Performance indicators

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Analysts and executives follow several indicators to assess a wealth management bank. Assets under management measure the size of the business. Net new money measures the capacity to attract new assets, independently of market movements. The gross margin, the ratio of revenue to assets, measures the capacity to monetise assets. The cost-income ratio measures efficiency. Return on equity measures the return for the owners.

These indicators must be interpreted with care. Rapid growth in assets may result from the acquisition of high-risk clients or from unsustainable pricing terms. A high gross margin may reflect excessive fees, which transparency and competition will eventually erode. A low cost-income ratio may conceal under-investment in compliance or technology.

The large Geneva houses now publish financial information, since their transformation of 2014. Pictet thus reported a net profit of CHF 768 million in 2022 and of CHF 1.008 billion in 2021, for assets of CHF 638 billion at 30 June 2023.¹ These figures show that a large wealth and asset management group can generate considerable profits, thanks to its size, its diversification and the efficiency of its organisation.

Notes

“Pictet paie 123 millions de dollars pour régler son contentieux avec les États-Unis” (Pictet pays USD 123 million to settle its dispute with the United States), Le Temps, 5 December 2023. ↩

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 September 2025.

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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.

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Performance indicators

Notes

Setting up or expanding in Switzerland?