Union Bancaire Privée is based in Geneva and is one of the major Swiss asset management banks for both private and institutional clients. Its principal aim is the quest for performance and the preservation of its clients’ capital.

Union Bancaire Privée, which was founded in 1969 by Edgar de Picciotto, specialises in private banking and asset management. With a Tier-1 capital ratio of more than 30%, it is one of the most strongly-capitalised, independent private banks.

Edgar de Picciotto has been active in the financial world since 1956 and officially established the Compagnie de Banque et d’Investissements (CBI) in Geneva on 11 November 1969. Today, it is his son, Guy de Picciotto, who runs the Bank as CEO.

Since its early years, the CBI undertook numerous acquisitions. The largest of these was that of TDB-American Express Bank in 1990, which led to the creation of the current entity, Union Bancaire Privée. After taking over the Discount Bank and Trust Company in 2002, UBP chose to concentrate its efforts on organic growth, building on the excellence of its financial expertise.

Since 2010, UBP has undertaken several external growth operations. The Bank continues to grow both in Switzerland and abroad, and is strengthening its positioning in its preferred markets while constantly building up its financial expertise through targeted acquisitions and partnerships. Since 2011, the Bank has consistently been stepping up its wealth management activities and reinforcing its alternative investment expertise, notably by acquiring the Swiss subsidiary of the ABN AMRO group,the international private banking business of Lloyds, and also Nexar Capital Group, a major player in the alternative investment space.

Moreover, having established two successful joint ventures with TransGlobe – a company renowned for its expertise in the Chinese market –, the Bank has most recently partnered with a leading asset management team in China to found a new company, UBP Investment Management, in Shanghai.

On March 2015, UBP also signed an agreement with the Royal Bank of Scotland Group (RBS) to buy the international private banking and wealth management activities of RBS’s subsidiary, currently branded as Coutts.