6. Hanspeter Brunner

In 2009, Hanspeter Brunner shocked the private banking industry in Asia by walking out of RBS Coutts for Banca Svizzera della Italiana, or BSI – taking nearly a third of the British bank's staff in Singapore with him. One year after defecting to BSI, a local trade publication (behind paywall) named him «Asian Private Banker of the Year».

A veteran of Asia, Brunner liked to call himself the «first Swiss banker in China,» having moved there with Credit Suisse in 1985. When the 1MDB scandal blew open in 2016, Brunner's career as a wealth manager was over (he was still afforded the luxury of retirement from BSI that same year). Later, Singapore's regulator yanked BSI's license after the bank's extensive 1MDB dealings became public.

Brunner's passport was nabbed by Singapore officials, and he was investigated – though three years on, no charges have emerged. A Swiss enforcement probe against Brunner also appears to be ongoing. Last year, the Swiss banker won back his papers under certain conditions, as finews.com reported. He also emerged as an adviser to a Swiss due diligence firm run by his son, as finews.com reported.