Credit Suisse to borrow up to $53.7 bil. from central bank

The logo of Swiss bank Credit Suisse is seen at an office building in Zurich, Switzerland, Feb. 21, 2022. Reuters-Yonhap

Credit Suisse announced Thursday that it would borrow up to 50 million francs ($53.7 billion) from the Swiss central bank to reinforce the group after its shares plunged.

In a statement, the bank said it was also making buyback offers on about $3 billion worth of debt.

"These measures demonstrate decisive action to strengthen Credit Suisse as we continue our strategic transformation to deliver value to our clients and other stakeholders," CEO Ulrich Koerner said in the statement.

"My team and I are resolved to move forward rapidly to deliver a simpler and more focused bank built around client needs."

Credit Suisse, hit by a series of scandals in recent years, saw its share price tumble off a cliff Wednesday after the Saudi National Bank declined to inject more money into the group.

Its shares fell more than 30 percent before regaining some ground to end the day's trading down 24.24 percent at 1.697 Swiss francs.

In February 2021, Credit Suisse shares were worth 12.78 Swiss francs, but since then, the bank has endured a barrage of problems that have eaten away at its market value.

Wednesday's plunge also came amid fears of contagion brought on by the failure of the U.S.-based Silicon Valley Bank.

Credit Suisse is one of 30 banks globally deemed too big to fail, forcing it to set aside more cash to weather a crisis. (AFP)



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