Page 4 - Maerki Baumann & Co. AG | Journal

the Swiss banks are basically well-positioned in terms of digitalisation and have even managed to make up ground against new competitors during the pandemic. The authors actually see Swiss banks at the forefront in terms of digitalisation strategy, though they still have some way to go in translating this into marketable products.
“The coming decade is likely to prove even more challenging.”
Shifting client contact to digital channels needs to be done with great care, especially at private banks like Maerki Baumann. Algorithms cannot completely replace personal contact, and values such as security and trust can hardly be con- veyed by mouse-click. “For this trust to come about, personal contact between client and ad- visor from time to time is essential,” emphasises Stephan Zwahlen.
It is vital to constantly fine-tune the banks’ range of services, their structures and their pro- cesses. Mindful in particular of the younger gen- erations of clients, Maerki Baumann was one of the first Swiss private banks to develop a com- prehensive cryptocurrency strategy, the aim being to achieve pole position in financial ser- vices for the crypto community. Private clients who are interested in alternative investment
The Swiss financial centre: Swiss banks are leaders in strategic development
Personal contact with clients is supplemented by artificial intelligence and robotics
opportunities can also benefit. “We are in no doubt that digital assets will be a fixed element of any professional investment advisory and asset management service in the future,” says Stephan Zwahlen.
In addition to demand for digital assets, there is growing interest in sustainable investment. In line with the climate debate and environmental protection, investors want to invest their money profitably while at the same time doing good. Many banks – Maerki Baumann among them – have extended their range of services to take account of sustainability criteria: thus we have entered into an alliance with Globalance Bank, a pioneer of sustainable asset management. An impressive figure illustrates how significant sus- tainable investment has become: at Swiss banks, the volume of assets invested sustainably totals some CHF 1,200 billion – and is rising steadily.
You can find out more in our cur- rent Finance Theme “The future of private banking: the best of
the old and new worlds.”
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