This emerges from the annual assessment of the emergency and stabilisation plans of the three domestically focused systemically important banks by the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA). The supervisory authority has again approved the stabilisation plans of all three institutions, as stated in a statement on Wednesday.

The emergency plan is intended to ensure that a bank can continue carrying out its functions that are systemically important for the Swiss economy even if insolvency looms. By contrast, the stabilisation plan describes how an institution can sustainably stabilise itself from its own resources in a financial crisis.

Postfinance Must Flesh Out Alternative Strategy

According to FINMA, PostFinance has met the requirements for additional loss-absorbing capital since the end of 2025 and has further developed its alternative strategy. However, the planned options for action in the event that a restructuring and continuation of the bank are not possible have not yet been sufficiently specified, it said.

The statutory universal service mandate must also be taken into account. An amendment to the Postal Services Act currently out for consultation is intended to reduce existing legal uncertainties.

FINMA also makes clear limitations in its assessment of the emergency plans of ZKB and Raiffeisen: meeting the regulatory requirements does not mean that systemically important functions are guaranteed without restriction in every conceivable crisis scenario. Compared with globally active institutions, domestically focused systemically important banks must in particular hold lower loss-absorption capacities. In especially severe crises, this could limit their room for manoeuvre.

Stricter Requirements After Credit Suisse Crisis

In assessing the stabilisation plans, FINMA applied its tightened criteria for the first time, introduced after the Credit Suisse crisis. These include, among other things, a requirement for annual crisis exercises in which banks test their escalation mechanisms and planned stabilisation measures together with the relevant bodies and management.

All three institutions have further improved their stabilisation plans and taken relevant lessons from the Credit Suisse crisis into account. Nevertheless, some elements of the new requirements still need to be implemented.

This concerns, for example, the documentation of the annual crisis exercises and the concepts for crisis communication. FINMA expects the identified gaps to be closed promptly.

With the results now published, the supervisory authority is assessing the plans submitted for 2025.

It will provide separate information on UBS's crisis planning in late autumn 2026.