Serving Every Aspect of Precious Metal Ownership
At VON GREYERZ, providing highly personalised advisory services for each unique client is a key driver. Our superior precious metal expertise, wealth preservation focus, security solutions, purchase/sale capabilities and client-servicing focus is complemented by an ownership structure free of counterparty risk. This ensures our clientele the highest level of protection and personal attention.
Metals of Highest Fineness
- Investment grade, LBMA-certified gold and silver bars of the highest fineness, fully insured
- Gold and Silver refined in Switzerland, the global leader in gold & silver quality, pricing and liquidity options
- Metals available in all bar sizes/formats (including coins)
- Platinum & Palladium also available
- Metals can be bought and sold in CHF, USD, EUR, CAD, GBP or AUD
Bullion
Investment grade gold bullion bars are normally 99.99 fineness and trade at a small premium to the quoted spot price of gold.
Client purchase price for Swiss gold bars:
- Spot price plus 0.75% to 3.00% purchase / production premium for 100 gram and 1 kilo gold bars depending upon market conditions and volume
- Spot price plus 0.30% to 0.60% purchase/ production premium for 400 oz London Good Delivery gold bars
Client sales price is:
- Spot price minus 0.50% to 1.00%
The purchase premium represents the difference between the current electronic / paper market price and the VON GREYERZ selling price (including the cost of producing and delivering the physical precious metals to our high-security vaults).
PLEASE NOTE THAT THE FOREGOING SPREADS CAN CHANGE DUE TO FLUCTUATING MARKET CONDITIONS.
In-House Buying & Selling Advantages
Client acquisition and sale of precious metals is executed through our own trading desk.
VON GREYERZ’ direct access to Swiss refineries, where 70% of the world’s highest quality gold bars are produced, gives our clients competitive, wholesale interbank pricing advantages.
Clients have 24/7 access to our secure client platform which shows all transaction notes, invoices and periodic valuations as well as secure communication with the VON GREYERZ team.
VAT (Value Added Tax)
There is no VAT payable when you buy gold in Switzerland.
There is no VAT payable on physical silver as long as it is stored in our bonded storage facility at the Zurich airport. If the client wishes to transfer bonded silver bars to a European country, the VAT is payable at the VAT rate of that country.
Swiss residents pay Swiss VAT on the service fees only.
Minimum investment amount for Swiss Alp vault: CHF 5M;
all other vaults: CHF 500,000 minimum investment.
Direct Ownership
Unlike metals held within commercial banks, client assets at VON GREYERZ are free of counter-party risk, commingling or hypothecation. All metals are marked and owned directly and can only be accessed by clients or their permitted representatives.
VON GREYERZ provides complete client confidentiality, open access to auditing of assets, the highest-grade encryption protection of client data, and unsurpassed privacy guarantees.
Fully Insured Metals
All client metals are insured against physical loss or physical damage, including physical loss resulting from third party thefts, infidelity of employees or from mysterious disappearance. Mysterious disappearance insurance covers losses that cannot otherwise be explained nor substantiated by police.
The insurance policy is taken out directly by VON GREYERZ with Lloyd’s of London (via Marsh Ltd.) and covers all vaults we offer in Switzerland and Singapore. The precious metals are insured up to their market value (according to the LBMA prices) at the time of incident and not at their value of entry into the vault.
Further, the clients are listed as loss payees, meaning that they have the first rights on insurance claims payments.
Advanced Data Protection
VON GREYERZ hosts and manages all operational and client data on proprietary servers using high-availability system architecture in a zero-risk facility in the Swiss Alps. No other precious metal service offers this level of sophisticated data protection.
We commit to the latest technologies, advanced encryption standards and leading protection measures to ensure that all customer and critical information is fully protected and confidential.
Data is continually backed up at multiple, physically separated data centers offering the highest protection against EMP (electromagnetic pulse) attacks, malware, natural disasters, fraud, vandalism, fire or any other known threat.
