UBS in talks to acquire Credit Suisse

UBS is in discussions to take over all or part of Credit Suisse, with the boards of Switzerland’s two biggest lenders set to meet separately over the weekend to consider what would be Europe’s most consequential banking combination since the financial crisis, according to multiple people briefed on the talks.

The Swiss National Bank and regulator Finma are orchestrating the negotiations in an attempt to shore up confidence in the country’s banking sector, the people said. Their intervention comes days after the central bank was forced to provide an emergency SFr50bn ($54bn) credit line to Credit Suisse.

However, this failed to arrest a slide in its share price, which has fallen to record lows after its largest investor ruled out providing any more capital and its chair admitted that an exodus of wealth management clients had continued.

The share price performance of the Swiss lenders has diverged significantly in recent years. Over the past three years, UBS shares have gained about 120 per cent while those of its smaller rival have plunged roughly 70 per cent. The former has a market capitalisation of $56.6bn, while Credit Suisse closed on Friday with a value of $8bn.

In 2022, UBS generated $7.6bn of profit, whereas Credit Suisse made a $7.9bn loss, effectively wiping out the entire previous decade’s earnings.

Swiss regulators told their US and UK counterparts on Friday evening that merging the two banks was “plan A” to arrest a collapse in investor confidence in Credit Suisse, one of the people said.

A number of options beyond a full takeover are under discussion, another person said, adding that both sides are trying to evaluate regulatory constraints in different jurisdictions. This person added that UBS is also analysing the potential risks of a deal.

The Swiss central bank wants the lenders to agree on a simple and straightforward solution before markets open on Monday, one of the people said. There is no guarantee a deal, which would need to be approved by UBS shareholders, will be reached.

Credit Suisse and UBS declined to comment, as did the Swiss National Bank, the Federal Reserve and the Bank of England.

A full merger would create one of the biggest global systemically important financial institutions in Europe. UBS has $1.1tn of total assets on its balance sheet and Credit Suisse has $575bn.

However, such a large deal may prove too unwieldy to execute. The Financial Times has previously reported that other options under…