Private banking: News

Merchant banking firm MerchantBridge has bought what it is calling "a substantial strategic equity interest" in Swiss private bank Bank Frey & Co.

MerchantBridge acts as a two-way bridge between international and Middle East governments, institutions, corporations, and individuals. It provides a full range of traditional merchant banking services to its wide range of clients. Amongst these are corporate and project finance activities, government advisory, and private equity.

MerchantBridge said it would be working closely with Bank Frey to expand its international business, in particular in the Middle East region, where personalised private banking services are increasingly in demand.

The Frey family is well-known and trusted in Switzerland's legal and banking industries. Its members have been professional lawyers and bankers for local and international clients for generations. The bank is chaired by Dr Markus Frey, an international lawyer and a senior partner of Niederer Kraft & Frey, the Zurich law firm, which was co-founded by his father in 1936.

Bank Frey offers a wide range of integrated private banking services, portfolio management, private equity investments, family office services and, in particular, international legal and tax advice.

"Our clients regularly need international banking services backed and combined with legal and tax advice to complete their cross-border transactions," said Basil Al-Rahim, managing director of MerchantBridge. "It makes a great deal of sense for us to have a closer relationship with a trusted private banking partner in Switzerland. Bank Frey was the perfect choice."