Switzerland: Formalizing Banking Supervision in the Aftermath of a Crisis, Better Late Than Never

This chapter deals with the formalization of banking supervision in Switzerland, which occurred throughout the twentieth century in a three-step process. First, between 1914 and 1931, the introduction of formal banking supervision, including a detailed Banking Act enforced by an authority, was discussed but was rejected under the influence of leading bankers. Second, in the aftermath of a severe banking crisis in 1931–1934, the resistance of bankers was undermined and a federal law on commercial banking, featuring the setting up of a new supervision agency, was adopted. Third, until the late 1970s, despite the existence of a legal code and a designated authority, the formalization was still incomplete, because the agency was lacking the formal capacity and resources to guarantee an effective enforcement of financial regulation. During that period (1930s–1970s), policymakers were unable to remove the flaws of the supervisory regime because of the strong preference of the main stakeholders (commercial banks, banking supervisors) for the existing system.