A source of wealth declaration should explain how you built your assets and how the money reached the banks that hold it today. Start with the main wealth events, show what you kept after costs and tax, trace material transfers, then match the result to current statements. A bank balance proves what is there now. It does not, by itself, explain how it got there.
The template below gives you a document you can actually adapt. It joins a wealth journey to a current-asset schedule and an evidence index. Use your bank’s own form if it provides one; attach this narrative when the form leaves too little room for the story. The fictional example and calculator help you check the arithmetic before you send anything.
What a bank needs to see
There are three related questions. Source of wealth asks how you accumulated your overall assets. Source of funds asks where the money for this relationship or transaction came from. The third question is practical: can a reviewer follow those assets into the accounts and investments you hold now? The Wolfsberg Group’s private-banking guidance distinguishes wealth accumulation from account funding; the FCA Financial Crime Guide makes the same distinction.
| Layer | Question | Useful evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Wealth journey | What economic activity created the assets? | Employment and tax records, business accounts, sale or inheritance documents |
| Money route | How did the net proceeds move between owners and accounts? | Closing statements, bank credits, transfer confirmations, custody statements |
| Current position | Which banks hold the assets now, and what is available to fund this relationship? | Recent statements, ownership records, pledge details, valuation date |
That third layer is often missing from generic templates. A person can describe a profitable business sale in detail. The reviewer may still be unable to connect those proceeds to an investment account opened two banks later. The narrative and the statements need to meet in the middle. Regulators expect checks to fit the risk and the customer’s circumstances; they do not prescribe one universal document list for every applicant. AUSTRAC’s guidance explains that verification may use bank records, contracts, tax records and other independent evidence.
Write the wealth journey before listing documents
List the few events that explain most of your present assets. For an employee, that may be a career, bonuses and years of retained savings. For a founder, it may be equity ownership, dividends and a later company sale. For an heir, it may be the estate distribution plus what happened to the assets afterward. Give each event a date range, amount, owner and evidence reference. Then state the net amount that entered your own financial system.
“Sold my company for CHF 3 million” is a start, not a bridge. The bank may need to know who owned the shares, where the sale settled, and why only CHF 2.4 million reached the account. Fees, taxes, debt repayment and other distributions can explain the difference. Use a completion statement and the receiving-bank credit to join the figures. Our separate asset-sale evidence guide goes deeper on that step.
Keep the chronology selective. You do not need a paragraph for every salary deposit or trade. You do need to explain material jumps, unusual third-party payments and breaks in the trail. If records from a closed bank are missing, say so and identify the substitute evidence rather than quietly skipping that period. A receiving-bank statement alone cannot prove the earlier economic source.
Reconcile the story to today’s bankable assets
For this guide, bankable assets means the cash and financial investments held at institutions that you may be able to use for a proposed banking relationship. It is a planning label, not a regulatory category. A privately held company or home can explain wealth, but it is not a cash balance at today’s bank. A pledged portfolio belongs on the current-asset schedule with its restriction clearly marked.
Use one valuation date and one reporting currency for the reconciliation. Show the original currency beside each account if it differs. Internal transfers between your own banks move assets; they do not create new wealth. At the consolidated level, the equation is simple: retained savings + net new proceeds + investment return − spending and other outflows = current bankable assets. Do not subtract taxes twice if your sale proceeds are already stated net of tax.
The bridge must land somewhere concrete. On the same valuation date, the fictional CHF 2.85 million appears at two banks. Bank A holds CHF 1.00 million; Bank B holds CHF 1.85 million. The transfer from A to B is visible in both statements; it is not added to the CHF 2.85 million as a third source. The CHF 0.30 million return consists of CHF 0.25 million in Bank B investments and CHF 0.05 million interest at Bank A. A person with more banks can use the same method, one row per material current position.
| Institution and owner | Assets now | How they arrived | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bank A, client alone | CHF 1.00m cash/securities | Salary savings and net sale proceeds; CHF 1.60m transferred to Bank B; later interest and spending explained | A-01 current statement; A-02 sale credit; A-03 transfer debit |
| Bank B, client alone | CHF 1.85m investment portfolio | CHF 1.60m received from Bank A plus CHF 0.25m investment gain | B-01 current statement; B-02 transfer credit; B-03 portfolio history |
| Total | CHF 2.85m | Matches the consolidated bridge above | One date and valuation basis |
A current statement can show market value, not just cash. State whether the figure includes unrealised gains, whether securities are pledged, and whether you intend to transfer cash or custody assets. If an account belongs to a company, trust or joint holder, identify its legal owner and your control rather than writing “my bank account.” This is where an apparently tidy total can become misleading.
