Business reports
Annual report 2022
Introduction
We can look back on an eventful year that was shaped by the decision to partially revise the Banking Act (BankA). We were involved in the preparations for it to come into effect on 1 January 2023. In addition to providing the Federal Council with the necessary information to make a sound decision on the enactment of the Banking Ordinance (BankO), our focus was on the complete revision of our Statutes and self-regulation, as well as the organisation and execution of webinars in connection with the partial revision of the Banking Act.
The close contact with our members and the general public was important to us and a great support during this phase. We valued the contact highly and can look back on a positive year overall.
On 23 November 2022, the Federal Council adopted the Banking Ordinance and decided that the BankA and BankO would enter into force on 1 January 2023. The implementation of the new regulation improves the proven deposit insurance in Switzerland. We are pleased that we, as an expert organisation, have contributed significantly to this development.
Main focus in 2022
On 17.12.2021, the Federal Assembly passed the partial revision of the Banking Act (BankA) concerning deposit insurance. The most important contents of this partial revision and the associated amendment of the Banking Ordinance are:
- The contribution obligation that all members have towards esisuisse will change. The contribution obligation is based on a total of 1.6% of all deposits protected at banks in Switzerland but cannot fall below CHF 6 billion. This results in a dynamic and currently a good 30% higher contribution obligation of around CHF 8 billion.
- Each member must now deposit 50% of this contribution obligation in advance with the SNB or SIX in the form of securities or money. The remaining 50% will remain subject to the liquidity requirements for banks.
- The members have a transitional period until 31.12.2027 to prepare the newly defined processes for the payout of the protected deposits in the event of bankruptcy. This also includes drawing up a list of depositors in a format stipulated by esisuisse.
- If two or more people – e.g. a married couple, a community of heirs, etc. – are the joint holders of an account, the account is referred to as a joint account. The holders of a joint account will now be treated as an individual, separate client for the purposes of deposit insurance. Deposits by this separate client of up to CHF 100 000 will be protected. If one of the individuals who holds a joint account also has their own, separate client relationship with the bank, deposits of up to CHF 100 000 will also be protected for this client relationship.
For esisuisse, the upcoming entry into force of the revised law greatly intensified our dialogues with our members and the general public. As a result, we also generated and revised communication material relating to the revision in 2022.
The esisuisse website has been redesigned. The relaunch has made it easier for users to find information that is relevant to them. The new website is modern, easy to use and optimised for all devices. A significantly wider range of information is now available on the website too.
As part of this, the text modules coordinated with FINMA have been standardised. They are used under «Questions and Answers» on the website, for example, and will help enquiries from customer advisers, bank customers and media to be processed efficiently.
The esisuisse flyer for bank customers has been modernised and streamlined, and the standard text for the banks’ websites has been updated.
esisuisse has made even more of a name for itself in both the International Association of Deposit Insurers (IADI) and the European Forum of Deposit Insurers (EFDI).
The IADI is currently revising the global deposit insurance standards (Core Principles) that help shape the regulations in individual countries. esisuisse is actively involved in this revision. Its role as a member of the Executive Council of IADI and bilateral contact have made it possible to further improve understanding of Swiss deposit insurance.
In light of Gregor Frey’s appointment as Director of the Strategy Working Group at EFDI and the successful development of EFDI’s strategy together with the most relevant European countries, esisuisse has made a significant impact, including on a European level.
Collaboration with another call centre was agreed in 2022 as part of the Operational Readiness project. In the event of a case, esisuisse is better prepared with two independent call centres and is able to manage a larger volume of enquiries from affected bank customers.
Moreover, both call centres were given training in deposit insurance in spring and autumn. The call centre training is an annually recurring measure.