Switzerland is one of the world's leading centres for private banking, wealth management, commodity trading, pharmaceuticals and international organisations. Zurich is a global financial hub, Geneva and Zug host many of the world's largest commodity traders, Basel is home to pharmaceutical giants and Lugano connects Swiss finance to Italy. Swiss companies and accounts often sit at the centre of international structures and disputes. Investigating them requires a precise understanding of Swiss law, which sets clear limits on what can be done and how.
Risk Investigators provides corporate investigation, due diligence, background checks, IP investigation, brand protection, claim investigation, process service and private investigation for businesses in Switzerland. As an online venture of GREVESGROUP®, headquartered in Dubai with more than 30 years of group experience and around 1,000 cases a year, our corporate investigators in Switzerland work in German, French, Italian and English in Zurich, Geneva, Zug, Basel, Lausanne, Lugano and Bern, supported by a network in more than 100 countries.
Business and Investigation Risk in Switzerland
- Commodity trading risk, including counterparty fraud, sanctions exposure and corruption in producer countries
- Private wealth and source-of-funds questions for international clients
- Holding and trading structures that connect Swiss entities to assets and operations abroad
- Asset tracing in international disputes, where Swiss companies and property may hold value
- Pharmaceutical and luxury IP, including counterfeits of Swiss watches and medicines worldwide
- Strict legal limits on investigations and evidence gathering for foreign proceedings
Our Investigation Services in Switzerland
Due Diligence in Switzerland
Our due diligence in Switzerland covers acquisition targets, partners, investors, trading counterparties and service providers. We research the cantonal commercial registers and the central business name index (Zefix), the Swiss Official Gazette of Commerce, debt enforcement information where accessible, court decisions and German, French and Italian media, and check sanctions, PEP and adverse media exposure.
Commodity Trader Due Diligence in Geneva and Zug
Our commodity trader due diligence investigates trading houses, their owners and their counterparties in producer and consumer countries: ownership, financing, cargo verification, sanctions exposure and allegations of corruption. We support banks, trade finance funds and trading companies.
Corporate Investigation in Switzerland
Our corporate investigation in Zurich and across Switzerland covers fraud, embezzlement, misappropriation and misconduct in Swiss companies and their foreign operations, working closely with your Swiss counsel.
Background Check in Switzerland
Our background check in Switzerland services verify identity, education, employment history, directorships and litigation for executives, board members and business partners, with consent and in line with the revised Federal Act on Data Protection (FADP).
IP Investigation in Switzerland
We investigate trademark infringement and counterfeit products, with particular experience in watches, luxury goods and pharmaceuticals counterfeited abroad and sold under Swiss brand names.
Brand Protection in Switzerland
For Swiss brands, our brand protection programmes trace counterfeit watches, jewellery, medicines and consumer goods through markets in the Middle East, Asia, Africa and online, and support enforcement.
Claim Investigation in Switzerland
We verify property, cargo, art and valuables, life, health and travel claims with a Swiss element, including high-value losses.
Process Service in Switzerland
Switzerland is a party to the Hague Service Convention but has objected to alternative methods under Article 10. Service of foreign judicial documents must generally go through the Swiss Central Authorities, with translations into the official language of the place of service. Direct service by private agents is not permitted, and Swiss law treats unauthorised official acts on behalf of a foreign state as an offence. Our process service in Switzerland team prepares requests and tracks them through the proper channels.
Private Investigation in Switzerland
For businesses and law firms, our business-focused private investigator in Switzerland services include witness location, debtor tracing, asset tracing in Switzerland, litigation support and lawful commercial enquiries. We do not accept personal or matrimonial cases.
Cities and Cantons We Cover in Switzerland
Our investigators work across Switzerland, from the main commercial centres to secondary cities, ports and industrial zones. We regularly handle investigations, due diligence, background checks and process service in the following locations.
Major Cities
- Zurich
- Geneva
- Basel
- Lausanne
- Bern
- Lugano
- Zug
- Lucerne
- St. Gallen
- Winterthur
Cantons
- Zurich
- Geneva
- Basel-Stadt
- Vaud
- Bern
- Ticino
- Zug
- Lucerne
Need coverage in a location not listed here? We also handle enquiries in smaller towns and remote areas of Switzerland on request.
