{"id":44717,"date":"2026-03-03T17:29:14","date_gmt":"2026-03-03T16:29:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.schwiizerfranke.com\/?page_id=44717"},"modified":"2026-03-04T05:08:31","modified_gmt":"2026-03-04T04:08:31","slug":"privatbanken-schweiz-liste","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.schwiizerfranke.com\/en\/privatbanken-schweiz-liste","title":{"rendered":"Private Banks Switzerland List"},"content":{"rendered":"<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-page\" data-elementor-id=\"44717\" class=\"elementor elementor-44717\" data-elementor-post-type=\"page\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-5f5d9b1 elementor-section-full_width elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"5f5d9b1\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-1943fc3\" data-id=\"1943fc3\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-24740e4 elementor-widget elementor-widget-html\" data-id=\"24740e4\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"html.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div id=\"sf-privatbanken-liste\" style=\"min-height:200px;display:flex;align-items:center;justify-content:center;\">\n  <p style=\"color:#6b7280;font-size:14px;\">Private bank directory is loading...<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<noscript>\n<h2>Private Banks Switzerland - Complete list 2026<\/h2>\n<p>Switzerland has 95 FINMA-authorised private banks (as at February 2026). Most are located in Geneva (35) and Zurich (34), followed by Ticino (11) and Basel-Stadt (8).<\/p>\n<p>Well-known Swiss private banks: Julius B\u00e4r, Lombard Odier, Pictet, Vontobel, EFG International, Maerki Baumann, Rahn+Bodmer (founded in 1750, the oldest private bank in Zurich).<\/p>\n<\/noscript>\n<script src=\"https:\/\/tools.schwiizerfranke.com\/privatbanken-liste\/embed.js\" defer><\/script>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e1003c2 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"e1003c2\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h1>Private Banks Switzerland List 2026 - All 95 institutions<\/h1><p>Switzerland has 95 institutions classified as private banks with FINMA authorisation (as of February 2026). Our complete, filterable list shows all private banks by canton, FINMA supervisory category and ownership - from Julius Baer and Lombard Odier to small boutique banks. Use the filters in the tool above to search specifically for private banks in Zurich, Geneva, Basel or Ticino.<\/p><h2>What are private banks?<\/h2><p>Private banks in Switzerland are specialised financial institutions for asset management and private banking. Unlike universal banks, they do not offer traditional banking services for the general public. Instead, they primarily serve wealthy private clients with individual investment strategies and personalised advice.<\/p><p>Typical features of private banks are customised support from a personal advisor, access to exclusive investment products and a long-term client relationship. On the other hand, there are higher fees and often a minimum investment capital as a barrier to entry.<\/p><p>Important: Not every bank with \u00abprivate\u00bb in its name is a private bank in the regulatory sense. Our list only contains institutions that are classified as private banks according to the FINMA authorisation lists and the SNB list of banks (bank type classification edited by Schwiizerfranke).<\/p><p>For a complete overview of all 268 FINMA-authorised institutions, see our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.schwiizerfranke.com\/en\/liste-banken-schweiz\/\">List of all banks in Switzerland<\/a>.<\/p><hr \/><h2>Private banks vs. private bankers - the difference<\/h2><p>Although the terms are often used interchangeably, there is a crucial legal difference:<\/p><p><strong>Private banks<\/strong> are organised as a stock corporation (AG) or similar legal form. Liability is limited to the company's assets. With 95 institutions, they form the largest banking group in Switzerland.<\/p><p><strong>Private bankers<\/strong> on the other hand, are organised as a general or limited partnership (KmG). The partners are liable with their personal assets - a strong sign of trust towards customers. This legal form has become rare today. The SNB currently only has five private bankers:<\/p><ol><li><strong>Rahn+Bodmer Co.<\/strong> (Zurich, founded in 1750) - oldest private bank in Zurich<\/li><li><strong>Bordier &amp; Cie SCmA<\/strong> (Geneva, founded in 1844)<\/li><li><strong>E. Gutzwiller &amp; Cie. Banquiers<\/strong> (Basel, founded in 1886)<\/li><li><strong>Baumann &amp; Cie KmG<\/strong> (Basel, founded in 1920)<\/li><li><strong>Reichmuth &amp; Co.<\/strong> (Lucerne, founded in 1996)<\/li><\/ol><p>All five also appear in our table above, as FINMA classifies them as private banks.