financetom
Business
financetom
/
Business
/
Factbox-Swiss findings on the Credit Suisse collapse
News World Market Environment Technology Personal Finance Politics Retail Business Economy Cryptocurrency Forex Stocks Market Commodities
Factbox-Swiss findings on the Credit Suisse collapse
Dec 20, 2024 2:04 AM

ZURICH (Reuters) - Switzerland on Friday published a long-awaited parliamentary report into last year's collapse of Credit Suisse, an event that called into question the country's reputation for financial stability and prompted far-reaching questions about what went wrong.

Following an 18-month inquiry, the parliamentary committee made 30 recommendations and requests it said could help prevent a similar crisis in the future. Below are some of the key ones:

UBS AND TOO-BIG-TO-FAIL

UBS bought Credit Suisse in an emergency rescue, leaving it as Switzerland's sole globally systemically important bank.

The government must take into account how much bigger UBS is in relation to the Swiss economy than large banks in other countries when developing its "too-big-to-fail" (TBTF) rules, and should prioritise financial market stability, the report said.

Such legislation should work towards ensuring that the Swiss financial system is viable and preventing international financial crises.

But the report, the findings of which are expected to feed into the debate around the updated TBTF rules, did not give any concrete suggestions for how much more capital banks like UBS should hold. Imposing higher capital requirements is one of the most contentious parts, and is opposed by UBS.

REIN IN BOSSES

The committee concluded that Credit Suisse's management was principally to blame for the crisis, and recommended the government consider imposing wide-ranging measures on systemically relevant banks.

Among the options, it suggested limiting bonus payments when business is going badly, strengthening shareholders' say on stability issues, and introducing a compulsory 10-year residence requirement in Switzerland for a majority of board members.

FINANCIAL REGULATION

While the report acknowledged Swiss authorities had managed to avert a global financial meltdown, financial regulator FINMA came in for significant criticism, echoing prior evaluations of the crisis.

FINMA was accused of being too soft on the bank, in particular in a 2017 decision that allowed Credit Suisse to use an accounting procedure that lowered its capital requirements.

The committee called for the government to introduce measures to curb scope for banks to ease capital and liquidity requirements in future. It also asked the government to give FINMA more powers, including a right to name and shame big banks, to fine managers and to order temporary restrictions on dividends and share buybacks.

The Swiss National Bank (SNB) must be empowered to force systemically important banks into preparations for extraordinary liquidity assistance (ELA), the committee found. It also asked the government to reduce the stigma around such assistance.

The report also floated the idea of leaving audit oversight for systemically important banks solely in FINMA's hands. Currently, much of the responsibility for that task is held by another body known as RAB.

PUBLIC LIQUIDITY BACKSTOP

Swiss authorities must have the power to use a public liquidity backstop in a crisis, the committee said.

Such a backstop - which effectively provides cash to a lender in trouble with the government bearing the risk - was introduced via emergency law in March 2023 when Credit Suisse was collapsing. However, if one had been available previously it could have eased the panic that saw clients abandon Credit Suisse in 2022 and 2023, the committee found.

In September 2023, the government proposed a legal amendment to introduce a public liquidity backstop. Parliament is expected to debate it next year.

INFORMATION SHARING

When Credit Suisse's demise accelerated in late 2022, some key Swiss officials were kept in the dark, with discussions between the principal players inside government, the SNB and Credit Suisse management sometimes held in secret undocumented meetings, and the scale of the crisis played down repeatedly.

The committee said the government should improve information sharing procedures and keep adequate meeting records.

Comments
Welcome to financetom comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Related Articles >
Wolfspeed shares rally after chipmaker exits Chapter 11 bankruptcy
Wolfspeed shares rally after chipmaker exits Chapter 11 bankruptcy
Sep 30, 2025
(Reuters) -Wolfspeed ( WOLF ) shares surged more than 25% before the bell on Tuesday, after the chipmaker successfully emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy with a substantially reduced debt load. The move has restored investor confidence in the company's prospects to become a leading provider of silicon carbide semiconductors, known for their superior energy efficiency, to electric-vehicle makers amid growing...
Tilray Expands German Cannabis Portfolio With Five New Products
Tilray Expands German Cannabis Portfolio With Five New Products
Sep 30, 2025
07:31 AM EDT, 09/30/2025 (MT Newswires) -- Tilray Brands ( TLRY ) down 3.8% in the U.S. pre-market trading, said Tuesday it has expanded its Tilray Craft portfolio in Germany with five new cannabis flower products produced in Germany. The products, produced at Tilray's EU-GMP certified facility in Neumunster, reflect its commitment to provide physicians and pharmacies with EU-GMP certified...
Draganfly Lands US Army Deal To Build, Train Flex FPV Drone Systems At Overseas Facilities
Draganfly Lands US Army Deal To Build, Train Flex FPV Drone Systems At Overseas Facilities
Sep 30, 2025
Draganfly Inc. ( DPRO ) announced Tuesday that the U.S. Army has selected the company to provide its Flex FPV drone systems, including onsite manufacturing, training, and secure logistics support. The initial order directs the company to deliver Flex FPV drones designed for high-performance operations. The financial terms of the order were not disclosed. The stock breached and made a...
Gogo Gets EU Certification for Simple Ka-Band Terminal for Dassault Falcon 7X, 8X Aircraft
Gogo Gets EU Certification for Simple Ka-Band Terminal for Dassault Falcon 7X, 8X Aircraft
Sep 30, 2025
07:30 AM EDT, 09/30/2025 (MT Newswires) -- Gogo ( GOGO ) said Tuesday the Gogo Plane Simple Ka-band tail mount antenna system has received European Union Aviation Safety Agency supplemental type certification approvals for Dassault Falcon 7X and 8X jets. The certification covers government, executive, and private planes. The company said approvals from the Federal Aviation Administration, Transport Canada Civil...
Copyright 2023-2026 - www.financetom.com All Rights Reserved