Winners rationale

Few would argue that the importance of strategic and wealth planning solutions will only increase in this era of global regulatory alignment and mass wealth transition. But to date, few private banks have truly implicated their wealth planning offering into the heart of their service suite in such a way that it touches all aspects of the private client proposition.

Credit Suisse is not only a rare exception but is the industry’s outstanding wealth planner in 2017, on account of its demonstrated ability to address the complex needs of Asia’s UHNW segment holistically and nimbly.

Under its Wealth Planning model, clients receive a one-stop-shop that spans advisory and services catering to the full spectrum of their demands. These range from structuring advisory services that help the family plan and develop appropriate structures to hold the family’s assets, family office and philanthropy advisory services, to Credit Suisse Trust services, while backed by an extensive network of lawyers, accountants, property managers, asset managers, trustees etc, further testifying its ability to advise and execute holding structures for clients with a best-in-class service model.

Indeed, as a strong forethought to succession planning, Credit Suisse can build trust structures to hold operating assets – a service deemed so costly that most private banks are unable to offer it. This was an important point of differentiation for the firm in 2017.

The private bank’s Asia Wealth Planning and Trust teams garner strength from its combined facility of over 50 personnel, with the majority cherry-picked for their advisory service experience. Asian Private Banker finds this compelling evidence for the region’s wealthy to commend such dedication to service.

In return, many UHNW families of the region recognise the services that are offered to them are increasingly critical during a time of generational transition – for example, more new trust business has been generated from Asia Pacific families than for any other regions in the last two years..

Credit Suisse has also further extended its well-recognised family office services proposition in Asia into a more holistic advisory wealth planning platform. This expanded platform works closely with families of significant wealth as they consider and implement their plans for the transition of their entrepreneurial and financial wealth from one generation to another.

Building on the ingredients that have successfully placed the bank as the adviser of choice to some of Asia’s most sophisticated as well as new family offices, Credit Suisse has additionally assembled a team with comprehensive capabilities spanning family office services, philanthropy advisory and responsible and impact investing and structuring of private label funds.

Intense competition in the wealth planning space has brought the best out of Credit Suisse. The Judges agreed unanimously.