April 03, 2023
Swiss authorities are investigating the mega-acquisition of Credit Suisse, the country's second-largest bank, by UBS, its largest. The deal, worth a measly $3.5 billion, would reportedly make UBS the world's top bank wealth manager, with over $4 trillion in assets under management.
Both Credit Suisse and UBS manage assets that are well beyond their institutional size because they are mostly global banks that invest on behalf of wealthy global clients. But the merger won’t turn them into one of the world’s biggest banks by assets – the size of what a bank has on its balance sheet.
If a bank goes belly up, what's vulnerable are not the assets but rather the deposits, which are normally insured by governments up to a certain limit, and the role of managing investments can easily be taken over by another wealth manager. We take a look at the world's top five banks by overall assets compared to the amount of wealth they invest for their clients.
More For You
The Houthi escalation, Venezuelan democracy, Putin in a corner, and more: Your questions, answered
Jul 29, 2026
Ian Bremmer answers reader questions about geopolitical risks and potential conflicts, from the Middle East and the South China Sea to Ukraine and Venezuela.
Most Popular
Tense elections in Kashmir, Netanyahu and Zelensky at the White House, AI-Bolsonaro turning heads in Brazil
Jul 28, 2026
People chant slogans as they walk during a protest and shutter-down strike called by the banned Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), an alliance of civil society groups, in Neelum Valley, Pakistani Kashmir, June 21, 2026.
REUTERS/Naseer ud Din
Regional parliamentary elections began in the Pakistan-administered portion of Kashmir on Monday, but the first round of voting has been racked with violence.
Kimi K3, a new-generation AI model with 2.8 trillion parameters, is released by Moonshot AI at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) 2026 in Shanghai, China, July 20, 2026. It is currently the world's largest open-source model.
Oriental Image via Reuters Connect
Newly released Kimi K3 has become the center of a fierce debate in Washington and Silicon Valley over whether America’s “closed” approach is protecting its lead, or helping China catch up.
- YouTube
In his latest Quick Take, Ian Bremmer discusses the on-again off-again ceasefire between the United States and Iran and why it has failed to hold, arguing that both sides remain locked in a fundamental disagreement over who has the leverage.
© 2025 GZERO Media. All Rights Reserved | A Eurasia Group media company.
