UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

Form 20-F

☐   REGISTRATION STATEMENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 12(b) OR (g) OF THE SECURITIES

EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

☒   ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES

EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019

☐   TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES

EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

☐   SHELL COMPANY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES

EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

Commission file number: 001-15244

Credit Suisse Group AG

(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)

Canton of Zurich, Switzerland

(Jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)

Paradeplatz 8, 8001 Zurich, Switzerland

(Address of principal executive offices)

David R. Mathers

Chief Financial Officer

Paradeplatz 8, 8001 Zurich, Switzerland

david.mathers@credit-suisse.com

Telephone: +41 44 333 1111

(Name, Telephone, E-mail and/or Facsimile number and Address of Company Contact Person)

Commission file number: 001-33434

Credit Suisse AG

(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)

Canton of Zurich, Switzerland

(Jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)

Paradeplatz 8, 8001 Zurich, Switzerland

(Address of principal executive offices)

David R. Mathers

Chief Financial Officer

Paradeplatz 8, 8001 Zurich, Switzerland

david.mathers@credit-suisse.com

Telephone: +41 44 333 1111

(Name, Telephone, E-mail and/or Facsimile number and Address of Company Contact Person)

[THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK]

Securities registered or to be registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Title of each class of securities	Trading Symbol(s)		Name of each exchange on which registered
Credit Suisse Group AG
American Depositary Shares each representing one Share	CS		New York Stock Exchange
Shares par value CHF 0.04  *	CSGN	*	New York Stock Exchange	*
Credit Suisse AG
VelocityShares™ 3x Long Gold ETNs Linked to the S&P GSCI® Gold Index ER due October 14, 2031	UGLD		The Nasdaq Stock Market
VelocityShares™ 3x Long Silver ETNs Linked to the S&P GSCI® Silver Index ER due October 14, 2031	USLV		The Nasdaq Stock Market
VelocityShares™ 3x Inverse Gold ETNs Linked to the S&P GSCI® Gold Index ER due October 14, 2031	DGLD		The Nasdaq Stock Market
VelocityShares™ 3x Inverse Silver ETNs Linked to the S&P GSCI® Silver Index ER due October 14, 2031	DSLV		The Nasdaq Stock Market
VelocityShares™ 3x Long Natural Gas ETNs Linked to the S&P GSCI® Natural Gas Index ER due February 9, 2032	UGAZ		NYSE Arca
VelocityShares™ 3x Inverse Natural Gas ETNs Linked to the S&P GSCI® Natural Gas Index ER due February 9, 2032	DGAZ		NYSE Arca
VelocityShares™ Daily Inverse VIX Medium Term ETNs Linked to the S&P 500 VIX Mid-Term Futures™ Index due December 4, 2030	ZIV		The Nasdaq Stock Market
VelocityShares™ VIX Short Term ETNs Linked to the S&P 500 VIX Short-Term Futures™ Index due December 4, 2030	VIIX		The Nasdaq Stock Market
VelocityShares™ Daily 2x VIX Short Term ETNs Linked to the S&P 500 VIX Short-Term Futures™ Index due December 4, 2030	TVIX		The Nasdaq Stock Market
Credit Suisse X-Links® Monthly Pay 2xLeveraged Alerian MLP Index ETNs due May 16, 2036  **	AMJL	**	NYSE Arca	**
Credit Suisse X-Links® Monthly Pay 2xLeveraged Mortgage REIT ETNs due July 11, 2036	REML		NYSE Arca
Credit Suisse S&P MLP Index ETNs due December 4, 2034 Linked to the S&P MLP Index	MLPO		NYSE Arca
Credit Suisse X-Links® Gold Shares Covered Call ETNs due February 2, 2033	GLDI		The Nasdaq Stock Market
Credit Suisse X-Links® Silver Shares Covered Call ETNs due April 21, 2033	SLVO		The Nasdaq Stock Market
Credit Suisse X-Links® Crude Oil Shares Covered Call ETNs due April 24, 2037	USOI		The Nasdaq Stock Market
Credit Suisse X-Links® Multi-Asset High Income ETNs due September 28, 2035	MLTI		NYSE Arca
Credit Suisse FI Large Cap Growth Enhanced ETNs due June 13, 2024 Linked to the Russell 1000® Growth Index Total Return	FLGE		NYSE Arca
Credit Suisse FI Enhanced Europe 50 ETNs due May 11, 2028 Linked to the STOXX® Europe 50 USD (Gross Return) Index	FEUL		NYSE Arca
* Not for trading, but only in connection with the registration of the American Depositary Shares
** On March 19, 2020, Notification of Removal from Listing and/or Registration under Section 12(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Act”), was filed on Form 25 with respect to the Credit Suisse X-Links®Monthly Pay 2xLeveraged Alerian MLP Index ETNs due May 16, 2036. The withdrawal from listing on NYSE Arca will be effective March 30, 2020. The withdrawal from registration under Section 12(b) of the Act is expected to be effective no later than 90 days from March 19, 2020.

Securities registered or to be registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:

None

Securities for which there is a reporting obligation pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Act: None

Indicate the number of outstanding shares of each of the issuer’s classes of capital or common stock as of

December 31, 2019: 2,436,249,909 shares of Credit Suisse Group AG

Indicate by check mark if the Registrants are well-known seasoned issuers, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.

   Yes   ☐ No   ☒

If this report is an annual or transition report, indicate by check mark if the Registrants are not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

   Yes   ☐ No   ☒

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrants (1) have filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the Registrants were required to file such reports) and (2) have been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.

Yes   ☒   No   ☐

Indicate by check mark whether Registrants have submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (paragraph 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files).

Yes   ☒   No   ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrants are large accelerated filers, accelerated filers, non-accelerated filers, or emerging growth companies. See definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

Large accelerated filer ☒ Accelerated filer ☐ Non-accelerated filer ☐ Emerging growth company ☐

If emerging growth companies that prepare their financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP, indicate by check mark if the Registrants have elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.   ☐

Indicate by check mark which basis of accounting the Registrants have used to prepare the financial statements included in this filing:

U.S. GAAP   ☒   International  ☐   Other   ☐ Financial Reporting Standards    as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board

If “Other” has been checked in response to the previous question, indicate by check mark which financial statement item the registrant has elected to follow.

   Item 17   ☐   Item 18   ☐

If this is an annual report, indicate by check mark whether the Registrants are shell companies

(as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act)

   Yes   ☐   No   ☒

1

Definitions

For the purposes of this Form 20-F and the attached Annual Report 2019, unless the context otherwise requires, the terms “Credit Suisse Group,” “Credit Suisse,” the “Group,” “we,” “us” and “our” mean Credit Suisse Group AG and its consolidated subsidiaries. The business of Credit Suisse AG, the direct bank subsidiary of the Group, is substantially similar to the Group, and we use these terms to refer to both when the subject is the same or substantially similar. We use the term the “Bank” when we are referring only to Credit Suisse AG and its consolidated subsidiaries.

Abbreviations and selected terms are explained in the List of abbreviations and the Glossary in the back of the Annual Report 2019.

Sources

Throughout this Form 20-F and the attached Annual Report 2019, we describe the position and ranking of our various businesses in certain industry and geographic markets. The sources for such descriptions come from a variety of conventional publications generally accepted as relevant business indicators by members of the financial services industry. These sources include: Standard & Poor’s, Dealogic, Institutional Investor, Lipper, Moody’s Investors Service and Fitch Ratings.

Cautionary statement regarding forward-looking information

For Credit Suisse and the Bank, please see the Cautionary statement regarding forward-looking information on the inside page of the back cover of the attached Annual Report 2019.

Explanatory note

For the avoidance of doubt, the information appearing on pages 2, 4 to 10, 224 to 227 and A-4 to A-12 of the attached Annual Report 2019 is not included in Credit Suisse’s and the Bank’s Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019.

20-F/6

Part I

Item 1. Identity of directors, senior management and advisers.

Not required because this Form 20-F is filed as an annual report.

Item 2. Offer statistics and expected timetable.

Not required because this Form 20-F is filed as an annual report.

Item 3. Key information.

A – Selected financial data.

For Credit Suisse and the Bank, please see Appendix – Selected five-year information – Group on page A-2 and – Bank on page A-3 of the attached Annual Report 2019.

B – Capitalization and indebtedness.

Not required because this Form 20-F is filed as an annual report.

C – Reasons for the offer and use of proceeds.

Not required because this Form 20-F is filed as an annual report.

D – Risk factors.

For Credit Suisse and the Bank, please see I – Information on the company – Risk factors on pages 43 to 52 of the attached Annual Report 2019.

Item 4. Information on the company.

A – History and development of the company.

For Credit Suisse and the Bank, please see I – Information on the company – Credit Suisse at a glance on page 12 and – Strategy on pages 13 to 17 and IV – Corporate Governance – Overview –Corporate governance framework – Company details on page 180 of the attached Annual Report 2019. In addition, for Credit Suisse, please see Note 3 – Business developments, significant shareholders and subsequent events and Note 4 – Segment information in VI – Consolidated financial statements – Credit Suisse Group on pages 279 to 281 of the attached Annual Report 2019 and, for the Bank, please see Note 3 – Business developments, significant shareholders and subsequent events and Note 4 – Segment information in VIII – Consolidated financial statements – Credit Suisse (Bank) on pages 434 to 435 of the attached Annual Report 2019. For additional information on Credit Suisse and the Bank, please see Item 10.H of this Form 20-F regarding documents on display.

B – Business overview.

For Credit Suisse and the Bank, please see I – Information on the company – Divisions on pages 18 to 25 of the attached Annual Report 2019. In addition, for Credit Suisse, please see Note 4 – Segment information in VI – Consolidated financial statements – Credit Suisse Group on pages 280 to 281 of the attached Annual Report 2019 and, for the Bank, please see Note 4 – Segment information in VIII – Consolidated financial statements – Credit Suisse (Bank) on page 435 of the attached Annual Report 2019.

C – Organizational structure.

For Credit Suisse and the Bank, please see I– Information on the company – Credit Suisse at a glance on page 12, – Strategy on pages 13 to 17 and II – Operating and financial review – Credit Suisse – Group and Bank differences on page 67 of the attached Annual Report 2019. For a list of Credit Suisse’s significant subsidiaries, please see Note 40 – Significant subsidiaries and equity method investments in VI – Consolidated financial statements – Credit Suisse Group on pages 387 to 390 of the attached Annual Report 2019 and, for a list of the Bank’s significant subsidiaries, please see Note 39 – Significant subsidiaries and equity method investments in VIII – Consolidated financial statements – Credit Suisse (Bank) on pages 499 to 501 of the attached Annual Report 2019.

D – Property, plant and equipment.

For Credit Suisse and the Bank, please see X – Additional information – Other information – Property and equipment on page 564 of the attached Annual Report 2019.

20-F/7

Information Required by Industry Guide 3.

For Credit Suisse and the Bank, please see X – Additional information – Statistical information on pages 548 to 559 of the attached Annual Report 2019. In addition, for both Credit Suisse and the Bank, please see III – Treasury, Risk, Balance sheet and Off-balance sheet – Risk management – Risk portfolio analysis – Credit risk – Loans and irrevocable loan commitments on page 161 of the attached Annual Report 2019. For Credit Suisse, please see Appendix – Selected five-year information – Group on page A-2 of the attached Annual Report 2019.

Disclosure pursuant to Section 13(r) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

During 2019, Credit Suisse AG processed a small number of de minimis payments related to the operation of Iranian diplomatic missions in Switzerland and related to fees for ministerial government functions such as issuing passports and visas. Processing these payments is permitted under Swiss law, and Credit Suisse AG intends to continue processing such payments. Revenues and profits from these activities are not calculated but would be negligible.

Item 4A. Unresolved staff comments.

None.

Item 5. Operating and financial review and prospects.

A – Operating results.

For Credit Suisse and the Bank, please see II – Operating and financial review on pages 53 to 106 of the attached Annual Report 2019. In addition, for both Credit Suisse and the Bank, please see I– Information on the company – Regulation and supervision on pages 26 to 42 of the attached Annual Report 2019, III – Treasury, Risk, Balance sheet and Off-balance sheet – Liquidity and funding management – Funding management – Interest rate management on page 114 and – Capital management – Shareholders’ equity – Foreign exchange exposure on page 132 of the attached Annual Report 2019.

B – Liquidity and capital resources.

For Credit Suisse and the Bank, please see III – Treasury, Risk, Balance sheet and Off-balance sheet – Liquidity and funding management and – Capital management on pages 108 to 135 of the attached Annual Report 2019. In addition, for Credit Suisse, please see Note 25 – Long-term debt in VI – Consolidated financial statements – Credit Suisse Group on pages 302 to 303 and Note 37 – Capital adequacy in VI – Consolidated financial statements – Credit Suisse Group on pages 374 to 375 of the attached Annual Report 2019 and, for the Bank, please see Note 24 – Long-term debt in VIII – Consolidated financial statements – Credit Suisse (Bank) on page 451 and Note 36 – Capital adequacy in VIII – Consolidated financial statements – Credit Suisse (Bank) on pages 497 to 498 of the attached Annual Report 2019.

C – Research and development, patents and licenses, etc.

Not applicable.

D – Trend information.

For Credit Suisse and the Bank, please see Item 5.A of this Form 20-F. In addition, for Credit Suisse and the Bank, please see I – Information on the company – Divisions on pages 18 to 25 of the attached Annual Report 2019.

E – Off-balance sheet arrangements.

For Credit Suisse and the Bank, please see III – Treasury, Risk, Balance sheet and Off-balance sheet – Balance sheet and off-balance sheet on pages 174 to 176 of the attached Annual Report 2019. In addition, for Credit Suisse, please see Note 32 – Derivatives and hedging activities, Note 33 – Guarantees and commitments and Note 34 – Transfers of financial assets and variable interest entities in VI – Consolidated financial statements – Credit Suisse Group on pages 329 to 347 of the attached Annual Report 2019 and, for the Bank, please see Note 31 – Derivatives and hedging activities, Note 32 – Guarantees and commitments, Note 33 – Transfers of financial assets and variable interest entities in VIII – Consolidated financial statements – Credit Suisse (Bank) on pages 469 to 479, and Note 13 – Derivative financial instruments in IX – Parent company financial statements – Credit Suisse (Bank) on pages 532 to 535 of the attached Annual Report 2019.

F – Tabular disclosure of contractual obligations.

For Credit Suisse and the Bank, please see III – Treasury, Risk, Balance sheet and Off-balance sheet – Balance sheet and off-balance sheet – Contractual obligations and other commercial commitments on page 176 of the attached Annual Report 2019.

20-F/8

Item 6. Directors, senior management and employees.

A – Directors and senior management.

For Credit Suisse and the Bank, please see IV – Corporate Governance – Board of Directors, – Board Committees, – Biographies of the Board members, – Executive Board and – Biographies of the Executive Board members on pages 188 to 219 of the attached Annual Report 2019.

B – Compensation.

For Credit Suisse and the Bank, please see V – Compensation on pages 228 to 256 of the attached Annual Report 2019. In addition, for Credit Suisse, please see Note 10 – Compensation and benefits in VI – Consolidated financial statements – Credit Suisse Group on page 283, Note 29 – Employee deferred compensation in VI – Consolidated financial statements – Credit Suisse Group on pages 314 to 318, Note 31 – Pension and other post-retirement benefits in VI – Consolidated financial statements – Credit Suisse Group on pages 320 to 328, Note 6 – Personnel expenses in VII – Parent company financial statements – Credit Suisse Group on page 412 and Note 23 – Shareholdings in VII – Parent company financial statements – Credit Suisse Group on pages 418 to 420 of the attached Annual Report 2019. For the Bank, please see Note 10 – Compensation and benefits in VIII – Consolidated financial statements – Credit Suisse (Bank) on page 436, Note 28 – Employee deferred compensation in VIII – Consolidated financial statements – Credit Suisse (Bank) on pages 459 to 461, Note 30 – Pension and other post-retirement benefits in VIII – Consolidated financial statements – Credit Suisse (Bank) on pages 463 to 468, Note 6 – Personnel expenses in IX – Parent company financial statements – Credit Suisse (Bank) on page 528, Note 17 – Pension plans in IX – Parent company financial statements – Credit Suisse (Bank) on pages 536 to 537 and Note 23 – Shareholdings of the Board of Directors, Executive Board and employees and information on compensation plans in IX – Parent company financial statements – Credit Suisse (Bank) on pages 540 to 542 of the attached Annual Report 2019.

C – Board practices.

For Credit Suisse and the Bank, please see IV – Corporate Governance on pages 177 to 222 of the attached Annual Report 2019.

D – Employees.

For Credit Suisse and the Bank, please see IV – Corporate Governance – Overview – Corporate Governance framework – Employee relations on page 181 of the attached Annual Report 2019. In addition, for both Credit Suisse and the Bank, please see II – Operating and financial review – Credit Suisse – Employees and other headcount on page 62 of the attached Annual Report 2019.

E – Share ownership.

For Credit Suisse and the Bank, please see V – Compensation on pages 228 to 256 of the attached Annual Report 2019. In addition, for Credit Suisse, please see Note 29 – Employee deferred compensation in VI – Consolidated financial statements – Credit Suisse Group on pages 314 to 318, and Note 23 –Shareholdings in VII – Parent company financial statements – Credit Suisse Group on pages 418 to 420 of the attached Annual Report 2019. For the Bank, please see Note 28 – Employee deferred compensation in VIII – Consolidated financial statements – Credit Suisse (Bank) on pages 459 to 461, and Note 23 – Shareholdings of the Board of Directors, Executive Board and employees and information on compensation plans in IX – Parent company financial statements – Credit Suisse (Bank) on pages 540 to 542 of the attached Annual Report 2019.

Item 7. Major shareholders and related party transactions.

A – Major shareholders.

For Credit Suisse, please see IV – Corporate Governance – Shareholders on pages 182 to 187 of the attached Annual Report 2019. In addition, for Credit Suisse, please see Note 3 – Business developments, significant shareholders and subsequent events in VI – Consolidated financial statements – Credit Suisse Group on page 279, Note 16 – Credit Suisse Group shares held by subsidiaries in VII – Parent company financial statements – Credit Suisse Group on page 416, Note 17 – Purchases and sales of treasury shares in VII – Parent company financial statements – Credit Suisse Group on page 416 and Note 18 – Significant shareholders in VII – Parent company financial statements – Credit Suisse Group on page 416 of the attached Annual Report 2019. Credit Suisse’s major shareholders do not have different voting rights. The Bank has 4,399,680,200 shares outstanding and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Credit Suisse. See Note 22 – Significant shareholders and groups of shareholders in IX – Parent company financial statements – Credit Suisse (Bank) on pages 539 to 540 of the attached Annual Report 2019.

B – Related party transactions.

For Credit Suisse and the Bank, please see V – Compensation on pages 228 to 256 and IV – Corporate Governance – Additional information – Banking relationships with Board and Executive Board members and related party transactions on page 220 of the attached Annual Report 2019. In addition, for Credit Suisse, please see Note 30 – Related parties in VI – Consolidated financial

20-F/9

statements – Credit Suisse Group on pages 318 to 319 and Note 21 – Assets and liabilities with related parties in VII – Parent company financial statements – Credit Suisse Group on page 418 of the attached Annual Report 2019. For the Bank, please see Note 29 – Related parties in VIII – Consolidated financial statements – Credit Suisse (Bank) on page 462 and Note 24 – Amounts receivable from and amounts payable to related parties in IX – Parent company financial statements – Credit Suisse (Bank) on page 542 of the attached Annual Report 2019.

C – Interests of experts and counsel.

Not applicable because this Form 20-F is filed as an annual report.

Item 8. Financial information.

A – Consolidated statements and other financial information.

Please see Item 18 of this Form 20-F.

For a description of Credit Suisse’s legal and arbitration proceedings, please see Note 39 – Litigation in VI – Consolidated financial statements – Credit Suisse Group on pages 376 to 387 of the attached Annual Report 2019. For a description of the Bank’s legal and arbitration proceedings, please see Note 38 – Litigation in VIII – Consolidated financial statements – Credit Suisse (Bank) on page 498 of the attached Annual Report 2019.

For a description of Credit Suisse’s policy on dividend distributions, please see III – Treasury, Risk, Balance sheet and Off-balance sheet – Capital management – Dividends and dividend policy on pages 133 to 134 of the attached Annual Report 2019.

B – Significant changes.

None.

Item 9. The offer and listing.

A – Offer and listing details, C – Markets.

For information regarding the price history of Credit Suisse Group shares and the stock exchanges and other regulated markets on which they are listed or traded, please see X – Additional information – Other information – Listing details on page 564 of the attached Annual Report 2019. Shares of the Bank are not listed.

B – Plan of distribution, D – Selling shareholders, E – Dilution, F – Expenses of the issue.

Not required because this Form 20-F is filed as an annual report.

Item 10. Additional information.

A – Share capital.

Not required because this Form 20-F is filed as an annual report.

B – Memorandum and Articles of Association.

For Credit Suisse, please see IV – Corporate Governance – Overview – Corporate Governance framework, – Shareholders and – Board of Directors on pages 179 to 195 of the attached Annual Report 2019. In addition, for Credit Suisse, please see X – Additional information – Other information – Exchange controls and – American Depositary Shares on page 560 of the attached Annual Report 2019. Shares of the Bank are not listed.

C – Material contracts.

Neither Credit Suisse nor the Bank has any contract that would constitute a material contract for the two years immediately preceding the date of this Form 20-F.

D – Exchange controls.

For Credit Suisse and the Bank, please see X – Additional information – Other information – Exchange controls on page 560 of the attached Annual Report 2019.

E – Taxation.

For Credit Suisse, please see X – Additional information – Other information – Taxation on pages 560 to 563 of the attached Annual Report 2019. The Bank does not have any public shareholders.

20-F/10

F – Dividends and paying agents.

Not required because this Form 20-F is filed as an annual report.

G – Statement by experts.

Not required because this Form 20-F is filed as an annual report.

H – Documents on display.

Credit Suisse and the Bank file annual reports on Form 20-F and furnish or file quarterly and other reports on Form 6-K and other information with the SEC pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These materials are available to the public over the Internet at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov, which contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC. Further, our reports on Form 20-F, Form 6-K and certain other materials are available on the Credit Suisse website at www.credit-suisse.com. Information contained on our website and apps is not incorporated by reference into this Form 20-F.

In addition, Credit Suisse’s parent company financial statements, together with the notes thereto, are set forth on pages 405 to 422 of the attached Annual Report 2019 and incorporated by reference herein. The Bank’s parent company financial statements, together with the notes thereto, are set forth on pages 505 to 546 of the attached Annual Report 2019 and incorporated by reference herein.

I – Subsidiary information.

Not applicable.

Item 11. Quantitative and qualitative disclosures about market risk.

For Credit Suisse and the Bank, please see I – Information on the company – Risk factors on pages 43 to 52 and III – Treasury, Risk, Balance sheet and Off-balance sheet – Risk management on pages 135 to 173 of the attached Annual Report 2019.

Item 12. Description of securities other than equity securities.

A – Debt Securities, B – Warrants and Rights, C – Other Securities.

Not applicable.

D – American Depositary Shares.

For Credit Suisse, please see IV – Corporate Governance – Additional information – Other information – Fees and charges for holders of ADS on page 222 of the attached Annual Report 2019. Shares of the Bank are not listed.

20-F/11

Part II

Item 13. Defaults, dividend arrearages and delinquencies.

None.

Item 14. Material modifications to the rights of security holders and use of proceeds.

None.

Item 15. Controls and procedures.

For Credit Suisse’s management report and the related report from the Group’s independent auditors, please see Controls and procedures and Report of the Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm in VI – Consolidated financial statements – Credit Suisse Group on pages 402 to 404 of the attached Annual Report 2019. For the Bank’s management report and the related report from the Bank’s independent auditors, please see Controls and procedures and Report of the Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm in VIII – Consolidated financial statements – Credit Suisse (Bank) on pages 502 to 504 of the attached Annual Report 2019.

Item 16A. Audit committee financial expert.

For Credit Suisse and the Bank, please see IV – Corporate Governance – Board of Directors– Board committees – Audit Committee on pages 197 to 198 of the attached Annual Report 2019.

Item 16B. Code of ethics.

For Credit Suisse and the Bank, please see IV – Corporate Governance – Overview – Corporate governance framework on pages 179 to 182 of the attached Annual Report 2019.

Item 16C. Principal accountant fees and services.

For Credit Suisse and the Bank, please see IV – Corporate Governance – Additional information – External audit on pages 220 to 221 of the attached Annual Report 2019.

Item 16D. Exemptions from the listing standards for audit committee.

None.

Item 16E. Purchases of equity securities by the issuer and affiliated purchasers.

For Credit Suisse, please see III – Treasury, Risk, Balance sheet and Off-balance sheet – Capital management – Share purchases on page 133 of the attached Annual Report 2019. The Bank does not have any class of equity securities registered pursuant to Section 12 of the Exchange Act.

Item 16F. Change in registrants’ certifying accountant.

Following a tender of the audit mandate and structured evaluation and selection process in 2018, Credit Suisse announced that the Board of Directors (Board) will propose PricewaterhouseCoopers AG (PwC) as Credit Suisse’s new statutory auditor to succeed KPMG AG (KPMG) at the Annual General Meeting on April 30, 2020. Although Credit Suisse is not subject to mandatory external audit firm rotation requirements, the Audit Committee’s decision to pursue a rotation in auditors was made in view of the EU rules with respect to mandatory auditor rotation for certain of Credit Suisse’s significant subsidiaries. The appointment is proposed to be effective for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2020 and is subject to shareholder approval. KPMG is engaged as our independent auditor for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2018 and December 31, 2019 until the filing of this Form 20-F with the SEC.

During the two years prior to December 31, 2019, (1) KPMG has not issued any reports on the financial statements of Credit Suisse or the Bank or on the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting that contained an adverse opinion or a disclaimer of opinion, nor were the auditors’ reports of KPMG qualified or modified as to uncertainty, audit scope, or accounting principles, and (2)

20-F/12

there has not been any disagreement as that term is used in Item 16F(a)(1)(iv) of Form 20-F over any matter of accounting principles or practices, financial statement disclosure, or auditing scope or procedures, which disagreement if not resolved to KPMG’s satisfaction would have caused it to make reference to the subject matter of the disagreement in connection with its auditors’ reports, or any “reportable event” as that term is used in Item 16F(a)(1)(v) of Form 20-F as described in Credit Suisse’s and the Bank’s Form 20-F during this two year period.

Further, in the two years prior to December 31, 2019, we have not consulted with PwC regarding either: (i) the application of accounting principles to a specified transaction, either completed or proposed, or the type of audit opinion that might be rendered with respect to the consolidated financial statements of Credit Suisse or the Bank; or (ii) any matter that was the subject of a disagreement as that term is used in Item 16F(a)(1)(iv) of Form 20-F or a “reportable event” as described in Item 16F(a)(1)(v) of Form 20-F.

For further information regarding the external auditor’s appointment, please see IV – Corporate Governance – Board of Directors – Board Committees – External Audit – External Auditor rotation on page 199 and IV – Corporate Governance – Additional information – External Audit – Principal external auditor on page 220 of the attached Annual Report 2019.

We have provided KPMG with a copy of the foregoing disclosure and have requested that KPMG furnish Credit Suisse with a letter addressed to the SEC stating whether it agrees with such disclosure. A copy of the letter, dated March 25, 2020, is filed herewith as Exhibit 15.3.

Item 16G. Corporate governance.

For Credit Suisse, please see IV – Corporate Governance – Additional Information – Other information – Complying with rules and regulations on pages 221 to 222 of the attached Annual Report 2019. Shares of the Bank are not listed.

Item 16H. Mine Safety Disclosure.

None.

Part III

Item 17. Financial statements.

Not applicable.

Item 18. Financial statements.

Credit Suisse’s consolidated financial statements, together with the notes thereto and the Report of the Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm thereon, are set forth on pages 257 to 404 of the attached Annual Report 2019 and incorporated by reference herein. The Bank’s consolidated financial statements, together with the notes thereto (and any notes or portions thereof in the consolidated financial statements of Credit Suisse Group referred to therein) and the Report of the Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm thereon, are set forth on pages 423 to 504 of the attached Annual Report 2019 and incorporated by reference herein.

20-F/13

Item 19. Exhibits.

1.1 Articles of association (Statuten) of Credit Suisse Group AG as of April 26, 2019.

1.2 Articles of association (Statuten) of Credit Suisse AG as of September 4, 2014 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 1.2 of Credit Suisse Group AG’s and Credit Suisse AG’s annual report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2014 filed on March 20, 2015). https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1053092/000137036815000028/a140320ar-ex1_2.htm

1.3 Organizational Guidelines and Regulations of Credit Suisse Group AG and Credit Suisse AG as of December 5, 2019.

2.1 Pursuant to the requirement of this item, we agree to furnish to the SEC upon request a copy of any instrument defining the rights of holders of long-term debt of us or of our subsidiaries for which consolidated or unconsolidated financial statements are required to be filed.

2.2 Description of securities registered pursuant to section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

8.1 Significant subsidiaries of Credit Suisse are set forth in Note 40 – Significant subsidiaries and equity method investments in VI – Consolidated financial statements – Credit Suisse Group on pages 387 to 390, and significant subsidiaries of the Bank are set forth in Note 39 – Significant subsidiaries and equity method investments in VIII – Consolidated financial statements – Credit Suisse (Bank) on pages 499 to 501 of the attached Annual Report 2019 and incorporated by reference herein.

12.1 Rule 13a-14(a) certification of the Chief Executive Officer of Credit Suisse Group AG and Credit Suisse AG, pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

12.2 Rule 13a-14(a) certification of the Chief Financial Officer of Credit Suisse Group AG and Credit Suisse AG, pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

13.1 Certifications pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 for Credit Suisse Group AG and Credit Suisse AG.

15.1 Consent of KPMG AG, Zurich with respect to Credit Suisse Group AG consolidated financial statements.

15.2 Consent of KPMG AG, Zurich with respect to the Credit Suisse AG consolidated financial statements.

15.3 Letter from KPMG AG, Zurich regarding change in registrants’ certifying accountant.

101 Interactive Data Files (XBRL-Related Documents).

104 Cover Page Interactive Data File (formatted as Inline XBRL and contained in Exhibit 101).

20-F/14

SIGNATURES

Each of the registrants hereby certifies that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form 20-F and that it has duly caused and authorized the undersigned to sign this annual report on its behalf.

                            CREDIT SUISSE GROUP AG

                           (Registrant)

                           Date: March 25, 2020

/s/ Thomas Gottstein                                 /s/ David R. Mathers

Name: Thomas Gottstein                            Name: David R. Mathers

Title: Chief Executive Officer                       Title: Chief Financial Officer 

                            CREDIT SUISSE AG

                           (Registrant)

                           Date: March 25, 2020

/s/ Thomas Gottstein                                 /s/ David R. Mathers

Name: Thomas Gottstein                            Name: David R. Mathers

Title: Chief Executive Officer                       Title: Chief Financial Officer 

20-F/15

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Key metrics
	in / end of			% change
	2019	2018	2017	19 / 18	18 / 17
Credit Suisse (CHF million)
Net revenues	22,484	20,920	20,900	7	0
Provision for credit losses	324	245	210	32	17
Total operating expenses	17,440	17,303	18,897	1	(8)
Income before taxes	4,720	3,372	1,793	40	88
Net income/(loss) attributable to shareholders	3,419	2,024	(983)	69	–
Cost/income ratio (%)	77.6	82.7	90.4	–	–
Effective tax rate (%)	27.4	40.4	152.9	–	–
Basic earnings/(loss) per share (CHF)	1.35	0.79	(0.41)	71	–
Diluted earnings/(loss) per share (CHF)	1.32	0.77	(0.41)	71	–
Return on equity (%)	7.7	4.7	(2.3)	–	–
Return on tangible equity (%)	8.7	5.4	(2.6)	–	–
Assets under management and net new assets (CHF billion)
Assets under management	1,507.2	1,344.9	1,376.1	12.1	(2.3)
Net new assets	79.3	53.7	37.8	47.7	42.1
Balance sheet statistics (CHF million)
Total assets	787,295	768,916	796,289	2	(3)
Net loans	296,779	287,581	279,149	3	3
Total shareholders' equity	43,644	43,922	41,902	(1)	5
Tangible shareholders' equity	38,690	38,937	36,937	(1)	5
Basel III regulatory capital and leverage statistics (%)
CET1 ratio	12.7	12.6	13.5	–	–
Look-through CET1 ratio	12.7	12.6	12.8	–	–
Look-through CET1 leverage ratio	4.0	4.1	3.8	–	–
Look-through tier 1 leverage ratio	5.5	5.2	5.2	–	–
Share information
Shares outstanding (million)	2,436.2	2,550.6	2,550.3	(4)	0
of which common shares issued	2,556.0	2,556.0	2,556.0	0	0
of which treasury shares	(119.8)	(5.4)	(5.7)	–	(5)
Book value per share (CHF)	17.91	17.22	16.43	4	5
Tangible book value per share (CHF)	15.88	15.27	14.48	4	5
Market capitalization (CHF million)	32,451	27,605	44,475	18	(38)
Dividend per share (CHF)	0.2776	0.2625	0.25	–	–
Number of employees (full-time equivalents)
Number of employees	47,860	45,680	46,840	5	(2)
See relevant tables for additional information on these metrics.

Annual Report 2019

Credit Suisse Group AG

Credit Suisse AG

For the purposes of this report, unless the context otherwise requires, the terms “Credit Suisse Group”, “Credit Suisse”, the “Group”, “we”, “us” and “our” mean Credit Suisse Group AG and its consolidated subsidiaries. The business of Credit Suisse AG, the direct bank subsidiary of the Group, is substantially similar to the Group, and we use these terms to refer to both when the subject is the same or substantially similar. We use the term the “Bank” when we are referring only to Credit Suisse AG and its consolidated subsidiaries. Abbreviations and selected terms are explained in the List of abbreviations and the Glossary in the back of this report. Publications referenced in this report, whether via website links or otherwise, are not incorporated into this report. The English language version of this report is the controlling version. In various tables, use of “–” indicates not meaningful or not applicable.

Message from the Chairman

In 2019, our first full financial year following the completion of our restructuring, we generated net income attributable to shareholders of CHF 3.4 billion, an increase of 69% compared to the previous year. Group net new assets totaled CHF 79.3 billion. This demonstrates the successful implementation of our strategy to be a leading wealth manager with strong investment banking capabilities.

Dear shareholders, clients and colleagues

While I am writing this message, the global economy is in a state of uncertainty about the further development of the COVID-19 coronavirus crisis. The spread of the pandemic is expected to have a significant impact on the global economy, at least in the first half of 2020, and is likely to also affect our business performance. We are closely monitoring the spread of COVID-19 and the potential effects on our operations and business. However, we are very satisfied with how the teams have so far navigated the increased volatility.

A strategy that delivers

When we initiated the restructuring of Credit Suisse in 2015, our aim was to create a leading, resilient wealth manager with strong investment banking capabilities. Our performance in the 2019 financial year – the first full year following the completion of our restructuring – clearly demonstrates that we have achieved this. Following a difficult start to 2019 with muted client activity, market conditions became more favorable in the second and third quarters, and we were able to progressively improve revenue momentum, further increase the flexibility of our cost base, and seize emerging opportunities for growth. Having generated positive operating leverage throughout the year, in the strong fourth quarter we achieved our 13th consecutive quarter of year-on-year profit growth with income before taxes of CHF 1.2 billion.

In 2019, income before taxes totaled CHF 4.7 billion, an increase of 40% compared to the previous year. Net income attributable to shareholders was CHF 3.4 billion in 2019, up 69% compared to the previous year. The 2019 results included certain significant gains from the transfer of the InvestLab fund platform to Allfunds Group of CHF 327 million and the revaluation of our equity investment in SIX Group AG of CHF 498 million. Even excluding these gains, our results were strong.

Wealth management shows positive momentum

The outlook for continued growth in wealth management remains attractive. According to the Credit Suisse Global Wealth Report 2019, the global pool of wealth grew once again between mid-2018 and mid-2019, increasing by 2.6%. While this may be a modest figure when viewed over a ten-year horizon, the differences in regional momentum are particularly important for our business. For example, last year China overtook the US in terms of its share of the top 10% of global wealth. In the last ten years, China already significantly contributed to the doubling of global wealth. We believe it should therefore be possible to maintain the positive growth momentum in our Wealth Management-related businesses of Swiss Universal Bank, International Wealth Management and Wealth Management & Connected in Asia Pacific. In 2019, we attracted Group net new assets of CHF 79.3 billion, a record level since 2013, driving our assets under management to CHF 1.5 trillion. Wealth Management-related revenues grew to CHF 14.4 billion, an increase of 9% compared to CHF 13.3 billion in the previous year.

Divisional results

The Swiss Universal Bank (SUB) division recorded income before taxes of CHF 2.7 billion for the full year 2019, an increase of 27% compared to 2018. Net revenues rose 8% year on year. While the negative interest rate environment remained challenging, increased levels of client activity and higher recurring commissions and fees in the fourth quarter of 2019 had a positive impact on revenues, supported by a strong rebound in net interest income reflecting in part the initiated deposit pricing measures. Our disciplined approach on costs enabled us to further reduce total operating expenses by 3% in 2019, while continuing to invest in selected strategic hires, digitalization and marketing. Both Private Clients and Corporate & Institutional Clients generated higher revenues, contributing to this result. Private Clients attracted CHF 3.4 billion of net new assets in 2019, with assets under management increasing 10% year on year. Corporate & Institutional Clients gathered record net new assets of CHF 45.3 billion in 2019, reflecting continued strong contributions from our pension funds business.

The International Wealth Management (IWM) division continued its growth momentum in 2019, with income before taxes rising 25% year on year to CHF 2.1 billion. This reflects a 9% increase in net revenues and stable operating expenses. In Private Banking, income before taxes for 2019 totaled CHF 1.7 billion, up 25% year on year. Private Banking net revenues for 2019 rose 10% year on year. In Asset Management, income before taxes grew 27% to CHF 473 million in 2019, reflecting a 6% increase in net revenues and stable operating expenses year on year.

The Asia Pacific (APAC) division generated income before taxes of CHF 902 million in 2019, an increase of 36% year on year. Consequently, APAC delivered a return on regulatory capital of 16%. The generation of positive operating leverage, with

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revenues up 6% and operating expenses down 2% year on year, was a key driver of income before taxes in 2019. Wealth Management & Connected reported income before taxes of CHF 888 million for 2019, up 29% year on year, with a return on regulatory capital of 23%. Markets reported income before taxes of CHF 14 million in 2019, an improvement on the loss before taxes of CHF 27 million in 2018.

The Global Markets (GM) division reported significantly higher income before taxes of CHF 956 million in 2019 compared to the previous year, delivering positive operating leverage. This resulted in a 7% return on regulatory capital. Net revenues of CHF 5.8 billion rose by 16% compared to the full year 2018, reflecting growth across the trading and financing businesses, partially offset by lower debt and equity underwriting activity. Total operating expenses in 2019 were stable year on year, while risk-weighted assets decreased 4%.

The Investment Banking & Capital Markets (IBCM) division reported a loss before taxes of CHF 162 million in 2019. Net revenues of CHF 1.7 billion for 2019 were down 23% year on year, reflecting fewer M&A completions as well as lower debt underwriting client activity. In a challenging market environment, activity was more subdued in areas of historical strength for IBCM, notably leverage finance and financial sponsors. Total operating expenses in 2019 were down 2% year on year.

Creating value for shareholders

In line with our intention to increase the ordinary dividend per share by at least 5% per annum, the Board of Directors will propose a cash distribution of CHF 0.2776 per share for the 2019 financial year to shareholders at the Annual General Meeting of April 30, 2020. Fifty percent of the distribution will be paid out of capital contribution reserves, free of Swiss withholding tax and not subject to income tax for Swiss resident individuals, and 50% will be paid out of retained earnings, net of 35% Swiss withholding tax. The distribution is structured in this way as a result of Swiss statutory provisions to implement the corporate tax reform, which entered into effect on January 1, 2020.

As part of the share buyback programs for 2019 and 2020, Credit Suisse Group AG bought back a total of 108.3 million shares between January 14, 2019, and March 13, 2020, bringing the volume of capital returned to shareholders to more than CHF 1.325 billion. The Board of Directors is now proposing to shareholders that the share capital be reduced by CHF 4,330,560 from the current nominal value of CHF 102,240,468.80 to CHF 97,909,908.80, through the cancellation of 108.3 million registered treasury shares, each with a par value of CHF 0.04.

Stronger capital base and improved profitability

As a result of our strategic approach to cost management, we once again generated positive operating leverage in 2019. We will maintain our rigorous cost discipline with a view to further increasing positive operating leverage.

