numbered account

American  

noun

Finance.

1. a bank account whose owner is identified by a number for the purpose of preserving anonymity.

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numbered account British  

noun

1. banking an account identified only by a number, esp one in a Swiss bank that could contain funds illegally obtained

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Etymology

Origin of numbered account

First recorded in 1960–65

Example Sentences

It was deposited into a numbered account for MBN’s benefit, his associate said, with the notation, “Assistant Minister of Interior for Security Affairs Supervision of Special Urgent Security Operations.”

From Washington Post • Jul. 5, 2020

Switzerland is the home of the numbered account: customers often specify that they prefer not to receive statements, in order to avoid a paper trail.

From The New Yorker • May 23, 2016

Under interrogation, he claimed that Menem had agreed to whitewash Iran’s role, and in exchange received ten million dollars, wired to his numbered account at the Bank of Luxembourg in Geneva.

From The New Yorker • Jul. 20, 2015

He put his secret numbered account information on a piece of paper?

From Slate • Jul. 23, 2012

Patman's probe focused on that mystique-shrouded feature of Swiss banking, the anonymous numbered account.

From Time Magazine Archive