Arab Bank Switzerland is opening a new office in Abu Dhabi and appointing Valérie Noël as CEO.

Noël has more than 30 years of experience in financial markets, wealth management, asset management, trading, and digital assets. She began her career in Geneva and has held senior positions at HSBC Private Bank, among others. She later served as Head of Trading at the Syz Group.

Following final approval from the Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA), the regional subsidiary Arab Bank Switzerland ME Ltd has begun operations in the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), the bank said in a statement on Thursday.

Expansion continues

Going forward, the company wants to advise institutional clients, fintech companies, family offices, corporates, and wealthy private clients in the ADGM on digital assets. The offering includes access to digital assets as well as their custody, administration, and estate planning within the ADGM regulatory framework.

With its market entry in Abu Dhabi, Arab Bank Switzerland is continuing its expansion in the Middle East. The bank has already been active in digital assets for several years. In 2019, according to its own statements, it became the first Swiss private bank regulated by the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (Finma) to offer custody and trading of cryptocurrencies. Since then, the offering has been expanded to include staking, lending, and estate planning.