Regional and cantonal bank executives in Switzerland have elevated their assessment of regulatory pressure from the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA) to the highest level in a decade, according to a survey released on Tuesday.
The survey, conducted by the portal schweizeraktien.net and presented at the Branchentalk Banken conference in Bern, measured concern levels on a scale from 1 (low) to 10 (high). FINMA’s oversight scored an average of 8.81 in 2024, up from 8.11 in the prior year. The category has only exceeded 8.0 three times in the past decade, with previous readings occasionally dipping below 7.0.
FINMA’s supervisory role now ranks alongside data security and IT infrastructure costs as one of the three primary concerns for Swiss banks. Other challenges, such as compressed net interest margins and heightened competition, were rated as less severe in comparison.
Despite current profitability, bank executives expressed cautious outlooks for the future, citing regulatory complexity as a growing headwind to operational flexibility and growth initiatives.
The survey included responses from 31 CEOs representing regional and cantonal banks across Switzerland.
