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UBS AG

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FY2017 Annual Report · UBS AG
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UBS Group AG

Annual Report 2017

Contents

Letter to shareholders

2
5 Our key figures
8 Our Board of Directors
10 Our Group Executive Board
12 Our evolution
14 Our external reporting approach 

1. Operating environment

and strategy

18 Current market climate and industry trends
21 Regulation and supervision
23 Regulatory and legal developments
27 Significant accounting and financial

reporting changes in 2018

30 Our strategy
32 Measurement of performance
34 Global Wealth Management
36 Personal & Corporate Banking
38 Asset Management
Investment Bank
40
42 Corporate Center
45 Risk factors

2.

Financial
and operating performance

58 Critical accounting estimates and judgments
59 Group performance
73 Wealth Management
77 Wealth Management Americas
83 Personal & Corporate Banking
87 Asset Management
Investment Bank
92
98 Corporate Center

3.

Risk, treasury and
capital management

113 Risk management and control
167 Treasury management
183 Capital management

4.

Corporate governance, responsibility and 
compensation

206 Corporate governance
238 UBS and Society
252 Our employees
258 Compensation

5.

Financial 
statements

303 Consolidated financial statements
455 Standalone financial statements

6.

Significant regulated subsidiary and sub-group 
information

476

Financial and regulatory key figures for our significant 
regulated subsidiaries and sub-groups

Appendix

478 Abbreviations frequently used in our financial reports
480
481 Cautionary statement

Information sources

Annual Report 2017
Letter to shareholders

Dear shareholders,

For  our  shareholder  letter  this  year,  we  have  chosen  a  format 
that answers a series of questions that we are regularly asked by 
different stakeholders of the bank.

What are the financial highlights of the past year?
2017  was  an  excellent  year  for  us,  with  profit  before  tax  up 
29% to CHF 5.3 billion. We also delivered on our CHF 2.1 billion 
net  savings  program.  That  said,  at  UBS  performance  is  not  just 
judged  by  annual  financial  results.  One  of  our  firm's  three 
Principles  –  along  with  Client  Focus  and  Excellence  –  is 
Sustainable  Performance,  which  we  define  as  focusing  on  the 
long term and providing consistent returns to our stakeholders.

Why was your net profit attributable to shareholders far 
lower in 2017 than it was in 2016?
Like many of our peers, we were affected by a net write-down 
of  our  US  deferred  tax  assets,  due  to  the  new  US  tax  law.  We 
had been able to write up these deferred tax assets in the past 
few  years,  as  a  result  of  our  strong  profitability  in  the  US,  and 
they  remain  in  place  for  future  utilization.  The  write-down  in 
2017 had no impact on our fully applied CET1 capital and does 
not  affect  our  ability  to  return  capital.  Excluding  the  effects  of 
these US tax law changes, net profit was CHF 4 billion, up 22%.

Is UBS's capital position still a competitive advantage? 
Yes,  definitely.  Capital  strength  continues  to  be  a  key  pillar  of 
our strategy. Our fully applied CET1 ratios are comfortably above 
the 2020 requirements. Since 2012, we've substantially reduced 
risk and balance sheet exposures, while increasing our total loss-
absorbing  capacity  by  around  CHF  50  billion  to  almost  CHF  80 
billion.  Our  progress  and  overall  resilience  is  reflected  in  our 
valuation  compared  to  peers,  our  credit  ratings  and,  most 
importantly, the trust our clients place in us. At the same time, 
the  greater  visibility  on  future  capital  requirements  provided  by 
the  Basel  Committee  at  the  end  of  2017  enabled  us  to  update 
our  capital  returns  policy  and  plan  more  meaningfully  for  the 
future. 

What are the details of your updated capital returns policy?
Our  aim  is  to  further  increase  returns  to  shareholders  while 
building  on  our  strong  capital  position.  Going  forward,  our 
priority  is  to  pay  an  ordinary  dividend,  growing  at  mid-to-high 
considering 
single-digit  percentage  per 
supplementary  returns,  most  likely  in  the  form  of  share 
buybacks.  For  2017,  we  intend  to  propose  a  dividend  to  UBS 
Group  AG  shareholders,  for  approval  at  our  May  3rd  Annual 
General Meeting (AGM), of CHF 0.65 per share, an 8% increase 
on the prior year. We'll also initiate a share repurchase program 
of up to CHF 2 billion over three years, including up to CHF 550 
million in 2018.

annum,  while 

2 

Did the UBS share price develop as you thought it would 
in 2017?
While we don't set specific absolute targets for our share price, 
our aim is that the unique value of our franchise – which is more 
than the sum of its parts – is properly reflected. A good measure 
is  our  valuation  on  a  relative  basis.  From  that  perspective  – 
looking at the ratio of our share price to our tangible book value 
– we've been trading at a ratio above one for the past six years 
and  remain  in  a  strong  position  compared  to  many  peers. 
Relative  share  price  performance  is  influenced  by  a  number  of 
factors  including  business  models  and  geographic  exposure.  In 
2017, peers with greater overall US presence and less influenced 
by  low  and  negative  interest  rates  in  Europe  and  Switzerland 
were  operating  in  a  much  more  favorable  macroeconomic 
setting. Combined with the changing regulatory environment in 
the  US,  this  is  reflected  in  relative  transatlantic  share  price 
performance.  Looking  ahead,  we've  set  ambitious  return  and 
efficiency  targets  for  the  next  three  years  to  drive  further 
valuation growth. 

is 

right 

competitive 

Your strategy has remained the same for quite a while – is 
it time to change it?
While  we  continuously  adjust  and  improve  to  adapt  to  a 
changing  environment,  our  strategic  focus  on  global  wealth 
management and universal banking in Switzerland enhanced by 
Investment  Bank  and  Asset 
focused  and 
Management  businesses 
for  UBS.  Sustainable 
performance  is  only  possible  with  a  long-term  strategy.  We're 
the  clear 
in 
Switzerland, with the most sophisticated capabilities. The global 
wealth  management  market  is  forecast  to  grow  at  twice  GDP 
and  as  the  firm  with  the  most  diversified  geographic  footprint, 
we  are  in  the  best  position  to  benefit  from  this  development. 
Now that we have more regulatory clarity on future capital and 
liquidity  requirements,  we  are  sharpening  our  focus  on  growth 
across  our  businesses  and  making  further  investments  to 
continue increasing returns to shareholders. 

in  global  wealth  management  and 

leader 

Are your other businesses less important given your focus 
on wealth management?
No,  the  UBS  franchise  is  unique  and  not  just  about  wealth 
management. Our diversified business model also benefits from 
Personal  &  Corporate  Banking,  the  Investment  Bank  and  Asset 
Management.  All  are  successful  businesses  in  their  own  right. 
Together,  they  make  a  significant  contribution  to  earnings, 
diversify  revenues  and  generate  high-quality  returns.  Without 
them,  our  Global  Wealth  Management  business  would  not  be 
what it is today, nor could it deliver on its aspirations. And our 
Swiss roots and UBS brand continue to be a huge advantage – 
both  in  our  home  market  and  in  growth  regions  such  as  Asia 
Pacific.

Axel A. Weber  Chairman of the Board of Directors and Sergio P. Ermotti  Group Chief Executive Officer

Where do you expect to grow and invest going forward?
From  a  geographic  standpoint,  we  have  a  clear  ambition  to 
grow  in  the  Americas  and  to  reinforce  our  leadership  in  our 
home market Switzerland. And we are big believers in the Asia 
Pacific  opportunity,  especially  China,  where  wealth  creation 
continues to accelerate and we are in a very strong competitive 
position. In the Europe, Middle East and Africa region, we want 
to leverage our capabilities to grow our share in a market that is 
more and more likely to consolidate. To shape our digital future, 
we  intend  to  keep  investing  at  least  10%  of  the  Group's 
revenues  in  technology,  adding  around  CHF  1  billion  in  tech 
spend  over  the  next  three  years.  We'll  focus  these  investments 
on  enhancing  and  differentiating  the  client  experience  and 
product  excellence  UBS  offers,  while  also  accelerating 
effectiveness and efficiency.  

Is your workforce prepared for these technology 
investments, which may automate many of their current 
tasks?
That's an existential question all companies are faced with when 
considering  the  fourth  industrial  revolution.  On  one  hand, 
automation  will  be  necessary,  as  from  a  demographic  point  of 
view  more  people  will  be  retiring  than  entering  the  workforce. 
On the other hand, however, it's not just about technology, but 
about  how  we'll  work  in  the  future.  Companies  that  have 
succeeded in the past can't be complacent – they'll need to help 
their  staff  adapt.  One  way  we  do  that  at  UBS  is  by  providing 
learning  and  development  opportunities  to  our  employees.  In 
2017,  they  participated  in  approximately  765,500  training 
activities. And our own UBS University offers more than 2,400 e-
learning  and  classroom-based  trainings.  It's  our  responsibility, 
but also that of our employees, to invest in their capabilities so 
that they stay agile and flexible.

3 

Annual Report 2017
Letter to shareholders

Why have you not announced a new cost savings program?
We're no longer in restructuring mode, so efficiency has moved 
from being a program to how we run the bank day to day. And 
the  fact  that  we  just  completed  a  cost  savings  program 
delivering CHF 2.1 billion in net savings does not mean efficiency 
is no longer on the agenda. We've set quite demanding internal 
targets for our business divisions and Corporate Center to drive 
positive  operating  leverage  –  so  to  increase  revenues  while 
reducing  costs.  We've  also  said  that  we're  targeting  a 
cost/income  ratio  of  below  75%  for  the  Group.  What  we've 
refrained  from  doing,  however,  is  to  go  public  with  a  big, 
aggregated savings number to be achieved in a number of years. 
While such an approach may attract headlines and please some 
in  the  analyst  community,  it  can  lead  to  behavior  that  runs 
contrary to our long-term approach and, for example, jeopardize 
client  service  and  risk  management,  ultimately  undermining 
sustainable performance.

shareholders  and  employees  are 

Who does UBS create value for?
Clients, 
the  primary 
stakeholders we create value for. Our role as a bank is to finance 
economic  growth  by  facilitating  investment  and  credit.  And  we 
support  people  and  businesses  with  the  financial  services  they 
need  to  reach  their  goals.  As  a  firm,  we  contribute  by  directly 
employing  over  60,000  people,  by  consuming  products  and 
services and by paying taxes. 

