Swiss Finance: Banking, Finance, and Digitalization

How could a small country in the middle of Europe, surrounded by much bigger countries and economic giants like Germany and France and in direct competition with North American and Asian rivals, develop world-class, cutting-edge financial markets? Swiss Finance answers this question, separating myth from reality, by explaining how Switzerland managed dramatic pressures brought to bear on its financial markets during the past two decades, perhaps none of them so great as the:

·       Competitive challenges caused by changes in Switzerland's banking secrecy laws and practices,

·       Shifting tide of new wealth generation toward Asia (e.g., China, Singapore, and South Korea),

·       Burdensome federal stamp and withholding taxes, and

·       Digitalization of the financial services industry, including cybersecurity, cryptocurrencies, smart contracts, central bank digital currencies, the FinTech revolution, and DLT applications.

Swiss Finance thoroughly analyzes Swiss financial markets’ successes and challenges. It covers critical topics for practitioners and academics to fully understand this unique development in world financial markets and private wealth administration. 

Henri B. Meier holds a Master’s degree and Ph.D. in Economics and Business Administration from the University of St. Gallen. He also holds an Honorary Ph.D. from the University of Basel and is a Senator at the University of St. Gallen. Dr. Meier has founded 20 start-ups, including HBM Healthcare Investments, and numerous foundations, such as the HBM Fondation, Pestalozzi School Camps, and HBM Unternehmerschule at the University of St. Gallen. His work as the former CFO, board member, and Group Executive Committee member at Roche Holding Inc. earned him prestigious honors, including the “European CFO Excellence Award.” In recognition of his lifetime achievements, Dr. Meier was recognized in 2021 as one of the 24 most outstanding managers in 160 years of Swiss history. Henri B. Meier has worked as the chief accountant for Williams Brothers (Caracas, Venezuela), as an economist, financial analyst, investment officer, and division chief at the International Finance Corporation and the World Bank (Washington D.C.), and as an Executive Committee member and head of Investment Banking at Handelsbank National Westminster (Zürich, Switzerland).

John E. Marthinsen is a Professor of Economics and International Business at Babson College in Babson Park, MA, where he holds The Distinguished Chair in Swiss Economics. Dr. Marthinsen is the recipient of multiple teaching awards and the author of many books and articles. His teaching and research focus on International Macroeconomics, Risk Management, International Finance, and Cryptocurrencies. John Marthinsen has extensive consulting and business experience, working for domestic and international companies and the U.S. government. He has served on the United Nations Association’s Economic Policy Council and lectured at the Universities of Bern and Basel in Switzerland and the University of Nürnberg in Germany.

Pascal A. Gantenbein is the Henri-B.-Meier professor of Financial Management at the University of Basel. He also serves as the Dean of Studies at University of Basel’s Faculty of Business and Economics. His academic interests are in the areas of corporate finance and valuation, portfolio management and risk management, as well as real estate finance and venture capital. In addition, Pascal Gantenbein gained valuable work experience in the insurance industry and as a financial advisor. Today, he acts as a board member in the financial sector.

Samuel S. Weber is an independent wealth manager based in Zug, Switzerland. He studied business administration, strategy, and international management at the Universities of Basel and St. Gallen. Since 2012, he has worked as an independent wealth manager, focusing on value investing (i.e., buying undervalued companies). His long-term success in public stock markets has come from distinguishing risk, defined as the permanent loss of capital from volatility. As a member of the Board of Trustees of theHBM Fondation, Samuel Weber is also committed to the professional development of young people.