The major Swiss bank UBS is apparently talking to the crisis-ridden competitor Credit Suisse about a takeover. UBS could acquire Credit Suisse in full or even partially, the Financial Times reported, citing people familiar with the matter. The boards of directors of the two financial institutions wanted to sit down separately at the weekend. The Swiss National Bank (SNB) and the Financial Market Supervisory Authority Finma organised the talks to build trust in the country's banking sector.
UBS and Credit Suisse declined to comment on the report. Credit Suisse shares gained nine percent after the stock exchange. In regular trading in Switzerland, they had fallen by around eight percent on Friday.
Credit Suisse has been struggling for days with a loss of confidence among investors and clients. Originally, the triggers were home-made problems. But the crisis surrounding the American Silicon Valley Bank fueled the uncertainty further. On Wednesday evening, the Swiss National Bank and the Financial Market Supervisory Authority Finma backed Credit Suisse. A few hours later, the institute began to tap into an emergency loan worth 50 billion Swiss francs.
According to insiders, extraordinary meetings of various teams have been scheduled for the weekend. Financial data should be processed and scenarios for the future of the major Swiss bank developed, as people familiar with the situation told the Reuters news agency on Friday.
According to a media report, UBS and Credit Suisse reject a forced merger. UBS prefers to focus on its existing strategy and is reluctant to take risks related to the crisis-ridden Credit Suisse, the news agency "Bloomberg" reported on Thursday with reference to insiders. Credit Suisse wants to take its time to turn things around on its own.