How else does UBS create positive value for society?
We are strongly committed to being – and remaining – a leader 
in  the  field  of  sustainability.  Our  cross-divisional  organization 
UBS and Society focuses the firm on this direction. It covers our 
activities  and  capabilities  related  to  sustainable  investing  and 
philanthropy  with  clients,  our  environmental  and  human  rights 
policies  governing  client  and  supplier 
relationships,  our 
environmental  footprint  and  our  community  investments.  And, 
we're happy to report that we're being recognized for our work 
across these areas. Among others, the Dow Jones Sustainability 
Indices,  which  are  the  most  widely  respected  sustainability 
ratings,  confirmed  UBS  as  the  industry  leader  for  the  third  year 
running in 2017.

How do you make sure your corporate culture supports 
long-term value creation?
Over the past six years we've brought a more traditional banking 
mentality  to  UBS,  really  focused  on  our  clients,  sustainable 
performance  and  excellence  in  everything  we  do.  We've 
incentivized behaviors that underline the importance not only of 
what  is  achieved,  but  also  how  it's  achieved.  And  we've  set 
targets 
the 
opportunities ahead, we'll continue to do just that. 

success.  To  capture 

that  drive 

long-term 

Thank  you  for  your  ongoing  support.  We  look  forward  to  your 
feedback  and  also  to  welcoming  you  at  our  AGM  on  3  May 
2018 in Basel.

Is UBS paying taxes again in Switzerland?
Yes,  we're  actually  a  top  taxpayer  in  the  country.  UBS's 
corporate tax payments over the last 20 years add up to around 
CHF 13 billion, including CHF 3.5 billion post-crisis. But being a 
good corporate citizen is about far more than just paying taxes. 
It  also  means  acting  responsibly,  and  our  stakeholders  expect 
nothing less. 

9 March 2018

Yours sincerely,

Axel A. Weber
Chairman of the
Board of Directors

Sergio P. Ermotti
Group Chief Executive Officer

4 

Our key figures

CHF million, except where indicated

Group results
Operating income
Operating expenses
Operating profit / (loss) before tax
Net profit / (loss) attributable to shareholders
Diluted earnings per share (CHF)1

Key performance indicators2
PProfitability
Return on tangible equity (%)
Cost / income ratio (%)
GGrowth
Net profit growth (%)
Net new money growth for combined wealth management businesses (%)3
RResources
Common equity tier 1 capital ratio (fully applied, %)4
Common equity tier 1 leverage ratio (fully applied, %)4
Going concern leverage ratio (fully applied, %)5

As of or for the year ended

331.12.17

31.12.16

31.12.15

229,067
223,800
55,268
11,053
00.27

22.4
881.5

((67.1)
  2.1

113.8
33.7
44.7

 28,320
 24,230
 4,090
 3,204
 0.84

 6.9
 85.4

 (48.3)
 2.1

 13.8
 3.5
 4.6

 30,605
 25,116
 5,489
 6,203
 1.64

 13.7
 81.8

 79.0
 2.2

 14.5
 3.3

 11.8
 14.4

22.0
112.6
33.3

 5.9
 13.2
 3.2

Additional information
PProfitability
Return on equity (%)
Return on risk-weighted assets, gross (%)6
Return on leverage ratio denominator, gross (%)6
RResources
Total assets
Equity attributable to shareholders
Common equity tier 1 capital (fully applied)4
Common equity tier 1 capital (phase-in)4
Risk-weighted assets (fully applied)4
Common equity tier 1 capital ratio (phase-in, %)4
Going concern capital ratio (fully applied, %)5
Going concern capital ratio (phase-in, %)5
Gone concern loss-absorbing capacity ratio (fully applied, %)5
Leverage ratio denominator (fully applied)4
Going concern leverage ratio (phase-in, %)5
Gone concern leverage ratio (fully applied, %)5
Liquidity coverage ratio (%)7
OOther
Invested assets (CHF billion)8,9
Personnel (full-time equivalents)
Market capitalization10
Total book value per share (CHF)10
Tangible book value per share (CHF)10
11 Refer to “Note 9 Earnings per share (EPS) and shares outstanding” in the “Consolidated financial statements” section of this report for more information.    2 Refer to the “Measurement of performance” section 
of this report for the definitions of our key performance indicators.     3 Based on adjusted net new money, which excludes the negative effect on net new money in 2015 of CHF 9.9 billion from our balance sheet 
and capital optimization program.    4 Based on the Swiss systemically relevant bank (SRB) framework. Refer to the “Capital management” section of this report for more information.    5 Based on the revised Swiss 
SRB framework that became effective on 1 July 2016. Refer to the “Capital management” section of this report for more information.     6 Calculated as operating income before credit loss / average fully applied 
risk-weighted assets and average fully applied leverage ratio denominator, respectively.    7 Refer to the “Balance sheet, liquidity and funding management” section of this report for more information.    8 Includes 
invested assets for Personal & Corporate Banking.     9 Certain account types were corrected during 2017. As a result, invested assets as of 31 December 2016 and 31 December 2015 were corrected by CHF 12 
billion and CHF 11 billion, respectively.    10 Refer to “UBS shares” in the “Capital management” section of this report for more information.

 935,016
 53,621
 30,693
 37,788
 222,677
 16.8
 17.9
 24.7
 13.2
 870,470
 6.4
 3.4
 132

9915,642
551,214
332,671
335,494
2237,494
114.9
117.6
221.7
115.3
8886,116
55.8
44.1
1143

 942,819
 55,313
 30,044
 40,378
 207,530
 19.0

 2,678
 60,099
 75,147
 14.75
 13.00

 2,810
 59,387
 61,420
 14.44
 12.68

33,179
661,253
669,125
113.76
112.04

 897,607

 124

Events subsequent to the publication of the unaudited fourth quarter 2017 report

The  2017  results  and  the  balance  sheet  as  of  31  December  2017  differ  from  those  presented  in  the  unaudited  fourth  quarter 
2017 report published on 22 January 2018 as a result of events adjusted for after the balance sheet date. Provisions for litigation, 
regulatory  and  similar  matters  increased,  which  reduced  2017  operating  profit  before  tax  by  CHF  141  million,  2017  net  profit 
attributable to shareholders by CHF 112 million, and both basic and diluted earnings per share by CHF 0.03.

5 

    
Annual Report 2017

Terms used in this report, unless the context requires otherwise

“UBS,” “UBS Group,” “UBS Group AG consolidated,” 
“Group,” “the Group,” “we,” “us” and “our”

UBS Group AG and its consolidated subsidiaries

“UBS AG consolidated” 

UBS AG and its consolidated subsidiaries

“UBS Group AG” and “UBS Group AG standalone” 

UBS Group AG on a standalone basis

“UBS AG” and “UBS AG standalone” 

UBS AG on a standalone basis

“UBS Switzerland AG”

“UBS Limited” 

UBS Switzerland AG on a standalone basis

UBS Limited on a standalone basis

“UBS Americas Holding LLC consolidated”

UBS Americas Holding LLC and its consolidated subsidiaries

6 

Corporate information

UBS Group AG is incorporated and domiciled in Switzerland and operates 
under art. 620ff. of the Swiss Code of Obligations as an Aktiengesellschaft, a 
corporation limited by shares. Its registered office is at Bahnhofstrasse 45, 
CH-8001 Zurich, Switzerland, phone +41-44-234 11 11, and its corporate 
identification number is CHE-395.345.924. UBS Group AG was incorporated 
on 10 June 2014 and was established in 2014 as the holding company of the 
UBS Group. UBS Group AG shares are listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange and 
on the New York Stock Exchange (ISIN: CH0244767585; CUSIP: H42097107). 
UBS Group AG owns 100% of the outstanding shares of UBS AG.

Contacts

Switchboards
For all general inquiries.
www.ubs.com/contact 

Zurich +41-44-234 1111
London +44-20-7568 0000
New York +1-212-821 3000
Hong Kong +852-2971 8888

Investor Relations
UBS’s Investor Relations team supports 
institutional, professional and retail investors 
from our offices in Zurich, London, New York 
and Krakow.

UBS Group AG, Investor Relations
P.O. Box, CH-8098 Zurich, Switzerland

www.ubs.com/investors

Hotline Zurich +41-44-234 4100
Hotline New York +1-212-882 5734

Media Relations
UBS’s Media Relations team supports 
global media and journalists from 
offices in Zurich, London, New York 
and Hong Kong.

www.ubs.com/media

Zurich +41-44-234 8500
mediarelations@ubs.com

London +44-20-7567 4714 
ubs-media-relations@ubs.com

New York +1-212-882 5857 
mediarelations-ny@ubs.com

Hong Kong +852-2971 8200
sh-mediarelations-ap@ubs.com

Office of the Group Company Secretary
The Group Company Secretary receives 
inquiries on compensation and related 
issues addressed to members of the 
Board of Directors.

UBS Group AG, Office of the 
Group Company Secretary
P.O. Box, CH-8098 Zurich, Switzerland

sh-company-secretary@ubs.com

Hotline +41-44-235 6652
Fax +41-44-235 8220

Shareholder Services
UBS’s Shareholder Services team, a unit 
of the Group Company Secretary office, is 
responsible for the registration of 
UBS Group AG registered shares.

UBS Group AG, Shareholder Services
P.O. Box, CH-8098 Zurich, Switzerland

sh-shareholder-services@ubs.com

Hotline +41-44-235 6652
Fax +41-44-235 8220

US Transfer Agent
For global registered share-related 
inquiries in the US.

Computershare Trust Company NA 
P.O. Box 30170 
College Station
TX 77842-3170, USA

Shareholder online inquiries:
https://www-us.computershare.com/
investor/Contact

Shareholder website:
www.computershare.com/investor

Calls from the US +1-866-305-9566
Calls from outside 
the US +1-781-575-2623
TDD for hearing impaired
+1-800-231-5469

TDD foreign shareholders
+1-201-680-6610

Corporate calendar UBS Group AG

Imprint

Publication of the first quarter 2018 report: 

Annual General Meeting 2018: 

Monday, 23 April 2018
Thursday, 3 May 2018

Publication of the second quarter 2018 report:  Tuesday, 24 July 2018

Publication of the third quarter 2018 report: 

Tuesday, 23 October 2018

Publisher: UBS Group AG, Zurich, Switzerland | www.ubs.com
Language: English / German | SAP-No. 80531E

© UBS 2018. The key symbol and UBS are among the registered and 
unregistered trademarks of UBS. All rights reserved.

