Maerki Baumann on Wednesday formally inaugurated its Middle East hub in Abu Dhabi, attended by Carole Schmied-Syz, Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of Maerki Baumann & Co., as well as representatives of the supervisory authorities. The bank has received the required license from the Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) of ADGM. With this move, the Swiss private bank is deliberately expanding its geographic footprint beyond Europe and establishing a local hub in the Middle East.

The licensing process was completed in less than a year. «For projects of this nature, that is a very efficient timeline,» CEO Stephan A. Zwahlen told finews.

Archip by Maerki Baumann as the regional platform

The new Middle East hub operates under the brand «Archip by Maerki Baumann» and consolidates the bank’s offering for technology, blockchain, and crypto companies. The objective is to provide these clients with access to core financial infrastructure and to position the bank as a long-term banking partner in an increasingly regulated environment. The service offering includes corporate accounts, liquidity management, as well as comprehensive services across trading, custody, staking, and the management of digital assets for private, institutional, and corporate clients.

Targeting Web3 clients with a local presence

With its on-the-ground presence in Abu Dhabi, Maerki Baumann is specifically targeting Web3 and other technology-driven clients in the region. Client coverage is handled locally by relationship managers, while operational execution remains with the tech banking team in Zurich, which brings many years of experience serving several hundred technology and crypto companies.

A crypto strategist at the helm

The Middle East hub is led by Andreas Fröhlicher, who previously served as General Counsel as well as Head of Legal & Compliance at the Zurich private bank and has played a key role in shaping its crypto strategy since 2019. Fröhlicher reports to Lukas S. Risi, Deputy CEO and Head of Private Banking. Together with his deputy, Anil Sethi, Fröhlicher will oversee market development on the ground. Sethi has lived in the Middle East for around 15 years and, prior to joining Maerki Baumann, held roles at various financial institutions in the region.

According to Zwahlen, the bank deliberately opted for a lean and focused setup. There are currently no plans to open additional locations in the Middle East.

A pioneer among Swiss banks

The CEO describes the Abu Dhabi expansion as a «strategically important milestone» for the bank. «The internationalization of our tech banking activities underscores our long-term commitment to providing best-in-class banking services to technology-driven companies,» Zwahlen said. The proximity to clients in the Middle East is being combined with the established expertise and service quality of Switzerland.

Maerki Baumann took a strategic step into digital assets as early as 2019. Since then, the family-owned private bank has positioned itself as one of the pioneers among Swiss banks in the crypto segment, bridging traditional private banking with the digital asset economy. Today, the bank serves several hundred private and institutional clients from the crypto community, combining classic Swiss banking services with innovative digital solutions.