The Basel Banking Landscape — conclusion

Conclusion

The Basel banking landscape today comprises the Basel seat of UBS, the cantonal banks of the two half-cantons, a group of traditional private banks, Bank J. Safra Sarasin, independent asset managers and trust companies now supervised under the Financial Institutions Act, the treasury departments of the pharmaceutical groups, large pension funds and the institutions of banking policy. Since the merger of the Swiss Bank Corporation with the Union Bank of Switzerland in 1998, the largest bank with Basel roots has been governed from Zurich. Its takeover of Credit Suisse in 2023 created a bank whose size has made the too-big-to-fail regime the central question of Swiss financial policy. The litigation over the write-down of the Credit Suisse AT1 bonds and the debate on the capital requirements for UBS will shape the Swiss banking model for years. Basel's particular contribution to the financial centre lies in its private banks of long standing, its corporate treasuries and the presence of the Swiss Bankers Association and the Bank for International Settlements, which make the city a centre of banking policy. The two cantonal banks, the Raiffeisen banks and the singular WIR Bank serve the regional economy, while the Swiss Bankers Association has kept its seat in the city where it was founded in 1912, even after the Basel stock exchange was absorbed into the national exchange in the 1990s. Insurance, led by Baloise and its announced merger with Helvetia, the cross-border clientele of the trinational region and the financing of the life sciences cluster give the Basel financial centre a profile that is closely tied to the industrial and geographical character of the city. The next chapter examines the regulatory framework within which these institutions operate.

For general information only. This article does not constitute legal or tax advice, does not replace advice on an individual case and creates no lawyer-client relationship. It reflects the legal position as of August 2025.

English

Contact

Dr Alexander Ressos, TEP

Rechtsanwalt/Attorney-at-Law

I am a Swiss attorney-at-law and also admitted as a solicitor in Hong Kong and in England & Wales, with almost 25 years of experience.

Together with my multilingual team, including Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Ukrainian and French native speakers, I advise companies and their owners from around the world on the full range of banking, corporate, commercial and tax law matters in Switzerland, including international tax planning, fiduciary services, and legal family office services including immigration & relocation or real estate investments. My practice has a particular focus on clients from growth and frontier markets in Greater China, Central Asia and the Caucasus, the rest of Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America, and I equally advise clients from Europe and North America. Through an affiliated Swiss trust company, we also take care of the incorporation and ongoing administration of their companies and other structures, including accounting, tax returns and corporate secretarial services, and I serve as a professional director where required. With the support of a network of first-class cooperation partners, I also implement solutions worldwide.

My approach is to act as a trusted advisor who works directly with decision-makers, on an equal footing: I start from what you want to achieve and shape every structure, contract and tax decision around your commercial goals and how it improves your after-tax return. As “lawyers who make it happen”, my team and I stay involved until your company is set up, your structure is in place and your transaction has closed, and we remain available for any follow-on work that may be required. You benefit from bespoke solutions and personal attention, and sound, friendly and practical advice. We are not the lowest-cost provider in the market, nor do we intend to be; our aim is to deliver well-founded, proper solutions and excellent value for money.

Get in touch →

The Basel Banking Landscape — conclusion

Conclusion

Setting up or expanding in Switzerland?