UBS AG (NYSE:UBS) is a leading global financial services firm and the second largest wealth manager in the world behind Bank of America (BAC) in terms of assets under management.^[1] It offers wealthy individuals investment management and financial planning services, as well as advises large corporations on mergers and acquisitions and helps them to raise capital through debt and equity offerings. For the full year 2010, UBS reported a total revenue of $42.6B and a net income of $7.7B.

Swiss banking and privacy laws create a competitive advantage for UBS against its foreign competitors. UBS is currently under investigation regarding its role in tax evasion and money laundering. As a result, it has had to pay out millions in settlement fees, close doors to many of its affluent foreign customers, as well as disclose its clients' names, which has damaged its privacy reputation. Despite this, UBS has established offices throughout Asia and other high-growth regions to capture the business of the rapidly increasing number of wealthy people, positioning itself to benefit from these regions’ explosive growth.^[2]

(Read more at Wikinvest )