The Swiss private bank reiterates its backing for the organisation as the summer Olympic Games in Paris draws closer.

REYL Intesa Sanpaolo is continuing its partnership with Swiss Paralympic ahead of the 2024 Summer Paralympic Games in Paris. 

The bank supports the athletes who will be selected to participate in future Paralympic Games, including those in Paris from 28 August to 8 September. It has been involved with Swiss Paralympic, the umbrella organisation for the Alpine state's paralympic sport, since 2019.

The partnership mirrors that of a number of other wealth management institutions and financial firms who support sports as a way of communicating a certain brand image and ethos. For example, the world’s largest wealth manager, UBS, is global sponsor for Formula 1. 

REYL’s support has included backing athletes such as Sofia Gonzalez (athletics) and Robin Cuche (Alpine skiing).

In the context of the Summer Games, Sofia Gonzalez took part in the 100 metre and long jump finals at the 2021 Paralympic Games in Tokyo.

“The resilience and determination shown by the athletes is truly inspiring. The renewal of our support confirms our commitment to exceptional sportsmen and sportswomen in their national, international, and Paralympic competitions,” François Reyl, chief executive, said.  

The intersection of sport, wealth and banking remains strong. Roger Federer was a global ambassador for Credit Suisse for years: this has shifted to UBS following the Credit Suisse takeover by its Swiss rival last March. In golf – which has an aspirational image which aligns with wealth management – there are cases of, say, top 100 professional golfer Graeme McDowall, who is a brand ambassador for Mastercard. Other Mastercard brand ambassadors include Brandt Snedeker and Brooke Henderson. 

Sponsorship can anchor loyalty and create a certain international connection, which subliminally can impress clients. Standard Chartered sponsors Liverpool FC, in part because the UK-listed bank earns so much revenue in Asia-Pacific, a region that has fallen in love with the English Premier League.