Bank Frick plans its new head office in Bendern

Bank Frick has received approval from the municipality of Gamprin for a building lease plot in Unterbendern. Once completed, its new head office will have room for up to 700 employees. The new building will meet the Bank’s growing need for space, bring its employees back together at one location and use a multifunctional, future-oriented solution.

Bank Frick has been on a growth path for a number of years, resulting in a rise in the number of employees. The team has grown from around 80 employees at the start of 2018 to 276 currently. As a result, the Bank is spread across four buildings in Balzers and has reached capacity. For some time now, Bank Frick has been looking for a new location. As there is no suitable space in Balzers, the Bank has since last summer been conducting negotiations with the municipality of Gamprin. The plans are now taking shape: the new building project has been given the green light with the awarding of the building lease. 

A multifunctional, future-oriented building is being developed

The plot is located behind Reis Augenklinik in Bendern and covers an area 4,246 square metres in size. The new building complex will be developed in stages to accommodate up to 700 modern workplaces. Bank Frick will also create rental space for its partners and other companies. An attractive space for service providers, shops, restaurants and cafés is being created on the ground floor. “We are looking to create a multifunctional, sustainable building that will provide a future-oriented space for our employees and our clients. Unterbendern is the ideal location as it offers us a flexible design with a great deal of scope for meeting our own needs,” says CFO Melanie Mündle.

From Balzers to Bendern: an inevitable step

Bank Frick has been based in Balzers since its foundation and so the new location marks a departure from Balzers. “We have tried over several years to develop possible scenarios that are achievable in the foreseeable future. We applied for tenders and held many discussions. We reviewed all available plots in Balzers and analysed specific solution strategies in Balzers, which took some considerable amount of time,” says Mario Frick, Chairman of the Board of Directors. “Despite an intensive search together with the municipality of Balzers, which was actively supported by Karl Malin, the Mayor of Balzers, and even after consulting private property owners, we were unable to find an option that came anywhere close to fulfilling our structural requirements and time constraints. Unfortunately, this does not come as a surprise as the industrial, commercial and service zones in Balzers have no appreciable reserves. The location in Gamprin-Bendern, on the other hand, has huge potential,” Frick continues.

Central location in the Unterbendern area

The new building is thus embedded in the development plan for the municipality of Gamprin, which is positioning the Unterbendern area as a future centre. This enables the Bank to move to a central location. “The central location, excellent transport links and proximity to key economic centres make this location particularly attractive for us and our clients,” says CEO Edi Wögerer. 

The new project is also a stroke of luck for the municipality of Gamprin: “The construction of a high-quality building complex and the diverse mix of uses has given the Unterbendern area its first flagship project within the development concept. Bank Frick will benefit from this as a lessee, but so too will the municipality and its residents,” says Mayor Johannes Hasler. Its connection to the motorway already makes the area readily accessible. The planned re-routing of the main traffic axis and the expansion of the Rhine Bridge to four lanes significantly improves accessibility.

Next steps of the implementation plan

The tender process marks the start of the next phase of the construction project. The plan is for the selection process, involving the participation of selected architecture firms, to be completed by autumn 2025. According to the rough project schedule, the planning and construction phase will last around six years.

About Bank Frick
Bank Frick specialises in banking for professional clients. The Liechtenstein bank provides a fully integrated offering of classic banking and blockchain banking services. Its clients include fintechs, asset managers, payment service providers, family offices, fund promoters, pension funds and fiduciaries.

Bank Frick has been family-run since its foundation as a licensed universal bank in 1998, and it adopts an entrepreneurial approach. Today the Bank is entirely owned by the Kuno Frick Family Foundation (KFS). The Bank employs over 270 members of staff at its Balzers office and operates a branch in London, UK.
Bank Frick is one of Europe’s pioneers of the regulated blockchain banking sector. The offering covers trading and custody of crypto assets and token sales. The Bank also develops tailored crypto-structuring solutions for intermediaries.

In addition to its highly regarded basic services, Bank Frick’s classic banking offerings cover services for funds and issues, focusing on formulating European (AIF, UCITS) and national fund solutions. In the capital market sector, Bank Frick develops tailored financial products for intermediaries and supports them along the whole issue process, acting also as a custodian bank.

Bank Frick is the only Liechtenstein bank with acquiring licences from Visa and MasterCard, and it can process card payments globally for payment service providers and their online merchants.