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A heavyweight breaks with the bankers association. Raiffeisen resigns. The members of the St. Gallen cooperative want to represent their political interests themselves in the future. “We are expanding our own presence in Bern,” says Guy Lachappelle (59) in an interview with BLICK.
Raiffeisen President Lachappelle informed the association of the decision earlier this week. It is a new break in the partnership landscape that was once strong and united in Switzerland. Economiesuisse has had to deal with three big changes recently. Axa has fired from the insurance association. And the trade association is also fighting to close its ranks.
Disappointment of the Bankers Association
The umbrella association of banks is in good company. “This is a phenomenon of the time,” explains Jörg Gasser (51), director of the bankers’ association. He’s only been in office for almost a year. Before that, he headed the Secretary of State for International Financial Affairs. VIEW reaches him on the phone, he looks stressed, his voice is hoarse. “We are disappointed and surprised,” he says of Raiffeisen’s escape.
Gasser defends himself against criticism that the association should only have represented the interests of large banks and internationally active asset managers. For months, the bankers’ association examined the structures and built a “management of dissent.” “To fulfill the desire of national banks to give them the voice they deserve,” says Gasser. This means that the decision-making process becomes more transparent and dissenting opinions are also made public.
Raiffeisen dissatisfied with reforms
The structures for this have definitely been in place since September. Just a few weeks later, the Raiffeisen bomb exploded. Gasser wished the St. Gallers had waited a little longer. At least one year. Until the new structures had proved their worth.
Obviously, Raiffeisen has lost patience, the reforms were going too slowly and in the wrong direction. “There was a reform process, but the result did not turn out as we expected,” explains Lachappelle.
Gasser, for his part, wants to straighten the battered image of the bankers’ association. “It’s not that we are at odds,” says the former boss. Most of the agreements would be approved by consensus. Gasser doesn’t expect Raiffeisen to become a role model and other banks to follow suit.
Foreign regulations for domestic banks
The basic problem, however, remains: on the one hand, there are the Paradeplatz benches. On the other hand, the smaller institutes, for which lobbying in Brussels or Washington is less relevant. They are aimed almost exclusively at domestic customers and have yet to bite the bullet and adopt international regulations for large companies to retain market access. “Swiss national banks have to assume more and more regulations from abroad,” complains Lachappelle, head of Raiffeisen.
The warning shot came in the spring. Representatives of the regional banks asked for more voice in the “NZZ am Sonntag” and threatened to part ways. “We finally need nails,” said a representative of a national bank at the time. “The days when the Paradeplatz in Bern could announce the fare are over.”
The break is carefully considered. Lachappelle speaks of a “broader opinion formation” that is now possible. And if necessary, it can also intervene directly with the Minister of Finance, Ueli Maurer (69) or the relevant bodies. He has the cell phone number.
