1. The Swiss central bank began publishing data on 'securities in custody' at banks in Switzerland in 1998, shedding new light on an area which had been shrouded in secrecy.

2. The figures are rounded, year-end totals in billion Swiss francs, unless indicated otherwise.

3. "Swiss" = domiciled in Switzerland; "foreign" = domiciled outside Switzerland.

4. "Funds" = units in collective investment schemes with an open-ended structure.

5. "Other" securities = money market paper, structured products and other securities (excluding derivatives). Figures for structured products are provided in our Latest monthly data (available to subscribers only).

6. Adjustments were made to the reporting of securities holdings in 2005. Some banks adjusted the breakdown of their sectoral and securities reporting. As a result, time-series comparisons for some of the data are difficult.

7. Until 2004, securities held by non-profit institutions serving households were reported with private clients; from 2005, they are reported with commercial clients.