Credit Suisse’s compliance chief will be a linchpin for the Swiss bank’s reform agenda and a key port of call for its board. Rafael Lopez Lorenzo's (pictured below) experience at J.P. Morgan in business and audit as well as stints with PwC and IBM will help him instill a culture of healthier observance of rules at Credit Suisse. With five years at the Zurich-based bank, he is enough of an insider to push it through.

Jackie Hess: Mission in Miami

Vontobel's takeover of UBS' offshore business in the U.S. vaulted Jacqueline «Jackie» Hess (pictured below) into the spotlight. The deal will swell Vontobel's U.S. assets to $10 billion – an estimated half of the entire market volume in the niche business.

Roughly 30 players are currently in the market – UBS is a sign that a long-awaited consolidation may have arrived. At Vontobel, Hess' job is to expand: the Swiss bank wants to open an office in Miami this year, CEO Zeno Staub said recently. 

Florian Schuetz – Cyber-Watcher Seeking Allies

The Log4j bug has highlighted the necessity of more robust cyber defenses. Schuetz leads the task force and advocated for certification.

(Image: Keystone)

With the topic also front and center as a risk for Finma as well as atop the agenda of Switzerland's new top banking lobbyist, Schuetz is sure to find allies not only in Bern but also on Paradeplatz.

Arthur Vayloyan: Gaining Heft At Bitcoin Suisse

The Swiss banker has been CEO of Bitcoin Suisse since 2017, but is set to add more heft following the departure of founder Niklas Nikolajsen from the crypto broker’s board. Arthur Vayloyan’s new counterpart – Luzius Meisser – is hand-picked by Nikolajsen, but has no banking or corporate experience. 

Vayloyan, an ex-Credit Suisse top executive, is sure to have a weighty say in Bitcoin Suisse’s strategy, after Finma demurred on giving it a banking license last year.

By Katharina Bart and Samuel Gerber