HNWIs often need long-term support in their financial and family decisions. This is where a specialist private bank’s expertise in wealth management, wealth structuring, and international tax strategies can add real value. And in today’s demanding environment, some institutions stand out for their expertise and long track record.
Founded in Geneva in 1796, Lombard Odier is now a global leader in wealth management, with CHF 349 billion in assets under management1 as of 31 December 2025. As a private bank, we offer our clients personalised wealth management services, wealth structuring, succession planning, and bespoke investment solutions to help them preserve and grow their wealth over the long term.
But what does private banking for wealthy clients actually involve? And why do some families choose these institutions to help them manage their assets over several generations?
See also: The advantages of private banking | Lombard Odier
What is a private bank for wealthy individuals?
A private bank specialises in supporting wealthy clients, their families, and their asset projects over the long term. It helps them structure, protect, grow, and pass on their wealth while accounting for their broader financial, wealth, and family objectives.
Unlike retail banks – which offer their clients standardised banking services – a private bank’s teams of experts in investment, wealth planning, international tax management, wealth structuring, and succession planning can offer personalised advice to each HNWI. Here, a private bank’s role is to construct bespoke solutions appropriate to the complexity of the situation and which take a long-term view.
As a private bank, we offer our clients personalised wealth management services, wealth structuring, succession planning, and bespoke investment solutions to help them preserve and grow their wealth over the long term
What are the characteristics of a bank dedicated to HNWIs?
A private bank focusses primarily on serving the specific needs of wealthy entrepreneurs and senior executives, families, international investors, and family offices. Such needs include the global diversification of investments, international tax structuring, and intergenerational wealth transfers. According to the Capgemini Research Institute’s World Wealth Report 2025, in 2024, there were 23.4 million HNWIs globally who collectively held more than USD 90.5 trillion of assets2.
Why wealthy individuals prefer private banks
Unlike traditional banks, private banks can support HNWIs with all their wealth management needs, enabling them to serve as true partners. This is because private banks offer more specialised financial services than traditional banks, including bespoke wealth management, strategic investment advice, succession planning, international tax optimisation, and access to exclusive assets (e.g., private equity, alternative assets, etc.).
What criteria should wealthy individuals use to choose a private bank?
Wealthy families and investors prefer specialist institutions that offer:
| CRITERION |
OBJECTIVE |
| Financial solidity |
Guarantee the institution is stable and can protect wealth |
| Independence of capital |
Avoid the conflicts of interest common in retail banks |
| Cross-border management |
Support international families |
| Tax expertise |
Optimise wealth structuring |
| Technology platform |
Make it easy to monitor and manage investments |
To better understand the benefits of this model, discover the advantages of an independent Swiss private bank like Lombard Odier, which is entirely owned by its Managing Partners and offers long-term stability and rigorous risk management.
With more than 25 offices around the world, Lombard Odier also enjoys an international network and presence that allows us to serve clients wherever they are and across jurisdictions
Lombard Odier: international expertise serving wealthy individuals
Lombard Odier has been helping clients and their families manage their wealth for 230 years. Our longevity and success are largely due to a business model that ensures total independence – we are entirely owned by our Managing Partners, so we never have to yield to market pressures.
Whereas shareholder-owned banks are incentivised to focus on quarterly performance, our independent structure enables us to prioritise long-term outcomes – an approach wealthy families, whose wealth horizon is measured not in months but in generations, find invaluable. With more than 25 offices around the world, Lombard Odier also enjoys an international network and presence that allows us to serve clients wherever they are and across jurisdictions. Because each client is on a unique journey.
Bespoke wealth management support
Lombard Odier’s banking services for HNWIs are suitable for entrepreneurs, international investors, senior executives, and wealthy families.
As specialists in customised support, we consider each client’s life goals, tax position, risk tolerance, and wealth structure to create personalised and holistic investment solutions, from discretionary management to multi-asset strategies.
Discover personalised services for wealthy individuals at Lombard Odier.
Thanks to our long track record and proven reliability, especially around independent governance, wealth management expertise, and a cutting-edge technology platform, Lombard Odier nurtures long-term, trust-based client relationships over several generations.
