1980
BBVA's story in Switzerland began in 1982, when it opened its doors in Zurich as Banco Exterior (Suiza)
Our customers soon discovered that we were different from the rest. Our search for excellence, personalized treatment and a value offering based on each customer's needs was a differential that was not covered by other banks and has been consolidated in our brand since then. Since we began more than 30 years ago, our growth path has been an exciting journey. Our challenges have been great; our achievements, remarkable. In spite of everything, our way of working by offering the best solutions to our customers in an innovative and personalised way based on their needs, which is different from how other banks work, has boosted our remarkable growth path.
The world in the 1980s
This first decade was marked by the uncertainty of the international economic scene, with the Cold War between Russia and the US, the invasion of Kuwait, the Balkan crisis and the Persian Gulf War, a situation that affected many of the Western countries. In this scenario, Switzerland was an exception to this European situation. The country offered trust and political stability and became the perfect setting for Banco Exterior (Suiza) to stamp its mark and expand. The bank managed portfolios, participated in issuances, commercial loans and cash transactions.
1990
The expansion: the merger in the 1990s
Corporación Bancaria de España was set up in 1991 as a government corporation and credit entity with bank status. The Argentaria brand incorporated Corporación Bancaria de España, BEX, BHE and Caja Postal. Because of these mergers, BBVA Exterior (Suiza) became part of the Argentaria group. This was not just a new name for the institution but all part of the strategy defined by the Spanish bank in 1988, which saw the merger between Banco de Bilbao and Banco de Vizcaya to create BBV. This enabled Banco Exterior (Suiza) Argentaria to have a larger scope and access to new financial businesses, which arose from technological advances, deregulation and the interrelation of international markets. Thus, Banco Exterior (Suiza) became Banco Exterior (Suiza) Argentaria and remained so until 2001.ue así hasta el año 2001.
2001
The merger: the new challenges of the new Millennium
During the period from 2001 to 2003, the merger process that began in 1999 was consolidated, when BBV and Argentaria announced their integration project with the aim of continuing to create value. The new Bank (BBVA) was founded with a significant size, strong financial solvency and a large financial structure. Thus, Banco Exterior (Suiza) Argentaria now became BBVA Privanza Suiza with already 92 employees and steady business growth in Latin America.
2004
The consolidation: steps towards the future
he integration process was given a huge boost when it adopted the single BBVA brand. With the consolidation of the merger process, BBVA Privanza Suiza has been BBVA Suiza SA since 2004. BBVA in Switzerland is becoming increasingly consolidated and boasts competitive advantages, such as the ease of working with a bank that knows the reality in which its customers live and a proposal of sound first-class services that are structured and based on their needs. Our team of more than 120 people is ready to take on this new digital era and BBVA is one of the leading financial institutions when it comes to digitalization.
2017
The great transformation: a new value proposition
Since 2017, BBVA in Switzerland has been working to develop banking for the future, with a business model focused on the client and on technology as a key element to face the transformation process that the financial sector is undergoing.
2019
A new beginning
In all these years, our vision continues to be client focused. We have promoted innovative and pioneering solutions in Switzerland, such as digitally signing documents, digital modules for investment proposals and corporate events through e-Banking, secure access to digital banking with the Access Key, as well as developing new, more interactive customer-friendly mobile banking, with a complete platform of e-documents and secure mail, alerts and notifications. We have also redesigned the website, which is now much more interactive and user friendly.
