4
Piguet Galland & Cie SA, a Swiss private bank headquartered in Yverdon-les-Bains and majority owned by Banque Cantonale Vaudoise (BCV Group), was created in 2011 through the merger of Banque Piguet and Banque Franck, Galland. Piguet Galland & Cie’s origins date back to 1856, when Banque Piguet opened its doors in Yverdon-les-Bains. The bank’s principal clientele continues to be French-speaking Swiss.
Piguet Galland & Cie places paramount importance on the “human factor” and fostering trust in its relationships with clients, believing that its purpose is not only to manage their wealth but also to listen to their stories, to understand who they are and where they want to go before advising them. Working within three main areas of expertise—wealth advisory, investments and financing—the bank’s advisors act as their clients’ partners, accompanying them on their financial journeys.
The bank has made great strides in digitalizing its operations, but it still aims to “feel human” to its clients, even if it is through a computer or smartphone screen. Piguet Galland & Cie seeks to offer clients the peace of mind that derives from knowing that their financial needs are in competent, caring hands. The bank has various branches in the French-speaking regions of the country, including Geneva.
International Banker enjoyed the opportunity to interview Mr. Selman Bicaco, head of private banking and wealth management, to discuss the bank’s latest achievements, especially its impressive technological innovations.
Mr. Selman Bicaco, Head of Private Banking and Wealth Management, Piguet Galland & Cie
Mr. Bicaco, I’m so glad to speak with you today….
You’ve described Piguet Galland’s approach to serving clients as “intimate banking”—being a trusted advisor and fostering a human connection built on listening, transparency and personalized support. Could you share any formal strategies the bank adopts internally to cultivate this sense of intimacy with clients? And would you say that the decision to focus on select regions within French-speaking Switzerland, rather than pursuing broader geographical expansion, further reinforces this approach?
At Piguet Galland, “intimate banking” is not a marketing concept but the foundation of our business model. We believe private banking must rediscover its human roots: Behind every portfolio is a person, a story and ambitions. Our first responsibility is to listen and understand before advising. Internally, we foster this intimacy through compact multidisciplinary teams that operate with proximity and autonomy, enabling fast, collaborative decision-making. Every onboarding and portfolio review begins with a genuine conversation about life moments—be it a business sale, family transition or real-estate project—before discussing performance.
We encourage genuine conversations with clients rather than product-driven discussions. Our relationship managers are empowered to act as trusted advisors, and we invest heavily in training to foster a culture where listening, transparency and proactive support are paramount. Our structure promotes proximity and autonomy, ensuring that advice is always tailored and personal.
Our deliberate choice to remain anchored in key cities across French-speaking Switzerland reinforces this approach. Proximity means understanding local ecosystems, being physically present and maintaining relationships that are both personal and relevant. We believe that a selective regional focus is more compatible with long-term trust than expansion for its own sake. This allows us to be present at key moments, deepening our understanding of clients’ lives and aspirations and delivering advice that is both relevant and impactful.
What are some of the main ways in which your intimate banking approach differs from the outset when serving various segments of your client base, such as individuals, families and entrepreneurs? And in what ways is technology or digitalization helping, if at all, to advance the goals of intimate banking across these different segments?
Our clients—entrepreneurs, families, individuals—are diverse, but they all seek clarity and confidence. The way we build that trust, however, differs depending on the segment. For entrepreneurs, our role is often to bring structure and visibility to complex financial situations. They expect reactivity and an integrated view that links business and personal wealth. For families, intimacy means understanding intergenerational dynamics and creating continuity—helping them navigate inheritance, education and legacy issues. For individuals, it’s about simplifying and giving meaning to their financial journeys, focusing on life-stage planning and personalized investment strategies.
Technology is a key enabler of intimacy across all client segments. Our My Piguet Galland platform, together with our internal CRM (customer relationship management) tools, gives clients and advisors a complete 360-degree view, providing clear, consolidated information and truly tailored advice. By automating routine tasks, digitalization frees up time for the conversations that matter most. While technology brings structure, humans bring understanding and insight. Our new cloud-based, mobile-first platform integrates seamlessly into clients’ daily lives, offering a unified view of their assets and digital access to our signature wealth-assessment tool. This approach enhances our ability to deliver personalized advice, streamline processes and, most importantly, preserve the human connection at the heart of our philosophy. After all, private banking is not just about managing wealth; it is about knowing and supporting the people behind it.
