Banca della Svizzera Italiana
Encyclopedia
BSI is the oldest bank in the Swiss
canton of Ticino
. Founded in 1873 in Lugano
as the Banca della Svizzera Italiana, today BSI is an institution that specialises in asset management and related services for private and institutional clients. In 1998, the bank became part of the Italian
Generali group
, one of the world's biggest insurance companies.
The BSI Album project will unfold in four sections:
These sections will alternate three times a year, in approximately January, May and September, at BSI's offices in Lugano, Bellinzona, Chiasso, Locarno, Geneva, Zurich and St. Moritz.
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
canton of Ticino
Ticino
Canton Ticino or Ticino is the southernmost canton of Switzerland. Named after the Ticino river, it is the only canton in which Italian is the sole official language...
. Founded in 1873 in Lugano
Lugano
Lugano is a city of inhabitants in the city proper and a total of over 145,000 people in the agglomeration/city region, in the south of Switzerland, in the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino, which borders Italy...
as the Banca della Svizzera Italiana, today BSI is an institution that specialises in asset management and related services for private and institutional clients. In 1998, the bank became part of the Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
Generali group
Assicurazioni Generali
Assicurazioni Generali S.p.A. is the largest insurance company in Italy and one of the largest in Europe. It has its headquarters in Trieste...
, one of the world's biggest insurance companies.
History
- 1873 BSI opens the main office on Piazza della Riforma in LuganoLuganoLugano is a city of inhabitants in the city proper and a total of over 145,000 people in the agglomeration/city region, in the south of Switzerland, in the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino, which borders Italy...
. - 1874 BSI opens its first branch, in LocarnoLocarnoLocarno is the capital of the Locarno district, located on the northern tip of Lake Maggiore in the Swiss canton of Ticino, close to Ascona at the foot of the Alps. It has a population of about 15,000...
. It follows this with branches in BellinzonaBellinzonaBellinzona is the administrative capital of the canton Ticino in Switzerland. The city is famous for its three castles that have been UNESCO World Heritage Sites since 2000....
(1879) and ChiassoChiassoChiasso is a municipality in the district of Mendrisio in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland.As the southernmost of Switzerland's municipalities, Chiasso is located at the border with Italy, in front of Ponte Chiasso...
(1906). - 1880 BSI relocates its headquarters to the historic Palazzo dei Marchesi Riva, which dates back to 1747, where the headquarters of the Bank are located to this day.
- 1908 The Banca Commerciale ItalianaBanca Commerciale ItalianaBanca Commerciale Italiana, founded in 1894, was once one of the largest banks in Italy. In 1999 it merged with a banking group consisting of Cassa di Risparmio delle Provincie Lombarde and Banco Ambroveneto, the former Banco Ambrosiano, which had merged in 1998. On 1 January 2003, the group's...
(BCI) of MilanMilanMilan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
acquires sizeable minority participation. With this operation, BSI strengthens its ties to the Italian and international banking communities. - 1910 BCI assumes control of BSI.
- 1935 BSI opens a branch office in ZurichZürichZurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
. - 1969 BSI establishes a branch in Nassau.
- 1973 BSI opens a branch office in St. MoritzSt. MoritzSt. Moritz is a resort town in the Engadine valley in Switzerland. It is a municipality in the district of Maloja in the Swiss canton of Graubünden...
and an affiliate in GuernseyGuernseyGuernsey, officially the Bailiwick of Guernsey is a British Crown dependency in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy.The Bailiwick, as a governing entity, embraces not only all 10 parishes on the Island of Guernsey, but also the islands of Herm, Jethou, Burhou, and Lihou and their islet...
. Establishment also of The Centenario Foundation that recognizes persons or institutions for their contribution to the growth of cultural relations between Italy and Switzerland. - 1975 BSI extends its reach to the French speaking part of Switzerland.
- 1976 BSI opens its first representation in South America, in CaracasCaracasCaracas , officially Santiago de León de Caracas, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela; natives or residents are known as Caraquenians in English . It is located in the northern part of the country, following the contours of the narrow Caracas Valley on the Venezuelan coastal mountain range...
, VenezuelaVenezuelaVenezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
. - 1981 Opening of the Hong KongHong KongHong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
office. - 1983 The Banca Commerciale ItalianaBanca Commerciale ItalianaBanca Commerciale Italiana, founded in 1894, was once one of the largest banks in Italy. In 1999 it merged with a banking group consisting of Cassa di Risparmio delle Provincie Lombarde and Banco Ambroveneto, the former Banco Ambrosiano, which had merged in 1998. On 1 January 2003, the group's...
transfers its shares holdings to the Irving Trust Company. Opening of the branch office in New YorkNew YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. - 1984 Openings of offices in LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. - 1988 BSI extends its activities to the Principality of MonacoMonacoMonaco , officially the Principality of Monaco , is a sovereign city state on the French Riviera. It is bordered on three sides by its neighbour, France, and its centre is about from Italy. Its area is with a population of 35,986 as of 2011 and is the most densely populated country in the...
. - 1990 Opening of BSI Finanziaria SpA, in Milan.
- 1991 The Società di Banca Svizzera becomes the major shareholder of BSI.
- 1995 With the important operation of outsourcing, the informatics development spins off BSI to become the affiliated Boss Lab SA that services other banks as well.