VON GREYERZ hosts multiple means of communication within our team, including satellite phones in the event of a disruption in terrestrial or land-based communication networks.
Clients are encouraged to communicate directly through our Client Portal, as portal messages are end-to-end encrypted to ensure full confidentiality of transmitted information.
Gold Coins
Bullion coins are investment grade (between 90.0 and 99.99 fineness) legal tender coins.
The most popular bullion coins in the world are American Eagles from the US Mint, Australian Kangaroos from the Perth Mint, Sovereigns and Britannias from the Royal Mint (UK), Canadian Maple Leafs from the Royal Mint of Canada, Philharmonics from the Austrian Mint, and Krugerrands from the South African Mint.
For British Tax Residents, the British Sovereigns and Britannia coins are not subject to capital gains tax (CGT).
Our Trading Desk can source the most important gold coins directly through the Wholesale Market. Please contact our Trading Desk for current pricing of gold coins.
Silver Bars
We recommend 1000-ounce good delivery standard silver bars due to lower purchase premium per ounce. Smaller formats can be sourced; however, the purchase premium is significantly higher.
Client purchase price:
- Spot price plus 3.00% to 6.00% for 1000 oz Good Delivery silver bars
- Larger quantities can attract better terms
Client sales price is:
- Spot price minus 1.50% to 2.20% or at best
PLEASE NOTE AGAIN THAT THE FOREGOING SPREADS CAN CHANGE DUE TO FLUCTUATING MARKET CONDITIONS.
Silver is VAT free if held in our bonded facility in Zurich.
Silver Coins
Given cost inefficiencies, we do not trade silver coins for clients unless in amounts of $50,000+ USD.
Platinum & Palladium
We can source platinum and palladium bars upon client request.
World’s Safest Vault
We offer three fully-insured vaulting facilities, two of which are Swiss-based, with a third in Singapore.
Each boasts the highest possible security provisions, from biometric scans to our military-grade, high-security (nuclear bomb, earthquake, EMP (electromagnetic pulse) and gas-attack-proof) Swiss Alp location, the safest vault in the world. Each facility is open to clients for personal visitation or audit.
We can also provide further global vault location options, including Dubai, the USA, New Zealand etc.
1. Swiss Mountain Vault Gold Storage
- Undisclosed Swiss Alp location
- Protected against seismic, atomic, biological, chemical and cyber attack
- Highest grade IT/Security protocols
- Supported by private airstrip and high-end lodging
- Direct client access to metals for inspection/audit
- Our high-security mountain vault in the Swiss Alps is the most coveted and military-grade secure gold storage facility in the world
- The minimum investment for the mountain vault is CHF 5 million
2. Zurich Gold Storage Vault
- This high-security gold and silver vaulting facility is located in a restricted/bonded area directly below the Zurich airport
- The vault has been operational for over half a century and is fitted with the latest security features and monitoring technology
- The facility stores precious metals VAT-free, including platinum
- The airport location allows clients rapid, access to precious metal holdings
3. Freeport / Singapore Vault
- The Singapore vaulting facility offers geographical diversification within the Asian economic and geopolitical sphere
- It is served by the latest multi-level security technology, including full-body scan and biometric verifications to access different sectors of the complex
- Its close proximity to the airport offers convenient access to precious metal holdings
Other global options
- VON GREYERZ can also offer clients alternative precious metal storage options globally.
Jurisdictional Safety
Political and economic stability are key jurisdictional considerations for the storage of precious metals.
Two countries stand out from the rest: Switzerland and Singapore.