In 2025, what are some of the most frequent trends you are broadly observing among your private-banking clients, especially when it comes to their own needs and preferences? Would you say that such needs and preferences have generally shifted or evolved in recent years, and if so, in what main ways?
Yes, client expectations have evolved profoundly. The new generation of clients—whether entrepreneurs or heirs—is pragmatic and value-driven. They are less impressed by formality and more attentive to transparency, accessibility and purpose.
We have observed three major trends. First, a search for simplicity: Clients want clarity, not complexity. They expect integrated solutions that combine wealth management, planning and financing under one roof. Second, a demand for meaning and impact: Sustainability is no longer a niche concern but a key decision factor. And third, an emphasis on trust through clarity: Clients want to understand the rationale behind decisions, not just the results.
At Piguet Galland, we embrace these trends because they align perfectly with our intimate banking philosophy—a model whereby clarity, coherence and care replace opacity and distance. There is a growing demand for comprehensive wealth planning, sustainable investment options and seamless digital experiences. Clients expect their private bank to be both a trusted advisor and a technology partner, capable of delivering value at every touchpoint. These preferences have evolved rapidly in recent years, with clients now prioritizing flexibility, accessibility and a deeper alignment with their personal values.
What are the principal avenues through which the bank is personalizing its approach to relationship management within private banking and wealth management at present? And which specific digital tools and/or technologies are boosting the degree of personalization you can provide to each client?
Personalization starts with listening, but it is made actionable through data. Our CRM aggregates financial and non-financial data, allowing relationship managers to identify patterns, anticipate needs and tailor advice. Digital platforms track interactions and preferences, helping advisors prepare more relevant conversations. For example, a client exploring financing simulations might be invited to discuss liquidity planning. Digitalization enables us to keep our service genuinely personal, even as our client base grows. Technology brings structure; humans bring sense. Our digital tools, such as our new e/mBanking platform and digital wealth-assessment journey, enable us to deliver mass-personalized advice, automate routine tasks and focus on what matters most: the client relationship. The AI-driven insights and modular digital journeys coming from the tools being rolled out will further enhance our ability to anticipate client needs and deliver relevant, timely advice.
As I understand it, instilling a cultural transformation towards digitalization has been an essential element of the bank’s overall digital-transformation process. What would you say has been the most effective learning method you have implemented to help your employees understand the key aspects of this digital transformation?
The most effective way to drive cultural change is to involve people, not impose it on them. At Piguet Galland, we view digitalization as a collective learning journey rather than a top-down initiative. Our approach emphasizes participation, experimentation and proximity, encouraging teams to test tools, share feedback and adapt processes together. Training is centered on real-life cases, helping employees experience tangible benefits for both clients and themselves.
We actively gather client input and conduct surveys to understand their needs, ensuring that digital tools and processes are aligned with what truly matters to them. Leadership models digital openness, fostering confidence instead of mere compliance. When employees feel a sense of ownership over change, digital transformation becomes both natural and sustainable.
Our comprehensive, employee-driven training program allows individuals to shape their own learning paths, supported by a blend of third-party platforms, regulatory courses and internal initiatives. This approach nurtures autonomy, engagement and a culture of continuous learning, all while keeping the client’s perspective at the heart of every step in the transformation.
I understand that the bank’s decision to move towards a cloud-based, mobile-first platform will be hugely beneficial for your clients; for one, they will be able to monitor their portfolios’ performances more conveniently. What are some of the key specific solutions that the bank is introducing to help clients more effectively manage their portfolios “on the go”?
Our My Piguet Galland platform sets a new standard for “intimacy through accessibility”. Clients can visualize their entire portfolios across asset classes in real-time and with complete security. Our cloud-based, mobile-first architecture ensures a seamless and secure experience, empowering clients to stay connected to their wealth—and to us—wherever they are. The upcoming digital wealth assessment will allow clients to update their financial profiles and receive tailored recommendations directly from their mobile devices. These solutions empower clients to manage their wealth proactively wherever they are.
In the coming months, I understand the bank is set to launch a digital version of its signature wealth assessment within its mobile-banking application. Why is this development such a significant milestone for the bank, and in what main ways will it enhance the customer experience?
