Choosing a private banker in Basel based on your situation

Choosing a private bank in Basel

Basel is a financial centre in its own right, with a profile of its own. According to the canton of Basel-Stadt, insurers account for more than half of the value added by the financial sector there, and the city is home to the headquarters of the Bank for International Settlements (BIS). The Basel Committee on Banking Supervision, whose secretariat is located at the BIS, develops the international prudential standards for banks, including the framework known as ‘Basel III’; its decisions have no legal force, and member countries implement them in their own law. These standards concern the soundness of banks in general; they do not tell you which banker will suit your situation.

For a private individual, the choice turns on more practical points: the language the relationship will be conducted in, in a German-speaking city with a very international population, and how your banker will take into account what you own in Germany, France or your home country. If you work in life sciences, the question of your employer's shares may come on top.

This page is for people who live in Switzerland, in Basel or the surrounding region, or who are preparing to move there, and who are considering entrusting substantial financial assets to a private banker. 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.

Institutions with an office in Basel

The list below shows, in alphabetical order, the institutions in our database for which we have verified an office serving private clients in Basel. Being an AlpineCompare partner changes neither the order of the list nor whether an institution appears in it.

At the time of our check, J. Safra Sarasin had its head office in Basel, and UBS AG had one of its two registered offices there, the other being in Zurich; the other institutions in the list have their head office in Geneva or Zurich and an office in Basel. This says nothing about the quality of the service, but it is a useful question to ask: from which office will your relationship be looked after day to day, and where do the specialists you might meet work?

The cantonal bank in the list is the Geneva cantonal bank, which has a branch in Basel. The cantonal banks of the two Basel cantons, Basler Kantonalbank and Basellandschaftliche Kantonalbank, are not yet in our database, so they do not appear here, nor do other institutions active in Basel. The information published on institutions is indicative and must be confirmed with the institution concerned.

What matters when choosing a banker in Basel

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

An office in Basel makes meeting in person easier, but on its own it says nothing about how your relationship will be organised: your banker may be attached to another office, and some of your exchanges may take place remotely. If you live in Riehen, Basel-Landschaft or the Fricktal, ask where your meetings would take place.

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.

Situations you meet in Basel

According to the canton of Basel-Stadt, life sciences accounted in 2024 for around 40% of the canton's value added and around 10% of its jobs. If you work in this sector, part of your wealth may consist of your employer's shares, received through an employee share plan and sometimes blocked for several years. Mention them in the first conversation, together with the dates on which they become available: how your banker brings them into the overall picture tells you a good deal about how well they understand your situation.

Also according to the canton, foreign nationals made up 38.6% of the population of Basel-Stadt in September 2024. If you moved to Basel for a job, part of your wealth may still be in your home country, in a currency other than the Swiss franc. List what is in Switzerland and what is not: that is the basis of a useful conversation, whatever you decide afterwards.

Basel borders Germany and France. If you live here and have a home, an account, family or an inheritance in progress on the other side of the border, say so from the start. Some of these matters fall under foreign rules: ask your banker what they handle themselves and what calls for another professional, such as a tax adviser or a notary.

If you are preparing or have just completed the sale of a company, separate the amount already available from the amount that will only become available later, for example a deferred payment or shares in the buyer. It is the available amount that allows a concrete conversation with a banker.

Different types of institution

In Basel, 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 prepare:

• the amount you are thinking of entrusting and what it consists of: cash, securities already invested, your employer's shares, the proceeds of a sale;
• what lies outside Switzerland: accounts, property, assets in Germany, France or your home country;
• your timetable, for example the date on which funds or shares will become available;
• the language you wish to use, spoken and written, including for other members of your household who are involved;
• what you expect from the relationship: management of your investments, organising capital you have received, preparing to pass on your wealth;
• your questions on continuity: who takes over if your banker is away or changes;
• a question on the documents needed to open the relationship.

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 Basel

AlpineCompare is an introduction service and has no office in Basel. 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 Basel and which languages they work in. 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.