Copy-ready source of wealth declaration template
Replace every bracketed field and delete sections that do not apply. Use rounded figures only when the underlying records justify an estimate, and label it as such. Keep source amounts, asset values and currencies on their original documents; explain any conversion in the narrative. This template is a working attachment, not a substitute for a bank’s mandatory questionnaire or a guarantee of acceptance.
SOURCE OF WEALTH DECLARATION Prepared for: [bank / relationship manager] Declarant and legal owner: [full legal name] Date: [day month year] Reporting currency and valuation date: [currency] at [date] Purpose: [new account / periodic KYC review / proposed transfer] 1. HOW I BUILT MY WEALTH My present wealth arose principally from [employment / business ownership / sale / inheritance / investments / other]. Between [year] and [year], I [brief chronology of work, ownership or entitlement]. The material events are: S1 — [date range; economic activity; employer/company/asset; your role and ownership; gross amount if relevant; costs, tax or debt settlement; NET amount retained; evidence references]. S2 — [repeat for each material source]. These are the sources of the bankable assets listed in section 3. [Explain any other material non-bank assets separately; do not include them in the bankable total.] 2. HOW THE MONEY MOVED S1 proceeds entered [institution, account owner, masked account identifier, date, amount and currency] from [payer or settlement agent]. Evidence: [closing/award/estate document E-__ and credit statement E-__]. On [date], [amount and currency] moved from [institution and masked account] to [institution and masked account], both held by [owner]. Evidence: [debit E-__ and matching credit E-__]. [Repeat for material transfers, currency conversions, custody moves or third-party payments. Identify an escrow or legal-client account when used.] 3. ASSETS HELD AT MY CURRENT BANKS As of [valuation date], I hold the following bankable assets: A — [bank/custodian; legal account owner; masked identifier; currency; cash or investment type; statement value; source IDs S1/S2; document E-__; available or pledged/restricted]. B — [repeat for each material institution or account]. Total current bankable assets: [amount and currency]. This total [includes/excludes] unrealised investment gains. [State any FX conversion date and rate.] I propose to fund the new relationship with [amount, asset type and sending account], subject to the receiving bank's review. 4. RECONCILIATION Retained savings from S1 [amount] + Net proceeds from S2 [amount] + Investment gains/interest [amount, realised or unrealised] − Spending, gifts, taxes not already netted, or other outflows [amount] = Current bankable assets [amount], matching the statements in section 3. Transfers between my own accounts are shown in section 2 but are not counted as new wealth. [Explain any difference, missing record or estimated figure here.] 5. OTHER ASSETS, LIABILITIES AND CONTROL [List any material business/property/trust interests that explain overall wealth but are not in the bankable total. Identify loans, pledges, joint owners, beneficial owners and restrictions relevant to the assets above. State “none relevant” only if true.] 6. EVIDENCE INDEX E-01 [document, issuer, period/date, what it proves] E-02 [document, issuer, period/date, what it proves] [Continue. Match every major event and transfer to evidence where available.] I confirm that this explanation is accurate to the best of my knowledge, identifies material sources and transfers, and distinguishes estimates from documented amounts. I will provide further information the bank reasonably requests. [Name] [Signature] [Date]
The most important sentence is often in section 2: the one that says where the proceeds landed and how they reached the present account. Write it with dates and amounts that someone else can check. If a company sale paid into a lawyer’s client account before reaching your bank, say so. If an investment portfolio moved in kind, say that too; there may be no cash credit to point to. For a crypto-related route, the trail can require both wallet/exchange records and the fiat-bank leg. See our crypto-income documentation guide for that specific case.
A worked example: a business sale now held at two banks
Consider a fictional founder, Mira. From 2013 to 2021, she retained CHF 300,000 from salary and bonuses after living costs. She owned the shares of her company and sold them in 2022 for CHF 3 million. The completion statement shows CHF 600,000 paid in taxes, fees and debt settlement, leaving CHF 2.4 million. The settlement agent sent that net amount to Mira’s Bank A account. The share register, sale agreement, completion statement and Bank A credit support each link. The proceeds are not “CHF 3 million in cash”; CHF 2.4 million is what entered her account.
In 2023, Mira moved CHF 1.6 million from Bank A to a portfolio in her own name at Bank B. She keeps the Bank A debit and Bank B credit together so the reviewer sees a transfer, not a second income source. By 31 August 2026, Bank B’s statement values that portfolio at CHF 1.85 million, including CHF 250,000 of investment gain. Bank A holds CHF 1 million after CHF 50,000 of interest and CHF 150,000 of personal spending. The two current statements add to CHF 2.85 million; the wealth bridge above reaches the same number.
That example is intentionally neat. A real file may include three currencies, a partial share sale, a trust distribution or a closed account. Do not force those cases into a false one-line equation. Explain the reconciliation method, identify what is estimated and ask the receiving bank which missing documents it needs. A credible gap note is better than a made-up exact figure.