<\/p><p>A common misunderstanding concerns the traditional Geneva-based banks Lombard Odier, Pictet and Mirabaud. For decades, these three were regarded as the epitome of the Swiss private banker. In recent years, however, they have changed their legal form from a limited partnership to a public limited company (SA). They are therefore no longer listed as private bankers in the SNB banking directory, but as stock exchange banks - although their business model is still focussed on private banking.<\/p><p>When I analysed the FINMA and SNB data for this list, I was surprised to find that only 5 genuine private bankers still exist. 20 years ago there were still over 15.<\/p><p><em>Status: March 2026<\/em><\/p><p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-44723\" src=\"https:\/\/www.schwiizerfranke.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/liste-privatbanken-schweiz-alle-privatbanken-zuerich-genf-basel-privatbank-schweiz-liste-private-banks-switzerland-1024x576.png\" alt=\"list private banks switzerland all private banks zurich geneva basel private bank switzerland list private banks switzerland\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.schwiizerfranke.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/liste-privatbanken-schweiz-alle-privatbanken-zuerich-genf-basel-privatbank-schweiz-liste-private-banks-switzerland-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.schwiizerfranke.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/liste-privatbanken-schweiz-alle-privatbanken-zuerich-genf-basel-privatbank-schweiz-liste-private-banks-switzerland-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/www.schwiizerfranke.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/liste-privatbanken-schweiz-alle-privatbanken-zuerich-genf-basel-privatbank-schweiz-liste-private-banks-switzerland-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/www.schwiizerfranke.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/liste-privatbanken-schweiz-alle-privatbanken-zuerich-genf-basel-privatbank-schweiz-liste-private-banks-switzerland-1536x864.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.schwiizerfranke.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/liste-privatbanken-schweiz-alle-privatbanken-zuerich-genf-basel-privatbank-schweiz-liste-private-banks-switzerland-2048x1152.png 2048w, https:\/\/www.schwiizerfranke.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/liste-privatbanken-schweiz-alle-privatbanken-zuerich-genf-basel-privatbank-schweiz-liste-private-banks-switzerland-18x10.png 18w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p><hr \/><h2>How many private banks are there in Switzerland?<\/h2><p>Switzerland has 95 institutions classified as private banks - the largest single banking group, ahead of regional banks (42), securities firms (31) and cantonal banks (24).<\/p><p>55 of these 95 private banks are foreign-owned (58 %). Banks from the Middle East, Asia, Europe and America operate private bank subsidiaries in Switzerland - a sign of the continued attractiveness of the Swiss financial centre.<\/p><p>All private banks in our list fall into FINMA supervisory categories 3 to 5. No private bank belongs to category 1 (systemically important) or category 2 (very large). The distribution: 11 institutions in category 3 (large), 27 in category 4 (medium-sized) and 57 in category 5 (small).<\/p><p><em>Sources: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.finma.ch\/de\/bewilligung\/bewilligte-institute-personen-und-produkte\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">FINMA authorisation register<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/data.snb.ch\/de\/topics\/banken\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">SNB Bank Directory<\/a>.<\/em><\/p><p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.schwiizerfranke.com\/en\/einlagensicherung-schweizer-banken\/\">Deposit protection<\/a> protects deposits at all Swiss banks up to CHF 100,000 per institution.<\/p><hr \/><h2>Private banks by canton<\/h2><p>Geneva and Zurich together account for 73 % of all Swiss private banks. The remaining 26 institutions are spread across 8 other cantons.<\/p><h3>Private Banks Zurich (34 institutions)<\/h3><p>Zurich is the largest financial centre in German-speaking Switzerland and home to 34 private banks. The spectrum ranges from large, internationally active institutions to small boutique banks.<\/p><p>Julius Baer, Vontobel and EFG Bank are in the highest supervisory category (Cat. 3). The medium-sized institutions (category 4) include Lienhardt &amp; Partner (founded in 1868) and Rahn+Bodmer (founded in 1750, the oldest private bank in Zurich). The largest share is made up by the 24 smaller private banks in category 5, including established names such as Maerki Baumann (founded in 1932) and BERGOS (founded in 1893), as well as more recent start-ups such as Globalance Bank (2011) and MBaer Merchant Bank (2018).<\/p><p>20 of the 34 private banks in Zurich are foreign-owned, including Goldman Sachs, Citibank, Nomura and Rothschild &amp; Co.<\/p><h3>Private banks Geneva (35 institutions)<\/h3><p>With 35 institutions, Geneva is the narrow leader and the centre of private banking in western Switzerland. The location has a strong international character - 23 of Geneva's 35 private banks have foreign owners.