Mr. Bürki, 2022 was a turbulent year for the crypto sector and investor sentiment is rather gloomy at the moment. How do you expect the current year to develop?
As an electrical engineer with a degree from EPFL, I’m fascinated by the technology behind blockchain. I think events of the past year have ushered in a consolidation process, a lot like what happened with the Internet when the dotcom bubble burst. What’s important is that crypto-related activities occur within a reliable, regulated framework going forward.
You launched SQX, your own crypto-exchange, in October. Can you sum up your initial experiences with this new project?
Right. We’ve created an efficient trading platform for our clients with our SQX crypto-exchange, one that ensures secure and cost-effective execution with sufficient liquidity in the cryptocurrencies traded. SQX currently allows trading in more than 30 cryptocurrencies – with more to come.
Your clients just recently gained access to ESG scores. Which information flows into these scores and how are they used?
ESG scores are becoming increasingly important to our clients. We welcome this awareness and support our clients with technologies that provide them with comprehensive information so they can take every key aspect into account at the individual share level. We launched an innovative ESG investment model in January 2023. An ESG score is shown for each company and broken down by economic, environmental and governance aspects. Not only that, but investors can now also apply filters to their portfolios to include or exclude certain ESG impacts, letting them choose between eleven positive impact criteria (like green innovation, human rights, business ethics, etc.) and nine negative impact criteria (like animal testing, weapons, alcohol, etc.). Investors on the lookout for trading ideas will find inspirations for responsible investments on the platform as well as a stock-picking option, while the categories displayed focus on top-performing ESG stocks.
Where do you expect Swissquote’s next digital challenge to be?
We want to leverage Big Data and artificial intelligence to implement innovative solutions that help us to continue growing in the area of digital asset management. Since some of my other priorities are protecting against cyber risks and safeguarding our systems’ functionality, even if the markets get a bit hectic from time to time, we invest tens of millions every year in the requisite IT security and infrastructure.
Which of this year’s projects is particularly near and dear to you?
2022 was a good year for Swissquote and we generated solid results despite the challenging market environment. What I wish for 2023 is that we can continue to grow with Swissquote and present another set of record-breaking results. I also hope that the war in Ukraine will be over soon and that inflation rates regain some stability.
I’d like to finish up with a personal question: How do you invest your own private money?
It goes without saying that I manage my private money on my own through the Swissquote Bank. As one of the company’s founders, I’m heavily invested in Swissquote shares, which account for roughly 99 percent of my portfolio. I’ve also bought a few of the company’s own certificates too and invest in tech companies. I believe that the world can only be saved through technology and innovation.
