Lugano: from BNP Paribas for an integrated, global and exclusive offer

Curated by Editorial Team

What are the key figures of BNP Paribas in Switzerland?

«The history of BNP Paribas in Switzerland has its roots in the 1872th century. In XNUMX, from the merger of two institutes, the Banque de Paris et des Pays-Bas was born, the ancestor of today's BNP Paribas. Following its founding in 1872, the bank opened its first branch in Switzerland, in Geneva, with five employees. This year BNP Paribas celebrates its 150th anniversary of presence in Switzerland, where it has always played a leading role in the development of the economy. For example, it financed the Swiss National Exposition held in Geneva in 1896 and subsequently participated in the construction of the Gotthard and Simplon tunnels, opened in 1906 and 1921 respectively. Today BNP Paribas in Switzerland employs almost 1000 collaborators. distributed in the three offices in Geneva, Zurich and Lugano. The Lugano office has existed since 1971, ie for over fifty years. By concentrating its efforts on long-term strategies focused above all on the needs of its customers, the Wealth Management division of BNP Paribas has managed to become the first Private Bank in the Eurozone ».

How is BNP Paribas' offer structured on the Swiss market?

«For BNP Paribas, Switzerland represents a key market at the heart of its European operations. In terms of strategy, we currently focus on two businesses: Wealth Management and Corporate & Institutional Banking. The Wealth Management line focuses in Switzerland on entrepreneurs, families and wealthy individuals, which it accompanies in the long term by providing a global response to their financial and asset needs. Corporate & Institutional Banking is aimed more specifically at large and medium-sized Swiss companies, multinationals and financial institutions ».

How do you intend to continue developing in this market?

“Over the past 150 years we have been an important player in the Swiss economy and we want to continue to be so. This is precisely the meaning of our presence in Switzerland. To play this role fully, we intend to strengthen our leadership in the ESG field above all. Twenty years ago, BNP Paribas became aware of the key role that finance must play in the transformation of society and since then, in each of our business lines, we have been working to create new economic models. In a very concrete way, we mobilize all our financing and investment, employer and patronage activities to contribute to this transformation. In the wealth management sector, our responsibility is to devise innovative and sustainable investment solutions to allow our clients to invest while exerting a positive impact ».

What is the structure you have put in place for Lugano?

"The 2022-2025 strategy of BNP Paribas in Switzerland and Lugano is to propose itself as a reference bank for Swiss and international customers who want - through a single relationship with BNP Paribas Lugano - to have direct and privileged access to a series of services of the BNP Paribas Group with a "One Bank" approach, ie an integrated offer of intra-group services coordinated by Switzerland. We therefore analyzed what additional services could be (to be integrated with the basic offer) functional to the growth of customers, Family Offices and professional managers for the next few years, considering their needs and desires. In particular, the new collaborations with Group entities such as BNP Paribas Real Estate Group and BNP Paribas Corporate & Institutional Banking were crucial, as well as synergies with the Group's domestic banks present in the majority of European countries, in particular those bordering Switzerland. ".

What are the specificities of the Lugano office?

"BNP Paribas in Lugano, in line with the Bank's strategy in Switzerland, is accelerating its growth in Ticino through, in particular, exclusive access to the new international services of the BNP Paribas Group and a global offer of sustainable investment solutions (ESG) ad hoc. From Lugano, on the one hand, we serve Swiss and European clients with international needs for personal investments, for the growth of their company abroad or for the development of new commercial or institutional relationships. On the other hand, we actively support international customers who intend to increase their investments (in the financial, corporate and real estate sectors) in Switzerland and in the European markets, benefiting from a single center of expertise and management of their personal and business interests. All this directly from Lugano in connection with the over 70 countries in the world in which the BNP Paribas Group operates. Thanks to our "One Bank" approach, our clients in Ticino have direct access to the exclusive services of the BNP Paribas Group such as international Wealth Planning, Merger & Acquisition Corporate Advisory and specific solutions in the Real Estate sector where we select, finance and manage portfolios international real estate (residential and commercial) customers, through a single banking relationship with BNP Paribas in Lugano, thanks to the synergies implemented with the widespread network of commercial banks of the BNP Paribas Group worldwide. In particular, from January 2022 Lugano has become the single point of access and reference in Switzerland for Italian customers ».