The SAAM members

Active members
As an association, the SAAM is supported by its active members. They all operate in Switzerland with independent asset management as their primary occupation.

In unison with the founding concept to unite in the association only asset managers who practice asset management in a serious and professional manner, the SAAM only accepts active members who have sufficient qualifications in the field, a good reputation and can prove experience in asset manager for third parties.

The SAAM's active members are very heterogeneous in terms of their asset manager activities and the size of their companies. The majority of active members have small companies with one or two members. For the most part they look after private customers and primarily provide classic asset management. In addition, many of them offer additional services, such as investment counseling, tax advising and/or financial planning.

The larger member companies are mostly those that have specialized in financial products, such as funds, hedge funds or structured products. They manage assets ranging in the billions of Swiss francs, whereby their customers mainly consist of institutional investors such as banks and insurance companies.

The law requires that independent asset mangers join a Self-regulating Body (SRO) or directly subject themselves to the supervision of the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA). Active membership in the SAAM is not possible without joining the SRO. The only exception to this rule is if an asset manger is directly supervised by the FINMA. The members are designated as "active members with state approval".

Passive members
Passive members of the SAAM are natural or legal persons who do not meet the criteria for an active membership. They thereby distinguish themselves through support of the aims of the SAAM and of the profession of independent asset managers and also have an interest in the SAAM's commitment to specialized education and training.

The SAAM is proud to have a growing number of passive members. Represented among them are many leading financial institutions within the Swiss financial centre, as well as information companies, attorneys and insurance companies. This shows that the SAAM is a relevant player in the Swiss financial sector.

Individual members
Individual members are proprietors or managing employees of active members, who have bee active as asset managers for at least five years.

Honorary members
Honorary members of the SAAM are individuals who have proven themselves especially worthy to the SAAM or the goals it strives for. They are granted the status of honorary member by the Members' Meeting.