An innovative private bank providing a global service for the long term
Lombard Odier takes great care to ensure our investments are aligned with economic transformations, and we are committed to sustainable investing. We specialise in developing sustainable investment strategies, impact investment solutions, and financial research that integrates climate change concerns.
Lombard Odier named the World’s Best Private Bank
We were named “World’s Best Private Bank” at the Euromoney Awards 2025. Euromoney is one of the world’s leading international financial publications, and this award is a testament to the effectiveness of our approach to wealth management.
The depth of our expertise was also highlighted by two further awards: “World’s Best Chief Investment Office” for the quality of our investment strategies, and “World’s Best for Succession Planning”.
Discover all the awards won by Lombard Odier.
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What services does Lombard Odier offer wealthy individuals?
To meet the complexity of its clients’ needs, a private bank for wealthy individuals must offer holistic financial services.
Wealthy families must also think about preserving and passing them on to future generations. Here, Lombard Odier can help at each stage of the journey, including legal structuring of assets, succession planning, family governance, and support for heirs
Bespoke wealth management and investment solutions
To meet the unique needs of HNWIs, Lombard Odier bases its wealth management offering around holistic, bespoke services, including discretionary or advisory mandates, strategic multi-asset allocation, tax advice, and international diversification.
We construct our strategies to reflect the objectives, investment horizon, and risk profile of each client. Going beyond traditional asset classes, Lombard Odier also offers access to alternative sources of return – such as private equity, infrastructure, and unlisted assets – plus sustainable investment strategies and impact investing, which combine financial performance with measurable environmental and social impacts.
Wealth structuring and inter-generational wealth transfers
Apart from managing their assets, wealthy families must also think about preserving and passing them on to future generations. Here, Lombard Odier can help at each stage of the journey, including legal structuring of assets, succession planning, family governance, and support for heirs. This approach enables wealthy families to plan for transitions, secure family interests for the long term, and give each generation the keys to enjoy and preserve the family’s wealth.
Lombard Odier: an exclusive partner for optimising wealth management
We focus on building long-term relationships with our HNWI clients, with a dedicated point of contact, a team of wealth experts, and regular monitoring of investments.
Lombard Odier serves HNWIs as copilot and partner, optimising wealth management by offering support for investment decisions, tax arbitrage, and succession planning. Our genuinely bespoke approach is one of the main advantages of our banking services for HNWIs.
FAQs on banking services for HNWIs
Lombard Odier is an independent Swiss private bank run by its Managing Partners, offering customised wealth management strategies supported by an international network of experts. With 25 offices around the world, we offer access to private markets and sustainable investment by integrating tax planning, legal structuring, and family governance. Our cutting-edge proprietary digital tools ensure portfolio transparency while keeping human relationships at the heart of our approach.
Our clients can invest in equities and bonds, alternative assets, private equity, infrastructure, unlisted assets, and impact investing. We also support investors looking to align their financial performance with sustainability, which is a key driver in our investment philosophy.
Our financial services for HNWIs cover the full range of assets: discretionary portfolio management, international tax advice, legal structuring of assets, succession planning, and support for future generations. Each client has a dedicated point of contact and a team of experts tailored to their personal situation.
Generally, we work with clients whose liquid assets exceed CHF 1 million or the equivalent in their local currency. However, the amount can vary, depending on the service required and the country of residence.
We support wealthy families across three complementary dimensions: legal and tax structuring of wealth, family governance (especially for family offices and multi-generational wealth), and inter-generational wealth transfers, including the preparation of heirs.
Several criteria make independent private banks a compelling alternative to retail banks. Their financial strength and independent governance allow them to take a long-term approach to client relationships, so they are less exposed to the commercial switching from which large, diversified institutions suffer.
Private banks also stand out for their deep expertise in cross-border and multi-jurisdictional issues. Such expertise is crucial when assisting international families whose wealth, homes, holding structures, and succession objectives often come under multiple regulatory frameworks.
In addition, private banks offer a higher level of support based on proximity, continuity of advice, and coordination between wealth management, wealth planning, and tax considerations. Their capacity to offer diversified investment architecture – including private and alternative asset solutions, depending on the client profile – also enhances private banks’ ability to construct asset strategies that can adapt to changes in the markets and clients’ needs over several generations.
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