Ralph Hamers

Ralph Hamers
Born	Ralph Adrianus Joseph Gerardus Hamers 25 5, 1966
Birthplace	Simpelveld, Netherlands
Nationality	Dutch
Occupation	Banking executive, investor
Known for	CEO of UBS Group (2020–2023), CEO of ING Group (2013–2020)
Education	Master of Science in Business Econometrics/Operations Research
Children	2

Ralph Adrianus Joseph Gerardus Hamers (born 25 May 1966) is a Dutch banking executive who served as the chief executive officer (CEO) of UBS Group from September 2020 to April 2023, and prior to that as CEO of ING Group from October 2013 to June 2020. Born in the small town of Simpelveld in the southern Netherlands, Hamers spent nearly three decades at ING, rising through the ranks from a trainee position to lead one of Europe's largest financial institutions. During his tenure at both ING and UBS, Hamers became known for his emphasis on digital transformation and technology-driven banking strategies. His career at ING was, however, also marked by the bank's €775 million money laundering settlement with Dutch prosecutors in 2018, which cast a shadow over his subsequent appointment at UBS and led to a prolonged legal process in the Netherlands. In December 2025, a Dutch court ruled that Hamers would not face further prosecution in connection with the money laundering case. Since departing UBS, Hamers has pursued advisory and investment roles in financial technology ventures.

Early Life

Ralph Hamers was born on 25 May 1966 in Simpelveld, a municipality in the province of Limburg in the southern Netherlands. Simpelveld is a small town near the German and Belgian borders in the hilly landscape of South Limburg. Hamers grew up in this region before pursuing higher education at Tilburg University, one of the Netherlands' prominent institutions for economics and business studies.

Details about Hamers' family background and childhood have not been extensively documented in public sources. What is known from his professional biographical profiles is that his upbringing in the southern Netherlands shaped a career path that would remain rooted in Dutch banking for nearly three decades before he moved to the international stage at UBS.

Education

Hamers attended Tilburg University, where he earned a Master of Science degree in Business Econometrics and Operations Research. This quantitative and analytical educational background in econometrics provided Hamers with a foundation in mathematical modelling, statistics, and operations research — skills that would later inform his data-driven and technology-focused approach to banking leadership. Tilburg University's economics faculty has consistently ranked among the top in Europe, and Hamers' training there placed him within a tradition of Dutch financial professionals with strong quantitative expertise.

Career

ING Group (1991–2020)

Hamers joined ING Group in 1991, shortly after completing his studies, beginning what would become a career spanning nearly three decades at the Dutch financial services conglomerate. Over the following two decades, he held a series of increasingly senior positions across various divisions and geographies within ING, gaining experience in both retail and commercial banking operations.

Hamers rose through the management ranks at ING, taking on leadership roles in different markets. His career trajectory within the bank demonstrated a pattern of progressive responsibility, moving from operational and regional management positions to executive-level leadership.

CEO of ING Group (2013–2020)

In October 2013, Hamers was appointed chief executive officer of ING Group, taking the helm of one of the largest banking and financial services corporations in the Netherlands and Europe. During his tenure as CEO, Hamers pursued a strategy centred on digital transformation, seeking to position ING as a technology-forward banking institution. He oversaw efforts to streamline the bank's operations and invest in digital banking platforms, with the goal of making ING's services more accessible and efficient through technology.

Under Hamers' leadership, ING adopted agile working methods and invested in fintech partnerships, drawing attention from the broader banking industry for its approach to digital innovation. His reputation as a technology-focused banking leader became a defining feature of his professional identity and would later attract the attention of UBS's board of directors.

However, Hamers' tenure at ING was significantly affected by a money laundering scandal that became public in September 2018. Dutch prosecutors announced that ING had agreed to pay a settlement of €775 million — comprising a €675 million fine and €100 million in disgorgement of profits — to resolve an investigation into the bank's failure to adequately prevent money laundering through its accounts over an extended period. The settlement was one of the largest of its kind in European banking history at the time. Prosecutors found that ING had failed to properly screen client accounts and report suspicious transactions, allowing criminal enterprises to launder money through the bank's systems.

The settlement raised questions about management accountability at ING. While the 2018 settlement did not directly name Hamers as a target of prosecution, the scale of the compliance failures that occurred during his leadership period — and before — drew scrutiny to the bank's executive team.

In 2018, there was also controversy surrounding Hamers' compensation at ING. Reports indicated that the bank had planned to increase the CEO's salary significantly, going against prevailing trends in Dutch banking regarding executive compensation restraint, which generated public and political criticism.

ING announced in June 2020 that Hamers would leave the bank to take up the CEO position at UBS. His departure from ING marked the end of a nearly 30-year career at the institution, during which he had risen from a junior position to the most senior executive role.

UBS Group (2020–2023)

Appointment

On 19 February 2020, the board of directors of UBS Group AG announced the appointment of Ralph Hamers as its new Group Chief Executive Officer, effective 1 November 2020. Hamers was selected to succeed Sergio Ermotti, who had led UBS since 2011. In its announcement, the UBS board highlighted Hamers' track record in digital transformation and his experience leading a large, complex financial institution.

The appointment was interpreted by financial media as a signal that UBS intended to accelerate its digital strategy and technology investments. The Wall Street Journal described the move as UBS putting "digital first," noting Hamers' reputation as a tech-savvy banking leader who had driven ING's digital transformation efforts. Reuters characterised Hamers as a "Dutch tech innovator," emphasising his departure from the more traditional wealth management background that had typified previous UBS leadership.

