UBS boss warns towards extreme banking regulation forward of overhaul

ZURICH (Reuters) – Switzerland shouldn’t set guidelines for its banking sector that put it at a drawback, UBS CEO Sergio Ermotti was quoted as saying on Monday, because the nation prepares to overtake regulation following his financial institution’s takeover of Credit score Suisse.

Swiss authorities are within the coming weeks as a result of put ahead stricter banking guidelines geared toward stopping a repeat of the 2023 collapse of Credit score Suisse, which has left UBS because the nation’s sole international financial institution.

UBS is cautious of what may emerge and Ermotti stated harder regulation throughout the board may weaken the Swiss monetary sector towards competitors in London, Hong Kong and Singapore.

“Switzerland cannot afford to fall again right into a ‘mannequin pupil syndrome’ and introduce guidelines that do not apply in different international locations,” Ermotti informed Migros-Magazin, the weekly publication of one among Switzerland’s essential retailers.

Echoing the findings of a Swiss parliamentary investigation launched in December, Ermotti stated Credit score Suisse had triggered its personal demise, and that Swiss authorities had allowed the financial institution to get round laws that already existed.

Large banks had discovered their classes from previous crises and had been right this moment a stabilizing issue, not the issue, he argued.

“Even when UBS had an issue, it might be extremely unlikely that the taxpayer would lose a franc,” Ermotti stated, arguing his financial institution had loads of reserves to cowl any potential losses.

Ermotti stated the combination of Credit score Suisse into UBS was going easily, describing the chance of delays in a fancy IT migration as the largest problem.

On the fragile topic of pay, Ermotti stated he had all the time felt he must be remunerated according to opponents and in keeping with his efficiency, including that his first ever month-to-month wage as an apprentice was 350 Swiss francs ($388).

The CEO made 14.4 million francs ($15.96 million) in 2023.

($1 = 0.9020 Swiss francs)