Finance & economics | Back in black

Switzerland’s new megabank is bad news for Swiss bankers

The end of the 167-year-old institution will also be the end of many careers

The sign and logo of Credit Suisse bank is seen at their headquarters in Zurich on March 20, 2023. - Swiss banking giant UBS agreed to take over Credit Suisse for $3 billion Swiss francs ($3.25 billion) in a government-brokered deal over the weekend following days of market upheaval over the health of the banking sector. (Photo by Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP) (Photo by FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP via Getty Images)
Image: Getty Images

At a press conference in Bern on March 19th the chairmen of Credit Suisse and ubs, the two great rivals of Swiss banking, announced a momentous but unhappy union. After days of haggling, and years of creeping despair, regulators tried to avert crisis by rushing through a tie-up of banks with combined assets worth twice as much as Switzerland’s gdp.

This article appeared in the Finance & economics section of the print edition under the headline “United Banks of Switzerland”

From the March 25th 2023 edition

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