In 2019, we made further progress in our efforts to strengthen our capital base. Our common equity tier 1 (CET1) ratio increased to 12.7% from 12.6% at the end of 2018, and the Tier 1 leverage ratio was 5.5% at the end of 2019, up from 5.2% at the end of 2018. Our capital and leverage ratios already met our Swiss regulatory requirements that apply from 2020.

The Group’s profitability increased further last year. The return on tangible equity* (RoTE) was 9%, up from 5% in 2018. Diluted earnings per share amounted to CHF 1.32, compared to CHF 0.77 in 2018, and the tangible book value per share* was CHF 15.88 at the end of 2019, compared to CHF 15.27 at the end of 2018.

Dialogue with regulators

In view of the macroeconomic environment of the last four years, our results show that we have a well-balanced and resilient new business model. The definition of a global resolution approach, compliance with capital requirements and the ongoing implementation of structural and operational improvements have been key elements in the implementation of our too-big-to-fail agenda. In the fourth quarter of 2019, Credit Suisse reported total assets of CHF 787.3 billion and a total loss-absorbing capacity (TLAC) of CHF 91.3 billion.

In terms of regulatory progress, in June 2019 the US Federal Reserve System (Fed), as part of its Comprehensive Capital Analysis Review, did not object to our US intermediate holding company’s proposed capital plan, but did issue a conditional non-objection after identifying certain weaknesses in our capital adequacy planning process. The Fed required us to address these weaknesses by the deadline of October 2019 and, until then, restricted our US intermediate holding company’s planned capital distributions to the amount it was authorized to pay under

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its 2018 capital plan. On December 17, 2019, our US intermediate holding company authorized a cash dividend larger than that authorized and paid in 2018.

In February 2020, the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority FINMA published a report in which it regarded our Swiss Emergency Plan for Credit Suisse (Schweiz) AG to be effective and, with respect to global resolvability, it concluded that we have already taken important preparatory steps and have thus made considerable progress.

Changes to the Board of Directors and Group Executive Board

Having served on the Board for 11 years, this year’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be the last time that I stand for re-election as the Chairman of the Board of Directors. Consistent with the maximum standard term limit of 12 years introduced by me during my chairmanship, I have confirmed to the Board a long time ago that I will not stand for re-election at next year’s AGM in 2021. The Governance and Nominations Committee is leading the succession process for my role, which is well underway and progressing according to plan.

The Board proposes Richard Meddings for election as a new non-executive Board member at the AGM on April 30, 2020. Richard Meddings, chairman of the UK bank TSB Bank plc, is a recognized financial expert with over 30 years of experience in the financial services sector spanning retail banking, wealth management and investment banking. He is a chartered accountant and his experience as a non-executive director includes chairing the audit and risk committees at listed companies, including Deutsche Bank AG and Legal & General Group Plc. Richard Meddings is expected to succeed John Tiner as Audit Committee Chair, subject to his election at the 2020 AGM and formal Board appointment. Of the current Board members, Alexander Gut will not stand for re-election at the AGM. The Board proposes that all other current members of the Board be re-elected to the Board.

In 2019 and early 2020, the Group announced a number of changes to the Executive Board. In February 2020 the Board of Directors appointed Thomas Gottstein as new Group CEO, after Tidjane Thiam stepped down from this role. Thomas Gottstein joined Credit Suisse in 1999 and was responsible for management roles in Investment Banking as well as in Private Banking. Since 2015 he has been responsible for our home market in his role as CEO of Swiss Universal Bank and member of the Group Executive Board.

As Thomas Gottstein’s successor as CEO of Swiss Universal Bank and member of the Group Executive Board, the Board of Directors appointed André Helfenstein. He joined our bank in 2007 and has been responsible for our institutional clients business in Switzerland.

In November 2019, James L. Amine stepped down from the Group Executive Board and took over a newly created function related to our asset management strategy. The Board of Directors has appointed David Miller as CEO of IBCM and as a member of the Group Executive Board. He joined our bank in 2000, having previously served as Head of Credit and Global Credit Products as well as Co-Head of Global Markets Americas.

In October 2019, the Board of Directors appointed James B. Walker as Chief Operating Officer and a member of the Group Executive Board of Credit Suisse, succeeding Pierre-Olivier Bouée. James Walker joined Credit Suisse in 2009 and, prior to taking over the role of Group Chief Operating Officer, held a number of different functions in the bank’s CFO function, including serving as Chief Financial Officer of our largest US subsidiaries and as Global Head of Product Control.

In July 2019, Philipp Wehle assumed responsibility as CEO of International Wealth Management (IWM), succeeding Iqbal Khan, who left Credit Suisse. Philipp Wehle joined Credit Suisse in 2005 and, as Head of International Wealth Management Finance since 2015, already played a key role for the division combining our strong revenue growth with strict cost and capital discipline.

As disclosed in our last Annual Report, Lara Warner was appointed as the new Group Chief Risk Officer, effective February 2019. We also announced that Lydie Hudson had been appointed as her successor in the role of Chief Compliance Officer (Chief Compliance and Regulatory Affairs Officer since an organizational change on March 5, 2020) and a member of the Group Executive Board and that Antoinette Poschung had been appointed Global Head of Human Resources and a member of the Group Executive Board.

Climate Change

Climate change was a continuous topic of discussion in the public arena in 2019. Based on the dialogue within our industry as well as with our clients, investors and other stakeholders, we defined a Group climate risk strategy program based on a three-pronged approach. First, we are preparing to work with our clients to support their transition to low-carbon and climate-resilient business models, and we are working to further integrate climate change into our risk management models. Second, we are focusing on delivering sustainable finance solutions that help our clients achieve their goals and contribute to the realization of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Third, we are working on further reducing the carbon footprint of our own operations. We have been operating on a greenhouse gas neutral basis since 2010 and have reduced our net greenhouse gas emissions by more than 70% since then. We also announced at our Investor Day 2019 that in line with a new policy, we would no longer provide any form of financing specifically related to the development of new coal-fired power plants in the future. This supplements our existing policy of no longer financing new greenfield thermal coal mines.

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Outlook

Notwithstanding the COVID-19 pandemic and the resultant volatile market environment, profitability in the first quarter of 2020 has so far continued the strong year-on-year improvement trend as already noted in our 4Q19 Earnings Release.

As we confirmed in our pre-close trading update earlier in March, overall private banking revenues in our Wealth Management businesses are up compared to the same period last year, benefiting from higher transaction revenues. The teams across our Markets businesses have delivered significantly higher sales and trading revenues quarter to date. This is offsetting the negative impact of the market environment on the revenues earned from the execution of our primary capital markets pipeline, particularly in our investment banking and capital markets business.

Credit Suisse continues to benefit from past restructuring measures including the strengthening of our capital base since the beginning our restructuring in the third quarter of 2015, the rebalancing of our business towards wealth management and from the disciplined approach that we have applied to costs, resources and capital management. Together with the benefit of the cumulative growth in our stable deposit base and our lower exposures compared to previous periods in areas such as leveraged finance and the Oil & Gas sector, the resilience and preparedness of Credit Suisse for the impact of the spread of COVID-19 and the consequent market and economic volatility has substantially increased.

As a final point, I would like to thank our more than 47,000 employees around the world for their hard work and commitment throughout 2019. I am aware that as a result of inappropriate actions within our company, which were not consistent with the culture and conduct we want to promote within our bank, our employees were faced with the kind of questions from clients and other parties that would not normally be expected in a year in which the business performed so positively. However, our employees have remained professional at all times, staying focused on their goals and on meeting the needs of our clients. In doing so, they have made their own contribution to the success of the business in 2019. The Group’s financial results are a testament to their loyalty, professionalism and determination to always do their very best for Credit Suisse, including in difficult periods. Without their efforts, we could not have realized our goals. The Board of Directors and I would therefore like to express our enormous gratitude to all our employees.

Best regards

Urs Rohner

Chairman of the Board of Directors

March 2020

Important Information

* Return on tangible equity and tangible book value per share are non-GAAP financial measures. Refer to II – Operating and financial review – Credit Suisse for information on how these measures and return on regulatory capital are calculated.

For further details on capital-related information, see “Capital Management-Regulatory Capital Framework” in III-Treasury, Risk, Balance sheet and Off-balance sheet.

References to Wealth Management mean SUB Private Clients, IWM Private Banking and APAC Private Banking within WM&C or their combined results. References to Markets businesses mean Global Markets and APAC Markets or their combined results.

We may not achieve all of the expected benefits of our strategic initiatives. Factors beyond our control, including but not limited to the market and economic conditions, changes in laws, rules or regulations and other challenges discussed in our public filings, could limit our ability to achieve some or all of the expected benefits of these initiatives.

This document contains forward-looking statements that involve inherent risks and uncertainties, and we might not be able to achieve the predictions, forecasts, projections and other outcomes we describe or imply in forward-looking statements. A number of important factors could cause results to differ materially from the plans, objectives, expectations, estimates and intentions we express in these forward-looking statements, including those we identify in “Risk factors” and in the “Cautionary statement regarding forward-looking information” in our Annual Report 2019 and other public filings and press releases. We do not intend to update these forward-looking statements.

7

Interview with the Chairman and the Chief Executive Officer

Credit Suisse went through a difficult period with the observation matter that was exposed in 2019. What changes has Credit Suisse made to restore trust and ensure this will not happen again?

Chairman: Credit Suisse performed well in the financial year 2019 – the first full 12-month period in which we were able to benefit from the restructuring that was carried out between 2016 and 2018. However, it is true that certain inappropriate actions at our bank attracted coverage in the final quarter of 2019 and early 2020. The actions had an increasingly negative impact on the perception of our bank and also prompted critical questions from clients. The resignation of CEO Tidjane Thiam and the appointment of Thomas Gottstein as the new Group CEO provides the opportunity to look ahead, knowing that safeguards have been put in place as part of our efforts to ensure that such incidents are not repeated. Thomas will work with the Board of Directors and the management team to restore the trust that has been lost. I am confident that they will achieve this.

What changes are you hoping Thomas Gottstein can deliver, given that Credit Suisse has already successfully completed its restructuring?

Chairman: Credit Suisse’s strategy and business model were developed by the previous CEO together with the Board of Directors in 2015 and implemented over the next three years. We have now been operating under the new model for a little over a year – and delivering successful results. It wouldn’t really make sense to start implementing significant changes to the strategy or our business model at this point in time. The Board of Directors and I will work with Thomas to further strengthen and expand the implementation of our strategy and work on culture and conduct.

You have said that you plan to pursue the strategy defined by your predecessor, while defining your own areas of focus. What types of changes do you envisage?

CEO: I have worked for Credit Suisse for almost 20 years. During that time, I have always found the culture of cooperation - both at Executive Board level and in the businesses - to be open and respectful but also self-critical. The perception of our culture and values has suffered in recent months, particularly in the public arena but also within the bank itself. I will therefore introduce measures to reinforce our culture and values, and continue our unwavering support of our clients’ needs and ambitions.

Thomas Gottstein is the first Swiss CEO to be appointed since you became Chairman. Is this an advantage or is Credit Suisse now too Swiss-focused?

Chairman: The CEO must know the bank’s corporate culture, its DNA, and be in a position to lead Credit Suisse successfully in an international context with a focus on our two strategically important areas of business – wealth management and investment banking. Thomas Gottstein fully meets both of these requirements based on his long and extensive experience in various functions at our bank, as well as his track record as CEO of the Swiss Universal Bank. During his tenure, the Swiss business increased its contribution to the Group income before taxes from CHF 1.7 billion for 2015 to CHF 2.7 billion for 2019.

What is your message to clients and investors outside Switzerland, especially in faster-growing regions such as the US and emerging markets?

Chairman: The public response to the inappropriate actions at our bank last year is also evidence that in Switzerland, we are viewed as more than a bank. This is our heritage and we want to preserve it since it is an important aspect that attracts clients, especially in wealth management. Outside of Switzerland our institution also has a heritage: for example our US entity, which has evolved from the former Credit Suisse First Boston, remains one of the top ten players in global investment banking, although our US business is smaller in size than that of our American competitors in their domestic market. In the Asian market, our role is more that of a challenger but here again, we are successful. We have seen continued growth in our wealth management business in Asia. In investment banking in Southeast Asia, Credit Suisse ranked number one last year according to Dealogic – ahead of our US competitors.

How can you apply the success you achieved when leading the Swiss Universal Bank to the global business?

CEO: Although the Swiss Universal Bank is similar to Credit Suisse Group on a small scale, it is not possible to exactly replicate all of the success factors from the Swiss market in the other international markets and geographical regions where we operate. Each business represents part of the essence of how we define Swiss banking but they all have their own approach and their own way of interacting with their markets and clients. I think that the way we respond to regional needs and market conditions is one of our particular strengths. This strength comes from our wide-ranging experience, which teaches us that you can’t just replicate success from one geography to another.

Where do you see opportunities in the years ahead, both in terms of economic regions and areas such as digitalization?

CEO: The successful restructuring of the bank and resolution of key legacy issues means that we have a strengthened ability to seize new opportunities in all markets. We have also identified additional opportunities in the countries where we already have a presence. Digitalization is one of the main opportunities ahead, but at the same time also a challenge – not just for us but for all financial services providers. However, we continue to leverage digitalisation to enhance client experience and improve operational efficiency.

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Urs Rohner, Chairman of the Board of Directors (left) and Thomas Gottstein, Chief Executive Officer.

Banking has changed a lot since you became Chairman, with developments including negative interest rates, new regulations and advancing digitalization. How is this affecting Credit Suisse?

Chairman: That is simply the environment in which the European banking industry is operating. It presents us with strategic challenges because we have to show that we can achieve growth under these conditions. As a result of our restructuring, Credit Suisse should now be much more resilient, in terms of both our business model and capital position. Markets and economic conditions permitting, I am convinced that we have thus laid the foundations for future growth and the necessary operating leverage where we need to adapt to new disruptions.

Each year it seems that new risks emerge – from Brexit to trade ­tensions and now the spread of the coronavirus. How do you position the bank to mitigate these risks?

CEO: The most important lesson learned from the financial crisis at the end of the last decade was the need to strengthen the resilience of banks. Here at Credit Suisse, this includes the Compliance and Risk Management functions, which have been significantly expanded in recent years, as well as the need for a solid capital position, which is an area that we have successfully addressed. Bottom line, together with the management team, it is my task to ensure Credit Suisse is robust and stable to help our clients achieve their goals, particularly in times of volatile or distressed markets. Over the past weeks, given the spread of the coronavirus, we have established and implemented various response measures that ensure continuity of our business operations and protect the health and safety of our employees.

9

Credit Suisse has earned praise for its restructuring and posted strong profits last year, yet the share price remains disappointing and has suffered greatly. What can be done to change this?

CEO: Over the past weeks, the spread of the coronavirus and the resulting containment strategies implemented by governments around the world have caused disruption to global supply chains resulting in a period of increased volatility in financial markets. Along with the rest of the financial sector, these developments have impacted our share price. But we have a strong balance sheet, are well capitalized, apply a conservative approach to liquidity management and continue to have strong access to funding markets. Given all of these factors, we remain positioned to support and transact with our clients globally.

The number of banks in Switzerland has declined significantly in the last decade. Do you expect further consolidation in the industry, and how do you see Switzerland’s future as a financial center?

Chairman: The consolidation in the industry was driven partly by the financial crisis and partly – or especially – by the change in practice around banking confidentiality in the cross-border wealth management business following the creation of a global governance structure for tax regimes by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and major industrialized nations. These changes called into question a lot of things that we used to take for granted. I think that in the future, rather than involving mergers of entire companies, the consolidation in the industry will take the form of cooperation agreements where partners will jointly provide processes in a more efficient and cost-effective manner. This will apply to those processes where there is no scope for us to distinguish ourselves from our competitors in the eyes of our clients. Switzerland’s importance as a financial center should be preserved if it maintains its political, social and monetary stability. I have no doubt that it can continue to do so in the future.

Credit Suisse wants to achieve approximately 10% return on tangible equity but missed this ambition last year. Can you achieve it in 2020 and go even further?

CEO: We continue to believe in the strength of our franchise and our strategy and have measures in place to protect our return on tangible equity in a challenging market environment. However, in view of the withdrawal of the UK from the EU and the trade tensions between the US and China in recent years, and now with the coronavirus crisis, I have become very cautious about issuing forecasts.

How do you balance cost discipline with the need for investments to ­stimulate growth?

CEO: The past years have already shown that cost focus remains key, and that we need to manage our costs according to our income situation. At the same time, we continue to make targeted investments in our people and systems with the ambition of growing our businesses. It is a balancing act and it is clear that generating positive operating leverage remains our goal.

Banks including Credit Suisse have been criticized in connection with the issue of climate change. How much of a priority is this topic for you?

CEO: Climate change is a key challenge for the world today. As a global bank, we recognize our share of responsibility and have launched a Group-wide climate risk strategy program to address this. We also recognize the role we can play in supporting our clients as they transition to a low-carbon and climate-resilient business on the one hand, and also continuously develop our own long-term financial solutions that focus on sustainable development on the other. Last year, we announced that we are ceasing to provide any form of financing specifically related to new coal-fired power plants. Additionally the carbon footprint of our own operations speaks for itself – where we have been greenhouse gas-neutral since 2010. Let me reemphasize: climate change is an important topic for Credit Suisse and our clients and it will remain so in the future.

Your term as Chairman will expire in 2021. What do you hope to achieve in your final year in office?

Chairman: Given the very significant challenges that lie ahead, I won’t spend time in the next 12 months thinking about my personal legacy. In addition to the challenges in the context of markets, digitalization and the impact of climate change on our business, the list of topics is likely to get longer, not shorter. The rapid slump in global equity markets due to the coronavirus situation and the economic downturn resulting from it has reinforced my view that as Chairman of a bank like ours you must, above all, be able to react very quickly to changing conditions.

Which qualities will the Board look for in the next Chairman, and has the search for a successor already begun?

Chairman: Succession planning is one of the key tasks of the Board of Directors and this process is well underway and progressing according to plan.

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Credit Suisse at a glance

Credit Suisse

Our strategy builds on Credit Suisse’s core strengths: its position as a leading global wealth manager, its specialist investment banking capabilities and its strong presence in our home market of Switzerland. We seek to follow a balanced approach with our wealth management activities, aiming to capitalize on both the large pool of wealth within mature markets as well as the significant growth in wealth in Asia Pacific and other emerging markets. Founded in 1856, we today have a global reach with operations in about 50 countries and 47,860 employees from over 150 different nations. Our broad footprint helps us to generate a more geographically balanced stream of revenues and net new assets and allows us to capture growth opportunities around the world. We serve our clients through three regionally focused divisions: Swiss Universal Bank, International Wealth Management and Asia Pacific. These regional businesses are supported by two other divisions specializing in investment banking capabilities: Global ­Markets and ­Investment ­Banking & Capital Markets. Our business divisions cooperate closely to provide holistic financial solutions, including innovative products and specially tailored advice.

Swiss Universal Bank

The Swiss Universal Bank division offers comprehensive advice and a wide range of financial solutions to private, corporate and institutional clients primarily domiciled in our home market of Switzerland, which offers attractive growth opportunities and where we can build on a strong market position across our key businesses. Our Private ­Clients business has a leading franchise in our Swiss home market and serves ultra-high-net-worth individual, high-net-worth individual, affluent and retail clients. Our Corporate & Institutional Clients business serves large corporate clients, small and medium-sized enterprises, institutional clients, external asset managers, financial institutions and commodity traders.

­International Wealth Management

The International Wealth Management division through its Private Banking business offers comprehensive advisory services and tailored investment and financing solutions to wealthy private clients and external asset managers in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America, utilizing comprehensive access to the broad spectrum of Credit Suisse’s global resources and capabilities as well as a wide range of proprietary and third-party products and services. Our Asset Management business offers investment solutions and services globally to a broad range of clients, including pension funds, governments, foundations and endowments, corporations and individuals.

Asia Pacific

In the Asia Pacific division, our wealth management, financing and underwriting and advisory teams work closely together to deliver integrated advisory services and solutions to our target ultra-high-net-worth, entrepreneur and corporate clients. Our Wealth Management & Connected business combines our activities in wealth management with our financing, underwriting and advisory activities. Our Markets business, which provides a broad range of services through our equities and fixed income sales and trading businesses, also supports our wealth management activities and deals extensively with a broader range of global institutional clients.

Global Markets

The Global Markets division offers a broad range of financial products and services to client-driven businesses and also supports Credit Suisse’s global wealth management businesses and their clients. Our suite of products and services includes global securities sales, trading and execution, prime brokerage and comprehensive investment research. Our clients include financial institutions, corporations, governments, institutional investors, such as pension funds and hedge funds, and private individuals around the world.

Investment Banking & Capital Markets

The Investment Banking & Capital Markets division offers a broad range of investment banking services to corporations, financial institutions, financial sponsors and ultra-high-net-worth individuals and sovereign clients. Our range of products and services includes advisory services related to mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, takeover defense mandates, business restructurings and spin-offs. The division also engages in debt and equity underwriting of public securities offerings and private placements.

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Strategy

Credit Suisse strategy

Our strategy is to be a leading wealth manager with strong investment banking capabilities.

We believe wealth management is one of the most attractive segments in banking. Global wealth has grown significantly over the last ten years and is projected to continue to grow faster than GDP over the next several years, with both emerging markets and mature markets offering attractive growth opportunities. We seek to follow a balanced approach with our wealth management activities, aiming to capitalize on both the large pool of wealth within mature markets as well as the significant growth in wealth in Asia Pacific and other emerging markets.

In the wealth management sector, we expect that emerging markets will account for nearly 60% of the growth in global wealth in the coming years, with more than 60% of that additional wealth expected to be created in Asia Pacific. Wealth is highly concentrated in emerging markets, with wealth creation mostly tied to first and second generation entrepreneurs. We believe that positioning ourselves as the “Bank for Entrepreneurs” by leveraging our strengths in wealth management and investment banking will provide us with key competitive advantages to succeed in these markets as we provide clients with a range of services to protect and grow their wealth and offer an integrated approach across their private and corporate financial needs. We are scaling up our wealth management franchise in emerging markets by recruiting and retaining high-quality relationship managers while prudently managing our lending exposure, building on our strong investment and advisory offering and global investment banking capabilities. At the same time we are investing in our risk management and compliance functions.

Despite slower growth, mature markets are still expected to remain important and account for more than half of global wealth by 2023. We plan to capitalize on opportunities in markets such as Western Europe, with a focused approach to building scale given the highly competitive environment.

Switzerland, as our home market, provides compelling opportunities for Credit Suisse. Switzerland remains the country with the highest average wealth and highest density of affluent clients globally. Switzerland benefits from its highly developed and traditionally resilient economy, where many entrepreneurial small and medium-sized enterprises continue to drive strong export performance. We provide a full range of services to private, corporate and institutional clients with a specific focus on becoming the “Bank for Entrepreneurs” and plan to further expand our strong position with Swiss private, corporate and institutional clients as well as take advantage of opportunities arising from consolidation.

We have simplified and de-risked our Global Markets business model, reducing complexity and cost while continuing to support our core institutional, corporate and wealth management client base and maintaining strong positions in our core franchises. We have right-sized our operations and reduced risk in a focused way by exiting or downsizing selected businesses consistent with our return on capital objectives and lower risk profile. We aim to further strengthen our International Trading Solutions (ITS) business, our product manufacturing and distribution platform relating to our Global Markets, Swiss Universal Bank and International Wealth Management divisions by increasing cross-divisional collaboration, and we have established Asia Pacific Trading Solutions (ATS) to bring this integrated approach to the Asia Pacific region.

In our Investment Banking & Capital Markets division, we have focused on rebalancing our product mix towards M&A advisory and equity underwriting while maintaining our leading leveraged finance franchise. Our objective is to align, and selectively invest in, our coverage and capital resources with the largest growth opportunities and where our franchise is well-positioned. We believe this will help us to strengthen our market position, contribute to a revenue mix that is more diversified and less volatile through the market cycle and achieve returns in excess of our cost of capital. We will continue to leverage Investment Banking & Capital Markets’ global connectivity with our other divisions and its platform to drive opportunities for the Group.

We intend to continue with a disciplined approach to cost management across the Group, focusing on continuous productivity improvements that can release resources for growth investments while maintaining a strong operating leverage.

The spread of COVID-19 is expected to have a significant impact on the global economy, at least in the first half of 2020, and is likely to affect our financial performance, including credit loss estimates, trading revenues, net interest income and potential goodwill assessments. We are closely monitoring the spread of COVID-19 and the potential effects on our operations and business. In February 2020, in response to the COVID-19 outbreak in countries and regions in which the Group operates, the Executive Board invoked our formal crisis management process and put in place various response measures, in order to ensure continuity of our business operations and protect the health and safety of employees, including travel restrictions, a quarantine protocol, guidelines for client meetings and employee gatherings and certain changes to the daily operations of critical processes.

Resilient business model

At the end of 2018, we successfully completed our ambitious three-year restructuring plan. A key focus of our strategy has been to make the bank more resilient in challenging market conditions while preserving our ability to benefit when markets are more favorable.

We began 2019 in a challenging market environment, with muted client activity in the first quarter. As the environment became more constructive in the second and third quarters, we were able to progressively improve revenue momentum and adapted our cost base accordingly to capture growth opportunities, finishing the year with a strong fourth quarter. In this environment we demonstrated the resilience of our model and delivered a strong performance. We attracted CHF 79.3 billion of net new assets across the Group in 2019, an increase of 48% compared to 2018, driving our assets under management to a record level of CHF 1,507.2 billion at the end of 2019.

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During our restructuring, we significantly lowered the break-even point of the Group and increased our cost flexibility. We maintained our discipline around cost in 2019 and delivered our 13th consecutive quarter of positive operating leverage.

As a result, we have significantly strengthened our profitability, with income before taxes of CHF 4,720 million in 2019, a 40% increase compared to 2018, and have driven return on tangible equity (RoTE) to 8.7% for 2019.

In 2019, we returned CHF 1.7 billion of capital to shareholders through dividends and the successful completion of our share buyback program.

Continue to execute with discipline to maintain our momentum in 2020

In 2020, we aim to maintain our momentum by executing with discipline.

Growing revenues in wealth management

Our integrated approach to wealth management is based on our understanding of our client’s needs. Through our regionalized approach, we have enhanced our client proximity and can quickly react to changing client needs.

We are focused on increasing our assets under management. At the end of 2019 our assets under management for the Group stood at CHF 1,507.2 billion, an increase of CHF 293.1 billion compared to 2015. Over the last four years we have shown a strong track record of consistently higher annual net new assets with total net new assets of CHF 197.6 billion for the Group. Our balanced approach in Wealth Management has contributed to positive inflows in mature markets as well as strong inflows in emerging markets. Our focus on growing our entrepreneur and ultra-high-net-worth (UHNW) franchise has been successful with an annual Wealth Management net new asset growth rate of 5% driven by a 76% share of UHNW net new assets.

> References to Wealth Management in connection with net new assets or assets under management measures mean the Private Clients business within Swiss Universal Bank, the Private Banking business within International Wealth Management and the Private Banking business within the Wealth Management & Connected business of Asia Pacific or their combined results.

We have increased the productivity of our relationship managers in all of our Wealth Management businesses. We have hired key senior relationship managers over the last four years and we will continue to hire senior talent when opportunities present themselves. We believe our platform and integrated approach is a highly attractive proposition for these relationship managers and their clients.

Through our ITS business, we offer our wealth management clients access to institutional quality solutions. As the business continues to mature, we are seeing a strengthening of the deal pipeline with a continuing and growing flow of transactions.

We are focused on growing our more stable and recurring revenue streams, across net interest income and recurring commissions and fees, which accounted for the majority of our Wealth Management-related revenues as of the end of 2019. As we grow our assets under management, we are compounding growth in these more stable and recurring revenue streams.

> References to our Wealth Management-related businesses mean our Swiss Universal Bank division, our International Wealth Management division and our Wealth Management & Connected business within our Asia Pacific division or their combined results.

In addition, we are focused on significant further regional growth opportunities in a number of sizeable economies where we are already active but currently have a relatively low market share in terms of assets under management.

Our approach and success has been recognized by the industry, and we were awarded “The World’s Best Bank for Wealth Management” – Euromoney Awards for Excellence 2019.

Increasing profitability in our investment banking businesses

A strong investment banking business is key to our ability to offer our UHNW clients institutional quality solutions to grow and protect their wealth and global execution capabilities.

After successfully completing the right-sizing and de-risking of our Global Markets activities while investing in talent and preserving our key franchises in fixed income and equities at the end of 2018, we are focused on sustainably growing our revenues and increasing our returns in Global Markets.

In 2019, Global Markets delivered significant revenue growth, increasing revenues by 16% while maintaining cost discipline. Global Markets results in the US and EMEA outperformed peers’ global results across both fixed income sales and trading and equity sales and trading and won franchise industry awards across our core businesses.

We continued to drive closer collaboration with wealth management and global connectivity through ITS. To replicate the success of ITS in Asia Pacific, we have established ATS.

Our advisory and underwriting businesses are core to our integrated approach. We have delivered three years of strong results since the announcement of our strategy in 2015 and we have maintained leading market positions in equity capital markets and leveraged finance. Our integrated approach to wealth management and investment banking has proven successful with a #1 ranked underwriting and advisory franchise in Asia Pacific (excluding Japan and China onshore) and Switzerland in 2019.

Maintaining cost discipline

During our three-year restructuring, we were able to significantly lower our break-even point through our strategic cost transformation program. We aim to maintain our lower break-even point through continued disciplined expense and investment management across our divisions and corporate functions as we drive further structural cost savings initiatives.

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Optimizing our operating model

We continue to focus on our control functions as we believe this will be key to our success as we grow our businesses. Since 2015, we have significantly invested to strengthen our risk management and compliance functions. Our control efforts also include all of our other corporate functions and front office businesses. We are leveraging front-to-back technology advancements and are deploying tools across the bank to further strengthen our operating model.

Financial goals

At the Investor Day on December 11, 2019, we communicated our RoTE ambition of approximately 10% for 2020, or approximately 11% in a constructive market environment, and highlighted additional cost measures to protect our RoTE should markets be more challenging. We also stated our aim to achieve an RoTE of above 12% in the medium term. We reiterated our expectation for 2020 to distribute at least 50% of net income to shareholders through a combination of a share buyback similar to 2019 and a sustainable ordinary dividend, which dividend we expect to increase by at least 5% per annum. The Board of Directors approved an additional share buyback program of up to CHF 1.5 billion for 2020 and, prior to the spread of COVID-19, had expected to buy back at least CHF 1.0 billion of shares this year, subject to market and economic conditions. However, the extent to which COVID-19 impacts our business, including with respect to our financial goals and related expectations and ambitions is highly uncertain and the full impact cannot be predicted at this time. Having completed the initial share purchases under the 2020 program earlier this year, the Board of Directors will review its expectation for the balance of the program when there is greater certainty over the economic, financial and market outlook.

Our ambitions often include metrics that are non-GAAP financial measures and are unaudited. A reconciliation of these ambitions to the nearest GAAP measures is unavailable without unreasonable efforts. RoTE is based on tangible shareholders’ equity, a non-GAAP financial measure also known as tangible book value, which is calculated by deducting goodwill and other intangible assets from total shareholders’ equity as presented in our balance sheet, both of which are unavailable on a prospective basis. Such ambitions are calculated in a manner that is consistent with the accounting policies applied by us in preparing our financial statements.

Organizational structure

Our organizational structure consists of three regionally focused divisions: Swiss Universal Bank, International Wealth Management and Asia Pacific. These regional businesses are supported by two other divisions specialized in investment banking capabilities: Global Markets and Investment Banking & Capital Markets. Our organization is designed to drive stronger client focus and provide better alignment with regulatory requirements, with decentralization increasing the speed of decision-making, accountability and cost competitiveness across the Group.

Our operating businesses are supported by focused corporate functions at the Group Executive Board level, consisting of: Chief Financial Officer, Chief Operating Officer, Chief Risk Officer, Chief Compliance and Regulatory Affairs Officer, General Counsel and Global Head of Human Resources.

Evolution of legal entity structure

The execution of the program evolving the Group’s legal entity structure to support the realization of our strategic objectives, increase the resilience of the Group and meet developing and future regulatory requirements has substantially concluded. The legal entity program was prepared in discussion with the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority FINMA (FINMA), our primary regulator, and other regulators and addressed regulations in Switzerland, the US and the UK with respect to requirements for global recovery and resolution planning by systemically relevant banks, such as Credit Suisse, that will facilitate resolution of an institution in the event of a failure.

Products and services

Private banking offerings and wealth management solutions

We offer a wide range of private banking and wealth management solutions tailored for our clients in our Swiss Universal Bank, International Wealth Management and Asia Pacific divisions.

Client segment specific value propositions

Our wide range of wealth management solutions is tailored to specific client segments. Close collaboration with our investment banking businesses enables us to offer customized and innovative solutions to our clients, especially in the ultra-high-net-worth individuals (UHNWI) segment, and we have specialized teams offering bespoke and complex solutions predominantly for our sophisticated clients. This distinct value proposition of our integrated bank remains a key strength in our client offerings.

Structured advisory process

We apply a structured approach in our advisory process based on a thorough understanding of our clients’ needs, personal circumstances, product knowledge, investment objectives and a comprehensive analysis of their financial situation to define individual client risk profiles. On this basis, we define an individual investment strategy in collaboration with our clients. This strategy is implemented to help ensure adherence to portfolio quality standards and compliance with suitability and appropriateness standards for all investment instruments. Responsible for the implementation are either the portfolio managers or our relationship managers working together with their advisory clients. Our UHNWI relationship managers are supported by dedicated portfolio managers.

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Comprehensive investment services

We offer a comprehensive range of investment advice and discretionary asset management services based on the outcome of our structured advisory process and the global “House View” of our Credit Suisse Investment Committee. We base our advice and services on the analysis and recommendations of our research and investment strategy teams, which provide a wide range of investment expertise, including macroeconomic, equity, bond, commodity and foreign-exchange analysis, as well as research on the economy. Our investment advice covers a range of services, from portfolio consulting to advising on individual investments. We offer our clients portfolio and risk management solutions, including managed investment products. These are products actively managed and structured by our specialists or third parties, providing private investors with access to investment opportunities that otherwise would not be available to them. For clients with more complex requirements, we offer investment portfolio structuring and the implementation of individual strategies, including a wide range of structured products and alternative investments. Discretionary asset management services are available to clients who wish to delegate the responsibility for investment decisions to Credit Suisse. We are an industry leader in alternative investments and, in close collaboration with our asset management business and investment banking businesses, we offer innovative products with limited correlation to equities and bonds, such as hedge funds, private equity, commodities and real estate investments.

In addition, we offer solutions for a range of private and corporate wealth management needs, which include financial planning, succession planning and trust services.

Financing and lending

We offer a broad range of financing and lending solutions across all of our private client segments, including consumer credit and real estate mortgage lending, real asset lending relating to ship and aviation financing for UHNWI, standard and structured hedging and lombard lending solutions as well as collateral trading services.

Multi-shore platform

With global operations comprising 13 international booking centers in addition to our operations in Switzerland, we are able to offer our clients booking capabilities locally as well as through our international hubs. Our multi-shore offering is designed to serve clients who are focused on geographical risk diversification, have multiple domiciles, seek access to global execution services or are interested in a wider range of products than is available to them locally.

Corporate client and institutional client offerings

In accordance with our ambition to position ourselves as the “Bank for Entrepreneurs”, we provide corporate and institutional clients, predominantly in Switzerland, with a broad range of financial solutions. To meet our clients’ evolving needs, we deliver our offering through an integrated franchise and international presence. Based on this model, we are able to assist our clients in virtually every stage of their business life cycle to cover their banking needs. For corporate clients, we provide a wide spectrum of banking products such as traditional and structured lending, payment services, foreign exchange, capital goods leasing and investment solutions. In addition, we apply our investment banking capabilities to supply customized services in the areas of M&A, syndications and structured finance. For corporations with specific needs for global finance and transaction banking, we provide services in commodity trade finance, trade finance, structured trade finance, export finance and factoring. For our Swiss institutional clients, including pension funds, insurance companies, public sector and UHNWI clients, we offer a wide range of fund solutions and fund-linked services, including fund management and administration, fund design and comprehensive global custody solutions. Our offering also includes ship and aviation finance and a competitive range of services and products for financial institutions such as securities, cash and treasury services.

Asset management offerings

Our traditional investment products provide strategies and comprehensive management across equities, fixed income, and multi-asset products in both fund formation and customized solutions. Stressing investment principles, such as risk management and asset allocation, we take an active and disciplined approach to investing. Alongside our actively managed offerings, we have a suite of passively managed solutions, which provide clients access to a wide variety of investment options for different asset classes in a cost-effective manner.

We also offer institutional and individual clients a range of alternative investment products, including credit investments, hedge fund strategies, real estate and commodities. We are also able to offer access to various asset classes and markets through strategic alliances and key joint ventures with external managers.

Investment banking financial solutions

Equity underwriting

Equity capital markets originates, syndicates and underwrites equity in initial public offerings (IPOs), common and convertible stock issues, acquisition financing and other equity issues.

Debt underwriting

Debt capital markets originates, syndicates and underwrites corporate and sovereign debt.

Advisory services

Advisory services advises clients on all aspects of M&A, corporate sales, restructurings, divestitures, spin-offs and takeover defense strategies.

Equities

Cash equities provides a comprehensive suite of offerings, including: (i) research, analytics and other content-driven products and services (ii) sales trading, responsible for managing the order flow between our clients and the marketplace and providing clients with trading ideas and capital commitments, identifying

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trends and delivering the most effective trade execution; (iii) high touch and program trading, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and advanced execution services (AES) platform under our global execution services group, which executes client orders and makes markets in listed and over-the-counter (OTC) cash securities, ETFs and programs, providing liquidity to the market through both capital commitments and risk management. AES is a sophisticated suite of algorithmic trading strategies, tools and analytics that facilitates global trading across equities, options, futures and foreign exchange. By employing algorithms to execute client orders and limit volatility, AES helps institutions and hedge funds reduce market impact. Credit Suisse provides access to over 100 trading destinations in over 40 countries and six continents.

Prime services offers hedge funds and institutional clients execution, financing, custody, clearing and risk advisory services across various asset classes through prime brokerage, synthetic financing and listed and OTC derivatives. In addition, we partner with the most established fund managers, fast-growing funds and select startups, blending traditional prime brokerage services with innovative financing solutions and comprehensive capital and consulting advisory services, to help funds build durable organizations across their lifecycle.

Equity derivatives provides a full range of equity-related and cross-asset products, including investment options, systematic strategies and financing solutions, as well as sophisticated hedging and risk management expertise and comprehensive execution capabilities to private banking clients, financial institutions, hedge funds, asset managers and corporations.

Convertibles: The convertibles team provides secondary trading and market making of convertible bonds as well as pricing and distribution of Credit Suisse-originated convertible issuances.

Fixed income

Global credit products is a leading, client-focused and accomplished credit franchise, providing expert coverage in credit trading, sales, financing and capital markets. Our strong history of credentials and long-standing record in leveraged finance reflect our unique ability to provide value-added products and solutions to both issuer and investor clients. Our capital markets businesses are responsible for structuring, underwriting and syndicating a full range of products for our issuer clients, including investment grade and leveraged loans, investment grade and high yield bonds and unit transactions. We are also a leading provider of committed acquisition financing, including leveraged loan, bridge finance and mezzanine finance and collateralized loan obligation formation. In sales and trading, we are a leading market maker in private and public debt across the credit spectrum, including leveraged loans as well as high yield and investment grade cash. We are also a market maker in the credit derivatives market, including the credit default swap index (CDX) suite, liquid single-name credit default swaps (CDS), sovereign CDS, credit default swaptions and iBoxx total return swaps. We offer clients a comprehensive range of financing options for credit products including, but not limited to, repurchase agreements, short covering, total return swaps and portfolio lending.

Securitized products is a market leading franchise providing asset based liquidity and financing solutions and products to institutional and wealth management clients. We have experience in a broad range of asset categories including consumer, commercial, residential, commercial real estate, transportation and alternatives. Our finance business focuses on providing asset and portfolio advisory services and financing solutions (warehouse, bridge and acquisition) and originates, structures and executes capital markets transactions for our clients. Our trading platform provides market liquidity across a broad range of loans and securities, including residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS), asset-backed securities (ABS) and commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS). CMBS and RMBS include government- and agency-backed as well as private-label loans. We have a seasoned and dedicated securitized product sales force that distributes our primary and secondary product offerings to our client base. We also offer residential mortgage servicing capabilities through our mortgage servicer Select Portfolio Services.

Macro products includes our global foreign exchange and rates businesses and investment grade capital markets team in Switzerland. Our rates business offers market-making capabilities in US cash and derivatives, European cleared swaps and select bilateral and structured solutions. Our investor products business manufactures credit rates, foreign exchange and commodity based structured products for institutional and private banking clients.

