EFG International
Corporate brand
UnclaimedSwiss private banking and asset management group serving clients through an international network.
Last updated August 22, 2026
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Overview
EFG International is a Swiss financial services group focused on private banking, wealth management, asset management, and related investment services. Headquartered in Zurich, the group operates through a network of private banking businesses and affiliated entities in more than 40 locations across Europe, Asia-Pacific, the Americas, and the Middle East. Its principal Swiss operating subsidiary is EFG Bank, which combines Swiss private banking capabilities with an international branch and representative-office network. Other businesses include EFG Private Bank in the United Kingdom and EFG Capital in the United States. The group was established in 1995 under the name European Financial Group International. Its creation followed the acquisition of the right to operate from the Zurich office of Banque de Depots and the acquisition of the Swiss operations of the Royal Bank of Scotland. The founders included Jean Pierre Cuoni, Lawrence D. Howell, and Baron Corso von Habsburg, together with other partners. From its formation, EFG developed as an entrepreneurial private banking platform rather than as a mass-market retail bank, emphasizing relationship-based service for private clients and the management of substantial assets. A major turning point came in 2016, when EFG International acquired BSI from BTG Pactual for CHF 1.33 billion. BSI had itself been acquired by BTG Pactual from Generali less than a year earlier. The transaction materially expanded EFG's business and strengthened its international private banking presence. It also brought together EFG's existing operations with a large established Swiss wealth-management franchise, increasing the scale and geographic reach of the group. EFG's activities include discretionary and advisory portfolio management, investment advice, financing, structured and alternative investments, wealth planning, and other services associated with private banking. The group also provides asset management and investment solutions for private clients, entrepreneurs, families, and institutions. Its business model relies heavily on customer relationship officers, known internally as CROs, who develop and maintain client relationships and coordinate access to the group's investment and banking capabilities. EFG International is controlled by EFG Bank European Financial Group, a Swiss bank headquartered in Geneva, which holds approximately 45.8% of EFG International's capital according to the cited reference material. That shareholder is a separate sub-group of European Financial Group EFG, based in Luxembourg. BTGP-BSI Limited and Banco BTG Pactual also hold a combined stake of approximately 13.3%. EFG therefore operates within a broader European Financial Group ownership structure while maintaining its own listed-group identity and operating organization. The group continued expanding its relationship-manager platform in 2024 and 2025. At the end of 2025, it reported 763 customer relationship officers, up from 703 a year earlier, and approximately 3,225 employees as of 31 December 2025. The reference material also reports total profit of CHF 325.2 million for 2025. EFG's current positioning is that of an internationally active, specialist private bank combining Swiss banking heritage, local market coverage, and a relationship-led wealth-management model.
History
EFG International was formed in 1995 as European Financial Group International by Jean Pierre Cuoni, Lawrence D. Howell, Baron Corso von Habsburg, and other founding partners. The group's origins lay in the establishment of a Zurich banking operation through the acquisition of the right to operate from the Zurich office of Banque de Depots and the purchase of the Swiss operations of the Royal Bank of Scotland. These transactions provided the foundation for a specialist private banking organization with Swiss roots and an international orientation. The group developed around private banking and asset management rather than broad consumer banking. Its operating model centered on relationship managers serving private clients and connecting them with investment advice, portfolio management, financing, and wealth-planning capabilities. EFG Bank became the principal Swiss private banking subsidiary, while additional entities extended the group's coverage into markets including the United Kingdom and the United States. EFG's most significant expansion in the cited history occurred in 2016, when it acquired BSI from BTG Pactual for CHF 1.33 billion. BTG Pactual had acquired BSI from Generali for CHF 1.25 billion less than a year earlier. The EFG transaction enlarged the group's private banking franchise and strengthened its international operating footprint. It also represented a major consolidation step in the Swiss wealth-management market. The ownership structure places EFG International within the wider European Financial Group ecosystem. EFG Bank European Financial Group, a Geneva-based Swiss bank, is described as the largest shareholder, holding approximately 45.8% of the capital. That entity is separate from the Luxembourg-based European Financial Group EFG subgroup. BTGP-BSI Limited and Banco BTG Pactual are also described as holding approximately 13.3% in aggregate. During 2024 and 2025, EFG continued investing in its client-facing organization and exceeded its recruitment plan. Its customer relationship officer count increased from 703 at the end of 2024 to 763 at the end of 2025. The group was reported to have approximately 3,225 employees at the end of 2025 and total profit of CHF 325.2 million for that year. Its present identity is that of a globally distributed Swiss private bank and asset manager built around local client coverage, investment services, and long-term relationship management.
- 2025
Further hiring and profit growth
[1]The group reaches 763 customer relationship officers and reports total profit of CHF 325.2 million for the year.
- 2024
Customer relationship officer base expands
[1]EFG's customer relationship officer count reaches 703 at year-end as the group continues its recruitment program.
- 2016
Acquisition of BSI
[1]EFG International buys BSI from BTG Pactual for CHF 1.33 billion, significantly broadening its private banking platform.
- 1995
EFG International is founded
[1]European Financial Group International is established by Jean Pierre Cuoni, Lawrence D. Howell, Baron Corso von Habsburg, and other partners.
- 1995
Swiss banking operations established
[1]The group's origins include acquiring the right to operate from Banque de Depots' Zurich office and acquiring the Swiss operations of the Royal Bank of Scotland.
Products and positioning
An internationally operating Swiss private banking group focused on relationship-led wealth management, investment expertise, and service for private clients, entrepreneurs, families, and institutions.
Banking · 1995
Private banking
EFG's core offering provides banking and wealth-management services to private clients, entrepreneurs, families, and other affluent customers. Services are delivered through relationship managers and local private banking entities, combining day-to-day banking capabilities with investment advice, portfolio construction, financing, and wealth-planning support.
Investment management
Asset management
The group offers asset management and investment solutions as part of its broader wealth-management platform. These capabilities can support discretionary portfolio management, investment selection, and the structuring of portfolios around clients' objectives, risk profiles, and liquidity requirements.
Investment services
Investment and client solutions
EFG's investment and client solutions function supports the design and delivery of investment propositions for private banking clients. The offering covers advisory and discretionary approaches and may include securities, structured investments, alternative investments, and other portfolio-related solutions described within the group's private banking model.
Private banking finance
Wealth-related financing
Financing forms part of EFG's private banking proposition, supporting clients with lending and liquidity solutions connected to their wealth and investment holdings. The cited material identifies financing as a component of the group's services but does not provide a complete product catalogue or detailed terms.
Brand decisions
2024
Expansion of the client relationship organizationStrategyBackground
EFG continued implementing a recruitment plan intended to expand its customer-facing private banking capacity.
Action taken
The group increased its customer relationship officer base to 703 by the end of 2024 and continued hiring into 2025.
Aftermath
The number of customer relationship officers reached 763 by the end of 2025, indicating continued investment in relationship-led growth.
2016
Purchase of BSIM&ABackground
EFG International sought to expand its private banking scale and international coverage through the acquisition of BSI, a Swiss bank that had recently been acquired by BTG Pactual from Generali.
Action taken
EFG International agreed to acquire BSI from BTG Pactual for CHF 1.33 billion.
Aftermath
The transaction broadened EFG's private banking platform and strengthened its presence in the Swiss and international wealth-management markets.
Acquisition price. CHF 1.33 billion (2016)
Recent events
Sources2 sources
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