Swiss variations

Speakers representing private banks at the second Structured Products Switzerland event in Geneva are divided over the merits of complex structures and payouts. Some say they have been limiting product variations to ensure that new offerings are comprehensible for advisers and investors. Amanda Lee reports

Most speakers at the second Structured Products Switzerland conference in Geneva, which was attended by around 80 delegates, acknowledged that the use of structured products has increased in the past three years among investors. But not all private banks believe that complex structures and payouts are the way forward. Some, such as ABN Amro's private banking arm, have limited the variations of similar products available to sales forces at the bank so that offerings are easily understood by both