Switzerland was urged by a group of experts on Friday to prepare itself effectively for the possible collapse of a major bank in the midst of Credit Suisse’s decline, but their report to the government avoided radical reforms that some believe are necessary. At the beginning of this year, the UBS Group became Switzerland’s largest bank after the government hastily arranged and partially financed the takeover of troubled Credit Suisse to prevent the collapse of that bank. The collapse of one of the world’s largest banks and a former symbol of Swiss financial strength blinded the country’s officials and regulators, who had long been struggling with the lender as it stumbled from one scandal to another. On Friday, a group of Swiss experts, including bankers and academics, urged the government to be better prepared in case UBS, which is now much larger, encounters difficulties. They did not call for granting the national regulatory authority FINMA more powers to impose fines. However, they did suggest that FINMA should have more intervention powers, and coordination among Swiss authorities should be improved. The experts also proposed making it easier for banks to attract central bank financing by relaxing the rules regarding the collateral that can be offered in exchange. The takeover of Credit Suisse – the first rescue of a global bank since the 2008 financial crisis – gives UBS tremendous firepower and frees it from its main competitor. It will reshape the banking landscape in Switzerland, where offices of Credit Suisse and UBS are scattered everywhere, sometimes just a few meters apart from each other. The two banks, two of the most systemically important institutions in the global financial sector, together have assets that can amount to up to 140% of Switzerland’s gross domestic product in a country highly dependent on the financial industry. During the global financial crisis of 2008, it was UBS, not Credit Suisse, that needed a state bailout. At that time, the Swiss National Bank lent more than $54 billion to a vehicle used by UBS to offload problematic debts, including subprime loans.
