‘Too Big to Fail’ risk acceptable at largest Swiss cantonal bank
The Swiss financial regulator has approved plans by the country’s largest cantonal bank to wind up in an orderly manner should it go bust. Large-scale banks must satisfy the regulator that their insolvency would not significantly damage the economy.
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The Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority, FINMA, declared itself satisfied with Zurich Cantonal Bank’s (ZKB) emergency plan. The bank issued the necessary additional loss-absorbing funds in the form of loss-bearing bonds in 2023, according to the communiqué. The other requirements had already been met.
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According to FINMA, Postfinance, on the other hand, still does not meet the requirements for additional loss-absorbing funds. In the meantime, however, it has submitted a binding plan to build up these funds.
There is no change in the assessment of Raiffeisen’s emergency plan – already judged to be feasible last year.
The new UBS has not yet been assessed. The bank has said it will revise its crisis preparedness due to the takeover and integration of Credit Suisse. UBS will then submit its plans for restructuring and liquidation, plus stabilisation and emergency planning, to FINMA. The regulator will examine these measures and make a separate decision later.
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Systemically important banks must submit an emergency plan to FINMA every year for assessment. They must show how the systemically relevant functions could be continued in the event of a risk of insolvency.
At Raiffeisen and ZKB, systemically important functions are the short-term lending business. At all three banks – including Postfinance – deposit business and payment transactions are considered systemically important.
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Translated from German by DeepL/mga
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