Emerging markets, financing and structured credit includes a range of financing products including cash flow lending, share-backed lending and secured financing transactions and onshore trading in Brazil, Mexico, Russia and Turkey. In addition, we offer financing solutions and tailored investment products for Latin American, Central and Eastern European, Middle Eastern and African financial institutions and corporate and sovereign clients.

Other

Other products and activities include lending and certain real estate investments. Lending includes senior bank debt in the form of syndicated loans and commitments to extend credit to investment grade and non-investment grade borrowers.

Research and HOLT

Our equity and fixed income businesses are enhanced by the research and HOLT functions. HOLT offers a framework for objectively assessing the performance of over 20,000 companies worldwide, with interactive tools and consulting services that clients use to make informed investment decisions.

Equity and fixed income research uses in-depth analytical frameworks, proprietary methodologies and data sources to analyze approximately 3,000 companies worldwide and provide macroeconomic insights into this constantly changing environment.

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Divisions

Swiss Universal Bank

Business profile

Within Swiss Universal Bank, we offer comprehensive advice and a broad range of financial solutions to private, corporate and institutional clients primarily domiciled in Switzerland. We serve our clients through the following six dedicated business areas in order to cater to our Swiss client base: Direct Banking, Wealth Management Clients and Premium Clients within the Private Clients business, and Corporate Banking, Investment Banking and Institutional Clients within the Corporate & Institutional Clients business.

Our Private Clients business has a leading client franchise in Switzerland, serving approximately 1.5 million clients, including UHNWI, high-net-worth individual (HNWI), affluent and retail clients. Our service offering is based on our structured advisory process, distinct client-segment-specific value propositions and coverage models as well as access to a broad range of comprehensive products and services. Our network includes 1,280 relationship managers in 146 branches, including 26 branches of the Bank’s affiliate, Neue Aargauer Bank. Additionally, our clients benefit from the advice of more than 300 specialists in areas such as investing, wealth and real estate planning, and lending. Our consumer finance business BANK-now has 18 branches. Also, we offer our clients the world’s leading credit card brands through Swisscard AECS GmbH, an equity method investment jointly owned with American Express.

Our Corporate & Institutional Clients business offers expert advice and high-quality services to a wide range of clients, serving the needs of over 100,000 corporations and institutions, including large corporate clients, small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs), institutional clients, external asset managers, financial institutions and commodity traders. This business also includes our Swiss investment banking business, serving corporate clients and financial institutions in connection with financing transactions in debt and equity capital markets and advising on M&A transactions. Our business includes 510 relationship managers who serve our clients out of 44 locations.

Key data – Swiss Universal Bank
	in / end of
	2019	2018	2017
Key data
Net revenues (CHF million)	6,020	5,564	5,396
Income before taxes (CHF million)	2,697	2,125	1,765
Assets under management (CHF billion)
– Private Clients	217.6	198.0	208.3
– Corporate & Institutional Clients	436.4	348.7	354.7
Number of employees	12,350	11,950	12,600

Business environment

The Swiss private banking and wealth management industry remains very attractive and continues to have positive growth prospects. Switzerland has one of the highest millionaire densities worldwide and is expected to continue to have one of the highest average levels of wealth per adult. We remain well-positioned in the Swiss market with strong market shares across our client segments, although the rise of financial technology (Fintech) companies in Europe and Switzerland with aggressive market entry strategies might increase the competition in the retail segment going forward.

The corporate and institutional clients business continues to offer attractive opportunities, supported by the expected steady growth of the Swiss economy. We are a leading provider of banking services to corporate and institutional clients in Switzerland, utilizing our market-leading investment banking capabilities in Switzerland for local execution while leveraging Investment Banking & Capital Markets’ international reach and Global Markets’ placing power.

Structurally, the industry continues to undergo significant change. Regulatory requirements for investment advisory services continue to increase, including in the areas of suitability and appropriateness of advice, client information and documentation. This is expected to drive further consolidation of smaller banks due to the higher critical size necessary to fulfill business and regulatory requirements. We continue to believe that we are well-positioned to opportunistically take advantage of this potential market consolidation. We have made additional progress in adapting to the changing regulatory environment and are continuing to dedicate significant resources to ensure our business is compliant with regulatory standards. Furthermore, interest rates are expected to remain negative for a longer period of time. In 2019, we implemented mitigating actions and began charging negative interest rates on Swiss franc deposits above a certain threshold.

The spread of COVID-19 is expected to have negative effects on major economies globally and is likely to affect our business performance, including credit losses, in at least the first half of 2020 and going forward.

Business strategy

Switzerland, our home market, has always been and is expected to remain a key market for our Group and is core to our overall strategy. Within Swiss Universal Bank, we combine all the strengths and critical mass of our Swiss retail, wealth management, corporate, institutional and investment banking activities. The division is well-positioned to meet the needs of our clients, both individual and corporate, with a broad suite of customized products and services.

In order to further cement our standing as a leading Swiss bank, we continue to focus on the following four key priorities:

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Bank for Switzerland

We are committed to our Swiss home market and to all our clients in Switzerland – we are a universal bank that serves private, corporate and institutional client segments. We intend to expand our market share and continue to be a responsible partner in Swiss society.

In 2019, we responded to changing client needs and the dynamic changes occurring in the banking industry by creating a new business area, Direct Banking. The aim of this new business area is to focus on retail and small commercial clients, who mainly use core banking products and services. We continue to see potential in developing the HNWI and the UHNWI business, which are both wealth market segments that are growing significantly and remain highly attractive. Our holistic offering and the collaboration across the division and across the bank are the bases for our efforts to capture further growth in both market segments. Our efforts and commitment to Switzerland remain a priority and we were recognized again as “Switzerland’s Best Bank” – Euromoney Awards for Excellence 2019.

Bank for Entrepreneurs

Entrepreneurship has always been important for Credit Suisse, and entrepreneurial thinking is one of our core principles. We have grown and will seek to continue to significantly grow our business with entrepreneurs and their companies across all businesses within Swiss Universal Bank, including by leveraging our international connectivity in investment banking and asset management. It is our ambition to be recognized as the “Bank for Entrepreneurs”.

We strengthened our focus on being recognized as the “Bank for Entrepreneurs” by launching joint client coverage for private and corporate clients in 2015. In this context, we increased the number of Entrepreneurs & Executives relationship managers and now cover the Swiss market with 22 locations. Furthermore, in 2019 we launched the Swiss Entrepreneurs Fund together with two other financial institutions. The goal is to provide up to CHF 500 million in growth capital to start-ups and SMEs located in Switzerland. Also in 2019, our broad range of expertise and capabilities enabled us to execute a large number of investment banking transactions and we were again recognized as “Switzerland’s Best Investment Bank” – Euromoney Awards for Excellence 2019.

Bank for the Digital World

We are transforming the way we serve and advise our clients in an increasingly digital society and economy. We expect new technologies and business models to emerge and must adapt our efforts to be successful. To this end, we are investing in digital capabilities with a focus on client engagement, self-service capabilities and frontline productivity. Digitalization, automation and data management will be key drivers to continuously improve our cost position and drive our competitiveness with the possibility to fundamentally change the way we work.

In 2019, we focused on strengthening our digital solutions and capabilities for private, corporate and institutional clients as well as relationship managers. We were one of the first banks in Switzerland to provide a holistic mobile payment offering to our clients. We have continued to extend our digital onboarding solutions to SMEs and have enabled digital straight-through processing of compliance checks. We have joined forces with the Swiss software provider KLARA Business AG, allowing SMEs to receive services beyond traditional banking products and simplifying online credit requests. Integrated software solutions will gain importance, especially for corporate clients. Our Credit Suisse Direct Multibanking service, for example, is designed to enable our clients to manage their liquidity reliably and efficiently, taking both their Credit Suisse and other banking relationships into account. Moreover, we have completed the rollout of a new application for relationship managers to the UHNWI business, which should further increase the productivity and efficiency of our client-facing employees. Direct Banking clients will be able to benefit from digital products and services that are tailored to their needs and will have even swifter and easier access to our bank. Overall, we seek to optimally combine our extensive digital offering with personal advice for our clients.

Bank for the Next Generation

While we are always mindful of the needs of all clients, we particularly aim to support the next generation in Switzerland in achieving their ambitions. Supertrends such as an aging population are expected to fundamentally change our country in coming years and will open opportunities for us to make a difference to our clients across generations. Developing our own young talents in their careers with various programs will complement this process and is part of our long-term commitment to the next generation in Switzerland.

Our holistic offering for the various stages in the lives of our clients underpins our ambition to cater to all client needs. Examples include Viva Kids and the Credit Suisse Collective Foundation 1e. Viva Kids is a dedicated banking package for our younger clients that will help us to build the foundation for our future client base. Through the Credit Suisse Collective Foundation 1e, we provide companies and self-employed persons in Switzerland with the opportunity to structure their extra-mandatory retirement plans on an attractive, autonomous basis.

Awards and market share momentum

Credit Suisse received a number of key industry awards in 2019, including:

■ “Switzerland’s Best Bank” – Euromoney Awards for Excellence 2019

■ “The World’s Best Bank for Wealth Management” – Euromoney Awards for Excellence 2019

■ “Switzerland’s Best Investment Bank” – Euromoney Awards for Excellence 2019

■ “Switzerland M&A Financial Advisor of the Year” – Mergermarket

■ “Best Private Bank for Entrepreneurs” – The Banker 2019

■ “Best digital corporate bank” – Institute of Financial Services Zug (IFZ) and e-foresight

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International Wealth Management

Business profile

In International Wealth Management, we cater to the needs of our private, corporate and institutional clients by offering expert advice and a broad range of financial solutions.

Our Private Banking business provides comprehensive advisory services and tailored investment and financing solutions to wealthy private clients and external asset managers in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America. We serve our clients through 1,150 relationship managers in 43 cities in 25 countries, utilizing comprehensive access to the broad spectrum of Credit Suisse’s global resources and capabilities as well as a wide range of proprietary and third-party products and services.

Our Asset Management business offers investment solutions and services globally to a broad range of clients, including pension funds, governments, foundations and endowments, corporations and individuals, along with our private banking businesses. Our asset management capabilities span across a diversified range of asset classes, with a focus on select traditional and alternative strategies.

Key data – International Wealth Management
	in / end of
	2019	2018	2017
Key data
Net revenues (CHF million)	5,887	5,414	5,111
Income before taxes (CHF million)	2,138	1,705	1,351
Assets under management (CHF billion)
– Private Banking	370.0	357.5	366.9
– Asset Management	437.9	388.7	385.6
Number of employees	10,490	10,210	10,250

Business environment

The private banking industry continues to benefit from attractive growth prospects in the European and emerging markets covered by International Wealth Management, where private banking assets are expected to grow by approximately 6% annually through 2023. Regionally, private banking assets are expected to grow by approximately 6% in Russia and Central & Eastern Europe, by approximately 7% in the Middle East & Africa and by approximately 8% in Latin America. This growth is expected to be fueled by an increase in population, entrepreneurial wealth creation and technological advancements. Although wealth is expected to grow at a slower pace in Europe (by approximately 3% annually), this region continues to be of crucial importance, holding approximately 20% of the world’s private banking assets. In addition, it is expected that demographic developments relating to an aging population, such as funding pressure in the public pension systems and a transfer of wealth to the next generation, will present important opportunities in the European private banking markets.

The asset management industry continues to evolve and grow with positive support from increasing global wealth. At the same time, managers face a number of challenges, including regulatory complexities and revenue and margin compression. The continued rise of passive and low-fee products reflects ongoing fee sensitivity from investors. Although fees for alternative strategies have been more resilient, market trends have led to a need for more innovative products and solutions. In this environment, managers must demonstrate differentiating capabilities including not only strong investment performance, but also other value-add capabilities such as risk management and controls, compliance, client reporting, and data security.

Despite supportive long-term trends, the wealth and asset management environment faced continued uncertainties in 2019, including in connection with trade tensions between the US and China and the expected withdrawal of the UK from the European Union. Overall, however, both equity markets and fixed income markets had one of their strongest annual performances in the past decade.

With the spread of COVID-19 the outlook of our business is uncertain as the situation evolves. While there have been some short-term benefits from higher market volatility and client trading, the negative effects from distressed equity markets, lower interest rates, the foreign exchange environment and credit losses are likely to impact our results. Potentially lower assets under management, lower performance fees, a shift towards lower risk asset classes and lower transaction volumes would likely impact results in our Asset Management business.

Business strategy

Our private banking and asset management businesses are among the industry’s leaders by size and reputation in our target markets and regions. International Wealth Management continues to contribute significantly to Credit Suisse’s strategic and financial ambitions. The following strategic priorities guide our decisions:

Regional client proximity

Our focus on enhancing client proximity is intended to capture additional market share as we are strengthening and adapting our footprint with investments in our key hubs, while selectively investing in onshore locations in markets with attractive growth prospects. In late 2018, we further regionalized our coverage setup in Private Banking, increasing the number of regional coverage areas from 4 to 7. These measures are intended to ensure an even more agile and efficient organization with accelerated decision-making capabilities. We have also added solution experts and risk management and compliance specialists locally as part of our efforts to increase regional accountability and empowerment and amplify our ability to identify client needs

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and business opportunities. Going forward, we intend to further increase our client proximity with dedicated measures to expand into currently underserved markets that show attractive long-term growth prospects, while remaining well diversified across mature and emerging markets.

Systematic solution delivery

We focus on systematically offering solutions and products that are tailored to our clients’ needs, holistically advising them on their assets and liabilities. We believe that broadened collaboration and partnership across the firm provides the basis for creating a differentiated and needs-based value proposition and for gaining a larger share of our client’s business. We systematically leverage our investment strategy and research capabilities, including the Credit Suisse House View, as part of our approach to further optimize the risk/return profiles of our clients’ investment portfolios. Cross-divisional product innovation and an integrated solutions offering, utilizing ITS’s capabilities within Global Markets, are key factors for our success. In addition, we are addressing our clients’ sophisticated financing needs by broadening our lending services and leveraging additional resources. Finally, we are increasingly collaborating with Investment Banking & Capital Markets to offer investment banking services, especially to our UHNWI and entrepreneurial clients.

Digitally enabled approach

We are building up scale in our business, improving processes front-to-back and enhancing the utilization of digital capabilities. In that regard, we are making additional changes aimed at simplifying structures and are making important investments in the redesign of certain processes, technology and automation efforts aimed at shortening the time-to-market of products and solutions and reducing our relationship managers’ administrative tasks. Technology also enhances consistency in our processes and in the way we operate, which should allow us to add scale with limited need for additional investments and consequently improve our cost efficiency. Furthermore, it also helps us to systematically embed risk management and compliance oversight into our processes, enhancing our ability to protect our franchise and reputation while facilitating sustainable growth.

Grow our Asset Management business

In our Asset Management business, we seek to grow our recurring management fees, especially in our wholly owned operating businesses, by scaling-up our existing strong franchises while focusing product launches on areas adjacent to core strengths, with an additional emphasis on differentiating alternative investment solutions. We seek to do this while maintaining a disciplined approach to cost management.

In addition, we are taking the important step of integrating environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors into our investment process. In the first phase, more than 30 actively management investment funds with more than CHF 20 billion of assets were repositioned to fulfill ESG criteria defined by the Credit Suisse Sustainable Investing Framework. It is our goal to expand this suite of ESG offerings to over CHF 100 billion of assets under management by the end of 2020.

We support these efforts through strong collaboration and connectivity with Credit Suisse’s wealth management businesses globally, to better align our offering to client needs and shorten the delivery time for new investment opportunities.

Awards and market share momentum

Credit Suisse received a number of key industry awards in 2019, including:

■ “Middle East’s Best Bank for Wealth Management” – Euromoney Awards for Excellence 2019

■ “Latin America’s Best Bank for Wealth Management” – Euromoney Awards for Excellence 2019

■ “Western Europe’s Best Bank for Advisory” – Euromoney Awards for Excellence 2019

■ “Best Private Bank in Russia” (seventh consecutive year) and “Best Private Bank in the Middle East” –  Global Private Banking Awards 2019– PWM / The Banker

■ “Best Private Bank in the Middle East” – Euromoney Private Banking and Wealth Management Survey 2019

■ “Collateralized Loan Obligation (CLO) Manager of the Year” – Creditflux Manager Awards

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Asia Pacific

Business profile

In the Asia Pacific division, we manage an integrated business to deliver a broad range of advisory services and solutions that meet the private wealth and business needs of our clients. We report our financial performance along two businesses: Wealth Management & Connected, which reflects our activities in private banking, underwriting and advisory and financing; and Markets, which represents our equities and fixed income sales and trading businesses as well as activities that support our wealth management strategy.

Within Wealth Management & Connected, we focus on an advisory-led model to deliver holistic solutions to our clients, which primarily include UHNWI, entrepreneurs and corporate clients. Our Private Banking business offers a comprehensive suite of wealth management financial products and solutions. Our underwriting and advisory business provides advisory services related to debt and equity underwriting of public offerings and private placements as well as mergers and acquisitions. Our financing business provides tailored lending solutions. We collaborate closely with our Markets business and with the Group’s other businesses to deliver the full breadth of Credit Suisse capabilities to our clients.

Within Markets, our equities and fixed income franchises provide a broad range of services, including sales and trading, prime brokerage and investment research to our clients, which include entrepreneurs, corporations, institutional investors, financial institutions and sovereigns. The business collaborates closely with Global Markets to meet the needs of global institutional clients and with the Group’s wealth management businesses.

Key data – Asia Pacific
	in / end of
	2019	2018	2017
Key data
Net revenues (CHF million)	3,590	3,393	3,504
Income before taxes (CHF million)	902	664	729
Assets under management (CHF billion)
– Private Banking	220.0	199.3	196.8
Number of employees	7,980	7,440	7,230

Business environment

The fundamentals underpinning long-term, entrepreneur-led wealth creation and growth in business activities for the Asia Pacific region remain positive. According to Credit Suisse Research Institute’s Global Wealth Report 2019, in the 12 months to mid-2019, Asia Pacific (including China and India) represented the largest wealth contributor of all regions. With total household wealth growing more than 17-fold since 2000, China has the second largest household wealth behind the US. An increase in wealth held by UHNWI and HNWI is expected to result in larger capital pools for investment and enhanced opportunities for entrepreneur-led activity, notwithstanding short-term market cyclicality and pressures.

Despite positive long-term dynamics, the banking environment in Asia Pacific remained challenging in 2019, with persisting trade and geopolitical tensions. However, the expectations around trade agreements and supportive central bank statements improved investor sentiment towards the end of the year, leading to higher activity levels among clients in the fourth quarter of 2019 compared to the same period in 2018.

In early 2020, the spread of COVID-19 and the resulting containment strategies implemented by governments around the world have caused disruption to global supply chains and the market has entered a period of increased volatility. As a result, our operating environment is expected to be significantly influenced by the global impact of the pandemic and by the reaction of investors and central banks, and is likely to impact our results.

Business strategy

Our business strategy remains steadfast, despite short-term market cyclicality and pressures, and is centered on the growth of our Private Banking franchise in large wealth and financial markets in Asia, as well as on our ambition to be “The Bank for Entrepreneurs in Asia Pacific”. Our divisional model and integrated delivery are key differentiators that support our client-centric strategy to provide holistic advice, structured solutions and tailored investment and lending services to entrepreneur and wealth clients. Our consistent focus on maintaining a diversified regional footprint and leading market positions in private banking and investment banking has been critical to meeting our clients’ needs, attracting strong talent and fostering a partnership culture that can deliver attractive returns and growth with disciplined risk management.

Despite challenging market conditions during 2019, our Wealth Management & Connected business demonstrated resilient performance, supported by continued net new asset generation, higher net revenues and a culture of collaboration. We established Asia Pacific Trading Solutions (ATS) in 2019, modelled on our ITS business, to provide opportunities to increase revenues by creating tailored solutions to meet the complex needs of our clients. Our diversified platform across a mix of clients, countries and products is essential to effectively and sustainably compete in a region as dynamic as Asia Pacific, with its variety of economic, business and client characteristics.

Looking ahead, our strategic focus is on deepening key client relationships, further growing client assets and recurring revenues, enhancing the benefits from ATS by increasing tailored wealth solutions and platform synergies, maintaining our leading market positions in private banking and investment banking and continuing to enhance our productivity, risk management and controls.

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Significant transactions

We executed a number of noteworthy transactions in 2019, reflecting the diversity and strength of our franchise.

■ In Greater China, we advised Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. on its Hong Kong listing, a term loan facility and the merger between its subsidiaries Rajax Holding HK Ltd. and Koubei Co. to form Alibaba Local Services Company with a concurrent private placement (consumer). We also advised on the US IPO of Luckin Coffee Inc. (food & beverage), three multi-tranche senior notes offerings for China Evergrande Group (real estate), an offshore financing facility for China Tian Lun Gas Holdings Limited (energy), a concurrent convertible bond and follow-on offering for Bilibili Inc. (technology) and a term loan for Anta Sports Products Limited (consumer).

■ In South East Asia, we advised Temasek Holdings Private Limited on its dual-tranche Euro bond offering (sovereign), Lippo Karawaci Tbk PT on its comprehensive strategic transformation (real estate), Serba Dinamik Holdings Berhad on two sukuk bond offerings (energy), AllHome Corporation on its Philippines IPO (consumer), Siam Commercial Bank Public Company Limited on the sale of SCB Life Assurance Public Company Limited (financial services) and the formation of a 15-year life bancassurance partnership with FWD Group Financial Services Pte. Ltd. (financial services). We also advised Vingroup Joint Stock Company on a strategic investment by SK Group (conglomerate) as well as a strategic investment in its subsidiary VCM Services and Trading Development Joint Stock Company by a consortium led by GIC Private Limited (conglomerate), VP Bank AG on a term loan facility (financial services) and SriLankan Airlines Limited on a bond offering (transportation).

■ Elsewhere, in Korea, we advised MBK Partners and Woori Financial Group Inc. on their 80% acquisition of Lotte Card Co., Ltd. (financial services) and Shinhan Financial Group Co., Ltd. on a bond offering (financial services); in Japan, we advised Panasonic Corp on the carve-out of its security systems business division to Polaris Capital Group Co., Ltd. (technology); in India, we advised Embassy Office Parks REIT on its domestic IPO (real estate) and Adani Green Energy Limited on a green bond offering (energy); in Australia, we advised Home Consortium Ltd. (real estate & consumer) on its IPO and Kathmandu Holdings Ltd. on its acquisition of Rip Curl Group Pty. Ltd. (consumer), in addition to an equity raise and the arrangement of senior secured debt facilities.

Awards and market share momentum

■ “Asia’s Best Bank for Wealth Management” – Euromoney Asia Awards for Excellence 2019

■ “Best Private Bank Asia Pacific” – Asian Private Banker Awards for Distinction 2019

■ “Bank of the Year” – IFR Asia Awards 2019

■ “High-Yield Bond House” – IFR Asia Awards 2019

■ “Derivatives House of the Year, Asia ex-Japan” – Asia Risk Awards 2019

■ “Quant House of the Year” – Asia Risk Awards 2019

■ “Best House, Asian Equities” – Structured Retail Products Asia Awards 2019

■ “Best House, US Equities” – Structured Retail Products Asia Awards 2019

■ “#1 ranked in Investment Banking Revenues in Asia Pacific (international and ex-Japan)” – Dealogic APAC Rankings IB Revenues – Full-year 2019

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Global Markets

Business profile

Global Markets provides a broad range of financial products and services to client-driven businesses and also supports the Group’s private banking, Investment Banking & Capital Markets and Asia Pacific businesses and their clients. Our suite of products and services includes global securities sales, trading and execution, prime brokerage and comprehensive investment research. Our clients include financial institutions, corporations, governments, institutional investors, such as pension funds and hedge funds, and private individuals around the world. We deliver our global markets capabilities through regional and local teams based in both major developed and emerging market centers. Our integrated business model enables us to gain a deeper understanding of our clients and deliver creative, high-value, customized solutions based on expertise from across Credit Suisse.

Key data – Global Markets
	in / end of
	2019	2018	2017
Key data
Net revenues (CHF million)	5,752	4,980	5,551
Income before taxes (CHF million)	956	154	450
Number of employees	12,610	11,350	11,740

Business environment

In 2019, operating conditions were mixed across our businesses. During the year, we experienced lower levels of volatility despite continued macroeconomic and geopolitical uncertainties. Fixed income trading market conditions significantly improved compared to the prior year, reflecting increased investor demand for yield products in a low interest rate environment, particularly in our securitized products and credit trading businesses. Equity trading market conditions were characterized by lower levels of volatility, higher asset prices and reduced trading volumes. Underwriting activity across equity and debt declined compared to 2018, reflecting reduced industry-wide fee pools, particularly in the beginning of the year, which was negatively impacted by the US government shutdown.

Uncertainty due to the spread of COVID-19 has led to heightened quarter-to-date volatility, which has benefited trading businesses to date. However, if the current environment persists, including further widening of credit spreads and declines in equity indices, we expect an adverse impact on client sentiment and risk appetite which is likely to impact our results.

Business strategy

In the first year after restructuring, we significantly improved profitability and delivered positive operating leverage despite mixed market conditions by focusing on our core institutional, corporate and wealth management client base. Our diversified franchise delivered revenue growth across most products on lower costs and disciplined capital usage which drove significantly improved profitability and returns.

Our diversified credit businesses maintained leading market positions and we saw continued momentum in our reinvigorated equities franchise. In ITS, we continued to see the benefits from our investments in the platform as evidenced by an increase in ITS revenues compared to 2018. As the platform matures, we expect to grow revenues by increasing collaboration, deepening our structured products penetration and growing equity and financing products for our wealth management, corporate and institutional clients.

Looking ahead, the division continues to focus on further increasing cross-divisional collaboration to drive revenue growth with our core institutional, corporate and wealth management clients, increasing operating leverage with ongoing efficiencies, investing in technology and attracting top talent. In addition, we remain focused on defending our leading market positions across equities and fixed income products. With regard to costs, we will continue to focus on productivity cost savings, including increasing efficiencies from consolidating redundant platforms and eliminating duplication across functions. We believe that the combination of increased revenues and greater cost controls have the potential to help us support the overall Group return on tangible equity attributable to shareholders target of approximately 10% by year-end 2020.

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Investment Banking & Capital Markets

Business profile

The Investment Banking & Capital Markets division offers a broad range of investment banking products and services which include advisory services related to M&A, divestitures, takeover defense strategies, business restructurings and spin-offs, as well as debt and equity underwriting of public offerings and private placements. We also offer derivative transactions related to these activities. Our clients include leading corporations, financial institutions, financial sponsors, UHNWI and sovereign clients.

We deliver our investment banking capabilities through regional and local teams based in both major developed and emerging market centers. Our integrated business model enables us to deliver high value, customized solutions that leverage the expertise offered across Credit Suisse and that help our clients unlock capital and value in order to achieve their strategic goals.

Key data – Investment Banking & Capital Markets
	in / end of
	2019	2018	2017
Key data
Net revenues (CHF million)	1,666	2,177	2,139
Income/(loss) before taxes (CHF million)	(162)	344	369
Number of employees	3,090	3,100	3,190

Business environment

2019 was a challenging year, characterized by volatile market conditions and macroeconomic uncertainty. Persistent geopolitical tensions and negotiations related to the UK withdrawal from the EU adversely impacted client activity, particularly in areas of relative competitive strength for Credit Suisse. Market activity declined across advisory and underwriting products, with the industry-wide fee pool down 6% compared to 2018. Underwriting activity decreased, with the industry-wide fee pool down 3%. Announced M&A volumes were stable compared to 2018.

In early 2020, the spread of COVID-19 caused financial markets to experience increased volatility, accompanied by a decline in equity indices and an increase in corporate borrowing costs. If these conditions persist or worsen, it is likely to result in lower investment banking client activity, adversely impacting our financial advisory and underwriting fees, together with our credit exposures.

Business strategy

Our strategy focuses on leveraging our global structuring and execution expertise to develop innovative financing and advisory solutions for our clients. Our divisional strategy is designed to generate sustainable, profitable growth and deliver returns in excess of our cost of capital. Our key strategic priorities include: optimizing the client coverage model, growing the M&A advisory and equity underwriting businesses and using our global platform to meet our clients’ needs for cross-border expertise in developed and emerging markets.

A key element of our strategy is generating stronger results in M&A advisory and equity underwriting, while maintaining our leading leveraged finance franchise. We expect that reinvigorating our efforts in these products will contribute to a revenue mix that is more diversified and less volatile through the market cycle.

We continue to optimize our client strategy in order to deliver efficient and effective client coverage. Our strategic objective is to align, and selectively invest in, our coverage and capital resources with the largest growth opportunities and where our franchise is well-positioned. We have made progress in the execution of our plans for investment in the technology and healthcare sectors, and also aim to leverage our strong sponsors franchise to capture growth in the private equity sector.

We will continue to leverage Investment Banking & Capital Markets’ global connectivity with our other divisions and its platform to drive opportunities for the Group.

Significant transactions

We executed a number of noteworthy transactions in 2019, reflecting the diversity of our franchise.

■ In M&A, we advised on a number of transformational transactions announced throughout the year, including Worldpay Inc.’s merger with Fidelity National Information Services, Inc. (technology services), The Charles Schwab Corporation’s acquisition of TD Ameritrade Holding Corporation (financial institutions), DuPont de Nemours, Inc’s Nutrition & Biosciences business’s merger with International Flavors & Fragrances (chemicals), Eldorado Resorts, Inc.’s Acquisition of Caesars Entertainment Corp (real estate) and Nestle S.A.’s sale of the Skin Health (consumer) company to EQT Partners AB and Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (consumer).

■ In equity capital markets, we executed IPOs and follows-ons for Virgin Galactic Holdings, Inc. (aerospace), Altice USA, Inc. (media), Alibaba Group Holding Limited (internet), Rattler Midstream LP (oil & gas) and Beyond Meat, Inc. (food & beverage).

■ In debt capital markets, we arranged key financings for a diverse set of clients including Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (life sciences), Altria Group, Inc. (food & beverage), Eli Lilly And Company (life sciences), Union Pacific Corporation (transportation & logistics) and AbbVie Inc. (life sciences).

■ In leveraged finance, we arranged financings for Zayo Group Holdings, Inc. (media & telecom), Clarios LLC (industrials), The Ultimate Software Group, Inc. (technology), TransDigm Group, Inc. (aerospace) and Froneri International plc (food & beverage).

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Regulation and supervision

Overview

Our operations are regulated by authorities in each of the jurisdictions in which we have offices, branches and subsidiaries.

Central banks and other bank regulators, financial services agencies, securities agencies and exchanges and self-regulatory organizations are among the regulatory authorities that oversee our businesses. There is coordination among many of our regulators, in particular among our primary regulators in Switzerland, the US, the EU and the UK as well as in the Asia Pacific region.

The supervisory and regulatory regimes of the countries in which we operate determine to some degree our ability to expand into new markets, the services and products that we are able to offer in those markets and how we structure specific operations.

Governments and regulatory authorities around the world have responded to the challenging market conditions beginning in 2007 by proposing and enacting numerous reforms of the regulatory framework for financial services firms such as the Group. In particular, a number of reforms have been proposed and enacted by regulators, including our primary regulators, which could potentially have a material effect on our business. These regulatory developments could result in additional costs or limit or restrict the way we conduct our business. Although we expect regulatory-related costs and capital requirements for all major financial services firms (including the Group) to continue to be high, we cannot predict the likely impact of proposed regulations on our businesses or results. We believe, however, that overall we are well positioned for regulatory reform, as we have reduced risk and maintained strong capital, funding and liquidity.

> Refer to “Risk factors” for further information on risks that may arise relating to regulation.

Recent regulatory developments and proposals

Some of the most significant regulations proposed or enacted during 2019 and early 2020 are discussed below.

Global initiatives

Certain regulatory developments and standards are being coordinated on a global basis and implemented under local law, such as those discussed below.

COVID-19 outbreak

Since December 2019, COVID-19 has spread rapidly across the world, and on March 3, 2020, it was characterized as a pandemic by the World Health Organization. Financial services regulators and authorities around the world are closely monitoring the evolution of the COVID-19 outbreak and its possible impact on the financial services sector. Various regulators and authorities, such as the European Central Bank (ECB), the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Fed) and the New York State Department of Financial Services (DFS), have issued statements asking supervised entities to review their business continuity plans in light of ongoing developments and to address potential pandemic risk in their contingency strategies. In addition, some regulators have adopted or are considering certain measures to provide temporary relief to supervised entities in respect of certain regulatory requirements. These regulatory initiatives have accompanied a range of measures by national governments and central banks in a number of jurisdictions to support the economy and, in particular, incentivize lending to businesses and consumers. Such measures include interest-rate cuts and introducing or extending asset purchase schemes and liquidity and credit facilities for financial sector institutions. Authorities will be monitoring the spread of COVID-19 closely over the coming weeks and are expected to adapt their guidance to firms as the situation develops.

Switzerland

Credit Suisse is subject to the Basel III framework, as implemented in Switzerland, as well as Swiss legislation and regulations for systemically important banks, which include capital, liquidity, leverage and large exposure requirements and rules for emergency plans designed to maintain systemically relevant functions in the event of threatened insolvency.

> Refer to “Liquidity and funding management” and “Capital management” in III – Treasury, Risk, Balance sheet and Off-balance sheet for information regarding our current regulatory framework and expected changes to this framework affecting capital and liquidity standards.

Supervision

On November 6, 2019, the final versions of the Financial Services Ordinance (FinSO) and the Financial Institutions Ordinance (FinIO), which are the implementing ordinances for the Financial Services Act (FinSA) and for the Financial Institutions Act (FinIA), respectively, were published. Subject to certain transitional periods, FinSA and FinIA as well as the implementing ordinances entered into effect on January 1, 2020. With the enactment of FinSA and FinSO a new statutory regime, governing the provision of financial services in Switzerland, including to Swiss clients from abroad on a cross-border basis, as well as the offering of financial instruments, and the admission to trading of financial instruments, was introduced in Switzerland. FinIA and FinIO govern the licensing requirements and provide for a differentiated supervisory regime for asset managers, trustees, managers of collective assets, fund management companies and investment firms.

Resolution regime

On February 25, 2020, FINMA published a report providing a detailed assessment of the recovery and resolution plans of the systemically important Swiss institutions. FINMA approved the recovery plans of all five systemically important Swiss banks. In addition, FINMA regarded the Swiss emergency plan submitted by Credit Suisse as effective. With respect to the global resolvability, FINMA concluded that Credit Suisse has already taken important preparatory steps and has thus made considerable progress.

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Tax

On September 28, 2018, the Tax Proposal 17 or the Federal Act on Tax Reform and AHV Financing (TRAF) was adopted by the Swiss Parliament. In January 2019, the optional referendum was called, and on May 19, 2019 the Swiss public voted in favor of TRAF. Following the adoption by the Swiss public, the main provisions entered into force on January 1, 2020, with some provisions having already become effective on January 1, 2019, including certain provisions on step-up. As a result of the adoption of TRAF, several cantons have adopted cantonal laws implementing the applicable measures and cut the effective tax rates to as low as 12%. On November 13, 2019, the Federal Council approved three ordinances related to TRAF, namely the Ordinance on the Reduced Taxation of Profits from Patents and Similar Rights (Patent Box Ordinance), the Ordinance on the Tax Deduction on Legal Entities’ Self-Financing and the amendment to the Ordinance on Lump-sum Tax Credits, which is now called the Ordinance on Credits for Foreign Withholding Tax. These cantonal laws and the three ordinances also entered into effect on January 1, 2020.

On June 26, 2019, the Swiss Federal Council announced that it will resume the reform of the Swiss withholding tax system applicable to interest payments, and on September 27, 2019, promulgated certain key parameters of the reform. The reform is expected, among other things, to replace the current debtor-based regime applicable to interest payments with a paying agent-based regime for Swiss withholding tax. This paying agent-based regime is expected to (i) subject all interest payments made by paying agents in Switzerland to individuals resident in Switzerland to Swiss withholding tax, including on bonds issued by issuers outside Switzerland, and (ii) exempt from Swiss withholding tax interest payments to all other persons, including to Swiss domiciled legal entities and foreign investors. A consultation draft is scheduled for the first quarter of 2020 and will subsequently be submitted for parliamentary consultation. For the moment, the actual implementation parameters and timing of the Swiss withholding tax reform are open.

On July 26, 2019, the Swiss Federal Supreme Court rendered a judgment allowing the Swiss Federal Tax Authority (FTA) to provide the French Direction Générale des Finances Publiques information on the identity of approximately 40,000 clients of UBS. In particular, the judgment states the admissibility of collective information requests based on a list of identification elements and notes the requirements in order to distinguish admissible collective information requests from inadmissible fishing expeditions. Further, the judgment deals with the application of principles of confidentiality and specialty, namely that information received in administrative assistance in tax matters may only be used in a fiscal context and that Switzerland, as a requested country, should trust any related assurances by the requesting country unless there are specific indications pointing to the contrary. Credit Suisse was not a party to the proceedings, and the judgment confirms the already existing practice of the FTA in administrative assistance in tax matters.

On September 20, 2019, Switzerland and the US ratified the 2009 protocol (Protocol) amending the double taxation agreement regarding income tax between Switzerland and the US (DTA). With the exchange of the ratification instruments, the amended DTA formally entered into force. The Protocol introduced a mechanism for the exchange of information upon request in tax matters between Switzerland and the US, which is in line with international standards, and allows the US to make group requests under the US Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) concerning non-consenting US accounts and non-consenting non-participating foreign financial institutions for periods from June 30, 2014. It is expected that exchange of information under this process will commence sometime in 2020. The Protocol further erases the differentiation between tax evasion and tax fraud in the context of administrative assistance to permit any exchanges of information as may be relevant to the administration or enforcement of the domestic laws concerning taxes. Among other things, the Protocol permits information requests concerning facts from September 23, 2009 onwards (date of signature of the Protocol).

Automatic exchange of information in tax matters

After the review by the Global Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Information for Tax Purposes (Global Forum) of the Swiss automatic exchange of information (AEOI) legal framework, the Federal Council adopted the dispatch on amending the Federal Act and the Ordinance on the International Automatic Exchange of Information in Tax Matters during its meeting on November 20, 2019. The proposal aims to implement the recommendations of the Global Forum, which, in particular, include duties of diligence, registration duties and document retention obligations for financial institutions. The Swiss Parliament will likely discuss the proposal for the first time in the 2020 spring session. It is not expected to come into force until the start of 2021 at the earliest.

BEPS Convention

On December 1, 2019, the Multilateral Convention to Implement Tax Treaty Related Measures to Prevent Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS Convention) entered into force. The BEPS Convention facilitates the adaption of existing double taxation agreements that are covered by the BEPS Convention to the tax treaty related recommendations from the OECD/G20 BEPS Project.

US

In July 2010, the US enacted the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Dodd-Frank Act), which provides a broad framework for regulatory changes. Although rulemaking in respect of many of the provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act has already taken place, implementation will require further rulemaking by different regulators, including the US Department of the Treasury (US Treasury), the Fed, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and

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the Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC), and uncertainty remains about the details of implementation.

Sanctions

As a result of allegations concerning Russian acts related to Ukraine, Syria, cybersecurity and electoral interference, in 2018 and throughout 2019, the US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has designated a number of Russian government officials, business people and certain related companies as specially designated nationals (SDNs). Such designation blocks their assets and prohibits dealings within US jurisdiction by both the newly designated SDNs and entities owned 50% or more by one or more blocked persons. US law also authorizes the imposition of other restrictions against non-US entities that, among other activities, engage in significant transactions with or provide material support to such blocked persons. In August 2019, the US imposed additional sanctions on the Russian Federation under the Chemical and Biological Weapons Control and Warfare Elimination Act of 1991 (CBW Act). These CBW Act sanctions prohibit US financial institutions from participating directly in future primary issues of non-ruble denominated Russian sovereign debt and lending non-ruble denominated funds to the Russian Federation (but not from providing related services such as US dollar clearing to third parties). Further sanctions related to Russia or additional Russian persons or entities are possible, and the potential effects of related disruptions may include an adverse impact on our businesses.

Since 2017, the US has imposed, and in 2019 continued to expand, sanctions related to Venezuela that, among other restrictions, block the assets of and prohibit transactions with the Government of Venezuela and state-owned entities, as well as certain government officials, and prohibit further dealings with them within US jurisdiction. A number of general licenses provide exceptions to these prohibitions, most notably with respect to holdings of and certain dealings in pre-2017 debt of the Government of Venezuela and PdVSA, the state-owned oil company. Additionally, throughout 2019 OFAC designated additional persons and entities, including maritime shipping companies, for assisting the Government of Venezuela. Further sanctions related to Venezuela or Venezuelan entities are possible, and the potential effects of related disruptions may include an adverse impact on our businesses.

