The world of banking is changing at a very fast pace. The recent turmoil in the global financial industry has led many banks to rethink their strategies and policies regarding the balance between risk and return/reward.
This has also had an impact on the very core of the financial services space, Private Banking, and more specifically its key offering, Wealth Management. Clients of private banks expect highly differentiated and cutting edge products and services, which implies that wealth managers must gain enhanced insight and understanding of such new offerings for their client base.
At the same time, the increasingly competitive environment facing banks from other providers of long term savings solutions and other offerings, makes the customer interface of such client relationships even more important to understand and master. To increase the value in the client relationship, wealth managers should adopt new thinking and approaches in order to retain and enhance these over time.
In addition, private banking is part of the overall operations of the bank. As a result, any decision involving the sale or trade of products or assets to and from clients, as well as for clients, has an impact on the balance sheet and the risk exposure of the bank itself.
Recent events clearly show how imperative it is to have a thorough understanding of the close link between wealth and risk management. New products and services, and the increasing impact of a client's relationships with the bank, based on the individual bank manager's actions and decisions, form the base for the modern banking concepts and strategies upon which this program relies.