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.
After weeks of discussions, UBS AG has announced a reorganization of its wealth management business to help integrate the unit with its financial adviser business.
Units of Bank of America Corp.'s Merrill Lynch & Co., UBS AG and Bear Stearns Cos. were sued by Charles Schwab Corp. over claims they lied or omitted information on mortgage-backed securities
Company's share price pummelled after sell-off by fund firms; 'fundamentals remain solid'
Affluent investors piling into master limited partnerships for pipelines, tankers; 'huge tax advantage'
When it comes to controlling client assets, LPL Investment Holdings Inc.'s recent IPO registration offers clear proof that the remaining four wirehouse broker-dealers still dwarf the more diverse galaxy of independent broker-dealers.
Retail brokers have come under Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Mary Schapiro's microscope, thanks to a warning she issued late last month about the dangers of recruitment deals.
Merrill Lynch has nearly 3,000 fewer financial advisers than Morgan Stanley Smith Barney. That didn't stop Sallie Krawcheck's crew from generating a much larger profit than MSSB in the first half of the year.
Amid the rather lackluster financial results announced today by the Charles Schwab Corp., the company's RIA custody business continues to shine.
UBS Financial Services Inc. said it hired Thomas G. McLoughlin, former chief executive officer of National Public Finance Guarantee Corp., as head of municipal bond research for its Wealth Management Americas unit.
UBS Wealth Management Americas said it will offer clients in its separately managed account program asset allocation ideas from Richard Bernstein Capital Management LLC, a registered investment adviser, whose eponymous founder was formerly Merrill Lynch & Co. Inc.'s chief investment strategist.
Although retention bonuses and deferred-payment recruiting packages have locked many top-producing brokers in place at wirehouses, a substantial number are still looking to break free.
UBS AG's Luxembourg unit is being probed by prosecutors over allegations of forgery when it oversaw two funds linked to Bernard Madoff.
UBS AG reduced its forecast for where the Standard & Poor's 500 Index will end the year to 1,150, citing slower profit growth and an unwillingness among investors to pay higher valuations for earnings.
Despite a tepid response from plan sponsors, asset management firms continue to develop and promote annuity-enhanced target date funds, insisting that demand for retirement income will spur interest.
