Choosing a private banker in Sion and across Valais

Sion: capital of a bilingual canton

According to the City of Sion, Sion is the political and administrative capital of Valais. French and German are spoken in Valais, as in the cantons of Bern and Fribourg (Swiss Confederation, aboutswitzerland portal). Whether you live in central or lower Valais, in Upper Valais or elsewhere in Switzerland, the language of your exchanges with a banker is worth settling from the start.

The canton has its own cantonal bank, Banque Cantonale du Valais (BCVs). The State of Valais holds 70% of its share capital; the bank has its head office in Sion and says it has 22 branches (as at 31 December 2025).

This page is for people who live in Switzerland, in Sion, elsewhere in Valais or in another canton with ties to Valais such as a chalet, 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 canton 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 Sion

In our database, the choice of verified offices in Sion itself is limited: as of our last check, we record three institutions serving private clients there: a cantonal bank, a private bank and a universal bank. The list below shows them in alphabetical order. 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 Sion: it covers those in our database whose presence in Sion is published by the institution itself. The information published on institutions is indicative and must be confirmed with the institution concerned.

Here is what each of them publishes about Sion. BCVs, headquartered on Place des Cèdres, presents management and advisory mandates on its website and lists wealth management advisers in Sion. Julius Bär lists Sion among its locations in Switzerland and publishes the address of a branch there, on Avenue de la Gare. The UBS branch page, also on Avenue de la Gare, lists wealth management among the services offered.

Elsewhere in Valais, and in Lausanne

In Valais outside Sion, BCVs lists wealth management advisers in Upper Valais, in Brig and Visp, as well as in Crans-Montana, Martigny, Monthey and Verbier. In Verbier our database also records an office of Julius Bär and one of Lombard Odier: Julius Bär lists Verbier among its locations in Switzerland, and Lombard Odier among its offices for private clients. To compare more institutions, our database records more of them in Lausanne; they are listed on our page on private banks in Lausanne.

An office some way from your home says little about how the relationship will work. Ask each banker whether they can meet you in Valais, how often, and how much of the contact can take place by phone or video call.

What matters when choosing a banker from Valais

Here are the criteria to look at, with the question that lets you check each one in a first conversation.

If you live in a resort such as Verbier, Crans-Montana or Zermatt, or in a side valley, ask early where meetings would take place. If you split your year between two homes, say so at the 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 in Valais 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 you draw a pension or a lump sum from your pension fund is decided before the payout, under the fund's regulations, and is not the subject of this page. Valais tax questions, for example on wealth, property or inheritance, 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 Sion, 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;
• a list of your properties, in Valais and elsewhere, kept separate from your financial assets;
• 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 and the date you arrived, if your move to Switzerland is recent;
• the contact details of your other advisers: fiduciary, notary, tax adviser;
• the language you wish to use, and how you prefer to meet: in person, remotely or both.

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 from Sion

AlpineCompare is an introduction service and has no office in Sion or anywhere else in Valais. 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 Sion, 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, in person or remote, 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.