United Bank of Switzerland: A Comprehensive Guide to the Global Bank

The United Bank of Switzerland, now known as UBS, has a rich history that spans over 150 years. It was founded in 1862 in Zurich, Switzerland.

UBS has a significant presence in the global financial market, with operations in over 50 countries and a network of more than 1,000 offices worldwide.

UBS stands for Union Bank of Switzerland, a name that reflects its roots in the country. It's also known as "Union de Banques Suisses" in French and "Unione di Banche Svizzere" in Italian.

UBS is headquartered in Switzerland, but it's also a licensed US bank with operations in New York City and registered in Utah, known as UBS Bank USA.

In its early days, UBS was formed by the merger of Union Bank and Swiss Bank, creating a single entity with the UBS name.

UBS is the acronym for Union Bank of Switzerland, which is also known as "Union de Banques Suisses" in French and "Unione di Banche Svizzere" in Italian.

The name UBS originated from the merger of Union Bank and Swiss Bank, which was a significant event in the history of the company.

The German translation of UBS is "Schweizerische Bankgesellschaft", which gives you an idea of the company's Swiss roots.

UBS has a long and storied history, with the Union Bank and Swiss Bank entities dating back to the early days of banking in Switzerland.

UBS is based in Switzerland, but it also operates as a licensed U.S. bank, headquartered in New York City and registered in Utah, known as UBS Bank USA.

The company was formed through the merger of Union Bank and Swiss Bank, and its name is an acronym for Union Bank of Switzerland.

UBS Asset Management is the largest mutual fund manager in Switzerland and a leading fund house in Europe, with around 2,300 employees in 23 countries.

As of 2018, UBS Asset Management was responsible for $781 billion of invested assets and had assets under administration of $413 billion.

UBS Investment Bank provides a range of services, including securities, other financial products, and research in equities, rates, credit, foreign exchange, precious metals, and derivatives.

The bank's main offices are located in Chicago, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, London, New York, Shanghai, Singapore, Tokyo, and Zurich.

UBS's main competitors in the asset management and investment banking divisions are companies like BlackRock, Vanguard Group, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, and Bank of America.

UBS was founded in 1862 as the Bank in Winterthur, marking the beginning of the development of modern Swiss Grossbanken. The bank's name was derived from the town of Winterthur, which served as Switzerland's industrial hub in the 19th century.

The company has undergone significant changes over the years, with the merger of the Bank of Winterthur and Toggenburger Bank in 1912 forming the Union Bank of Switzerland. This was followed by the Banking Law of 1934, which codified Swiss banking secrecy and contributed to the bank's rapid growth.

By 1998, UBS had merged with the Swiss Bank Corporation to create a single company known as UBS. Today, the bank is a joint-stock company with shares listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange and the New York Stock Exchange.

Here is a brief overview of UBS's corporate structure as of June 2018:

UBS was founded in 1862 as the Bank in Winterthur, marking the beginning of its long history. The bank's early years were marked by rapid growth, driven by Switzerland's industrial hub status.

The name "UBS" is often thought to stand for Union Bank of Switzerland, but this is a misconception. The name actually came from one of its predecessor firms, the Union Bank of Switzerland.

The bank's history is a story of mergers and acquisitions, with dozens of individual firms merging to form the bank's three major predecessors: Union Bank of Switzerland, Swiss Bank Corporation, and ICO Markets Exchange Clearing Limited.

Here's a brief timeline of the bank's major predecessors:

The bank's history is also marked by significant milestones, including the 2007-2008 financial crisis, which led to heavy losses and an asset relief recovery program. The bank also faced a 2011 rogue trader scandal, resulting in a US$2 billion trading loss.

In 2012, the bank reoriented itself around wealth management advisory services and limited its sell-side operations. This marked a significant shift in the bank's strategy, focusing on providing advisory services to its clients rather than engaging in high-risk trading activities.

UBS is a joint-stock company listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange and the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). Its shares are widely held, with a global presence in 50 countries.

The bank has a significant presence in the United States, with major offices in New York City, Weehawken, New Jersey, and Stamford, Connecticut.

UBS is organized into four business groups: Global Wealth Management, Personal & Corporate Bank, Asset Management, and Investment Bank.

The company's largest institutional shareholders include Chase Nominees Ltd., DTC (Cede & Co.), and Nortrust Nominees Ltd., holding 11.76%, 7.57%, and 4.53% of the shares, respectively.

As of June 2018, the geographical distribution of shareholders shows that 89.5% of registered shares are held by Swiss shareholders, with the remaining 10.5% held by non-Swiss shareholders.

Here's a breakdown of the total registered and unregistered shares held by different regions:

The company's market capitalization is $45.907 billion, with shareholders' equity standing at $52.928 billion.

The naming rights of sports venues can be a big deal, and in the case of UBS Arena, it's held by UBS, which is the home of the New York Islanders.

UBS has a significant presence in the financial world, but here it's more about being the title sponsor of the arena.

Long-Term Capital was a hedge fund that Union Bank of Switzerland (UBS) entered into a financing arrangement with in 1997. This move was a bold attempt by UBS to catch up with its key Swiss rivals.

The hedge fund quickly became UBS's largest client, generating $15 million in fees for the bank. UBS was so impressed with LTCM's potential that it sold the fund a 7-year European call option on 1 million shares, valued at around $800 million.

To hedge this option, UBS invested a further $300 million in LTCM. This move was a significant risk, but it showed the bank's willingness to take bold steps to grow its business.

By the summer of 1998, UBS's exposure to LTCM had become a massive liability, and the bank was unable to sell or hedge its interest. This ultimately led to a loss of CHF790 million by November 1998.

The Federal Reserve Bank of New York organized a bailout of $3.625 billion to prevent a wider collapse in the financial markets. UBS contributed $300 million to this effort, which would largely be recovered.