Choosing a private banker in Nyon and on La Côte

Nyon, on La Côte between Geneva and Lausanne

Nyon lies on La Côte, the Vaud shore of Lake Geneva between Geneva and Lausanne. The official language of the canton of Vaud is French (Vaud cantonal constitution, art. 3), and Banque Cantonale Vaudoise says it has close to 60 branches in the canton.

UEFA has had its headquarters in Nyon since 1995. In Geneva, the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs counts some 40 international organisations and more than 180 state representations. If you work for one of these organisations or for an international company in the region, your situation probably has an international side: another nationality, family or accounts abroad, perhaps a move elsewhere one day. These points matter when choosing a banker.

Nyon is also close to the French border. If part of your life is on the other side, for example a property, an account, your spouse's or partner's work or a previous home, rules other than Swiss rules may apply to those elements, depending on your nationality, your domicile and where they are located. A private banker in Switzerland does not replace advice on these questions; ask how they take them into account and which specialists they work with.

This page is for people who live in Switzerland, in Nyon or elsewhere on La Côte, or who are preparing to move to Switzerland, and who are considering entrusting substantial financial assets to a private banker. It applies to Swiss nationals and to people of other nationalities living in the region alike. 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. The selection criteria that apply across Switzerland are set out on our page on Swiss private banks.

Institutions with an office in Nyon

The list below shows, in alphabetical order, the institutions in our database for which we have verified an office serving private clients in Nyon: as of our last check, a cantonal bank, two private banks 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 Nyon: it covers those in our database whose presence in Nyon is published by the institution itself. The information published on institutions is indicative and must be confirmed with the institution concerned.

Banque Cantonale Vaudoise describes its Nyon branch, on Rue Perdtemps, as one of its regional centres of expertise, with advisers for retail, business and private banking clients. Bordier lists Nyon among its offices in Switzerland, alongside Geneva, Lausanne, Bern and Zurich. Piguet Galland, a private bank whose majority shareholder is Banque Cantonale Vaudoise, publishes an office on Place de Bel-Air; it lists Nyon among its offices, alongside Geneva, La Chaux-de-Fonds, Lausanne, Neuchâtel and Yverdon-les-Bains. The UBS branch on Rue de la Morâche lists wealth management among its services.

For a wider choice: Geneva and Lausanne

Our database records more institutions in Geneva and Lausanne; they are listed on our pages on private banks in Geneva and private banks in Lausanne. It records no other office on La Côte.

An office in either city says little on its own about how the relationship will work from Nyon. Ask each banker where you would meet, how often, and how much of the contact can take place by phone or video call.

What matters when choosing a banker in Nyon

Here are the criteria to look at, with 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.

A few situations on La Côte and the questions they raise

The examples below are illustrations: they do not describe real clients and do not call for a standard answer. They show which points to clarify with a private banker, depending on your situation.

Whether or not to withdraw pension capital is a separate decision, taken before the payout and with a pensions specialist. Tax questions, in Switzerland as in France, also belong with specialists: ask the institution whether it handles them with its own teams or works with your fiduciary or tax adviser.

Different types of institution

In Nyon, 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 a first meeting, a few points prepared in advance make the conversation more useful:

• the amount you are thinking of entrusting and what it consists of: cash, securities already invested, 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 the date on which funds will become available;
• your residence permit, or the document that takes its place, and the date you arrived if your move to Switzerland is recent;
• the accounts, assets or family members you have in other countries, neighbouring France included;
• the contact details of your other advisers in Switzerland and, where relevant, abroad: fiduciary, notary, tax adviser;
• the language you wish to use, spoken and written.

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

How AlpineCompare puts you in touch in Nyon

AlpineCompare is an introduction service and has no office in Nyon or elsewhere on La Côte. 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 Nyon, in Geneva, in Lausanne or in another city. 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.