This project is a milestone because it represents the digital translation of our DNA. Our wealth assessment has always been the foundation of our client relationship—a comprehensive, life-oriented analysis that goes beyond numbers. By making it digital, we preserve its depth while enhancing accessibility. Clients can now complete their assessments, define their priorities and visualize the structure of their wealth directly through the app. This interactive process encourages reflection and transparency, while giving the advisor richer insights to prepare more targeted advice. Ultimately, this feature embodies our philosophy: Digital tools should make the relationship more personal, not more distant.
In addition, this is of special importance to us as we believe it creates a stronger strategic distance between us and our competitors. We have a unique position with our narrow focus on French-speaking Switzerland. This focus enables us to achieve greater depth in understanding our clients’ environments. Our wealth assessment comprises the legacy of this statement: With only two documents and a little information, we can deliver the assessment, which includes specific recommendations for your situation, your leverage capability and your tax-savings potential. To our knowledge, we are the only ones delivering this in Switzerland. We have found a few examples of competitors trying to do something similar, but never with a focus on private clients and the level of sophistication that we have. By going digital and building this solution for our clients, we are going further with this unique proposition.
If I’m not mistaken, one of Piguet Galland’s highest priorities at present is to ensure the digitalization of all customer journeys within the bank. In practical terms, what are the key measures that need to be taken to make this goal a reality? And what are some of the key common aspects among most, if not all, customer journeys that you want to digitalize in this manner?
Indeed, our objective is to digitalize all major customer journeys—from onboarding to portfolio review and lending. Practically, this means mapping every touchpoint and ensuring a seamless flow between digital and human interactions. The key measure is coherence. Each journey must reflect our standards of transparency, simplicity and reliability. Whether a client opens an account, requests a financing solution or reviews performance, the experience should feel intuitive and unified. We are also integrating self-service capabilities for recurring tasks, allowing clients to act autonomously while keeping their advisors at the center of the relationship. In short, we digitalize the process, not the relationship.
Digitizing customer journeys is also a good way to review them and to move the overall experience forward. We have a clear vision of where digital complements the bank’s relationship with clients, and we are basically making sure that every side of this relationship can rely on digital to be delivered at its best. The common aspect we are looking for is to enhance the journey, enhance the number of interactions with clients and ease the whole process. For example, when we replace a process that is fundamentally a chain of emails with digital functionality in the app, it fulfills the key objective of making the client journey better, but at the same time, it removes complexity from internal processes. And being a regulated industry, removing complexity also has spillover impacts on the volume of controls being performed on the operation. The digitalization program aims to be a win-win: a better customer journey with more interactions, while having less-complex processes, enabling a marginally simpler activity on the controls side.
Among the specific solutions and upgrades that the bank plans to introduce over the coming months, which one will most significantly improve the bank’s ability to conduct intimate banking with clients? And which digital tool, product or service that the bank will soon introduce are you most excited about, and why?
Many things are going on; hence, picking just one is a difficult task. In the very short term, the digital version of our wealth assessment is, in my view, the most transformative. It captures the essence of our intimate banking promise: listening first, then advising. It turns what used to be a static process into an interactive dialog, allowing clients to reflect on their own situations even before meeting with their advisors. This feature will be very visible to clients, as it follows the bank’s logic that if you are a client of Piguet Galland living in Switzerland, you have done your wealth assessment.
I am also very enthusiastic about the upcoming integration of Lombard lending directly into our digital platform. This feature will enable clients to simulate, request and monitor credit solutions instantly—all within a secure environment—while keeping their relationship managers in the loop.
While the last two will be directly visible to clients, I’m also quite excited by the huge possibilities that we are unlocking for our front-office team by rolling out a new CRM. This will enable greater client insights and increase our ability to deliver personalized services at scale. That shift will probably be felt internally first, as we will be able to be more precise in everything we do. We will be able to better allocate our team’s time to the right client at the right moment, design better campaigns and get to the next level in understanding the evolution of our client base. We have many ideas on how to use those capabilities, as a CRM is really a toolbox; it is up to you to define what you want to do with it. The teams are quite excited to use these new tools and adapt how they work.
Those three examples perfectly illustrate what we are aiming for: simplicity, fluidity and trust enhanced by technology. Together, these innovations strengthen our ability to remain what we aspire to be—a private bank that feels human, even through the screen.
You have been amazingly successful in achieving your goals, Mr. Bicaco. Thank you again for your time.
