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Many partner- or family-owned private banks are under pressure, and look for mergers or cooperation options as a result. What path is Reyl pursuing in this regard?

We believe that independence is the best way for Reyl. However, we don't want to rule out niche acquisitions, and are open for cooperations – if they help step up our growth. 

In Katia Coudray and Guido Bolliger for Asteria, you've hired two well-known ex-top executives of Banque Syz in Geneva. The bank is tipped as a takeover candidate. Is Reyl interested? 

I don't want to comment on that. I genuinely wish Syz only the best. Katia had already left the bank when we recruited her. Guido found a new vocation at Asteria. 

In Luxembourg, you're in the process of taking over a rival: Scandinavian Öhman Bank. Have you received approval from the local regulator? 

That's ongoing. We are told that it takes a lot of time nowadays to approve acquisitions. The regulator wants to be 100 percent certain. 

You're getting back into asset management, after selling RAM Active Investments to Mediobanca in 2017. Blowing hot and cold?

On the contrary: asset management suits our diversified strategy very well. We still have a good name in this business and are looking for niches where we can grow profitably. That's definitely the case with impact investment – especially since we see our own values reflected in this area.

Investment gurus remind us daily how unstable financial markets are because of geopolitical tensions. As a wealth manager, Reyl is active in Asia, the U.S., and the Middle East – all hot spots. Time to retreat?

Our investment chief also recommends an increasingly conservative strategy! The world definitely is constantly changing. But it's very important for us to be present abroad, beyond Europe. If you want to cater to entrepreneurs and family offices, you have to be present in these markets in order to ensure you're providing personalized service.

François Reyl began his career in 1989 at Jones Day in New York. He moved back to Paris in the law firm's corporate department before moving to then-CSFB (Credit Suisse First Boston) in London. Reyl initially worked in mergers and acquisitions and from 1998 as co-founder of a unit devoted to loans for corporate takeovers. He joined Reyl in 2002 as a partner and head of business development for the bank founded by his father, Dominique Reyl. In 2008, François Reyl become CEO of Banque Reyl and expanded the initially wealth management focused bank into four units. The newest development is Asteria, an impact investing subsidiary. Reyl recorded a profit of 6.2 million Swiss francs ($6.24 billion) on 11.4 billion francs of managed assets last year.