Printed in Switzerland on chlorine-free paper with mineral oil-reduced inks. 
Paper production from socially responsible and ecologically sound forestry 
practices

7 

Annual Report 2017

Our Board of Directors

Axel A. Weber 
Chairman of the Board(cid:124)of(cid:124)Directors / Chairperson of the Corporate Culture 
and(cid:124)Responsibility Committee / Chairperson of the Governance and 
Nominating Committee

Michel Demaré 
Independent Vice Chairman / member of the Audit Committee / 
member of the Compensation Committee / member of the Governance 
and Nominating Committee

Ann F. Godbehere 
Chairperson of the Compensation  Committee / member 
of the Audit Committee

William G. Parrett 
Chairperson of the Audit Committee / member of(cid:124)the(cid:124)
Compensation Committee / member of the Corporate Culture 
and Responsibility(cid:124)Committee

Robert W. Scully
Member of the Risk Committee

Beatrice Weder di(cid:124)Mauro 
Member of the Audit Committee / member of the Corporate Culture and 
Responsibility Committee

8 

David Sidwell 
Senior Independent Director / Chairperson of the Risk Committee / 
member of the Governance and Nominating Committee

Reto Francioni 
Member of the Compensation Committee / member of the 
Corporate Culture and Responsibility Committee / member 
of the Risk(cid:124)Committee

Isabelle Romy 
Member of the Audit Committee / member of the 
Governance(cid:124)and Nominating Committee

Julie G. Richardson
Member of the Risk Committee

Dieter Wemmer
Member of the Risk Committee

The  Board  of  Directors  (BoD)  of  UBS  Group  AG,  under  the 
leadership  of  the  Chairman,  consists  of  six  to  twelve  members  as 
per our Articles of Association. The BoD decides on the strategy of 
the  Group  upon  recommendation  of  the  Group  Chief  Executive 
Officer  (Group  CEO)  and  is  responsible  for  the  overall  direction, 
supervision and control of the Group and its management as well as 
laws,  rules  and 
for  supervising  compliance  with  applicable 
regulations. The BoD exercises oversight over UBS Group AG and its 

subsidiaries  and  is  responsible  for  establishing  a  clear  Group 
governance framework to provide effective steering and supervision 
of the Group, taking into account the material risks to which UBS 
Group  AG  and  its  subsidiaries  are  exposed.  The  BoD  has  ultimate 
responsibility  for  the  success  of  the  Group  and  for  delivering 
sustainable  shareholder  value  within  a  framework  of  prudent  and 
effective  controls,  approves  all  financial  statements  for  issue  and 
appoints and removes all Group Executive Board (GEB) members.

9 

 
Annual Report 2017

Our Group Executive Board

Sergio P. Ermotti 
Group Chief Executive Offi cer

Martin Blessing
co-President Global Wealth Management 

Kirt Gardner
Group Chief Financial Offi cer

Sabine Keller-Busse 
Group Chief Operating Offi cer 

Tom Naratil
co-President Global Wealth Management and President UBS Americas 

Andrea Orcel
President Investment Bank

10 

Christian Bluhm
Group Chief Risk Offi cer

Markus U. Diethelm
Group General Counsel

Ulrich Körner
President Asset Management and President UBS Europe, 
Middle East and Africa

Axel P. Lehmann
President Personal & Corporate Banking and President UBS Switzerland  

Kathryn Shih
President UBS Asia Pacifi c 

UBS  Group  AG  operates  under  a  strict  dual  board  structure,  as 
mandated  by  Swiss  banking  law,  and  therefore  the  BoD 
delegates  the  management  of  the  business  to  the  GEB.  Under 
the  leadership  of  the  Group  CEO,  the  GEB  has  executive 
management responsibility for the steering of the Group and its 
business.  It  assumes  overall  responsibility  for  developing  the 
Group  and  business  division  strategies  and  the  implementation 
of approved strategies.

→ Refer to “Board of Directors” and “Group Executive Board” in 

the “Corporate governance” section of this report or to 

www.ubs.com/bod and www.ubs.com/geb for the full 

biographies of our BoD and GEB members

11 

Annual Report 2017

Our evolution

UBS has played a pivotal role in the development and growth of 
Swiss banking. Since the firm’s origins in the mid-19th century, 
UBS has evolved to become a global financial services firm that 
houses  the  world’s  largest  wealth  manager,  the  number  one 
bank  in  Switzerland,  a  specialized  and  successful  investment 
bank and one of the world’s largest asset managers. 

The scope and international reach of UBS today were largely 
shaped in the second half of the 20th century. In 1998, two of 
Switzerland’s large banks, Union Bank of Switzerland and Swiss 
Bank Corporation (SBC), merged to form UBS. At the time of the 
merger, both banks were already well established and successful 
in their own right. Union Bank of Switzerland’s origins go back 
to  the  Bank  in  Winterthur  founded  in  1862.  SBC’s  founding 
forebear, the Basler Bankverein, was established in 1872. 

In the early 1990s, SBC and Union Bank of Switzerland were 
both commercial banks operating mainly out of Switzerland, and 
both  shared  the  vision  of  becoming  a  world  leader  in  wealth 
management, a successful global investment bank and a top-tier 
global asset manager, while remaining an important commercial 
and retail bank in their home market of Switzerland. 

Union Bank of Switzerland, the largest Swiss bank of its time, 
pursued  these  goals  primarily  through  organic  growth.  In 
contrast,  SBC,  then  the  third-largest  Swiss  bank,  grew  mainly 
through  a 
strategic  partnerships  and 
acquisitions,  including  O’Connor  in  1992,  Brinson  Partners  in 
1994, and S.G. Warburg, the historical pillar of UBS’s Investment 
Bank, in 1995. 

combination  of 

In  2000,  UBS  acquired  PaineWebber,  a  US  brokerage  and 
asset  management  firm  whose  roots  went  back  to  1879, 
establishing  the  firm  as  a  significant  player  in  the  US.  Over  the 
last  half  century,  UBS  has  largely  organically  built  a  strong 
presence in the Asia Pacific region, where it is the leading wealth 
manager and a top-tier investment bank. 

During  the  financial  crisis  of  2008,  UBS  incurred  significant 
losses.  In  2011,  we  initiated  a  strategic  transformation  of  our 
firm  toward  a  business  model  that  focused  on  our  core 
businesses  of  wealth  management  and  personal  and  corporate 
banking in Switzerland. 

We sought to revert to our roots, emphasizing a client-centric 
model  that  required  less  risk-taking  and  capital,  and  have 
successfully completed this transformation. Our Pillars, Principles 
and  Behaviors,  launched  in  2014,  are  the  foundation  for  our 
corporate strategy, identity and culture. 

→ Refer to www.ubs.com/history for more information 

In  2014,  we  began  adapting  our  legal  entity  structure  to 
improve  the  resolvability  of the Group in response to too big to 
fail (TBTF) requirements in Switzerland and recovery and resolution 
regulation  in  other  countries  in  which  the  Group  operates.  In 
December  2014,  UBS  Group  AG  became  the  holding  company 
of the Group. In 2015, we transferred our Personal & Corporate 
Banking  and  Wealth  Management  businesses  booked 
in 
Switzerland  from  UBS  AG  to  the  newly  established  UBS 
Switzerland  AG  and  we  implemented  a  more  self-sufficient 
business  and  operating  model  for  UBS  Limited.  In  2016,  we 
designated  UBS  Americas  Holding  LLC  as  our  intermediate 
holding  company  for  our  US  subsidiaries  and  we  merged  our 
Wealth  Management  subsidiaries  in  various  European  countries 
into UBS Europe SE. Additionally, we transferred the majority of 
Asset  Management’s  operating  subsidiaries  to  UBS  Asset 
Management AG. UBS Business Solutions AG, a direct subsidiary 
of  UBS  Group  AG,  was  established  in  2015  and  acts  as  the 
Group service company. The chart on the next page provides an 
overview of the principal legal entities and structure of UBS as of 
31 December 2017.

12 

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Changes in 2017
In 2017, we transferred shared services functions in Switzerland 
and the UK from UBS AG to UBS Business Solutions AG, which is 
our  Group  service  company  and  a  wholly  owned  subsidiary  of 
UBS  Group  AG.  We  also  completed  the  transfer  of  shared 
services  functions  in  the  US  to  our  US  service  company,  UBS 
Business  Solutions  US  LLC,  a  wholly  owned  subsidiary  of  UBS 
Americas Holding LLC.

proposed  amendments  to  Swiss  tax  law  in  order  to  reduce  the 
additional  tax  burden  on  debt  issuances  by  bank  top  holding 
companies.  Should  such  changes  become  effective,  we  expect 
loss-absorbing  AT1  capital  instruments  and  TLAC-eligible  senior 
unsecured  debt  to  be  issued  directly  out  of  UBS  Group  AG.  At 
that point, we also expect to substitute UBS Group AG as issuer 
of  outstanding  capital  and  debt  instruments  issued  by  UBS 
Group Funding (Switzerland) AG. 

We established UBS Group Funding (Switzerland) AG in 2016 
as  a  wholly  owned  direct  subsidiary  of  UBS  Group  AG  to  issue 
loss-absorbing  additional  tier  1  (AT1)  capital  instruments  and 
total  loss-absorbing  capacity  (TLAC)-eligible  senior  unsecured 
debt,  which  are  guaranteed  by  UBS  Group  AG.  In  the  first  half 
of  2017,  we  transferred  our  then  outstanding  TLAC-eligible 
senior  unsecured  debt  to  UBS  Group  Funding  (Switzerland)  AG 
as 
loss-absorbing  AT1  capital 
instruments issued by UBS Group AG may in the future also be 
transferred  to  UBS  Group  Funding  (Switzerland)  AG,  subject  to 
further  regulatory  review.  The  Swiss  Federal  Council  has 

issuer.  Outstanding 

the 

Further legal structure changes
We  continue  to  consider  further  changes  to  the  Group’s  legal 
structure  in  response  to  regulatory  requirements  and  other 
external  developments,  including  the  anticipated  exit  of  the  UK 
from the EU. Such changes may include further consolidation of 
operating subsidiaries in the EU and adjustments to the booking 
entity or location of products and services. 

→ Refer to the “Risk factors” section of this report for more 

information

13 

 
Annual Report 2017

Our external reporting approach

General requirements

Our Annual Report 2017, Form 20-F and additional 
year-end disclosures

Our  external  reporting  requirements  and  the  scope  of  our 
external  reports  are  defined  by  general  accounting  law  and 
principles, relevant stock and debt listing rules, specific legal and 
regulatory  requirements,  as  well  as  by  our  own  financial 
reporting policies. 