<\/p><p>Geneva is home to 7 category 3 private banks, more than any other canton: Lombard Odier (founded in 1796), Pictet (founded in 1805), Union Bancaire Priv\u00e9e (UBP), Edmond de Rothschild, CA Indosuez, EFG Bank European Financial Group and HSBC Private Bank. In addition, there are 11 medium-sized institutions such as Mirabaud (founded in 1819), Banque Syz, Bordier &amp; Cie, J.P. Morgan and Deutsche Bank (Suisse).<\/p><p>The oldest private banks still in existence in Switzerland come from Geneva: Lombard Odier (1796) and Pictet (1805) can look back on over 200 years of history.<\/p><h3>Private banks Ticino (11 institutions)<\/h3><p>Ticino has 11 private banks, most of which are based in Lugano. The location traditionally serves as a bridge to the Italian financial market. 8 of the 11 private banks in Ticino are foreign-owned.<\/p><p>Among the best known are Corn\u00e8r Banca (founded in 1952, cat. 4), PKB Privatbank, Banca del Sempione and AXION SWISS BANK. Societ\u00e0 Bancaria Ticinese in Bellinzona (founded in 1903) is the only bank in Ticino outside of Lugano.<\/p><h3>Private banks Basel (8 institutions)<\/h3><p>Basel is home to 8 private banks and benefits from its proximity to Germany and France. The largest institution is Bank J. Safra Sarasin (Cat. 3, founded in 1841), which is now owned by Brazilians. Other traditional banks include Dreyfus S\u00f6hne &amp; Cie (founded in 1813), E. Gutzwiller &amp; Cie (founded in 1886, one of the last 5 private bankers) and Baumann &amp; Cie KmG (founded in 1920, also a private banker). LGT Bank (Switzerland), owned by the Princely Family of Liechtenstein, also has its Swiss headquarters in Basel.<\/p><h3>Other cantons<\/h3><p>Bern has two private banks, Privatbank Von Graffenried (founded in 1979) and Z\u00e4hringer Privatbank (founded in 2015). Banque Bonh\u00f4te &amp; Cie (founded in 1815) is located in Neuch\u00e2tel, BZ Bank in Wilen near Wollerau in the canton of Schwyz, LLB (Switzerland) in Uznach in the canton of St. Gallen, Piguet Galland in Yverdon-les-Bains in the canton of Vaud, and Reichmuth &amp; Co. (one of the 5 private bankers) in the canton of Lucerne.<\/p><p>It is striking that the canton of Zug does not have a single FINMA-classified private bank, despite its low tax rates and strong financial sector.<\/p><hr \/><h2>Largest private banks in Switzerland<\/h2><p>No Swiss private bank belongs to FINMA supervisory categories 1 or 2 - these are reserved for the big banks and systemically important institutions. The largest private banks fall into category 3:<\/p><table><thead><tr><th>Private bank<\/th><th>Location<\/th><th>Founded<\/th><th>Owner<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>Bank Julius Baer &amp; Co. LTD.<\/td><td>Zurich<\/td><td>1890<\/td><td>Switzerland<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Banque Pictet &amp; Cie SA<\/td><td>Geneva<\/td><td>1805<\/td><td>Switzerland<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Banque Lombard Odier &amp; Cie SA<\/td><td>Geneva<\/td><td>1796<\/td><td>Switzerland<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Bank Vontobel AG<\/td><td>Zurich<\/td><td>1924<\/td><td>Switzerland<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>UNION BANCAIRE PRIVEE, UBP SA<\/td><td>Geneva<\/td><td>1969<\/td><td>Switzerland<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Edmond de Rothschild (Suisse) S.A.<\/td><td>Geneva<\/td><td>1953<\/td><td>Switzerland<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Bank J. Safra Sarasin Ltd.<\/td><td>Basel<\/td><td>1841<\/td><td>Abroad<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>CA Indosuez (Switzerland) SA<\/td><td>Geneva<\/td><td>1876<\/td><td>Abroad<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>EFG Bank AG<\/td><td>Zurich<\/td><td>1995<\/td><td>Abroad<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>EFG Bank European Financial Group SA<\/td><td>Geneva<\/td><td>1952<\/td><td>Abroad<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>HSBC Private Bank (Suisse) SA<\/td><td>Geneva<\/td><td>1999<\/td><td>Abroad<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><p>We deliberately refrain from issuing a \u00abBest Private Bank\u00bb ranking. Rankings such as the Bilanz Private Banking Rating or the FUCHS|RICHTER rating are based on different evaluation criteria, some of which are subject to a fee. Instead, our list provides the facts so that you can form your own judgement.<\/p><p><em>Status: March 2026<\/em><\/p><hr \/><h2>Private bank: From how many assets?<\/h2><p>The entry barriers vary considerably depending on the institution and service:<\/p><p>Large private banks such as Julius Baer or Lombard Odier generally require a minimum investment capital of CHF 500,000 to CHF 1,000,000 for traditional asset management mandates. Medium-sized and smaller private banks are sometimes accessible from CHF 100,000 to CHF 250,000. Pure advisory mandates (advisory-only) are available from as little as CHF 100,000 at some institutions.