Sovereign AI and Cloud in Swiss Banking – Staying Competitive in an AI-Driven Global Banking Landscape

Flagship Event

This event is a flagship collaboration between the Swiss Risk Association (SRA), and Swiss Bankers Association (SBA).

This joint initiative brings together industry leaders to explore how Swiss banks can stay competitive in an AI-driven global landscape while maintaining control over data, infrastructure, and regulatory compliance. The event aims to provide insights into the latest developments in sovereign AI, cloud strategies, and digital transformation, highlighting both opportunities for innovation and the challenges of ensuring security, resilience, and trust in a rapidly evolving environment.

Summary

Entering the era of AI requires computational power and AI-ready data. If these foundations are not in place, banks will remain predominantly at the PoC level and AI integration will become almost impossible. While many global financial institutions are moving at full speed to industrialise AI, some banks remain stuck in pilots, legacy platforms, and architectural debates. In the meantime, the productivity gap continues to widen.

How long can banks afford to delay AI adoption? What happens when international banks, BigTechs, and digital‑native players capture value from the largest wealth transfer in history where client loyalty decreases and over 70% of the client base leaves their bank once wealth is inherited?

This event brings together speakers with an international background to share insights into how international banks are mastering their AI journey.  

Expert Speakers

• Andreas Münch, Principal AI & Research Pre-Sales Consultant, EMEA at Morningstar
  Andreas Münch combines expertise in finance, technology, and investment data. He holds degrees from ETH Zürich and began his career in architecture before transitioning into finance. He spent over a decade at Credit Suisse, building strong experience in portfolio analytics, investment product lifecycle management, and data platforms. Since joining Morningstar in 2014, he has focused on translating complex data and AI capabilities into practical client value. As Principal AI & Research Pre-Sales Consultant (EMEA), he supports clients in applying AI, equity, and fund research to real-world investment decisions. He holds an MSc in Architecture from ETH Zürich and a MAS ETH MTEC/BWI.
• Richard Hess, Head of Digital Finance at the Swiss Bankers Association (SBA)
  Richard Hess is Head of Digital Finance at the Swiss Bankers Association (SBA), where he focuses on the intersection of technology, regulation, and banking, including AI, Cloud, Open Finance and Digital Assets. He was named one of Switzerland’s Top 100 Digital Shapers 2026. Prior to joining the SBA, Richard Hess worked as a management consultant, advising clients across industries on digital strategy and transformation projects. He holds a Master’s degree in International Relations from the University of St. Gallen and a Master’s degree in International Management from Yonsei University in South Korea.
• Anika Schumann, Lead for AI Risk at FINMA
  Dr. Anika Schumann is Lead for AI Risk at FINMA, where she oversees the supervision of AI risks across the Swiss financial sector and contributes to the development of regulatory and supervisory approaches to emerging AI technologies. She also helps shape international practice on AI in finance through her engagement with organizations such as the IAIS and the Financial Stability Board (FSB). Prior to joining FINMA, she held leadership and research roles at IBM Research in Europe and the United States, focusing on natural language processing, explainable AI, predictive analytics, and strategic research partnerships. Her work has been recognized through publications at leading AI conferences, including AAAI and IJCAI, as well as invited talks, awards, and scientific advisory roles.
• Zyad Azzouz, Executive Director at UBS
  Zyad Azzouz is an Executive Director at UBS, where he leads AI and digital transformation initiatives within Global Wealth Management. He combines expertise in digital strategy, innovation, and implementation to unlock the value of data and enhance client experiences. Prior to UBS, Zyad worked as a management consultant at Deloitte and held leadership roles at Credit Suisse. He also co-founded a technology start-up, bringing together experience across finance, technology, and innovation to drive impactful business transformation.

Expert Panels

• Christian Thier, Financial Services Industry (FSI) Lead, Member of the Executive Board at Microsoft Switzerland
  Christian Thier leads the Financial Services Business for Microsoft Switzerland. He assumed the role in October 2022. In this role, Thier drives the strategic and transformational partnerships with banks and financial services firms across all segments, helping its clients to accelerate in digital business transformation. Thier has more than 20 years of experience within the banking, insurance, financial services, and IT industry in various roles of increasing responsibility. Before joining Microsoft, Thier served as Managing Director and Board Member for Interactive Data Switzerland, and Vice President Sales EMEA. Thier holds a master’s degree in Business Administration from Goethe-University, Frankfurt am Main.
• Simon Kauth, Head of the Technology & Services Division, Member of the Executive Board at Luzerner Kantonalbank
  Dr. Simon Kauth has more than 30 years of experience in the Swiss banking and financial technology indus-try. He is Head of the Technology & Services Division and a member of the Executive Board of Luzerner Kan-tonalbank. Previously, he served as Chief Product Officer at Finnova AG and held senior positions at the Avaloq Group and Bank Vontobel. In these roles, he led large international technology and product organizations, was re-sponsible for mission-critical banking systems, and played a key role in shaping strategic transformation and innovation initiatives. Dr. Kauth holds a PhD in Economics from the University of St. Gallen. He is recognized for strategic leader-ship, strong governance, and sustainable value creation in the financial industry.
• Daniel Hasler, Head of Architecture & Transformation and Head of Finance & Risk Platform at Bank Vontobel
  Daniel Hasler leads the Architecture & Transformation as well as the Finance & Risk Platform units in the Technology & Services division at Bank Vontobel. In these roles, he is responsible for enterprise architecture, cloud-first strategy, modern data platforms, and AI infrastructure, and oversees key finance and risk platforms including risk reporting, accounting, controlling, and the Finance&Risk data platform—driving AI-enabled transformation and cloud adoption in a highly regulated environment. He has more than 25 years of experience in the banking and financial technology industry. Prior to his current role, he held leadership positions at Bank Vontobel and Avaloq and worked at Swiss Re, where he led large-scale international technology and transformation initiatives across trading, investment management, and finance domains. He holds a Master’s degree in Computer Science from ETH Zurich and a Master’s degree in Macroeconomics from the University of Zurich.
• Jan Simon, Head of IT at Itaú Private Bank
  Jan Simon is Head of IT at Itaú Private Bank in Zurich. With more than 25 years of experience in banking technology and transformation, he has held senior leadership positions at Itaú, Temenos, and Credit Suisse, leading major initiatives in private banking, wealth management, core banking, payments, and IT strategy. He holds a Diplom in Business Informatics from the University of Mannheim. Throughout his career, he has successfully bridged business and technology, delivering complex transformation programmes and driving innovation across the financial services industry.

This event will be chaired by Sandro Schmid, Presidium & Board Member and Digital Age Chapter Chair of Swiss Risk Association and Managing Principal at EPAM.

Agenda

17:30 – Arrival & Name Tag Collection
18:00 – Welcome & Opening Remarks by Sandro Schmid
18:10 – Keynotes
19:00 – Panel Discussion and Q&A
19:30 – Apéro & Networking (until 20:30)