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24.06.2021

Bankers Day 2021: “The Future of Banking” 

What will banks look like in the year 2030? How will they respond to customers’ changing needs? What will this mean for financial market supervision? This year’s Bankers Day on September 16, 2021 will focus on these questions and more. We spoke to FINMA Chair Marlene Amstad ahead of her keynote speech at Bankers Day under the heading “The Future of Banking”. 

We asked Prof. Dr. Marlene Amstad for her views on various matters professional and personal. Please feel free to use these as a starting-point for discussions with her at our event.

Prof. Dr. Marlene Amstad, Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of FINMA

What is the best thing about being FINMA’s Chair?

Marlene Amstad: The financial world will face a huge upheaval in the next decade. Shaping the future of Switzerland’s financial centre together with my team at FINMA is both a great privilege and a great responsibility.

 

Have any aspects of your role as FINMA Chair tested your limits?

Marlene Amstad: Dialogue with the various stakeholders is very 

important to us.  This has had to take place almost entirely via digital channels in recent months. It works fine, but videoconferencing can’t be a long-term substitute for face-to-face meetings.

 

Why is the SBA’s relationship with FINMA so important?

Marlene Amstad: Constructive dialogue requires the industry and the supervisory authority to understand each other’s challenges and concerns. That’s only possible if they talk to each other regularly. The associations, in particular the SBA, provide an excellent, established basis for this.

 

Which of FINMA’s projects and issues is taking up most of your time at the moment?

Marlene Amstad: That would very definitely be the full spectrum of opportunities and risks relating to the digital transformation and sustainability.

 

What advice would you give to a 20-year-old who wants to embark on a career in banking?

Marlene Amstad: Know your craft, your customers and your market. Focus on sustainable business models.

 

Can you pick five adjectives to describe what banking will be like in ten years’ time?

Marlene Amstad: Digital, flexible, sustainable and of course – as ever – stable and trustworthy.

 

Which single moment has had the biggest influence on your career?

Marlene Amstad: There were several such moments during my time at the Fed in New York. The focus on data and international exchange has stayed with me to this day. 

 

You lived in Asia for a long time. What did you appreciate most about it?

Marlene Amstad: The courage to act quickly.

 

Conversely, what do you appreciate most about Switzerland?

Marlene Amstad: The courage to act with precision.

Information on the 2021 AGM

In view of the coronavirus situation, the SBA has decided that individual members may only cast their votes in writing for the 2021 AGM. The application deadline was August 20, 2021.

Bankers Day 2021: Programme

New SBA Chairman: Herbert J. Scheidt passes the baton to Marcel Rohner – Keynote speech by Federal Councillor Ueli Maurer, Head of the Federal Department of Finance – Keynote speech by Marlene Amstad, Chair of FINMA – Keynote speech by Brett King, Banking Futurist – Roundtable discussion featuring Christian Mumenthaler, CEO of Swiss Re, and Axel Weber, Chairman of UBS Group Inc., among others – moderated by Mark Dittli.

Would you like to attend? Individual members and interested parties can sign up here: Swiss Bankers Day 2021. This will be a hybrid presence/online event. We look forward to seeing you there.

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