Check your own reconciliation
Before finalizing your source of wealth declaration, check whether the net sources equal the balances listed at today’s banks. The calculator starts with Mira’s fictional CHF figures. Enter your own amounts only on a device you trust. The calculator’s code runs in your browser and makes no network request. Do not enter account numbers or names. If you use more than two banks, combine the extra balances in “Other current banks” here, but list each bank separately in your declaration. A matching total is an arithmetic check, not a compliance approval or proof that the evidence is complete.
If the bars differ, the tool cannot tell you which document is missing. Review the dates and definitions first. Perhaps one statement includes a property fund that you also counted as a sale receipt, or your “net proceeds” figure is actually gross. A currency conversion can create a smaller difference; disclose the rate and date used. When the arithmetic matches, check the evidence. Can another person follow the debits, credits and legal ownership without asking you to fill in an invisible step?
Build an evidence index that proves each link
Give every material statement in the source of wealth declaration an evidence code. “E-04” is more useful than “see attachments” because the reviewer can find it in seconds. Put the document’s issuer, date and purpose in the index. Keep sensitive documents in the bank’s secure upload channel; the public template and calculator are not document-submission tools. FINMA says Swiss intermediaries must clarify the origin of assets in detail for higher-risk clients and verify that those assets come from legal sources. The level of documentation still depends on the case.
| Claim to establish | Possible evidence | What it does not prove alone |
|---|---|---|
| Employment produced retained savings | Employer records, payslips or tax assessments plus account history | A current balance does not show years of accumulation |
| A business or property sale produced net proceeds | Ownership record, sale agreement, completion statement and receiving-bank credit | The sale contract may not show the net amount received |
| An inheritance or gift became the applicant’s asset | Probate or distribution record, gift document and matching receipt | A transfer message may not establish the underlying entitlement or donor’s source |
| Proceeds moved between the applicant’s banks | Sending debit, receiving credit, transfer or custody instruction | A credit at the final bank may not identify the original wealth event |
| Assets are held now | Recent bank or custody statement with owner, date, currency and value | A statement may omit a pledge, joint owner or prior route |
This is an evidence map, not an instruction to send every paper you own. A bank may accept a narrower set or ask for more, especially when an asset is old, inherited, held through an entity or transferred through several jurisdictions. FATF’s current recommendations set a risk-based customer-due-diligence framework rather than a single global “six-month document rule.” If one source cannot be verified in the usual way, explain what you do have and ask the bank what substitute it will accept.
Handle the untidy parts honestly
Three situations deserve an extra sentence. First, third-party or escrow payments: name the payer and its role, then link it to the contract and the credit. Second, ownership through an entity: say whether the account belongs to you, a company or a trust, and show your beneficial interest and authority. Third, older gains with incomplete records: mark the period and amount as estimated, state the basis, and list the records that no longer exist. Silence on these points makes even a legitimate story hard to review.
A politically exposed person, close associate or applicant with a complicated ownership chain may face more detailed questions. Do not treat an online “low/medium/high country” table as a universal dollar threshold. The receiving bank applies its own risk policies and applicable law. Our PEP banking guide covers the extra context such applicants may need to prepare. If your assets will fund a Swiss account, use the declaration alongside the Swiss non-resident account guide to check the separate eligibility and application steps.
Before sending the file, ask a person who did not help prepare it to start at the proposed funding account and work backward. Can they find the statement, the transfer into it, the net proceeds, and the event that created those proceeds? If the story depends on your memory at one step, add a short explanation or ask the bank how to document that gap. The objective is a file a reviewer can interrogate, not a polished story that hides its rough edges.
If a cross-border bank has asked about several wealth events and current accounts, contact Easy Global Banking. We can discuss the structure of the application file. Share personal records only through an agreed secure channel, after you know which institution will review them.
Source of wealth declaration questions
Is a current bank statement enough to prove source of wealth?
Do I need every statement from the start of my career?
How do I explain assets moved between my own banks?
What if a closed bank cannot provide an old statement?
Should I include my home and private-company shares?
A good declaration lets the receiving bank follow a continuous chain: how wealth arose, what was retained, where it moved, and what remains at current banks. Start with the evidence you have. Mark what you cannot prove in the usual way. Then tailor the attachment to the bank’s actual questions rather than adding pages for their own sake.
References
- Financial Action Task Force, Recommendations (updated June 2026) (opens in new tab).
- Wolfsberg Group, Source of Wealth and Source of Funds FAQs for private banking (opens in new tab).
- AUSTRAC, Source of funds and source of wealth guidance (opens in new tab).
- UK Financial Conduct Authority, Financial Crime Guide 3.2.6 (opens in new tab).
- FINMA, Focus on high-risk clients in combating money laundering (opens in new tab).
