant jurisdictions. We do not seek a broad network for its own sake; rather, we work with advisers who share our standards and understand the needs of international families.

Specialists, Not Generalists

We do not aim to be a one-stop shop. Our focus is trusteeship and the administration of private wealth structures. Where external expertise is required, we involve the right professionals rather than diluting our role.

Structures in Context

Family dynamics, decision-making processes, generational change and external legal, tax, regulatory and macroeconomic developments all matter. We proactively monitor these factors and work with families and their advisers to adapt structures where circumstances require it.

Beyond Administration

Some families require more than standard administration. For complex assets, cross-border circumstances or sensitive family situations, we help shape individual solutions that reflect the specific reality of the family and the structure.

Global Reach

Our International Footprint

Our client base reflects the international nature of the families we serve and the structures we administer. Historically close to Italian-speaking international clients, Capital Trustees AG now serves a truly global client base. We are not limited to any specific market or geography, while all our services remain delivered from Switzerland and within the Swiss regulatory framework.

We have no geographic or market restrictions, serving international families and entrepreneurs with high standards and practical expectations, with all activities fully compliant with the Swiss regulatory framework.

From Strategy to Execution

How We Work in Practice

We operate through an execution-driven operating model rooted in Swiss governance, rigorous internal controls, and proactive problem-solving, designed for complex structures demanding precision, discretion, and continuity.

Client first

→ Each structure is managed around the specific needs of the client, the family and the assets involved. We do not apply standard templates.
→ For each client, we assemble a dedicated team with the appropriate level of experience, technical knowledge and jurisdictional understanding. The team remains stable over time and is coordinated through a single point of contact, providing the client, family and their advisers with direct access, clear responsibility and efficient communication.

Reliable solutions

→ We deliver concrete solutions, combining a high standard of work with the ability to meet agreed client deadlines.
→ Accuracy and proper execution are supported by internal controls, including a multi-layered review process and four-eyes checks where appropriate.
→ We do not rely on rigid policies to manage client needs. Within our internal control framework, we remain proactive, practical and solution-oriented, particularly where matters are urgent, complex or non-standard.

Open platform

→ All core trustee and administrative activities are handled in-house. This allows us to maintain control over the administration of each structure, protect client information and manage costs transparently.
→ Where specialist input is required, we coordinate with external lawyers, tax advisers, asset managers or other experts. These may be professionals from our own network or advisers already appointed by the client.
→ Being independent, we are not tied to any bank, asset manager or law firm. External professionals are involved based on the needs of the structure, not on institutional affiliations.

Operational continuity

→ Managers stay hands-on in both execution and technical work, combining practical involvement with strategic oversight.
→ Stable teams and low turnover allow us to preserve knowledge of each structure over time and build long-standing relationships with clients, their families and their wider professional environment.

Integrity and protection

→ We protect client information through internal procedures, controlled access and secure IT systems.
→ We also monitor the structures we administer in light of relevant legal, tax, regulatory and practical developments. Where new risks or changes arise, we assess them with the client and the relevant advisers, so that structures remain compliant, effective and aligned with their purpose.

Our regulatory framework

Governed by Swiss Standards

Since the entry into force of the Swiss Financial Institutions Act, FinIA, and its implementing ordinance, FinIO, on 1 January 2020, the professional activity of trustees in Switzerland has required authorisation from FINMA.

Capital Trustees AG was among the first Swiss trustee companies licensed by FINMA in 2022 and is subject to ongoing supervision and periodic regulatory audits.

FINMA authorisation is granted following a case-by-case, risk-based assessment of each trustee's business model, organisation, governance and control framework. In our case, the licence reflects a broad operational scope, including the administration of complex multi-jurisdictional structures, different governing laws and a wide range of asset classes.

Licensed trustees must continue to meet ongoing regulatory requirements, including adequate professional organisation, qualified management and staff, financial soundness, proper business conduct, risk management and internal control procedures.

FINMA-regulated since 2022

Among the first Swiss trustee companies to receive FINMA authorisation, with a broad operational licence covering complex multi-jurisdictional structures.

View FINMA register →

Corporate Memberships & Associations

Connected to the Profession

Our memberships and professional associations reflect the standards, regulatory environment and international private client network within which we operate.

STEP

SATC

IFA

Chambers

ICAEW

AIJA

IBA

HLB

Member since 2008

STEP

Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners

The global professional association for practitioners in the fields of trusts, estates, succession and wealth planning. STEP provides education and advocacy and sets professional standards for its members worldwide.

About Us

Preserving Wealth
with Care, Discretion and Continuity.