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Bank Index · method 2026.2

The private.law Bank Index

Banks, neobanks and private banks for international clients, measured by one method: a ranking per product you open, standardised client profiles, eight pillars of indicators with a source and a date, deterministic scoring and tiers within a product. The code computes the scores from published data points; readers' complaints and public regulator statistics supply the observed layer.

69 providers in the registry, 0 with a tier, 7 in progress. An unassessed provider stays listed: the gap is visible, not hidden.

Rankings by product

A client does not ask “which bank is best” but “where do I open a business account for an HK Ltd”. So a provider stands in every product list it offers, with its own tier: a business account and private banking carry different weights and different client profiles.

Business account

A company current account: remote onboarding, entry minimum, fees, multi-currency, API and compliance conduct.

Compare within a product: a business account and private banking carry different weights. One provider can stand in several lists with different tiers.

Private banking and wealth management

Wealth management: entry minimum, custody, Lombard credit, mandates, source-of-wealth handling and safety.

Compare within a product: a business account and private banking carry different weights. One provider can stand in several lists with different tiers.

Personal account for non-residents

A personal account for a non-resident: who opens one at all, the entry bar, cards, deposit protection.

Compare within a product: a business account and private banking carry different weights. One provider can stand in several lists with different tiers.

Crypto and digital assets

Custody and fiat rails for crypto businesses under a licence: licence type, stance on crypto-sourced funds, custody.

Compare within a product: a business account and private banking carry different weights. One provider can stand in several lists with different tiers.

Payments and FX

Cross-border payments: spread and fees, limits, speed, multi-currency details.

Compare within a product: a business account and private banking carry different weights. One provider can stand in several lists with different tiers.

Banking infrastructure and sponsor banking

Sponsor banking and BaaS: no direct accounts; measured on programme reliability, enforcement history and API.

Compare within a product: a business account and private banking carry different weights. One provider can stand in several lists with different tiers.

Trade finance and the China corridor

Trade finance and the China corridor: counterparty compliance, large sums, letters of credit.

Compare within a product: a business account and private banking carry different weights. One provider can stand in several lists with different tiers.

Method

The index follows the Doing Business logic: standardised cases, not opinions. A provider is measured for concrete client profiles, on published terms (de jure) and observed outcomes (de facto) separately. Every indicator is normalised to a published bar; the frontier practice scores 100.

Standardised profiles

  • Non-resident founder with a US LLC
  • HK/SG trading company with CIS counterparties
  • HNW individual
  • Family office
  • Crypto-native business
  • Russia or Belarus nexus

Eight pillars of indicators

  • Access: Remote onboarding, Entry minimum, Days to open.
  • Compliance conduct: Reasons given, Notice period, Freezes and closures per 1 000 clients, Request clarity.
  • Support: Human support, Languages, Complaint response.
  • Large-value capability: Transfer limits, Source-of-wealth handling, Large sums observed, Lending and custody.
  • Safety: Licence type, Deposit protection, Enforcement history, Credit rating.
  • Cost: Account fee, FX spread, SWIFT fee.
  • Product breadth: Multi-currency, Cards, API, Lending, Custody.
  • Dispute outcomes: Share of disputes resolved, Days to resolution, Right of reply.

Weights by product

  • Business account: Access 15, Compliance conduct 20, Support 15, Large-value capability 10, Safety 15, Cost 10, Product breadth 10, Dispute outcomes 5. Profiles in the Access pillar: Non-resident founder with a US LLC, HK/SG trading company with CIS counterparties.
  • Private banking and wealth management: Access 5, Compliance conduct 15, Support 15, Large-value capability 25, Safety 20, Cost 5, Product breadth 10, Dispute outcomes 5. Profiles in the Access pillar: HNW individual, Family office.
  • Personal account for non-residents: Access 20, Compliance conduct 20, Support 15, Large-value capability 5, Safety 20, Cost 10, Product breadth 5, Dispute outcomes 5. Profiles in the Access pillar: HNW individual.
  • Crypto and digital assets: Access 10, Compliance conduct 20, Support 10, Large-value capability 15, Safety 25, Cost 5, Product breadth 10, Dispute outcomes 5. Profiles in the Access pillar: Crypto-native business.
  • Payments and FX: Access 10, Compliance conduct 15, Support 10, Large-value capability 15, Safety 15, Cost 25, Product breadth 5, Dispute outcomes 5. Profiles in the Access pillar: Non-resident founder with a US LLC, HK/SG trading company with CIS counterparties, Crypto-native business.
  • Banking infrastructure and sponsor banking: Access 0, Compliance conduct 20, Support 10, Large-value capability 10, Safety 35, Cost 5, Product breadth 15, Dispute outcomes 5. Profiles in the Access pillar: —.
  • Trade finance and the China corridor: Access 15, Compliance conduct 25, Support 10, Large-value capability 20, Safety 15, Cost 5, Product breadth 5, Dispute outcomes 5. Profiles in the Access pillar: HK/SG trading company with CIS counterparties.

Tiers and coverage

The composite 0–100 is the weighted mean of the pillars by the product weights; a pillar with zero weight counts neither in the score nor in the coverage. Tier 1 from 80, Tier 2 from 60, below that Tier 3. A tier is assigned once at least 60% of the indicators are known and the Safety and Compliance conduct pillars are filled. An active regulatory measure, a licence restriction, a safeguarding failure or a closure wave caps the tier at 2 and raises the watch flag.

Rules

  • Scores are computed, never edited: a disputed data point is corrected with a new source or left with the dispute shown.
  • No paid placement, no removal on request. A provider's response is published beside the data, never instead of it.
  • Conflicts disclosed: private.law is paid by clients to open accounts at some listed providers and to run complaints against others. Neither changes a data point.
  • Observed data is weighted by verification: self-reported, document-backed, firm-observed. A number is published only with five or more observations in the bucket and after a 30-day delay.

FAQ

Why do most providers have no tier?
A tier requires known values for at least 60% of the indicators and filled Safety and Compliance pillars. Until then a provider is shown with its coverage and the pillars available, so the gap is visible rather than hidden. Assessments are added provider by provider, with sources and dates.
Where does the data come from?
The provider's published terms and regulator registers supply the de jure layer. Complaints through our desk, the firm's own matters and public complaint statistics (CFPB, the UK Financial Ombudsman, HKMA) supply the de facto layer. Every data point has a source, a date and a verification level.
Can a bank influence its score?
Only with a new source. There is no paid placement and no removal on request. A verified representative of a provider can answer a category of complaints or contest a data point, and the answer is published beside the data.
What does “preliminary” mean?
The assessment was assembled editorially from published sources and awaits a lawyer's review. After the review the mark is removed and the review date is printed in the data.