We  have  to  prepare  and  publish  consolidated  financial 
statements  in  accordance  with  International  Financial  Reporting 
Standards  (IFRS)  on  a  half-yearly  basis,  in  line  with  the 
requirements  of  SIX  Swiss  Exchange  and  New  York  Stock 
Exchange, where our shares are listed. However, we also publish 
our results on a quarterly basis in order to provide shareholders 
law. 
with  more 
Additionally,  statutory  financial  statements  for  UBS  Group  AG 
are prepared annually as the basis for our Swiss tax return, the 
appropriation of retained earnings and a potential distribution of 
dividends, subject to shareholder approval at the Annual General 
Meeting.  Management’s  discussion  and  analysis 
(MD&A) 
complements our IFRS financial statements.

frequent  disclosures 

required  by 

than 

The  Basel  III  capital  adequacy  framework  requires  us  to 
publish  a  range  of  Pillar  3  disclosures,  mainly  covering  risk, 
capital,  leverage,  liquidity  and  remuneration.  These  Pillar  3 
disclosures are supplemented by specific additional requirements 
of the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA) and 
voluntary  disclosures  on  our  part.  We  are  also  required  to 
information  for  our  significant 
disclose  certain  regulatory 
regulated subsidiaries and sub-groups, i.e., UBS AG standalone, 
UBS Switzerland AG standalone and UBS Limited standalone, as 
well as UBS Americas Holding LLC consolidated.

In  preparing  these  disclosures,  we  consistently  apply  our 
financial  disclosure  principles,  such  as 
transparency  and 
relevance  to  our  stakeholders.  We  also  continuously  seek  to 
improve  our  disclosures  by  benchmarking  them  against  best 
practice examples.

→ Refer to “Information policy” in the “Corporate governance” 

section of this report for more information

information 

is  available  on 

Our  year-end  2017  financial 
www.ubs.com/investors and includes:
– the Annual Report 2017 – Group;
– the Annual Report 2017 – combined, containing information 
for  UBS  Group  AG  and  UBS  AG  that  is  the  basis  for  our  US 
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Form 20-F filing; 
– Auszug aus dem Geschäftsbericht, the German translation of 

selected sections of our Annual Report 2017 – Group;

– 31  December  2017  Pillar  3  report  –  Group  and  significant 

regulated subsidiaries and sub-groups; and 

– legal  entity  disclosures, 

financial 
statements  for  UBS  AG  and  UBS  Switzerland  AG,  as  well  as 
selected 
for  our 
regulatory 
significant regulated subsidiaries and sub-groups. 

including  standalone 

financial  and 

information 

In  addition,  other 

legal  entity-specific  disclosures 

in 
accordance  with  article  89  of  the  European  Union  Capital 
Requirements Directive IV (CRD IV) are provided under “EU CRD 
IV  disclosures”  at  www.ubs.com/investors.  Information  as  of 
31 December  2017  will  be  published  by  the  end  of  2018. 
Information for UBS Group Funding (Switzerland) AG is available 
under “Other subsidiaries” at www.ubs.com/investors.

Furthermore,  we  have  published  a  consolidated  Global 
Reporting  Initiative  (GRI)  Document,  providing  comprehensive 
disclosures  on  environmental,  social  and  governance  (ESG) 
factors  and 
the  disclosures  on  non-financial 
information  required  by  German  law  implementing  the  EU 
Directive 2014/95 (CSR-Richtlinie-Umsetzungsgesetz / CSR-RUG). 
The  GRI  Document  is  available  under  “Annual  reporting”  at 
www.ubs.com/investors.

including 

As  financial  information  for  UBS  AG  consolidated  does  not 
differ  materially  from  UBS  Group  AG  consolidated,  the  MD&A 
included  in  the  Annual  Report  2017  –  combined  is  generally 
provided on a UBS Group AG consolidated basis. In addition, we 
provide  in  the  combined  report  UBS  AG  consolidated  financial 
statements in accordance with IFRS, information with respect to 
UBS  AG  consolidated’s  risk  profile  and  Swiss  systemically 
relevant  bank  capital  and 
for  UBS  AG 
consolidated. 

leverage 

ratios 

Beginning  with  the  Annual  Report  2017,  we  will  include  in 
our  Form  20-F  filing,  and  publish  on  our  website,  Extensible 
Business Reporting Language (XBRL) interactive financial data, as 
required  for  non-US  private  issuers  that  prepare  financial 
statements in accordance with IFRS. 

→ Refer to “Annual reporting,” “Pillar 3 disclosures,” “Holding 

company and significant regulated subsidiaries and sub-groups” 

and “SEC filings” at www.ubs.com/investors, where the 

documents mentioned above are available

14 

Overview of our external reporting documents

The table below provides an overview of our external reporting 
documents that are published on our Investor Relations website 
to  comply  with  applicable  legal  and  regulatory  reporting 
requirements for UBS Group AG and UBS AG as well as for our 

significant  regulated  subsidiaries  and  sub-groups,  as  defined  by 
FINMA.  Specific  local  regulatory  reporting  requirements  and 
related  documents  of  UBS  Limited  and  UBS  Americas  Holding 
LLC are not reflected in this overview.

All of our  reports are available on www.ubs.com/investors

Reporting level

UBS Group AG 

Type of information2

UBS AG1 

UBS Switzerland AG 
UBS Limited 
UBS Americas Holding LLC 

Management’s 
 discussion and 
analysis

Financial 
statements

Supplemental 
SEC
disclosures

Basel III Pillar 3 
 disclosures 

Financial 
statements

Supplemental 
SEC 
 disclosures 

Selected 
 financial and 
regulatory 
 information

Basel III Pillar 3
disclosures

Financial 
 statements 

Basel III Pillar 3 
 disclosures  

Selected 
 financial and 
regulatory 
 information

Report name – Available on www.ubs.com/investors under: – Language
Annual Report 2017 – Group – Annual reporting – English

Annual Report 2017 – combined – Annual reporting – English

2017 SEC Form 20-F – UBS Group AG and UBS AG – SEC filings – English

Auszug aus dem Geschäftsbericht – Annual reporting – German

 3

31 December 2017 Pillar 3 report – Group and significant regulated subsidiaries and sub-groups – Pillar 3 disclosures – English

Standalone legal entity and sub-group reports – Holding company and significant regulated subsidiaries and sub-groups 4 – English

1 Information for UBS AG consolidated does not differ materially from UBS Group AG on a consolidated basis. Information provided in management’s discussion and analysis applies for both UBS Group AG consolidated 
and UBS AG consolidated, except for certain disclosures in the “Risk, treasury and capital management” section, where information for UBS AG consolidated is separately provided.    2 Refer to the respective sections 
of our reports for more information on the basis of preparation and applicable requirements.    3 Includes the German translation of the following sections of our Annual Report 2017 – Group: “Group performance,” 
 IFRS-required disclosures in “Risk, treasury and capital management,” “Corporate governance” and “Compensation.”    4 Standalone legal entity reports for UBS Group AG, UBS AG and UBS Switzerland AG are available 
from 9 March 2018. The UBS Limited Annual Report 2017 will be available at www.ubs.com/investors by the end of April 2018. There is no requirement to externally publish an annual report for UBS Americas Holding 
LLC. Information for other subsidiaries is available under “Other subsidiaries” at www.ubs.com/investors.

Consolidated

Standalone

15 

    
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Operating 
environment and 
strategy

Management report

Signposts

Throughout the Annual Report 2017, the Audited | signpost that is displayed at the beginning of a section, table or chart indicates that those items have been 
audited. A triangle symbol – (cid:3) – indicates the end of the signpost.

Operating environment and strategy
Current market climate and industry trends

Current market climate and industry trends

Global economic developments in 2017

In 2017, the world economy grew at the fastest rate since 2011: 
global GDP expanded 3.9%, from a rate of 3.2% in 2016, with 
each  member  of  the  G20  seeing  economic  growth  –  the  first 
time since 2010.

Economic  activity  increased  worldwide  amid  a  recovery  in 
Chinese property construction, Russia and Brazil emerging from 
multi-year recessions and renewed US energy sector investment 
in response to higher oil prices.

Equity  markets  responded,  aided  by  higher  corporate 
earnings growth and low real interest rates. Global equities rose 
by more than 20%, with emerging market stocks outperforming 
their developed market peers. European markets lagged in local 
currency terms, in part due to the euro’s strength. The year was 
also notable for a lack of equity market volatility: at no point did 
global  equities  register  a  greater  than  2.0%  decline  from  their 
prior highs.

Government bond yields generally remained stable in spite of 
accelerating  global  growth.  Rising  US  interest  rates  primarily 
affected  short-dated  US  dollar-denominated  bonds,  resulting  in 
the  flattest  US  government  bond  yield  curve  in  more  than  a 
decade. Euro- and Swiss franc-denominated bonds were largely 
unaffected by US rate moves.

The  US  dollar  depreciated  by  around  10%  on  a  trade-
weighted  basis,  losing  ground  against  most  other  global 
currencies.  The  euro  strengthened  significantly  to  rank  as  the 
best-performing  major  currency,  as  markets  began  pricing  in 
reduced monetary stimulus from the European Central Bank.

US growth accelerated, as widely expected, thanks to robust 
consumption,  energy  investment  and  export  growth.  Reduced 
government expenditure proved to be the only significant drag. 
Despite  three  rate  hikes  from  the  US  Federal  Reserve  Board, 
financial conditions eased throughout the year.

Eurozone  growth  accelerated  to  its  fastest  pace  since  2007. 
Improved  business  sentiment  spurred  capital  expenditure  and 
private  consumption  remained  robust  alongside  declining 
unemployment. UK growth slowed but proved more resilient to 
uncertainty from the UK’s withdrawal from the EU than initially 
expected,  with  investment  accelerating  and  exports  benefiting 
from a weak British pound.

Switzerland’s  headline  growth  was  disappointing,  but 
fundamentals remained sound. Business confidence surveys rose 
to  multi-year  highs,  the  Swiss  franc  depreciated  relative  to  the 
euro and falling unemployment benefited consumption.

Japan  prospered,  with  improved  trade  performance  helping 
drive the fastest pace of economic expansion since 2013. Higher 
rates of inflation suggest that the country’s multi-year monetary 
stimulus program may be beginning to bear results.

In  emerging  markets,  China’s  reported  growth  accelerated 
for  the  first  time  since  2010.  This  was  largely  driven  by  the 
country’s  property  sector,  which  increased  import  demand  and 
helped  other  economies  in  the  region.  Brazil  emerged  from  a 
deep  two-year  recession,  with  falling  inflation  contributing  to  a 
significant  improvement  in  private  consumption.  Russia  also 
returned  to  growth  after  two  years  of  contraction,  driven  by  a 
recovery  in  energy  prices,  good  domestic  demand  and  lower 
interest  rates.  The  economies  of  South  Korea,  Taiwan  and 
Indonesia  all  grew,  while  India  and  Mexico  were  the  only  large 
emerging markets to decelerate. South Africa saw faster growth, 
although it remains at a low level.

