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.
It didn't take long for Allgen Financial Services Inc., a registered investment adviser, to seize on The Charles Schwab Corp.'s offer to waive electronic stock commissions through next June 30 and reimburse account transfer fees for any new-to-Schwab client that RIAs sign on by yearend.
Although state and local governments across the country face staggering budget deficits, their struggles are having little effect on municipal-bond prices.
Your client has an account with a bank located in a foreign country. The client has heard that the government is imposing onerous penalties for failure to file a FBAR report by June 30. Are they in trouble? What should they do immediately to resolve the situation?
Negotiations aimed at settling the Internal Revenue Service's tax evasion lawsuit against Swiss bank UBS AG gained traction this morning when a federal judge agreed to postpone the case until early August or possibly longer.
When Ben Marks set up shop as an independent registered investment adviser in November, he wasn't ready to give up the commissions that helped support him for more than a quarter century at large brokerage firms.
Investors should prepare for a roller-coaster ride for the rest of the year as equity markets struggle to make headway.
World stock markets fell while oil prices slipped again Wednesday amid mounting worries about the speed of any global economic recovery just as the U.S. second-quarter earnings kicks off.
Oswald Grubel, who took over as UBS's chief executive officer in February, has elected not to sell the company's wealth management business here, despite speculation in recent months that he might offload this business.
Despite the intense scrutiny on executive compensation by legislatures and regulators, major brokerage firms continue to offer generous recruitment packages to top brokers.
Bank of America Corp of Charlotte, N.C. has joined the ever-growing list of firms that are being required to repay investors who bought auction rate securities.
In a risk-averse environment, 130/30 has lost its cool factor, with investors shying away from the strategy after getting clobbered in the market downturn.
Investors and financial advisers who are stuck holding auction rate securities bought from “downstream” broker-dealers have begun to step up their legal claims against the major firms that marketed the investments as safe.
The Charles Schwab Corp. edged out Fidelity Investments during the first quarter in the battle to service the small but growing number of stockbrokers who are leaving their Series 7 licenses behind to become independent investment advisers.
Wealthy Americans who have offshore bank accounts may be sweating more than usual this summer.