Swiss Law and Foreign Proceedings
Article 271 of the Swiss Criminal Code prohibits carrying out acts on behalf of a foreign state on Swiss territory without authorisation, which affects service of documents and certain forms of evidence gathering for foreign proceedings. Banking secrecy and data protection rules also restrict access to information. When our work in Switzerland supports litigation, arbitration or regulatory matters abroad, we coordinate closely with your Swiss and foreign counsel to keep every step lawful.
Source of Wealth and Private Clients
Swiss banks, trust companies, asset managers and family offices serve clients whose wealth was built in many different countries. Regulators expect a clear understanding of how that wealth was made. Our enhanced due diligence reconstructs business histories, verifies sources of wealth in the countries where they arose and identifies adverse information in local languages, giving compliance teams a documented basis for decisions.
Asset Tracing and Swiss Structures
In international disputes, Swiss companies, real estate and other holdings are often part of the asset picture. Our investigators identify Swiss entities connected to debtors, map related structures and follow assets to and from other jurisdictions, supporting your lawyers' strategy, including applications under Swiss debt enforcement and attachment procedures.
Typical Matters We Handle in Switzerland
The examples below are illustrative of the work clients bring to us in Switzerland:
- A trade finance lender checks a Geneva trader's counterparties in West Africa and Central Asia
- A private bank verifies the source of wealth of a new client with businesses in several emerging markets
- A creditor identifies Swiss holding companies linked to a debtor to support attachment proceedings
- A watch brand traces counterfeit timepieces sold in the Gulf and Asia to their suppliers
- A foreign law firm serves proceedings on a Zurich company through the proper Central Authority route
How an Investigation in Switzerland Works
You brief us in confidence and we sign an NDA. We agree the scope, legal limits, timeline and fee in writing, involving Swiss counsel where needed. Our investigators carry out record research and enquiries in the relevant language, coordinated by your case manager in Dubai. You receive updates at agreed points and a final report in English.
Industries We Support in Switzerland
We support banking and financial services, energy and commodity trading, mining, pharmaceuticals, healthcare, retail and luxury, insurance, technology, legal services and professional services.
Why Choose Risk Investigators in Switzerland
Legal precision
Investigations designed around Swiss legal limits.
Commodity and wealth expertise
Due diligence for traders, banks and private wealth.
Multilingual capability
German, French, Italian and English enquiries.
Group experience
More than 30 years of investigation work through GREVESGROUP®.
Global reach
Follow-up in producer countries and markets worldwide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you have corporate investigators in Switzerland?
Yes. Our investigators work in Zurich, Geneva, Zug, Basel, Lausanne, Lugano and Bern, in German, French, Italian and English.
Can you conduct due diligence on a Swiss commodity trader?
Yes. We investigate ownership, financing, counterparties, cargo, sanctions exposure and corruption allegations.
How is legal service carried out in Switzerland?
Switzerland is a party to the Hague Service Convention but has objected to Article 10 methods. Service must generally go through the Swiss Central Authorities, and direct service by private agents is not permitted.
Can you trace assets in Switzerland?
Yes. We identify Swiss entities and holdings linked to a debtor and follow assets across jurisdictions, supporting your lawyers' strategy.
Can you verify a client's source of wealth?
Yes. We reconstruct business histories and verify sources of wealth in the countries where they arose.
Can your findings be used in foreign proceedings?
Often, yes, but Swiss rules on foreign official acts, secrecy and data protection must be respected. We coordinate with your counsel.
Do you investigate counterfeit Swiss watches?
Yes. We trace counterfeit watches and luxury goods through markets worldwide.
Do you conduct background checks in Switzerland?
Yes, with consent and in line with the FADP.
Do you provide reports in English?
Yes. All reports are in English, with key German, French or Italian documents summarised or translated where needed.
Do you take private or matrimonial cases?
No. We work only for businesses, law firms and organisations.
How long does due diligence in Switzerland take?
It depends on the depth of the check and the number of subjects and jurisdictions. We confirm a realistic timeline in our written proposal.