Economic and market outlook for 2018

We  forecast  little  change  in  the  economic  outlook.  We  expect 
growth  of  4.1%  in  2018,  similar  to  the  healthy  3.9%  global 
GDP growth rate recorded last year. Slight slowdowns in Europe 
and  China  should  be  offset  by  higher  growth  in  the  US,  India 
and Brazil.

US  economic  activity  should  be  buoyed  by  the  passage  of 
corporate  tax  cuts,  which  should  boost  consumption  and 
corporate  earnings  in  2018.  European  growth  should  remain 
above its long-term trend rate, broadly similar to 2017, although 
uncertainties over the UK’s withdrawal from the EU could weigh 
on  the  UK’s  growth.  A  weaker  Swiss  franc  bodes  well  for 
Switzerland,  where  exports  also  stand  to  benefit  from  a  solid 
global  growth  outlook.  Cooling  property  construction  will  likely 
decelerate  China’s  growth  rate,  but  resilient  consumption  and 
exports should prevent too sharp of a slowdown.

The  primary  risks  to  the  outlook  relate  to  uncertainty  over 
the  impact  of  central  banks’  withdrawal  of  quantitative  easing, 
the  threat  of  greater  protectionism  in  US  trade  policy,  a  more 
rapid  increase  in  inflation  rates  that  might  lead  to  faster-than-
expected  interest  rate  hikes,  a  continued  increase  in  energy 
prices  and  geopolitical  instability,  in  particular  in  relation  to  the 
Middle East and North Korea. China’s management of its rising 
debt  levels  and  economic  transition  remains  an  important 
medium-term factor.

18 

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Industry trends

Trends by UBS business divisions

Global Wealth Management
Industry  estimates  suggest  that  global  private  wealth  will  grow 
by 6% per annum until 2021, with the higher wealth segments 
expected  to  grow  at  over  10%  per  annum  during  the  same 
period. From a geographical perspective, the strongest growth is 
expected  to  come  from  Asia  Pacific,  with  estimated  annual 
market  growth  of  9.9%,  according  to  the  Boston  Consulting 
Group  Global  Wealth  Report  2017.  Developed  markets  are 
expected  to  grow  in  line  with  or  below  the  global  growth  rate 
(e.g., 5.6% per annum for North America and 3.5% per annum 
for  Western  Europe).  We  expect  this  growth  profile  to  be 
favorable for our strategy of focusing on the largest and fastest-
growing markets, which informed our early push to build up our 
capabilities  in  Asia  and  the  ultra  high  net  worth  segments.  We 
are the largest foreign wealth management firm by assets under 
management in key Asia Pacific markets as a result of our early 
entry  into  the  region.  We  are  also  well  positioned  in  the  ultra 
high  net  worth  segment,  where  we  leverage  the  capabilities  of 
our  wealth  management  business  and  the  Investment  Bank  as 
well as Asset Management.

Personal & Corporate Banking
Our  home  market,  Switzerland,  is  an  attractive  market  for 
personal  and  corporate  banking.  Switzerland  is  one  of  the 
wealthiest  countries  in  the  world,  with  average  net  wealth  per 
person  of  approximately  CHF 185,000  according 
to  our 
research.  However,  sustained  negative  interest  rates  in  Swiss 
francs have put pressure on banks’ net interest income. From a 
corporate  banking  perspective,  Switzerland  is  home  to  a 
significant  number  of  large  multinational  corporations  and 
exporters  that  have  performed  well  despite  pressure  related  to 
the  strength  of  the  Swiss  franc  in  recent  years.  UBS  has  built  a 
leading  position  with  personal  as  well  as  corporate  and 
institutional clients in Switzerland. Our objective from here is to 
strengthen  that  position  through  comprehensive  digitalization 
efforts aiming to deliver a superior client experience.

Asset Management
is  forecast  to  grow  by 
industry 
The  asset  management 
approximately USD 20 trillion over the next four years, primarily 
driven by increases in private provision for retirement and wealth 
accumulation in emerging middle classes. The biggest growth is 
expected to come from passive assets and customized solutions, 
with only moderate growth in actively managed strategies. Due 
to  our  diversified  offering,  ranging  from  our  passive  and 
differentiated  traditional  active  investment  strategies  to  our 
industry-leading  alternative  capabilities,  we  believe  that  we  are 
well  positioned  to  benefit  from  this  trend.  With  a  view  toward 
further strengthening our position in the market, we continue to 
expand  initiatives  in  line  with  our  clients’  needs,  such  as  our 
Platform Services offering, sustainable and impact investing, and 
our extensive offering in China.

(i.e.,  custodians,  buy-side 

Investment Bank
The shift in global revenue pools from investment banks to other 
firms, 
capital  markets  players 
information providers and exchanges) observed in recent years is 
expected  to  ease.  Specifically,  an  external  survey  forecasts  that 
investment  banks’  market  share  will  stabilize  at  about  34%  of 
global  industry  revenues  in  2020,  corresponding  to  USD 249 
billion,  i.e.,  a  2%  compound  annual  growth  rate  from  2016 
through  2020.  M&A  will  likely  be  a  material  revenue  driver  for 
investment  banks  as  a  consequence  of  the  Tax  Cuts  and  Jobs 
Act signed in December 2017, which may cause corporations to 
is  well 
allocate  capital  to  deal-making.  We  believe  UBS 
positioned  to  capture  the  value  generated  from  this  expected 
increase  in  activity  due  to  its  client-centric  business  model 
and  global M&A infrastructure.

Wealth transfers
Demographic  and  socioeconomic  developments  continue  to 
generate  shifts  in  wealth  among  age  and  gender  groups.  As  a 
result,  the  client  base  of  the  wealth  management  industry  is 
becoming increasingly diverse. The industry is therefore likely to 
adapt  its  services  and  offerings  to  meet  the  specific  needs  and 
expectations  of  growing  client  groups.  UBS  strives  to  become 
the preferred wealth manager of these clients through its active 
segment  management  strategy.  This  includes  bespoke  product 
offerings,  such  as  UBS  Unique,  which  focuses  on  improving 
female client satisfaction. Additionally, we offer wealth planning 
expertise  that  is  supported  by  dedicated  intergenerational 
wealth  transfer  services  for  all  segments,  such  as  Great  Wealth 
for ultra high net worth clients.

19 

 
 
 
Operating environment and strategy
Current market climate and industry trends

Retirement funding
Over  recent  years,  the  pension  industry  has  faced  two  key 
challenges:  fundamental  demographic  shifts,  such  as  aging 
populations, and lower expected returns.

Beyond  structural  answers  to  these  challenges,  such  as  the 
progressive  shift  from  defined  benefit  to  defined  contribution 
pensions,  we  believe  pension  funds  are  reassessing  their  asset 
allocation  approach.  Indeed,  many  pension  funds  are  now 
allocating  a  higher  share  of  their  portfolios  to  alternative 
investments such as private equity, hedge funds, real estate and 
infrastructure in a search for higher-yielding exposures.

We see this development as positive for UBS as these funds 
will  likely  need  further  support  to  define  their  investment 
strategy  and  target  portfolio  allocation.  In  addition,  our  private 
banking  and  wealth  management  clients  are  expected  to  need 
further  financial  and  retirement  planning  advice,  which  we  are 
able to provide holistically through our wealth planning services.

Digitalization
Technology  is  transforming  the  way  banks  operate  and  is 
expected  to  remain  the  key  change  driver  for  the  financial 
industry  in  the  years  to  come.  While  IT  spend  used  to  be 
considered  a  means  to  make  banks  more  efficient,  it  has  now 
become an imperative to stay relevant in the face of competition 
from  other  banks  as  well  as  non-traditional  financial  services 
providers.

Banks  are  increasingly  leveraging  digital  technology  to 
provide a more compelling client experience. Additionally, client 
advisors  benefit  from  integrated  IT  solutions  that  reduce  the 
time  required  for  administrative  tasks  and  increase  capacity  for 
value-adding activities for clients and for UBS.

that 

We  believe 

technology-driven  changes 

in  bank 
operations  will  allow  efficiency  gains  through  automation. 
Technologies  such  as  artificial  intelligence  and  robotics  can  be 
used  to  automate  selected  back-  and  middle-office  processes, 
thus reducing error rates and increasing efficiency.

seeking exposure to regions with attractive growth profiles, such 
as Asia and emerging markets, through local acquisitions. Lastly, 
the 
increased  focus  on  core  capabilities  or  geographical 
footprints and the ongoing simplification of operating models to 
decrease  operational  and  compliance  risks  should  also  lead  to 
asset sales.

New competitors
Our competitive environment is also evolving. In addition to our 
traditional  competitors  in  the  asset-gathering  businesses,  new 
entrants,  including  fintechs  and  other  companies  targeting 
selected  components  of 
the  value  chain,  present  new 
competitive challenges. A fundamental unbundling of the value 
chain  and  client  relationships,  ultimately  resulting 
in  the 
disintermediation of banks by fintechs or other competitors, has 
not yet materialized. Over the longer term, we believe the entry 
of  large  platform  companies  into  the  financial  services  industry 
could  result  in  a  significant  competitive  threat  due  to  their 
strong franchise and access to a large base of clients and client 
data.

to 

increase 

Regulation
The  flow  of  new  regulations  has  been  gradually  slowing  and 
there has been initial movement to reduce some of the regulatory 
burdens,  primarily  in  the  US.  Nevertheless,  a  number  of  post-
financial  crisis  reforms,  such  as  the  Basel  III  finalization,  are 
expected 
risk-weighted  assets. 
to  continue 
Instruments 
Additionally,  the  revised  Markets 
Directive  (MiFID  II)  will  have  an  impact  on  the  way  we  do 
business. The investor protection component of MiFID II requires 
us  to  review  suitability  and  appropriateness  and  enhance 
transparency  toward  clients  with  extended  disclosures,  e.g.,  on 
costs  and  charges,  and  reporting.  The  market  structure 
component of MiFID II will lead to increased pre- and post-trade 
transparency requirements across a broad range of asset classes, 
including derivatives and bonds, in addition to enhanced record-
keeping and transaction reporting obligations.

in  Financial 

Consolidation
We expect further consolidation in the financial services industry. 
In many regions and business areas, there are many small players 
and, as a result, the search for scale and cost efficiencies will be 
a key M&A driver in such markets. Additionally, many banks are 

Over the past years, we have adapted our business model and 
believe  that  we  are  well  positioned  to  operate  efficiently  while 
absorbing upcoming changes to the regulatory environment.

