Liechtenstein's Bank Frick hopes to show a clean pair of heels to its rivals for fintech business, gifting all 120 of its staff with a pair of Adidas trainers in the bank's corporate colours as part of a more relaxed dress code.
The newly introduced “smart-casual” dress guide permits staff to wear trainers as part of their business attire - whereas ties can stay in the drawer.
From now on, men in suits can lose the tie and leave their top button undone. Chinos and dark jeans are also permitted, as long as they are not "faded or distressed", and smart polo shirts may be paraded as an alternative to long-sleeved shirts.
In celebration of the bank's 20th birthday, all staff have been kitted out with street-cool Adidas trainers as the bank looks to outpace incumbents in the race for fintech startup business.
Sigvard Wohlwend, head of corporate and market communications at Bank Frick, says the newly introduced dress guide was prompted by the bank's changing client structure, among other things.
“Today, many of Bank Frick visitors and clients have more of a fintech or blockchain background," she says. "Often these are younger business clients who look different to the established clientele that dominated our client structure a decade ago."
Knock-on benefits in the search for fresh young talent are also anticipated. “We are confident that the new dress guide will help to present Bank Frick as an attractive employer, even to applicants from outside of the banking sector,”