Swiss National Bank reports largest-ever annual loss

The Swiss National Bank (SNB) has reported an annual loss of CHf132.5 billion ($141.54 billion), the biggest loss in its 115-year history.

Reported on Monday, SNB said that the loss was in line with provisional calculations announced in January. It attributed the losses to a drop in value of its investments which were caused by bond and stock market declines.

The loss was also magnified by the strengthening of the Swiss franc, which reduced the bank’s holdings and returns from foreign investments.

The results of 2022 stand in stark contrast to 2021, where the SNB reported a profit of CHf26 billion.

As a result of the shortfall, the SNB will make no payout to the Swiss central or regional governments or dividend to investors for only the second time since being established in 1907. The loss has also wiped out the bank’s distribution reserve of CHf102.5 billion, leaving it with a net loss of CHf39.5 billion.

Despite the eye catching loss, analysts have predicted that the SNB’s next monetary policy update later this month will remain unchanged. The bank still has CHf66 billion in equity.

    Share Story:

Recent Stories


Safeguarding economies: DNFBPs' role in AML and CTF compliance explained
Join FStech editor Jonathan Easton, NICE Actimize's Adam McLaughlin and Graham Mackenzie of the Law Society of Scotland as they look at the role Designated Non-Financial Businesses and Professions (DNFBPs) play in the financial sector, and the challenges they face in complying with anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing regulations.

Ransomware and beyond: Enhancing cyber threat awareness in the financial sector
Join FStech editor Jonathan Easton and Proofpoint cybersecurity strategist Matt Cooke as they discuss the findings of the State of the Phish 2023 report, diving into key topics such as awareness of cyber threats, the sophisticated techniques being used by criminals to target the financial sector, and how financial institutions can take a proactive approach to educating both their employees and their customers.

Click here to read the 2023 State of the Phish report from Proofpoint.

Cracking down on fraud
In this webinar a panel of expert speakers explored the ways in which high-volume PSPs and FinTechs are preventing fraud while providing a seamless customer experience.

Future of Planning, Budgeting, Forecasting, and Reporting
Sage Intacct is excited to present FSN The Modern Finance Forum’s “Future of Planning, Budgeting, Forecasting, and Reporting Global Survey 2022” results. With participation from 450 companies around the globe, the survey results highlight how organisations are developing their core financial processes by 2030.