Franklin Templeton has long been present in the Swiss market but maintained a relatively low profile. That has changed.

«We have very deliberately repositioned ourselves over the past nearly three years,» Switzerland head Christian Leger said in an interview with finews. Today, the business is structured along three channels: Wealth, Institutional, and Digital Assets, Partnerships and Distribution.

Growth momentum continues

The repositioning is paying off. The past calendar year was the most successful for Franklin Templeton in Switzerland in more than ten years, Leger noted; the company does not disclose specific figures. The momentum has continued into the first months of the current year. Crucially, it was not driven by a single large client, Leger emphasized, but by a broad base of improved relationships—particularly with global banks in wealth management, as well as institutional investors.

In his view, Switzerland continues to benefit from its unique role in international business. «Many decisions are still frequently made here, while at the same time the market is closely connected to global hubs such as Hong Kong and Singapore,» Leger said, adding: «Anyone who wants to succeed in Switzerland must combine local relationship management with international coordination.»

Relentlessly measured on service

That sounds easier than it is. Customer expectations in Switzerland are especially high. «Here, you are relentlessly measured—on service quality, data quality, follow-up, speed, continuity, and consistency,» Leger said. What’s required is not only a strong product range, but the ability to closely and reliably support clients and banks in their day-to-day business.

This is all the more important as the market structure has evolved. Alongside UBS, other banks have also gained importance. Firms that were once more locally or regionally focused are now operating more globally, opening up more to third-party products, and expanding asset classes such as private markets. As a result, the demands on asset managers continue to rise.

For Leger, partnership is not decided in presentations, but in day-to-day operations. “Partnership” is an overused term, he said. Ultimately, it shows itself in the collaboration «that no one sees»: in the daily interactions between client service teams, sales, product specialists, and banking partners. After-sales is now at least as important as sales itself.

Be more creative, stay closer to clients

Franklin Templeton is also deliberately adopting new formats in how it engages clients in Switzerland. Instead of standard conferences with many competitors, the firm is focusing more on its own carefully curated events. Client events in restaurants or more personal settings are often more effective than chasing sterile conference formats, Leger explained. This reflects not only creativity but also a pragmatic calculation: reaching more relevant clients directly with fewer resources significantly increases efficiency.

At the same time, Franklin Templeton aims to broaden its business base. According to Leger, the successes of the past 18 months did not come from a single blockbuster product, but from a wide range of strategies—including traditional active long-only funds as well as ETFs. He views this diversification as evidence that quality and performance can still prevail in Switzerland.

Private markets as a growth area

Alternative investments and private markets remain a key growth area. In wealth management in particular, Switzerland is one of the most attractive markets in Europe, Leger said. The reason: nowhere else is there a higher concentration of qualified investors and globally active banks.

However, the business is demanding. Private markets require extensive explanation, are operationally complex, and are prone to servicing errors. Education, expectation management, and close coordination with distribution partners are therefore critical. Evergreen structures with periodic liquidity windows should not be misunderstood as liquid products.

In addition, the industry is entering a new phase. After years of strong enthusiasm, the market is now under greater pressure to prove itself, particularly in areas such as private credit. Leger therefore expects some providers to reassess or reduce their presence in Switzerland. In the long term, however, the potential remains enormous: if allocations to alternatives in retail portfolios rise from today’s 3–5% toward 10–20%, addressable volumes would multiply.

Blockchain as infrastructure rather than headlines

Leger is particularly clear in his positioning on digital assets. Unlike many market participants, he focuses less on Bitcoin prices or short-term hype. He sees the real revolution in infrastructure. For him, blockchain is «the containerization of finance» — a technology that may not be spectacular but fundamentally reshapes entire value chains.

His argument: functions such as identity, compliance, trading, and settlement, which today run across many separate interfaces, could be much more integrated in a new infrastructure. The real paradigm shift will come with the wallet. If investors manage assets directly in digital wallets in the future, the center of gravity in the industry will shift: clients will no longer have to come to financial service providers. Instead, asset managers and banks will need to prove their value much more directly.

Franklin Templeton is working to position itself early. Leger pointed to tokenized cash solutions such as «Benji», which are designed not only technologically but also within an institutional regulatory framework and are now set to be launched in Switzerland. This could open up new use cases, for example in treasury or cash pool management. It is not yet a mass business, but a seed that could grow into a larger driver over time.

Swiss stability as a strategic advantage

For Leger, pursuing this path from Switzerland is no contradiction. While many crypto and blockchain firms seek lighter regulation, a financial infrastructure that is to endure must be anchored where there is demand, capital, and regulatory acceptance.

This is precisely where he sees Switzerland’s strategic advantage: political stability, rule of law, and pragmatism. In a more geopolitically uncertain world, these location factors are becoming increasingly important. The country’s perceived conservatism could therefore prove to be an advantage for digital financial infrastructure in the long run.

Local resources expanded

Internally, Franklin Templeton has expanded its local resources. According to Leger, the Swiss team now consists of eleven people. It has been strengthened, among other things, by a specialist for digital asset partnerships who systematically develops the market and identifies potential partners.

Despite all the progress, Leger remains cautious. He sees the biggest challenges in the Swiss market as «talent and pricing». Young talent is increasingly moving into other industries, while access to relevant platforms and wealth channels remains expensive and highly competitive. Success, therefore, is never guaranteed.