Swiss investment bank Vontobel is providing a service for banks and wealth managers in Switzerland to deposit, buy and sell cryptocurrency on behalf of clients, in a first for world banking.

The new solution, named the “Digital Asset Vault”, will allow financial intermediaries to provide clients with an end-to-end service offering for digital assets, allowing them to issue instructions for their purchase, storage and transfer securely within their own banking infrastructure.

As interest in cryptocurrency among the wealthy has increased in recent years, so has the requirement for private banks and wealth managers to supply appropriate products and services.

However, according to Vontobel, no mainstream financial institution has offered a solution like this that meets the regulatory framework that clients would desire.

The next step

A statement from Vontobel says that the Digital Asset Vault is an alternative for financial institutions having to personally register with digital asset providers, and allows clients to buy, sell and transfer coins by issuing instructions to their own bank.

Roger Studer, Head of Vontobel Investment Banking, said, “Digital Asset Vault represents the logical next step in the development of our range of services for digital assets. By incorporating digital assets into our banking infrastructure, we have become the first provider to meet the high standards required by financial intermediaries and their regulators.”

How well do you really know your competitors?

Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.

Company Profile – free sample

Thank you!

Your download email will arrive shortly

Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample

We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form

By GlobalData
Visit our Privacy Policy for more information about our services, how we may use, process and share your personal data, including information of your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications. Our services are intended for corporate subscribers and you warrant that the email address submitted is your corporate email address.

While a number of major private banks have vocalised philosophical sentiment towards cryptocurrency, very few have yet to firmly commit and launch a crypto offering.

The cryptocurrency space holds interest for a healthy number of high-net-worth individuals. The 2018 Capgemini World Wealth Report found that 29 per cent of HNWIs are highly interested in investing in crypto, with a further 27 per cent somewhat interested.

The family run Vontobel is a Zurich-based financial services company offering solutions in wealth and asset management, and last year reported that clients assets totalled CHF209.4bn as of the end of the third quarter.