Swiss Advantage
VON GREYERZ-Goldswitzerland is based out of Zurich for multiple reasons:
- As a 100% Swiss-owned enterprise, VON GREYERZ enjoys advantages of Swiss ownership without exposure to the laws of other jurisdictions, an advantage not shared by foreign enterprises operating in Switzerland
- VON GREYERZ’ operational history within Switzerland (and globally) includes an exceptional professional and service network for international clients
- Switzerland leads the world in political, fiscal & monetary stability as one of the oldest democracies, boasting a globally recognised low crime rate
- Switzerland is a global precious metals hub, refining 70% of the world’s gold bars
- Switzerland offers superior liquidity (and privacy) over other jurisdictions
Political Stability
Switzerland boasts one of the world’s most decentralised political structures with a globally recognised reputation for stability and direct democracy, whereby citizens rather than their representatives have the strongest political influence.
Switzerland’s Federal Constitution is the foundation of the Swiss Confederation, marked by three levels of governmental authority: The Federal, cantonal, and local. Switzerland has 26 cantons.
Switzerland is governed by a globally respected rule-of-law whose legal system has an exceptional track-record for enforcing property rights.
Further, the country hosts the headquarters of multiple international organisations and many treaty conferences.
Despite being at the heart of Europe, the Swiss Confederation remains outside of the European Union and its increasingly fractured economic policies. This has allowed Switzerland to remain more independent and less influenced by EU banking, financial, tax and other regulations.
Global Transport
We arrange every logistical detail of the secure and fully-insured transportation of client precious metals from-and-to our vault locations for clients located anywhere in the world.
With clients in over 90 countries, we have transported holdings from many countries by plane, armoured-truck and sea freight and have acquired vast expertise in these logistical matters.
Reputed Carriers
Our global network includes the world’s most secure logistics firms, namely Loomis and Brinks. For security reasons, precious metals can be picked up or delivered only to a business address.
Cross-Border Cost Protocols
Our logistics team manages every formality regarding cross-border transportation protocols and customs-clearances processes.
Fiscal Stability
In stark contrast to most Western countries, Switzerland has achieved significant budget surpluses in the past years with financial conditions at the sovereign level that are uniquely positive, having reduced its debt in absolute terms and not just in relation to GDP.
Monetary Stability
The Swiss franc remains a reserve currency and one of the world’s most trusted and strongest currencies due to its independent ability to either inflate or deflate in value during times of market turbulence outside of the EU or other central-bank-supported markets/economies around the world.
Switzerland remains one of the largest official gold holders in the world, with the Swiss National Bank currently holding 1,040 tons of the precious metal, one of the largest gold reserves on a per capita basis.
Global Precious Metals Hub
Switzerland is the world’s largest physical precious metals trading and refining hub. Gold represents Switzerland’s largest export, confirming that gold is a strategic and highly protected industry in Switzerland.
Four of the world’s seven premier gold refineries are located in Switzerland and 70% of the world’s gold bars are produced here each year. This is of strategic significance in the event of a larger political or financial crisis.
As the world’s “gold hub” Switzerland offers superior liquidity, thus giving it an additional and distinct advantage over other jurisdictions.
Local’s Advantage
VON GREYERZ is a Swiss company, under Swiss ownership, based within Switzerland and offering Swiss storage facilities. Our 100% Swiss status provides our clients with unique advantages.
We have been active in this market for decades and have built and maintained an exceptional professional and service network for client access.
Furthermore, many non-Swiss service providers offer gold storage in Switzerland yet are subject to the laws of their own jurisdictions. VON GREYERZ and its clients avoid such risks and exposure.
The Asian Gold Hub: Singapore
Often called “the “Switzerland of Asia” Singapore boasts a modern setting and world-renown service reputation with a major gold presence/ecosystem for the purchasing and modern storage of precious metals uniquely poised to service a growing trend of eastwardly-moving wealth.
Its island location offers Singapore a natural independence and adds to its reputation as one of the lowest crime nations in the world with an embedded and globally respected rule of law.
The government in Singapore is both business and banking friendly and seeks to become a global gold hub; consequently, Singapore offers various tax, vaulting, trading and transport advantages to precious metal investors
For more on global gold jurisdictional comparisons,