\n As digital assets evolve from speculative instruments to institutional-grade alternatives, private banks face a pivotal choice: adapt, or risk irrelevance. For Bordier & Cie in Singapore, the decision was made early. With roots in traditional Swiss banking and a 180-year heritage, the firm began its journey into digital assets nearly five years ago, well before the GENIUS Act, Bitcoin ETFs, or client mandates forced others to take notice.
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\nSpeaking at a recent Hubbis event in Singapore, Val\u00e9rie d\u2019Argembeau, CEO of Bordier & Cie Singapore, discussed how the bank is responding to growing client demand for regulated crypto services. Drawing on a multi-year partnership with Sygnum, and observing first-hand a sharp increase in trading volumes, d\u2019Argembeau laid out how institutional adoption is unfolding at the private banking level, and what it takes to make the leap from interest to practical implementation.\n <\/p>\n
Key Takeaways<\/p>\n
\n\tClient Demand Has Moved from Curiosity to Allocation: Bordier has seen a sharp rise in trading activity and client adoption, particularly in 2025, driven in part by US regulatory tailwinds.
\n\tBitcoin Dominates among Private-Banking clients: For Bordier\u2019s clients, Bitcoin remains the primary allocation to digital assets by a wide margin, with Ethereum as a distant second.
\n\tDirect Ownership Preferred over ETFs: Despite the hype around exchange-traded products, most of Bordier\u2019s private clients prefer direct ownership of coins via segregated accounts.
\n\tEducation Enables Engagement: A structured internal engagement and regular collaboration with Sygnum have been key to enabling meaningful client conversations.
\n\tWallets and Bank Accounts Must Coexist: Rather than choosing between old and new systems, Bordier sees future infrastructure as hybrid, blending wallets and traditional banking rails.
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From Legacy to Leadership: A Five-Year Evolution<\/p>\n
d\u2019Argembeau opened her remarks by acknowledging the contrast between Bordier\u2019s traditional brand image and its role as a quiet innovator. \u201cWhen people think of Bordier, they think about heritage,\u201d she said. \u201cThey don\u2019t necessarily associate us with digital asset leadership, but we\u2019ve been building in this space for years.\u201d<\/p>\n
The journey began under the leadership of Evrard Bordier, who recognised early on that digital assets would evolve into a disruptive force within wealth management. That initial conviction led to a partnership with Sygnum, the Swiss digital asset banking group, and a step-by-step rollout of capabilities, including trading, custody, and staking, within Bordier\u2019s core client offering.<\/p>\n
While the first adopters were niche, d\u2019Argembeau said 2025 marked a clear inflection point. \u201cThere was a massive jump in interest. What used to be exploratory became executable. Volumes increased eight to nine times across our book. The shift was not just perceptual, it was measurable.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bitcoin First, Ethereum Second, and Not Much Else<\/p>\n
When asked about client preferences, d\u2019Argembeau was direct: \u201cBitcoin dominates. Ethereum comes second. Beyond that, interest tapers off quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n
This concentration stands in contrast to the increasingly fragmented nature of the digital asset space, where altcoins, protocols, and stablecoins compete for attention. For Bordier\u2019s private clients, simplicity and perceived safety still matter. According to d\u2019Argembeau, roughly 90 percent of Bordier\u2019s digital asset flows are channelled into Bitcoin.<\/p>\n
More notably, most clients prefer direct ownership rather than indirect exposure. \u201cDespite all the ETF headlines, we see very little volume in passive instruments,\u201d she said. \u201cOur clients want to own the coins directly, in a segregated account, within their private banking relationship. That trust layer still matters.\u201d<\/p>\n
From Product Shelf to Field Readiness: Educating the Front Line<\/p>\n
A consistent theme throughout the session was the importance of education and internal buy-in. d\u2019Argembeau was candid about the challenges of taking an abstract product, often misunderstood or misrepresented, and making it client-ready.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn general, people don\u2019t speak about what they don\u2019t understand,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd that includes relationship managers (RMs) and bankers. If you want your team to engage clients in meaningful conversations about digital assets, you have to first give them the knowledge and confidence.\u201d<\/p>\n
To that end, Bordier implemented a structured programme, with Sygnum participating directly in investment meetings. This created an environment where the front office could ask questions, express concerns, and gain fluency in the terminology and risks of the asset class.<\/p>\n
