You can help expand this article with text translated from the corresponding article in German. (August 2015)Click [show] for important translation instructions.
View a machine-translated version of the German article.
Machine translation, like DeepL or Google Translate, is a useful starting point for translations, but translators must revise errors as necessary and confirm that the translation is accurate, rather than simply copy-pasting machine-translated text into the English Wikipedia.
Consider adding a topic to this template: there are already 2,162 articles in the main category, and specifying|topic= will aid in categorization.
Do not translate text that appears unreliable or low-quality. If possible, verify the text with references provided in the foreign-language article.
You must provide copyright attribution in the edit summary accompanying your translation by providing an interlanguage link to the source of your translation. A model attribution edit summary is Content in this edit is translated from the existing German Wikipedia article at [[:de:Berner Kantonalbank]]; see its history for attribution.
You may also add the template {{Translated|de|Berner Kantonalbank}} to the talk page.
The Berner Kantonalbank AG (BEKB; in French: Banque Cantonale Bernoise SA, BCBE), operating under the brand name "BEKB | BCBE" and based in the Swiss canton of Bern, is a public limited company under private law founded in 1834 as one of the first cantonal banks of its kind, serving Switzerland's 26 cantons. At the end of 2020, the total financial assets of BEKB were valued at 36.4 billion Swiss francs[2] with their staff comprising approximately 1,230 employees (or 1,000 full-time equivalents).
As the majority shareholder, the Canton of Bern retains 51.5% of the company's shares, while also guaranteeing their stability, in accordance with the same Canton's constitution. This establishes BEKB as one of the largest cantonal banks in Switzerland. Berner Kantonalbank doesn't have state guarantee of its liabilities.[1]
History
The Cantonal Bank of Bern was founded in 1834 as one of the earliest cantonal banks, following the adoption of a liberal state constitution in the canton of Bern three years prior. This new political arrangement gave citizens the freedom to engage in trade and commerce, leading to the establishment of the Cantonal Bank, which supplied the funds necessary to finance these endeavours. In its early stages, this institution provided services to an extensive demographic and helped encourage economic growth in the region. Over the course of its history, the Cantonal Bank has continued to expand its range of offerings to clients.
It opened its first three branches in 1858 in Saint-Imier, Burgdorf, and Biel/Bienne, and in 1958 the balance of the bank exceeded one billion.[citation needed]
In 1991, the "Cantonal Bank of Bern" and the "Hypothekarkasse des Kantons Bern" merged to form the Berner Kantonalbank. The newly formed institution was mandated to serve as a modern universal bank, fulfil economic and social tasks in the interests of the public and the state, and compete and adapt to new developments in the market with flexibility.[citation needed]
In 1979, four branches of the newly formed cantonal bankBanque cantonale du Jura were transferred and the Berner Kantonalbank had to realign its business and credit policy at the beginning of the 1990s due to the real estate crisis. To separate the recovering bank from the then-founded Dezennium-Finanz AG (DFAG), assets that did not comply with the Berner Kantonalbank’s new business and credit policy were transferred to DFAG in 1993. In order to support the restructuring of their bank, the canton of Bern allocated a total of CHF 1.45 billion over the subsequent years.[citation needed]
Since 1996, the Berner Kantonalbank (BEKB) has operated under the short or brand name of "BEKB | BCBE".
In 1998, BEKB became the first cantonal bank to be converted into a private stock corporation, with a new "Law on the Berner Kantonalbank Stock Corporation" passed to separate the responsibilities of the owner and the management. The canton of Berne's initial majority shareholding was gradually reduced to 51.5 per cent over the subsequent years, with BEKB having paid out around CHF 1.8 billion in dividends and taxes since this time.[citation needed]
In 1999, following the dissolution of the Solothurner Kantonalbank, the BEKB opened its first branch outside the canton of Solothurn. The same year, it became the first cantonal bank organized under private law to have its registered shares listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange in Zurich.[citation needed]
In 2022, the IT subsidiary which had grown from the original DXC was given the designation Aity.[3]
At the beginning of January 2024, Ekkehard Werner succeeded Beatrice Kern as CFO, who joined the management of the parent company.[4]
Services
As a financial institution, Berner Kantonalbank offers services including:
investments & investment advice
savings
credit cards
mortgages
business financing
real estate financing
asset management
securities trading
It also provides shareholder, youth, educational and SME savings accounts; deposit, current, rental, payment, pension and client funds accounts; investment products; bank cards and credit cards; and pension products.[5]
Corporate Structure
CEO
Armin Brun is the Chief Executive Officer of the Swiss bank Berner Kantonalbank AG, taking up this role from July 2019. In 2018, he was appointed Head of the bank's Retail and Corporate Banking divisions. In 2017, he joined the bank's Management Board.[6]
Board Members
Antoinette Hunziker-Ebneter: Independent President of the Board of Directors
Christoph Lengwiler: Independent Vice President of the Board
Gilles Frôté: Independent Director
Annelis Hammerli: Independent Director
Pascal Sieber: Independent Director
Stefan Bichsel: Director
Danielle Villiger: Director
Reto Heiz: Director
Hugo Schurmann: Director
Management
Alois Schärli: Deputy CEO
Beatrice Kern: Member of Management Board
Marcel Oertle: Member of Management Board
Mark Haller: Member of Management Board
Domenico Sottile: Member of Management Board
Dagmar Fässler-Zumstein: Head of Marketing and Corporate Communications
Thomas Gosteli: Head of Human Resources & Training
Swiss Bank Corporation was a Swiss investment bank and financial services company located in Switzerland. Prior to its merger, the bank was the third largest in Switzerland, with over CHF 300 billion of assets and CHF 11.7 billion of equity.
