Become a client

Are you a client? You should contact your private banker. 
You are not a client but would like to have more information about Societe Generale Private Banking? Please fill in the form below.

Local contacts

France: +33 (0)1 53 43 87 00 (9am - 6pm)
Luxembourg: +352 47 93 11 1 (8:30am - 5:30pm)
Monaco: +377 97 97 58 00 (9/12am - 2/5pm)
Switzerland: Geneva +41 22 819 02 02
& Zurich +41 44 218 56 11 (8:30am - 5:30pm)

You would like to contact us about the protection of your personal data?

Please contact the Data Protection Officer of Societe Generale Private Banking France by sending an email to the following address: protectiondesdonnees@societegenerale.fr.

Please contact the Data Protection Officer of Societe Generale Luxembourg by sending an email to the following address: lux.dpooffice@socgen.com.

For customers residing in Italy, please contact BDO, the external provider in charge of Data Protection, by sending an email to the following address: lux.dpooffice-branch-IT@socgen.com

Please contact the Data Protection Officer of Societe Generale Private Banking Monaco by sending an email to the following address: list.mon-privmonaco-dpo@socgen.com

Please contact the Data Protection Officer of Societe Generale Private Banking Switzerland by sending an email to the following address : ch-dataprotection@socgen.com

You need to make a claim?

Societe Generale Private Banking aims to provide you with the best possible quality of service. However, difficulties may sometimes arise in the operation of your account or in the use of the services made available to you.

Your private banker  is your privileged contact to receive and process your claim.

 If you disagree with or do not get a response from your advisor, you can send your claim to the direction  of Societe Generale Private Banking France by email to the following address: FR-SGPB-Relations-Clients@socgen.com or by mail to: 

Société Générale Private Banking France
29 boulevard Haussmann CS 614
75421 Paris Cedex 9

Societe Generale Private Banking France undertakes to acknowledge receipt of your claim within 10 (ten) working days from the date it is sent and to provide you with a response within 2 (two) months from the same date. If we are unable to meet this 2 (two) month deadline, you will be informed by letter.

In the event of disagreement with the bank  or of a lack of response from us within 2 (two) months of sending your first written claim, or within 15 (fifteen) working days for a claim about a payment service, you may refer the matter free of charge, depending on the nature of your claim, to:  

 

The Consumer Ombudsman at the FBF

The Consumer Ombudsman at the Fédération Bancaire Française (FBF – French Banking Federation) is competent for disputes relating to services provided and contracts concluded in the field of banking operations (e.g. management of deposit accounts, credit operations, payment services etc.), investment services, financial instruments and savings products, as well as the marketing of insurance contracts.

The FBF Ombudsman will reply directly to you within 90 (ninety) days from the date on which she/he receives all the documents on which the request is based. In the event of a complex dispute, this period may be extended. The FBF Ombudsman will formulate a reasoned position and submit it to both parties for approval.

The FBF Ombudsman can be contacted on the following website: www.lemediateur.fbf.fr or by mail at:

Le Médiateur de la Fédération Bancaire Française
CS 151
75422 Paris CEDEX 09

 

The Ombudsman of the AMF

The Ombudsman of the Autorité des Marchés Financiers (AMF - French Financial Markets Authority) is also competent for disputes relating to investment services, financial instruments and financial savings products.

For this type of dispute, as a consumer customer, you have therefore a choice between the FBF Ombudsman and the AMF Ombudsman. Once you have chosen one of these two ombudsmen, you can no longer refer the same dispute to the other ombudsman.

The AMF Ombudsman can be contacted on the AMF website: www.amf-france.org/fr/le-mediateur or by mail at:

Médiateur de l'AMF, Autorité des Marchés Financiers
17 place de la Bourse
75082 PARIS CEDEX 02
FRANCE


The Insurance Ombudsman

The Insurance Ombudsman is competent for disputes concerning the subscription, application or interpretation of insurance contracts.

The Insurance Ombudsman can be contacted using the contact details that must be mentioned in your insurance contract.

To ensure that your requests are handled effectively, any claim addressed to Societe Generale Luxembourg should be sent to:

Private banking Claims department
11, Avenue Emile Reuter
L-2420 Luxembourg

Or by email to clienteleprivee.sglux@socgen.com and for customers residing in Italy at societegenerale@unapec.it

The Bank will acknowledge your request within 10 working days and provide a response to your claim within 30 working days of receipt. If your request requires additional processing time (e.g. if it involves complex research), the Bank will inform you of this situation within the same 30-working day timeframe.

