UBS in Europe, the Middle East and Africa

Presence

We have principal offices in all major financial centers across Europe and our two main recruitment hubs are Zurich and London. In Switzerland, we have more than 300 different locations in a variety of settings. To give you some idea of how far our coverage extends, Europe, the Middle East and Africa contains approximately half of UBS’s global workforce.

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Competitive strength

Europe is our heartland. It is where our business began more than 140 years ago, since when UBS has grown and diversified into an integrated global financial services business focused on wealth management, investment banking and asset management, and also retail and commercial banking in Switzerland.

Wealth Management
UBS is among the market leaders in Europe by assets under management. Demand for our services continues to grow. Our onshore business is targeting opportunities in ultra high net worth, core affluent and financial intermediary markets in France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK. This business is at the forefront of developments in global wealth management, contributing best practice insights and techniques to colleagues in other locations.

Investment Banking
Our investment banking franchise is one of Europe’s best known. With an advisory model that is based on a comprehensive matrix of country, sector and product banking professionals, we are regularly involved in the most complex and challenging cross-border corporate finance deals. Clients and peers acknowledge our market leadership in equities, as measured by business volumes and a host of awards, while top tier rankings for our analysts testify to the quality of our equity research. Our strong platform in fixed income, money markets, currencies and commodities gives us a commanding presence in the region’s debt markets.

Asset Management
As one of Europe’s leading fund houses and the largest mutual fund manager in Switzerland, we have a scaleable platform to meet increasing demand, both from within our own business and outside investors.

Business Banking
In Switzerland, in addition to our leadership in the wealth management field, we are the market leader in retail and commercial banking. Our focus for this business is domestic and we concentrate on growing selected market segments through product and service innovation, backed by client service excellence.

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Growth areas

Our acknowledged strengths in research, sales and trading are supporting rapid growth in our hedge fund, asset management and commodity trading client base. Our hedge fund business is built around prime services to offer structuring and cross-product financing to the largest hedge fund launches.

Other growth areas within investment banking include commodities, leveraged finance, real estate finance and structured credit.

In addition to our presence in every major financial center, UBS has a significant footprint in the region’s emerging markets.

We have been doing business in Russia for more than 10 years. Having captured a sizeable position in the local investment banking and equities markets, we are now building up our fixed income and foreign exchange businesses to take advantage of local opportunities.

With a physical presence in key locations allied to local know-how, we are also well placed to capitalize on new opportunities in the countries of the Middle East. Our office in the Dubai International Financial Center gives us a platform for further expansion.

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Key commitments

UBS is a committed community partner wherever we do business. Community involvement is particularly strong in the UK. Our partnerships with some local schools and community groups date back over 15 years and we have received numerous awards for our commitment to improving access to education and local regeneration.

UBS is also a prominent sponsor, working in partnership with like-minded organizations to promote activities that reflect our values. These include contemporary art (The UBS Art Collection, Tate Modern, Art Basel), orchestral music (London Symphony Orchestra, St Luke’s, UBS Verbier Festival Orchestra), yachting (World of Alinghi) and other sports (golf, soccer, athletics).

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