Tag Archives: Politics

During a meeting on 5 April 2023, Switzerland’s Federal Council decided to axe or cut the bonuses of around 1,000 people at Credit Suisse. © Octavian Lazar | Dreamstime.comThe move follows a rushed acquisition deal involving UBS and the Swiss authorities after a bank run threatened Credit Suisse’s solvency in mid-March. Switzerland’s Banking Act allows the Swiss government to impose remuneration-related measures if a systemically important bank is directly or indirectly granted state...

When a bank run started at Credit Suisse in mid-March 2023, UBS already had a secret plan for a potential takeover of its competitor, according to Bloomberg. © Denis Linine | Dreamstime.comWhen UBS chairman Colm Kelleher joined UBS in 2022 he inherited a plan put together by the bank’s former chairman as early as 2020 on how Credit Suisse could be taken over. Kelleher built on the plan with help from a small group of bankers from Morgan Stanley, his former employer. According to...

As expected, this week, Switzerland’s left leaning political parties and unions announced the launch of a vote to strike down the work related pension reform plan accepted by the government last week, reported RTS. Photo by cottonbro studio on Pexels.comThe government plan, which reflects the challenging mathematics of funding pensions at their current level in the face of an ageing population, essentially requires most workers to pay more and receive less. It also forces some that...

Sergio Ermotti, UBS’s former CEO from 2011 until 2020, will take over the running of Switzerland’s largest bank from Ralph Hamers, the current CEO in April 2023, reported RTS. Given the new reality and and risks associated with the integration of Credit Suisse, the long experience Ermotti has had at the helm of UBS, was a key part of the choice, said UBS chairman Colm Kelleher on Wednesday. The Swiss national from Ticino will take over from Dutch national Ralph Hamers, to whom Kelleher...

In Switzerland, basic welfare payments are only paid once an individual has spent almost all of their wealth supporting themselves. These requirements apply to everyone but are typically irrelevant for most refugees, who arrive in Switzerland with next to nothing. However, many arriving from Ukraine, a lower-middle income country, have wealth exceeding the limit, most visibly displayed in the vehicles some drive. Luxury cars in particular have raised eyebrows, although it cannot be assumed...

Part II of II To be fair, it is true, this time is different. Indeed, this time the rescue plan for the bust banks is not comparable to what we saw in 2008. In the US, the guarantee for deposits up to $250.000 comes from funds that are maintained by participating banks and not from the taxpayer. The official answer to how they’re going to pay everyone back is also plausible and possible: Some, or even most, of the money can and will be recovered from winding down the failed bank’s...

Part II of II To be fair, it is true, this time is different. Indeed, this time the rescue plan for the bust banks is not comparable to what we saw in 2008. In the US, the guarantee for deposits up to $250.000 comes from funds that are maintained by participating banks and not from the taxpayer. The official answer to how they’re going to pay everyone back is also plausible and possible: Some, or even most, of the money can and will be recovered from...

Part I of II The recent turmoil that has roiled the global banking sector has placed central bankers in an impossible position: Cut rates and avert a domino-style disaster in the industry and a possible deep and prolonged recession in the wider economy or stay the hiking course to combat the still untamed inflationary pressures? Arguably the great losers in both cases will be the taxpayers and the average working household.  The recent turmoil in the...

Part I of II The recent turmoil that has roiled the global banking sector has placed central bankers in an impossible position: Cut rates and avert a domino-style disaster in the industry and a possible deep and prolonged recession in the wider economy or stay the hiking course to combat the still untamed inflationary pressures? Arguably the great losers in both cases will be the taxpayers and the average working household.  The recent turmoil in the banking sector, both in the...

The rapidly agreed plan hatched behind closed doors last weekend to merge Switzerland’s two largest banks has sparked widespread anger across Switzerland. A poll published this week showed that 66% of Swiss surveyed were either very (37%) or fairly (29%) angry about the merger, reported RTS. © Alan Gignoux | Dreamstime.comLate last week, a crisis in investor confidence in Credit Suisse Group gave way to the beginnings of a bank run. To restore calm, a merger of Credit Suisse and UBS was...