Banking regulation and supervision

On June 21, 2019, the Fed released the results of its Dodd-Frank Act stress tests, followed by the results of its annual Comprehensive Capital Analysis and Review (CCAR) on June 27, 2019. Our US intermediate holding company (IHC) was projected to maintain capital ratios above minimum regulatory requirements in the adverse and severely adverse supervisory stress scenarios. The Fed did not object to our US IHC’s proposed capital plan, but did issue a conditional non-objection after identifying weaknesses in our capital adequacy planning process regarding the assumptions used to project stressed trading losses. The Fed required us to address these weaknesses and, until then, restricted our US IHC’s planned capital distributions to the amount the US IHC was authorized to pay under its 2018 capital plan. On December 17, 2019, our US IHC authorized a cash dividend larger than that authorized and paid in 2018. Our US IHC is expected to file its 2020 capital plan by April 6, 2020. If our US IHC receives a qualitative non-objection on its 2020 CCAR submission, it will no longer be subject to the public qualitative objection. The results of our 2020 CCAR submission will affect the amount of capital our US IHC is required to hold. On March 4, 2020, the Fed finalized its proposal to replace the current static capital conservation buffer with a dynamic firm-specific stress capital buffer based on the results of the firm’s supervisory stress test under the severely adverse scenario and its planned common stock dividends (with a floor of 2.5%). The stress capital buffer will apply starting with the 2020 CCAR cycle.

On October 10, 2019, the Fed finalized rules to categorize the US operations of large foreign banking organizations (FBOs) based on size, complexity and risk for purposes of tailoring the application of the US enhanced prudential standards. The rules subject our US IHC for the first time to the US liquidity coverage ratio and will increase the stringency of the US single counterparty credit limits (SCCL) applicable to our US IHC. However, the rules will provide some relief for our US IHC from certain capital and stress testing requirements and provide us with the option to comply with other simplifications to capital requirements. Among other changes, the finalized rules remove the mid-cycle company-run Dodd Frank stress test (DFAST) requirement and require our US IHC to conduct its company-run DFAST once every two years, rather than annually. Our US IHC will continue to be subject to an annual internal stress test as part of the CCAR exercise. While we expect the rules to moderately reduce compliance costs related to stress testing, the rules will also require new and additional regulatory reporting and related internal systems and result in increased operational and compliance costs to meet newly applicable liquidity requirements and the revised SCCL. Compliance and regulatory reporting will be phased in through 2020 and into early 2021, with longer timeframes related to the newly applicable liquidity requirements and the revised SCCL. The enhanced prudential standards are highly complex and may be subject to further rulemaking, regulatory interpretation and guidance. We continue to evaluate the potential impact of the final rules on our operations.

In September and October 2019, the five federal agencies responsible for administration of the so called “Volcker Rule” finalized amendments to simplify and tailor the proprietary trading provisions of the Volcker Rule, including increased flexibility for foreign banking organizations to engage in trading outside the United States, a simplification of compliance program requirements, and a more flexible approach to underwriting, market-making, and risk-mitigating hedging activities, including with respect to covered fund interests. The revised rule became effective January 1, 2020, with compliance required by January 1, 2021. We remain in the most stringent category of compliance requirements, and in the short term the changes may result in increased operational and compliance costs as we adapt to the revised requirements. On January 30, 2020, the agencies

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proposed further amendments to the Volcker Rule’s funds provisions, which would, if adopted, provide important new exclusions from the covered fund definition and flexibility for banking entities to engage in funds activities. The Volcker Rule is highly complex and is expected to be subject to further rulemaking, regulatory interpretation and guidance, and its full impact will not be known with certainty for some time.

On January 30, 2020, the Fed finalized a rule to amend its regulations governing when one company will be deemed to control another, which define, among other things, the scope of entities deemed to be our affiliates and subsidiaries subject to regulation and supervision under US federal banking laws. The final rule will be effective on April 1, 2020. However, there may be further regulatory interpretation and guidance, and the full impact will not be known with certainty for some time.

Broker-dealer regulation and supervision

On June 5, 2019, the SEC adopted Regulation Best Interest (Regulation BI), requiring all broker-dealers, when recommending any securities transaction or investment strategy involving securities to a retail customer, to act in the customer’s best interest and not place its own financial or other interests ahead of the customer’s. Under Regulation BI, a broker-dealer will need to (1) adopt policies and procedures to comply with Regulation BI, including its underlying disclosure, care and conflict of interest obligations and (2) fully and fairly disclose all material facts relating to the scope and terms of its relationship with the retail customer and to conflicts of interest associated with the recommendation. The SEC simultaneously adopted the “Form CRS” disclosure requirement, obligating all broker-dealers to deliver a relationship summary to any retail customer at the initiation of the relationship. Both Regulation BI and Form CRS will enter into force June 30, 2020.

Derivative regulation and supervision

On June 5, 2019, the SEC finalized capital, margin and segregation requirements for security-based swap dealers. For the most part, we expect these requirements to apply to our non-bank derivatives dealer entities, Credit Suisse Capital LLC (CSC) and Credit Suisse Securities Europe Limited (CSSEL). We do not expect a significant impact to CSC because it is already subject to SEC capital requirements as an over-the-counter derivatives dealer registered with the SEC, the SEC’s new margin requirements are aligned in key respects with CFTC margin requirements that already apply to CSC as a CFTC-registered swap dealer, and CSC should be eligible for exemption from certain SEC segregation requirements. CSSEL may, with further approval by the SEC, be able to satisfy SEC capital and margin requirements through substituted compliance with comparable UK requirements and may also be eligible for exemption from certain SEC segregation requirements. If, however, CSSEL is unable to rely on substituted compliance in connection with SEC capital and margin requirements, it will face conflicts between SEC and UK requirements that could prevent it from continuing to trade security-based swaps with US persons. These requirements, as well as other SEC rules applicable to security-based swap dealers, will take effect on November 1, 2021.

On September 19, 2019, the SEC adopted rules establishing recordkeeping and financial reporting requirements for security-based swap dealers. These rules are generally based on the SEC’s parallel requirements for securities broker-dealers, although in certain instances they may be satisfied through compliance with comparable foreign rules. We expect these rules to apply to our US over the counter (OTC) derivatives dealer, CSC, and our UK derivatives dealer entities, CSSEL and Credit Suisse International (CSI). If CSSEL or CSI cannot rely on compliance with UK or EU rules, especially in relation to financial reporting requirements, then the costs of satisfying these requirements could require us to restructure the way we trade derivatives with US counterparties. These requirements, as well as other SEC rules applicable to security-based swap dealers, will take effect on November 1, 2021.

On December 18, 2019, the SEC adopted rule amendments and guidance addressing the cross-border application of certain security-based swap dealer requirements under the Dodd-Frank Act. The final rule, among other changes, creates a conditional exception from the requirement that security-based swaps between a non-US counterparty and a non-US security-based swap dealer that are arranged, negotiated or executed by US personnel acting for the non-US security-based swap dealer count towards the de minimis threshold above which the non-US security-based swap dealer must register with the SEC. The final rule also clarifies certain aspects of requirements that a non-US security-based swap dealer submit a certification and legal opinion regarding SEC access to books and records when it registers with the SEC, and it creates exceptions from background check requirements for certain non-US personnel of a security-based swap dealer. Although the final rule alleviates some issues that the security-based swap dealer requirements pose to non-US firms who conduct US security-based swap business, including Credit Suisse, our cross-border security-based swap business may be negatively impacted unless the SEC makes further changes to the requirements before they take effect. These requirements, as well as other SEC rules applicable to security-based swap dealers, will take effect on November 1, 2021.

On December 18, 2019, the CFTC proposed rules that would mostly codify the CFTC’s current policy and no-action letters with respect to the cross-border application of certain swaps regulations, but with changes to certain definitions to align with the SEC, and that would expand the application of rules to swaps entered into by certain foreign subsidiaries of US parent companies. The proposed treatment of these foreign subsidiaries could, if adopted by the CFTC, make it more costly and burdensome for us to trade with the non-US operations of certain US clients.

On December 17, 2019, CFTC issued conditional no-action relief to address the expected phasing out of the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) in 2021 by clarifying that amendments to outstanding swaps to either introduce fallback provisions or to replace LIBOR or other interbank offered rates with a new risk-free rate will generally not cause the swap to lose its legacy status for purposes of certain obligations under the CFTC’s rules. On November 7, 2019, the Fed also proposed to amend its

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margin rules to preserve the legacy status of an uncleared swap after a swap dealer subject to those rules, such as CSI, replaces LIBOR or other discontinued rates. In the same proposal, the Prudential Regulators proposed an exemption from the initial margin requirements for uncleared swaps between affiliates, although affiliates would still be required to exchange variation margin.

Resolution regime

On October 10, 2019, the Fed and the FDIC finalized a rule to provide relief from the Dodd-Frank Act requirement that large FBOs file annual resolution plans describing the strategy for rapid and orderly resolution under the US Bankruptcy Code. Under the final rule, our combined US operations are permitted to file a resolution plan every three years, instead of annually, alternating between a full resolution plan and a less extensive targeted resolution plan that will focus on capital, liquidity and material changes from the previous full plan. We are required to submit a targeted resolution plan by July 1, 2021, with our next submission of a full plan by July 1, 2024. We will also respond to the feedback provided on our 2018 plan by July 1, 2020.

Tax

On December 2, 2019 the US Department of the Treasury issued final regulations for the US base erosion and anti-abuse tax (BEAT), which was introduced as part of tax reform legislation enacted at the end of 2017. BEAT can give rise to incremental US tax costs in cases where deductible payments made by US branches and subsidiaries to their non-US affiliates exceed specified thresholds and other conditions are met. It is not possible to predict with certainty whether we will incur BEAT costs in any particular year, because liability is determined based on the application of different tax rates to alternative measures of taxable income. However, on the basis of the final regulations, we consider it as more likely than not that our US branches and subsidiaries will remain subject to the BEAT tax regime for 2019, though certain interpretive uncertainties remain.

EU

The EU has also proposed and enacted a wide range of prudential, securities and governance regulations to address systemic risk and to further regulate financial institutions, products and markets. These proposals are at various stages of the EU pre-legislative, legislative rule-making and implementation processes, and their final form and cumulative impact remain uncertain.

Investment services regulation

On December 21, 2017, the European Commission recognized the equivalence of the Swiss legal and supervisory framework for trading venues with that of the EU for a temporary period of one year, which it later extended until June 30, 2019. The recognition allowed EU investment firms to meet the applicable share trading obligation pursuant to the Markets in Financial Instruments Regulation (MiFIR) on Swiss trading venues. As the European Commission did not extend the recognition beyond June 30, 2019, since July 1, 2019 EU investment firms are, in principle, prohibited from trading in certain equity securities of companies domiciled in Switzerland on Swiss trading venues. On June 27, 2019, the Swiss Federal Department of Finance (FDF) announced that it will activate protective measures in Switzerland to ensure the functioning of Swiss trading venues. Since July 1, 2019, trading venues, including trading venues domiciled in the EU, require a recognition by FINMA if they offer or facilitate trading in certain equity securities of Swiss companies. With effect from July 1, 2019, the FDF placed the EU on a list of jurisdictions for which no such recognition will be granted, effectively prohibiting trading venues domiciled in the EU from offering or facilitating trading in certain equity securities of Swiss companies as of such date. As the UK formally left the EU on January 31, 2020, the FDF updated its list with effect from February 1, 2020 and included the UK in the list as a separate entry.

Derivatives regulation

On June 17, 2019, a broad range of amendments to the European Market Infrastructure Regulation (also known as “EMIR”) (through the “EMIR Refit” Regulation) entered into force, including in relation to counterparty classification, clearing, margin and reporting requirements. In particular, the amendments include an obligation for clearing members and clients which provide clearing services to provide services under fair, reasonable, non-discriminatory and transparent commercial terms, which will apply from June 18, 2021.

Prudential regulation

On June 27, 2019, the amendments to the Capital Requirements Regulation (CRR) (through the amending Directive CRR II), the Capital Requirements Directive (CRD) (through the amending Directive CRD V) and the EU Bank Recovery and Resolution Directive (BRRD) (through the amending Regulation BRRD II) entered into force. These amendments implement, among others, the Financial Stability Board standards for Total Loss Absorbing Capacity (TLAC), together with various agreed reforms to the Basel III prudential framework (including the final Basel III leverage ratio and net stable funding ratio (NSFR) requirements), as well as related EU-specific reforms, such as a new requirement for non-EU banking groups with two or more institutions and at least EUR 40 billion of assets in the EU to establish an EU intermediate financial holding company that would be subject to consolidated prudential supervision in the EU. While the majority of the CRR II will only apply from June 28, 2021, certain requirements, such as the new TLAC requirements, applied immediately on entry into force. EU member states will be required to adopt national legislative measures necessary to comply with CRD V and BRRD II by December 28, 2020. The requirement for an intermediate holding company will be delayed until December 2023.

In addition, on December 25, 2019, the new Investment Firms Directive (IFD) and Investment Firms Regulation (IFR) also came into force. This new prudential regime, which will apply from June 26, 2021, has been tailored around the business models and risk profiles that are specific to investment firms. In particular, it deviates from the strict revised Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID II) services-based categorization, in favor of new risk-based quantitative indicators (known as “K-factors”) that will be used to assess capital requirements and remuneration rules,

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as well as certain internal governance, disclosure and reporting requirements, for most investment firms. However, larger investment firms will remain subject to the CRR/CRD prudential regime, including systemic “bank-like” firms with total assets exceeding EUR 30 billion in value that carry out the MiFID activities of dealing on own account or underwriting of financial instruments and/or placing of financial instruments on a firm commitment basis, which will be classified as “credit institutions”. Existing firms that will be classified as credit institutions must submit an application for authorization to operate as a credit institution under CRR/CRD by December 27, 2020.

UK-EU relationship

On June 23, 2016, voters in the UK voted to leave the EU. Following extensive negotiations with the EU on the terms of its withdrawal, the UK ceased to be a member of the EU on January 31, 2020. Under the terms of the concluded withdrawal agreement, the UK will continue to be bound by EU laws, with full financial services passporting, for a transitional period ending on December 31, 2020, during which time the UK and EU will seek to negotiate an economic partnership governing their future relationship, including the granting of reciprocal equivalence determinations under their respective financial services legislation. It is unclear how and in what timeframe such negotiations will proceed and any number of outcomes are possible, including an extension to the transition period (although UK law currently rules out such an extension), the conclusion of one or more trade agreements or the failure to conclude any such agreement. UK law envisages that the body of EU law, as it stands at the end of the transition period, will largely be retained in UK law in the immediate term, with Her Majesty’s Treasury (HM Treasury) exercising certain statutory powers to remedy deficiencies in retained EU law relating to financial services, through statutory instruments. The statutory instruments are not intended to make policy changes, other than to reflect the UK’s new position outside the EU. HM Treasury has also delegated powers to the UK’s financial services regulators to address deficiencies in the regulators’ rulebooks arising as a result of the exit, and to the EU Binding Technical Standards that will become part of retained EU law. However, the intended fate of EU law that will apply only after the end of the transition period is not yet known.

Credit Suisse is working to address the implications of the consequences of these changes and to minimize disruption for our clients. Adverse changes to any of these arrangements, and even uncertainty over potential changes during any period of negotiation, could potentially impact our results in the UK or other markets we serve.

> Refer to “Withdrawal of the UK from the EU” in II – Operating and financial review – Credit Suisse – Other Information and “Key risk developments” in III – Treasury, Risk Balance sheet and Off-balance sheet – Risk management for further information.

Regulatory framework

The principal regulatory structures that apply to our operations are discussed below.

Global initiatives

Total Loss-Absorbing Capacity

On January 1, 2019, the final Financial Stability Board’s (FSB) TLAC standard for global systemically important banks (G-SIBs) became effective, subject to a phase-in until January 1, 2022. The purpose of the standard is to enhance the ability of regulators to recapitalize a G-SIB at the point of non-viability in a manner that minimizes systemic disruption, preserves critical functions and limits the exposure of public sector funds. TLAC-eligible instruments include instruments that count towards satisfying minimum regulatory capital requirements, as well as long-term unsecured debt instruments that have remaining maturities of no less than one year, are subordinated by statute, corporate structure or contract to certain excluded liabilities, including deposits, are held by unaffiliated third parties and meet certain other requirements. Excluding any applicable regulatory capital buffers that are otherwise required, the minimum TLAC requirement was at least 16% of a G-SIB’s risk-weighted assets as of January 1, 2019, and will increase to at least 18% as of January 1, 2022. In addition, the minimum TLAC requirement was at least 6% of the Basel III leverage ratio denominator as of January 1, 2019, and must be at least 6.75% as of January 1, 2022. National regulators may implement or interpret the requirements more strictly within their own jurisdictions.

In Switzerland, the FSB’s TLAC standard was implemented on July 1, 2016 under the Capital Adequacy Ordinance.

> Refer to “Liquidity and funding management” and “Capital management” in III – Treasury, Risk, Balance sheet and Off-balance sheet for information regarding our current regulatory framework and expected changes to this framework affecting capital and liquidity standards.

In the US, the Fed has adopted a final rule that implements the FSB’s TLAC standard. The final rule requires, among other things, the US IHCs of non-US G-SIBs, such as Credit Suisse’s US IHC, to maintain minimum amounts of “internal” TLAC, a TLAC buffer and long-term debt satisfying certain eligibility criteria, commencing January 1, 2019. The entity designated as Credit Suisse’s US IHC is required to issue all TLAC debt instruments to a foreign parent entity (a non-US entity that controls the IHC) or another foreign affiliate that is wholly owned by its foreign parent. The final rules also impose limitations on the types of financial transactions in which the entity designated as Credit Suisse’s US IHC can engage.

In the UK, the Bank of England published its statement of policy on its approach to establishing the requirement under the BRRD for certain UK entities, including CSI and CSSEL, to maintain the minimum requirements for own funds and eligible liabilities (MREL) as well as its approach on setting internal MREL. Similar to the FSB’s TLAC standard, the MREL requirement obliges firms within the scope of the BRRD to maintain a minimum level of own funds and liabilities that can be bailed in. The statement of policy provides that internal MREL requirements for UK material subsidiaries of non-UK G-SIBs, such as Credit Suisse would be scaled between 75% and 90% of external MREL based on factors including the resolution strategy of the group and the

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home country’s approach to internal total loss-absorbing capacity calibration. Interim internal MREL requirements came into effect beginning January 1, 2019, and their full implementation will be phased in through January 1, 2022. In addition, the CRR II introduced a requirement, as of June 27, 2019, for material subsidiaries of non-EU G-SIBs, which are not resolution entities, to maintain internal MREL scaled at 90% of the external MREL requirement that would apply if the material subsidiary were a resolution entity. The Bank of England has stated that its statement of policy should be read in compliance with the new CRR II requirements. The Bank of England has also stated its commitment to review the calibration of MREL requirements and the final compliance date before the end of 2020, also in light of any intervening changes in the UK regulatory framework, as well as firms’ experience in issuing liabilities to meet interim MRELs.

ISDA Resolution Stay Protocols

Credit Suisse voluntarily adhered to the ISDA 2015 Universal Resolution Stay Protocol (ISDA 2015 Universal Protocol) at the time of its launch in November 2015. By adhering to the ISDA 2015 Universal Protocol, parties agree to be bound by certain existing and forthcoming special resolution regimes to ensure that cross-border derivatives and securities financing transactions are subject to statutory stays on direct and affiliate-linked default rights in the event a bank counterparty enters into resolution, regardless of its governing law. These stays are intended to facilitate an orderly resolution of a troubled bank. The ISDA 2015 Universal Protocol also introduces similar stays and overrides on affiliate-linked default rights in the event that an affiliate of an adhering party becomes subject to proceedings under the US Bankruptcy Code, under which no such stays or overrides currently exist.

In order to expand the scope of parties and transactions covered by the ISDA 2015 Universal Protocol or similar contractual arrangements, the G20 committed to introducing regulations requiring large banking groups to include ISDA 2015 Universal Protocol-like provisions in certain financial contracts when facing counterparties under foreign laws.

In Switzerland, the Federal Ordinance on Banks and Savings Institutions (Banking Ordinance) and the Federal Ordinance of FINMA on the Insolvency of Banks and Securities Dealers (FINMA Banking Insolvency Ordinance) require Swiss banks, including Credit Suisse, to include a clause under which the counterparty recognizes FINMA’s stay powers under the Federal Act on Banks and Savings Banks of November 8, 1934, as amended, in certain of their contracts and in certain contracts entered into by their subsidiaries or affiliates. The requirement to include such a clause applies to the financial contracts exhaustively listed under the FINMA Banking Insolvency Ordinance and that are not governed by Swiss law or that provide for jurisdiction outside of Switzerland.

In the UK, the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) published final rules requiring UK entities, including CSI and CSSEL, to ensure that their counterparties under a broad range of financial arrangements are subject to the stays on early termination rights under the UK Banking Act that would be applicable upon their resolution.

ISDA has developed another protocol, the ISDA Resolution Stay Jurisdictional Modular Protocol, to facilitate market-wide compliance with these requirements by both dealers, such as Credit Suisse, and their counterparties.

In the US, the Fed, the FDIC and the OCC each issued final rules designed to improve the resolvability of US headquartered G-SIBs and the US operations of non-US G-SIBs, such as our US operations. These final rules require covered entities to modify certain qualified financial contracts to obtain agreement of counterparties that (1) their qualified financial contracts are subject to the stays on default rights under the Orderly Liquidation Authority and the Federal Deposit Insurance Act, which is similar to requirements introduced in other jurisdictions to which we are already subject, and (2) certain affiliate-linked default rights would be limited or overridden if an affiliate of the G-SIB entered proceedings under the US Bankruptcy Code or other insolvency or resolution regimes. ISDA has developed the ISDA 2018 US Resolution Stay Protocol (ISDA US Protocol) to facilitate compliance with the final rules. All of Credit Suisse’s covered entities have adhered to the ISDA US Protocol to amend their qualified financial contracts with adhering counterparties to comply with the final rules.

Foreign Exchange

In 2017, public and private sector representatives from the foreign exchange committees of 16 international foreign exchange (FX) trading centers agreed to form a Global Foreign Exchange Committee and publish the FX Global Code, which sets out global principles of good practice, including ethics, governance, execution, information sharing, risk management and compliance, and confirmation and settlement processes. Credit Suisse signed the FX Global Code’s Statement of Commitment on a global basis on May 21, 2018 and supports the adoption of the FX Global Code by FX market participants.

Switzerland

Banking regulation and supervision

Although Credit Suisse Group is not a bank according to the Bank Law and the Banking Ordinance, the Group is required, pursuant to the provisions on consolidated supervision of financial groups and conglomerates of the Bank Law, to comply with certain requirements for banks. Such requirements include capital adequacy, loss-absorbing capacity, solvency and risk concentration on a consolidated basis, and certain reporting obligations. Our banks in Switzerland are regulated by FINMA on a legal entity basis and, if applicable, on a consolidated basis.

Our banks in Switzerland operate under banking licenses granted by FINMA pursuant to the Bank Law and the Banking Ordinance. In addition, certain of these banks hold securities dealer licenses granted by FINMA pursuant to the Swiss Federal Act on Stock Exchanges and Securities Trading, which was in effect at the time the license was granted. As of January 1, 2020, the

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applicable ongoing licensing requirements for securities dealers are set out under FinIA and FinIO.

FINMA is the sole bank supervisory authority in Switzerland and is independent, including from the Swiss National Bank (SNB). Under the Bank Law, FINMA is responsible for the supervision of the Swiss banking system. The SNB is responsible for implementing the government’s monetary policy relating to banks and securities dealers and for ensuring the stability of the financial system. Under the “Too Big to Fail” legislation, the SNB is also responsible for determining which banks in Switzerland are systemically relevant banks and which functions are systemically relevant in Switzerland. The SNB has identified the Group on a consolidated basis as a systemically relevant bank for the purposes of Swiss law.

Our banks in Switzerland are subject to close and continuous prudential supervision and direct audits by FINMA. Under the Bank Law, our banks are subject to inspection and supervision by an independent regulatory auditing firm recognized by FINMA, which is appointed by the bank’s board of directors and required to assess whether the bank is in compliance with laws and regulations, including the Bank Law, the Banking Ordinance and FINMA regulations.

Credit Suisse is subject to the Basel III framework, as implemented in Switzerland, as well as Swiss legislation and regulations for systemically important banks, which include capital, liquidity, leverage and large exposure requirements, and rules for emergency plans designed to maintain systemically relevant functions in the event of threatened insolvency.

Our regulatory capital is calculated on the basis of accounting principles generally accepted in the US, with certain adjustments required by, or agreed with, FINMA.

> Refer to “Liquidity and funding management” and “Capital management” in III – Treasury, Risk, Balance sheet and Off-balance sheet for further information regarding our current regulatory framework and expected changes to this framework affecting capital and liquidity standards.

Under Swiss banking law, banks and securities dealers are required to manage risk concentration within specific limits. Aggregated credit exposure to any single counterparty or a group of related counterparties must bear an adequate relationship to the bank’s adjusted eligible capital (for systemically relevant banks like us, to their core tier 1 capital) taking into account counterparty risks and risk mitigation instruments.

Under the Bank Law and FinIA, Swiss banks and securities dealers are obligated to keep confidential the existence and all aspects of their relationships with customers. These customer confidentiality laws do not, however, provide protection with respect to criminal offenses such as insider trading, money laundering, terrorist financing activities, tax fraud or evasion or prevent the disclosure of information to courts and administrative authorities.

Swiss rules and regulations to combat money laundering and terrorist financing are comprehensive and require banks and other financial intermediaries to thoroughly verify and document customer identity before commencing business. In addition, these rules and regulations include obligations to maintain appropriate policies for dealings with politically exposed persons and procedures and controls to detect and prevent money laundering and terrorist financing activities, including reporting suspicious activities to authorities.

In addition, Switzerland has stringent anti-corruption and anti-bribery laws related to Swiss and foreign public officials as well as persons in the private sector.

Compensation design and its implementation and disclosure have been required to comply with standards promulgated by FINMA under its Circular on Remuneration Schemes, as updated from time to time.

Securities dealer and asset management regulation and supervision

Our securities dealer activities in Switzerland are conducted primarily through the Bank, under the supervision of FINMA, and are subject to regulation under FinIA and FinIO, which entered into effect on January 1, 2020 and regulate all aspects of the securities dealer business in Switzerland, including regulatory capital, risk concentration, sales and trading practices, record-keeping requirements and procedures and periodic reporting procedures.

Our asset management activities in Switzerland, which include the establishment and administration of mutual funds registered for public distribution, are conducted under the supervision of FINMA. Effective January 1, 2020, our activities as asset manager of collective assets are also governed by FinIA, subject to phase-in provisions.

In addition, on January 1, 2020, FinSA, as well as its implementing ordinance, FinSO, came into effect. FinSA regulates the provision of financial services in Switzerland, including to Swiss clients from abroad on a cross-border basis, as well as the offering of financial instruments, and the prospectus requirements for the admission to trading of financial instruments, in Switzerland.

Resolution regime

Following the financial crisis of 2007/2008, the Swiss legislator promulgated special rules for the stabilization and restructuring of systemically important financial institutions. Among other aspects, these rules require plans for recovery and resolution. Each systemically important bank is required to submit a recovery plan to FINMA once a year, in which it sets out how it would stabilize itself in a crisis without government intervention, also taking the requirements of foreign regulators into account; this plan requires FINMA’s approval. In addition, each Swiss systemically important bank must submit an emergency plan, in which it details how it would ensure uninterrupted continuity of its systemically

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important functions in Switzerland, particularly access to deposits and payments, in a crisis; FINMA must review this plan and evaluate whether it is ready to be implemented if necessary. Credit Suisse was required to submit an effective Swiss emergency plan to FINMA for review by the end of 2019, and on February 25, 2020, FINMA published a report noting that it regarded the Swiss emergency plan submitted by Credit Suisse as effective. A third element is the resolution plan, which FINMA produces for systemically important banks, indicating how the entire global group would be recapitalized, restructured and/or liquidated in a crisis; FINMA assesses the resolvability of an institution on the basis of whether the preparations are sufficient to successfully implement the plan if necessary. If internationally active Swiss systemically important banks increase their global resolvability, FINMA can grant rebates on the respective institution’s gone concern capital requirements.

The FINMA Banking Insolvency Ordinance governs resolution (i.e., restructuring or liquidation) proceedings applicable to Swiss banks and securities dealers, such as Credit Suisse AG and Credit Suisse (Schweiz) AG, and Swiss-domiciled parent companies of financial groups, such as Credit Suisse Group AG, and certain other unregulated Swiss-domiciled companies belonging to financial groups. Instead of prescribing a particular resolution concept, the FINMA Banking Insolvency Ordinance provides FINMA with a significant amount of authority and discretion in the case of resolution, as well as various restructuring tools from which FINMA may choose.

FINMA may open resolution proceedings if there is an impending insolvency because there is justified concern that the relevant Swiss bank (or Swiss-domiciled parent companies of financial groups and certain other unregulated Swiss-domiciled companies belonging to financial groups) is over-indebted, has serious liquidity problems or no longer fulfills capital adequacy requirements. Resolution proceedings may only take the form of restructuring (rather than liquidation) proceedings if (i) the recovery of, or the continued provision of individual banking services by, the relevant bank appears likely and (ii) the creditors of the relevant bank are likely better off in restructuring proceedings than in liquidation proceedings. All realizable assets in the relevant entity’s possession will be subject to such proceedings, regardless of where they are located.

If FINMA were to open restructuring proceedings with respect to Credit Suisse AG, Credit Suisse (Schweiz) AG or Credit Suisse Group AG, it would have discretion to take decisive actions, including (i) transferring the assets of the banks or Credit Suisse Group AG, as applicable, or a portion thereof, together with its debt and other liabilities, or a portion thereof, and contracts, to another entity, (ii) staying (for a maximum of two working days) the termination of, and the exercise of rights to terminate netting rights, rights to enforce or dispose of certain types of collateral or rights to transfer claims, liabilities or certain collateral, under contracts to which the banks or Credit Suisse Group AG, as applicable, is a party, (iii) converting the debt of the banks or Credit Suisse Group AG, as applicable, into equity (debt-to-equity swap), and/or (iv) partially or fully writing off the obligations of the banks or Credit Suisse Group AG, as applicable (haircut).

Prior to any debt-to equity swap or haircut, outstanding equity capital and debt instruments issued by Credit Suisse AG, Credit Suisse (Schweiz) AG or Credit Suisse Group AG that are part of its regulatory capital (including outstanding high trigger capital instruments and low trigger capital instruments) must be converted or written off (as applicable) and cancelled. Any debt-to-equity swap, (but not any haircut) would have to follow the hierarchy of claims to the extent such debt is not excluded from such conversion by the FINMA Banking Insolvency Ordinance. Contingent liabilities of Credit Suisse AG, Credit Suisse (Schweiz) AG or Credit Suisse Group AG such as guarantees could also be subjected to a debt-to-equity swap or a haircut, to the extent amounts are due and payable thereunder at any time during restructuring proceedings.

For systemically relevant institutions such as Credit Suisse AG, Credit Suisse (Schweiz) AG and Credit Suisse Group AG, creditors have no right to reject the restructuring plan approved by FINMA.

Supervision

The Federal Act on Financial Market Infrastructure and Market Conduct in Securities and Derivatives Trading (FMIA) governs the organization and operation of financial market infrastructures and the conduct of financial market participants in securities and derivatives trading. FMIA, along with the Financial Market Infrastructure Ordinance (FMIO) came into effect on January 1, 2016. However, financial market infrastructures and the operators of organized trading facilities were granted different transitional periods to comply with various new duties, including those associated with the publication of pre- and post-trade transparency information and with high-frequency trading. Under the FMIA, FINMA was designated to determine the timing of the introduction of a clearing obligation and to specify the categories of derivatives covered. Accordingly, on September 1, 2018, the revised Ordinance of the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority on Financial Market Infrastructures and Market Conduct in Securities and Derivatives Trading (FMIO-FINMA) entered into force, introducing a mandatory clearing obligation for standardized interest-rate and credit derivatives traded OTC and making effective, as of such date, the deadlines for the first clearing obligations laid down in the FMIO, i.e., six months, twelve months or eighteen months, depending on the categories of derivatives and the type of counterparty.

Tax

Administrative assistance in tax matters

The Multilateral Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters (MAC) entered into force and became applicable as of January 1, 2018. Under the MAC, Switzerland is required to exchange information in tax matters both spontaneously in certain cases as well as upon request. Furthermore, the revised Federal Act on International Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters

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and the revised Federal Ordinance on International Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters (OIAA) entered into force January 1, 2017 which provide the procedural rules for international administrative assistance on tax matters based on either the MAC or under bilateral double taxation treaties of Switzerland. In exceptional cases, the Swiss legislation permits exchange of information before the taxpayer concerned is informed. Under the MAC (and as clarified in the OIAA), for tax periods from January 1, 2018 onwards, Switzerland began to automatically exchange information on advance tax rulings within the scope of the OECD/G20 BEPS Project to combat base erosion and profit shifting.

On November 1, 2019, the amendment of the Federal Act on International Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters entered into force. Administrative assistance in tax matters is now also permitted for deceased persons with their legal successors being a party to the procedure. It was originally envisaged to introduce a provision permitting administrative assistance for requests based on stolen data; however, the Swiss Parliament has declined this proposal and kept the current provision limiting administrative assistance in tax matters where a request violates good faith or is based on information received by actions qualifying as an offense under Swiss criminal law.

On December 1, 2017, the Multilateral Competent Authority Agreement on the Exchange of Country-by-Country Reports (CbCR) as well as the implementing Swiss federal legislation entered into force, which is the Federal Act on the International Automatic Exchange of Country by Country Reports of Multinationals and the Federal Ordinance on the International Automatic Exchange of Country by Country Reports of Multinationals. Under the CbCR and the implementing legislation, multinational groups of companies in Switzerland had to prepare country-by-country reports for the first time for the 2018 tax year. The reports will be exchanged by Switzerland starting in 2020. On a voluntary basis, multinational groups of companies were permitted to prepare and submit country-by-country reports for the 2016 and 2017 tax periods. Any such reports were exchanged for the first time in 2018.

Automatic exchange of information in tax matters

Switzerland has signed the multilateral competent authority agreement on the automatic exchange of financial account information (MCAA), and a number of bilateral AEOI agreements with other countries, most of them on the basis of the MCAA. Switzerland has also concluded a multilateral agreement with the EU on the international AEOI in tax matters (AEOI Agreement), which applies to all EU member states and also Gibraltar. Based on the AEOI Agreement, the bilateral AEOI agreements and the implementing laws of Switzerland, Switzerland collects and exchanges data in respect of financial assets held in, and income derived thereon and credited to, accounts or deposits with a paying agent in Switzerland for the benefit of residents of an EU member state or Gibraltar or a treaty state. An up-to-date list of the AEOI agreements of Switzerland in effect or signed and becoming effective can be found on the website of the State Secretariat for International Financial Matters SIF.

Withholding tax reforms

On January 1, 2017, the revised Withholding Tax Act entered into force. It extends the exemption of interest paid on contingent convertible bonds and write-down bonds of banks or group companies of finance groups which were approved by FINMA and issued between January 1, 2013 and December 31, 2016, to issuances between January 1, 2017 and December 31, 2021. It also exempts interest paid on TLAC instruments approved by FINMA for purposes of meeting regulatory requirements which have been or will be issued between January 1, 2017 and December 31, 2021, or have been issued prior to January 1, 2017 where the foreign issuer thereof will be substituted for a Swiss issuer between January 1, 2017 and December 31, 2021.

Federal Act on Tax Reform and AHV Financing (TRAF)

Under the new withholding tax law introduced under TRAF, effective as from January 1, 2020, companies listed on a Swiss stock exchange who are paying a dividend out of legal capital contribution reserves will be required to simultaneously pay a dividend out of taxable reserves of at least the same amount. Also, under these new rules, when a company listed on a Swiss stock exchange repurchases shares to cancel them, the company must charge at least fifty percent of the liquidation amount to capital contribution reserves, the liquidation amount being the amount equal to the repurchase price less the nominal amount. Prior to the new law, these companies were not limited in using the one or other type of reserves.

Swiss courts’ practice on withholding tax refunds

The FTA and the Swiss courts continue to apply a strict beneficial ownership test for the application of any double taxation agreement based refund of Swiss withholding tax on dividend payments and the like. The focus is on the beneficial ownership of the securities and/or the dividends at the time of payment, which is assessed from a factual and economic point of view, without regard to the parties’ intentions or motivation, and must be proven by the party requesting a refund in the form of detailed documentation at the request of the FTA. In the context of derivative transactions, it has become increasingly more difficult to obtain a refund of Swiss withholding tax as in most cases the FTA will not consider the recipient of a payment subject to withholding tax under a derivative transaction to be the beneficial owner of that payment for purposes of a refund of such withholding tax. However, the Swiss Supreme Court has recently held that this strict application of the beneficial ownership test, as well as the proof requirements, do not mean that a financial institution involved in a derivative transaction is not entitled to a refund; if beneficial ownership can be established, a refund will be granted.

Stamp tax reforms

On January 1, 2017, the revised Stamp Tax Act entered into force. The revision introduced an exemption from the 1% issuance stamp tax for equity securities in banks or group companies of a financial group issued in connection with the conversion of TLAC instruments into equity, in addition to the exemption for equity securities in banks issued from conversion capital.

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Participation Exemption for “Too Big to Fail” Instruments

Current legislation requires systemically relevant banks to issue contingent convertible bonds, write-off bonds and bail-in bonds through their top holding company, which may then on-lend the funds to direct or indirect subsidiaries. The Federal Act on Calculation of the Participation Deduction for “Too Big to Fail” Instruments, which became effective as of January 1, 2019, permits such top holding companies (Konzernobergesellschaften) of systemically relevant banks to carve-out interest expenses on these “Too Big to Fail” Instruments for purposes of calculating their tax-exempt net participation income. To level the effect of the carve-out, the respective assets and liabilities positions are also eliminated in the calculation. This allows for a calculation of the participation exemption with a complete carve-out of “Too Big to Fail” Instruments to the extent the proceeds thereof are downstreamed.

US

Banking regulation and supervision

Our banking operations are subject to extensive federal and state regulation and supervision in the US. Our direct US offices are composed of our New York Branch and representative offices in California. Each of these offices is licensed with, and subject to examination and regulation by, the state banking authority in the state in which it is located.

Our New York Branch is licensed by the New York Superintendent of Financial Services (Superintendent), examined by the DFS, and subject to laws and regulations applicable to a foreign bank operating a New York branch. Under the New York Banking Law, our New York Branch must maintain eligible assets with banks in the state of New York. The amount of eligible assets required, which is expressed as a percentage of third-party liabilities, could increase if our New York Branch is no longer designated well rated by the Superintendent.

The New York Banking Law authorizes the Superintendent to seize our New York Branch and all of Credit Suisse AG’s business and property in New York State (which includes property of our New York Branch, wherever it may be located, and all of Credit Suisse AG’s property situated in New York State) under circumstances generally including violations of law, unsafe or unsound practices or insolvency. In liquidating or dealing with our New York Branch’s business after taking possession, the Superintendent would only accept for payment the claims of depositors and other creditors (unaffiliated with us) that arose out of transactions with our New York Branch. After the claims of those creditors were paid out of the business and property of the Bank in New York, the Superintendent would turn over the remaining assets, if any, to us or our liquidator or receiver.

Under New York Banking Law and US federal banking laws, our New York Branch is generally subject to single borrower lending limits expressed as a percentage of the worldwide capital of the Bank. Under the Dodd-Frank Act, lending limits take into account credit exposure arising from derivative transactions, securities borrowing and lending transactions and repurchase and reverse repurchase agreements with counterparties.

Our operations are also subject to reporting and examination requirements under US federal banking laws. Our US non-banking operations are subject to examination by the Fed in its capacity as our US umbrella supervisor. The New York Branch is also subject to examination by the Fed and is subject to federal banking law requirements and limitations on the acceptance and maintenance of deposits. The New York Branch is not a member of, and its deposits are not insured by, the FDIC, and it does not engage in retail deposit taking.

US federal banking laws provide that a state-licensed branch (such as the New York Branch) or agency of a foreign bank may not, as a general matter, engage as principal in any type of activity that is not permissible for a federally licensed branch or agency of a foreign bank unless the Fed has determined that such activity is consistent with sound banking practice. In addition, regulations which the Fed may adopt (including at the recommendation of the FSOC) could affect the nature of the activities which the Bank (including the New York Branch) may conduct, and may impose restrictions and limitations on the conduct of such activities.

