The FINANCIAL — UBS announced a significant acceleration in the implementation of its strategy to transform the firm and create the UBS of the future. Building on the progress it has made in the last 12 months, UBS will achieve this transformation by further sharpening its focus in the Investment Bank.
By concentrating on its traditional strengths in advisory, research, equities, FX and precious metals and by exiting business lines, predominantly those in fixed income that have been rendered uneconomical by changes in regulation and market developments, UBS will reduce costs significantly while driving further efficiencies across the Group more rapidly. As UBS Bank reported, by 2015, UBS is likely to have a headcount of around 54,000. As a result of these actions UBS will be unique in the banking industry – it will be less capital and balance-sheet intensive, highly cash flow generative, more focused on serving its clients and capable of maximizing value for its employees and shareholders.
UBS aims to deliver progressive capital returns to its shareholders until it achieves its future capital plans. Thereafter, UBS believes it can sustain and grow its businesses while maintaining a total payout ratio of 50% or more.
Group CEO Sergio P. Ermotti said, "The strong progress we have made over the last 12 months allows us to begin implementing this next phase of our strategy. We are ahead of schedule in our plans to build additional capital strength and reduce both costs and risk-weighted assets. The opportunity we have today to accelerate the transformation of our firm is one that I believe is unique – and one that will allow us to continue to unlock the full potential of our franchise."
UBS's Investment Bank will be focused on its traditional strengths in advisory, research, equities, FX and precious metals. In order to be successful, the Investment Bank must first be strong and successful in meeting the needs of its clients. It will continue to serve its corporate, sovereign, institutional and financial sponsor clients. It must also support sustained growth in the Group by acting as a strong partner to all of UBS's business divisions including Wealth Management. Achieving this will give the Group a competitive advantage.
The Investment Bank will continue to have a critical role and will consist of two core client segments. The first is Corporate Client Solutions, which includes all advisory and solutions businesses plus execution that involves corporate, financial institutions and sponsor clients. UBS will continue to add value through advice and delivery of bespoke solutions. This is expected to generate around one-third of the Investment Bank's revenues and utilize around 15% of its Basel III RWAs.
Investor Client Services includes execution, distribution and trading for institutional investors, and will provide support to UBS's wealth management businesses. It will comprise UBS's leading equities businesses, FX, and precious metals. In flow rates and credit, we will maintain risk facilitation capabilities aligned to our Debt Capital Market and wealth management franchises. Investor Client Services is expected to generate two-thirds of the Investment Bank's revenues and utilize around 85% of its Basel III RWAs. UBS's Investment Bank is the first capital-light Basel III compliant bank and UBS expects it will deliver returns well in excess of its cost of capital.
The lines of business to be exited will include many that do not meet their cost of capital sustainably or are in areas with high operational complexity or long tail risks likely to weigh on future returns. Exited businesses and positions will be transferred to, and reported in, the Corporate Center from the first quarter of 2013. An experienced team, led by Carsten Kengeter, has been appointed to manage the exited businesses and positions to optimize risk and returns over time. This team will manage the sale or exit of these positions within the robust oversight structure that has successfully supported our risk-weighted asset reduction in the Legacy Portfolio.
We remain fully committed to our clients and businesses in Switzerland and they are unaffected by these announcements.
With immediate effect, Andrea Orcel will become the Chief Executive Officer of UBS's Investment Bank. Carsten Kengeter will step down from the Group Executive Board and will be responsible for the successful management of the exited Investment Bank businesses and positions. He will report to the Group CEO.
Group CEO Sergio P. Ermotti said, "We will continue to deliver the very best of UBS to all our clients and, to support this, over the next three years, we will make investments totaling CHF 1.5 billion across all of our businesses. The Investment Bank will continue to be a significant global player in its core businesses, and we intend to forcefully compete to increase our market share in these areas of strength."
UBS will expand its Group-wide efficiencies and free up resources to make investments to support growth across the firm. These programs will enable UBS to service its clients with greater agility and effectiveness, improving product quality and speed to market. For the Group as a whole, UBS will continue to strengthen its risk control, compliance and regulatory functions. UBS is targeting total cost savings of CHF 5.4 billion including incremental cost savings of CHF 3.4 billion above the CHF 2 billion cost savings program announced in August 2011. These changes will take three years to fully implement and UBS anticipates restructuring charges of CHF 3.3 billion over the same period.
Savings will be achieved as a result of the actions UBS is taking in its Investment Bank, as well as further Group wide efficiency measures. The complete exit of business lines from the Investment Bank will eliminate associated front-to-back costs. Further, the Investment Bank’s reduced complexity and size will also enable a simplification of the Group as a whole, including the Corporate Center, where excess management layers will be removed and spans of control increased. A reduced real estate footprint and more focused technology requirements will also lower costs.
This will be supported by the launch of an independent buying entity which will gain further efficiencies. Finally, UBS will implement lean front-to-back processes across the bank and simplify its product portfolio and production processes. As a consequence, in 2015 UBS expects its headcount to be around 54,000 compared with approximately 64,000 today.
Group CEO Sergio P. Ermotti said, "This decision has been a difficult one, particularly in a business such as ours that is all about its people. Some reductions will result from natural attrition and we will take whatever measures we can to mitigate the overall effect. Throughout the process we will ensure that our people will be supported and treated with care."
UBS is firmly committed to return capital to its shareholders. UBS began its program with a dividend of CHF 0.10 per share for the financial year 2011. Share dividend payouts are predicated on UBS meeting its capital targets. From this point onwards, UBS will implement an attractive capital return program. UBS will have the flexibility to determine a baseline dividend set at a sustainable level, regardless of the normal economic fluctuations.
In addition, UBS intends to add supplementary capital returns, which take into account its need for investment and any counter cyclical buffer it chooses to maintain for a more challenging economic environment. UBS believes it can sustain and grow its future business organically with a total payout ratio of 50% or more, taking into account the baseline dividend and any supplementary payments it may make.
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