Banque Bonhôte
Company type | Public company |
---|---|
Industry | Private banking, wealth management, institutional asset managements |
Genre | Private bank |
Founded | 1815 |
Headquarters | , |
Number of locations | Neuchâtel, Biel-Bienne, Geneva, Bern, Lausanne |
Key people | Jean Berthoud (chair) |
Products | Private banking |
Number of employees | 51–200 employees |
Website | www |
Banque Bonhôte & Cie is a Swiss private bank founded in 1815 in Neuchâtel.[1] It is active in the wealth and asset management sector.
History
In 1815, Louis-Auguste Petitmaître created the first private bank in Neuchâtel at the age of 18, while the city had only around 4,000 inhabitants.[2][3][4] The company initially specialised in metal trading before becoming a real banking institution in the years which followed.[5] Louis-Auguste Petitmaître's bank was taken over by his son Louis-Édouard in 1872, who was previously elected as deputy at the beginning of the 1860s.[2][6]
In 1895, the latter partnered with Paul Bonhôte, leading to the creation of the Antenen Bonhôte & Cie Bank, which became the Bonhôte & Cie Bank in 1903.[7][8]
In 1936, Claude Bonhôte took over from his father, maintaining control of the bank's management until 1988. In 1987, he sold the business to the financial holding company Prigest SA.[7]
In 1992, Jean Berthoud and a group of partners repurchased the bank. Jean Berthoud took over the managing of the institution and reintegrated a member of the Bonhôte family to the board of directors.[7] Jean Berthoud came himself from a family which was active in the sector of wealth management in France from the end of the 18th century, with his relative Jonas Berthoud having launched the Berthoud & Son Bank in 1785, which later became the Neuflize OBC bank, which was nationalised from 1981 to 1988.[9]
In 1999, the newspaper Le Temps wrote that "Bonhôte was the latest of twelve investment banks which put Neuchâtel on the map in the 1920s".[10]
From 2004, Bonhôte started to expand, with the opening of several branches in Switzerland. A first one opened in Bienne in 2004,[11] followed by Geneva (2009),[12] Bern (2011),[13] Lausanne (2016), Solothurn and Zürich (2020).[14]
In 2014, Yves de Montmollin took over managing the bank.[15] Jean Berthoud, majority shareholder of the institution, at this time took up the post of president of the board of directors.[16] Jean Berthoud has also sat on the board of directors for the Swiss Bankers Association since 2010.[17]
Operations
The operations of the Bonhôte Group cover a range of services in the wealth and asset management sectors. In wealth management, the Bank's clients are made up of 85% Swiss residents.[16]
The banking services are provided by Bonhôte & Cie SA Bank. These include asset management through a range of UCITS-type investment funds: equity funds, bond funds, hedge funds and property investment funds. The Bonhôte Bank's asset management branch remains mainly known for having launched the Bonhôte-Property fund in 2006, who later took over the funds from Dynamic Real Estate Fund (DREF) making it one of the most significant property funds in the Romandy area.[18]
The advisory services, meanwhile, are provided by three specialist subsidiaries, each enjoying a level of autonomy in its operations:
- Bonhôte Services SA: a subsidiary specialising in legal and financial advice (Swiss and international) for individuals and legal entities.
- BT Swiss Trustee SA: a subsidiary specialising in the administration of trusts.
- Private Client Partners: a division dedicated to huge wealth and based in Zürich.[14]
Governance
In 2017, the Bonhôte Bank was made up of around 100 collaborators, of which 4–5 employees were posted in each of its Swiss Romandie branches.
In 2021, it bought a German-owned bank Bank Private Client Partners (PCP).[19]
References
- ^ "Justice Department Announces Banque Bonhôte & Cie SA Reaches Resolution Under Swiss Bank Program". www.justice.gov. 3 November 2015. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
- ^ a b Allanfranchini 2015, p. 9.
- ^ Allanfranchini 2015, p. 34.
- ^ Allanfranchini 2015, p. 40.
- ^ Allanfranchini 2015, p. 47.
- ^ Allanfranchini 2015, p. 54.
- ^ a b c Volorio Perriard, Myriam. "Bonhôte". Historical Dictionary of Switzerland (in French). Retrieved 20 August 2020.
- ^ Allanfranchini 2015, p. 61.
- ^ Allanfranchini 2015, pp. 28–29.
- ^ ISSN 1423-3967. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
- ISSN 1423-3967. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
- ^ "La Banque Bonhôte & Cie SA présente de bons résultats 2008 et continue son expansion en direction de Genève". PressePortal. 29 April 2009. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
- ^ "La banque Bonhôte ouvre une succursale à Berne". ArcInfo. 16 June 2011. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
- ^ a b Garcia, Rebecca (19 August 2020). "Bonhôte, l'irréductible banque privée". Bilan. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
- ISSN 1423-3967. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
- ^ ISSN 1423-3967. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
- ^ "Jean Berthoud nommé". Arcinfo. 17 September 2010. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
- ^ "Le fonds Bonhôte-Immobilier offre le choix d'un dividende en titres". AGEFI. 14 June 2017. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
- ^ "Banque Bonhôte Buys Private Bank in Zurich". finews.com. 2 July 2020. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
- Allanfranchini, Patrice (2015). 200 ans à façonner l'avenir : 1815–2015. Le Locle: G d'Encre. OCLC 1041234180.