The Fed may terminate the activities of a US branch or agency of a foreign bank if it finds that the foreign bank: (i) is not subject to comprehensive supervision in its home country; (ii) has violated the law or engaged in an unsafe or unsound banking practice in the US; or (iii) for a foreign bank that presents a risk to the stability of the US financial system, the home country of the foreign bank has not adopted, or made demonstrable progress toward adopting, an appropriate system of financial regulation to mitigate such risk.

Credit Suisse Group and the Bank became financial holding companies for purposes of US federal banking law in 2000 and, as a result, may engage in a broad range of non-banking activities in the US, including insurance, securities, private equity and other financial activities, in each case subject to regulatory requirements and limitations. Credit Suisse Group is still required to obtain the prior approval of the Fed (and potentially other US banking regulators) before acquiring, directly or indirectly, the ownership or control of more than 5% of any class of voting shares of (or otherwise controlling) any US bank, bank holding company or many other US depositary institutions and their holding companies, and as a result of the Dodd-Frank Act, before making certain acquisitions involving large non-bank companies. The New York Branch is also restricted from engaging in certain tying arrangements involving products and services, and in certain transactions with certain of its affiliates. If Credit Suisse Group or the Bank ceases to be well-capitalized or well-managed under applicable Fed rules, or otherwise fails to meet any of the requirements for financial holding company status, it may be required to discontinue certain financial activities or terminate its New York Branch. Credit Suisse Group’s ability to undertake acquisitions permitted for financial holding companies could also be adversely affected.

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As mentioned above, Credit Suisse is also subject to the so-called “Volcker Rule”, which limits the ability of banking entities to sponsor or invest in certain private equity or hedge funds, broadly defined, and to engage in certain types of proprietary trading for their own account. These restrictions are subject to certain exclusions and exemptions, including with respect to underwriting, market-making, risk-mitigating hedging and certain asset and fund management activities, and with respect to certain transactions and investments occurring solely outside of the US. The Volcker Rule requires banking entities to establish an extensive array of compliance policies, procedures and quantitative metrics reporting designed to ensure and monitor compliance with restrictions under the Volcker Rule. It also requires an annual attestation either by the CEO of the top-tier FBO or the senior management officer in the US as to the implementation of a compliance program reasonably designed to achieve compliance with the Volcker Rule. The Volcker Rule’s implementing regulations became effective in April 2014 and Credit Suisse was generally required to come into compliance with the Volcker Rule by July 2015, with the exception of “legacy” investments in, and bank relationships with, certain private funds, that were in place prior to December 31, 2013, for which the Fed extended the compliance deadline to July 21, 2017. In April 2017, the Fed granted Credit Suisse an extended transition period to conform investments in certain illiquid funds under the Volcker Rule for an additional five years (i.e., until July 21, 2022). Credit Suisse has implemented a Volcker Rule compliance program reasonably designed to satisfy the requirements of the Volcker Rule. The Volcker Rule’s implementing regulations are highly complex and may be subject to further rulemaking, regulatory interpretation and guidance, and its full impact will not be known with certainty for some time.

Fed regulations implementing the Dodd-Frank Act required Credit Suisse to create a single US IHC to hold all of its US subsidiaries with limited exceptions by July 1, 2017. The IHC requirement does not apply to the New York Branch. Credit Suisse’s US IHC is subject to US risk-based capital and leverage requirements that are largely consistent with the Basel III framework published by the BCBS, though they diverge in several important respects due to the requirements of the Dodd-Frank Act, and is subject to capital planning and capital stress testing requirements under the Dodd-Frank Act and the Fed’s annual CCAR.

Credit Suisse’s US IHC is also subject to additional requirements under the Fed’s final TLAC framework for IHCs, described above. In addition, both Credit Suisse’s US IHC itself and the combined US operations of Credit Suisse (including Credit Suisse’s US IHC and the New York Branch) are subject to other prudential requirements, including with respect to liquidity risk management, separate liquidity buffers for each of Credit Suisse’s US IHC and the New York Branch and liquidity stress testing, and will be subject to the Fed’s applicable rules on liquidity coverage ratio (LCR), SCCL and, once finalized, net-stable funding ratio. The SCCL limits our aggregate net credit exposures to any single unaffiliated counterparty based on Tier 1 capital. Our combined US operations (including our US IHC and New York Branch) may qualify for a regime of substituted compliance with comparable home country rules, but our US IHC is ineligible for the substituted compliance regime and remains subject to a separate SCCL requirement. Under proposals that remain under consideration, the combined US operations of Credit Suisse may become subject to an early remediation regime which could be triggered by risk-based capital, leverage, stress tests, liquidity, risk management and market indicators.

> Refer to “Liquidity and funding management” in III – Treasury, Risk, Balance sheet and Off-balance sheet for further information on Basel III LCR and NSFR.

A major focus of US policy and regulation relating to financial institutions has been to combat money laundering and terrorist financing and to enforce compliance with US economic sanctions. These laws and regulations impose obligations to maintain appropriate policies, procedures and controls to detect, prevent and report money laundering and terrorist financing, verify the identity of customers and comply with economic sanctions. Any failure to maintain and implement adequate programs to combat money laundering and terrorist financing, and violations of such economic sanctions, laws and regulations, could have serious legal and reputational consequences. We take our obligations to prevent money laundering and terrorist financing in the US and globally and to comply with US economic sanctions very seriously, while appropriately respecting and protecting the confidentiality of clients. We have policies, procedures and training intended to ensure that our employees comply with “know your customer” regulations and understand when a client relationship or business should be evaluated as higher risk for us.

The Dodd-Frank Act requires issuers with listed securities to establish a claw-back policy to recoup erroneously awarded compensation in the event of an accounting restatement but no final rules have been adopted.

Broker-dealer and asset management regulation and supervision

Our US broker-dealers are subject to extensive regulation by US regulatory authorities. The SEC is the federal agency primarily responsible for the regulation of broker-dealers, investment advisers and investment companies. In addition, the US Treasury has the authority to promulgate rules relating to US Treasury and government agency securities, the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board (MSRB) has the authority to promulgate rules relating to municipal securities, and the MSRB also promulgates regulations applicable to certain securities credit transactions. In addition, broker-dealers are subject to regulation by securities industry self-regulatory organizations, including the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), and by state securities authorities.

Our US broker-dealers are registered with the SEC and our primary US broker-dealer is registered in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. Our US registered entities are subject to extensive regulatory requirements that apply to all aspects of their business activity, including, where applicable: capital requirements; the use and safekeeping of customer funds and securities; the suitability of customer investments and best interest obligations for certain retail customers;

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record-keeping and reporting requirements; employee-related matters; limitations on extensions of credit in securities transactions; prevention and detection of money laundering and terrorist financing; procedures relating to research analyst independence; procedures for the clearance and settlement of trades; and communications with the public.

Our US broker-dealers are also subject to the SEC’s net capital rule, which requires broker-dealers to maintain a specified level of minimum net capital in relatively liquid form. Compliance with the net capital rule could limit operations that require intensive use of capital, such as underwriting and trading activities and the financing of customer account balances and also could restrict our ability to withdraw capital from our broker-dealers. Most of our US broker-dealers are also subject to additional net capital requirements of FINRA and, in some cases, other self-regulatory organizations.

Our securities and asset management businesses include legal entities registered and regulated as a broker-dealer and investment adviser by the SEC. The SEC-registered mutual funds that we advise are subject to the Investment Company Act of 1940. For pension fund customers, we are subject to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 and similar state statutes.

The Dodd-Frank Act also requires broader regulation of hedge funds and private equity funds, as well as credit rating agencies.

Derivative regulation and supervision

The CFTC is the federal agency primarily responsible for the regulation of futures commission merchants, commodity pool operators, commodity trading advisors and introducing brokers, among other regulatory categories. With the effectiveness of the Dodd-Frank Act, CFTC oversight was expanded to include persons engaging in a relevant activity with respect to swaps, and registration categories were added for swap dealers and major swap participants. For derivatives activities, these CFTC registrants are subject to industry self-regulatory organizations, such as the National Futures Association (NFA), which has been designated by the CFTC as a registered futures association.

Each of CSI, CSSEL and CSC is registered with the CFTC as a swap dealer as a result of its applicable swap activities and is therefore subject to requirements relating to reporting, record-keeping, swap confirmation, swap portfolio reconciliation and compression, mandatory clearing, mandatory on-facility trading, swap trading relationship documentation, external business conduct, risk management, chief compliance officer duties and reports and internal controls. However, where permitted by comparability determinations by the CFTC or in reliance on no-action letters issued by the CFTC, non-US swap dealers, including CSI and CSSEL, can comply with certain requirements through substituted compliance with EU regulations. The CFTC has also granted no-action letters that have applied since the UK’s withdrawal from the EU, which permit CSI and CSSEL to satisfy such requirements by complying with relevant UK regulations.

As registered swap dealers that are not banks, CSSEL and CSC are also subject to the CFTC’s margin rules for uncleared swaps. As a non-US swap dealer, CSSEL is only subject to these rules in connection with its uncleared swaps with US persons, non-US persons guaranteed by US persons, and certain non-US swap dealer subsidiaries of US persons. As a registered swap dealer that is a foreign bank, CSI is subject to the margin rules for uncleared swaps and security-based swaps of the Fed, and CSI likewise is only subject to these rules in connection with its uncleared swaps and security-based swaps with US persons, non-US persons guaranteed by US persons, and certain non-US swap dealer subsidiaries of US persons. Both of these margin rules are following a phased implementation schedule. Since March 1, 2017, CSI, CSSEL and CSC have been required to comply with variation margin requirements with covered entities under these rules, requiring the exchange of daily mark-to-market margin with all such covered entities. Initial margin requirements began phasing in annually for different counterparties from September 1, 2016, with remaining phases relating to the application of initial margin requirements to market participants with group-wide notional derivatives exposure during the preceding March, April and May of at least USD 750 billion or at least USD 8 billion on September 1, 2019 or September 1, 2020, respectively, subject to a proposal to increase the September 1, 2020 threshold to USD 50 billion and introduce a new phase taking effect on September 1, 2021 for market participants who exceed the USD 8 billion threshold but fall below the USD 50 billion threshold. The broad expansion of initial margin requirements on September 1, 2020 or September 1, 2021 could have a significant adverse impact on our OTC derivatives business because of the large number of affected counterparties that might need to enter into new documentation and upgrade their systems in order to comply.

The Dodd-Frank Act also mandates that the CFTC adopt capital requirements for non-bank swap dealers (such as CSSEL and CSC), and the CFTC continues to consider proposed rules in this area. Under the CFTC’s 2016 re-proposal of its capital rules, CSSEL and CSC could elect whether to satisfy capital requirements based on Fed rules implementing Basel capital requirements or SEC rules similar to the capital requirements currently applicable to US broker-dealers, but in each case they would be subject to an additional capital requirement based on 8% of the initial margin required for their derivatives positions. In December 2019, the CFTC re-opened the comment period for the 2016 re-proposal and made several new requests for comments, including asking commenters whether the CFTC should adjust the 8% multiplier to a lower multiplier. If the CFTC found UK capital requirements to be comparable, CSSEL could satisfy the CFTC’s requirements through “substituted compliance” with the UK requirements. If the CFTC did not grant that comparability determination, however, CSSEL could face a significant competitive disadvantage relative to non-US competitors not subject to CFTC capital requirements due to the additional capital that may be required under the CFTC’s rules as proposed and the burdens associated with satisfying duplicative capital regimes. In contrast, the Fed thus far has declined to apply additional capital requirements to swap dealers that are foreign banks, such as CSI.

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As noted, the CFTC proposed rules with potential revisions to its framework for the cross-border application of swap dealer regulations. In the meantime, key aspects of that framework, such as the application of certain CFTC rules to swaps between non-US persons, remain subject to temporary no-action letters. Expiration of any of these letters without modifications to the CFTC’s guidance or permitting substituted compliance with the UK rules could reduce the willingness of non-US counterparties to trade with CSI and CSSEL, which could negatively affect our swap trading revenue or necessitate changes to how we organize our swap business. We continue to monitor these developments and prepare contingency plans to comply with the final guidance or rules once effective.

One of our US broker-dealers, Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC, is also registered as a futures commission merchant and subject to the capital, segregation and other requirements of the CFTC and the NFA.

Our asset management businesses include legal entities registered and regulated as commodity pool operators and commodity trading advisors by the CFTC and the NFA and therefore are subject to disclosure, recordkeeping, reporting and other requirements of the CFTC and the NFA.

The Dodd-Frank Act mandates that the CFTC establish aggregate position limits for certain physical commodity futures contracts and economically equivalent swaps, and the CFTC recently proposed rules in this area. If the CFTC adopted its most recent proposal, these position limit rules would require us to develop a costly compliance infrastructure and could reduce our ability to participate in the commodity derivatives markets, both directly and on behalf of our clients.

In addition, the SEC has finalized rules implementing most of the key derivatives provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act, including security-based swap dealer registration, capital, margin, segregation, internal and external business conduct, recordkeeping and financial reporting, risk mitigation techniques, and transaction reporting rules. These rules are scheduled to take effect on November 1, 2021. While the SEC’s rules have largely paralleled many of the CFTC’s rules, significant differences between the final CFTC and SEC rules could materially increase the compliance costs associated with, and hinder the efficiency of, our equity and credit derivatives businesses with US persons. For example, significant differences between the cross-border application of SEC and CFTC rules could have such effects. In particular, SEC rules applying public transaction reporting and external business conduct requirements to security-based swaps between non-US persons that are arranged, negotiated or executed by US personnel could discourage non-US counterparties from entering into such transactions, unless the SEC permits substituted compliance with non-US reporting or business conduct requirements. Unlike the CFTC, the SEC has not yet finalized rules relating to mandatory clearing or mandatory on-facility trading.

FATCA

Pursuant to an agreement with the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS) entered into in compliance with FATCA, Credit Suisse is required to identify and provide the IRS with information on accounts held by US persons and certain US-owned foreign entities, as well as to withhold tax on payments made to foreign financial institutions (FFIs) that are not in compliance with FATCA and account holders who fail to provide sufficient information to classify an account as a US or non-US account. Switzerland and the United States have entered into a “Model 2” intergovernmental agreement to implement FATCA, pursuant to which US authorities may ask Swiss authorities for administrative assistance in connection with group requests where consent to provide information regarding potential US accounts is not provided to FFIs, such as Credit Suisse. The Swiss Federal Council announced on October 8, 2014 that it intends to negotiate a Model 1 intergovernmental agreement that would replace the existing agreement and that would instead require FFIs in Switzerland to report US accounts to the Swiss authorities, who would in turn report that information to the IRS. It is unclear when negotiations will continue for the Model 1 intergovernmental agreement and when any new regime would come into force. We are continuing to follow developments regarding FATCA closely and are coordinating with all relevant authorities.

Resolution regime

The Dodd-Frank Act also established an “Orderly Liquidation Authority”, a regime for the orderly liquidation of systemically significant non-bank financial companies, which could potentially apply to certain of our US entities. The Secretary of the US Treasury may under certain circumstances appoint the FDIC as receiver for a failing financial company in order to prevent risks to US financial stability. The FDIC would then have the authority to charter a “bridge” company to which it can transfer assets and liabilities of the financial company, including swaps and other QFCs, in order to preserve the continuity of critical functions of the financial company. The FDIC has indicated that it prefers a single-point-of-entry strategy, although it retains the ability to resolve individual financial companies. On February 17, 2016, the FDIC and SEC proposed rules that would clarify the application of the Securities Investor Protection Act in a receivership for a systemically significant broker-dealer under the Dodd-Frank Act’s Orderly Liquidation Authority.

In addition, the Dodd-Frank Act and related rules promulgated by the Fed and the FDIC require bank holding companies and companies treated as bank holding companies with total consolidated assets of USD 100 billion or more, such as us, and certain designated non-bank financial firms, to submit periodically to the Fed and the FDIC resolution plans describing the strategy for rapid and orderly resolution under the US Bankruptcy Code or other applicable insolvency regimes, though such plans may not rely on the Orderly Liquidation Authority. We must file a targeted plan addressing shortcomings identified in our 2018 plan by July 1, 2020 and a targeted plan focusing on capital, liquidity and material changes from the previous plan by July 1, 2021. The deadline for our next full plan is July 1, 2024.

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Cybersecurity

Federal and state regulators, including the DFS, FINRA and the SEC, have increasingly focused on cybersecurity risks and responses for regulated entities. For example, the DFS cybersecurity regulation applies to any licensed person, including DFS-licensed branches of non-US banks, and requires each company to assess its specific risk profile periodically and design a program that addresses its risks in a robust fashion. Each covered entity must monitor its systems and networks and notify the superintendent of the DFS within 72 hours after it is determined that a material cybersecurity event has occurred. Similarly, FINRA has identified cybersecurity as a significant risk and will assess firms’ programs to mitigate those risks. In addition, the SEC has issued expanded interpretative guidance that highlights requirements under US federal securities laws that public operating companies must pay particular attention to with respect to cybersecurity risks and incidents.

EU

Financial services regulation and supervision

Our EU banks, investment firms and fund managers are subject to extensive regulation by EU and national regulatory authorities, whose requirements are increasingly imposed under EU directives and regulations aimed at increasing integration and harmonization in the European market for financial services. While regulations have immediate and direct effect in EU member states, directives must be implemented through national legislation. As a result, the terms of implementation of directives are not always consistent from country to country. In response to the financial crisis and in order to strengthen European supervisory arrangements, the EU established the European Systemic Risk Board, which has macro-prudential oversight of the financial system. The EU has also established three supervisory authorities responsible for promoting greater harmonization and consistent application of EU legislation by national regulators: EBA, the European Securities and Markets Authority and the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority.

The Basel III capital framework is implemented in the EU by the CRD V and the CRR II (jointly known as the CRD V package). The CRD V package comprises a single prudential rule book for banks and investment firms. CRR II contains, among other things, amendments to the previous CRR relating to, among other things, leverage ratio, market risk, counterparty credit risk and large exposures and implementing the FSB’s TLAC standard. As mentioned, while the majority of the CRR II measures will apply beginning in 2021, certain requirements, such as the new TLAC requirements, applied immediately on entry into force on June 27, 2019. CRD V includes, among other things, corporate governance and remuneration requirements, including a cap on variable remuneration. From June 2021, most EU investment firms will switch to the new IFD and IFR prudential regime, with their related capital requirements, remuneration and other rules, whereas larger investment firms will remain subject to CRD V.

MiFID II and MiFIR have introduced a number of significant changes to the regulatory framework established by the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID I), and the European Commission has adopted a number of delegated and implementing measures, which supplement their requirements. In particular, MiFID II and MiFIR have introduced enhanced organizational and business conduct standards that apply to investment firms, including a number of Credit Suisse EU entities advising clients within the European Economic Area. These provisions include standards for managing conflicts of interest, best execution and enhanced investor protection. MiFID II has also enforced specific safeguards for algorithmic and high-frequency trading and introduced a ban on the receipt of investment research by portfolio managers and providers of independent investment advice unless paid for by clients.

The Benchmarks Regulation (BMR) introduces new rules aimed at ensuring greater accuracy and integrity of benchmarks in financial instruments. The BMR sets out various requirements which will govern the activities of benchmark administrators and submitters. Certain requirements have applied to Credit Suisse in its capacity as a contributor to several critical benchmarks since June 30, 2016. The majority of the other provisions of the BMR have applied since January 1, 2018, although a two-year transition period permitting usage of the EU non-critical benchmark, not yet compliant with the BMR, by EU-supervised entities came to an end on December 31, 2019 and “critical” and third country benchmark providers have been given until December 31, 2021 to comply. A number of European Commission Delegated Regulations supplementing the BMR also entered into force in 2018. The regulations specify, among other things, the criteria for assessing whether certain events would result in significant and adverse impacts on matters including the market integrity and financial stability of one or more member states and the conditions to assess the impact resulting from the cessation of, or change to, existing benchmarks. CSI has been authorized as a benchmark administrator under the BMR by the FCA.

On January 4, 2017, the European Commission Delegated Regulation supplementing the European Market Infrastructure Regulation (EMIR) with regard to regulatory technical standards for risk mitigation techniques for OTC derivatives not cleared by a central counterparty entered into force. The delegated regulation imposes a requirement on financial counterparties and non-financial counterparties above the clearing threshold to collect initial margin and variation margin in respect of non-centrally cleared OTC derivative transactions. The requirements relating to initial margin and variation margin have applied since February 4, 2017 in relation to the largest market participants. Other market participants have become or in the future will become subject to the requirements relating to initial margin through a series of annual phase-in dates, starting September 1, 2017. Requirements relating to variation margin have applied to all financial and non-financial counterparties above the clearing threshold since March 1, 2017.

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Resolution regime

The BRRD establishes a framework for the recovery and resolution of credit institutions and investment firms and applies to all Credit Suisse EU entities, including branches of the Bank. The BRRD introduces requirements for recovery and resolution plans, provides for bank resolution tools, including bail-in for failing banks, and establishes country-specific bank resolution financing arrangements. In addition, as part of their powers over banks in resolution, resolution authorities are empowered to replace a bank’s senior management, transfer a bank’s rights, assets and liabilities to another person, take a bank into public ownership, and close out and terminate a bank’s financial contracts or derivatives contracts. Banks are required to produce recovery plans, describing proposed arrangements to permit them to restore their viability, while resolution authorities are empowered to produce resolution plans which describe how a bank may be resolved in an orderly manner, were it to fail.

Under the BRRD, the resolution authority can increase the capital of a failing or failed bank through bail-in: i.e., the write-down, reduction or cancellation of liabilities held by unsecured creditors, or their conversion to equity or other securities. All of a bank’s liabilities are subject to bail-in, unless explicitly excluded by the BRRD because they are, for example, covered deposits, secured liabilities, or liabilities arising from holding client assets or client money.

The BRRD also requires banks to hold a certain amount of bail-inable loss-absorbing capacity at both individual and consolidated levels. This requirement is known as the MREL, and is conceptually similar to the TLAC framework.

In June 2019, amendments to BRRD (through BRRD II) entered into force. EU member states will be required to adopt national legislative measures necessary to comply with BRRD II by December 28, 2020. BRRD II contains amendments to the existing EU regime relating to MREL to align it with the TLAC standard and to introduce, among other things, changes to the contractual recognition of bail-in and a new moratorium power for competent authorities.

Data protection regulation

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is now fully applicable and applies to the processing of personal data in the context of our EU establishments as well as in relation to the processing of personal data of individuals in the EU by our non-EU establishments to the extent such non-EU establishments are offering products and/or services to EU customers or monitoring their behavior in the EU. The GDPR requires us to take various measures to ensure compliance with the regulation, including processing personal data in accordance with the data protection principles, maintaining records of data processing, ensuring adequate security for personal data, complying with data breach notification requirements, and giving effect to data subjects’ rights. Furthermore, in accordance with the GDPR, we have appointed a Data Protection Officer who is responsible for monitoring our compliance with the GDPR and providing advice in connection with the regulation. The GDPR grants broad enforcement powers to data protection authorities, including the potential to levy significant administrative fines for non-compliance.

In addition to the GDPR, other jurisdictions in which we operate have adopted or are proposing data privacy standards, for example the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (CCPA) and the proposed revisions to the Swiss Federal Act on Data Protection, some of which are similar to the GDPR or contain their own requirements more robust than the GDPR. We collect and process large quantities of personal data in connection with our operations globally. As additional data privacy laws come into effect in the coming years, we anticipate an increase in our data privacy obligations.

Anti-money laundering regulation

The Fifth Money Laundering Directive (MLD5) entered into force on July 9, 2018 and EU member states were required to comply with the requirements of MLD5 by January 10, 2020. Among other things, MLD5 clarifies the requirements for enhanced due diligence measures and countermeasures relating to high-risk third countries and introduced a new obligation for EU member states to establish centralized mechanisms to identify holders and controllers of bank and payment accounts.

UK

Banking regulation and supervision

The principal statutory regulators of financial services activity in the UK are the PRA, a part of the Bank of England, which is responsible for the micro-prudential regulation of banks and larger investment firms, and the FCA, which regulates markets, the conduct of business of all financial firms, and the prudential regulation of firms not regulated by the PRA. In addition, the Financial Policy Committee of the Bank of England is responsible for macro-prudential regulation.

The UK is required to implement EU directives into national law until the end of the transitional period following its exit from the EU in January 2020. The regulatory regime for banks operating in the UK conforms to required EU standards, including compliance with capital adequacy standards, customer protection requirements, conduct of business rules and anti-money laundering rules. These standards, requirements and rules are similarly implemented, under the same directives, throughout the other member states of the EU in which we operate.

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CSI, Credit Suisse (UK) Limited and Credit Suisse AG, London Branch are authorized to take deposits. We also have a number of entities authorized to conduct investment business and asset management activities. In deciding whether to grant authorization, the PRA must first determine whether a firm satisfies the threshold conditions for authorization, which include suitability and the requirement for the firm to be fit and proper. The PRA is also responsible for approval of certain models with respect to regulatory capital requirements of our UK subsidiaries.

Our London Branch is required to comply principally with Swiss home country regulation. However, as a response to the global financial crisis, the PRA made changes to its prudential supervision rules in its rulebook, applying a principle of “self-sufficiency”, such that CSI, CSSEL and Credit Suisse (UK) Limited are required to maintain adequate liquidity resources, under the day-to-day supervision of the entity’s senior management, held in a custodian account in the name of the entity, unencumbered and attributed to the entity balance sheet. In addition, the PRA requires CSI, CSSEL and Credit Suisse (UK) Limited to maintain a minimum capital ratio and to monitor and report large exposures in accordance with the CRR.

The PRA has implemented the requirements of CRD relating to staff remuneration and imposed a 1:1 cap on variable remuneration which can rise to 1:2 with explicit shareholder approval.

The UK Financial Services Act 2013 (Banking Reform Act), enacted in December 2013, establishes a more stringent regulatory regime for senior managers and specified risk takers in a bank or PRA authorized investment firm; it also makes reckless misconduct in the management of a bank a criminal offense. These rules impact our UK entities, such as CSI and CSSEL.

Broker-dealer and asset management regulation and supervision

Our London bank and broker-dealer subsidiaries are authorized under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (FSMA) and are subject to regulation by the PRA and FCA. In addition, our asset management companies are authorized under the FSMA and are subject to regulation by the FCA. In deciding whether to authorize an investment firm in the UK, the PRA and FCA will consider the threshold conditions, which include suitability and the general requirement for a firm to be fit and proper. The PRA and FCA are responsible for regulating most aspects of an investment firm’s business, including its regulatory capital, sales and trading practices, use and safekeeping of customer funds and securities, record-keeping, margin practices and procedures, registration standards for individuals carrying on certain functions, anti-money laundering systems and periodic reporting and settlement procedures.

Resolution regime

The UK legislation related to the recovery and resolution of credit institutions such as Credit Suisse consists of the special resolution regime (SRR), the PRA recovery and resolution framework and the FCA recovery and resolution requirements, which implement the BRRD in the UK. The UK Banking Act and the related secondary legislation govern the application of the SRR, which grants the UK authorities powers to handle systemically important firms, such as banks, in case of highly likely failure. The UK resolution authority is the Bank of England which is empowered, among other things, to direct firms and their parent undertakings to address or remove barriers to resolvability, to enforce resolution actions and to carry out resolvability assessments of credit institutions. Separately, the PRA and the FCA have the power to require parent undertakings of firms subject to this regime to take actions such as the preparation and submission of group recovery plans or the facilitation of the use of resolution powers.

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Risk factors

Our businesses are exposed to a variety of risks that could adversely affect our results of operations and financial ­condition, including, among others, those described below.

Liquidity risk

Liquidity, or ready access to funds, is essential to our business, particularly our investment banking businesses. We seek to maintain available liquidity to meet our obligations in a stressed liquidity environment.

> Refer to “Liquidity and funding management” in III – Treasury, Risk, Balance sheet and Off-balance sheet for information on our liquidity management.

Our liquidity could be impaired if we were unable to access the capital markets, sell our assets or if our liquidity costs increase

Our ability to borrow on a secured or unsecured basis and the cost of doing so can be affected by increases in interest rates or credit spreads, the availability of credit, regulatory requirements relating to liquidity or the market perceptions of risk relating to us, certain of our counterparties or the banking sector as a whole, including our perceived or actual creditworthiness. An inability to obtain financing in the unsecured long-term or short-term debt capital markets, or to access the secured lending markets, could have a substantial adverse effect on our liquidity. In challenging credit markets our funding costs may increase or we may be unable to raise funds to support or expand our businesses, adversely affecting our results of operations. Following the financial crisis in 2008 and 2009, our costs of liquidity have been significant and we expect to incur ongoing costs as a result of regulatory requirements for increased liquidity.

If we are unable to raise needed funds in the capital markets (including through offerings of equity, regulatory capital securities and other debt), we may need to liquidate unencumbered assets to meet our liabilities. In a time of reduced liquidity, we may be unable to sell some of our assets, or we may need to sell assets at depressed prices, which in either case could adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.

Our businesses rely significantly on our deposit base for funding

Our businesses benefit from short-term funding sources, including primarily demand deposits, inter-bank loans, time deposits and cash bonds. Although deposits have been, over time, a stable source of funding, this may not continue. In that case, our liquidity position could be adversely affected and we might be unable to meet deposit withdrawals on demand or at their contractual maturity, to repay borrowings as they mature or to fund new loans, investments and businesses.

Changes in our ratings may adversely affect our business

Ratings are assigned by rating agencies. Rating agencies may lower, indicate their intention to lower or withdraw their ratings at any time. The major rating agencies remain focused on the financial services industry, particularly regarding potential declines in profitability, asset price volatility, the impact from any potential easing or enhancement of regulatory requirements and challenges from increased costs related to compliance and litigation. Any downgrades in our ratings could increase our borrowing costs, limit our access to capital markets, increase our cost of capital and adversely affect the ability of our businesses to sell or market their products, engage in business transactions – particularly financing and derivatives transactions – and retain our clients.

Market and credit risks

The outbreak of COVID-19 may negatively affect our business, operations and financial performance

On March 3, 2020, COVID-19 was characterized as a pandemic by the World Health Organization. Since December 2019, COVID-19 has spread rapidly, with at least 150 countries and territories worldwide with confirmed cases of COVID-19, and a high concentration of cases in certain countries in which we conduct business.

The spread of COVID-19 and resulting tight government controls and travel bans implemented around the world have caused disruption to global supply chains and economic activity, and the market has entered a period of increased volatility. The spread of COVID-19 is expected to have a significant impact on the global economy, at least in the first half of 2020, and is likely to affect our financial performance, including credit loss estimates, trading revenues, net interest income and potential goodwill assessments. The extent of the adverse impact of the pandemic on the global economy and markets will depend, in part, on the length and severity of the measures taken to limit the spread of the virus and, in part, on the size and effectiveness of the compensating measures taken by governments. We are closely monitoring the potential effects and impact on our operations, businesses and financial performance, including liquidity and capital usage, though the extent is difficult to fully predict at this time due to the rapid evolution of this uncertain situation.

We may incur significant losses on our trading and investment activities due to market fluctuations and volatility

Although we continue to strive to reduce our balance sheet and have made significant progress in implementing our strategy over the past few years, we also continue to maintain large trading and investment positions and hedges in the debt, currency and equity markets, and in private equity, hedge funds, real estate and other

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assets. These positions could be adversely affected by volatility in financial and other markets, that is, the degree to which prices fluctuate over a particular period in a particular market, regardless of market levels. To the extent that we own assets, or have net long positions, in any of those markets, a downturn in those markets could result in losses from a decline in the value of our net long positions. Conversely, to the extent that we have sold assets that we do not own, or have net short positions, in any of those markets, an upturn in those markets could expose us to potentially significant losses as we attempt to cover our net short positions by acquiring assets in a rising market. Market fluctuations, downturns and volatility can adversely affect the fair value of our positions and our results of operations. Adverse market or economic conditions or trends have caused, and in the future may cause, a significant decline in our net revenues and profitability.

Our businesses and organization are subject to the risk of loss from adverse market conditions and unfavorable economic, monetary, political, legal, regulatory and other developments in the countries in which we operate

As a global financial services company, our businesses are materially affected by conditions in the financial markets, economic conditions generally, geopolitical events and other developments in Europe, the US, Asia and elsewhere around the world (even in countries in which we do not currently conduct business). The recovery from the economic crisis of 2008 and 2009 continues to be slow in several key developed markets. The European sovereign debt crisis as well as US debt levels and the federal budget process have not been permanently resolved. In addition, commodity price volatility and concerns about emerging markets have affected financial markets. Volatility increased in the beginning of 2020 and equity market indices declined amid concerns surrounding the spread of COVID-19. Our financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely affected if these conditions do not improve, or if they stagnate or worsen. Further, various countries have experienced severe economic disruptions particular to that country or region, including extreme currency fluctuations, high inflation, or low or negative growth, among other negative conditions, which could have an adverse effect on our operations and investments.

Continued concern about weaknesses in the economic and fiscal condition of certain European economies, including the impact related to the refugee crisis and political uncertainty as well as in relation to the UK’s withdrawal from the EU, could cause disruptions in market conditions in Europe and around the world and could further have an adverse impact on financial institutions (including us) which lent funds to or did business with or in those countries. We cannot accurately predict the impact of the UK leaving the EU on Credit Suisse or the outcome of the transitional period which is expected to end on December 31, 2020, and such impact may negatively affect our future results of operations and financial condition. Our legal entities that are organized or operate in the UK face limitations on providing services or otherwise conducting business in the EU following the end of the transitional period, which has required us to implement significant changes to our legal entity structure and locations in which we conduct certain operations, which could result in higher operational, regulatory and compliance costs.

> Refer to “UK-EU relationship” in Regulation and supervision – Recent regulatory developments and proposals – EU, “Withdrawal of the UK from the EU” in II – Operating and financial review – Credit Suisse – Other Information and “Key risk developments” in III – Treasury, Risk Balance sheet and Off-balance sheet – Risk management for further information.

While the execution of the program evolving the Group’s legal entity structure to meet developing and future regulatory requirements has substantially concluded, there remain a number of uncertainties that may affect the feasibility, scope and timing of the intended results relating to the evolution of our legal entity structure. Significant legal and regulatory changes affecting us and our operations may require us to make further changes in our legal structure. The implementation of these changes has required, and may further require, significant time and resources and has increased, and may potentially further increase, operational, capital, funding and tax costs as well as our counterparties’ credit risk.

The environment of political uncertainty in continental Europe may also affect our business. The popularity of nationalistic sentiments may result in significant shifts in national policy and a decelerated path to further European integration. Similar uncertainties exist regarding the impact of recent and proposed changes in US policies on trade, immigration and foreign relations. Growing global trade tensions, including between key trading partners such as China, the US and the EU, political uncertainty in areas such as Hong Kong and the spread of COVID-19 may be disruptive to global economic growth and may also negatively affect our business. Other developments such as climate change and related risks and concerns may cause a decrease in client activity, negatively impact the general operating environment, damage our reputation as a result of our or our clients’ involvement in certain business activities associated with climate change or otherwise have an adverse effect on our business.

In the past, the low interest rate environment has adversely affected our net interest income and the value of our trading and non-trading fixed income portfolios, and resulted in a loss of customer deposits as well as an increase in the liabilities relating to our existing pension plans. Furthermore, interest rates are expected to remain low for a longer period of time. Future changes in interest rates, including increasing interest rates or changes in the current negative short-term interest rates in our home market, could adversely affect our businesses and results. Recent interest rate cuts by national governments and central banks in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, including in the US, could also adversely impact our net interest income, including in our International Wealth Management and Asia Pacific divisions due to their larger share of US dollar-denominated deposits. In addition, movements in equity markets have affected the value of our trading and non-trading equity portfolios, while the historical strength of the Swiss franc has adversely affected our revenues and net income and exposed us to currency exchange rate risk. Further, diverging monetary policies among the major economies in which we operate, in particular among the Fed, ECB and SNB, may adversely affect our results.

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Such adverse market or economic conditions may negatively impact our investment banking and wealth management businesses and adversely affect net revenues we receive from commissions and spreads. These conditions may result in lower investment banking client activity, adversely impacting our financial advisory and underwriting fees. Such conditions may also adversely affect the types and volumes of securities trades that we execute for customers. Cautious investor behavior in response to adverse conditions could result in generally decreased client demand for our products, which could negatively impact our results of operations and opportunities for growth. Unfavorable market and economic conditions have affected our businesses in the past, including the low interest rate environment, continued cautious investor behavior and changes in market structure. These negative factors could be reflected, for example, in lower commissions and fees from our client-flow sales and trading and asset management activities, including commissions and fees that are based on the value of our clients’ portfolios.

Our response to adverse market or economic conditions may differ from that of our competitors and an investment performance that is below that of competitors or asset management benchmarks could also result in a decline in assets under management and related fees making it harder to attract new clients. There could be a shift in client demand away from more complex products, which may result in significant client deleveraging, and our results of operations related to private banking and asset management activities could be adversely affected. Adverse market or economic conditions could exacerbate such effects.

In addition, several of our businesses engage in transactions with, or trade in obligations of, governmental entities, including supranational, national, state, provincial, municipal and local authorities. These activities can expose us to enhanced sovereign, credit-related, operational and reputational risks, which may also increase as a result of adverse market or economic conditions. Risks related to these transactions include the risks that a governmental entity may default on or restructure its obligations or may claim that actions taken by government officials were beyond the legal authority of those officials, which could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.

Adverse market or economic conditions could also affect our private equity investments since, if a private equity investment substantially declines in value, we may not receive any increased share of the income and gains from such investment (to which we are entitled in certain cases when the return on such investment exceeds certain threshold returns), may be obligated to return to investors previously received excess carried interest payments and may lose our pro rata share of the capital invested. In addition, it could become more difficult to dispose of the investment as even investments that are performing well may prove difficult to exit.

In addition to the macroeconomic factors discussed above, other events beyond our control, including terrorist attacks, cyber attacks, military conflicts, economic or political sanctions, disease pandemics, political unrest or natural disasters, could have a material adverse effect on economic and market conditions, market volatility and financial activity, with a potential related effect on our businesses and results.

> Refer to “Non-financial risk” in “III – Treasury, Risk, Balance sheet and Off-balance sheet - Risk management - Risk coverage and management for further information.

Uncertainties regarding the possible discontinuation of benchmark rates may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations and may require adjustments to our agreements with clients and other market participants, as well as to our systems and processes

In July 2017, the FCA, which regulates the London interbank offered rate (LIBOR), announced that the FCA will no longer persuade or compel banks to submit rates for the calculation of the LIBOR benchmark after 2021. As such, it appears highly likely that LIBOR will be discontinued after 2021. Credit Suisse has identified a significant number of its liabilities and assets linked to LIBOR and other benchmark rates across businesses that require transition to alternative reference rates. The discontinuation or future changes in the administration of benchmarks could result in adverse consequences to the return on, value of and market for securities and other instruments whose returns or contractual mechanics are linked to any such benchmark, including those issued and traded by the Group. For example, alternative reference rate-linked products may not provide a term structure, may calculate interest payments differently than benchmark-linked products, which could lead to greater uncertainty with respect to corresponding payment obligations, and would likely require a change in contractual terms of products currently indexed on terms other than overnight. The replacement of LIBOR or any other benchmark with an alternative reference rate could negatively impact the value of and return on existing securities and other contracts and result in mispricing and additional legal, financial, tax, operational, market, compliance, reputational, competitive or other risks to us, our clients and other market participants. For example, we may face a risk of litigation, disputes or other actions from clients, counterparties, customers, investors or others regarding the interpretation or enforcement of related provisions or if we fail to appropriately communicate the effect that the transition to alternative reference rates will have on existing and future products. In addition, any transition to alternative reference rates will require changes to our documentation, methodologies, processes, controls, systems and operations, which will also result in increased effort and cost. There may also be related risks that arise in connection with the transition. For example, our hedging strategy may be negatively impacted or market risk may increase in the event of different alternative reference rates applying to our assets compared to our liabilities.

> Refer to “Replacement of interbank offered rates” in II – Operating and financial review – Credit Suisse – Other information for further information.

We may incur significant losses in the real estate sector

We finance and acquire principal positions in a number of real estate and real estate-related products, primarily for clients, and originate loans secured by commercial and residential properties. As of

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December 31, 2019, our real estate loans as reported to the SNB totaled approximately CHF 148 billion. We also securitize and trade in commercial and residential real estate and real estate-related whole loans, mortgages and other real estate and commercial assets and products, including CMBS and RMBS. Our real estate-related businesses and risk exposures could be adversely affected by any downturn in real estate markets, other sectors and the economy as a whole. In particular, the risk of potential price corrections in the real estate market in certain areas of Switzerland could have a material adverse effect on our real estate-related businesses.

