Erstwhile wunderkind Jan Schoch has resurfaced, after his acrimonious exit from the firm he co-founded and his digital wealth manager crumbled. His new gig promises to be no less controversial.
Jan Schoch is returning to banking: the fintech star is joining the board of Bank Alpinum, the Liechtenstein-based wealth manager said in a statement on Tuesday.
Schoch's reappearance comes 15 months after the 41-year-old threw in the towel and Leonteq, which he co-founded in 2007, as well as Flynt, a digital wealth project which foundered, as finews.asia chronicled.
With privately held Alpinum, Schoch is joining a wealth manager enshared in a darknet probe connected to Alexandre Cazes. The Canadian, who was accused of running one of the darknet's largest marketplaces until his death in 2017, maintained an account with Alpinum in Liechtenstein, according to a local press report (in German) based on a U.S. court documents.
CEO, Board Clash
Alpinum also dismissed its CEO Stephan Haeberle on Tuesday, citing «a disturbed relationship of trust between the CEO and the supervisory board». The Swiss banker, who previously ran Swiss lender Valartis, lasted less than two years at Alpinum.
«We regret that on the basis of certain arbitrariness and coordination deficits with the board of directors, a further trustful cooperation in the interests of the bank and its owners is no longer possible», Alpinum said. Haeberle couldn't immediately be reached for comment. He will be replaced temporarily by operating chief Juergen Bewernick until the bank has found a permanent replacement as CEO.
Rogue Banker
Alpinum is controlled by a Liechtenstein vehicle linked to the bank's chairman as well as other former and current board directors. The bank's recent history is turbulent: in 2017, it reported an 8.5 million Swiss franc ($8.5 million) loss after uncovering an alleged fraud by a rogue employee.
