Behind the veil of economic uncertainty and shifting trade dynamics, there’s a noticeable recalibration of talent strategy.

Which direction is the talent market heading? Broadgate explores the headlines in more detail below:

Andermatt Calling

Investors are continuing to retreat from US markets after a challenging few months, resulting in a record rotation by fund managers.

This is intensifying the pivot towards Europe, where improving macro conditions and strong performance, including a STOXX 50 resurgence, are drawing renewed global interest.

Switzerland is gaining ground here, as seen in Andermatt’s sharp boost in housing demand (a small ski town largely exempt from the Lex Koller law), where property transactions from US investors rose to CHF14.2 million in April, over double the amount of the entire previous year.

Elsewhere, the broader Swiss real estate market is showing signs of a brighter future, driven largely by improved liquidity.

Switzerland’s fund administration landscape, a space predominantly guided by real estate and private equity markets, is currently one of our busiest areas.

  • What this means for talent:

As capital flows shift and fund activity ramp up, we’re seeing increased demand for professionals in fund administration, compliance, and real asset operations, especially those with experience across cross-border structures, regulatory reporting, and multi-asset portfolios.

Rising Capital Requirements for UBS?

In what Finnews labelled as a ‘Puzzling offensive,’ Swiss regulators are expected to hike capital requirements for UBS, which many executives argue would threaten the bank’s competitiveness and hinder its ability to return capital to shareholders.

It’s anticipated that the proposal will require UBS to fully capitalise on its foreign subsidiaries, up from the current 60% threshold. It’s a change that could necessitate an extra $20 billion in capital.

Some rumours suggest that UBS is weighing up a move abroad, a situation somewhat reminiscent of HSBC’s position in 2010 – a systemically important bank facing tightening domestic regulations.

  • What this means for talent:

The regulatory direction signals a broader shift in how Switzerland is positioning itself in global finance, with potential implications for the country’s attractiveness as a base for systemically important institutions. We’re seeing greater demand for professionals in capital management, regulatory strategy, and cross-border structuring, as firms across the market evaluate how to adapt.

AI Boom in Swiss Finance

AI is transforming almost every facet of financial services as Swiss leaders scramble to make the most of their new systems. FINMA recently reported that 50% of financial firms either use AI or have pilots on the way, with a further 25% planning on using it in the next few years.

It’s clear that AI has moved beyond the concept phase, and the hype is now giving way to valuable use cases.

As the uptake increases (especially when it comes to automation), so does the need for cybersecurity. Operational resilience is the prevailing trend in global financial services, and firms are consequently ramping up investment in cybersecurity.

What this means for talent:

As with most industries, demand for cross-functional talent is on the rise. Permanent positions may have shrunk in Switzerland for a third consecutive year (by 24.6% in 2025), but this doesn’t paint the full picture. Firms are becoming far more deliberate about their desired skill sets. It’s specialisation, not scarcity, driving the current talent market.

There’s a strong appetite for professionals who can bridge AI systems with compliance, data governance, and cybersecurity. Firms are increasingly targeting candidates that can navigate technical deployment and risk mitigation.

FINMA Issues First Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) License

Back in March, FINMA made crypto history by issuing a license to BX Digital AG,  the first of its kind.

The regulatory green light is a strong message for alternative markets and traditional players hoping to explore blockchain infrastructure as a foundation for new products and settlement systems.

FINMA, empowered by the 2021 law that saw Switzerland become one of the world’s first nations to enact legislative regulation for blockchain tech, is setting a global precedent.

As we mentioned in a previous article about the Swiss crypto boom:

Around $2.5 billion in crypto assets is managed through Swiss institutions. With its innovation-friendly policies and resilient financial services ecosystem, we can expect this number to rise alongside the many firms embracing the possibilities of DeFi.

What this means for talent: There’s a growing demand for professionals who can bridge blockchain innovation with institutional-grade infrastructure, particularly in legal, compliance, and product development roles. Expertise in tokenisation, DeFi protocols, and regulatory reporting is quickly becoming a premium skill set in Swiss finance.

Let's Talk

As always, we’re eager to hear from those navigating hiring projects in today’s increasingly complex financial services market. Contact me directly if you’d like to know more about the latest talent trends or Broadgate’s award-winning recruitment and advisory services: Callum.Dudrenec@broadgatesearch.com