Holding large and concentrated positions may expose us to large losses

Concentrations of risk could increase losses, given that we have sizeable loans to, and securities holdings in, certain customers, industries or countries. Decreasing economic growth in any sector in which we make significant commitments, for example, through underwriting, lending or advisory services, could also negatively affect our net revenues.

We have significant risk concentration in the financial services industry as a result of the large volume of transactions we routinely conduct with broker-dealers, banks, funds and other financial institutions, and in the ordinary conduct of our business, we may be subject to risk concentration with a particular counterparty. In addition, we, and other financial institutions, may pose systemic risk in a financial or credit crisis, and may be vulnerable to market sentiment and confidence, particularly during periods of severe economic stress. We, like other financial institutions, continue to adapt our practices and operations in consultation with our regulators to better address an evolving understanding of our exposure to, and management of, systemic risk and risk concentration to financial institutions. Regulators continue to focus on these risks, and there are numerous new regulations and government proposals, and significant ongoing regulatory uncertainty, about how best to address them. There can be no assurance that the changes in our industry, operations, practices and regulation will be effective in managing these risks.

> Refer to “Regulation and supervision” for further information.

Risk concentration may cause us to suffer losses even when economic and market conditions are generally favorable for others in our industry.

Our hedging strategies may not prevent losses

If any of the variety of instruments and strategies we use to hedge our exposure to various types of risk in our businesses is not effective, we may incur losses. We may be unable to purchase hedges or be only partially hedged, or our hedging strategies may not be fully effective in mitigating our risk exposure in all market environments or against all types of risk.

Market risk may increase the other risks that we face

In addition to the potentially adverse effects on our businesses described above, market risk could exacerbate the other risks that we face. For example, if we were to incur substantial trading losses, our need for liquidity could rise sharply while our access to liquidity could be impaired. In conjunction with another market downturn, our customers and counterparties could also incur substantial losses of their own, thereby weakening their financial condition and increasing our credit and counterparty risk exposure to them.

We may suffer significant losses from our credit exposures

Our businesses are subject to the fundamental risk that borrowers and other counterparties will be unable to perform their obligations. Our credit exposures exist across a wide range of transactions that we engage in with a large number of clients and counterparties, including lending relationships, commitments and letters of credit, as well as derivative, currency exchange and other transactions. Our exposure to credit risk can be exacerbated by adverse economic or market trends, as well as increased volatility in relevant markets or instruments. For example, adverse economic effects arising from the COVID-19 outbreak, such as disruptions to economic activity and global supply chains, will likely negatively impact the creditworthiness of certain counterparties and result in increased credit losses for our businesses. In addition, disruptions in the liquidity or transparency of the financial markets may result in our inability to sell, syndicate or realize the value of our positions, thereby leading to increased concentrations. Any inability to reduce these positions may not only increase the market and credit risks associated with such positions, but also increase the level of risk-weighted assets on our balance sheet, thereby increasing our capital requirements, all of which could adversely affect our businesses.

> Refer to “Credit risk” in III – Treasury, Risk, Balance sheet and Off-balance sheet – Risk management – Risk coverage and management for information on management of credit risk.

Our regular review of the creditworthiness of clients and counterparties for credit losses does not depend on the accounting treatment of the asset or commitment. Changes in creditworthiness of loans and loan commitments that are fair valued are reflected in trading revenues.

Management’s determination of the provision for loan losses is subject to significant judgment. Our banking businesses may need to increase their provisions for loan losses or may record losses in excess of the previously determined provisions if our original estimates of loss prove inadequate, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations. Credit Suisse adopted the “Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments” (ASU 2016-13) accounting standard and its subsequent amendments on January 1, 2020 and will incorporate forward-looking information and macroeconomic factors into its credit loss estimates applying the modified retrospective approach. Furthermore, the effects surrounding the outbreak of COVID-19 or other negative economic developments will likely have an adverse effect on the Group’s credit loss estimates and goodwill assessments in the future, which could have a significant impact on our results of operations.

> Refer to “Accounting developments” in II – Operating and financial review – Credit Suisse – Other information, “Credit risk” in III – Treasury, Risk, Balance sheet and Off-balance sheet – Risk management – Risk coverage and management and “Note 1 – Summary of significant accounting policies”, “Note 9 – Provision for credit losses” and “Note 19 – Loans, allowance for loan losses and credit quality” in VI – Consolidated financial statements – Credit Suisse Group for further information.

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Under certain circumstances, we may assume long-term credit risk, extend credit against illiquid collateral and price derivative instruments aggressively based on the credit risks that we take. As a result of these risks, our capital and liquidity requirements may continue to increase.

Defaults by one or more large financial institutions could adversely affect financial markets generally and us specifically

Concerns, rumors about or an actual default by one institution could lead to significant liquidity problems, losses or defaults by other institutions because the commercial soundness of many financial institutions may be closely related as a result of credit, trading, clearing or other relationships between institutions. This risk is sometimes referred to as systemic risk. Concerns about defaults by and failures of many financial institutions, including those in or with significant exposure to the eurozone, could lead to losses or defaults by financial institutions and financial intermediaries with which we interact on a daily basis, such as clearing agencies, clearing houses, banks, securities firms and exchanges. Our credit risk exposure will also increase if the collateral we hold cannot be realized or can only be liquidated at prices insufficient to cover the full amount of the exposure.

The information that we use to manage our credit risk may be inaccurate or incomplete

Although we regularly review our credit exposure to specific clients and counterparties and to specific industries, countries and regions that we believe may present credit concerns, default risk may arise from events or circumstances that are difficult to foresee or detect, such as fraud. We may also lack correct and complete information with respect to the credit or trading risks of a counterparty or risk associated with specific industries, countries and regions or misinterpret such information that is received or otherwise incorrectly assess a given risk situation. Additionally, there can be no assurance that measures instituted to manage such risk will be effective in all instances.

Strategy risk

We may not achieve all of the expected benefits of our strategic initiatives

At the end of 2018, we completed our three-year restructuring program, which was designed to implement a new strategic direction, structure and organization of the Group. Following the completion of our restructuring program, we have continued our efforts to achieve our strategic objectives, which are based on a number of key assumptions regarding the future economic environment, the economic growth of certain geographic regions, the regulatory landscape, our ability to meet certain financial goals, anticipated interest rates and central bank action, among other things. If any of these assumptions (including but not limited to our ability to meet certain financial goals) prove inaccurate in whole or in part, our ability to achieve some or all of the expected benefits of our strategy could be limited, including our ability to retain key employees, distribute net income to our shareholders as planned through a sustainable ordinary dividend and share buyback program or achieve our other goals, such as those in relation to return on tangible equity or cost savings. In addition, the Group depends on dividends, distributions and other payments from its subsidiaries to fund external dividends payments and share buybacks. Factors beyond our control, including but not limited to market and economic conditions, changes in laws, rules or regulations, including the application of regulations issued by the US Internal Revenue Service related to BEAT, execution risk related to the implementation of our strategy and other challenges and risk factors discussed in this report, could limit our ability to achieve some or all of the expected benefits of this strategy. Capital payments from subsidiaries might be restricted as a result of regulatory, tax or other constraints. If we are unable to implement our strategy successfully in whole or in part or should the components of the strategy that are implemented fail to produce the expected benefits, our financial results and our share price may be materially and adversely affected.

> Refer to “Strategy” for further information on our strategic direction.

Additionally, part of our strategy has involved a change in focus within certain areas of our business, which may have unanticipated negative effects in other areas of the business and may result in an adverse effect on our business as a whole.

The implementation of our strategy may increase our exposure to certain risks, including but not limited to credit risks, market risks, operational risks and regulatory risks. We also seek to achieve certain financial goals, for example in relation to return on tangible equity, which may or may not be successful. There is no guarantee that we will be able to achieve these goals in the form described or at all. Finally, changes to the organizational structure of our business, as well as changes in personnel and management, may lead to temporary instability of our operations.

In addition, acquisitions and other similar transactions we undertake subject us to certain risks. Even though we review the records of companies we plan to acquire, it is generally not feasible for us to review all such records in detail. Even an in-depth review of records may not reveal existing or potential problems or permit us to become familiar enough with a business to fully assess its capabilities and deficiencies. As a result, we may assume unanticipated liabilities (including legal and compliance issues), or an acquired business may not perform as well as expected. We also face the risk that we will not be able to integrate acquisitions into our existing operations effectively as a result of, among other things, differing procedures, business practices and technology systems, as well as difficulties in adapting an acquired company into our organizational structure. We face the risk that the returns on acquisitions will not support the expenditures or indebtedness incurred to acquire such businesses or the capital expenditures needed to develop such businesses. We also face the risk that unsuccessful acquisitions will ultimately result in our having to write down or write off any goodwill associated with such transactions. We continue to have a significant amount of goodwill relating to our acquisition of Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette Inc. and other transactions recorded on our balance sheet that could result in additional goodwill impairment charges.

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We may also seek to engage in new joint ventures (within the Group and with external parties) and strategic alliances. Although we endeavor to identify appropriate partners, our joint venture efforts may prove unsuccessful or may not justify our investment and other commitments.

Country and currency exchange risk

Country risks may increase market and credit risks we face

Country, regional and political risks are components of market and credit risk. Financial markets and economic conditions generally have been and may in the future be materially affected by such risks. Economic or political pressures in a country or region, including those arising from local market disruptions, currency crises, monetary controls or other factors, may adversely affect the ability of clients or counterparties located in that country or region to obtain foreign currency or credit and, therefore, to perform their obligations to us, which in turn may have an adverse impact on our results of operations.

We may face significant losses in emerging markets

An element of our strategy is to increase our private banking businesses in emerging market countries. Our implementation of that strategy will necessarily increase our existing exposure to economic instability in those countries. We monitor these risks, seek diversity in the sectors in which we invest and emphasize client-driven business. Our efforts at limiting emerging market risk, however, may not always succeed. In addition, various emerging market countries have experienced and may continue to experience severe economic, financial and political disruptions or slower economic growth than in prior years. In addition, sanctions have been imposed on certain individuals and companies and further sanctions are possible. The possible effects of any such disruptions may include an adverse impact on our businesses and increased volatility in financial markets generally.

Currency fluctuations may adversely affect our results of operations

We are exposed to risk from fluctuations in exchange rates for currencies, particularly the US dollar. In particular, a substantial portion of our assets and liabilities are denominated in currencies other than the Swiss franc, which is the primary currency of our financial reporting. Our capital is also stated in Swiss francs, and we do not fully hedge our capital position against changes in currency exchange rates. The Swiss franc was strong against the US dollar and the euro in 2019.

As we incur a significant part of our expenses in Swiss francs while we generate a large proportion of our revenues in other currencies, our earnings are sensitive to changes in the exchange rates between the Swiss franc and other major currencies. Although we have implemented a number of measures designed to offset the impact of exchange rate fluctuations on our results of operations, the appreciation of the Swiss franc in particular and exchange rate volatility in general have had an adverse impact on our results of operations and capital position in recent years and may have such an effect in the future.

Operational, risk management and estimation risks

We are exposed to a wide variety of operational risks, including cybersecurity and other information technology risks

Operational risk is the risk of financial loss arising from inadequate or failed internal processes, people or systems or from external events. In general, although we have business continuity plans, our businesses face a wide variety of operational risks, including technology risk that stems from dependencies on information technology, third-party suppliers and the telecommunications infrastructure as well as from the interconnectivity of multiple financial institutions with central agents, exchanges and clearing houses. As a global financial services company, we rely heavily on our financial, accounting and other data processing systems, which are varied and complex, and we may face additional technology risks due to the global nature of our operations. Our business depends on our ability to process a large volume of diverse and complex transactions, including derivatives transactions, which have increased in volume and complexity. We may rely on automation, robotic processing, machine learning and artificial intelligence for certain operations, and this reliance may increase in the future with corresponding advancements in technology, which could expose us to additional cybersecurity risks. We are exposed to operational risk arising from errors made in the execution, confirmation or settlement of transactions or from transactions not being properly recorded or accounted for. Cybersecurity and other information technology risks for financial institutions have significantly increased in recent years and we may face an increased risk of cyber attacks or heightened risks associated with a lesser degree of data and intellectual property protection in certain foreign jurisdictions in which we operate. Regulatory requirements in these areas have increased and are expected to increase further.

Information security, data confidentiality and integrity are of critical importance to our businesses, and there has been recent regulatory scrutiny on the ability of companies to safeguard personal information of individuals. Despite our wide array of security measures to protect the confidentiality, integrity and availability of our systems and information, it is not always possible to anticipate the evolving threat landscape and mitigate all risks to our systems and information. We could also be affected by risks to the systems and information of clients, vendors, service providers, counterparties and other third parties. In addition, we may introduce new products or services or change processes, resulting in new operational risk that we may not fully appreciate or identify.

These threats may derive from human error, fraud or malice, or may result from accidental technological failure. There may also be attempts to fraudulently induce employees, clients, third parties or other users of our systems to disclose sensitive information in order to gain access to our data or that of our clients.

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We and other financial institutions have been subject to cyber attacks, information or security breaches and other forms of attacks. We expect to continue to be the target of such attacks in the future. In the event of a cyber attack, information or security breach or technology failure, we may experience operational issues, the infiltration of payment systems or the unauthorized release, gathering, monitoring, misuse, loss or destruction of confidential, proprietary and other information relating to Credit Suisse, our clients, vendors, service providers, counterparties or other third parties. Given our global footprint and the high volume of transactions we process, the large number of clients, partners and counterparties with which we do business, our growing use of digital, mobile and internet-based services, and the increasing frequency, sophistication and evolving nature of cyber attacks, a cyber attack, information or security breach or technology failure may occur without detection for an extended period of time. In addition, we expect that any investigation of a cyber attack, information or security breach or technology failure will be inherently unpredictable and it may take time before any investigation is complete. During such time, we may not know the extent of the harm or how best to remediate it and certain errors or actions may be repeated or compounded before they are discovered and rectified, all or any of which would further increase the costs and consequences of a cyber attack, information or security breach or technology failure.

If any of our systems do not operate properly or are compromised as a result of cyber attacks, information or security breaches, technology failures, unauthorized access, loss or destruction of data, unavailability of service, computer viruses or other events that could have an adverse security impact, we could be subject to litigation or suffer financial loss not covered by insurance, a disruption of our businesses, liability to our clients, damage to relationships with our vendors, regulatory intervention or reputational damage. Any such event could also require us to expend significant additional resources to modify our protective measures or to investigate and remediate vulnerabilities or other exposures. We may also be required to expend resources to comply with new and increasingly expansive regulatory requirements related to cybersecurity.

We may suffer losses due to employee misconduct

Our businesses are exposed to risk from potential non-compliance with policies or regulations, employee misconduct or negligence and fraud, which could result in civil, regulatory or criminal investigations and charges, regulatory sanctions and serious reputational or financial harm. In recent years, a number of multinational financial institutions have suffered material losses due to, for example, the actions of traders performing unauthorized trades or other employee misconduct. It is not always possible to deter employee misconduct and the precautions we take to prevent and detect this activity may not always be effective.

Our risk management procedures and policies may not always be effective

We have risk management procedures and policies designed to manage our risk. These techniques and policies, however, may not always be effective, particularly in highly volatile markets. We continue to adapt our risk management techniques, in particular value-at-risk and economic capital, which rely on historical data, to reflect changes in the financial and credit markets. No risk management procedures can anticipate every market development or event, and our risk management procedures and hedging strategies, and the judgments behind them, may not fully mitigate our risk exposure in all markets or against all types of risk.

> Refer to “Risk management” in III – Treasury, Risk, Balance sheet and Off-balance sheet for information on our risk management.

Our actual results may differ from our estimates and valuations

We make estimates and valuations that affect our reported results, including measuring the fair value of certain assets and liabilities, establishing provisions for contingencies and losses for loans, litigation and regulatory proceedings, accounting for goodwill and intangible asset impairments, evaluating our ability to realize deferred tax assets, valuing equity-based compensation awards, modeling our risk exposure and calculating expenses and liabilities associated with our pension plans. These estimates are based on judgment and available information, and our actual results may differ materially from these estimates.

> Refer to “Critical accounting estimates” in II – Operating and financial review and “Note 1 – Summary of significant accounting policies” in VI – Consolidated financial statements – Credit Suisse Group for information on these estimates and valuations.

Our estimates and valuations rely on models and processes to predict economic conditions and market or other events that might affect the ability of counterparties to perform their obligations to us or impact the value of assets. To the extent our models and processes become less predictive due to unforeseen market conditions, illiquidity or volatility, our ability to make accurate estimates and valuations could be adversely affected.

Our accounting treatment of off-balance sheet entities may change

We enter into transactions with special purpose entities (SPEs) in our normal course of business, and certain SPEs with which we transact business are not consolidated and their assets and liabilities are off-balance sheet. We may have to exercise significant management judgment in applying relevant accounting consolidation standards, either initially or after the occurrence of certain events that may require us to reassess whether consolidation is required. Accounting standards relating to consolidation, and their interpretation, have changed and may continue to change. If we are required to consolidate an SPE, its assets and liabilities would be recorded on our consolidated balance sheets and we would recognize related gains and losses in our consolidated statements of operations, and this could have an adverse impact on our results of operations and capital and leverage ratios.

> Refer to “Off-balance sheet” in III – Treasury, Risk, Balance sheet and Off-balance sheet – Balance sheet and off-balance sheet for information on our transactions with and commitments to SPEs.

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Legal and regulatory risks

Our exposure to legal liability is significant

We face significant legal risks in our businesses, and the volume and amount of damages claimed in litigation, regulatory proceedings and other adversarial proceedings against financial services firms continue to increase in many of the principal markets in which we operate.

We and our subsidiaries are subject to a number of material legal proceedings, regulatory actions and investigations, and an adverse result in one or more of these proceedings could have a material adverse effect on our operating results for any particular period, depending, in part, upon our results for such period.

> Refer to “Note 39 – Litigation” in VI – Consolidated financial statements – Credit Suisse Group for information relating to these and other legal and regulatory proceedings involving our investment banking and other businesses.

It is inherently difficult to predict the outcome of many of the legal, regulatory and other adversarial proceedings involving our businesses, particularly those cases in which the matters are brought on behalf of various classes of claimants, seek damages of unspecified or indeterminate amounts or involve novel legal claims. Management is required to establish, increase or release reserves for losses that are probable and reasonably estimable in connection with these matters, all of which requires significant judgment.

> Refer to “Critical accounting estimates” in II – Operating and financial review and “Note 1 – Summary of significant accounting policies” in VI – Consolidated financial statements – Credit Suisse Group for further information.

Regulatory changes may adversely affect our business and ability to execute our strategic plans

In many areas of our business, we are subject to extensive regulation by governmental agencies, supervisory authorities and self-regulatory organizations in Switzerland, the EU, the UK, the US and other jurisdictions in which we operate. We expect to face increasingly extensive and complex regulation and regulatory scrutiny and possible enforcement. In recent years, costs related to our compliance with these requirements and the penalties and fines sought and imposed on the financial services industry by regulatory authorities have increased significantly. We expect such increased regulation and enforcement to continue to increase our costs, including, but not limited to, costs related to compliance, systems and operations, and to negatively affect our ability to conduct certain types of business. These increased costs and negative impacts on our business could adversely affect our profitability and competitive position. These regulations often serve to limit our activities, including through the application of increased or enhanced capital, leverage and liquidity requirements, the implementation of additional capital surcharges for risks related to operational, litigation, regulatory and similar matters, customer protection and market conduct regulations and direct or indirect restrictions on the businesses in which we may operate or invest. Such limitations can have a negative effect on our business and our ability to implement strategic initiatives. To the extent we are required to divest certain businesses, we could incur losses, as we may be forced to sell such businesses at a discount, which in certain instances could be substantial, as a result of both the constrained timing of such sales and the possibility that other financial institutions are liquidating similar investments at the same time.

Since 2008, regulators and governments have focused on the reform of the financial services industry, including enhanced capital, leverage and liquidity requirements, changes in compensation practices (including tax levies) and measures to address systemic risk, including ring-fencing certain activities and operations within specific legal entities. These regulations and requirements could require us to reduce assets held in certain subsidiaries or inject capital or other funds into or otherwise change our operations or the structure of our subsidiaries and the Group. Differences in the details and implementation of such regulations may further negatively affect us, as certain requirements are currently not expected to apply equally to all of our competitors or to be implemented uniformly across jurisdictions.

Moreover, as a number of these requirements are currently being finalized, their regulatory impact may further increase in the future and their ultimate impact cannot be predicted at this time. For example, the Basel III reforms are still being finalized and implemented and/or phased in, as applicable. The additional requirements related to minimum regulatory capital, leverage ratios and liquidity measures imposed by Basel III, as implemented in Switzerland, together with more stringent requirements imposed by the Swiss legislation and their application by FINMA, and the related implementing ordinances and actions by our regulators, have contributed to our decision to reduce risk-weighted assets and the size of our balance sheet, and could potentially impact our access to capital markets and increase our funding costs. In addition, the ongoing implementation in the US of the Dodd-Frank Act, including the “Volcker Rule”, derivatives regulation, and other regulatory developments, have imposed, and will continue to impose, new regulatory duties on certain of our operations. These requirements have contributed to our decision to exit certain businesses (including a number of our private equity businesses) and may lead us to exit other businesses. Recent CFTC, SEC and Fed rules and proposals have materially increased, or could in the future materially increase, the operating costs, including margin requirements, compliance, information technology and related costs, associated with our derivatives businesses with US persons, while at the same time making it more difficult for us to operate a derivatives business outside the US. Further, in 2014, the Fed adopted a final rule under the Dodd-Frank Act that introduced a new framework for regulation of the US operations of foreign banking organizations such as ours. Certain aspects of the framework are still to be implemented. Implementation is expected to continue to result in us incurring additional costs and to affect the way we conduct our business in the US, including through our US IHC. Further, current and possible future cross-border tax regulation with extraterritorial effect, such as FATCA, and other bilateral or multilateral tax treaties and agreements on the automatic exchange of information in tax matters, impose detailed reporting obligations and increased compliance and systems-related costs on our businesses. In addition, the US tax reform enacted on December 22, 2017 introduced substantial changes to the US tax system, including the lowering of the

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corporate tax rate and the introduction of BEAT. Additionally, implementation of CRD V, IFD/IFR, MiFID II and MiFIR and their Swiss counterpart, the Federal Financial Services Act (FinSA), and other reforms may negatively affect our business activities. Whether or not the FinSA, together with supporting or implementing ordinances and regulations, will be deemed equivalent to MiFID II, currently remains uncertain. Swiss banks, including us, may accordingly be limited from participating in certain businesses regulated by MiFID II. Finally, we expect that TLAC requirements, which took effect on January 1, 2019 in Switzerland and the US, as well as in the UK, and are being finalized in many other jurisdictions, as well as new requirements and rules with respect to the internal total loss-absorbing capacity (iTLAC) of G-SIBs and their operating entities, may increase our cost of funding and restrict our ability to deploy capital and liquidity on a global basis as needed once the TLAC and iTLAC requirements are implemented across all relevant jurisdictions.

Our costs of monitoring and complying with frequent and complex changes to sanctions requirements have increased, and there is an increased risk that we will not identify prohibited activities in a timely manner.

> Refer to “Sanctions” in Regulation and supervision – Recent regulatory developments and proposals – US for further information.

We expect the financial services industry and its members, including us, to continue to be affected by the significant uncertainty over the scope and content of regulatory reform in 2020 and beyond, in particular, uncertainty in relation to the future US regulatory agenda and potential changes in regulation following the UK withdrawal from the EU and the results of European and US national elections. Changes in laws, rules or regulations, or in their interpretation or enforcement, or the implementation of new laws, rules or regulations, may adversely affect our results of operations.

Despite our best efforts to comply with applicable regulations, a number of risks remain, particularly in areas where applicable regulations may be unclear or inconsistent across jurisdictions or where regulators or international bodies, organizations or unions revise their previous guidance or courts overturn previous rulings. Additionally, authorities in many jurisdictions have the power to bring administrative or judicial proceedings against us, which could result in, among other things, suspension or revocation of our licenses, cease and desist orders, fines, civil penalties, criminal penalties or other disciplinary action that could materially adversely affect our results of operations and seriously harm our reputation.

> Refer to “Regulation and supervision” for a description of our regulatory regime and a summary of some of the significant regulatory and government reform proposals affecting the financial services industry as well as to “Liquidity and funding management” and “Capital management” in III – Treasury, Risk, Balance sheet and Off-balance sheet for information regarding our current regulatory framework and expected changes to this framework affecting capital and liquidity standards.

Swiss resolution proceedings and resolution planning requirements may affect our shareholders and creditors

Pursuant to Swiss banking laws, FINMA has broad powers and discretion in the case of resolution proceedings with respect to a Swiss bank, such as Credit Suisse AG or Credit Suisse (Schweiz) AG, and to a Swiss parent company of a financial group, such as Credit Suisse Group AG. These broad powers include the power to open restructuring proceedings with respect to Credit Suisse AG, Credit Suisse (Schweiz) AG or Credit Suisse Group AG and, in connection therewith, cancel the outstanding equity of the entity subject to such proceedings, convert such entity’s debt instruments and other liabilities into equity and/or cancel such debt instruments and other liabilities, in each case, in whole or in part, and stay (for a maximum of two business days) certain rights under contracts to which such entity is a party, as well as the power to order protective measures, including the deferment of payments, and institute liquidation proceedings with respect to Credit Suisse AG, Credit Suisse (Schweiz) AG or Credit Suisse Group AG. The scope of such powers and discretion and the legal mechanisms that would be utilized are subject to development and interpretation.

We are currently subject to resolution planning requirements in Switzerland, the US and the UK and may face similar requirements in other jurisdictions. If a resolution plan is determined by the relevant authority to be inadequate, relevant regulations may allow the authority to place limitations on the scope or size of our business in that jurisdiction, require us to hold higher amounts of capital or liquidity, require us to divest assets or subsidiaries or to change our legal structure or business to remove the relevant impediments to resolution.

> Refer to “Recent regulatory developments and proposals – Switzerland” and “Regulatory framework – Switzerland – Resolution regime” in Regulation and supervision for a description of the current resolution regime under Swiss banking laws as it applies to Credit Suisse AG, Credit Suisse (Schweiz) AG and Credit Suisse Group AG.

Any conversion of our convertible capital instruments would dilute the ownership interests of existing shareholders

Under Swiss regulatory capital rules, we are required to issue a significant amount of contingent capital instruments, certain of which would convert into common equity upon the occurrence of specified triggering events, including our CET1 ratio falling below prescribed thresholds (7% in the case of high-trigger instruments), or a determination by FINMA that conversion is necessary, or that we require extraordinary public sector capital support, to prevent us from becoming insolvent. As of December 31, 2019, we had 2,436.2 million common shares outstanding and we had issued in the aggregate an equivalent of CHF 1.5 billion in principal amount of such contingent convertible capital instruments, and we may issue more such contingent convertible capital instruments in the future. The conversion of some or all of our contingent convertible capital instruments due to the occurrence of any of such triggering events would result in the dilution of the ownership interests of our then existing shareholders, which dilution could be substantial. Additionally, any conversion, or the anticipation of the possibility of a conversion, could depress the market price of our ordinary shares.

> Refer to “Contingent convertible capital instruments” in III – Treasury, Risk, Balance sheet and Off-balance sheet – Capital management – Capital instruments for further information on the triggering events related to our contingent convertible capital instruments.

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Changes in monetary policy are beyond our control and difficult to predict

We are affected by the monetary policies adopted by the central banks and regulatory authorities of Switzerland, the US and other countries. The actions of the SNB and other central banking authorities directly impact our cost of funds for lending, capital raising and investment activities and may impact the value of financial instruments we hold and the competitive and operating environment for the financial services industry. Many central banks, including the Fed, have implemented significant changes to their monetary policy or have experienced significant changes in their management and may implement or experience further changes. We cannot predict whether these changes will have a material adverse effect on us or our operations. In addition, changes in monetary policy may affect the credit quality of our customers. Any changes in monetary policy are beyond our control and difficult to predict.

Legal restrictions on our clients may reduce the demand for our services

We may be materially affected not only by regulations applicable to us as a financial services company, but also by regulations and changes in enforcement practices applicable to our clients. Our business could be affected by, among other things, existing and proposed tax legislation, antitrust and competition policies, corporate governance initiatives and other governmental regulations and policies, and changes in the interpretation or enforcement of existing laws and rules that affect business and the financial markets. For example, focus on tax compliance and changes in enforcement practices could lead to further asset outflows from our private banking businesses.

Competition

We face intense competition

We face intense competition in all financial services markets and for the products and services we offer. Consolidation through mergers, acquisitions, alliances and cooperation, including as a result of financial distress, has increased competitive pressures. Competition is based on many factors, including the products and services offered, pricing, distribution systems, customer service, brand recognition, perceived financial strength and the willingness to use capital to serve client needs. Consolidation has created a number of firms that, like us, have the ability to offer a wide range of products, from loans and deposit taking to brokerage, investment banking and asset management services. Some of these firms may be able to offer a broader range of products than we do, or offer such products at more competitive prices. Current market conditions have resulted in significant changes in the competitive landscape in our industry as many institutions have merged, altered the scope of their business, declared bankruptcy, received government assistance or changed their regulatory status, which will affect how they conduct their business. In addition, current market conditions have had a fundamental impact on client demand for products and services. Some new competitors in the financial technology sector have sought to target existing segments of our businesses that could be susceptible to disruption by innovative or less regulated business models. Emerging technology may also result in further competition in the markets in which we operate, for example, by allowing e-commerce firms or other companies to provide products and services similar to ours at a lower price or in a more competitive manner in terms of customer convenience. We can give no assurance that our results of operations will not be adversely affected.

Our competitive position could be harmed if our reputation is damaged

In the highly competitive environment arising from globalization and convergence in the financial services industry, a reputation for financial strength and integrity is critical to our performance, including our ability to attract and retain clients and employees. Our reputation could be harmed if our comprehensive procedures and controls fail, or appear to fail, to address conflicts of interest, prevent employee misconduct, produce materially accurate and complete financial and other information or prevent adverse legal or regulatory actions.

> Refer to “Reputational risk” in III – Treasury, Risk, Balance sheet and Off-balance sheet – Risk management – Risk coverage and management for further information.

We must recruit and retain highly skilled employees

Our performance is largely dependent on the talents and efforts of highly skilled individuals. Competition for qualified employees is intense. We have devoted considerable resources to recruiting, training and compensating employees. Our continued ability to compete effectively in our businesses depends on our ability to attract new employees and to retain and motivate our existing employees. The continued public focus on compensation practices in the financial services industry, and related regulatory changes, may have an adverse impact on our ability to attract and retain highly skilled employees. In particular, limits on the amount and form of executive compensation imposed by regulatory initiatives, including the Swiss Ordinance Against Excessive Compensation with respect to Listed Stock Corporations (Compensation Ordinance) in Switzerland and the CRD IV (as amended by CRD V) in the UK, could potentially have an adverse impact on our ability to retain certain of our most highly skilled employees and hire new qualified employees in certain businesses.

We face competition from new trading technologies

Our businesses face competitive challenges from new trading technologies, including trends towards direct access to automated and electronic markets, and the move to more automated trading platforms. Such technologies and trends may adversely affect our commission and trading revenues, exclude our businesses from certain transaction flows, reduce our participation in the trading markets and the associated access to market information and lead to the creation of new and stronger competitors. We have made, and may continue to be required to make, significant additional expenditures to develop and support new trading systems or otherwise invest in technology to maintain our competitive position.

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Operating environment

Global economic growth weakened in 2019. Global equity markets ended the year significantly higher. Major government bond yields were generally lower, and the US dollar had a mixed performance against major currencies in 2019.

Economic environment

Global economic growth weakened in 2019 as ongoing trade uncertainty weighed on global manufacturing, trade and investment. Labor markets remained robust, with unemployment rates continuing to decrease in major developed economies. In the US, strong household consumption supported a solid rate of GDP growth and core inflation remained close to its 2% target. Growth slowed more sharply in the eurozone, as high exposure to weak external demand weighed on the manufacturing sector and core inflation remained subdued. Chinese economic data suggested an ongoing slowdown, despite policy stimulus throughout the year. Growth also slowed in a range of emerging economies.

Global monetary policy eased in 2019. The US Federal Reserve (Fed) lowered the target range for the federal funds rate three times, finishing the year at 1.50% to 1.75%. The European Central Bank (ECB) restarted asset purchases, introduced new long-term lending operations and cut the deposit rate to negative 0.5%. The Swiss National Bank kept policy rates unchanged. Elsewhere in developed markets, the Bank of Canada, the Bank of England and the Bank of Japan all left interest rates unchanged. In emerging markets, a range of central banks lowered interest rates, including in Mexico, South Korea, India and Brazil.

Global equities moved significantly higher in 2019, despite mounting economic growth concerns throughout the year amid elevated geopolitical uncertainty. Global equities appreciated 27%, driven by a sharp reversal of monetary policy conditions globally, especially by the Fed, which lowered interest rates and improved liquidity conditions. US and Swiss equities outperformed global equities, while Japanese and emerging markets underperformed. European equities were mostly in line with global equities (refer to the charts under “Equity markets”). Among sectors, information technology was the top performer with a 46% increase, followed by industrials and telecom services. The energy sector was the worst performer, followed by utilities, materials and real estate. Equity market volatility, as measured by the Chicago Board Options Exchange Market Volatility Index (VIX), trended lower in 2019, from the initially elevated levels at the beginning of the year. The Credit Suisse Hedge Fund Index increased 9% in 2019.

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In fixed income, bonds delivered strong returns as a result of accommodative central bank policies in both developed and emerging markets and weaker economic growth data. In US dollar rates, the spread between the 10-year and 3-month US treasury yields turned positive again in 4Q19. In euro and Swiss franc rates, the yield curve remained low across all maturities (refer to the charts under “Yield curves”). In credit, both global developed and emerging market corporate bonds showed strong positive returns, as did emerging market sovereign bonds (refer to the charts “Credit spreads”).

Among major currencies, the US dollar advanced against most other major currencies especially during the first nine months of the year. The decline in the euro was driven by the continued economic deterioration in the eurozone and political uncertainty in some member countries. The Swiss franc and the Japanese yen were strong against the US dollar and the euro. The British pound showed increased volatility throughout the year, mainly driven by political factors such as the uncertainty around the process of the UK withdrawal from the EU and UK elections but ended 2019 as one of the strongest performers against the US dollar. Emerging market currencies had a mixed performance. Against the US dollar, the Russian ruble was the strongest performer and the Argentine peso declined the most amid rising debt default fears, rampant inflation and domestic recession.

The Credit Suisse Commodity Benchmark ended the year with a strong finish and increased 19% overall. Energy markets, and crude oil in particular, recorded the strongest recovery during 2019 as temporary disruptions and additional oil supply cuts by OPEC helped reduce oversupply concerns. Precious metals also outperformed the benchmark amid low real interest rates globally, which spurred strong investor demand. Prices for industrial metals rose as well but not as much as other segments given that trade disputes and increased tariffs weighed on global manufacturing activity. Agricultural prices ended the year with little change.

Market volumes (growth in % year on year)
2019	Global	Europe
Equity trading volume  1	(12)	(17)
Announced mergers and acquisitions  2	(2)	(23)
Completed mergers and acquisitions  2	(15)	(14)
Equity underwriting  2	(5)	(25)
Debt underwriting  2	17	4
Syndicated lending – investment grade  2	(10)	–
1 London Stock Exchange, Borsa Italiana, Deutsche Börse and BME. Global also includes ICE and NASDAQ.
2 Dealogic.

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Sector environment

World bank stocks performed well overall despite underperforming against global equity markets in 2019. European bank stocks underperformed world bank stocks in particular in the third quarter of 2019. At the end of 2019, world bank stocks traded 23% higher compared to 2018 (refer to the charts under “Equity markets”).

In private banking, the industry has experienced a long-term fundamental growth trend fueled by economic growth and a generally supportive investment environment. Overall, both equity markets and fixed income markets had one of their strongest annual performances in decades despite challenges, including changes to monetary policy by central banks responding to a weaker economic outlook and worry over the threat from greater protectionism among the largest trade partners. In addition, the private banking sector continued to face pressure as it adapts to structural and regulatory changes while pursuing new opportunities and efficiencies arising from digital technology.

In investment banking, global and European equity trading volumes decreased compared to 2018. Announced and completed mergers & acquisitions (M&A) volumes decreased globally and in Europe. Global and European equity underwriting volumes were lower compared to 2018. Debt underwriting increased globally and in Europe. US fixed income trading volumes increased, mainly driven by an increase in mortgage-backed securities and treasury volumes.

COVID-19

The rapid spread of COVID-19 inside China in February 2020 and across the world in March 2020 led to the introduction of tight government controls and travel bans, as well as the implementation of other measures which quickly closed down activity and increased economic disruption globally. Markets globally were negatively impacted, with the energy, travel and tourism and transportation sectors, as well as companies with close links to China’s economy, being the worst affected so far. COVID-19 is expected to have a significant impact on the global economy, at least in the first half of 2020, and is likely to affect the Group’s financial performance, including credit loss estimates, trading revenues, net interest income and potential goodwill assessments. We are closely monitoring the spread of COVID-19 and the potential effects on our operations and business.

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Credit Suisse

In 2019, we recorded net income attributable to shareholders of CHF 3,419 million. Return on equity and return on tangible equity were 7.7% and 8.7%, respectively. As of the end of 2019, our CET1 ratio was 12.7%.

Results
	in / end of			% change
	2019	2018	2017	19 / 18	18 / 17
Statements of operations (CHF million)
Net interest income	7,017	7,009	6,557	0	7
Commissions and fees	11,158	11,890	11,817	(6)	1
Trading revenues  1	1,739	624	1,317	179	(53)
Other revenues	2,570	1,397	1,209	84	16
Net revenues	22,484	20,920	20,900	7	0
Provision for credit losses	324	245	210	32	17
Compensation and benefits	10,036	9,620	10,367	4	(7)
General and administrative expenses	6,128	5,798	6,645	6	(13)
Commission expenses	1,276	1,259	1,430	1	(12)
Restructuring expenses	–	626	455	–	38
Total other operating expenses	7,404	7,683	8,530	(4)	(10)
Total operating expenses	17,440	17,303	18,897	1	(8)
Income before taxes	4,720	3,372	1,793	40	88
Income tax expense	1,295	1,361	2,741	(5)	(50)
Net income/(loss)	3,425	2,011	(948)	70	–
Net income/(loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests	6	(13)	35	–	–
Net income/(loss) attributable to shareholders	3,419	2,024	(983)	69	–
Statement of operations metrics (%)
Return on regulatory capital	10.5	7.4	3.9	–	–
Cost/income ratio	77.6	82.7	90.4	–	–
Effective tax rate	27.4	40.4	152.9	–	–
Earnings per share (CHF)
Basic earnings/(loss) per share	1.35	0.79	(0.41)	71	–
Diluted earnings/(loss) per share	1.32	0.77	(0.41)	71	–
Return on equity (%)
Return on equity	7.7	4.7	(2.3)	–	–
Return on tangible equity  2	8.7	5.4	(2.6)	–	–
Book value per share (CHF)
Book value per share	17.91	17.22	16.43	4	5
Tangible book value per share  2	15.88	15.27	14.48	4	5
Balance sheet statistics (CHF million)
Total assets	787,295	768,916	796,289	2	(3)
Risk-weighted assets	290,463	284,582	271,680	2	5
Leverage exposure	909,994	881,386	916,525	3	(4)
Number of employees (full-time equivalents)
Number of employees	47,860	45,680	46,840	5	(2)
1 Represent revenues on a product basis which are not representative of business results within our business segments as segment results utilize financial instruments across various product types.
2 Based on tangible shareholders' equity, a non-GAAP financial measure, which is calculated by deducting goodwill and other intangible assets from total shareholders' equity as presented in our balance sheet. Management believes that these metrics are meaningful as they are measures used and relied upon by industry analysts and investors to assess valuations and capital adequacy.

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Corporate reporting developments

Beginning in 2019, the Strategic Resolution Unit ceased to exist as a separate division of the Group. The residual portfolio remaining as of December 31, 2018 is now managed in an Asset Resolution Unit and is separately disclosed within the Corporate Center. Certain activities such as legacy funding costs, legacy litigation provisions and noncontrolling interests without significant economic interest, which were previously part of the Strategic Resolution Unit, have been moved into the Corporate Center and are not reflected in the Asset Resolution Unit. Historical data for the Strategic Resolution Unit prior to January 1, 2019 has not been restated.

Results summary

2019 results

In 2019, Credit Suisse reported net income attributable to shareholders of CHF 3,419 million compared to CHF 2,024 million in 2018. In 2019, Credit Suisse reported income before taxes of CHF 4,720 million compared to CHF 3,372 million in 2018. The 2019 results reflected a 7% increase in net revenues and stable total operating expenses. Total operating expenses in 2019 included net litigation provisions of CHF 623 million, mainly in connection with mortgage-related matters. The 2018 results reflected CHF 626 million of restructuring expenses.

