About Swiss Gold Safe
Your partner for professional asset storage
Swiss Gold Safe is a specialist provider of professional precious metal storage. Established in 2006, we have 20 years of experience in arranging the secure and discreet custody of precious metals. Our company has been Swiss-owned, owner-managed and fully self-financed since its inception.
Swiss Gold Safe Ltd is a private limited company incorporated under Swiss law, and based in Altdorf in the canton of Uri, Switzerland. Swiss Gold Safe (Liechtenstein) Ltd has operated as our wholly-owned subsidiary in the Principality of Liechtenstein since 2016, which means we can also offer our expertise in another country. Our services are focused upon the secure, insured, bank-independent storage of precious metals, banknotes and other valuables.
We offer national and international clients individual, highly secure storage solutions outside of the banking system and far away from metropolitan areas. Our private vaults are also suitable for assets such as precious stones, cryptocurrency and documents.
Our broad range of clients includes institutional organisations, private individuals and family offices. In addition to our many years of experience, clients value our competence and reliability. You can trust and rely upon Swiss Gold Safe expertise.
From the idea of bank-independent safekeeping to a specialist provider
In 2006, Hans Maurer laid the foundations in Altdorf for a success story that would go on to transform the field of secure valuables storage. Driven by a visionary idea, he pursued the concept of bank-independent storage solutions for institutional and private clients. What began with a high-security facility in Central Switzerland developed within just a few years into one of the leading providers of secure storage services. Firmly rooted in Switzerland, Swiss Gold Safe stands for bespoke client solutions and expertise and celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2026.
Our Milestones
- 2006: Founder Hans Maurer identifies the need for bank-independent safekeeping. He establishes Swiss Gold Safe Ltd in Altdorf, in the canton of Uri, focusing on segregated custody for institutional and private clients. In the years leading up to the financial crisis, as a business graduate, he has to provide potential clients with extensive advice and consultations to explain the advantages of an alternative to bank storage. His efforts are rewarded with his first customers.
- 2008: The financial crisis dominates global markets with banks becoming insolvent or requiring government bailouts. More and more clients now recognise the added value of bank-independent storage.
- 2013: To meet increasing demand, Swiss Gold Safe opens a vault in the Embrach bonded warehouse near Zurich Airport.
- 2015: To ensure optimal storage – especially for private clients – Swiss Gold Safe opens its first safe deposit box vault in the canton of Uri. At the same time, the company begins storing Swiss franc banknotes as the Swiss National Bank introduces negative interest rates of -0.75%. Storing cash actually becomes cheaper than keeping money in a bank account.
- 2016: Swiss Gold Safe (Liechtenstein) AG is founded and opens a safe deposit box vault in Schaan, Liechtenstein.
- 2017: Bitcoin Suisse AG and Swiss Gold Safe Ltd jointly establishSwiss Crypto Vault AG to offer highly secure storage for crypto assets. This service continues to operate as Bitcoin Suisse Vault, a fully integrated business unit of Bitcoin Suisse.
- 2018: Storage capacity is significantly expanded with the opening of a new high-security vault in Lufingen, near Zurich Airport.
- 2019: A newly constructed safe deposit box vault with significantly greater storage capacity replaces the older facility in Altdorf. The new location is more easily accessible for clients.
- 2021: The existing Duty-free warehouse vault relocates to a newly constructed duty-free warehouse in Embrach featuring state-of-the-art security.
- 2026: Swiss Gold Safe Ltd celebrates its 20th anniversary.
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The Board of Directors at Swiss Gold Safe
Hans Maurer, CEO, an expert in the storage of precious metals, founded Swiss Gold Safe in 2006. As Chairman of the Board of Directors, he is responsible for the management and strategic orientation of the business. A graduate economist with a successful track record in commodity trading and the airline business, he is also on the board of directors at Echtgeld Ltd – a partner business, through which you can arrange the purchase of physical precious metals and have them delivered directly to our warehouses.
Ludwig Karl, COO, has been on Swiss Gold Safe’s Board of Directors since 2015. A graduate economist, he is also CEO of strategic partner OrSuisse Ltd. At Swiss Gold Safe he is responsible for business operation and digital transformation.
Hans Wirth has been a member of the Board of Directors since 2015. He owns Cosmotrans Ltd, a fine art storage and transport company founded in 1976. As a specialist in the professional storage of more-fragile, high-value merchandise, he is well-placed to assist Swiss Gold Safe in an advisory capacity.
Armin Schmid has been a member of the Board of Directors since 2023. A digital expert, he offers broad knowledge and experience acquired over more than 25 years working in fields such as consultancy, online & mobile commerce, payments, and crypto & blockchain business. His professional career has included appointments at McKinsey, eBay, PayPal, SIX Payment Services (now Worldline) and Bitcoin Suisse. Armin Schmid is currently CEO of Copper Markets (Liechtenstein) AG. His qualifications include two university degrees: A masters degree as a graduate engineer of ETH Zurich, and an MBA awarded by the University of St. Gallen (HSG).
Swiss Gold Safe in the media
Would you like to find out more about Swiss Gold Safe? You can discover more background information in the following overview which contains reports and articles about our company taken from well-known international media sources. Please note that all contributions are the opinion of the respective publications and authors.