<\/p><p>Those who want to invest less will find better options with online banks and digital asset management companies. A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.schwiizerfranke.com\/en\/online-broker-vergleich-schweiz\/\">Online broker comparison<\/a> helps you choose the right platform. The following are suitable for automated investment strategies <a href=\"https:\/\/www.schwiizerfranke.com\/en\/robo-advisor-schweiz-vergleich\/\">Robo-Advisors<\/a>, which are available from just a few thousand francs.<\/p><hr \/><h2>FAQ - Frequently asked questions about private banks in Switzerland<\/h2><p><strong>How many private banks are there in Switzerland?<\/strong> 95 institutions classified as private banks with FINMA authorisation (as at February 2026). This makes private banks the largest banking group in Switzerland, ahead of regional banks (42) and cantonal banks (24).<\/p><p><strong>What is the difference between a private bank and a private banker?<\/strong> Private banks are organised as public limited companies (limited liability). Private bankers are organised as general or limited partnerships - the partners are personally liable. There are only 5 private bankers left in Switzerland: Rahn+Bodmer, Bordier &amp; Cie, E. Gutzwiller, Baumann &amp; Cie and Reichmuth &amp; Co.<\/p><p><strong>Where are the most private banks?<\/strong> Geneva (35 institutions) and Zurich (34) are almost on a par and together account for 73 % of all Swiss private banks. They are followed by Ticino (11), Basel-Stadt (8) and Berne (2).<\/p><p><strong>From what level of assets can I become a customer?<\/strong> Most private banks require a minimum investment capital of CHF 250,000 to CHF 1,000,000, while some smaller institutions are accessible from CHF 100,000. For smaller amounts <a href=\"https:\/\/www.schwiizerfranke.com\/en\/bank-vergleich-schweiz\/\">Online banks<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.schwiizerfranke.com\/en\/robo-advisor-schweiz-vergleich\/\">Robo-Advisors<\/a>.<\/p><p><strong>Which is the oldest private bank in Switzerland?<\/strong> Rahn+Bodmer in Zurich (founded in 1750) is the oldest private bank in Zurich. In Geneva, Lombard Odier (1796) and Pictet (1805) can look back over 200 years.<\/p><p><strong>Are deposits with private banks safe?<\/strong> Yes, all private banks in Switzerland are subject to FINMA supervision and are members of esisuisse. Deposits are protected up to CHF 100,000 per bank and client. More about this at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.schwiizerfranke.com\/en\/einlagensicherung-schweizer-banken\/\">Deposit protection Swiss banks<\/a>.<\/p><hr \/><p><em>Data sources: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.finma.ch\/de\/bewilligung\/bewilligte-institute-personen-und-produkte\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">FINMA - Authorisation register<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/data.snb.ch\/de\/topics\/banken\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">SNB - List of banks<\/a>. Bank type classification and additional data edited by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.schwiizerfranke.com\/en\/\">Schwiizerfranke<\/a>. Status: February 2026.<\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Privatbanken-Verzeichnis wird geladen&#8230; Privatbanken Schweiz \u2013 Vollst\u00e4ndige Liste 2026 Die Schweiz z\u00e4hlt 95 FINMA-bewilligte Privatbanken (Stand: Februar 2026). Die meisten befinden sich in Genf (35) und Z\u00fcrich (34), gefolgt vom Tessin (11) und Basel-Stadt (8). Bekannte Schweizer Privatbanken: Julius B\u00e4r, Lombard Odier, Pictet, Vontobel, EFG International, Maerki Baumann, Rahn+Bodmer (gegr\u00fcndet 1750, \u00e4lteste Z\u00fcrcher Privatbank). Privatbanken [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":44723,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_wp_convertkit_post_meta":{"form":"-1","landing_page":"0","tag":"0","restrict_content":"0"},"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-44717","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.schwiizerfranke.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/44717","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.schwiizerfranke.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.schwiizerfranke.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.schwiizerfranke.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.schwiizerfranke.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=44717"}],"version-history":[{"count":23,"href":"https:\/\/www.schwiizerfranke.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/44717\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":44747,"href":"https:\/\/www.schwiizerfranke.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/44717\/revisions\/44747"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.schwiizerfranke.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/44723"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.schwiizerfranke.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=44717"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}