At the helm of the Swiss digital bank since it was established half a decade ago, the figure is leaving the sector.

The chief executive of Switzerland’s Alpian, Schuyler Weiss, has resigned to pursue a public services career in the US. He is leaving a bank which he led since it was founded five years ago.

Alpian, which says it is Switzerland’s first digital private bank, is part of Switzerland’s REYL Intesa Sanpaolo. It targets the Swiss mass-affluent client segment and now employs more than 100 people.

As part of the change, Gianmarco Bonaita, previously the deputy CEO, will act as ad interim CEO, subject to FINMA’s approval.

“As difficult a decision as it has been to depart, I will leave knowing that everything is in place for Alpian to continue on its marked trajectory. It has been an honour to work alongside the world-class team at Alpian, and I look forward to watching them from afar as they continue to define the next generation of private banking,” Weiss said in a statement. 

This publication interviewed Weiss in March 2021 about Alpian’s strategy. Weiss's background did not start with banking. He worked at IBM as a consultant – which led him to becoming involved with Morgan Stanley as a big client at the time of the US firm’s purchase of the Smith Barney business. Weiss worked at Morgan Stanley for several years in IT and crisis management roles – useful training for life in a pandemic. A dual US-Swiss citizen, Weiss also carved out time to complete an MBA in Lausanne. He joined REYL, and that firm’s desire to build a digital offering ended up with Weiss heading the Alpian operation, which was formed in 2019. 

In 2021 REYL & Cie entered a strategic partnership with Fideuram – Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking, a prominent European banking player, through which Fideuram ISP acquired a 69 per cent stake in REYL & Cie. This news service interviewed the firm here. The expanded group recently reported financial results.