Swiss asset managers battle the crisis online
Transparency Reshapes the Swiss Banking Landscape
Battling the crisis with more transparency: Swiss banks and asset managers are becoming more transparent and thereby compete on the Internet for potential clients from all over the world. The Swiss financial service providers are convinced that they have a lot to offer, even without the banking secrecy.
Challenges Facing Swiss Asset Managers Today
Swiss asset management, the supporting pillar of the Swiss financial center, is in the midst of a crisis. The industry is struggling with numerous challenges: increasing costs and sinking margins, a redefinition of the Swiss banking secrecy looming ahead and international competition that is becoming stronger. As approximately half of all assets managed in Switzerland are from abroad, offshore asset management is of particular importance. However, Switzerland only lies just ahead of London, Singapore and Hong Kong when it comes to offshore asset management and might lose its dominant position in the near future. Client behavior has also changed: an Internet-affine generation of investors also demands more transparency in asset management.
Swiss banks show what they are made of
Swiss Banks Embrace Digital Transformation
The contact of Swiss financial service providers with new media has been very limited so far. Often, the provider websites did not even feature information on the type and range of their services. This might be changing now. As an answer to the current challenges, more and more banks are now willing to publicly reveal more about their company on the World Wide Web. For example, an increasing number agrees to give more precise information about their company on the independent information and intermediation portal assetinum.com. The Swiss financial center needs to look ahead. It is now important to distinguish oneself from the competition transparently with own services. As a cross-border medium, the Internet is an ideal tool therefore.
More transparency and more competition
Benefits and Risks of Increased Transparency
With growing transparency comes increased competition. This is a positive development for investors, as they can expect rising service quality and sinking fees. However, the condition is that the investors have an accordingly neutral comparison possibility at hand. assetinum.com offers this possibility: thanks to the independent Swiss online portal, international investors can filter, sort and select asset managers for consultation requests according to various criteria such as specialized services and asset classes. More than 200 notable Swiss banks as well as independent asset managers and family offices – verified by assetinum.com – can be found among the providers. Investors can obtain information on consultant portraits, investment strategies, amount of assets under management or the fee structures of the providers.
Swiss «beauty contest» for international investors
Investor Empowerment Through New Consultation Platforms
Investors have the opportunity to request free and non-binding consultations with several banks or independent asset managers of their choice quickly and without effort. After the first consultations, investors have a solid basis of comparison for their selection of the suitable Swiss bank or the suitable independent asset manager. Although the asset management industry usually calls this kind of provider competition a «beauty contest», it is not the best look that is decisive here, but the best consultation offer. New international clients are the «trophy» for the providers. Banks and asset managers must state which client domiciles they can work for. Therefore, different providers
are available for consultations, depending on the investorsʼ domicile.
Benjamin Manz, managing partner of assetinum.com
About assetinum.com:
assetinum.com is an independent Swiss information portal for investors. A special focus is given to asset management and investment consultancy: apart from up-to-date information, studies, background articles and news, investors benefit from a decision-making tool on assetinum.com that enables the selection of suitable Swiss banks, verified independent asset managers and family offices. Investors in Switzerland and from abroad benefit from free consultations with several selected providers, and have a good basis of comparison thanks to the received offers.
Swiss asset managers battle the crisis online
Battling the crisis with more transparency: Swiss banks and asset managers are becoming more transparent and thereby compete on the Internet for potential clients from all over the world. The Swiss financial service providers are convinced that they have a lot to offer, even without the banking secrecy.
Swiss asset management, the supporting pillar of the Swiss financial center, is in the midst of a crisis. The industry is struggling with numerous challenges: increasing costs and sinking margins, a redefinition of the Swiss banking secrecy looming ahead and international competition that is becoming stronger. As approximately half of all assets managed in Switzerland are from abroad, offshore asset management is of particular importance. However, Switzerland only lies just ahead of London, Singapore and Hong Kong when it comes to offshore asset management and might lose its dominant position in the near future. Client behavior has also changed: an Internet-affine generation of investors also demands more transparency in asset management.
Swiss banks show what they are made of
The contact of Swiss financial service providers with new media has been very limited so far. Often, the provider websites did not even feature information on the type and range of their services. This might be changing now. As an answer to the current challenges, more and more banks are now willing to publicly reveal more about their company on the World Wide Web. For example, an increasing number agrees to give more precise information about their company on the independent information and intermediation portal assetinum.com. The Swiss financial center needs to look ahead. It is now important to distinguish oneself from the competition transparently with own services. As a cross-border medium, the Internet is an ideal tool therefore.
More transparency and more competition
With growing transparency comes increased competition. This is a positive development for investors, as they can expect rising service quality and sinking fees. However, the condition is that the investors have an accordingly neutral comparison possibility at hand. assetinum.com offers this possibility: thanks to the independent Swiss online portal, international investors can filter, sort and select asset managers for consultation requests according to various criteria such as specialized services and asset classes. More than 200 notable Swiss banks as well as independent asset managers and family offices – verified by assetinum.com – can be found among the providers. Investors can obtain information on consultant portraits, investment strategies, amount of assets under management or the fee structures of the providers.
Swiss «beauty contest» for international investors
Investors have the opportunity to request free and non-binding consultations with several banks or independent asset managers of their choice quickly and without effort. After the first consultations, investors have a solid basis of comparison for their selection of the suitable Swiss bank or the suitable independent asset manager. Although the asset management industry usually calls this kind of provider competition a «beauty contest», it is not the best look that is decisive here, but the best consultation offer. New international clients are the «trophy» for the providers. Banks and asset managers must state which client domiciles they can work for. Therefore, different providers
are available for consultations, depending on the investorsʼ domicile.
Benjamin Manz, managing partner of assetinum.com
About assetinum.com:
assetinum.com is an independent Swiss information portal for investors. A special focus is given to asset management and investment consultancy: apart from up-to-date information, studies, background articles and news, investors benefit from a decision-making tool on assetinum.com that enables the selection of suitable Swiss banks, verified independent asset managers and family offices. Investors in Switzerland and from abroad benefit from free consultations with several selected providers, and have a good basis of comparison thanks to the received offers.
