On this day, it is exactly one year ago that the Swiss authorities announced that UBS will swallow its longtime rival Credit Suisse (CS).
During the 12 month period following 19 March 2023, it has transpired over time how profitable this transaction has been for UBS. Months ago, the renowned Financial Times commented on the relevant figures that the CS take-over "looks like one of the biggest steals in financial history" (see: https://lnkd.in/gcNVXhTg). And today, on the first anniversary of the announcement of the CS takeover by UBS, Bloomberg writes (see the link below): "On the first anniversary of UBS Group AG’s historic takeover of its former rival Credit Suisse, it’s becoming clear just how advantageous the deal has been for the bank. It has pushed its market capitalization past $100 billion to the highest level in almost 16 years and cemented its leading role in global wealth management."
What has also transpired over time, and has been confirmed recently by UBS's Chairman Colm Kelleher, is how well prepared UBS went into the rescue operation in March 2023. In a recent interview with the leading Swiss newspaper NZZ, Mr. Kelleher explained that UBS started to evaluate a takeover of its rival CS back in July of 2022 already (see: https://lnkd.in/dxNauewr). The events leading up to and on 19 March 2023 are also described in a new publication, written by the renowned Swiss finance journalist Lukas Haessig. In a short book of 44 pages, with the title "The billion dollar coup", Mr. Hässig describes in detail how well prepared UBS went into the negotiations and how successful the outcome of these were for the largest Swiss bank (see: https://lnkd.in/g2WwuS4j). Regarding the hotly disputed write-down of the so-called "AT1" capital instruments he writes, among other things (at page 37; translated into English with Deepl): "A gift, a kind of supplement to the bargain takeover price of CHF 3 billion for the whole of CS. Its headquarters on Paradeplatz and the Savoy Baur en Ville luxury hotel diagonally opposite, which it owned, alone added up to a billion. At least." It will be interesting to see how the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority FINMA and UBS will try to legally justify the position that the AT1 instruments would have had to be wiped out in light of the mentioned circumstances.
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