Page 3 - Maerki Baumann & Co. AG | Annual Report 2020

Report from the Board of Directors
A reliable partner in stormy times
Dear friends of Maerki Baumann Ladies and gentlemen
“We are always there for you!” Such – or similar – has been the slogan proclaimed by numerous banks to their current or potential clients for many years now. If there was ever a time in recent history when this statement could be measured against reality, then it was surely the 2020 reporting period. The first and second waves of the Covid-19 pandemic have presented a challenge to our industry like almost no other event since the Second World War. Back in March 2020, our clients saw the financial markets reeling from the grim news about the repercussions of the global pandemic. Good advice was crucial. As the year progressed, the emphasis shifted to not missing out on the recovery, but also taking seri- ously the alarm bells of the second wave. Looking back, I can now see that our client advisors, supported by our expert specialist units, performed very well not only when the storm broke, but also over the year as a whole,
with its various ups and downs – active but unflus- tered, forward-looking but also ready to seize short- term opportunities. Throughout this period, they were “there” for their clients in the very best sense of the word. That our bank was ultimately able to benefit from that steadfastness and close the reporting year with a positive overall result is the pleasing consequence of the successful interaction of trust and expertise.
In the many discussions my sister and I have had with clients over the past year, what comes across is their great appreciation of Maerki Baumann’s dedication and professionalism. We are delighted to pass the asso- ciated gratitude on to all our employees. It is thanks to their work – in many cases performed under chal- lenging “home office” conditions – that we have been able to record a very robust profit figure in excess of CHF 3.8 million for this financial year. After very strong development in the previous year, assets under manage- ment increased once again, and stood at CHF 8.6 billion at the end of 2020.
3 Maerki Baumann & Co. AG