Choosing a private banker in Aarau: your company, succession and a first conversation

Choosing a private bank in Aarau

Under the Aargau cantonal constitution, Aarau is the seat of the cantonal parliament (Grosser Rat), the government (Regierungsrat) and the high court (Obergericht) (§ 71). The canton says it has around 47,000 companies, most of them small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and trade or craft businesses, and that it lies where the main transport routes between the economic centres of Basel, Bern and Zurich meet (figures published by the canton of Aargau, accessed on 20 October 2026). For choosing a private banker, this page therefore focuses on two points: keeping a company and your private wealth apart if you run or hand over an SME, and where your meetings take place if you live in Aarau and work elsewhere.

This page is for people who live in Switzerland, in Aarau or the surrounding region, including those of another nationality, and for people preparing to move to the canton of Aargau. We wrote it primarily for available financial assets of more than one million Swiss francs. This figure is a guide, not an entry requirement: each institution sets its own criteria for taking on new clients. For an overview of the selection criteria, see our page on Swiss private banks.

The institutions with an office in Aarau

The list below shows, in alphabetical order, the institutions in our database for which we have verified an office serving private clients in Aarau; as of our last check there are two, a cantonal bank and a universal bank. Being an AlpineCompare partner changes neither the order of the list nor whether an institution appears in it.

This list does not cover every institution active in Aarau: it covers those in our database whose presence in Aarau is published by the institution itself. The information published on institutions is indicative and must be confirmed with the institution concerned.

The canton's own cantonal bank, Aargauische Kantonalbank, states that it has 32 branches in the canton of Aargau and the Olten-Gösgen-Gäu region; the list links it to Aarau, where it has its head office, on Bahnhofplatz. Its Private Banking page names a head of private banking at seven of its sites: Aarau, Baden, Brugg, Olten, Rheinfelden, Wohlen and Zofingen. We accessed these pages on 21 October 2026.

The UBS branch we recorded is on Bahnhofstrasse. Its page lists wealth management among the services offered, alongside services for private clients and for companies; it does not state whether substantial wealth is looked after locally or by a team in another office. We accessed it on 20 October 2026.

Between Zurich, Basel and Bern: where will your meetings take place?

For a wider choice of institutions, our pages on private banks in Zurich, Basel and Bern list those whose office in those cities we have verified. If you live in Aarau and work in one of them, ask whether you can meet your banker in Aarau, in the city where you work or remotely, and whether the same person looks after you in each case.

German is the official language of the canton of Aargau; under the cantonal constitution, authorities and public offices may also communicate in other national languages or in English, provided this causes no disadvantage to other parties to a proceeding (§ 71a). That rule applies to the authorities, not to banks: the language of your banking relationship is agreed with the institution and with your banker, for meetings as well as for the agreement, statements and reports. If you would like to work in English, say so at the first contact.

Your company, a succession and your private wealth: what to clarify

For situations linked to the structure of the canton's economy, and for others found anywhere in Switzerland, here is what is worth clarifying in the first conversation.

Questions of tax, the valuation of your company or the legal structure of a succession belong with the relevant specialists. Ask the institution whether it handles them with its own teams or works with your fiduciary or tax adviser.

Our page on your situation sets out, for the whole of Switzerland, what is worth preparing after selling a business, receiving an inheritance or selling a property.

What matters when choosing a banker in Aarau

Here are the criteria to look at when choosing a private banker in Aarau, and the question that lets you check each one in a first conversation.

These criteria match the questions of the AlpineCompare simulator: your project, the amount involved, your canton, your language and what you expect from your banker.

Different types of institution

In Aarau, as elsewhere in Switzerland, a wealth management relationship can be held with a private bank, a universal bank, a cantonal bank or an independent asset manager. What distinguishes these models is explained on our page on types of institution and selection criteria.

If you are considering an independent asset manager, you can check that it appears on the list, published by FINMA, of portfolio managers licensed by FINMA and monitored by a supervisory organisation.

Preparing your first conversation

Before your meeting, you can gather:

• the amount you are thinking of entrusting and what it consists of, separating cash and securities already invested;
• if you run a company, a clear view of what belongs to the company and what belongs to you personally, including any company premises you own;
• the timetable of a succession or sale, if known, and the amounts that could become available, without counting them as already there;
• the contact details of your other advisers, such as your fiduciary, tax adviser or notary;
• where you would prefer to meet and the language you wish to use, spoken and written.

During the conversation, note each banker's answers on the same points: you can then compare several proposals on a common basis.

How AlpineCompare puts you in touch in Aarau

AlpineCompare is an introduction service and has no office in Aarau. The simulator asks you about your project, the amount involved, your canton of residence, your language and what you expect from your banker. Once your phone number is verified, you obtain a selection of private bankers from our partner institutions, with the option to be put in touch with one of them or to ask to be called back; nothing is passed to any partner until you have confirmed one of these two requests. A banker's direct contact details, where the banker provides them, are shown only after you have confirmed the introduction to that banker or asked that banker to call you back: this confirmation is your agreement to your request being passed to that banker and their institution, which receive it at that moment; AlpineCompare records this agreement and may rely on it with the institution to establish that the relationship arose through its introduction.

For each banker, the selection shows their institution, city and languages, so you can see whether a banker is based in Aarau, Zurich, Basel, Bern or another city, and whether they list English among their languages. If you send them a request, that banker and their institution may contact you; the arrangements for a meeting are then agreed with them.

• AlpineCompare is paid by the partner institution, under a business-introduction agreement, when a client it introduced signs a contract with that institution; the service is free for you.
• Only private bankers of partners can be presented to you; institutions without a partnership are described on the site in the same way as the others.
• Remuneration plays no part in the selection of the profiles shown or in their order.
• The selection depends on the partner bankers whose profile matches your request; it may include bankers based in other cities.