Financial woes: A woman is seen crossing a road as logos of the Swiss banks Credit Suisse and UBS are displayed on buildings in Zurich, Switzerland. The 167-year-old Credit Suisse is the biggest name ensnared in the turmoil unleashed by the collapse of US lenders SVB and Signature Bank. — AP
LONDON: UBS AG was mulling a takeover of its embattled Swiss peer Credit Suisse, sources say, which could allay fears that an unfolding crisis at the bank might destabilise the global financial system.
The 167-year-old Credit Suisse is the biggest name ensnared in the turmoil unleashed by the collapse of US lenders Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) and Signature Bank over the past week, spurring a broad-based loss in investor confidence globally.
Both US and European banking executives and regulators have taken extraordinary measures to shore up the industry to try to restore confidence.
The Biden Administration moved to backstop consumer deposits while the Swiss central bank lent billions to Credit Suisse to stabilise its shaky balance sheet.
UBS was under pressure from the Swiss authorities to carry out a takeover of its local rival to get the crisis under control, two people with knowledge of the matter said.
The plan could see the Swiss government offer a guarantee against the risks involved, while Credit Suisse’s Swiss business could be spun off.
UBS, Credit Suisse and Switzerland’s financial regulator Finma declined to comment.
The Financial Times said UBS, Credit Suisse and regulators were rushing to finalise a deal on a merger soon, citing people familiar with the matter.
Credit Suisse shares lost a quarter of their value in the last week. It was forced to tap US$54bil (RM242bil) in central bank funding as it tries to recover from a string of scandals that have undermined the confidence of investors and clients.
This made it the first major global bank to take up an emergency lifeline since the 2008 financial crisis.
The company ranks among the world’s largest wealth managers and is considered one of 30 global systemically important banks whose failure would ripple throughout the entire financial system.
The banking sector’s fundamentals are stronger and the global systemic linkages are weaker than during the 2008 global financial crisis, Goldman analyst Lotfi Karoui wrote in a late note to clients last week.
That limits the risk of a “potential vicious circle of counterparty credit losses,” Karoui said.
“However, a more forceful policy response is likely needed to bring some stability,” Karoui said. The bank said the lack of clarity on Credit Suisse’s future will pressure the broader European banking sector.
A senior official at China’s central bank said that high interest rates in the major developed economies could continue to cause problems for the financial system.
There were multiple reports of interest for Credit Suisse from other rivals.
Bloomberg reported that Deutsche Bank was looking at the possibility of buying some of its assets, while US financial giant BlackRock denied a report that it was participating in a rival bid for the bank.
The failure of California-based SVB brought into focus how a relentless campaign of interest rate hikes by the US Federal Reserve and other central banks – including the European Central Bank this week – was pressuring the banking sector. — Reuters