Hamers formally took up the CEO role at UBS in September 2020, slightly ahead of the initially announced November start date.

Money Laundering Probe

Shortly after assuming the UBS role, Hamers' tenure was complicated by developments related to the ING money laundering case. In December 2020, Bloomberg News reported that Hamers was personally being probed by Dutch authorities in connection with ING's money laundering failures. Reuters also confirmed that an investigation had been opened into Hamers' potential personal responsibility for the compliance shortcomings at ING during his time as CEO.

The probe created an unusual situation in which the sitting CEO of one of the world's largest banks faced potential criminal prosecution in his home country related to actions at his former employer. The investigation examined whether Hamers, as CEO of ING during the period in question, bore personal criminal responsibility for the bank's anti-money laundering (AML) failures that had led to the €775 million settlement.

UBS's board expressed its confidence in Hamers at the time the probe was disclosed, but the legal uncertainty surrounding the investigation persisted throughout a significant portion of his tenure at the Swiss bank.

Tenure and Departure

Hamers served as UBS Group CEO from September 2020 until April 2023. His tenure coincided with a period of significant upheaval in the global banking sector, including the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on financial markets and the subsequent period of rising interest rates.

In March 2023, the Swiss government orchestrated UBS's emergency acquisition of Credit Suisse, its long-time domestic rival, following a crisis of confidence in the latter institution. The acquisition represented one of the most significant events in global banking in decades, creating a combined entity of enormous scale. Following the announcement of the Credit Suisse acquisition, UBS's board of directors announced on 29 March 2023 that Sergio Ermotti would return as Group CEO to lead the integration of the two banks, replacing Hamers.

The decision to bring back Ermotti — who had previously led UBS from 2011 to 2020 and was familiar with the bank's operations and Swiss regulatory environment — was described as a move to ensure continuity and experienced leadership during the complex integration process with Credit Suisse.

Post-UBS Career

Following his departure from UBS, Hamers transitioned to advisory and investment roles in the financial technology sector. In October 2024, it was reported that Hamers had joined Arta Finance, a United States-based artificial intelligence-driven wealth management startup, as an angel investor and external senior advisor.

The move to Arta Finance was consistent with Hamers' long-standing interest in technology-driven financial services. Arta Finance uses artificial intelligence to provide wealth management services, a domain that aligned with the digital banking focus that had characterised Hamers' leadership at both ING and UBS.

In November 2025, it was reported by the Australian Financial Review that Hamers had been considered as a candidate for the CEO position at ANZ, one of Australia's largest banks, during the institution's search for a new chief executive. The report indicated that Hamers had "well and truly impressed" the ANZ board during the search process, though ultimately another candidate was selected.

During his career, Hamers also served on the board of the Institute of International Finance (IIF), a global association of financial institutions.

Personal Life

Ralph Hamers was born and raised in Simpelveld in the southern Netherlands. He has two children. Hamers has maintained a relatively private personal life throughout his career in banking, with limited public information available about his family beyond these basic details.

Legal Proceedings

The question of Hamers' personal legal liability in connection with the ING money laundering case persisted for several years after the bank's 2018 settlement. Following the initial probe disclosed in December 2020, Dutch legal proceedings continued as parties sought to determine whether Hamers should face prosecution for ING's anti-money laundering failures.

In December 2025, a court in The Hague ruled that Hamers would not face further prosecution over ING's past money laundering failures. The court determined that a conviction was unlikely and ended the legal proceedings against him.

The ruling brought to a close a legal saga that had spanned more than five years and had overshadowed portions of Hamers' career at UBS. The case had been closely watched within the European banking industry as a test of the extent to which individual executives could be held personally responsible for institutional compliance failures in anti-money laundering controls.

Legacy

Ralph Hamers' career is defined by two principal themes: his advocacy of digital transformation in banking and the controversy surrounding the ING money laundering case. At ING, he led one of the earliest and most prominent efforts among major European banks to fundamentally reorient a traditional financial institution toward digital-first operations. His emphasis on agile working methods, fintech partnerships, and technology investment at ING drew attention across the industry and directly influenced his recruitment to lead UBS.

At UBS, Hamers' appointment represented a deliberate shift by the bank's board toward a more technology-focused strategic direction, departing from the wealth management-centric leadership tradition that had characterised the institution. While his tenure at UBS was relatively brief — cut short by the extraordinary circumstances of the Credit Suisse acquisition and the board's decision to bring back Sergio Ermotti to manage the integration — his appointment signalled the growing importance that major global banks placed on digital capabilities and technology leadership.

The ING money laundering case, and the years-long legal proceedings that followed, also left a mark on the broader discussion of executive accountability in financial services. The case highlighted the tension between corporate-level settlements for compliance failures and the question of personal responsibility for senior executives who oversaw institutions during periods of regulatory non-compliance. The eventual clearing of Hamers by the Dutch courts in 2025 resolved his personal legal situation, but the debate about executive accountability in AML compliance continued to resonate across the European banking sector.

Hamers' post-UBS move into the fintech advisory and investment space, particularly his role with AI-driven wealth management firm Arta Finance, reflected a continuation of his career-long interest in the intersection of technology and financial services.