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.
A federal judge in Florida has declared a banker and lawyer from Switzerland who were indicted on fraud charges as fugitives from justice.
The stock price of The Charles Schwab Corp. fell 2.5% to $18.81 in after-hours trading after the company announced plans to sell more than 26 million shares of common stock. The discount broker and leading custodian for registered investment advisers also reported that its fourth-quarter net income fell 47% from the year-earlier period to $164 million. Schwab last month signaled that it would report weaker results.
Pacific Investment Management Co. LLC is planning to build active-equity-management capability, possibly by lifting an existing team from a rival firm, according to sources familiar with the company.
In an attempt to pull further away from the transactional nature of annuity sales, brokerage executives are using tools to help their financial advisers fit product sales into a planning context.
In an attempt to pull further away from the transactional nature of annuity sales, brokerage executives are using tools to help their advisers fit product sales into a planning context.
Although the number of brokers who change jobs in 2010 won't approach the level seen during the financial crisis, expect this to be a good year for broker recruiting.
In the months before it landed one of the biggest advisers on Wall Street, HighTower Securities LLC was already successfully recruiting other breakaway brokers.
After all of the controversy and consolidation in the wirehouse sector, Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC remains the top-rated firm among high-net-worth investors, according to Cogent Research LLC's 2010 Investor Brandscape report, released Thursday.
After all of the controversy and consolidation in the wirehouse sector, Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC remains the top-rated firm among high-net-worth investors, according to Cogent Research LLC's 2010 Investor Brandscape report, released today.
China's economic engine powers on, but some consultants and managers are becoming more cautious about investing in the Asian giant — at least in the short term.
The key informant in the tax evasion case against Swiss bank UBS AG claims prosecutors made false statements to a judge who sentenced him to prison.
After two disastrous years in a row, brokerage industry observers say something akin to normalcy may return this year.
Pete Secret and Peter Ardolino join the growing list of complex managers who have exited the firm since its merger with Smith Barney
UBS Wealth Management Americas is beefing up its recruiting package in the chase for elite financial advisers, but the deal falls short of those recently offered by two top rivals.
Robert McCann is rewarding the veteran brokers who have stayed with UBS Financial Services Inc. through the past two years.