In the event that the response you receive does not meet your expectations, we suggest the following:

Initially, you may wish to contact the Societe Generale Luxembourg Division responsible for handling claims, at the following address:

Corporate Secretariat of Societe Generale Luxembourg
11, Avenue Emile Reuter
L-2420 Luxembourg

If the response from the Division responsible for claims does not resolve the claim, you may wish to contact Societe Generale Luxembourg's supervisory authority, the “Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier”/“CSSF” (Luxembourg Financial Sector Supervisory Commission):

By mail: 283, Route d’Arlon L-1150 Luxembourg
By email:
direction@cssf.lu

Any claim addressed to Societe Generale Private Banking Monaco should be sent by e-mail to the following address: servicequalite.privmonaco@socgen.com or by mail to our dedicated department: 

Societe Generale Private Banking Monaco
Middle Office – Service Réclamation 
11 avenue de Grande Bretagne
98000 Monaco

The Bank will acknowledge your request within 2 working days after receipt and provide a response to your claim within a maximum of 30 working days of receipt. If your request requires additional processing time (e.g. if it involves complex researches…), the Bank will inform you of this situation within the same 30-working day timeframe. 

In the event that the response you receive does not meet your expectations, we suggest to contact the Societe Generale Private Banking Direction that handles the claims by mail at the following address: 

Societe Generale Private Banking Monaco
Secrétariat Général
11 avenue de Grande Bretagne 
98000 Monaco

Any claim addressed to the Bank can be sent by email to:

sgpb-reclamations.ch@socgen.com
 

Clients may also contact the Swiss Banking Ombudsman: 

www.bankingombudsman.ch

 

1858 Ltd, On the Art of Collecting

Click here to listen to the podcast by Viola Rakhel-Bolot, co-Founder of 1858 Ltd and Director of International Art Advisory

1858 Ltd is an international advisory company and a partner of Société Générale Private Banking. 1858 Ltd offers an impartial expertise and serves clients in the field of art including art wealth management, classic cars, wine, watches and fashion collaborations. Viola Raikhel-Bolot, co-Founder of 1858 Ltd and Director of International Art Advisory  and Céline Fressart, Senior Art Advisor and Head of Special Project walk us through the process of collecting, from creating a collection to managing it, starting by introducing us to where it all starts : the collector. Interview with Laurent Issaurat, Head of Art Banking at SGPB. 

Céline Fressart and Viola Raikhel-Bolot

What is a collector?

Céline Fressart: According to the Oxford Dictionary, a collector is “a person who collects things, either as a hobby or as a job”. So this means that anybody with the passion and means can become a collector… The collecting habit is truly universal and timeless.

What are the different types of collectors?

Viola Raikhel-Bolot: There are many types of collectors, each brings their own passion and sensibility to one of the world’s most unique markets and when passion meets personality, the results can vary deeply. From an early stage  to seasoned collector, there is much excitement in collecting and is what inspires others to join the ranks. Some will focus on a specific medium (such as photography or monumental sculpture), others on a geography (African tribal or contemporary Chinese), a movement (Women sculptors or Impressionist painters) or even on a single brand. When starting a collection, it can be very useful to define some ‘guiding principles’, that will determine its special ‘flavor’, but that may also evolve over time, similarly to the level of resources allocated to one’s passion.  

How to buy?

CF: As simply as buying anything else, by sticking to the ‘spirit’ of the collection and utilizing the same market intelligence which aids your other buying decisions. Do not be fooled by anyone who explains otherwise. Whether you are buying from a gallery, auction house, or directly from the artist, make sure you ask yourself the right questions: is the seller trustworthy? is this work authentic? does it come with provenance I can trace? is it well priced in relation to the market? 

How should a collection be displayed?

VRB : I liken it to bringing a baby home from the hospital for the first time.  Once your art works are home with you it is now your obligation to protect them all the while enjoying them too. Care for them by taking the necessary measures to keep them safe : avoid direct sunlight, fire places, bathrooms and kitchens... If you want to show your collection, there are nowadays many online platforms allowing you to do this with confidentiality. Social networks we would suggest are not one of them.  When considering showing works on line, think of the impact on security if your identity is linked and also the risk of exposing the work too widely if you plan to sell. When we sell works for clients, we put in place a bespoke selling strategy which typically avoids online exposure especially when we manage private sales where discretion is paramount. Other solutions to displaying your works can be the making and publishing of academic research or Coffee Table books, which we have already done for some of our clients. And of course, exhibiting in a museum is another option.

