Swissquote
is looking for a Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to run its South African
operations, a role that will focus on expanding the bank’s network of wealth
managers and institutional clients across the region.
Jan De
Schepper, who leads digital
banking app Yuh and
serves as Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) for Swissquote Group, announced the
opening on LinkedIn, calling Cape Town “one of my favorite cities”.
The position reports to the local board of directors and works closely with
executive management in Switzerland.
The Swiss
bank wants someone with a background in digital banking and offshore solutions
who can grow its institutional and B2B2C business. Swissquote operates its
South African subsidiary as a commercial hub while booking all client accounts
in Switzerland.
Regional Hub for Offshore
Banking
Swissquote
entered South Africa in March 2024 by
acquiring Optimatrade Investment Partners, a Cape Town company that had
worked as an introducer broker for more than ten years. The deal gave
Swissquote a Financial Sector Conduct Authority license and a local presence to
serve clients looking to move assets offshore.
Michael
Hunziker currently serves as director and head of South Africa at the
subsidiary. The search for a new CEO could signal leadership changes, though
it’s also possible the incoming executive will work alongside Hunziker rather
than replace him.
FinanceMagnates.com
contacted Swissquote for comment on the leadership structure but had not
received a response at the time of publication.
Brokers Pile Into South
African Market
The
recruitment drive comes as multiple brokers expand their presence in South
Africa. Exness opened
a regional hub in Cape Town in November 2025, with co-founder and CEO Petr Valov saying the
company sees “immense potential in Sub-Saharan Africa.”
Capital.com
applied for a South African license in December 2025 as part of its global
expansion strategy, while EBC Financial
received FSCA approval last November.
Not
everyone is betting on the market. IG Group
exited South Africa in
May 2025, closing domestic accounts while allowing South Africans to keep
accounts under offshore entities. The moves highlight how brokers are splitting
on whether to serve clients through local licenses or offshore structures.
Institutional Growth
Targets
The new CEO
will be tasked with building relationships with wealth managers, family
offices, and professional investor networks. Swissquote wants to position
itself as the go-to provider for South Africans diversifying assets
internationally.
South
Africa’s digital banking market ranks second globally on Oliver Wyman’s index,
ahead of the UK and Germany. The country scores particularly high in end-to-end
sales capabilities, though banks there still lag in areas like robo-advisory
services.
Swissquote posted record
results in the first half of 2025, with net revenue hitting CHF 358.2 million and pre-tax profit reaching
CHF 185 million. The bank has been expanding aggressively, recently taking full
ownership of Yuh after buying out PostFinance’s stake.
This article was written by Damian Chmiel at www.financemagnates.com.
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