Switzerland and its Banks

This book provides a history of Swiss banking not confined to stereotypical opinions about secret numbered accounts. Instead, the presented history covers other intriguing events and developments beyond the famous issue of banking secrecy and the corresponding scandals.
Topics covered in the book include the early financial innovations by banks in Geneva to handle the sovereign risk on bonds issued in pre-revolutionary France, the monetary chaos that led to the creation of the Swiss franc, the rather peculiar banknote competition and free-banking system in Switzerland during most of the nineteenth century, how the country and its currency became a financial safe haven after World War I, the golden age of Swiss banking when Zurich was briefly one of the largest financial centres in the world, and the exceptional shocks during and after the recent global financial crisis. In sum, a fascinating story emerges about an internationally important banking centre in oneof the most unlikely places in the world.
This book is a must-read for students, scholars, and researchers of economics and finance, as well as practitioners interested in a better understanding of economic history in general, and Swiss banking in particular.

Provides an up-to-date overview of Swiss banking history Written for an international audience Discusses the economic, historical, and political background of Switzerland as a banking centre

Auteur
Nils Herger is program manager of the central bankers' courses at the Study Center Gerzensee - the training and research centre of the Swiss National Bank - and lecturer at the University of Bern. He holds a BA in economics from the University of Bern and an MSc and PhD in economics from the University of Exeter, United Kingdom.

Contenu
Chapter 1. Introduction and Overview.- Chapter 2. Historical Background.- Chapter 3. Banks in the Old Confederation and in Geneva (Before 1848).- Chapter 4. Free Banking and the Foundation of the Swiss National Bank (1826-1907).- Chapter 5. Railway Boom, the Big Banks, and the Ascent of Zurich as Financial Centre (1848-1914).- Chapter 6. A Safe Haven in an Unstable World (1914-1945).- Chapter 7. The Golden Age (1946-1970s).- Chapter 8. Swiss Banking During Financial Globalisation (1970s-2008).- Chapter 9. Global Financial Crisis, Too-big-to-fail Problem, and the End of Banking Secrecy (Since 2008).- Chapter 10. Why Are There So Many Banks in Switzerland? A Tentative Answer.