A Blog of the ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences
As the authors of the ZHAW 2024 study on Swiss Wealth Management Banks, we are proud to present a comprehensive industry analysis that evaluates the performance and standings of 67 Swiss Wealth Management Banks across various dimensions. We trust this study provides clients, industry professionals, and researchers with valuable insights.
Between tradition and transformation – with this study, we aim to contribute to the continuous success and increasing transparency of Swiss wealth management banks.
Based on publicly available data, this study may serve as a fact base for clients and prospects, senior management, professionals, service providers, policymakers, the wider public, research, and academia.
The ZHAW WM Performance Score, a cornerstone of the study, offers a transparent and intuitive assessment of banks’ performance across four key categories.
Stay tuned! Our new study “Wealth Management in Switzerland – Edition 2”, to which Mr Jonas Hefti as Research Fellow has significantly contributed, will be released in the next couple of weeks. Published by the Department of Banking Finance Insurance at ZHAW School of Management and Law, it will again represent a seminal contribution to the scholarly and professional understanding of the Swiss wealth management industry. This study meticulously evaluates 67 licensed Swiss banks that derive a substantial portion of their revenue from wealth management activities, thereby offering a comprehensive overview of this sector’s dynamics.
As we know from Deloitte’s traditional Wealth Centre Ranking studies, Switzerland has traditionally been the world leader in cross-border wealth management, whereby the country’s significant number of External Asset Managers (EAMs) have contributed to this position. However, Swiss wealth managers have certainly faced challenges due to shifting demographics and client needs, technological advancements, regulations, or macroeconomic uncertainties.
In recent years, the offering landscape of financial investments across Swiss wealth management banks has undergone many transformations, also marked by the rising prominence of cryptocurrencies. These digital assets, which just ten years ago occupied a niche corner of the investment world, have steadily gained acceptance among a broad spectrum of (U)HNWI clients, even including institutional players.
Motivated by the accelerated shift to digital banking during the COVID-19 pandemic, designing a compelling digital banking value proposition and UX has become crucial for banks. A recent article has examined the digital banking adoption and perceptions across generations, aiming to capture the differing attitudes and usage patterns of digital banking among Gen Z, Millennials and Gen X.
WM banks face pivotal challenges in adapting and transforming to technological advancements, as highlighted in a recent article. The pressure to digitalize traditional processes exposes these banks to new risks and competitive threats, while also struggling to meet changing client expectations.
