Lombard Odier Darier Hentsch & Cie was the official name of the independent Swiss banking group formed by the merger of Lombard, Odier & Cie and Darier, Hentsch & Cie in 2002. While the current official entity is known as the Lombard Odier Group, its legal holding company is Lombard Odier Company SCmA, and the group traces its roots to 1796, making it one of the oldest private banks in Geneva, Switzerland. The firm is headquartered in Geneva and operates as a corporate partnership.
Core Business and Operating Divisions
The Lombard Odier Group is structured around three primary, distinct, yet complementary business divisions: Private Banking (Wealth Management), Asset Management, and Technology for Banking.
1. Private Banking (Wealth Management)
This division is dedicated to preserving, managing, and growing the private wealth of entrepreneurs, leading executives, and high-net-worth individuals and families across generations. The private banking arm accounts for a significant portion of the firm's total client assets.
Products and Services Offered:
* Wealth Management & Advisory: Providing tailored, bespoke solutions focused on long-term capital preservation and growth. This includes discretionary portfolio management mandates and advisory mandates, where investment strategies are customised to client objectives.
* Wealth Planning: Specialist services to help clients structure their wealth to achieve long-term goals, including intergenerational transfer, tax advice, and estate planning.
* Trust and Fiduciary Services: Provision of services to enable effective family wealth governance and management across international boundaries.
* Investment Solutions: A range of investment products and strategies, with a core focus on preserving and growing client assets over the long term.
* Lombard Loans: Specialized lending services for high-net-worth clients.
* Digital Banking Platform: Access to the secure, state-of-the-art e-banking platform, My LO, for private banking clients to oversee their wealth remotely.
* Philanthropy Advisory Services: Guidance and support for clients on their charitable and philanthropic projects, including the work of the Lombard Odier foundation.
2. Asset Management
The asset management arm operates internationally under the name Lombard Odier Investment Managers (LOIM). This division serves institutional and wholesale clients worldwide, focusing on creating sustainable value through innovative investment solutions. A key differentiator for LOIM is its pioneering and forward-looking approach to sustainable investing, guided by the belief that the transition to a net-zero, nature-positive, socially constructive, and digitally enabled economy represents a major investment opportunity.
Products and Services Offered:
* Specialized Investment Strategies: Management of strategies across a broad spectrum of asset classes, including equity, fixed income, multi-asset, convertible bond, hedge fund, and private equity and credit markets.
* Systemic Change Strategies: Investment vehicles focused on capturing returns from the structural transformations (system changes) reshaping the global economy, particularly the transition to sustainability.
* Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs): Since 2015, the firm has been active in the ETF space, launching products that replicate indexes, particularly on the bond market (government bonds, corporate bonds, and developing countries bonds).
* Proprietary Research and Portfolio Construction: Utilizing robust, science-based methodologies for forward-looking portfolio construction and active risk monitoring.
3. Technology for Banking
Lombard Odier is a significant player in providing IT and back and middle office services to other financial institutions, setting it apart from many traditional private banks. This division commercializes its proprietary, world-class financial platform for use by third-party banks and external asset managers.
Products and Services Offered:
* G2 and GX Banking Platforms: The firm's proprietary platform, initially known as "G2 Pro" and now transitioning to the next generation GX, is a comprehensive banking IT solution.
* Technology and Operations Services: Providing a seamless and secure digital banking experience for external financial institutions, which includes client base management, securities buying/selling functionality, and operations services.
* Digital Asset Consolidation Tools: Solutions like LO Smart which offer in-depth tracking, analysis, and consolidation of digital and non-financial assets alongside traditional banking positions.
* Blockchain Integration: The firm has been an early adopter of technology, having been one of the first management companies to go through a settlement process managed by a private blockchain for securities purchases on the bond market.
In summary, the Lombard Odier Group leverages its history as a traditional Swiss private bank with a modern, innovative approach, particularly in sustainable investing and banking technology, to provide a holistic suite of wealth and asset management services globally.
