This Detailed Assessment of Compliance on the Basel Core Principles for Effective Banking Supervision on Switzerland discusses that significant portions of guidance and legislation related to qualitative risk management and control standards are not as detailed or comprehensive as in many other...

This Detailed Assessment of Implementation on the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) Objectives and Principles of Securities Regulation discusses that Switzerland has made progress in addressing the recommendations from the IOSCO assessment of the 2001-2002 Financial...

This Technical Note on Systemic Risk and Contagion Analysis on Switzerland summarizes the systemic risk and contagion analysis undertaken for the Swiss financial system as part of the Financial Sector Assessment Program (FSAP) Update. Contagion risks arising from interbank exposures in...

This Technical Note on Oversight, Supervision, and Risk Management of Financial Market Infrastructures explains that financial market infrastructures (FMIs) in Switzerland are well-developed and stable. The FMIs operate smoothly for many years without any substantial outage or other technical or...

The Swiss banking system is characterized by a two-tier structure. The first tier is composed of the two large banks and some smaller banks focused on private banking, all of which have a significant international presence. These banks represent, so to speak, the “international face” of the...

This technical note presents an update to the Financial System Stability Assessment (FSSA) on Switzerland. It reveals that current domestic macroeconomic and financial sector conditions are favorable, and the main downside risks to the financial sector are external. Stress tests confirm the...

Switzerland was hard hit by the global crisis; however, the 1.5 percent contraction in 2009 compares favorably with most industrial countries. This 2010 Article IV Consultation highlights that after a year-long decline in real GDP, the economy exited the recession in mid-2009. In response to the...

For the past quarter century, Switzerland’s real per capita growth rate has been substantially slower than in most other industrial countries. Unemployment has declined rapidly to 2.4 percent of the labor force in November 1999 from its 1997 peak of more than 5 percent. Inflation has edged up...

This 2007 Article IV Consultation highlights that Switzerland’s economy is performing well. The expansion moved into its fourth year with above average growth and employment, and few signs of inflation. This favorable outcome can be traced to a vibrant external environment, including in global...

This technical note discusses the banking system structure, performance, and medium-term challenges for Switzerland. The note discusses that the Swiss banking sector has been undergoing a substantial consolidation over the last 10 years, but retains a rich collection of institutional types...