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.
Stephen Diggle, co-founder of hedge- fund firm Artradis Fund Management Pte, has set up a company to pool his personal wealth with that of family offices in Asia and invest in assets worldwide.
Bob McCann says the Swiss bank plans to pare additional costs at its wealth management Americas unit -- and still improve advisory services for clients. Can the former Merrill Lynch exec pull it off?
Robert McCann, the new chief executive of UBS Wealth Management Americas, took aim at the culture of the firm this morning, while praising its network of 7,300 financial advisers.
After Morgan Stanley took control of Smith Barney in May 2009 from Citigroup Inc., David Hopkins grew disillusioned with his new bosses.
University of Pennsylvania defensive back Josh Powers may have a better opportunity than playing for college football's national championship: a six- figure Wall Street salary upon graduation.
Retirement industry leaders today pressed officials from the Labor and Treasury departments to ensure that any future “safe-harbor” rules for annuities in 401(k) plans also include other lifetime-income options.
UBS AG, Switzerland's biggest bank, will probably report a fourth straight quarterly profit tomorrow and the lowest wealth management redemptions since 2008.
Sluggish recruiting and the continued slow migration of advisers to smaller firms has left the three biggest wirehouses either adding minimally to the work force or watching the head count drop
Hernandez evaded paying taxes on $8.8M; advised wealthy clients on -- yep -- taxes and offshore trusts
The world's richest clients often come with “impossible demands,” push margins down and cause internal conflict with investment banking colleagues, said the vice chairman of Barclays Plc's wealth management unit.
U.S. citizens and residents with UBS AG accounts are racing the clock to disclose their secret holdings to the Internal Revenue Service after the Swiss Parliament ratified an agreement to surrender the names of 4,450 bank clients, tax lawyers said.
Breakaway brokers boosting business; market share now at 8.3% and rising
Locicero to run UBS's wealth management office in L.A.; Stewart to oversee Citi's retail banking, wealth management
There has been more movement recently by financial advisers within the financial services industry then there has been in years.
Average Joe smacked by contango, pre-rolling, and Wall Street sharpies. 'I make a living off the dumb money,' says one professional futures trader.