2018 results

In 2018, Credit Suisse reported net income attributable to shareholders of CHF 2,024 million compared to a net loss attributable to shareholders of CHF 983 million in 2017. The 2017 results included income tax expenses of CHF 2,741 million, mainly reflecting the re-assessment of deferred tax assets with an associated tax charge of CHF 2.3 billion, primarily resulting from a reduction in the US federal corporate tax rate following the enactment of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act in the US during the fourth quarter of 2017. In 2018, Credit Suisse reported income before taxes of CHF 3,372 million compared to CHF 1,793 million in 2017.

2019 results details

Net revenues

Compared to 2018, net revenues of CHF 22,484 million increased 7%, primarily reflecting higher net revenues in Global Markets, International Wealth Management and Swiss Universal Bank, partially offset by lower net revenues in Investment Banking & Capital Markets. The increase in net revenues in Global Markets was due to increases across fixed income and equity trading, with particular strength in its International Trading Solutions (ITS) franchise as Global Markets continued to focus on its institutional and wealth management clients. The increase in net revenues in International Wealth Management was mainly driven by higher other revenues including a SIX Group AG (SIX) equity investment revaluation gain (as described below), a gain related to the transfer of the Credit Suisse InvestLab AG (InvestLab) fund platform (as described below) and gains on the sale of real estate. The increase in net revenues in Swiss Universal Bank was mainly due to an increase in other revenues, primarily reflecting a SIX equity investment revaluation gain, gains on the sale of real estate, mainly reflected in Private Clients, and a gain related to the transfer of the InvestLab fund platform in Corporate & Institutional Clients. The decrease in net revenues in Investment Banking & Capital Markets was primarily driven by lower revenues from completed M&A transactions and a slowdown in leveraged finance activity across the market.

2019 included negative net revenues of CHF 431 million in the Corporate Center, which beginning in 2019 included the impact of the Asset Resolution Unit.

Provision for credit losses

In 2019, we recorded provision for credit losses of CHF 324 million, primarily reflecting provisions of CHF 110 million in Swiss Universal Bank, CHF 59 million in Investment Banking & Capital Markets, CHF 52 million in Global Markets, CHF 49 million in International Wealth Management and CHF 46 million in Asia Pacific.

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Overview of Results
in / end of	Swiss Universal Bank	International Wealth Management	Asia Pacific	Global Markets	Investment Banking & Capital Markets	Corporate Center	1	Strategic Resolution Unit	1	Credit Suisse
2019 (CHF million)
Net revenues	6,020	5,887	3,590	5,752	1,666	(431)		–		22,484
Provision for credit losses	110	49	46	52	59	8		–		324
Compensation and benefits	1,926	2,366	1,570	2,472	1,235	467		–		10,036
Total other operating expenses	1,287	1,334	1,072	2,272	534	905		–		7,404
of which general and administrative expenses	1,068	1,110	836	1,758	517	839		–		6,128
Total operating expenses	3,213	3,700	2,642	4,744	1,769	1,372		–		17,440
Income/(loss) before taxes	2,697	2,138	902	956	(162)	(1,811)		–		4,720
Return on regulatory capital	20.7	34.9	16.1	7.4	(4.5)	–		–		10.5
Cost/income ratio	53.4	62.9	73.6	82.5	106.2	–		–		77.6
Total assets	232,729	93,059	107,660	214,019	17,819	122,009		–		787,295
Goodwill	607	1,494	1,476	457	629	0		–		4,663
Risk-weighted assets	78,342	43,788	36,628	56,777	23,559	51,369		–		290,463
Leverage exposure	264,987	100,664	115,442	257,407	42,590	128,904		–		909,994
2018 (CHF million)
Net revenues	5,564	5,414	3,393	4,980	2,177	100		(708)		20,920
Provision for credit losses	126	35	35	24	24	0		1		245
Compensation and benefits	1,887	2,303	1,503	2,296	1,249	128		254		9,620
Total other operating expenses	1,426	1,371	1,191	2,506	560	211		418		7,683
of which general and administrative expenses	1,097	1,029	887	1,773	467	160		385		5,798
of which restructuring expenses	101	115	61	242	84	2		21		626
Total operating expenses	3,313	3,674	2,694	4,802	1,809	339		672		17,303
Income/(loss) before taxes	2,125	1,705	664	154	344	(239)		(1,381)		3,372
Return on regulatory capital	16.8	30.7	12.0	1.2	10.9	–		–		7.4
Cost/income ratio	59.5	67.9	79.4	96.4	83.1	–		–		82.7
Total assets	224,301	91,835	99,809	211,530	16,156	104,411		20,874		768,916
Goodwill	615	1,544	1,506	463	638	0		0		4,766
Risk-weighted assets	76,475	40,116	37,156	59,016	24,190	29,703		17,926		284,582
Leverage exposure	255,480	98,556	106,375	245,664	40,485	105,247		29,579		881,386
2017 (CHF million)
Net revenues	5,396	5,111	3,504	5,551	2,139	85		(886)		20,900
Provision for credit losses	75	27	15	31	30	0		32		210
Compensation and benefits	1,957	2,278	1,602	2,532	1,268	398		332		10,367
Total other operating expenses	1,599	1,455	1,158	2,538	472	423		885		8,530
of which general and administrative expenses	1,251	1,141	831	1,839	423	364		796		6,645
of which restructuring expenses	59	70	63	150	42	14		57		455
Total operating expenses	3,556	3,733	2,760	5,070	1,740	821		1,217		18,897
Income/(loss) before taxes	1,765	1,351	729	450	369	(736)		(2,135)		1,793
Return on regulatory capital	13.7	25.8	13.8	3.2	13.7	–		–		3.9
Cost/income ratio	65.9	73.0	78.8	91.3	81.3	–		–		90.4
Total assets	228,857	94,753	96,497	242,159	20,803	67,591		45,629		796,289
Goodwill	610	1,544	1,496	459	633	0		0		4,742
Risk-weighted assets	65,572	38,256	31,474	58,858	20,058	23,849		33,613		271,680
Leverage exposure	257,054	99,267	105,585	283,809	43,842	67,034		59,934		916,525
1 Beginning in 2019, the Strategic Resolution Unit ceased to exist as a separate division of the Group. The residual portfolio remaining as of December 31, 2018 is now managed in an Asset Resolution Unit and is separately disclosed within the Corporate Center.

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Total operating expenses

We reported total operating expenses of CHF 17,440 million in 2019, stable compared to 2018. Compensation and benefits increased 4%, mainly due to higher salaries and variable compensation, and general and administrative expenses increased 6%, primarily due to increased net litigation provisions of CHF 623 million, mainly in connection with mortgage-related matters recorded in the Corporate Center, increases in IT, machinery and equipment expenses and increased expenses related to real estate disposals. These increases were offset by restructuring expenses of CHF 626 million incurred in 2018.

Income tax expense

In 2019, we recorded income tax expense of CHF 1,295 million compared to CHF 1,361 million in 2018. The Credit Suisse effective tax rate was 27.4% in 2019, compared to 40.4% in 2018. The effective tax rate for 2019 mainly reflected the impact of the geographical mix of results, non-deductible funding costs, the US base erosion and anti-abuse tax (BEAT) impact and the annual re-assessment of deferred taxes, partially offset by lower taxed income. Overall, net deferred tax assets decreased CHF 629 million to CHF 3,876 million during 2019, mainly driven by earnings and the annual re-assessment of deferred taxes.

The US tax reform enacted in December 2017 introduced the BEAT tax regime, effective as of January 1, 2018. Based on the current analysis of the BEAT tax regime, after the issuance of the final regulations issued by the US Department of Treasury on December 2, 2019, Credit Suisse considers it as more likely than not that the Group will remain subject to this regime for 2019, though certain interpretive uncertainties remain. On the basis of the final regulations, the BEAT provision recorded for the tax year 2019 amounts to CHF 165 million. Therefore, BEAT had an impact on the 2019 effective tax rate for the Group of approximately 3.5 percentage points. The BEAT provision for the tax year 2018 remained unchanged.

In addition, the US tax reform introduced interest expense limitation provisions, which resulted in the deferral of interest expense deductions. As of December 31, 2019, a deferred tax valuation allowance of CHF 61 million has been recorded with regard to the deferral of interest expense, since Credit Suisse concluded that it is more likely than not that this deferred asset will not be utilized.

Prospectively, additional tax regulations of the US tax reform may also impact Credit Suisse.

> Refer to “Note 28 – Tax” in VI – Consolidated financial statements – Credit Suisse Group for further information.

2018 results details

Net revenues

Compared to 2017, net revenues of CHF 20,920 million were stable, primarily reflecting higher net revenues in International Wealth Management and Swiss Universal Bank and lower negative net revenues in the Strategic Resolution Unit, partially offset by lower net revenues in Global Markets and Asia Pacific. The increase in net revenues in International Wealth Management reflected higher revenues across all revenue categories. The increase in net revenues in Swiss Universal Bank was mainly due to higher recurring commissions and fees, an increase in other revenues, reflecting a gain on the sale of its investment in Euroclear and gains on the sale of real estate, and slightly higher net interest income. The decrease in negative net revenues in the Strategic Resolution Unit was primarily driven by lower overall funding costs and lower exit costs, partially offset by a reduction in fee-based revenues as a result of business exits and higher negative valuation adjustments. The decrease in net revenues in Global Markets primarily reflected lower results across fixed income trading and underwriting and reduced cash equities revenues due to less favorable market conditions, partially offset by increased ITS performance due to substantially higher equity derivatives revenues. The decrease in net revenues in Asia Pacific was driven by lower revenues in its Markets business across all revenue categories.

Provision for credit losses

In 2018, we recorded provision for credit losses of CHF 245 million, primarily reflecting provisions of CHF 126 million in Swiss Universal Bank, CHF 35 million in International Wealth Management and CHF 35 million in Asia Pacific.

Total operating expenses

We reported total operating expenses of CHF 17,303 million in 2018, a decrease of 8% compared to 2017, primarily due to a 7% decrease in compensation and benefits and a 13% decrease in general and administrative expenses. The decrease in compensation and benefits was mainly due to lower salaries and variable compensation. The decrease in general and administrative expenses was primarily due to lower professional services and lower litigation provisions.

Income tax expense

In 2018, we recorded income tax expense of CHF 1,361 million. The Credit Suisse effective tax rate was 40.4% in 2018, compared to 152.9% in 2017. The effective tax rate for 2018 mainly reflected the impact of the geographical mix of results, non-deductible funding costs and tax on own credit gains. Overall, net deferred tax assets decreased CHF 623 million to CHF 4,505 million during 2018, mainly driven by earnings.

Regulatory capital

As of the end of 2019, our Bank for International Settlements (BIS) common equity tier 1 (CET1) ratio was 12.7% and our risk-weighted assets were CHF 290.5 billion.

> Refer to “Capital management” in III – Treasury, Risk, Balance sheet and Off-balance sheet for further information.

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Results by business activity
	2019
in	Swiss Universal Bank	International Wealth Management	Asia Pacific		Global Markets	Investment Banking & Capital Markets	Corporate Center	1	Credit Suisse
Related to private banking (CHF million)
Net revenues	3,270	4,268	1,797		–	–	–		9,335
of which net interest income	1,684	1,509	671		–	–	–		3,864
of which recurring	826	1,213	418		–	–	–		2,457
of which transaction-based	392	1,174	608		–	–	–		2,174
Provision for credit losses	46	48	2		–	–	–		96
Total operating expenses	1,849	2,555	1,082		–	–	–		5,486
Income before taxes	1,375	1,665	713		–	–	–		3,753
Related to corporate & institutional banking (CHF million)
Net revenues	2,750	–	–		–	–	–		2,750
of which net interest income	1,200	–	–		–	–	–		1,200
of which recurring	663	–	–		–	–	–		663
of which transaction-based	688	–	–		–	–	–		688
Provision for credit losses	64	–	–		–	–	–		64
Total operating expenses	1,364	–	–		–	–	–		1,364
Income before taxes	1,322	–	–		–	–	–		1,322
Related to investment banking (CHF million)
Net revenues	–	–	1,793		5,752	1,666	–		9,211
of which fixed income sales and trading	–	–	271		3,493	–	–		3,764
of which equity sales and trading	–	–	828		1,855	–	–		2,683
of which underwriting and advisory	–	–	694	2	764	1,763	–		3,221
Provision for credit losses	–	–	44		52	59	–		155
Total operating expenses	–	–	1,560		4,744	1,769	–		8,073
Income/(loss) before taxes	–	–	189		956	(162)	–		983
Related to asset management (CHF million)
Net revenues	–	1,619	–		–	–	–		1,619
Provision for credit losses	–	1	–		–	–	–		1
Total operating expenses	–	1,145	–		–	–	–		1,145
Income before taxes	–	473	–		–	–	–		473
Related to corporate center (CHF million)
Net revenues	–	–	–		–	–	(431)		(431)
Provision for credit losses	–	–	–		–	–	8		8
Total operating expenses	–	–	–		–	–	1,372		1,372
Loss before taxes	–	–	–		–	–	(1,811)		(1,811)
Total (CHF million)
Net revenues	6,020	5,887	3,590		5,752	1,666	(431)		22,484
Provision for credit losses	110	49	46		52	59	8		324
Total operating expenses	3,213	3,700	2,642		4,744	1,769	1,372		17,440
Income/(loss) before taxes	2,697	2,138	902		956	(162)	(1,811)		4,720
Certain transaction-based revenues in Swiss Universal Bank and certain fixed income and equity sales and trading revenues in Asia Pacific and Global Markets relate to the Group’s global advisory and underwriting business. Refer to “Global advisory and underwriting revenues” in Investment Banking & Capital Markets for further information.
1 Beginning in 2019, the Strategic Resolution Unit ceased to exist as a separate division of the Group. The residual portfolio remaining as of December 31, 2018 is now managed in an Asset Resolution Unit and is separately disclosed within the Corporate Center.
2 Reflects certain financing revenues in Asia Pacific that are not included in the Group’s global advisory and underwriting revenues.

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Employees and other headcount

In 2019, as part of a review of headcount allocation keys, we recalibrated the divisional allocations for corporate function services, mainly relating to the wind-down of the Strategic Resolution Unit and changes in the utilization of corporate function services by the divisions. Prior period headcount allocations have not been restated.

As of December 31, 2019, we had 47,860 employees worldwide, of which 16,140 were in Switzerland and 31,720 were abroad.

The number of employees increased by 2,180 compared to the end of 2018. The increase primarily reflected the increases in Global Markets, Asia Pacific, Swiss Universal Bank and International Wealth Management, partially offset by a decrease in the Corporate Center. The number of outsourced roles, contractors and consultants decreased by 490 compared to the end of 2018.

Employees and other headcount
end of	2019	2018
Employees
Swiss Universal Bank	12,350	11,950
International Wealth Management	10,490	10,210
Asia Pacific	7,980	7,440
Global Markets	12,610	11,350
Investment Banking & Capital Markets	3,090	3,100
Strategic Resolution Unit	–	1,320
Corporate Center	1,340	310
Total employees	47,860	45,680
of which Switzerland	16,140	15,840
of which all other regions	31,720	29,840
Other headcount
Outsourced roles, contractors and consultants	13,320	13,810
Total employees and other headcount	61,180	59,490
Based on full-time equivalents.

Other information

Format of presentation

In managing our business, revenues are evaluated in the aggregate, including an assessment of trading gains and losses and the related interest income and expense from financing and hedging positions. For this reason, specific individual revenue categories in isolation may not be indicative of performance. Certain reclassifications have been made to prior periods to conform to the current presentation.

Accounting developments

As a normal part of our business, we are exposed to credit risk through our lending relationships, commitments and letters of credit as well as counterparty risk on derivatives, foreign exchange and other transactions. In June 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) 2016-13, “Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments” (ASU 2016-13), creating Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) Topic  326 – Financial Instruments – Credit Losses, which requires the measurement of all expected credit losses for financial assets held at the reporting date over the remaining contractual life (considering the effect of prepayments) based on historical experience, current conditions and reasonable and supportable forecasts. The Group adopted ASU 2016-13 and its subsequent amendments on January 1, 2020 and will incorporate forward-looking information and macroeconomic factors into its credit loss estimates applying the modified retrospective approach, which resulted in a decrease in retained earnings of less than CHF 0.2 billion, with no significant impact on regulatory capital.

> Refer to “Note 2 – Recently issued accounting standards” in VI – Consolidated financial statements – Credit Suisse Group for further information.

The spread of COVID-19 is expected to have a significant impact on the global economy, at least in the first half of 2020, and is likely to affect our financial performance, including credit loss estimates, trading revenues, net interest income and potential goodwill assessments.

> Refer to “Risk factors” in I– Information on the company for further information.

Return on regulatory capital

Credit Suisse measures firm-wide returns against total shareholders’ equity and tangible shareholders’ equity, a non-GAAP financial measure, also known as tangible book value. In addition, it also measures the efficiency of the firm and its divisions with regard to the usage of capital as determined by the minimum requirements set by regulators. This regulatory capital is calculated as the worst of 10% of risk-weighted assets and 3.5% of leverage exposure. Return on regulatory capital, a non-GAAP financial measure, is calculated using income/(loss) after tax and assumes a tax rate of 30% and capital allocated based on the worst of 10% of average risk-weighted assets and 3.5% of average leverage exposure. These percentages are used in the calculation in order to reflect the 2019 fully phased-in Swiss regulatory minimum requirements for Basel III CET1 capital and leverage ratios. For Global Markets and Investment Banking & Capital Markets, return on regulatory capital is based on US dollar denominated numbers. Adjusted return on regulatory capital is calculated using adjusted results, applying the same methodology used to calculate return on regulatory capital.

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Dividend proposal

Our Board of Directors will propose to the shareholders at the Annual General Meeting on April 30, 2020 a cash distribution of CHF 0.2776 per share for the financial year 2019. Fifty percent of the distribution will be paid out of capital contribution reserves, free of Swiss withholding tax and will not be subject to income tax for Swiss resident individuals, and 50% will be paid out of retained earnings, net of 35% Swiss withholding tax.

Presentation currency

In February 2019, as part of the publication of our fourth quarter of 2018 results, the Group announced that it was considering changing its reporting currency from Swiss francs to US dollars. Following the completion of the review of this potential change, we announced in October 2019 that the Board of Directors decided that the Group will continue to report its financial results in Swiss francs.

As also announced in October 2019, the Board of Directors concluded it would be preferable to align capital usage, as far as possible, to the predominant currency in which relevant risks originate and therefore decided that the calculation of the Group’s risk-weighted assets relating to operational risk should be in US dollars rather than Swiss francs. This change was approved by the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority FINMA and was implemented in the fourth quarter of 2019, increasing the proportion of the Group’s CET1 capital that is hedged into US dollars. In addition to better aligning the Group’s capital usage to the underlying currency of its risks, this change resulted in an increase of CHF 61 million in the Group’s net interest income in 2019.

Credit Suisse InvestLab AG

In September 2019, we completed the first closing of the transfer announced in June 2019, which combined our open architecture investment fund platform, InvestLab, with Allfunds Group. The transaction included the transfer of the InvestLab legal entity and its related employees and service agreements. Net revenues in 2019 included CHF 327 million from this first closing as reflected in the Swiss Universal Bank, International Wealth Management and Asia Pacific divisions. The subsequent transfer of the related distribution agreements is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2020.

> Refer to “Note 3 – Business developments, significant shareholders and subsequent events” in VI – Consolidated financial statements – Credit Suisse Group for further information.

Equity investment in SIX Group AG

In December 2019, we completed a review of the accounting treatment of the shares that we hold in SIX Group AG and have elected fair value accounting under accounting principles generally accepted in the US (US GAAP) in respect of this equity investment. This resulted in a gain before taxes of CHF 498 million, of which CHF 306 million and CHF 192 million were recognized in the divisional results of Swiss Universal Bank and International Wealth Management, respectively, in accordance with historical practice.

Replacement of interbank offered rates

A major structural change in global financial markets is in progress with respect to the replacement of interbank offered rate (IBOR) benchmarks. There is significant international and regulatory pressure to replace certain IBOR benchmarks with alternative reference rates (ARRs) by the end of 2021. There are significant risks associated with the transition, including financial, legal, operational and conduct risks and the risk of an untimely transition due to a lack of client or market readiness. However, we believe certain opportunities related to the transition also exist in the areas of product innovation and development, business growth and strategy and client communication and engagement.

Financial industry groups comprising public and private sector representatives across jurisdictions (including the National Working Group on Swiss Franc Reference Rates, the US Alternative Reference Rates Committee and the Euro Risk Free Rate Working Group) have identified recommended replacement benchmarks, established milestones for the transition and created forums for industry participants to provide feedback and discuss best practices. In addition, trade organizations, such as the International Swaps and Derivatives Association (ISDA), the Loan Market Association (LMA) and the Loan Syndications and Trading Association (LSTA), have begun to define contractual standards to allow new products to incorporate and reference the new ARR benchmarks.

Credit Suisse has a significant level of its liabilities and assets linked to IBOR indices across businesses that require transition to ARRs. For a majority of our exposure for contracts extending past 2021, we expect an orderly transition, based on market participant driven protocols. However, for certain clients, the transitioning of contracts will be more complex, particularly where there is no industry-wide protocol or similar mechanism, and related businesses will have a larger exposure to associated risks. In response, we have mobilized an IBOR transition program, co-sponsored by the Chief Financial Officer and the Chief Risk Officer at the Executive Board level, to coordinate transition readiness on a firm-wide basis. Our transition approach is organized across five key areas:

■ Product Development & Industry Engagement;

■ Risk Management & Mitigation;

■ Operational Readiness & Resiliency;

■ Legal Contract Assessment & Repapering; and

■ Strategic Transition Planning & Communication.

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We continue to partner with our clients and other market participants to support this transition. The businesses are developing detailed product and client roadmaps to prepare for the transition and Credit Suisse has developed specific employee training programs as well as other internal and external sources of information on the various challenges and opportunities that the replacement of IBOR benchmarks presents. In addition, our transition efforts include issuing debt linked to the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR), the alternative rate to the US dollar London Interbank Offered Rate selected by the US Alternative Reference Rates Committee, as well as rate resets based on Swiss Average Rate Overnight (SARON). We have also been actively involved in trading interest rate derivatives linked to recommended alternative reference rates in the major currencies.

Withdrawal of the UK from the EU

Following extensive negotiations with the EU on the terms of its withdrawal, the UK ceased to be a member of the EU on January 31, 2020. Under the terms of the withdrawal agreement, the UK will continue to be bound by EU laws for a transitional period, but it may be challenging to agree the details of new arrangements before this period ends on December 31, 2020.

Our UK investment banking entities, Credit Suisse International and Credit Suisse Securities Europe Limited, provide a comprehensive range of investment banking services to clients through both the London operations and a number of different branches across the European Union and, following the UK withdrawal, need to transfer, subject to certain exceptions, their EU clients and EU venue-facing businesses to entities in the EU. In order to provide continued services to EU clients and access to EU markets, we are leveraging our existing legal entity network and, where necessary, transferring our EU clients and EU venue-facing broker-dealer business to Group entities incorporated in Spain, Credit Suisse Securities Sociedad de Valores S.A., and Germany, Credit Suisse (Deutschland) AG. We are also transferring our EU client lending business activities, where required, to Credit Suisse (Deutschland) AG. Businesses in the UK entities’ EU branches have been transferred to newly set up branches of Credit Suisse Securities Sociedad de Valores S.A.

Our UK wealth management entity, Credit Suisse (UK) Limited, provides a comprehensive range of wealth management services to clients through its London operations and, following the UK withdrawal, needs to cease the provision of such services to its EU clients. In order to provide continued services to such clients we are, where necessary, transferring them to other existing entities in our wealth management entity network in the EU.

There is a risk of a potentially disruptive end to the transition period. We are focused on ensuring operational readiness in our EU entities and completing the transition of impacted operations and client migration activities throughout 2020 before the end of the transition period.

Compensation and benefits

Compensation and benefits for a given year reflect the strength and breadth of the business results and staffing levels and include fixed components, such as salaries, benefits and the amortization of share-based and other deferred compensation from prior-year awards, and a discretionary variable component. The variable component reflects the performance-based variable compensation for the current year. The portion of the performance-based compensation for the current year deferred through share-based and other awards is expensed in future periods and is subject to vesting and other conditions.

Our shareholders’ equity reflects the effect of share-based compensation. Share-based compensation expense (which is generally based on fair value at the time of grant) reduces equity; however, the recognition of the obligation to deliver the shares increases equity by a corresponding amount. Equity is generally unaffected by the granting and vesting of share-based awards and by the settlement of these awards through the issuance of shares from approved conditional capital. The Group may issue shares from conditional capital to meet its obligations to deliver share-based compensation awards. If Credit Suisse purchases shares from the market to meet its obligation to employees, these purchased treasury shares reduce equity by the amount of the purchase price.

> Refer to “Group compensation” in V – Compensation for further information.

> Refer to “Consolidated statements of changes in equity” and “Note 29 – Employee deferred compensation” in VI – Consolidated financial statements – Credit Suisse Group for further information.

> Refer to “Tax benefits associated with share-based compensation” in Note 28 – Tax in VI – Consolidated financial statements – Credit Suisse Group for further information.

Allocations and funding

Revenue sharing

Responsibility for each product is allocated to a specific segment, which records all related revenues and expenses. Revenue-sharing and service level agreements govern the compensation received by one segment for generating revenue or providing services on behalf of another. These agreements are negotiated periodically by the relevant segments on a product-by-product basis. The aim of revenue-sharing and service level agreements is to reflect the pricing structure of unrelated third-party transactions.

Cost allocation

Corporate services and business support, including in finance, operations, human resources, legal, compliance, risk management and IT, are provided by corporate functions, and the related costs are allocated to the segments and the Corporate Center based on their respective requirements and other relevant measures.

Funding

We centrally manage our funding activities. New securities for funding and capital purposes are issued primarily by the Bank.

> Refer to “Note 4 – Segment information” in VI – Consolidated financial statements – Credit Suisse Group for further information.

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Fair valuations

Fair value can be a relevant measurement for financial instruments when it aligns the accounting for these instruments with how we manage our business. The levels of the fair value hierarchy as defined by the relevant accounting guidance are not a measurement of economic risk, but rather an indication of the observability of prices or valuation inputs.

> Refer to “Note 1 – Summary of significant accounting policies” and “Note 35 – Financial instruments” in VI – Consolidated financial statements – Credit Suisse Group for further information.

The fair value of the majority of the Group’s financial instruments is based on quoted prices in active markets (level 1) or observable inputs (level 2). These instruments include government and agency securities, certain short-term borrowings, most investment grade corporate debt, certain high yield debt securities, exchange-traded and certain over-the-counter (OTC) derivative instruments and most listed equity securities.

In addition, the Group holds financial instruments for which no prices are available and for which have few or no observable inputs (level 3). For these instruments, the determination of fair value requires subjective assessment and judgment depending on liquidity, pricing assumptions, the current economic and competitive environment and the risks affecting the specific instrument. In such circumstances, valuation is determined based on management’s own judgments about the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability (including assumptions about risk). These instruments include certain OTC derivatives, including interest rate, foreign exchange, equity and credit derivatives, certain corporate equity-linked securities, mortgage-related securities, private equity investments, certain loans and credit products, including leveraged finance, certain syndicated loans and certain high yield bonds.

Models were used to value financial instruments for which no prices are available and which have little or no observable inputs (level 3). Models are developed internally and are reviewed by functions independent of the front office to ensure they are appropriate for current market conditions. The models require subjective assessment and varying degrees of judgment depending on liquidity, concentration, pricing assumptions and risks affecting the specific instrument. The models consider observable and unobservable parameters in calculating the value of these products, including certain indices relating to these products. Consideration of these indices is more significant in periods of lower market activity.

As of the end of 2019, 39% and 25% of our total assets and total liabilities, respectively, were measured at fair value.

The majority of our level 3 assets are recorded in our investment banking businesses. Total assets at fair value recorded as level 3 instruments decreased CHF 0.1 billion to CHF 16.2 billion as of the end of 2019, primarily reflecting net settlements, mainly in loans and trading assets, and transfers out, mainly in trading assets, partially offset by transfer in, mainly in loans and loans held-for-sale. These decreases were partially offset by net realized/unrealized gains, mainly in trading assets.

As of the end of 2019, these assets comprised 2% of total assets and 5% of total assets measured at fair value, compared to 2% and 6%, respectively, as of the end of 2018.

We believe that the range of any valuation uncertainty, in the aggregate, would not be material to our financial condition; however, it may be material to our operating results for any particular period, depending, in part, upon the operating results for such period.

Reconciliation of adjusted results

Adjusted results referred to in this document are non-GAAP financial measures that exclude certain items included in our reported results. During the implementation of our strategy, it was important to measure the progress achieved by our underlying business performance. Management believes that adjusted results provide a useful presentation of our operating results for purposes of assessing our Group and divisional performance consistently over time, on a basis that excludes items that management does not consider representative of our underlying performance. Provided below is a reconciliation of our adjusted results to the most directly comparable US GAAP measures. The Group completed its three-year restructuring plan outlined in 2015 at the end of 2018. Any subsequent expenses incurred such as severance payments or charges in relation to the termination of real estate contracts initiated after 2018 are recorded as ordinary compensation or other expenses in our reported results and are no longer excluded from adjusted results.

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Reconciliation of adjusted results
in	Swiss Universal Bank	International Wealth Management	Asia Pacific	Global Markets	Investment Banking & Capital Markets	Corporate Center	1	Strategic Resolution Unit	1	Credit Suisse
2019 (CHF million)
Net revenues	6,020	5,887	3,590	5,752	1,666	(431)		–		22,484
Real estate (gains)/losses	(223)	(45)	0	(7)	0	24		–		(251)
(Gains)/losses on business sales	0	0	0	0	0	2		–		2
Net revenues adjusted	5,797	5,842	3,590	5,745	1,666	(405)		–		22,235
Provision for credit losses	110	49	46	52	59	8		–		324
Total operating expenses	3,213	3,700	2,642	4,744	1,769	1,372		–		17,440
Major litigation provisions	(3)	30	0	0	0	(416)		–		(389)
Expenses related to real estate disposals	(12)	(21)	0	(45)	(30)	0		–		(108)
Total operating expenses adjusted	3,198	3,709	2,642	4,699	1,739	956		–		16,943
Income/(loss) before taxes	2,697	2,138	902	956	(162)	(1,811)		–		4,720
Total adjustments	(208)	(54)	0	38	30	442		–		248
Adjusted income/(loss) before taxes	2,489	2,084	902	994	(132)	(1,369)		–		4,968
Adjusted return on regulatory capital (%)	19.1	34.0	16.1	7.7	(3.6)	–		–		11.0

2018 (CHF million)
Net revenues	5,564	5,414	3,393	4,980	2,177	100	(708)	20,920
Real estate gains	(21)	(2)	0	0	0	(4)	(1)	(28)
(Gains)/losses on business sales	(37)	(55)	0	0	0	21	0	(71)
Net revenues adjusted	5,506	5,357	3,393	4,980	2,177	117	(709)	20,821
Provision for credit losses	126	35	35	24	24	0	1	245
Total operating expenses	3,313	3,674	2,694	4,802	1,809	339	672	17,303
Restructuring expenses	(101)	(115)	(61)	(242)	(84)	(2)	(21)	(626)
Major litigation provisions	(37)	0	(79)	(10)	(1)	0	(117)	(244)
Expenses related to business sales	0	(47)	0	0	0	0	(4)	(51)
Total operating expenses adjusted	3,175	3,512	2,554	4,550	1,724	337	530	16,382
Income/(loss) before taxes	2,125	1,705	664	154	344	(239)	(1,381)	3,372
Total adjustments	80	105	140	252	85	19	141	822
Adjusted income/(loss) before taxes	2,205	1,810	804	406	429	(220)	(1,240)	4,194
Adjusted return on regulatory capital (%)	17.4	32.6	14.5	3.1	13.6	–	–	9.2

2017 (CHF million)
Net revenues	5,396	5,111	3,504	5,551	2,139	85	(886)	20,900
(Gains)/losses on business sales	0	28	0	0	0	23	(38)	13
Net revenues adjusted	5,396	5,139	3,504	5,551	2,139	108	(924)	20,913
Provision for credit losses	75	27	15	31	30	0	32	210
Total operating expenses	3,556	3,733	2,760	5,070	1,740	821	1,217	18,897
Restructuring expenses	(59)	(70)	(63)	(150)	(42)	(14)	(57)	(455)
Major litigation provisions	(49)	(48)	0	0	0	(127)	(269)	(493)
Expenses related to business sales	0	0	0	(8)	0	0	0	(8)
Total operating expenses adjusted	3,448	3,615	2,697	4,912	1,698	680	891	17,941
Income/(loss) before taxes	1,765	1,351	729	450	369	(736)	(2,135)	1,793
Total adjustments	108	146	63	158	42	164	288	969
Adjusted income/(loss) before taxes	1,873	1,497	792	608	411	(572)	(1,847)	2,762
Adjusted return on regulatory capital (%)	14.6	28.6	15.0	4.3	15.2	–	–	6.0
1 Beginning in 2019, the Strategic Resolution Unit ceased to exist as a separate division of the Group. The residual portfolio remaining as of December 31, 2018 is now managed in an Asset Resolution Unit and is separately disclosed within the Corporate Center.

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Group and Bank differences

The business of the Bank is substantially the same as the business of Credit Suisse Group, and substantially all of the Bank’s operations are conducted through the Swiss Universal Bank, International Wealth Management, Asia Pacific, Global Markets, Investment Banking & Capital Markets and, until December 31, 2018, the Strategic Resolution Unit segments. Certain Corporate Center activities of the Group, such as hedging activities relating to share-based compensation awards, are not applicable to the Bank. Certain other assets, liabilities and results of operations, primarily relating to Credit Suisse Services AG (our Swiss service company) and its subsidiary, are managed as part of the activities of the Group’s segments. However, they are legally owned by the Group and are not part of the Bank’s consolidated financial statements.

> Refer to “Note 41 – Subsidiary guarantee information” in VI – Consolidated financial statements – Credit Suisse Group for further information on the Bank.

Comparison of consolidated statements of operations
	Group			Bank
in	2019	2018	2017	2019	2018	2017
Statements of operations (CHF million)
Net revenues	22,484	20,920	20,900	22,686	20,820	20,965
Provision for credit losses	324	245	210	324	245	210
Total operating expenses	17,440	17,303	18,897	17,969	17,719	19,202
Income before taxes	4,720	3,372	1,793	4,393	2,856	1,553
Income tax expense	1,295	1,361	2,741	1,298	1,134	2,781
Net income/(loss)	3,425	2,011	(948)	3,095	1,722	(1,228)
Net income/(loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests	6	(13)	35	14	(7)	27
Net income/(loss) attributable to shareholders	3,419	2,024	(983)	3,081	1,729	(1,255)

Comparison of consolidated balance sheets
	Group		Bank
end of	2019	2018	2019	2018
Balance sheet statistics (CHF million)
Total assets	787,295	768,916	790,459	772,069
Total liabilities	743,581	724,897	743,696	726,075

Capitalization and indebtedness
	Group		Bank
end of	2019	2018	2019	2018
Capitalization and indebtedness (CHF million)
Due to banks	16,744	15,220	16,742	15,220
Customer deposits	383,783	363,925	384,950	365,263
Central bank funds purchased, securities sold under repurchase agreements and securities lending transactions	27,533	24,623	27,641	24,623
Long-term debt	152,005	154,308	151,000	153,433
Other liabilities	163,516	166,821	163,363	167,536
Total liabilities	743,581	724,897	743,696	726,075
Total equity	43,714	44,019	46,763	45,994
Total capitalization and indebtedness	787,295	768,916	790,459	772,069

Dividends from the Bank to the Group
for the financial year	2019		2018	2017	2016	2015
Dividends (CHF million)
Dividends	10	1	10	10	10	10
1 The Bank’s total share capital is fully paid and consisted of 4,399,680,200 registered shares as of December 31, 2019. Dividends are determined in accordance with Swiss law and the Bank's articles of incorporation. Proposal of the Board of Directors to the annual general meeting of the Bank.

BIS capital metrics
	Group		Bank
end of	2019	2018	2019	2018
Capital and risk-weighted assets (CHF million)
CET1 capital	36,774	35,824	41,933	38,915
Tier 1 capital	49,791	46,040	54,024	48,231
Total eligible capital	53,038	50,239	57,271	52,431
Risk-weighted assets	290,463	284,582	290,843	286,081
Capital ratios (%)
CET1 ratio	12.7	12.6	14.4	13.6
Tier 1 ratio	17.1	16.2	18.6	16.9
Total capital ratio	18.3	17.7	19.7	18.3

67

Swiss Universal Bank

In 2019, we reported income before taxes of CHF 2,697 million and net revenues of CHF 6,020 million. Income before taxes increased 27% compared to 2018, mainly reflecting higher net revenues and slightly lower total operating expenses.

Results summary

2019 results

In 2019, income before taxes of CHF 2,697 million increased 27% compared to 2018. Net revenues of CHF 6,020 million increased 8% compared to 2018, mainly due to the increase in other revenues. Higher other revenues primarily reflected a SIX equity investment revaluation gain of CHF 306 million, gains on the sale of real estate of CHF 223 million, mainly reflected in Private Clients, and a gain of CHF 98 million related to the transfer of the InvestLab fund platform in Corporate & Institutional Clients. 2018 included a gain on the sale of our investment in Euroclear of CHF 37 million and gains on the sale of real estate of CHF 21 million. Slightly lower net interest income reflected lower treasury revenues and lower deposit margins on stable average deposit volumes, partially offset by stable loan margins on slightly higher average loan volumes. Lower recurring commissions and fees were mainly driven by slightly lower security account and custody services fees, slightly lower fees from lending activities and decreased wealth structuring solution fees. Transaction-based revenues were stable, with lower fees from foreign exchange client business and lower revenues from our Swiss investment banking business, offset by higher equity participations income and higher revenues from ITS. Provision for credit losses was CHF 110 million in 2019 on a net loan portfolio of CHF 170.8 billion. Total operating expenses of CHF 3,213 million decreased slightly, primarily driven by restructuring expenses incurred in 2018 and slightly lower general and administrative expenses mainly reflecting lower litigation provisions, partially offset by slightly higher compensation and benefits mainly reflecting higher pension expenses.

Divisional results
	in / end of			% change
	2019	2018	2017	19 / 18	18 / 17
Statements of operations (CHF million)
Net revenues	6,020	5,564	5,396	8	3
Provision for credit losses	110	126	75	(13)	68
Compensation and benefits	1,926	1,887	1,957	2	(4)
General and administrative expenses	1,068	1,097	1,251	(3)	(12)
Commission expenses	219	228	289	(4)	(21)
Restructuring expenses	–	101	59	–	71
Total other operating expenses	1,287	1,426	1,599	(10)	(11)
Total operating expenses	3,213	3,313	3,556	(3)	(7)
Income before taxes	2,697	2,125	1,765	27	20
Statement of operations metrics (%)
Return on regulatory capital	20.7	16.8	13.7	–	–
Cost/income ratio	53.4	59.5	65.9	–	–
Number of employees and relationship managers
Number of employees (full-time equivalents)	12,350	11,950	12,600	3	(5)
Number of relationship managers	1,790	1,780	1,840	1	(3)

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Divisional results (continued)
	in / end of			% change
	2019	2018	2017	19 / 18	18 / 17
Net revenues (CHF million)
Private Clients	3,270	2,989	2,897	9	3
Corporate & Institutional Clients	2,750	2,575	2,499	7	3
Net revenues	6,020	5,564	5,396	8	3
Net revenue detail (CHF million)
Net interest income	2,884	2,946	2,896	(2)	2
Recurring commissions and fees	1,489	1,515	1,446	(2)	5
Transaction-based revenues	1,080	1,096	1,107	(1)	(1)
Other revenues	567	7	(53)	–	–
Net revenues	6,020	5,564	5,396	8	3
Provision for credit losses (CHF million)
New provisions	173	201	158	(14)	27
Releases of provisions	(63)	(75)	(83)	(16)	(10)
Provision for credit losses	110	126	75	(13)	68
Balance sheet statistics (CHF million)
Total assets	232,729	224,301	228,857	4	(2)
Net loans	170,772	168,393	165,041	1	2
of which Private Clients	116,158	113,403	111,222	2	2
Risk-weighted assets	78,342	76,475	65,572	2	17
Leverage exposure	264,987	255,480	257,054	4	(1)
Net interest income includes a term spread credit on stable deposit funding and a term spread charge on loans. Recurring commissions and fees includes investment product management, discretionary mandate and other asset management-related fees, fees for general banking products and services and revenues from wealth structuring solutions. Transaction-based revenues arise primarily from brokerage fees, fees from foreign exchange client transactions, trading and sales income, equity participations income and other transaction-based income. Other revenues include fair value gains/(losses) on synthetic securitized loan portfolios and other gains and losses.

