Every day that goes by more dirty money flows through the United States, but the American people are in control of the tap. If they choose, they can switch it off.
French kings found the ideal refuge for their wealth: a city-state nestled between the snow-capped Alps and the pristine waters of Lake Geneva. Catholic royalty flocked to Geneva in the 18th century in an effort to conceal their dealings with Protestant bankers.
By 1713, the authorities in Geneva, who would gain a reputation for discretion, introduced rules banning bankers from revealing details about their clients.
That centuries-old code of silence, which was later enshrined in law in Switzerland, came under renewed focus this week after a leak of Credit Suisse data revealed its clients were involved in torture, drug trafficking, money laundering,
Massive leak reveals secret owners of £80bn held in Swiss bank Whistleblower leaked bank's data to expose 'immoral' secrecy laws Clients included human trafficker and billionaire who ordered girlfriend's murder Vatican-owned account used to spend.