Pause here for a moment-you’re standing next to Bordier & Cie, a living relic of Swiss private banking. From this rather unassuming spot, the Bordier family has watched fortunes rise, international politics twist and turn, and technology-believe it or not-threaten to replace good old-fashioned handshake deals. Let’s wind the clock all the way back to 1554. The Bordier story starts with Guillaume Bordier trotting into Geneva, a French Protestant escaping persecution. At first, the family slung fabric as humble cloth-makers, then pivoted to jewelers and goldsmiths. Let’s just say, they understood the value of a glittering reputation.
Fast forward to 1844, when Jacques Reverdin decided that working for someone else’s bank was overrated. He set up shop on his own, and history started to shift. A generation later, after a strategic marriage-because, let’s face it, nothing propels a family business like marrying your boss’s daughter-Ami Bordier joined Reverdin. When the old father-in-law passed, the keys to the kingdom, or at least the vault, went to Ami. The firm was tiny then, with just 13 employees. For reference, that’s about the size of a football squad-or a large Swiss family holiday.
By 1906, the bank settled right here in the building you see. Pretty soon, being a Bordier became an unofficial job requirement. The family tree kept branching out, with sons, grandsons, and eventually outsiders taking up partnership roles-though, not without a complicated handshake or two.
Now, here’s where the story gets juicy. Unlike most banks today, Bordier & Cie still clings onto a true “private banker” status. If you’re a partner here, you’re not playing with just the shareholders’ cash: your own fortune’s riding on every deal. Imagine your own house (and maybe your favorite watch collection) on the line with every client. I’m guessing most of us would double-check every decimal point.
Over the years, Bordier has been quite the globe-trotter. From branches in Zurich and Bern to trust businesses in the Turks and Caicos-yes, the bankers do leave Geneva once in a while, and not just for yachting. In the last decades, they’ve expanded into Singapore and even set up shop in Uruguay. They’re the financial world’s version of Swiss Army knives-portable, trusted, and probably inherited from your grandfather.
Their bread and butter? Private banking-managing wealth, navigating the thickets of taxes, giving investment tips, and handling family inheritance squabbles with the patience of a seasoned diplomat. As of mid-2024, they were looking after a tidy sum: over 18 billion Swiss francs. Adjusted for today’s US dollars, that’s a figure with enough zeroes to make most of us check our pockets for forgotten lottery tickets.
So, next time you walk past a bank and grumble about service fees, remember: somewhere inside, a Bordier is probably worrying about his own wallet too.
Ready for a bit of culture? Grand Théâtre de Genève is just a 1-minute stroll southeast.