2018 results

In 2018, income before taxes of CHF 2,125 million increased 20% compared to 2017. Net revenues of CHF 5,564 million increased slightly compared to 2017, mainly due to higher recurring commissions and fees, the increase in other revenues, reflecting a gain on the sale of our investment in Euroclear of CHF 37 million and gains on the sale of real estate of CHF 21 million, and slightly higher net interest income. Higher recurring commissions and fees were mainly driven by higher wealth structuring solution fees, higher fees from lending activities and increased investment advisory fees. Slightly higher net interest income reflected higher deposit margins on slightly lower average deposit volumes and stable loan margins on stable average loan volumes. Transaction-based revenues were stable. Provision for credit losses was CHF 126 million in 2018 on a net loan portfolio of CHF 168.4 billion. Total operating expenses decreased 7%, primarily driven by lower professional and contractor services fees, decreased allocated corporate function costs and lower salary expenses, partially offset by higher restructuring expenses, reflecting targeted headcount reductions and charges relating to reductions in office space.

Capital and leverage metrics

As of the end of 2019, we reported risk-weighted assets of CHF 78.3 billion, an increase of CHF 1.9 billion compared to the end of 2018, primarily driven by external model and parameter updates, mainly reflecting the phase-in of the Swiss mortgage multipliers, and movements in risk levels, partially offset by a foreign exchange impact. Leverage exposure of CHF 265.0 billion was CHF 9.5 billion higher compared to the end of 2018, driven by an increase in high-quality liquid assets (HQLA) and business growth.

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Reconciliation of adjusted results
	Private Clients			Corporate & Institutional Clients			Swiss Universal Bank
in	2019	2018	2017	2019	2018	2017	2019	2018	2017
Adjusted results (CHF million)
Net revenues	3,270	2,989	2,897	2,750	2,575	2,499	6,020	5,564	5,396
Real estate gains	(221)	(21)	0	(2)	0	0	(223)	(21)	0
Gains on business sales	0	(19)	0	0	(18)	0	0	(37)	0
Adjusted net revenues	3,049	2,949	2,897	2,748	2,557	2,499	5,797	5,506	5,396
Provision for credit losses	46	30	42	64	96	33	110	126	75
Total operating expenses	1,849	1,899	2,054	1,364	1,414	1,502	3,213	3,313	3,556
Restructuring expenses	–	(66)	(53)	–	(35)	(6)	–	(101)	(59)
Major litigation provisions	0	0	(6)	(3)	(37)	(43)	(3)	(37)	(49)
Expenses related to real estate disposals	(8)	–	–	(4)	–	–	(12)	–	–
Adjusted total operating expenses	1,841	1,833	1,995	1,357	1,342	1,453	3,198	3,175	3,448
Income before taxes	1,375	1,060	801	1,322	1,065	964	2,697	2,125	1,765
Total adjustments	(213)	26	59	5	54	49	(208)	80	108
Adjusted income before taxes	1,162	1,086	860	1,327	1,119	1,013	2,489	2,205	1,873
Adjusted return on regulatory capital (%)	–	–	–	–	–	–	19.1	17.4	14.6
Adjusted results are non-GAAP financial measures. Refer to "Reconciliation of adjusted results" in Credit Suisse for further information.

Private Clients

2019 results details

Income before taxes of CHF 1,375 million increased 30% compared to 2018, driven by higher net revenues and slightly lower total operating expenses.

Net revenues

In 2019, net revenues of CHF 3,270 million increased 9%, mainly reflecting higher other revenues due to gains on the sale of real estate of CHF 221 million and the SIX equity investment revaluation gain of CHF 149 million. Net interest income of CHF 1,684 million decreased slightly, with lower deposit margins on slightly higher average deposit volumes and lower treasury revenues, partially offset by stable loan margins on slightly higher average loan volumes. Recurring commissions and fees of CHF 826 million were stable, with lower wealth structuring solution fees, offset by higher fees from lending activities, slightly higher investment advisory fees and slightly higher investment product management fees. Transaction-based revenues of CHF 392 million were stable, with lower fees from foreign exchange client business offset by higher equity participations income.

Provision for credit losses

The Private Clients loan portfolio is substantially comprised of residential mortgages in Switzerland and loans collateralized by securities and, to a lesser extent, consumer finance loans.

In 2019, Private Clients recorded provision for credit losses of CHF 46 million compared to CHF 30 million in 2018. The provision was primarily related to our consumer finance business.

Total operating expenses

Compared to 2018, total operating expenses of CHF 1,849 million decreased slightly, mainly reflecting restructuring expenses incurred in 2018, partially offset by slightly higher compensation and benefits. General and administrative expenses of CHF 661 million were stable, primarily reflecting lower professional services fees, offset by higher occupancy expenses. Compensation and benefits of CHF 1,085 million increased slightly, primarily driven by higher pension expenses.

Margins

Our gross margin was 154 basis points in 2019, ten basis points higher compared to 2018, mainly reflecting gains on the sale of real estate and the SIX equity investment revaluation gain, partially offset by slightly higher average assets under management.

> Refer to “Assets under management” for further information.

Our net margin was 65 basis points in 2019, 14 basis points higher compared to 2018, mainly reflecting higher net revenues and slightly lower total operating expenses, partially offset by slightly higher average assets under management.

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Results – Private Clients
	in / end of			% change
	2019	2018	2017	19 / 18	18 / 17
Statements of operations (CHF million)
Net revenues	3,270	2,989	2,897	9	3
Provision for credit losses	46	30	42	53	(29)
Compensation and benefits	1,085	1,066	1,088	2	(2)
General and administrative expenses	661	663	772	0	(14)
Commission expenses	103	104	141	(1)	(26)
Restructuring expenses	–	66	53	–	25
Total other operating expenses	764	833	966	(8)	(14)
Total operating expenses	1,849	1,899	2,054	(3)	(8)
Income before taxes	1,375	1,060	801	30	32
Statement of operations metrics (%)
Cost/income ratio	56.5	63.5	70.9	–	–
Net revenue detail (CHF million)
Net interest income	1,684	1,717	1,670	(2)	3
Recurring commissions and fees	826	835	812	(1)	3
Transaction-based revenues	392	397	413	(1)	(4)
Other revenues	368	40	2	–	–
Net revenues	3,270	2,989	2,897	9	3
Margins on assets under management (bp)
Gross margin  1	154	144	143	–	–
Net margin  2	65	51	40	–	–
Number of relationship managers
Number of relationship managers	1,280	1,260	1,300	2	(3)
1 Net revenues divided by average assets under management.
2 Income before taxes divided by average assets under management.

2018 results details

Income before taxes of CHF 1,060 million increased 32% compared to 2017, driven by lower total operating expenses and slightly higher net revenues.

Net revenues

In 2018, net revenues of CHF 2,989 million were slightly higher, reflecting slightly higher net interest income, the increase in other revenues, reflecting gains on the sale of real estate of CHF 21 million and a gain on the sale of our investment in Euroclear of CHF 19 million, and slightly higher recurring commissions and fees, partially offset by lower transaction-based revenues. Net interest income of CHF 1,717 million was slightly higher, with higher deposit margins on higher average deposit volumes and stable loan margins on slightly higher average loan volumes. Recurring commissions and fees of CHF 835 million were slightly higher, with higher wealth structuring solution fees, increased investment advisory fees and higher revenues from our investment in Swisscard, partially offset by slightly lower banking services fees. Transaction-based revenues of CHF 397 million decreased 4%, mainly due to a gain from the sale of an investment reflected in 2017 and lower brokerage fees, partially offset by higher revenues from ITS and slightly higher fees from foreign exchange client business.

Provision for credit losses

The Private Clients loan portfolio is substantially comprised of residential mortgages in Switzerland and loans collateralized by securities and, to a lesser extent, consumer finance loans.

In 2018, Private Clients recorded provision for credit losses of CHF 30 million compared to CHF 42 million in 2017. The provision was primarily related to our consumer finance business.

Total operating expenses

Compared to 2017, total operating expenses of CHF 1,899 million decreased 8%, reflecting lower general and administrative expenses, lower commission expenses and slightly lower compensation and benefits, partially offset by higher restructuring expenses. General and administrative expenses of CHF 663 million decreased 14% compared to 2017, driven by lower professional and contractor services fees, lower allocated corporate function costs, decreased occupancy expenses and lower advertising and marketing expenses. Compensation and benefits of CHF 1,066 million decreased slightly, with lower salary expenses, partially offset by higher deferred compensation expenses from prior-year awards.

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Assets under management

As of the end of 2019, assets under management of CHF 217.6 billion were CHF 19.6 billion higher compared to the end of 2018, mainly due to favorable market movements and net new assets. Net new assets of CHF 3.4 billion reflected positive contributions from all businesses.

As of the end of 2018, assets under management of CHF 198.0 billion were CHF 10.3 billion lower compared to the end of 2017, mainly driven by unfavorable market movements, partially offset by net new assets of CHF 3.0 billion. Net new assets reflected positive contributions from all businesses.

Assets under management – Private Clients
	in / end of			% change
	2019	2018	2017	19 / 18	18 / 17
Assets under management (CHF billion)
Assets under management	217.6	198.0	208.3	9.9	(4.9)
Average assets under management	212.8	207.7	202.2	2.5	2.7
Assets under management by currency (CHF billion)
USD	36.0	28.9	30.5	24.6	(5.2)
EUR	20.2	20.1	22.9	0.5	(12.2)
CHF	151.9	140.0	145.0	8.5	(3.4)
Other	9.5	9.0	9.9	5.6	(9.1)
Assets under management	217.6	198.0	208.3	9.9	(4.9)
Growth in assets under management (CHF billion)
Net new assets	3.4	3.0	4.7	–	–
Other effects	16.2	(13.3)	11.4	–	–
of which market movements	18.7	(10.6)	12.4	–	–
of which foreign exchange	(1.5)	(0.8)	0.8	–	–
of which other	(1.0)	(1.9)	(1.8)	–	–
Growth in assets under management	19.6	(10.3)	16.1	–	–
Growth in assets under management (%)
Net new assets	1.7	1.4	2.4	–	–
Other effects	8.2	(6.3)	6.0	–	–
Growth in assets under management	9.9	(4.9)	8.4	–	–

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Corporate & Institutional Clients

2019 results details

Income before taxes of CHF 1,322 million increased 24% compared to 2018, reflecting higher net revenues, lower total operating expenses and lower provision for credit losses.

Net revenues

Compared to 2018, net revenues of CHF 2,750 million increased 7%, driven by the SIX equity investment revaluation gain of CHF 157 million and the gain of CHF 98 million related to the transfer of the InvestLab fund platform, both reflected in other revenues. Net interest income of CHF 1,200 million decreased slightly, primarily reflecting lower treasury revenues, partially offset by stable loan margins on slightly higher average loan volumes. Recurring commissions and fees of CHF 663 million decreased slightly, driven by slightly lower fees from lending activities. Transaction-based revenues of CHF 688 million decreased slightly, mainly reflecting lower client activity and lower revenues from our Swiss investment banking business, partially offset by higher equity participations income and higher revenues from ITS.

Provision for credit losses

The Corporate & Institutional Clients loan portfolio has relatively low concentrations and is mainly secured by real estate, securities and other financial collateral.

In 2019, Corporate & Institutional Clients recorded provision for credit losses of CHF 64 million compared to CHF 96 million in 2018. The decrease reflected lower new provisions and higher releases of provision for credit losses.

Total operating expenses

Compared to 2018, total operating expenses of CHF 1,364 million decreased 4%, primarily reflecting restructuring expenses incurred in 2018 and lower general and administrative expenses, partially offset by slightly higher compensation and benefits. General and administrative expenses of CHF 407 million decreased 6%, primarily reflecting lower litigation provisions. Compensation and benefits of CHF 841 million increased slightly, driven by higher pension expenses and higher deferred compensation expenses from prior-year awards.

Results – Corporate & Institutional Clients
	in / end of			% change
	2019	2018	2017	19 / 18	18 / 17
Statements of operations (CHF million)
Net revenues	2,750	2,575	2,499	7	3
Provision for credit losses	64	96	33	(33)	191
Compensation and benefits	841	821	869	2	(6)
General and administrative expenses	407	434	479	(6)	(9)
Commission expenses	116	124	148	(6)	(16)
Restructuring expenses	–	35	6	–	483
Total other operating expenses	523	593	633	(12)	(6)
Total operating expenses	1,364	1,414	1,502	(4)	(6)
Income before taxes	1,322	1,065	964	24	10
Statement of operations metrics (%)
Cost/income ratio	49.6	54.9	60.1	–	–
Net revenue detail (CHF million)
Net interest income	1,200	1,229	1,226	(2)	0
Recurring commissions and fees	663	680	634	(3)	7
Transaction-based revenues	688	699	694	(2)	1
Other revenues	199	(33)	(55)	–	(40)
Net revenues	2,750	2,575	2,499	7	3
Number of relationship managers
Number of relationship managers	510	520	540	(2)	(4)

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2018 results details

Income before taxes of CHF 1,065 million increased 10% compared to 2017, reflecting lower total operating expenses and slightly higher net revenues, partially offset by higher provision for credit losses.

Net revenues

Compared to 2017, net revenues of CHF 2,575 million increased slightly, mainly driven by higher recurring commissions and fees and the increase in other revenues, reflecting a gain on the sale of our investment in Euroclear of CHF 18 million. Recurring commissions and fees of CHF 680 million increased 7%, mainly reflecting higher wealth structuring solution fees and higher fees from lending activities, partially offset by lower security account and custody services fees. Net interest income of CHF 1,229 million was stable, with higher deposit margins on lower average deposit volumes and stable loan margins on stable average loan volumes. Transaction-based revenues of CHF 699 million were stable, reflecting higher revenues from ITS and higher fees from foreign exchange client business, offset by lower brokerage fees.

Provision for credit losses

The Corporate & Institutional Clients loan portfolio has relatively low concentrations and is mainly secured by real estate, securities and other financial collateral.

In 2018, Corporate & Institutional Clients recorded provision for credit losses of CHF 96 million compared to CHF 33 million in 2017. The increase is mainly related to several individual cases and lower releases of provision for credit losses.

Total operating expenses

Compared to 2017, total operating expenses of CHF 1,414 million decreased 6%, primarily reflecting lower compensation and benefits and lower general and administrative expenses. Compensation and benefits of CHF 821 million decreased 6%, driven by lower allocated corporate function costs, slightly lower salary expenses, decreased discretionary compensation expenses and lower pension expenses. General and administrative expenses of CHF 434 million decreased 9%, mainly driven by lower occupancy expenses and slightly lower allocated corporate function costs.

Assets under management

As of the end of 2019, assets under management of CHF 436.4 billion were CHF 87.7 billion higher compared to the end of 2018, mainly driven by net new assets and favorable market movements. Net new assets of CHF 45.3 billion reflected strong inflows from our pension business.

As of the end of 2018, assets under management of CHF 348.7 billion were CHF 6.0 billion lower compared to the end of 2017, mainly driven by unfavorable market movements, partially offset by net new assets of CHF 8.6 billion. Net new assets primarily reflected positive contributions from our pension business.

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International Wealth Management

In 2019, we reported income before taxes of CHF 2,138 million and net revenues of CHF 5,887 million. Income before taxes increased 25% compared to 2018, primarily reflecting higher net revenues.

Results summary

2019 results

In 2019, income before taxes of CHF 2,138 million increased 25% compared to 2018. Net revenues of CHF 5,887 million increased 9% compared to 2018, mainly driven by higher other revenues including a SIX equity investment revaluation gain of CHF 192 million, a gain of CHF 131 million related to the transfer of the InvestLab fund platform and gains on the sale of real estate of CHF 45 million. 2018 included a gain on the sale of our investment in Euroclear of CHF 37 million in Private Banking. Higher transaction- and performance-based revenues were partially offset by lower net interest income. Higher transaction- and performance-based revenues mainly reflected gains on the sale of our remaining economic interest in a third-party manager relating to a private equity investment in Asset Management, higher client activity and higher performance fees in Private Banking. Lower net interest income mainly reflected lower treasury revenues. Recurring commissions and fees were stable with higher asset management fees offset by lower discretionary mandate management fees. Provision for credit losses was CHF 49 million on a net loan portfolio of CHF 53.8 billion. Total operating expenses of CHF 3,700 million were stable compared to 2018, with higher general and administrative expenses and slightly higher compensation and benefits offset by restructuring expenses incurred in 2018.

Divisional results
	in / end of			% change
	2019	2018	2017	19 / 18	18 / 17
Statements of operations (CHF million)
Net revenues	5,887	5,414	5,111	9	6
Provision for credit losses	49	35	27	40	30
Compensation and benefits	2,366	2,303	2,278	3	1
General and administrative expenses	1,110	1,029	1,141	8	(10)
Commission expenses	224	227	244	(1)	(7)
Restructuring expenses	–	115	70	–	64
Total other operating expenses	1,334	1,371	1,455	(3)	(6)
Total operating expenses	3,700	3,674	3,733	1	(2)
Income before taxes	2,138	1,705	1,351	25	26
Statement of operations metrics (%)
Return on regulatory capital	34.9	30.7	25.8	–	–
Cost/income ratio	62.9	67.9	73.0	–	–
Number of employees (full-time equivalents)
Number of employees	10,490	10,210	10,250	3	0

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Divisional results (continued)
	in / end of			% change
	2019	2018	2017	19 / 18	18 / 17
Net revenues (CHF million)
Private Banking	4,268	3,890	3,603	10	8
Asset Management	1,619	1,524	1,508	6	1
Net revenues	5,887	5,414	5,111	9	6
Net revenue detail (CHF million)
Net interest income	1,509	1,568	1,449	(4)	8
Recurring commissions and fees	2,239	2,233	2,135	0	5
Transaction- and performance-based revenues	1,789	1,630	1,616	10	1
Other revenues	350	(17)	(89)	–	(81)
Net revenues	5,887	5,414	5,111	9	6
Provision for credit losses (CHF million)
New provisions	62	56	49	11	14
Releases of provisions	(13)	(21)	(22)	(38)	(5)
Provision for credit losses	49	35	27	40	30
Balance sheet statistics (CHF million)
Total assets	93,059	91,835	94,753	1	(3)
Net loans	53,794	51,695	50,474	4	2
of which Private Banking	53,771	51,684	50,429	4	2
Risk-weighted assets	43,788	40,116	38,256	9	5
Leverage exposure	100,664	98,556	99,267	2	(1)

2018 results

In 2018, income before taxes of CHF 1,705 million increased 26% compared to 2017. Net revenues of CHF 5,414 million increased 6% compared to 2017, reflecting higher revenues across all revenue categories. Higher net interest income reflected higher deposit margins and lower loan margins on higher average deposit and loan volumes. Higher recurring commissions and fees were mainly driven by higher asset management fees and higher fees from lending activities. Other revenues in 2018 reflected the gain on the sale of our investment in Euroclear and revenues from a business disposal in Asset Management. Other revenues in 2017 included an investment loss from Asset Management Finance LLC (AMF) and a loss from a business disposal relating to our systematic market making business. Transaction- and performance-based revenues increased CHF 14 million, mainly reflecting increased client activity, higher revenues from ITS and higher corporate advisory fees related to integrated solutions in Private Banking. This increase was offset by lower performance and placement revenues mainly from Asset Management. Provision for credit losses was CHF 35 million on a net loan portfolio of CHF 51.7 billion. Total operating expenses decreased slightly compared to 2017, primarily driven by lower litigation provisions, slightly lower salary expenses and decreased professional and contractor services fees, partially offset by higher restructuring expenses, reflecting the results of our cost efficiency measures.

Capital and leverage metrics

As of the end of 2019, we reported risk-weighted assets of CHF 43.8 billion, an increase of CHF 3.7 billion compared to the end of 2018, driven by internal model and parameter updates, mainly reflecting higher operational risk as a result of updated allocation keys, by external model and parameter updates, mainly reflecting a mandated buffer related to the ship finance rating model, and by movements in risk levels. These increases were partially offset by a foreign exchange impact. Leverage exposure of CHF 100.7 billion was slightly higher compared to the end of 2018, mainly driven by business growth.

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Reconciliation of adjusted results
	Private Banking			Asset Management			International Wealth Management
in	2019	2018	2017	2019	2018	2017	2019	2018	2017
Adjusted results (CHF million)
Net revenues	4,268	3,890	3,603	1,619	1,524	1,508	5,887	5,414	5,111
Real estate gains	(45)	(2)	0	0	0	0	(45)	(2)	0
(Gains)/losses on business sales	0	(37)	0	0	(18)	28	0	(55)	28
Adjusted net revenues	4,223	3,851	3,603	1,619	1,506	1,536	5,842	5,357	5,139
Provision for credit losses	48	35	27	1	0	0	49	35	27
Total operating expenses	2,555	2,522	2,552	1,145	1,152	1,181	3,700	3,674	3,733
Restructuring expenses	–	(89)	(44)	–	(26)	(26)	–	(115)	(70)
Major litigation provisions	30	0	(48)	0	0	0	30	0	(48)
Expenses related to real estate disposals	(17)	–	–	(4)	–	–	(21)	–	–
Expenses related to business sales	0	0	0	0	(47)	0	0	(47)	0
Adjusted total operating expenses	2,568	2,433	2,460	1,141	1,079	1,155	3,709	3,512	3,615
Income before taxes	1,665	1,333	1,024	473	372	327	2,138	1,705	1,351
Total adjustments	(58)	50	92	4	55	54	(54)	105	146
Adjusted income before taxes	1,607	1,383	1,116	477	427	381	2,084	1,810	1,497
Adjusted return on regulatory capital (%)	–	–	–	–	–	–	34.0	32.6	28.6
Adjusted results are non-GAAP financial measures. Refer to "Reconciliation of adjusted results" in Credit Suisse for further information.

Private Banking

2019 results details

Income before taxes of CHF 1,665 million increased 25% compared to 2018, primarily reflecting higher net revenues.

Net revenues

Compared to 2018, net revenues of CHF 4,268 million were 10% higher, mainly driven by higher other revenues. Other revenues included the SIX equity investment revaluation gain of CHF 192 million, the gain of CHF 131 million related to the transfer of the InvestLab fund platform and the gains on the sale of real estate of CHF 45 million. 2018 included the gain on the sale of our investment in Euroclear of CHF 37 million. Transaction- and performance-based revenues of CHF 1,174 million increased 11%, mainly reflecting higher client activity, increased performance fees and higher corporate advisory fees related to integrated solutions. Net interest income of CHF 1,509 million decreased 4%, mainly reflecting lower treasury revenues. Recurring commissions and fees of CHF 1,213 million were stable, with lower discretionary mandate management fees, offset by higher banking services fees, increased fees from lending activities and higher investment advisory fees.

Provision for credit losses

The Private Banking loan portfolio primarily comprises lombard loans, mainly backed by listed securities, ship finance and real estate mortgages.

In 2019, Private Banking recorded provision for credit losses of CHF 48 million, compared to CHF 35 million in 2018, driven by various individual cases.

Total operating expenses

Compared to 2018, total operating expenses of CHF 2,555 million were stable, with higher compensation and benefits and higher general and administrative expenses, offset by restructuring expenses incurred in 2018. Compensation and benefits of CHF 1,682 million increased 5%, mainly reflecting higher deferred compensation expenses from prior-year awards, higher salary expenses and higher social security and pension expenses. General and administrative expenses of CHF 721 million increased 6%, primarily reflecting higher allocated corporate function costs.

Margins

Our gross margin was 117 basis points in 2019, eleven basis points higher compared to 2018, mainly reflecting the SIX equity investment revaluation gain, the gain related to the transfer of the InvestLab fund platform and higher transaction- and performance-based revenues on stable average assets under management.

> Refer to “Assets under management” for further information.

Our net margin was 46 basis points in 2019, ten basis points higher compared to 2018, mainly reflecting higher net revenues on stable average assets under management.

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Results – Private Banking
	in / end of			% change
	2019	2018	2017	19 / 18	18 / 17
Statements of operations (CHF million)
Net revenues	4,268	3,890	3,603	10	8
Provision for credit losses	48	35	27	37	30
Compensation and benefits	1,682	1,599	1,540	5	4
General and administrative expenses	721	680	782	6	(13)
Commission expenses	152	154	186	(1)	(17)
Restructuring expenses	–	89	44	–	102
Total other operating expenses	873	923	1,012	(5)	(9)
Total operating expenses	2,555	2,522	2,552	1	(1)
Income before taxes	1,665	1,333	1,024	25	30
Statement of operations metrics (%)
Cost/income ratio	59.9	64.8	70.8	–	–
Net revenue detail (CHF million)
Net interest income	1,509	1,568	1,449	(4)	8
Recurring commissions and fees	1,213	1,227	1,200	(1)	2
Transaction- and performance-based revenues	1,174	1,054	953	11	11
Other revenues	372	41	1	–	–
Net revenues	4,268	3,890	3,603	10	8
Margins on assets under management (bp)
Gross margin  1	117	106	105	–	–
Net margin  2	46	36	30	–	–
Number of relationship managers
Number of relationship managers	1,150	1,110	1,130	4	(2)
Net interest income includes a term spread credit on stable deposit funding and a term spread charge on loans. Recurring commissions and fees includes investment product management, discretionary mandate and other asset management-related fees, fees for general banking products and services and revenues from wealth structuring solutions. Transaction- and performance-based revenues arise primarily from brokerage and product issuing fees, fees from foreign exchange client transactions, trading and sales income, equity participations income and other transaction- and performance-based income.
1 Net revenues divided by average assets under management.
2 Income before taxes divided by average assets under management.

2018 results details

Income before taxes of CHF 1,333 million increased 30% compared to 2017, primarily reflecting higher net revenues.

Net revenues

Compared to 2017, net revenues of CHF 3,890 million were 8% higher, reflecting higher revenues across all revenue categories. Net interest income of CHF 1,568 million increased 8%, reflecting higher deposit margins on higher average deposit volumes and lower loan margins on higher average loan volumes. Transaction- and performance-based revenues of CHF 1,054 million increased 11%, mainly reflecting higher client activity and higher revenues from ITS. Other revenues reflected the gain on the sale of our investment in Euroclear of CHF 37 million. Recurring commissions and fees of CHF 1,227 million increased slightly, mainly driven by higher fees from lending activities and higher investment product management fees, partially offset by lower discretionary mandate management fees.

Provision for credit losses

In 2018, Private Banking recorded provision for credit losses of CHF 35 million, compared to CHF 27 million in 2017, including a small number of cases related to emerging markets and ship finance.

Total operating expenses

Compared to 2017, total operating expenses of CHF 2,522 million were stable, with lower general and administrative expenses and decreased commission expenses, offset by higher compensation and benefits and higher restructuring expenses. General and administrative expenses of CHF 680 million decreased 13%, primarily reflecting lower litigation provisions and lower allocated corporate function costs. Compensation and benefits of CHF 1,599 million increased 4%, mainly reflecting higher allocated corporate function costs and higher deferred compensation expenses from prior-year awards, partially offset by lower salary expenses. Restructuring expenses increased CHF 45 million, reflecting the results of our cost efficiency measures.

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Assets under management

As of the end of 2019, assets under management of CHF 370.0 billion were CHF 12.5 billion higher compared to the end of 2018, driven by favorable market movements and net new assets, partially offset by structural effects and unfavorable foreign exchange-related movements. Net new assets of CHF 11.0 billion mainly reflected inflows from emerging markets.

As of the end of 2018, assets under management of CHF 357.5 billion were CHF 9.4 billion lower compared to the end of 2017, reflecting unfavorable market and foreign exchange-related movements, partially offset by net new assets of CHF 14.2 billion. Net new assets mainly reflected inflows from emerging markets and Europe.

Assets under management – Private Banking
	in / end of			% change
	2019	2018	2017	19 / 18	18 / 17
Assets under management (CHF billion)
Assets under management	370.0	357.5	366.9	3.5	(2.6)
Average assets under management	364.5	368.1	343.9	(1.0)	7.0
Assets under management by currency (CHF billion)
USD	179.2	170.3	162.9	5.2	4.5
EUR	101.4	106.7	114.1	(5.0)	(6.5)
CHF	18.7	17.5	23.0	6.9	(23.9)
Other	70.7	63.0	66.9	12.2	(5.8)
Assets under management	370.0	357.5	366.9	3.5	(2.6)
Growth in assets under management (CHF billion)
Net new assets	11.0	14.2	15.6	–	–
Other effects	1.5	(23.6)	28.1	–	–
of which market movements	31.1	(12.0)	24.3	–	–
of which foreign exchange	(8.2)	(7.8)	1.0	–	–
of which other	(21.4)	(3.8)	2.8	–	–
Growth in assets under management	12.5	(9.4)	43.7	–	–
Growth in assets under management (%)
Net new assets	3.1	3.9	4.8	–	–
Other effects	0.4	(6.5)	8.7	–	–
Growth in assets under management	3.5	(2.6)	13.5	–	–

Asset Management

2019 results details

Income before taxes of CHF 473 million increased 27% compared to 2018, primarily reflecting higher net revenues.

In the fourth quarter of 2018, we completed a business disposal involving a spin-off relating to our securitized products fund, while retaining an economic interest in the new management company and the fund. Beginning in the first quarter of 2019, revenues from this interest are recognized as investment and partnership income rather than management fees and performance and placement revenues as previously reported. Prior periods have been reclassified to conform to the current presentation.

Net revenues

Compared to 2018, net revenues of CHF 1,619 million increased 6%, reflecting significantly higher performance and placement revenues and slightly higher management fees, partially offset by lower investment and partnership income. Performance and placement revenues of CHF 237 million increased significantly, reflecting higher placement fees, higher performance fees including the sale of a private equity investment of a fund and investment-related gains in 2019 compared to losses in 2018. Management fees of CHF 1,112 million increased slightly, mainly reflecting higher average assets under management. Investment and partnership income of CHF 270 million decreased 14% mainly as 2018 included revenues from a business disposal and due to lower revenues from a single manager hedge fund, partially offset by gains on the sale of our remaining economic

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interest in a third-party manager relating to a private equity investment and higher revenues from our systematic market making business.

Total operating expenses

Compared to 2018, total operating expenses of CHF 1,145 million were stable, reflecting restructuring expenses incurred in 2018 and slightly lower compensation and benefits, offset by higher general and administrative expenses. Compensation and benefits of CHF 684 million decreased slightly, primarily reflecting lower salary expenses and deferred compensation expenses from prior-year awards, mainly related to the 2018 business disposal. General and administrative expenses of CHF 389 million increased 11%, primarily reflecting higher professional services fees and higher allocated corporate function costs.

2018 results details

Income before taxes of CHF 372 million increased 14% compared to 2017, primarily reflecting slightly lower total operating expenses.

In the first quarter of 2018, we completed the spin-off of a management company for a quantitative fund relating to our systematic market making business while retaining an economic interest in the management company and the fund. Revenues from this interest are recognized as investment and partnership income rather than management fees and performance and placement revenues as previously reported. Prior periods have been reclassified to conform to the current presentation.

Net revenues

Compared to 2017, net revenues of CHF 1,524 million were stable, with higher management fees and investment and partnership income, partially offset by significantly lower performance and placement revenues. Management fees of CHF 1,076 million increased 10%, mainly reflecting higher average assets under management. Investment and partnership income of CHF 315 million increased 15%, mainly driven by a gain on the partial sale of an economic interest in a third-party manager relating to a private equity investment, revenues from the business disposal in 2018 and the investment loss of CHF 43 million from AMF in 2017. These increases were partially offset by the absence of revenues from the systematic market making business due to the spin-off. Performance and placement revenues of CHF 133 million decreased 47%, reflecting lower performance fees due to a strong investment performance of a fund in 2017, investment-related losses compared to gains in 2017 and lower placement fees.

Results – Asset Management
	in			% change
	2019	2018	2017	19 / 18	18 / 17
Statements of operations (CHF million)
Net revenues	1,619	1,524	1,508	6	1
Provision for credit losses	1	0	0	–	–
Compensation and benefits	684	704	738	(3)	(5)
General and administrative expenses	389	349	359	11	(3)
Commission expenses	72	73	58	(1)	26
Restructuring expenses	–	26	26	–	–
Total other operating expenses	461	448	443	3	1
Total operating expenses	1,145	1,152	1,181	(1)	(2)
Income before taxes	473	372	327	27	14
Statement of operations metrics (%)
Cost/income ratio	70.7	75.6	78.3	–	–
Net revenue detail (CHF million)
Management fees	1,112	1,076	981	3	10
Performance and placement revenues	237	133	252	78	(47)
Investment and partnership income	270	315	275	(14)	15
Net revenues	1,619	1,524	1,508	6	1
of which recurring commissions and fees	1,026	1,006	935	2	8
of which transaction- and performance-based revenues	615	576	663	7	(13)
of which other revenues	(22)	(58)	(90)	(62)	(36)
Management fees include fees on assets under management, asset administration revenues and transaction fees related to the acquisition and disposal of investments in the funds being managed. Performance revenues relate to the performance or return of the funds being managed and includes investment-related gains and losses from proprietary funds. Placement revenues arise from our third-party private equity fundraising activities and secondary private equity market advisory services. Investment and partnership income includes equity participation income from seed capital returns and from minority investments in third-party asset managers, income from strategic partnerships and distribution agreements, and other revenues.

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Total operating expenses

Compared to 2017, total operating expenses of CHF 1,152 million decreased slightly, driven by lower compensation and benefits and slightly lower general and administrative expenses. Compensation and benefits of CHF 704 million decreased 5%, mainly reflecting lower discretionary compensation expenses and lower deferred compensation expenses from prior-year awards. General and administrative expenses of CHF 349 million decreased slightly, mainly reflecting lower allocated corporate function costs and lower professional services fees.

Assets under management

As of the end of 2019, assets under management of CHF 437.9 billion were CHF 49.2 billion higher compared to the end of 2018, mainly reflecting favorable market movements and net new assets. Net new assets of CHF 21.5 billion mainly reflected inflows from traditional and alternative investments.

As of the end of 2018, assets under management of CHF 388.7 billion were CHF 3.1 billion higher compared to the end of 2017, reflecting net new assets of CHF 22.2 billion, partially offset by unfavorable market and foreign exchange-related movements. Net new assets mainly reflected inflows from traditional and alternative investments.

Assets under management – Asset Management
	in / end of			% change
	2019	2018	2017	19 / 18	18 / 17
Assets under management (CHF billion)
Traditional investments	262.8	218.9	217.6	20.1	0.6
Alternative investments	130.6	124.6	121.5	4.8	2.6
Investments and partnerships	44.5	45.2	46.5	(1.5)	(2.8)
Assets under management	437.9	388.7	385.6	12.7	0.8
Average assets under management	416.3	397.8	368.4	4.7	8.0
Assets under management by currency (CHF billion)
USD	119.8	107.2	100.1	11.8	7.1
EUR	54.8	49.0	48.2	11.8	1.7
CHF	215.3	184.9	182.6	16.4	1.3
Other	48.0	47.6	54.7	0.8	(13.0)
Assets under management	437.9	388.7	385.6	12.7	0.8
Growth in assets under management (CHF billion)
Net new assets  1	21.5	22.2	20.3	–	–
Other effects	27.7	(19.1)	43.7	–	–
of which market movements	33.7	(9.1)	20.6	–	–
of which foreign exchange	(5.3)	(3.4)	(0.3)	–	–
of which other	(0.7)	(6.6)	23.4	–	–
Growth in assets under management	49.2	3.1	64.0	–	–
Growth in assets under management (%)
Net new assets	5.5	5.8	6.3	–	–
Other effects	7.2	(5.0)	13.6	–	–
Growth in assets under management	12.7	0.8	19.9	–	–
1 Includes outflows for private equity assets reflecting realizations at cost and unfunded commitments on which a fee is no longer earned.

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Asia Pacific

In 2019, we reported income before taxes of CHF 902 million and net revenues of CHF 3,590 million. Income before taxes increased 36% compared to 2018, primarily reflecting higher net revenues.

Results summary

2019 results

In 2019, income before taxes of CHF 902 million increased 36% compared to 2018, mainly due to higher net revenues. Net revenues of CHF 3,590 million increased 6%, driven by higher revenues in our Wealth Management & Connected business. Wealth Management & Connected revenues increased 9%, mainly reflecting a gain of CHF 98 million related to the transfer of the InvestLab fund platform to Allfunds Group, higher transaction-based revenues and higher net interest income. Higher transaction-based revenues mainly reflected higher corporate advisory fees related to integrated solutions and higher client activity. Higher net interest income mainly reflected higher treasury revenues. Markets revenues were stable, reflecting lower equity sales and trading revenues offset by higher fixed income sales and trading revenues. Compared to 2018, total operating expenses of CHF 2,642 million were slightly lower, primarily reflecting restructuring expenses incurred in 2018 and lower general and administrative expenses, largely offset by higher compensation and benefits. 2018 included litigation provisions related to the US Department of Justice and US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) investigations regarding our hiring practices in the Asia Pacific region between 2007 and 2013, which have now been resolved.

Divisional results
	in / end of			% change
	2019	2018	2017	19 / 18	18 / 17
Statements of operations (CHF million)
Net revenues	3,590	3,393	3,504	6	(3)
Provision for credit losses	46	35	15	31	133
Compensation and benefits	1,570	1,503	1,602	4	(6)
General and administrative expenses	836	887	831	(6)	7
Commission expenses	236	243	264	(3)	(8)
Restructuring expenses	–	61	63	–	(3)
Total other operating expenses	1,072	1,191	1,158	(10)	3
Total operating expenses	2,642	2,694	2,760	(2)	(2)
Income before taxes	902	664	729	36	(9)
Statement of operations metrics (%)
Return on regulatory capital	16.1	12.0	13.8	–	–
Cost/income ratio	73.6	79.4	78.8	–	–
Number of employees (full-time equivalents)
Number of employees	7,980	7,440	7,230	7	3

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Divisional results (continued)
	in / end of			% change
	2019	2018	2017	19 / 18	18 / 17
Net revenues (CHF million)
Wealth Management & Connected	2,491	2,290	2,322	9	(1)
Markets	1,099	1,103	1,182	–	(7)
Net revenues	3,590	3,393	3,504	6	(3)
Provision for credit losses (CHF million)
New provisions	73	42	28	74	50
Releases of provisions	(27)	(7)	(13)	286	(46)
Provision for credit losses	46	35	15	31	133
Balance sheet statistics (CHF million)
Total assets	107,660	99,809	96,497	8	3
Net loans	46,775	43,713	43,080	7	1
of which Private Banking	34,572	32,877	35,331	5	(7)
Risk-weighted assets	36,628	37,156	31,474	(1)	18
Leverage exposure	115,442	106,375	105,585	9	1

2018 results

In 2018, income before taxes of CHF 664 million decreased 9% compared to 2017 due to lower net revenues and higher provision for credit losses, partially offset by lower total operating expenses. In 2018, the US GAAP accounting standard pertaining to revenue recognition was adopted. As a result, both net revenues and operating expenses in Asia Pacific decreased CHF 27 million. Lower net revenues of CHF 3,393 million were driven by lower revenues in our Markets business across all revenue categories. Lower equity sales and trading revenues were primarily driven by weaker results in equity derivatives, reflecting reduced client activity and a difficult trading environment in the second half of 2018. Lower fixed income sales and trading revenues were primarily driven by a weaker performance in rates, partially offset by higher revenues in foreign exchange products, structured products and credit products. Wealth Management & Connected revenues were stable, mainly reflecting lower transaction-based revenues and lower advisory, underwriting and financing revenues, offset by higher recurring commissions and fees. Financing revenues in 2017 included a gain of CHF 64 million from a pre-IPO financing and a positive net fair value impact of CHF 94 million from an impaired loan portfolio in recovery management. Compared to 2017, total operating expenses of CHF 2,694 million decreased slightly, primarily reflecting lower compensation and benefits and lower commission expenses, largely offset by higher general and administrative expenses, primarily driven by higher litigation provisions.

Capital and leverage metrics

As of the end of 2019, we reported risk-weighted assets of CHF 36.6 billion, a decrease of CHF 0.5 billion compared to the end of 2018, primarily reflecting a foreign exchange impact and lower business usage in Markets, partly offset by a regular update to the stressed window calibration and methodology changes. Leverage exposure was CHF 115.4 billion, an increase of CHF 9.1 billion compared to the end of 2018, mainly driven by higher business usage in Markets and higher lending activities in Wealth Management & Connected, partially offset by a foreign exchange impact.

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