Switzerland
Hildebrand calls for restrictions on leverage
Philipp Hildebrand, the vice-chairman of the Swiss National Bank (SNB), said excess leverage was the main cause of financial fragility and the current global banking crisis, and called for restrictions on leverage ratios.
Swiss cut rates on gloomy growth forecast
The Swiss National Bank (SNB) has cut its benchmark target range by a further half a point and said that it expects the economy to contract by up to 1% next year.
Swiss shock with 100 basis-point cut
The Swiss National Bank (SNB) surprised markets on Thursday by slashing its rate-target band by a full percentage point on signs of a sharp slowdown.
SNB and Poland arrange currency swap
The Swiss National Bank and the National Bank of Poland on Friday agreed a currency swap facility to compensate for a lack of Swiss franc liquidity.
ECB, SNB cut by 50 basis points
The European Central Bank (ECB) on Thursday lopped a quarter point off its key rate and indicated further cuts were likely. The Swiss National Bank (SNB) also cut the upper and lower bounds by the same margin.
Qatar takes stake in Credit Suisse
The Qatar Investment Authority, a sovereign wealth fund, has bought a stake in Credit Suisse, Switzerland's second-largest bank.
Swiss step in to save biggest bank
The Swiss National Bank on Thursday agreed to buy up to $54 billion in troubled assets from UBS, after the country's government moved to re-capitalise the beleaguered bank.
SNB's Hildebrand and Italy's Saccomanni on crisis
The crisis has shown central bankers and regulators rightly predicted that highly-leveraged institutions presented a threat to stability. But officials' attentions were directed at the wrong type of institution, admitted Philipp Hildebrand, a governor of…
Switzerland won't escape slowdown: Jordan
Thomas Jordan, a member of the Swiss National Bank's governing board, believes the global economic decline is likely to reach Switzerland, albeit with a lag.
SNB's Roth heralds new phase of crisis
Jean-Pierre Roth, the chairman of the Swiss National Bank, has said that signs of a downturn in the real economy mark the beginning of a new phase of the global turmoil.
SNB's Hildebrand backs tough stance on banks
The integrated bank model can be successful even with new and significantly tougher capital and liquidity requirements, said Philip Hildebrand, vice chairman of the Swiss National Bank, in an interview to the Tages-Anzeiger, a Swiss daily.
Swiss monetary framework a model of distinction
The Swiss National Bank's unique monetary policy model has allowed the real economy to escape the worst of the financial turmoil, says the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Swiss regulator heeds calls for tougher rules
The Swiss Federal Banking Commission, the industry regulatory, has written to the country's two biggest banks to outline plans to enforce more stringent capital requirements.
Interbank tensions remain: SNB's Jordan
Money markets are still exhibiting signs of stress despite clear signs of a return to calm, Thomas Jordan, a member of the Swiss National Bank's governing board, noted.
SNB wants big banks to hold more capital
The Swiss National Bank has urged the country's regulator to impose more stringent capital requirements on UBS and Credit Suisse, the two biggest banks in Switzerland.
SNB opts to hold rates
The Swiss National Bank left its target range unchanged on Thursday, arguing that the global economic slowdown would dampen inflationary pressures in the medium term.
Swiss housing market stable, says SNB's Roth
The Swiss housing market is unlikely to perform as badly as its US counterpart in the coming months, Jean-Pierre Roth, the chairman of the Swiss National Bank's governing board, believes.
Central bank action could lead to inflation
Thomas Jordan, a member of the Swiss National Bank's governing board, has warned that central banks' response to the credit crunch could precipitate inflation.
Swiss inflation soars to 15-year high
Inflation in Switzerland shot up to 2.9% in the year to May, its highest level since 1993, data published on Tuesday revealed.
Swiss Re's Raaflaub to head new regulator
Patrick Raaflaub, the head of group capital management at Swiss Re, a reinsurance company, will direct Switzerland's new super regulator the Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA).
SNB blames Q1 loss on FX markets
The appreciation of the Swiss franc has led the country's central bank to incur a Sfr3.97 billion ($3.76 billion) loss in the first quarter of 2008.
Jordan on the Swiss outlook
The outlook for Switzerland's economy remains good, stated Thomas Jordan, a member of the governing board of the Swiss National Bank.
Swiss join calls for bank pay reform
Jean-Pierre Roth, chairman of the governing board of the Swiss National Bank, has urged a complete rethink of commercial banks' corporate governance and pay schedules in the wake of the credit crisis and recent trading scandals.
Monetary tools limited - SNB's Jordan
There is no magic bullet with which central banks can restore lost confidence among market participants, said Thomas Jordan, a member of the governing board of the Swiss National Bank.