→ Refer to the “Regulatory and legal developments” and “Capital 
management” sections of this report for more information

20 

 
Regulation and supervision

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The  Swiss  Financial  Market  Supervisory  Authority  (FINMA)  is  UBS’s 
home country regulator and consolidated supervisor. As a financial 
services  provider  with  an  international  footprint,  we  are  also 
regulated and supervised by the relevant authorities in each of the 
jurisdictions where we conduct business, including the US, the UK 
and  other  member  states  of  the  EU.  Through  UBS  AG  and  UBS 
Switzerland AG, which are licensed as banks in Switzerland, we may 
engage  in  a  full  range  of  financial  services  activities  in  Switzerland 
and  abroad,  including  personal  banking,  commercial  banking, 
investment banking and asset management. 

As  we  are  a  designated  global  systemically  important  bank 
(G-SIB) and a systemically relevant bank (SRB) in Switzerland, we 
are  subject  to  more  rigorous  regulatory  requirements  and 
supervision  than  most  other  Swiss  banks.  Since  the  financial 
crisis  of  2008,  regulation  of  financial  services  firms  has  been 
undergoing  significant  changes  globally.  These  changes,  which 
continue to require significant resources to implement, have had 
a material effect on how we conduct our business and have led 
to increased costs.

→ Refer to the “Our evolution” section of this report for more 

information

→ Refer to the “Regulatory and legal developments” and “Risk 

factors” sections of this report for more information

Regulation and supervision in Switzerland

Supervision
UBS  Group  AG  and  its  subsidiaries  are  subject  to  consolidated 
supervision by FINMA under the Swiss Federal Law on Banks and 
Savings  Banks  (Swiss  Banking  Act)  and  the  related  ordinances 
that impose, among other requirements, minimum standards for 
capital, liquidity, risk concentration and organizational structure. 
FINMA  fulfills  its  statutory  supervisory  responsibilities  through 
licensing,  regulation,  monitoring  and  enforcement.  FINMA  is 
responsible for prudential supervision and mandates audit firms 
to  perform  on  its  behalf  a  regulatory  audit  and  certain  other 
supervisory tasks.

Liquidity and capital adequacy 
As an internationally active Swiss SRB, we are subject to capital 
and total loss-absorbing capacity requirements, which are based 
on  both  risk-weighted  assets  and  leverage  ratio  denominator 
and  are  among  the  most  stringent  in  the  world.  We  are  also 
required to maintain a minimum liquidity coverage ratio of high-
quality  liquid  assets  to  estimated  stressed  short-term  net  cash 
outflows.  Following  the  postponed  implementation  of  the  net 
stable  funding  ratio  requirements  and  subject  to  finalization  of 

the rules, we will be required to maintain a minimum net stable 
funding ratio.

→ Refer to the “Capital management” section of this report for 
more information on the Swiss SRB framework and the Swiss 

too big to fail requirements

→ Refer to the “Treasury management” section of this report for 
more information on liquidity coverage ratio requirements 

Resolution planning and resolvability
The  Swiss  Banking  Act  and  related  ordinances  provide  FINMA 
with additional powers to intervene in order to prevent a failure 
or resolve a failing financial institution, including UBS Group AG, 
UBS  AG  and  UBS  Switzerland  AG.  These  measures  may  be 
triggered  when  certain  thresholds  are  breached  and  permit  the 
exercise  of  considerable  discretion  by  FINMA  in  determining 
whether,  when  or  in  what  manner  to  exercise  such  powers.  In 
case of a possible insolvency, FINMA may impose more onerous 
requirements  on  us,  including  restrictions  on  the  payment  of 
dividends  and  interest  as  well  as  measures  to  alter  our  legal 
structure  (e.g.,  to  separate  lines  of  business  into  dedicated 
entities, with limitations on our intra-Group funding and certain 
guarantees)  or  to  reduce  business  risk  in  some  manner.  The 
Swiss Banking Act provides FINMA with the ability to extinguish 
or  convert  to  common  equity  the  liabilities  of  the  Group  in 
connection with its resolution. 

Furthermore,  Swiss  too  big  to  fail  provisions  require  Swiss 
SRBs, including UBS, to put in place a viable emergency plan to 
preserve  the  operation  of  systemically  important  functions  in 
case  of  a  failure  of  the  institution.  In  response  to  these 
requirements in Switzerland, as well as to similar requirements in 
other  jurisdictions,  UBS  has  developed  comprehensive  recovery 
plans that provide the tools to manage a severe loss event. UBS 
also  provides  relevant  authorities  with  resolution  plans  for 
restructuring  or  winding  down  certain  businesses  in  the  event 
the  firm  could  not  be  stabilized.  Alongside  these  measures,  we 
have invested significantly in structural, financial and operational 
ring-fencing measures to improve the Group’s resolvability.

Regulation and supervision outside Switzerland

Regulation and supervision in the US
In  the  US,  UBS  is  subject  to  regulation  and  supervision  by  the 
Board  of  Governors  of  the  Federal  Reserve  System  (Federal 
Reserve Board) under a number of laws. UBS Group AG and UBS 
AG  are  both  subject  to  the  Bank  Holding  Company  Act  as 
foreign banking organizations, under which the Federal Reserve 
Board  has  supervisory  authority  over  our  US  operations. 
Furthermore,  our  US  operations  are  subject  to  oversight  by  the 
Supervision 
Federal  Reserve  Board’s 
Coordinating Committee, which coordinates supervision of large 
or complex financial institutions. 

Institution 

Large 

21 

 
 
 
Operating environment and strategy
Regulation and supervision

In  addition  to  being  a  financial  holding  company  under  the 
Bank Holding Company Act, UBS AG maintains several branches 
and  representative  offices  in  the  US,  which  are  authorized  and 
supervised by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. UBS 
AG is currently registered as a swap dealer with the Commodity 
Futures  Trading  Commission  (CFTC),  and  we  expect  it  will 
register as a security-based swap dealer with the Securities and 
Exchange Commission (SEC) when such registration is required.

the 

UBS  Americas  Holding  LLC, 

intermediate  holding 
company  for  our  non-branch  operations  in  the  US  as  required 
under the Dodd-Frank Act, is subject to requirements established 
by  the  Federal  Reserve  Board  related  to  risk-based  capital, 
liquidity, the Comprehensive Capital Analysis and Review (CCAR) 
stress  testing  and  capital  planning  process,  resolution  planning 
and  governance.  Beginning  in  2018,  the  Federal  Reserve  Board 
will publish its CCAR assessment for UBS Americas Holding LLC 
and other large foreign banking organizations subject to CCAR.

UBS  Bank  USA,  a  Federal  Deposit  Insurance  Corporation 
(FDIC)-insured  depository  institution  subsidiary,  is  licensed  and 
regulated by state regulators in Utah and the FDIC. 

UBS  Financial  Services  Inc.,  UBS  Securities  LLC  and  several 
other  US  subsidiaries  are  subject  to  regulation  by  a  number  of 
different government agencies and self-regulatory organizations, 
including  the  SEC,  the  Financial  Industry  Regulatory  Authority, 
the  CFTC,  the  Municipal  Securities  Rulemaking  Board  and 
national securities exchanges, depending on the nature of their 
business.

Regulation and supervision in the UK
Our  regulated  operations  in  the  UK  are  mainly  subject  to  the 
authority  of  the  Prudential  Regulation  Authority  (PRA),  which  is 
part  of  the  Bank  of  England,  and  the  Financial  Conduct 
Authority (FCA). We are also subject to the rules of the London 
Stock Exchange and other securities and commodities exchanges 
of which UBS AG and UBS Limited are members.

UBS Limited is a private limited company incorporated in the 
UK and is authorized by the PRA and regulated by the PRA and 
the  FCA  to  conduct  a  broad  range  of  banking  and  investment 
businesses. 

UBS  AG  maintains  a  UK-registered  branch  in  London  that 

serves as a global booking center for our Investment Bank. 

In addition, our regulated subsidiaries in the UK that provide 
asset management services are authorized and regulated mainly 
by  the  FCA,  with  one  entity  being  also  subject  to  the  authority 
of the PRA.

Financial services regulation in the UK is currently conducted 
in  accordance  with  EU  directives  covering,  among  other  topics, 
compliance  with  certain  capital  and 
liquidity  adequacy 
standards,  client  protection  requirements  and  business  conduct 
principles. This may be subject to change depending on how the 
relationship  between  the  UK  and  the  EU  evolves  as  a  result  of 
the UK’s decision to leave the EU.

22 

supervised 

Bundesanstalt 

the 
(Federal 

Regulation and supervision in Germany
UBS  Europe  SE,  headquartered  in  Frankfurt,  Germany,  is 
prudentially 
für 
by 
Finanzdienstleistungsaufsicht 
Financial  Supervisory 
Authority  –  BaFin)  and  subject  to  EU  and  German  laws  and 
regulations.  In  addition  to  Germany,  UBS  Europe  SE  has 
branches  in  Austria,  Denmark,  Italy,  Luxembourg,  Spain  and 
Sweden  and  it  is  subject  to  conduct  supervision  by  local 
authorities in all of these countries. An additional branch in the 
Netherlands is currently being wound down.

Anti-money laundering and anti-corruption

to 

relating 

focus  of  government  policy 

Combating money laundering and terrorist financing has been a 
financial 
major 
institutions  in  recent  years.  The  US  Bank  Secrecy  Act  and  other 
laws and regulations applicable to UBS require the maintenance 
of  effective  policies,  procedures  and  controls  to  detect,  prevent 
and  report  money  laundering  and  terrorist  financing,  and  to 
verify  the  identity  of  our  clients.  Failure  to  maintain  and 
implement  adequate  programs  to  prevent  money  laundering 
and  terrorist  financing  could  result  in  significant  legal  and 
reputation risk.

Additionally,  we  are  subject  to  laws  and  regulations  in 
jurisdictions  in  which  we  operate  prohibiting  corrupt  or  illegal 
payments  to  government  officials  and  others,  including  the  US 
Foreign  Corrupt  Practices  Act  and  the  UK  Bribery  Act.  We 
maintain  policies,  procedures  and  internal  controls  intended  to 
comply with these laws and regulations. 

Data protection

We are subject to laws and regulations concerning the use and 
protection  of  customer,  employee,  and  other  personal  and 
confidential  information,  including  provisions  under  Swiss  law, 
the  EU  General  Data  Protection  Regulation  (GDPR),  which 
provides  significant  new  data  protection,  and  laws  of  other 
jurisdictions.

