“Quo Vadis Swiss Financial Centre?” 2023 – After the Crisis Is Before the Next Crisis

Co-Chairing by Prof. Dr. Rolf Sethe and Prof. Dr. Christoph B. Bühler, LL.M.

Presentation by Prof. Dr. Christoph B. Bühler, LL.M.

The collapse of Credit Suisse shook the Swiss financial centre to its core. The existing “Too Big to Fail” framework proved insufficient, and the Federal Council ultimately resorted to extraordinary measures. The conference examined how this situation arose and explored which legislative reforms may be appropriate and necessary to address future crises.

Particular attention was given to behavioural economics perspectives and to regulatory approaches adopted within the European Union. The Credit Suisse crisis also reignited the debate surrounding executive remuneration systems and Additional Tier 1 (AT1) instruments, both of which were analysed within the broader context of banking regulation and financial stability.

The conference further addressed two important topics that formed part of the reform of the Swiss Banking Act that entered into force on 1 January 2023: deposit protection schemes and asset segregation. These developments were discussed against the backdrop of improving the resilience and stability of Switzerland’s financial system.