CitizenX
 | You can help expand this article with text translated from the corresponding article in French. (August 2026) Click [show] for important translation instructions.
|
| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Technology, investment migration |
| Founded | 2021 |
| Founders | Alex Recouso Luis Ivan Cuende |
| Headquarters | , |
| Key people | Alex Recouso (CEO) Katie Ananina (CMO) |
| Website | citizenx |
CitizenX is a Swiss technology and immigration advisory company based in Zug. The company operates an online platform that assists high-net-worth individuals in acquiring additional citizenships through citizenship by investment (CBI) and citizenship by descent (CBD) programs.[1][2]
CitizenX operates under the Swiss entity The Network State Company AG. It was named after The Network State (2022) written by Balaji Srinivasan, who also backed the company along with Tim Draper.[1][2]
History
[edit]CitizenX was co-founded in 2021 by Spanish businessmen Luis Ivan Cuende and Alex Recouso.[2][3] Recouso, who serves as the company's Chief Executive Officer, previously founded a company called Baseflow,[4][5] which later merged into The Network State Company before being renamed as CitizenX. The company established its headquarters in Zug.[6] CitizenX has been backed by investors such as Tim Draper and Balaji Srinivasan.[2]
In June 2024, Alex Recouso participated in the United Nations SIDS4 (Small Island Developing States) conference, where he discussed the role of citizenship-by-investment programs in generating foreign direct investment for smaller nations.[7]
In April 2025, CitizenX acquired Plan B Passport,[8] a firm in the investment migration industry that focused on helping investors obtain second passports.[9][10][11] Plan B Passport was originally founded by Katie Ananina.[12][13] The merger expanded CitizenX's platform to include more than 25 citizenship, citizenship by descent, and residency programs worldwide.[9][14]
Services
[edit]CitizenX operates a digital platform and concierge service where users can apply for, invest in, and manage a "portfolio" of citizenships and residencies.[15] The company integrates Swiss privacy laws and encryption in order to protect personal applicant data. CitizenX promotes the concepts of "Flag Theory" and the "Sovereign Individual" as described in the 1997 book The Sovereign Individual, which involve diversifying residencies and citizenships to gain optionality, optimize tax strategies, and minimize dependency on any single nation-state.[9][16] This philosophy has grown increasingly popular among high-net-worth individuals relocating internationally in response to wealth taxes and changing fiscal policies in locations such as California and Norway.[17][18][19] The company's former legal name, The Network State Company AG references the "Network State" concept from the 2022 book The Network State: How to Start a New Country by Balaji Srinivasan.[1][20]
CitizenX serves as a primary processing partner for El Salvador's "Freedom Passport" (officially the Adopting El Salvador Freedom Visa program), an investment migration initiative.[21][22]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- 1 2 3 "Bestselling Books Week Ended July 09". The Wall Street Journal. 2022-07-14. Retrieved 2026-03-17.
- 1 2 3 4 "CitizenX". Tracxn. Retrieved July 24, 2026.
- ↑ "El ovetense Luis Iván Cuende, premiado como el mejor 'hacker' de Europa". El Comercio. January 19, 2016. Retrieved July 24, 2026.
- ↑ Content, Partner (March 15, 2024). "Creating the Future of Citizenship". IMI Daily. Retrieved August 9, 2026.
- ↑ Content, Partner (October 28, 2023). "Baseflow Raises $2.5M from Tesla, SpaceX Investors to Revolutionize CBI Industry". IMI Daily. Retrieved August 9, 2026.
- ↑ "World Future Awards Honors Top Swiss Tech Companies". World Future Awards. Retrieved July 24, 2026.
- ↑ "El emprendedor español Alex Recouso participó en la conferencia de Naciones Unidas SIDS4". Europa Press. June 4, 2024. Retrieved July 24, 2026.
- ↑ Kaplan, Talia (July 14, 2021). "Company claims to offer bitcoin, crypto tax relief through passport". Fox Business. Retrieved August 9, 2026.
- 1 2 3 "CitizenX Acquires Plan B Passport". IMI Daily. April 22, 2025. Retrieved July 24, 2026.
- ↑ "CitizenX acquires Plan B Passport to accelerate Sovereign Individual movement". Nasdaq. Retrieved July 24, 2026.
- ↑ "CitizenX Acquires Plan B Passport". Yahoo Finance. Retrieved July 24, 2026.
- ↑ "These bitcoin millionaires are buying multiple passports to shield their crypto profits from taxes". CNBC. July 11, 2021. Retrieved July 24, 2026.
- ↑ "Bitcoin 2025: MAGA Lovefest Meets Trump". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 24, 2026.
- ↑ "CitizenX Acquires Plan B Passport to Accelerate Sovereign Individual Movement". Bitcoin Magazine. Retrieved July 24, 2026.
- ↑ "Dominica part of new Switzerland-based citizenship investment software". Dominica News Online. March 16, 2024. Retrieved August 9, 2026.
- ↑ "La opcionalidad: cómo gestionar y maximizar tu libertad profesional". Crónica Vasca. April 2, 2025. Retrieved July 24, 2026.
- ↑ "California's aggressive wealth taxes". Los Angeles Times. June 25, 2026. Retrieved July 24, 2026.
- ↑ "How Norway's wealth tax sparked an $84 billion disaster". News.com.au. Retrieved July 24, 2026.
- ↑ "Millionaire migration". Big Think. Retrieved July 24, 2026.
- ↑ Robertson, Derek (2022-09-13). "A closer look at a tech-world manifesto". POLITICO. Retrieved 2026-03-17.
- ↑ "El Salvador expide pasaportes de un millón de dólares". El Economista. January 2026. Retrieved July 24, 2026.
- ↑ "CEO de Citizen X destaca a El Salvador como uno de los países más seguros del mundo". Diario La Huella. Retrieved July 24, 2026.