The Swiss National Bank is the central bank of Switzerland, responsible for the nation's monetary policy and the sole issuer of Swiss franc banknotes. The primary goal of its mandate is to ensure price stability, while taking economic developments into consideration.
Banque Cantonale de Genève (BCGE) is a limited company established under Swiss public law, resulting from the merger of the Caisse d'Épargne de la République et Canton de Genève and the Banque Hypothécaire du Canton de Genève. It is one of the 24 cantonal banks.
Bank Jacob Safra (Suisse) AG was a full-service commercial banking institution headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. As part of the Safra Group of financial institutions, in 2013, it merged with Bank Sarasin & Cie, when that bank was purchased by the Safra Group, with the combined entity being named J. Safra Sarasin.
The cantonal banks are 24 Swiss government-owned commercial banks. Most of them were founded between 1834 and 1916, although the Banque cantonale du Jura was founded in 1979, as the canton of Jura was not formed until 1978, by its separation from the Canton of Berne. 21 are provided by the canton in which they are based, with a guarantee for the assets held there.
HSBC Guyerzeller Bank AG, a member of the HSBC Group, was a Swiss private bank advising individuals and families in all matters of wealth management, investment advice and trust services. Its head office was in Zürich, and it had two branches in Geneva, as well as representative offices in Hong Kong and Istanbul. It had 360 employees and about CHF 29 billion in assets under management. It is now subsumed under HSBC Private Bank.
Capvis is a private equity firm focused on leveraged buyout and growth capital investments in middle-market companies across a range of industries in the Industrial Corridor of Europe.
UBS Group AG is a multinational investment bank and financial services company founded and based in Switzerland. Headquartered simultaneously in Zürich and Basel, it maintains a presence in all major financial centres as the largest Swiss banking institution and the largest private bank in the world. UBS investment bankers and private bankers are known for their strict bank–client confidentiality and culture of banking secrecy. Because of the bank's large positions in the Americas, EMEA and Asia Pacific markets, the Financial Stability Board considers it a global systemically important bank.
Zurich Cantonal Bank is the largest cantonal bank and fourth largest bank in Switzerland, with total assets of over CHF 150 billion.
Clariden Leu was a Swiss private bank based in Zurich and Geneva Switzerland founded in 2007 by Clariden president Alex Hoffmann and Credit Suisse Group.
The Banque Cantonale Vaudoise (BCV) is the cantonal bank of the Swiss Canton of Vaud. Headquartered in Lausanne, it is Vaud's biggest bank by balance sheet. BCV is a universal bank providing retail banking, corporate banking, wealth management, and trading services.
Raiffeisen Switzerland is a cooperative of cooperatives – the union of all independent Swiss Raiffeisen banks. It bears responsibility for the business policy and strategy within the Raiffeisen Group. The 219 independent Raiffeisen banks of Switzerland are organised as cooperatives. With 896 branch offices in total, they make up the densest branch network of any Swiss bank. After the acquisition of Credit Suisse by UBS, the Raiffeisen Group has become the second-largest banking group in Switzerland with client assets under management of 246.6 billion francs. Since June 2014, Raiffeisen has been classified as one of Switzerland's systemically important banks and must therefore meet special requirements in terms of capital. Raiffeisen Switzerland has 3.65 million clients in Switzerland, of whom approximately 1.9 million are cooperative members and thus co-owners of their regional Raiffeisen banks.
Hyposwiss Private Bank Ltd should not be confused with Hyposwiss Private Bank Genève SA, an independent entity, located in Geneva
Banque Cantonale de Fribourg (BCF) is a Swiss cantonal bank which is part of the 24 cantonal banks serving Switzerland's 26 cantons. Founded in 1892, Banque Cantonale de Fribourg in 2014 had 29 branches across Switzerland with 372 employees; total assets of the bank were 18 938.23 mln CHF. Headquartered in Fribourg, Banque Cantonale de Fribourg has full state guarantee of its liabilities.
Cantonal Bank of Valais is a Swiss cantonal bank of the Swiss canton of Valais. It is part of the 24 cantonal banks serving Switzerland's 26 cantons. The bank was founded in 1916.
Basler Kantonalbank is a Swiss cantonal bank, one of the 24 cantonal banks serving Switzerland's 26 cantons, founded in 1899. In 2019, Basler Kantonalbank had 15 branches with 842 total employees; the total assets of the bank were CHF 27.305 billion. Basler Kantonalbank has a full state guarantee of its liabilities.
Rainer-Marc Frey is a Swiss businessman and investor. He is active in the Swiss financial services sector and the international hedge fund industry.
Glarner Kantonalbank is the cantonal bank and the dominant retail banking group in the Swiss canton of Glarus.
Schwyzer Kantonalbank is a Swiss cantonal bank serving and wholly owned by the Swiss Canton of Schwyz. The head office is based in Schwyz.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
