Tiny Liechtenstein’s outsize financial clout

Prince Alois of the tiny principality of Liechtenstein is on his fifth visit to India since 2010 along with his spouse Princess Sophie and will be received formally at the Rashtrapati Bhawan on Tuesday. The Prince is travelling with a sizable business delegation and the reason the Indian side is keen to welcome him is that Liechtenstein is a financial powerhouse that sees itself as a forward-looking investor keen on promoting innovation and sustainability through global partnerships.

The princely family of Liechtenstein controls the LGT Group that is understood to hold close to $ 500 billion in assets under management. The royal family is directly involved in managing the vast private banking and asset management group and this will be the second visit of the Prince and Princess to India this year as they were here for the India AI summit in February. On that occasion Prince Alois and PM Modi met on the sidelines of the summit and this visit is expected to concretize investments and deepen exchanges in agriculture, renewable energy and financial services.

Collaboration in Cutting Edge Areas

Prince Alois’s visit is expected to enhance collaboration in advanced manufacturing, precision engineering, financial services, clean energy and the discussions will cover cooperation in research, innovation, technology, intellectual property and renewable energy. Increased collaboration between businesses would be central and investment commitments would India tap into the finances that Liechtenstein can provide besides its expertise in precision engineering and technological advancements.

Liechtenstein is part of the EFTA (European Free Trade Agreement) along with Iceland, Norway and Switzerland. India signed a free trade pact with EFTA in March, 2024 that came into effect in October, 2025, and Prince Alois’s visit provides an opportunity to inject momentum into ties. There is clearly scope for more commerce with bilateral trade amounting to US $ 3.37 million in 2025-26. Bilateral trade peaked at US $ 9.4 billion in 2023-24 but has remained in the region of US $ 2-4 billion though absence of a double taxation agreement means that Liechtenstein companies route trade with India through other nations, official sources said. Liechtenstein has a customs union and single currency with Switzerland. The main items of Indian exports include electric heating resistors and organic compounds, parts of furnace ovens and vacuum pumps. India’s imports include instrumentation, appliances and machines, electromagnets, chucks, clamps and imitation jewellery.

Princely Vision

Interestingly, leading Liechtenstein companies operating in India include Savannah Seeds owned by Prince Alois and which is engaged in developing hybrid rice with high yield. Other entities include Hilti Corporation, LGT, Ivoclar Vivadent AG, Umicore, Oerlikon Blazers and Neutrik Group. India’s cultural and consular engagements in Liechtenstein have increased with International Yoga Day events, Festival of India events, promotion of Indian handicrafts and textiles and collaboration in vocational training with Liechtenstein-based firms setting up training centers in India.

Art Treasure

According to the LTG wealth management website lgtwm.com, the princely family has over the course of several centuries acquired a priceless art collection. “The foundation for the Princely Collections was laid by Prince Karl I, the first Prince of Liechtenstein. Over the past 500 years, the Princely Family has assembled one of the most important private art collections in the world, with masterpieces ranging from the early Renaissance to Austrian Romanticism,” the site states. The art includes works by Lucas Cranach the Elder, Frans Hals, Raphael, Rembrandt, Peter Paul Rubens, Anthonis van Dyck, Rudolf von Alt, Friedrich von Amerling and Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller. The art is on public display in galleries in Liechtenstein and Vienna.