Office address: 1285 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10019
Website: ubs.com/us
Year established: 1862
Company type: financial services
Employees: 110,300+
Expertise: wealth management, investment banking, asset management, retirement planning, alternative investments, sustainable investing, corporate solutions, financial planning, risk management, capital markets
Parent company: UBS Group AG (Switzerland)
Key people: Sergio Ermotti (group CEO); Robert Karofsky, George Athanasopoulos, and Marco Valla (co-presidents); Aleksandar Ivanovic (president); Mike Dargan (group chief operations and technology officer); Todd Tuckner (group CFO)
Financing status: corporation
UBS is a leading global bank that specializes in serving high-net-worth clients and institutions. The company manages $6.6 trillion in invested assets and offers tailored financial advice and solutions to individuals, families, and institutions. Its US operations are headquartered in New York.
UBS traces its beginnings to 1862 in Switzerland, when Bank in Winterthur was created to help local business and manage a warehouse. Fifty years later, a merger with Toggenburger Bank formed Union Bank of Switzerland, which quickly grew its network and services across the country.
Swiss Bank Corporation, known as SBC, formed from several mergers in the late 1800s and soon set its sights beyond Switzerland. By 1898, SBC had opened a branch in London, showing its global ambitions.
Both Union Bank of Switzerland and SBC embraced new technology, such as adding machines and early computers. They also opened offices in major financial centers like New York, Tokyo, and Rio de Janeiro.
A turning point came in 1998, when Union Bank of Switzerland and SBC joined forces to create UBS. This merger brought together expertise in various areas which made UBS one of the world’s largest financial institutions.
In 2000, the company entered the US market in a big way by acquiring PaineWebber, an American brokerage and asset manager. This gave the firm a strong presence in New York and across the country.
The company continued to grow, even through financial crises, and expanded its digital banking services worldwide. In 2023, it acquired Credit Suisse which strengthened its role as Switzerland’s largest universal bank.
By 2025, UBS increased checks on client money sources in Asia after a money-laundering scandal. The firm worked with Deloitte and KPMG and closed thousands of smaller accounts.
The firm combines deep market knowledge with access to both traditional and alternative investments. UBS's investment offerings include:
UBS is also known for its strong digital platforms and global network. Clients benefit from disciplined risk management and a wide selection of investment choices.
UBS states that its culture is the foundation for how the company works and adapts to change. The firm’s “three keys” represent the main values and guide daily actions:
UBS aims to create a supportive and flexible work environment for all employees. According to the company, its benefits are designed to help staff balance work and personal life:
UBS also offers regional programs to help employees manage work and family commitments. The company reports that it provides benefits that often go beyond legal requirements.
Sergio P. Ermotti serves as group CEO of UBS Group AG and has been leading the executive board since 2023. Before this, Ermotti led the company from 2011 to 2020 and served as chair at Swiss Re. He also held senior roles at UniCredit Group and Merrill Lynch. He completed advanced management training at the University of Oxford.
The UBS Group Executive Board leads the company’s global operations and oversees key business areas:
UBS Group AG uses a dual board structure as required by Swiss law. The board of directors delegates business management to the executive board.
In 2025, UBS experts shared practical strategies for family wealth conversations, focusing on values, legacy, and open communication. Judy Spalthoff and Libby Stantial explained how purposeful dialogue and programs like Emerging Successors help families prepare future inheritors. Their advice supports clients in building trust and guiding responsible wealth transitions across generations.
UBS leaders like Adrian Zuercher have also highlighted how new clients, especially younger generations and women, are driving demand for ESG and sustainable solutions. The company sees this shift as a sign that stewardship and responsible investing will play a bigger role in its future, as clients look for more return drivers and long-term value.
Like baseball fans whose team came up short, those hoping for an overhaul of the tax code by the congressional deficit-cutting supercommittee likely will have to wait until next year
Predict S&P 500 will end the year at 1,300; investors being 'swayed by macro variables'
Swiss giant cutting investment banking services to focus on private banking and wealth management services
The latest scandal at UBS may be causing headaches for the bank's advisers right now. But in the long run, a re-emphasis on serving rich clients -- rather than chasing investment banking business -- could be a good thing for the company and its wealth managers. | <a href=http://www.investmentnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Site=CI&Date=20110802&Category=FREE&ArtNo=802009999&Ref=PH>Wirehouse rankings: Average assets per rep</a> | <b>Extra</b> <a href=http://www.investmentnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Site=CI&Date=20110922&Category=FREE&ArtNo=922009999&Ref=PH>The richest states</a>
Charles Schwab Corp., the largest independent brokerage by client assets, reported third-quarter profit that met projections after it settled claims about misleading investors and revenue from trading declined.
Desai team jumps to private-wealth-management office in Chicago; first win after a couple of losses
The brokerage industry's recruitment protocol, which is credited with reducing litigation when advisers change firms, might be becoming a victim of its own success
Business buyback binge eases concerns about another recession; 'a testament from CEOs'
Competition fierce as number of millionaires in Asia set to double by 2015; plenty of offers on the table
Bank of America Corp.'s David Darnell, the commercial banker put in charge of the lender's Merrill Lynch brokerage, promised employees he'll do anything including “get out of the way” to help them improve results.
Given the recent spate of bad news, it seemed that somebody big had to go at Bank of America. Merrill Lynch president Sallie Krawcheck drew the short straw. The real question is: Did Sallie ever really have a chance of succeeding at BofA?
In what seems to be an about-face, wirehouses are embracing fixed indexed annuities, which offer investors a guaranteed-minimum return and the opportunity to partake in stock market gains
Twenty-two of 25 people surveyed by Bloomberg expect the metal to rise next week, the highest proportion since mid-July.
Although interest rates are near record lows, many financial advisory clients still face a challenging lending environment for securing small-business loans and refinancing mortgages
UBS AG, Switzerland's biggest bank, will pay $12 million to resolve Financial Industry Regulatory Authority claims that a brokerage unit allowed millions of short-sale orders to be placed without reasonable grounds to believe that the securities could be delivered.