How to enhance a collection?

CF: Make sure to monitor the value and the condition of your works on a regular basis – or ask a professional like us to do so. This will ensure the works are always protected should anything happen. Undertake some research on your pieces, document them to highlight what makes them so unique. Share the story behind your collecting process, and lend your works to exhibitions, even if in the nearby museum. This is all beneficial to your collection.

What does “collection management” encompass?

VRB : It is a service we currently provide for collectors in the Americas, Europe and Australia, enhancing the collecting process in every possible way with state of the art inventory systems, ongoing insurance strategies, risk assessment, valuation reporting, conservation, framing and pre disaster planning. Collection management also includes facilitating transactions should the collector wish to buy or sell, tracking all movements in and out of the collection, in order to preserve and optimize its value. In a nutshell, as collection managers we are here to help the collector enjoy the art work and collecting process while we manage the more practical side.

Are there any risks lending to museums?

CF : Probably less than leaving the piece on your wall, provided insurance coverage and logistics are adequate, which needs to be carefully checked and monitored. As loans are vital to Museums, they will put every measure in place so that the work benefits from the optimum conditions : the artwork is usually insured by the museum, taken care of by professional handlers, becomes the focus of  research, studies and publication, enhancing the profile of the work (and its value by the same token).  Of course, we hear about the odd story of an artwork being stolen from a museum, or damaged by a rogue visitor but these instances are extremely rare.

Some piece of advice to start a collection?

VRB : Find a mentor or advisor in the art world you can trust that is not motivated to sell you anything!

How to transmit to the next generation?

CF : If the passion is shared, the transmission of knowledge about the collection and its market will have naturally occurred. But from our experience, a passion is very personal and the majority of collectors prefer to sell their collectibles before it is too late, or in rare occurrences, give their collections to museums. A sale allows the next generation to start a collection of their own and not bear the burden of dealing with unloved items, sometimes items with provenance issues, in the midst of a painful bereavement linked with higher priorities than their parents’ misunderstood hobbies.  1858 Ltd. works with new and experienced collectors globally to mitigate risk and ensure all areas of collecting are a pleasure.

Which collectors are inspiring you? 

VRB : As a woman in the art world, one of my greatest inspirations has always been Farah Pahlavi, the last Empress of Iran. My fascination with her led me on an extraordinary journey of research and discovery and to co-author Iran Modern: The Empress of Art - the ultimate account of her life as a collector and the enduring power of art. Prior to the 1979 revolution in Iran, she amassed the most important collection of Western Modern and Contemporary Art outside of the West. With a keen eye—and working with Sotheby’s, Christie’s, and the Met—the empress was able to amass one of the world’s greatest collections of modern art for her country, including works by van Gogh, Picasso, Bacon, and de Kooning. She also empowered a generation of young Iranian artists, visited the studios of artists like Henry Moore and Chagall, and commissioned works directly from a young Andy Warhol, who visited the Royal Palace, in the name of establishing her country as a cultural vanguard. Then, in 1979, the unimaginable happened, and the Iran that emerged after the Revolution changed everything. But since then, even in exile she continues to support artists in Iran and motivate them to create. Such is the power of art to determine the legacy of a woman and a collection.

Would you like to discuss this subject further with us?

Important information - The content provided on this page is for informational purposes only and is not contractually binding. It is not intended to provide investment advice or any other investment service and does not constitute a personal recommendation, advice, or an offer from Societe Generale Private Banking to purchase, sell or subscribe to investment services and/or financial products and/or transactions in pleasurable assets, such as art. The information presented above shall not be considered legal, tax or accounting advice. Societe Generale Private Banking shall under no circumstances be held liable for any decision taken by a reader on the basis of this information.

All Societe Generale Private Banking entities reserve the right not to update or amend this document and shall accept no liability in this regard.

The wealth management and financial solutions, offers, products, pleasurable goods and activities mentioned on this page depend on each client's personal situation, the legislation applying to him/her and their tax residence. Consequently, the offer presented may not be eligible for implementation, adaptation or approval at all of the Societe Generale Private Banking entities and must comply with Societe Generale Group's Tax Code of Conduct. Furthermore, access to some of these products, services and solutions is subject to specific conditions, notably in respect of eligibility.

Please contact your private banking adviser to check that these offers meet your needs and are suited to your investor profile.

Laurent Issaurat