Zurich, March 13 - Private bankers and wealth advisers in Switzerland report increased interest from high-net-worth individuals and family offices in the Gulf region to shift assets into Swiss accounts following recent U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran.
More than a dozen bankers and advisers, collectively representing assets of over $1 trillion, told interlocutors in Switzerland that clients are actively discussing, and in some cases initiating, moves to book cash and other holdings in the country. Those conversations, they said, have accelerated since Iranian attacks on Gulf states.
Consultancy Deloitte Switzerland's head of wealth management, Patrik Spiller, said cash holdings booked in Switzerland by private individuals and non-bank entities from the United Arab Emirates have climbed by roughly 40% over the past three years. That trend, Spiller added, gathered pace after earlier strikes on Iran by Israel and the United States in June of the previous year.
"Due to recent events, we expect that assets from the Middle East will increasingly be booked in Switzerland. We’re hearing from banks, family offices, and other high-net-worth individuals that discussions are currently underway," Spiller said.
The Swiss Bankers Association would not provide a specific comment on flows from the Middle East since the recent strikes, but its chief economist, Martin Hess, underlined longstanding strengths that Switzerland offers to wealthy investors. "It’s now to our advantage that we can score points with Swissness, namely secure conditions, political stability, and the rule of law. I believe this is particularly valued in times like these," Hess said.
Markets reacted to the heightened tensions: the Swiss franc strengthened and reached its strongest level versus the euro in a decade following the U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran.
Bankers and advisers caution that any measurable inflows into Swiss accounts will likely take time to register. Spiller estimated that Switzerland could eventually see "several dozen billion" dollars arrive from the region, but stressed the pace and scale would hinge on how the conflict unfolds and its duration. He noted a typical sequence in such moves: cash tends to be booked first, with allocations to equities or fixed income following later.
Switzerland's largest wealth manager, UBS, and Julius Baer, which ranks third in assets under management, both declined to comment. Pictet, the country's second-largest private bank by assets under management, said it has fielded customer inquiries but did not characterize the volume as significant. Pictet added that it reported a record high in assets under management at year-end despite a weak U.S. dollar, and that a positive trend had continued into the start of the new year, concluding with the remark, "Swissness works."
Till Budelmann, chief investment officer at Bergos, a Zurich private bank overseeing about 8 billion Swiss francs in assets, said renewed focus on Switzerland has emerged amid the conflict, including from European clients. He recounted that one European investor who had been contemplating opening an account requested an immediate appointment to begin the process after hostilities started.
Budelmann said he sensed the conflict had "given a boost to Switzerland as a safe haven" though he added it was too early to quantify potential inflows.
Those consulted emphasized uncertainty around timing and magnitude. While they were broadly optimistic that Switzerland stands to attract additional capital from the Gulf and surrounding regions, they warned that actual flows will be influenced by developments on the ground and how long tensions persist.
Separate advisory and promotional material directed at investors also referenced the discussion around Swiss-listed names. One commentary posed the question of whether investors should consider buying shares in Julius Baer and described a model that evaluates companies monthly using a wide set of financial metrics and historical winners, while noting readers could check if Julius Baer was included in those model strategies.
(Exchange rate used in reporting: $1 = 0.7877 Swiss francs)