Finding a private banker in Bern based on your situation

Choosing a private bank in Bern

Bern is the federal city: the Swiss Parliament, the Federal Council and the federal administration sit there. According to the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, some 146 countries have accredited an ambassador to the Federal Council, and half of these representations are based in Bern (page published on 23 September 2026). The canton itself is bilingual, German and French. These features shape the questions worth settling with a private banker: the language of the relationship, the checks linked to a public office, a stay of a few years in Switzerland, preparing for retirement or for handing over a business.

This page is for people who live in Switzerland, in Bern or the surrounding region, or who are preparing to move to the canton, 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 Bern

The list below shows, in alphabetical order, the institutions in our database for which we have verified an office serving private clients in Bern. 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 Bern: it covers those in our database whose presence in Bern is published by the institution itself. The canton's cantonal bank, Berner Kantonalbank (BEKB), is one of them: founded in 1834, it is a public limited company whose majority shareholder is the canton of Bern, with 51.16% of the share capital, and its head office is on the Bundesplatz. On its private banking page, it says that it serves clients by telephone and in person at more than 50 locations (pages accessed on 21 October 2026). The information published on institutions is indicative and must be confirmed with the institution concerned.

If you live elsewhere in the canton, our database also records private-client offices in Biel/Bienne, Thun and Gstaad. They do not appear here, because the list covers the city of Bern only; Köniz has its own section below.

If you live in Köniz

The list above covers the city of Bern only. In Köniz, the municipality bordering Bern to the south, our database records two offices. The Berner Kantonalbank customer centre at Köniz-Stapfen, Stapfenstrasse 1, offers personal advice by appointment on weekdays from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.; its page does not list which private banking services are available there (page accessed on 21 October 2026). The UBS branch at Schwarzenburgstrasse 230 lists wealth management and private clients among its services; it gives opening hours for advice and safe deposit boxes and does not mention a counter (page accessed on 20 October 2026). Both institutions also have an office in Bern, which appears in the list.

Whether you live in Wabern, Liebefeld or a more rural locality such as Oberscherli, the offices in Bern are worth considering as much as those in Köniz. In your first conversation, ask whether your banker would work in Köniz or in an office in Bern, whether you can meet in Köniz, in Bern or remotely, and whether the same person looks after you in each case. The official language in Köniz is German (art. 6 of the constitution of the canton of Bern); the language of your banking relationship is agreed with the institution and with your banker.

What matters when choosing a banker in Bern

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

An office in Bern 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 Köniz, Muri bei Bern, Thun or the Emmental, 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.

Does your professional background change how you prepare?

On some points, yes. The table below covers situations linked to Bern's role as the federal city, and others found anywhere in Switzerland, with what is worth preparing for each. These are not recommendations: investment, pension and tax decisions are made with the relevant professionals.

These checks are legal obligations of the institutions. The law does not prohibit business relationships with politically exposed persons; anticipating the questions simply makes the first conversation clearer. For other situations, such as an inheritance or the sale of a property, see our page on your situation.

Different types of institution

In Bern, 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

A first conversation is more useful once you have clarified a few points. Before your meeting, you can prepare:

• the amount you are thinking of entrusting and what it consists of: cash, securities already invested, pension capital already paid out, the proceeds of a sale;
• what you expect from the relationship: management of your investments, organising capital you have received, preparing to pass on your wealth;
• your timetable, for example your retirement date or the date on which funds will become available;
• your current or past function, if it is a public office in Switzerland, in the service of a foreign state or in an international organisation;
• the parts of your situation that go beyond Switzerland: another nationality, family members or assets in other countries, a recent move;
• the language you wish to use, spoken and written;
• your questions on continuity: who takes over if your banker is away or changes.

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 Bern

AlpineCompare is an introduction service and has no office in Bern. 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 Bern and works in English. 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.