News · 30 April 2025
The City Comes to Zurich: Lord Mayor of London Visits GenTwo
On April 29, GenTwo had the honor of welcoming The Right Honourable Lord Mayor of London, Alderman Alastair King DL, to our Zurich headquarters. The visit, which included the British Ambassador to Switzerland, took place against the backdrop of the increasing collaboration between two of the world's leading financial centers. It also marked another milestone in GenTwo's growing relationship with the UK market.
As the 696th Lord Mayor of the City of London, Alderman King serves as the global ambassador for the UK's financial and professional services sector. His theme for his mayoral year – "Growth Unleashed" – resonates deeply with GenTwo's mission to democratize financial product creation and expand the investment universe.
As GenTwo CEO Philippe A. Naegeli pointed out, the Lord Mayor’s 'Growth Unleashed' initiative “resonates deeply with us and your visit today inspires us to push even further in shaping the next generation of financial services — not by waiting for change, but by engineering it.”
During his time at GenTwo, Lord Mayor King toured our Zurich headquarters, where he met with our leadership team and staff members to learn about our innovative approach to financial engineering. The visit included discussions about GenTwo's vision for expanding the investment universe through our Assetization platform. As a memento of his visit, the Lord Mayor received a copy of 'Assetization', the book on the future of investing authored by GenTwo's founders, Patrick Loepfe and Philippe A. Naegeli.
Building Bridges Across Financial Centers
This visit builds on GenTwo's established connections with British political and financial leadership. It follows Sir Stephen Timms MP's visit to our offices last year in his capacity as the UK Prime Minister's Trade Envoy to Switzerland, and comes just months after our successful London office launch at the Swiss Embassy in October 2024.
"London represents not just a key market for us, but a vital partner in our vision for the future of finance," noted Naegeli. "The Lord Mayor's visit reinforces the importance of the cross-border innovation happening between our financial centers."
From Sechseläuten to Securitization
The Lord Mayor's visit to GenTwo was part of a broader Swiss itinerary, which included participating in Zurich's historic Sechseläuten spring festival. In a delightful cross-cultural exchange, Lord Mayor King attended the traditional burning of the Böögg (an effigy of winter in the form of a giant snowman) as a guest of the Zunft zur Waag guild – returning the honor after 200 representatives from the Zurich guild participated in the Lord Mayor's Show procession in London last November.
The timing of the visit is particularly significant as both nations prepare for the full implementation of their bilateral financial services agreement in early 2026. This innovative agreement will create mutual market access without requiring regulatory harmonization – exactly the kind of flexible, forward-thinking approach that aligns with GenTwo's vision.
"We see enormous potential in the deepening relationship between Switzerland and the UK," said Naegeli. "As the Lord Mayor champions 'Growth Unleashed' in London, we are working toward the same goal through our Assetization Platform – creating new opportunities by making previously non-bankable assets investable at scale."
The Lord Mayor's visit concluded with an invitation to GenTwo's upcoming AssetRush event on May 14, where leading financial innovators will gather to explore the frontier of asset innovation.
As Swiss-British financial cooperation continues to strengthen, GenTwo remains committed to building bridges between these complementary financial ecosystems – proving that innovation thrives best when it crosses borders.