If  implemented  as  proposed,  we  will  become  subject  to  the 
revised  Swiss  data  protection  law  (Swiss  Federal  Act  on  Data 
improve  data  protection  for 
Protection),  which  seeks  to 
individuals  by,  among  other  measures,  enhancing 
the 
transparency  and  accountability  rules  applicable  to  companies 
processing data. This change in the law would align Swiss data 
regulation  with  revised  European  legislation,  including  the  EU 
GDPR,  and  is  intended  to  ensure  the  equivalence  necessary  for 
the continued cross-border transmission of data. We expect the 
revised law to take effect in 2019.

→ Refer to the “Risk factors” section of this report for more 

information on regulatory change

 
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Regulatory and legal developments

Significant tax law changes enacted in the US 
In December 2017, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) was signed 
into  law.  The  act  includes  a  reduction  in  the  federal  corporate 
tax  rate  to  21%  from  35%.  The  rate  reduction  resulted  in  a 
CHF 2.9  billion  net  write-down  in  the  Group’s  deferred  tax 
assets (DTAs) in the fourth quarter of 2017. The net decrease in 
DTAs had a negligible impact on our fully applied CET1 capital. 

The  TCJA  also  introduced  a  new  minimum  tax  regime, 
referred to as the base erosion and anti-abuse tax (BEAT), which 
targets  US  businesses  benefiting  from  deductible  payments 
made to non-US related parties. The BEAT rate, which is 6% for 
banks  in  2018,  increasing  to  11%  in  2019  and  to  13.5%  in 
2026, applies if BEAT, calculated on a modified taxable income 
base, is higher than the regular federal corporate tax in a given 
year.  We  currently  expect  that  BEAT  could  increase  our  current 
tax  expense  by  up  to  CHF 60  million  in  2018.  We  are 
considering options to mitigate its effects and awaiting guidance 
from the US Department of Treasury on key aspects of the new 
tax  law.  Additionally,  the  enactment  of  the  TCJA,  and  the 
narrowing  of  the  window  between  the  end  of  the  forecast 
period  and  the  expiry  of  our  US  net  operating  losses,  may  lead 
us  to  review  our  approach  to  periodically  remeasuring  our  US 
DTAs and the timing for recognizing deferred tax in our income 
statement. For 2018, we currently forecast a full-year tax rate of 
approximately  25%, 
including  the  effects  of  BEAT,  and 
excluding the effects from any periodic remeasurement of DTAs 
and any change in the manner in which we remeasure DTAs.

→ Refer to the “Group performance” section and “Note 8 Income 

taxes” in the “Consolidated financial statements” section of this 

report for more information

US Department of Labor fiduciary rule becomes effective
Following  various  delays,  the  US  Department  of  Labor  (DOL) 
fiduciary rule became effective on 9 June 2017. Since then, UBS 
has  been  operating  under  the  rule,  which  expands  the 
circumstances that cause a person to become a fiduciary subject 
to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) 
in  relation  to  corporate  and  individual  retirement  plans.  Under 
ERISA, UBS is required to adhere to strict standards of prudence 
and loyalty when dealing with affected retirement accounts and 
is  prohibited  from  entering  into  transactions  where  there  is  a 
conflict  of  interest  unless  an  exemption  applies.  Exemptions 
applicable to our wealth management business in the US under 
the  rule  require  compliance  with  impartial  conduct  principles. 
Moreover,  the  exemptions  require  compliance  with  significant 
additional  technical  conditions.  In  November  2017,  the  DOL 
extended  the  transition  period  and  delayed  the  applicability  of 
these  technical  conditions  to  1  July  2019  while  it  continues  to 
consider  potential  changes  to  the  exemptions.  Absent  further 
changes  to  the  rule,  we  would  be  required  to  make  significant 
investments in order to comply with these technical conditions.

Swiss corporate tax reform
Following  the  rejection  of  the  Swiss  corporate  tax  reform  by 
popular referendum in February 2017, the Swiss Federal Council 
consulted  on  a  revised  proposal  from  September  to  December 
2017.  The  new  proposal  has  been  modified  in  response  to  the 
referendum outcome, while maintaining the overall objective of 
the  original  reform  proposals,  seeking  to  align  the  respective 
cantonal  corporate  tax  regimes  with  international  standards  by, 
among  other  things,  eliminating  reduced  holding  company  tax 
rates  and  other  privileges.  The  final  proposal  by  the  Federal 
Council  is  expected  to  be  submitted  to  the  Swiss  Parliament  in 
spring  2018.  The  effect  of  the  proposed  reform  on  UBS  will 
depend  on  the  final  federal  legislation  and  the  subsequent 
cantonal implementation.

23 

 
 
 
and  businesses,  which  may  include  a  reduction  in  commission 
rates and trading margins. We continue to assess the effect on 
our  businesses,  in  particular  the  requirement  to  price  research 
and  execution  services  separately,  and  whether  these  changes 
affect the timing of recognition of certain fee income.

Developments related to LIBOR benchmarks and other 
benchmarks and reference rates
Efforts  to  transition  from  the  London  Interbank  Offered  Rate 
(LIBOR)  benchmarks  to  alternative  benchmark  rates  are  under 
way in several jurisdictions. The UK Financial Conduct Authority 
announced  in  July  2017  that  it  will  not  intervene  beyond  2021 
to  sustain  LIBOR  and  urged  users  to  plan  the  transition  to 
alternative reference rates. In April 2017, the Working Group on 
the  Sterling 
Sterling  Risk-Free  Reference  Rates  selected 
Overnight  Index  Average  as  the  recommended  British  pound 
risk-free  rate.  In  the  US,  the  Alternative  Reference  Rates 
Committee has recommended a broad Treasuries repo financing 
rate  as  the  new  US  dollar  secured  risk-free  rate,  which  is 
expected  to  be  available  in  2018.  The  Federal  Reserve  Bank  of 
New  York  has  launched  a  consultation  on  the  construction  of 
this and two other Treasury repurchase agreement-derived rates. 
The  European  Central  Bank  (ECB)  has  also  recently  announced 
its decision to develop, before 2020, a euro unsecured overnight 
interest  rate  based  on  transaction  data  already  reported  to  the 
ECB by banks.

From  1  January  2018,  the  EU  Benchmarks  Regulation  (EBR) 
became fully applicable. The EBR regulates the administration of, 
contribution  to  and  usage  of  benchmarks  falling  within  the 
scope  of  the  regulation.  The  regulation  covers  benchmarks  on 
interest  rates,  currencies,  securities,  commodities  and  indices  as 
well as on other reference prices. 

UBS  has  significant  contractual  rights  and  obligations 
referenced to LIBOR and other benchmark rates. Discontinuance 
of,  or  changes  to,  benchmark  rates  as  a  result  of  these 
developments  or  other  initiatives  or  investigations,  as  well  as 
uncertainty about the timing and manner of implementation of 
such  changes  or  discontinuance,  may  require  adjustments  to 
agreements that are referenced to current benchmarked rates by 
us,  our  clients  and  other  market  participants  as  well  as  to  our 
systems and processes.

Operating environment and strategy
Regulatory and legal developments

Financial services regulation

(OTC)  derivative 

Implementation of margin requirements for non-cleared OTC 
derivatives
The  G20  commitments  on  derivatives  call  for  adoption  of 
initial  and  variation  margin  for 
mandatory  exchange  of 
non-cleared  over-the-counter 
transactions 
(margin  rules).  Margin  rules  for  the  largest  counterparties  have 
been in effect in major jurisdictions since early 2017, with phase-
in  periods,  by  counterparty  size,  lasting  through  2020.  In 
September  2018,  initial  margin  requirements  will  apply  to  the 
next  group  of  counterparties  (phase  3)  in  the  US,  the  EU, 
Switzerland,  Japan  and  other  major  jurisdictions  in  Asia  Pacific. 
These  requirements,  along  with  differences  in  the  timing  of 
implementation  across  jurisdictions,  will  likely  continue  to 
require ongoing operational effort by us and our clients.

II,  among  other  things, 

Developments related to the implementation of MiFID II / MiFIR
In the EU, the revised Markets in Financial Instruments Directive 
and  the  associated  Regulation  (MiFID  II  /  MiFIR)  took  effect  on 
3 January 2018.  MiFID 
introduces 
substantial  new  regulation  of  exchanges  and  trading  venues, 
transparency 
including  new  pre-trade 
requirements,  a  ban  on  the  practice  of  using  commission  on 
transactions to compensate for research services and substantial 
new  conduct  requirements  for  financial  services  firms  when 
dealing with clients.

and  post-trade 

In  December  2017, 

the  European  Commission  made 
equivalence  determinations  for  trading  venues  in  Switzerland, 
the  US,  Australia  and  Hong  Kong.  The  equivalence  decisions 
were necessary to permit EU-domiciled institutions and clients to 
continue  to  execute  transactions  on  non-EU-domiciled  trading 
venues. The Swiss equivalence decision is limited to one year and 
is  linked  to  the  progress  of  negotiations  on  the  future 
establishment  of  an  EU-Swiss 
institutional  agreement. 
Compliance with the new requirements has required significant 
investment  and  changes  to  operations  for  us,  our  clients  and 
other financial services firms. Given the scale of the change and, 
in  some  cases,  the  short  time  between  finalization  of 
requirements and the effective date, we expect that the changes 
introduced by MiFID II will result in changes to relevant markets 

24 

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In  November  2017,  the  Financial  Stability  Board  opened 
consultations on bail-in execution and on funding in resolution. 
The  consultation  on  bail-in  proposes  principles  to  make 
resolution  strategies  operational,  including  disclosures  on  the 
instruments  and  liabilities  within  the  scope  of  bail-in,  the 
valuation  process,  governance  issues  and  market  and  creditor 
communications.  The  consultation  on  funding  in  resolution 
proposes  guidelines  to  support  the  monitoring,  reporting  and 
estimation  of  funding  needs  in  resolution  and  to  facilitate 
execution of the funding strategy.

Changes to the Swiss prudential regulatory framework
Regulators  made  further  changes  to  strengthen  the  Swiss 
prudential  regulatory  framework  and  to  align  it  with  Basel  IIII 
rules.  Based  on  the  biennial  review  of  systemically  important 
banks  (SIBs)  concluded  in  June  2017,  the  Swiss  Federal 
Department of Finance (FDF) initiated a consultation in February 
2018, proposing the introduction of gone concern requirements 
for  domestically  focused  SIBs.  These  requirements  would  be 
conceptually  similar  to  those  in  effect  since  July  2016  for  the 
two largest Swiss banks, including UBS. However, they would be 
limited  to  40%  of  the  going  concern  capital  requirements, 
would  be  phased  in  over  seven  years  and  could  be  met  by  a 
cantonal guarantee or similar mechanism. 