The result is not just product awareness, but relationship depth. \u201cClients now come to us with questions. They see that we understand the space. That opens the door to trust-based engagement.\u201d<\/p>\n
Clients Are Getting Younger, But Motivations Are Shifting<\/p>\n
While digital assets are often associated with younger investors, d\u2019Argembeau noted that interest at Bordier spans generations. \u201cWe don\u2019t see a single profile,\u201d she said. \u201cIt cuts across age groups and risk profiles. What unites them is the motivation: diversification and long-term value.\u201d<\/p>\n
Many clients see Bitcoin not just as a speculative play, but as a digital parallel to gold, with the added advantage of programmability and portability. Others are thinking about intergenerational wealth planning, and view digital assets as a legacy investment for their children.<\/p>\n
Importantly, clients are becoming more sophisticated in how they engage. Where early adopters might have used unregulated exchanges, today\u2019s clients ask detailed questions about custody, staking yields, and counterparty risk. This behavioural shift is what enables Bordier to operate confidently in the space. \u201cIt\u2019s no longer about hype,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s about portfolio construction.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wallets, Not Walls: Designing Hybrid Infrastructure<\/p>\n
One of the most insightful parts of the conversation came when d\u2019Argembeau addressed infrastructure. Rather than seeing crypto and traditional banking as separate worlds, Bordier envisions a hybrid future.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur clients want to access digital assets, but they don\u2019t want to leave their banking relationship to do it,\u201d she said. \u201cThey want seamless integration. That\u2019s why we set up segregated sub-accounts within their existing structures.\u201d<\/p>\n
But the next step, she noted, is bridging into wallet-based architectures that allow for self-custody and smart-contract interaction, without losing regulatory clarity or support. \u201cWe don\u2019t think bank accounts will disappear,\u201d she said. \u201cBut they\u2019ll need to evolve, and co-exist with wallet environments.\u201d<\/p>\n
This is especially relevant as more real-world assets, such as money-market funds and tokenised treasuries, are brought on-chain. For Bordier, the goal is to prepare for this convergence without sacrificing oversight or compliance.<\/p>\n
Planning Ahead: Momentum, Infrastructure, and Strategic Vision<\/p>\n
In closing, d\u2019Argembeau reaffirmed Bordier\u2019s conviction in digital assets as a permanent fixture of the investment landscape. Short-term price volatility, she argued, is part of the journey, but no longer a deterrent.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve lived through enough cycles to know that this is not going away,\u201d she said. \u201cThe question is not whether to engage, but how to do it responsibly and effectively.\u201d<\/p>\n
Looking ahead, Bordier plans to expand its capabilities in tokenised products, broaden its staking and yield offerings, and deepen its integration with regulated blockchain infrastructure.<\/p>\n
The long-term vision is clear: to blend the precision and discretion of private banking with the flexibility and innovation of decentralised finance. That requires not just products, but mindset shifts, and the leadership to guide clients through both.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As digital assets evolve from speculative instruments to institutional-grade alternatives, private banks face a pivotal choice: adapt, or…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":636632,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[173438,173442,173450,173446,173437,173441,173449,173445,173439,173443,173451,173447,173436,173440,173448,173444,45,49,48,15954,133,131,132,9210],"class_list":["post-636631","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-personal-finance","tag-asia-private-banking","tag-asia-private-banking-news","tag-asia-private-banking-online-training","tag-asia-private-banking-training","tag-asia-wealth-management","tag-asia-wealth-management-news","tag-asia-wealth-management-online-training","tag-asia-wealth-management-training","tag-asian-private-banking","tag-asian-private-banking-news","tag-asian-private-banking-online-training","tag-asian-private-banking-training","tag-asian-wealth-management","tag-asian-wealth-management-news","tag-asian-wealth-management-online-training","tag-asian-wealth-management-training","tag-business","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-e-learning","tag-finance","tag-personal-finance","tag-personalfinance","tag-training"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/636631","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=636631"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/636631\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/636632"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=636631"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=636631"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=636631"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}