M and A
Swiss Private Bank Acquires Stake In Californian Online Banking Group

The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Geneva-based Reyl & Cie, the
private bank and financial group, has acquired a stake in
Aspiration, a Los
Angeles-based online bank, during a Series B funding round.
The investment marks the bank’s first step into digital banking
and fintech, which is part of its pledge to bolster its digital
banking operation, the firm said in a statement.
Reyl, which invested alongside Allen & Company, Omidyar Network,
Capricorn Investments, and US entrepreneur Joseph Sanberg, did
not disclose how much it invested.
The Swiss bank will be a member of Aspiration’s advisory board as
it looks to encourage the expansion of the online banking firm
into international markets.
Launched in 2015, Aspiration offers banking, investing and
retirement products that help people improve their own financial
situations while making a positive difference in the world. On an
annual basis, Aspiration customers transact over $2 billion
on its platform.
“Innovation and the entrepreneurial spirit are at the core of
Reyl’s DNA. This investment came naturally as we share the same
values and vision as the team at Aspiration,”said François Reyl,
chief executive of Reyl. “We are aware that one of the banking
industry’s biggest challenges lies with developing a digital
strategy that will not only focus on acquiring a new client base
but also fundamentally enhance the quality, flexibility, pricing
and transparency of the services delivered to existing clients.
Here we are setting the wheels in motion on both fronts.”
In November, this publication
reported that Reyl & Cie had entered a binding
agreement to sell its 45 per cent stake in RAM Active Investments
to Italy’s Mediobanca, fitting with a strategy by the Swiss firm
to focus more on core wealth management and a growing corporate
advisory line.