- 1998 Assicurazioni GeneraliAssicurazioni GeneraliAssicurazioni Generali S.p.A. is the largest insurance company in Italy and one of the largest in Europe. It has its headquarters in Trieste...
, TriesteTriesteTrieste is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is situated towards the end of a narrow strip of land lying between the Adriatic Sea and Italy's border with Slovenia, which lies almost immediately south and east of the city...
, one of the major insurance companies, becomes sole shareholder. In the 25th year of its foundation, the BSI Gamma Foundation is established (Global Asset Management Methods and Applications), with the goal of promoting applied research in the field of wealth management and cooperation between the world of research and practical application. - 2000 As of January 1, the Banca della Svizzera Italiana is officially renamed BSI SA. In November, new offices open in LausanneLausanneLausanne is a city in Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland, and is the capital of the canton of Vaud. The seat of the district of Lausanne, the city is situated on the shores of Lake Geneva . It faces the French town of Évian-les-Bains, with the Jura mountains to its north-west...
. - 2002 Banca BSI Italia SpA starts its bank activity in Italy.
- 2005 May - Boss Lab, one of Switzerland's leading providers of IT and back office services for banks, changes its name to B-Source; Banca del Gottardo acquires a minority stake.
- 2005 September - The new BSI building opens at Via Canova 6, Lugano.
- 2005 October - BSI acquires a 51% share of Ifabanque, a French bank based in ParisParisParis is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, which then becomes BSI-Ifabanque SA. - 2005 November - BSI Bank Ltd. opens in Singapore.
- 2006 July - BSI sells Banca BSI Italia to Banca Generali.
- 2006 September - BSI acquires Banca Unione di Credito.
- 2007 November - BSI SA acquires Banca Del Gottardo.
- 2008 July - BSI AG (Generali) obtains a CBB licence and opens its representative office in the Kingdom of BahrainBahrain' , officially the Kingdom of Bahrain , is a small island state near the western shores of the Persian Gulf. It is ruled by the Al Khalifa royal family. The population in 2010 stood at 1,214,705, including 235,108 non-nationals. Formerly an emirate, Bahrain was declared a kingdom in 2002.Bahrain is...
.
Product and Services
BSI offers a complete array of products and services, from classic products for more traditional investors, to alternative products at the opposite end of the spectrum:- Management mandates
- Advisory services
- Fund-based accumulation plan
- BSI Funds
- Selection of third-party funds
- Alternative investments
- Structured products
- Financial planning
- Insurance products
- Mortgate services
- Corporate financeCorporate financeCorporate finance is the area of finance dealing with monetary decisions that business enterprises make and the tools and analysis used to make these decisions. The primary goal of corporate finance is to maximize shareholder value while managing the firm's financial risks...
- BSI Art Advisory
Initiatives and Events
The dedication demonstrated by BSI to new ideas has been put into practice by promoting research, foundations, conferences, personal and collective exhibitions, publications, expositions of art and exclusive collections, prestigious concerts and a number of other endeavours. BSI is more than a patron - it vigorously promotes communication in these areas, organizing and taking part in events. The bank has always maintained its commitment to art, music and culture, with an active and constant presence at high-profile performances and exhibitions.BSI Art Collection
BSI began a collection of works of art in 2000, the BSI Art Collection, which has been enriched by the works of very prestigious artists since its inception. Today the collection comprises about 80 works of art, including installations, sculptures, collages, drawings and photographs by artists such as Daniel Buren, John Chamberlain, Tony Cragg, Fausto Melotti, Mario Merz and Giulio Paolini, as well as young artists who are winning international recognition and successfully making names for themselves in the world of art, such as Franz Ackermann, Olafur Eliasson, Liam Gillick and Daniel Roth.BSI Gamma Foundation
Established on the 125th anniversary of BSI, the BSI Gamma Foundation promotes research in the area of asset management and cooperation between the world of research and practical applications, assigns research mandates to people or institutions with recognized experience in the sector, organises conferences and publishes the research results.Centenario Foundation
The Centenario Foundation began in 1973 on the occasion of BSI's first one hundred years. Its scope is to bestow monetary recognition to persons or institutions which have furthered the development of Italian-Swiss relations, contributed to the betterment of understanding between the Swiss and Italian people or to the expansion of the common cultural heritage.BSI Architectural Foundation
The BSI Architectural Foundation promotes understanding, education and research within the field of architecture, in particular by presenting a biennal architectural award, the BSI Architectural Award, the purpose of which is to recognize, and bring to public and media attention, architects who have made an important contribution to contemporary architecture and who have shown particular sensitivity to the landscape and environment.BSI Album
The BSI Album project is a series of displays of rare and original art collections in the windows of BSI banks, on view day and night, which 'unfold', like old-fashioned albums, as people walk past.The BSI Album project will unfold in four sections:
- Culture and memory: a series of exhibitions connected with architecture and related subjects;
- Journeys and adventures of the spirit: themes of ethnology and civilization;
- Private treasures: major collections of watches, jewellery and similar items;
- Deliciousness: when art meets great cuisine.
These sections will alternate three times a year, in approximately January, May and September, at BSI's offices in Lugano, Bellinzona, Chiasso, Locarno, Geneva, Zurich and St. Moritz.