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Home/Bank Intelligence/Switzerland/Zürcher Kantonalbank
Zürcher KantonalbankZK
Zürcher Kantonalbank Switzerland review

Zürcher Kantonalbank

Our review of Zürcher Kantonalbank Switzerland for ultra-high-net-worth families. We researched the legal entity that holds the licence and books the account, not just the brand.

Booking centreSwitzerland
RegulatorFINMA
Legal formLicence holder
GroupZürcher Kantonalbank Group
Websitezkb.ch
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PPLI.com
Private Bank Rating
Rating in preparation

We are still preparing the rating for this bank. What we have on file so far is below.

About the rating
The rating

What the PPLI.com rating of Zürcher Kantonalbank considers

This is our editorial assessment of Zürcher Kantonalbank. We look at the areas below, which matter to a family deciding where to keep its assets, and weigh them together with what clients tell us and the service they get. Retail products, branches and apps play no part. The public sources we used are listed at the foot of the page.

Conduct and enforcement

What regulators, prosecutors and courts have concluded about this licence holder in recent years.

Protection of client assets

Whether custody assets are ring-fenced by law in the booking centre, whether deposits are protected, and whether the custody terms can be read before signing.

Service for complex families

The breadth of private banking services the bank publishes for this booking unit, including work with external managers and family offices.

Cost transparency

Whether a prospective client can see the tariff and the bank's policy on third party payments before asking.

Ownership and control

Whether the bank's owners are public, how official assessments rate the anti-money-laundering regime of any owner's home jurisdiction, and whether a politically exposed person holds a significant stake. The same test applies to every bank.

Client opinions and service

What clients of Zürcher Kantonalbank and their advisers tell us in confidence, and the service the bank gives to families. We never publish names. Tell us about yours

PPLI.comPrivate Bank RatingRating in preparation

The rating expresses the opinion of PPLI.com on the date shown. It is not a statement of fact about the bank, not a credit rating, not a forecast of failure and not investment advice. Read about the rating.

The record

Regulatory and legal record

What regulators, prosecutors and courts have decided, recorded against the legal entity they named, with the status, the amounts as published and a link to the original document. Claims and investigations still under way are marked as open.

201813 August 2018

Deferred prosecution agreement, conspiracy to help US taxpayer clients evade US taxes

ZKB was charged in the Southern District of New York with conspiring to help US taxpayer clients evade taxes and entered a three-year DPA under which it admitted its conduct and paid USD 98.5 million, which reflected cooperation credit that the US Department of Justice reduced because of some of ZKB's actions. Two ZKB bankers pleaded guilty the same day; a third remained a fugitive.

The Agreement requires ZKB to pay a total of $98.5 million.

ZKB said it had adjusted its cross-border wealth management business since 2009 and follows a strict tax-compliant policy.

US Attorney's Office SDNY / US Department of Justice · Resolution with admission · Total payment USD 98.5 million · Admission of the facts · Primary source
The bank at a glance

Identity, protection and services

Legal identity

Legal nameZürcher Kantonalbank
LEI165GRDQ39W63PHVONY02
LicenceBank  Source
RegulatorFINMA
Legal formLicence holder
OwnerCanton of Zurich (state guarantee; institution of cantonal law)  Source

Ownership

Group parentCanton of Zurich (provider of endowment capital; Zürcher Kantonalbank is an independent institution under cantonal law)  Source
ControlCanton of Zurich, 100%; state owned  Source (2024)

Ownership is shown as published, with its date. It describes who owns the bank; it does not, by itself, suggest any wrongdoing by the bank or its owners.

Financial strength, as reported

Credit ratingsS&P Global AAA, 2025-11; Moody's Aaa, 2026-08; Fitch AAA, 2026-02
CET1 ratio21.2%; risk-based capital ratio going concern 22.7%; total assets CHF 206,177 m (2025 (year-end figures column))  Source
total client assetsCHF 578,950 m (assets under management CHF 498,598 m) (2025 (year-end figures column))  Source

Services published for this booking unit

Private clients
Discretionary management
Advisory mandates
Custody only (execution and safekeeping)
Lombard lending
Mortgage lending
Multi currency accounts
Trust and fiduciary services
Family office services
Wealth planning
Consolidated reporting
External asset manager desk

Offered at this booking centreOffered by the group, not confirmed hereNot located, which does not mean unavailable
Checked on the bank's own pages, 2 November 2026.

Access and costs

Minimum relationshipNot published
US personsNot published
Fee schedulePublished  Source
Third party paymentsPublished  Source
Transfer out termsPublished  Source

Protection of client assets

Deposit protectionAll banks with a Swiss office must be members of esisuisse: privileged deposits are protected up to CHF 100,000 per client per bank, including non-resident clients and foreign currency deposits, within a system cap.
Custody lawSwiss Banking Act art. 37d: custody assets held for clients are separated from the bankrupt bank's estate and handed over to the clients, with privileged deposits protected under arts. 37a and 37h.
Custody termsPublished  Source
Your experience

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If you bank with Zürcher Kantonalbank or advise clients who do, your experience forms part of its PPLI.com rating. Every response is read by the editor and treated in strict confidence.

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Our commitment to confidentiality

Your name, email and telephone number are seen only by the PPLI.com editor. They are never published, never passed to Zürcher Kantonalbank or any other bank, and never used for marketing. We may contact you once to clarify your assessment. Once verified by our editors, your assessment can lead to a disclosed adjustment of this bank's PPLI.com rating. It is never published with your name.

Sources

  1. US Attorney's Office SDNY / US Department of Justice: justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/manhattan-us-attorney-announces-criminal-charges-against-z-rcher-

For Zürcher Kantonalbank

Before we publish a significant negative finding, we give the bank the facts and time to comment, on the same timetable for every bank. Corrections we verify are published with the date of the change. Write to [email protected] quoting reference BK-CH-ZKB-C76CD1.

About this file

Researched by the PPLI.com research desk from the public sources listed. The rating is our editorial opinion; read how we rate.

Important information. Editorial opinion of PPLI.com on the date shown, based on public information, client experience and editorial judgment. Not a statement of fact, a credit rating or investment, legal, tax or financial advice; verify with the bank and your own advisers before acting. No liability is accepted for reliance on this content. Bank names and logos are used for identification only. Ratings are updated every quarter. This is the Q4 2026 edition, and a rating can change between editions if something material happens. Full disclaimer
Rating signed by Noam Cohen, Editor, Bank IntelligenceReviewed 2 November 2026Methodology 2.3Reference BK-CH-ZKB-C76CD1
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