Europe is wealthier than North America

The market analysts on the anniversary of the collapse of U.S. investment company Lehman Brothers' announced that the North America region of the world whose wealth of the most reduced, as a consequence of the collapse of financial markets, while Europe took the place of the world's richest continent, published by the American magazine "Forbes".

North America, which consists of the United States and Canada, had last year, 29.3 billion dollars in assets, while Europe is also owned 32.7 billion dollars, showed research data group "Boston Consulting".

North America last year recorded the largest reduction in resources from all regions of the world because its total wealth, measured by assets that are managed, declined 21.8 percent. One of the reasons for the huge investments in the region of action.

North America is the 2008th still had the largest share of wealth in shares in total wealth - from 38 percent. The share of the previous year was even higher - as much as 50 percent, said Boston group.

Number of millionaires in the world last year has dropped to nine million, with 11 million in 2007, with the largest decline, from 17.8 percent recorded in both North America and Europe. United States, however, still have the most milionerskih households - nearly four million.

Although Europe is much more flexible than the U.S. when it comes to asset management, analysts point out that offshore financial centers in the region continue to face difficulties in the coming years.

Switzerland, whose banking secrecy until recently was the world's largest magnet for the wealthy who are in Swiss banks kept their property, also notes that the reduction of the total assets managed, after the U.S. had asked her to submit information about switzerland American clients suspected that avoid paying taxes.

"When their tax and legal benefits disappear, the same will happen with their appeal," said partner "Boston Consulting" Peter Damiš, referring to the so-called "tax oasis, such as Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Luxembourg.

He believes that non-traditional offshore centers, particularly those in Asia, like Singapore and Hong Kong, have prospects for growth.

Switzerland last year, however, remained the world's largest offshore financial center, with the participation of 1.8 trillion dollars, or 28 percent, in total global offshore wealth, said Forbes. "