HSBC Guyerzeller Bank AG's origins date back to the late 19th century, when Adolf Guyer-Zeller, an engineer and one of the pioneers of Swiss railways, ventured on a daring project to build a railway to the peak of the Jungfrau mountain.

Celebrated as the "Top of Europe", the Jungfraujoch boasts a world-famous cogwheel railway. The pioneering spirit behind this daring project, now recognized as one of the greatest achievements of Swiss engineering, was Zurich businessman Adolf Guyer-Zeller. A technical tour de force, it owes its existence to the characteristic energy and dynamism of its originator, who overcame all manner of obstacles and misgivings in pursuit of his goal.

In search of a way to finance the company, he duly established the Guyerzeller Bank. Adolf Guyer-Zeller was a pioneer and entrepreneur in the truest sense of the word, uncompromising in his determination to see his ideas transformed into reality. A single-minded businessman, he was nevertheless an individual of many interests and a visionary character. The son of an industrialist, Adolf Guyer-Zeller studied at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich before embarking on a series of extended trips to leading industrial and trading centres designed to broaden his education.

The experience reinforced his pioneering spirit, his yearning for independence and the strength of his determination. To this day, HSBC Guyerzeller Bank AG owes its existance to the entrepreneurial flair of Adolf Guyer-Zeller.

Learn more about the fascinating story of the origin of HSBC Guyerzeller Bank AG in "Building on our heritage", available as a PDF file.

Major milestones in HSBC Guyerzeller Bank AG's history:

• 1894
  Adolf Guyer-Zeller founds the bank, Guyerzeller Bank AG, to finance the construction of the railway line to the top of the Jungfrau mountain
• 1959
  Merger with Zurmont Bank, the Swiss subsidiary of the London Merchant Bank, Samuel Montagu & Co.
• 1992
  Guyerzeller Bank AG becomes a member of the HSBC Group upon the absorption of Midland Bank. Midland Bank became the majority shareholder of Guyerzeller Bank AG when it acquired Samuel Montagu & Co.
• 1997
  Trinkaus & Burkhardt (Schweiz) AG is integrated into Guyerzeller Bank AG
• 1998
  HSBC Group increases its participation in Guyerzeller Bank AG to 96%; in 1999 the bank is renamed "HSBC Guyerzeller Bank AG"
• 2001
  HSBC Guyerzeller Bank AG announces its intention to integrate two Swiss private banks belonging to HSBC group: Crédit Commercial de France (Suisse) S.A. and Handelsfinanz-CCF Bank (for more details see the News section on our homepage)
• 2004
  
HSBC Guyerzeller Bank AG is wholly owned by the HSBC group after purchasing the remaining shares from HSBC Trinkaus & Burkhardt KGaA

HSBC Guyerzeller Bank AG is regulated under Swiss banking law. It is a member of the Swiss Bankers' Association, supervised by the Swiss Federal Banking Commission and authorised to conduct the full range of banking and investment services in Switzerland.