Resolvability key to UBS capital requirements, minister says
Adds detail on timing of political process, paragraph 10, definition of resolvability, paragraph 2
ZURICH, Oct 31 (Reuters) -How much capital UBS UBSG.S needs to hold under new stability measures being considered by Swiss authorities will depend on the bank's resolvability, Finance Minister Karin Keller-Sutter said on Thursday.
Swiss financial market regulator FINMA defines resolvability as creating the conditions for restructuring a systemically important bank in a crisis, or allowing it to exit the market by way of bankruptcy, without jeopardising financial stability.
UBS is currently waiting to see what rules are adopted under a set of "too big to fail" proposals sketched out by the Swiss government in April, which aim to prevent the kind of banking collapse that brought down Credit Suisse last year.
UBS acquired Credit Suisse after the latter's demise, creating what critics have called a "monster bank" and putting pressure on the government to ensure it does not fail and hit the economy.
Keller-Sutter said subsidiaries of Credit Suisse in the United States and Britain had been insufficiently capitalized, but that officials were still examining how important capitalization of such units should be in future.
She declined to be drawn on whether the amount of equity banks should back their foreign units with should be nearer to 60% or 100%, speaking in Zurich at a Bloomberg event.
"This depends on the resolvability of UBS specifically because we're talking about UBS," she said.
"And you have to look at the whole package because there are also progressive components of capital requirements, which will rise because of the size of the bank. There will be other capital requirements, for instance, followed by stress tests."
Shortly afterwards, she added: "But I must also say that we are catching up with foreign jurisdictions because they have more than 60% in other jurisdictions."
Officials would deliver proposed amendments to ordinances and legislation in the first half of 2025, which would then be subject to regular consultations, Keller-Sutter added.
If there were another crisis, it would be about liquidity, the minister said.
UBS has pushed back against the prospect of higher capital requirements, arguing it could hurt business.
In the end, a balance is needed to be struck between ensuring the competitiveness of the financial sector and stability, Keller-Sutter said. She said she did not think authorities should interfere in setting salaries when asked about criticism she herself had voiced against UBS executive pay levels.
The minister said the government did, however, believe in creating scope for clawbacks on compensation and that if limiting bankers' pay ever was put to a referendum under the Swiss system of direct democracy, it would likely pass.
Keller-Sutter said she did not rule out the possibility of market regulator FINMA being given the authority to impose fines on banks, noting that fines and introducing a so-called senior manager regime are "very popular" in parliament.
Reporting by Dave Graham, editing by John Revill, Susan Fenton and Marguerita Choy
Related Assets
Latest News
Disclaimer: The XM Group entities provide execution-only service and access to our Online Trading Facility, permitting a person to view and/or use the content available on or via the website, is not intended to change or expand on this, nor does it change or expand on this. Such access and use are always subject to: (i) Terms and Conditions; (ii) Risk Warnings; and (iii) Full Disclaimer. Such content is therefore provided as no more than general information. Particularly, please be aware that the contents of our Online Trading Facility are neither a solicitation, nor an offer to enter any transactions on the financial markets. Trading on any financial market involves a significant level of risk to your capital.
All material published on our Online Trading Facility is intended for educational/informational purposes only, and does not contain – nor should it be considered as containing – financial, investment tax or trading advice and recommendations; or a record of our trading prices; or an offer of, or solicitation for, a transaction in any financial instruments; or unsolicited financial promotions to you.
Any third-party content, as well as content prepared by XM, such as: opinions, news, research, analyses, prices and other information or links to third-party sites contained on this website are provided on an “as-is” basis, as general market commentary, and do not constitute investment advice. To the extent that any content is construed as investment research, you must note and accept that the content was not intended to and has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research and as such, it would be considered as marketing communication under the relevant laws and regulations. Please ensure that you have read and understood our Notification on Non-Independent Investment. Research and Risk Warning concerning the foregoing information, which can be accessed here.