In  February  2018,  the  Swiss  Federal  Council  proposed 
amendments  to  the  participation  relief  provisions  under  current 
Swiss  tax  law  that,  if  enacted,  would  reduce  the  additional  tax 
burden  on  debt  issuances  by  bank  top  holding  companies.  The 
proposed  tax  law  changes  would  permit  SIBs,  such  as  UBS,  to 
issue  debt  directly  from  their  holding  companies,  as 
is 
contemplated under the international capital framework and the 
Swiss Capital Adequacy Ordinance, without incurring significant 
corporate tax disadvantages, as is the case today under Swiss tax 
law. As a next step, the proposal will be subject to debate in the 
Swiss Parliament.

Developments related to recovery and resolution
A  number  of  developments  have  further  shaped  the  regulatory 
framework on recovery and resolution for banks. 

In  Switzerland,  FINMA  published  a  partial  revision  of  its 
Banking  Insolvency  Ordinance,  which  became  effective  on 
1 April 2017.  The  amendments  require  banks  to  include  a 
contractual  acknowledgment  of  FINMA’s  ability  to  temporarily 
postpone  the  exercise  of  remedies  against  banks  in  financial 
contracts  that  are  subject  to  foreign  laws  or  foreign  places  of 
jurisdiction.  Such  postponement  is  intended  to  ensure  the 
continuation  of 
relationships  without 
contractual 
interruption 
in  crisis  situations.  According  to  the  revised 
ordinance, contracts entered into by non-Swiss entities within a 
group  will  only  be  subject  to  the  rule  if  the  respective  financial 
contract  was  guaranteed  or  otherwise  secured  by  a  bank  or 
securities  dealer  domiciled  in  Switzerland.  In  addition,  FINMA 
has  granted  exceptions  for  contracts  with  individuals  and 
extended the implementation period to April 2018 for contracts 
with  banks  and  securities  dealers,  and  to  October  2018  for 
contracts with other counterparties.

key 

In  November  2017,  similar  rules  on  resolution  stays  were 
published In the United States by the Office of the Comptroller 
of  the  Currency.  The  rules  address  concerns  relating  to  the 
exercise  of  default  rights  in  financial  contracts  that  could 
interfere  with  the  orderly  resolution  of  systematically  important 
financial institutions. 

In the UK, in July 2017, the Bank of England (BoE) consulted 
on  its  policy  for  setting  minimum  requirements  for  own  funds 
and  eligible  liabilities  (MREL)  within  groups.  It  proposes  to 
require internal MREL at between 75% and 90% of the Pillar 1 
external  MREL  requirement,  which  will  be  phased  in  between 
1 January  2019  and  1  January  2022.  The  BoE  also  proposes  to 
take  into  account  the  equivalent  requirements  used  in  other 
jurisdictions, which could result in a required internal MREL level 
at the higher end of the range. We expect that UBS Limited will 
be subject to these requirements. In addition, firms would need 
to  hold  loss-absorbing  capacity  for  operational  continuity  for 
each  provider  of  critical  services  within  the  group  calibrated  at 
25%  of  total  operating  costs.  This  proposal  could  apply  to  a 
number  of  UBS  entities  in  different  jurisdictions  that  provide 
services  to  UBS  Limited  and  is  expected  to  take  effect  on 
1 January 2019. The exact impact of these changes can only be 
determined once the BoE finalizes its policy.

25 

 
 
 
Finalization of the Basel III capital framework
In December 2017, the BCBS announced the finalization of the 
Basel III reforms. The most significant changes include:
– placing  floors  on  certain  model  inputs  under  the  internal 
ratings-based  (IRB)  approach  to  calculate  credit  risk  risk-
weighted assets (RWA);

– requiring  the  use  of  standardized  approaches  for  calculation 
of credit valuation adjustment and for operational risk RWA;
– placing an aggregate output floor on the Group RWA equal 
to 72.5% of the RWA calculated using a revised standardized 
approach; and

– revising  the  leverage  ratio  denominator  (LRD)  calculation  and 
for  global 

surcharge 

leverage 

ratio 

introducing  a 
systematically important banks.

The  revised  standards  will  take  effect  from  1  January  2022, 
with  a  phase-in  period  of  five  years  for  the  aggregate  output 
floor. 

We currently estimate that the introduction of the revised Basel III 
framework  will  likely  lead  to  a  net  increase  in  RWA  of  around 
CHF 35 billion, before taking into account mitigation actions. These 
estimates  are  based  on  our  current  understanding  of  the  relevant 
standards and may change as a result of new or changed regulatory 
interpretations,  implementation  of  the  Basel  III  standards  into 
national  law,  changes  in  business  growth,  market  conditions  and 
other factors. We will update our common equity tier 1 (CET1) ratio 
guidance  when  further  details  on  the  implementation  of  the  final 
Basel III standards become available.

In addition, over the next three years, as a result of other known 
regulatory changes and estimated business growth, we estimate our 
RWA may increase by around CHF 40 billion and our LRD may rise 
by around CHF 85 billion. Actual increases may vary depending on 
growth opportunities, market conditions and mitigation actions. As 
a  consequence,  and  based  on  the  estimates  above,  we  may  build 
approximately CHF 4 billion of additional fully applied CET1 capital 
over  the  next  three  years,  subject  to  market  conditions,  as  well  as 
RWA and LRD development.

→ Refer to the “Capital management” section of this report for 
more information on the current Swiss SRB capital framework

→ Refer to the “Risk factors” section of this report for more 

information on regulatory change

Operating environment and strategy
Regulatory and legal developments

Separately,  Switzerland  has  been  moving  ahead  with  the 
implementation  of  existing  Basel  Committee  on  Banking 
Supervision (BCBS) standards. In October 2017, FINMA issued a 
consultation on the implementation of changes to Basel III rules, 
covering  interest  rate  risk  in  the  banking  book,  disclosure 
requirements,  credit  risk  and  eligible  capital.  These  changes  are 
expected  to  take  effect  on  1  January  2019.  Also,  the  Swiss 
Federal  Council  adopted  revisions  to  the  Capital  Adequacy 
Ordinance that will introduce a more restrictive treatment of risk 
concentrations.  From  1  January  2019,  risk  concentration  limits 
for  exposures  with  global  systemically  important  banks  will  be 
lowered  and  calculated  on  the  basis  of  tier  1  capital,  excess 
capital  will  no  longer  be  able  to  be  used  to  compensate  for 
exposures  above  the  limit  and  the  standardized  approach  for 
calculation of exposures will be required. In addition, direct and 
indirect  exposures  will  need  to  be  aggregated  at  counterparty 
level.

include 

introducing  a  target 

Swiss Federal Council proposes changes to the depositor 
protection scheme
In  February  2017,  the  Swiss  Federal  Council  proposed  changes 
to  the  Swiss  depositor  protection  scheme.  The  proposed 
level  for  depositor 
changes 
protection, set at 1.6% of the value of the protected deposits in 
the Swiss financial system, using the current cap of CHF 6 billion 
as  a  floor,  and  significantly  shortening  the  time  within  which 
payments  to  depositors  must  be  made  in  the  event  of  a  bank 
the  current 
insolvency.  These  changes  would 
requirement that each bank has to hold 50% of its commitment 
to  the  depositor  protection  scheme  as  high-quality  liquid  assets 
with  a  requirement  to  pledge  collateral  equal  to  50%  of  its 
commitment. The Federal Council also intends to issue new rules 
for banks to segregate custody assets from own assets through 
the  entire  domestic  custody  chain.  The  proposed  changes  may 
require  UBS  to  make  adjustments  to  operational  processes  and 
funding. The FDF is expected to issue a draft consultation by the 
end of August 2018.

replace 

26 

 
Significant accounting and financial reporting 
changes in 2018

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IFRS 9, Financial Instruments 

We adopted IFRS 9, Financial Instruments from 1 January 2018. 
IFRS  9  imposes  expected  credit  loss  (ECL)  requirements  that 
change  the  accounting  and  reporting  for  the  majority  of  our 
credit  exposures.  Additionally, 
introduces  new 
classification  and  measurement  guidelines  that  require  a 
consideration  of  the  contractual  cash  flow  characteristics  of 
financial assets and the associated business models under which 
we  operate,  and  eliminate,  among  other  things,  the  previous 
accounting and reporting treatment of investments classified as 
available for sale and held to maturity.

IFRS  9 

We  also  early  adopted  the  Amendment  to 

IFRS  9, 
Prepayment  Features  with  Negative  Compensation,  which 
allows  us  to  continue  to  apply  amortized  cost  accounting  to 
Swiss  private  mortgages  and  corporate  loans  that  provide  for 
two-way  compensation  if  a  prepayment  occurs.  We  did  not 
adopt  the  optional  IFRS  9  hedge  accounting  requirements 
pending completion of the International Accounting Standards 
Board’s (IASB) project on macro hedge accounting strategies. 

this  amount 

We  will  recognize  the  estimated  pre-tax  transition  impact 
from adopting IFRS 9 of approximately CHF 0.7 billion, as well 
as a tax credit of CHF 0.1 billion, as a CHF 0.6 billion reduction 
in  our  IFRS  consolidated  equity  as  of  1  January  2018,  which 
will be reflected in our first quarter 2018 report. Approximately 
to  mark-to-market 
half  of 
adjustments  on  certain  loans  and  securities  that  no  longer 
qualify  for  amortized  cost  accounting  due  to  their  cash  flow 
characteristics or underlying business model. These instruments 
will now be measured at fair value through profit or loss under 
IFRS 9. The remainder of the reduction results from recognizing 
ECL,  primarily  on  financial  assets  measured  at  amortized  cost, 
financial guarantees and loan commitments.

is  attributable 

Our  fully  applied  common  equity  tier  1  (CET1)  capital  is 
expected  to  be  reduced  by  approximately  CHF 0.3  billion  as  of 
1 January  2018,  predominantly  due  to  the  reclassification  of 
certain  loans  and  securities  from  amortized  cost  to  fair  value 
through  profit  or  loss,  with  no  material  impact  on  our  capital 
ratios.

→ Refer to “Note 1c International Financial Reporting Standards 
and Interpretations to be adopted in 2018 and later and other 

changes” in the “Consolidated financial statements” section of 

this report for more information

Transition 
IFRS  9  is  a  key  strategic  initiative  for  UBS  and  has  been 
implemented  under  the  joint  sponsorship  of  the  Group  Chief 
Financial Officer and the Group Chief Risk Officer. As part of our 
implementation program, we have performed an assessment of 
the  population  of  financial 
impacted  by  the 
classification  and  measurement  requirements  of  IFRS  9  and 

instruments 

developed  an 
calculation of the ECL allowance. 

impairment  methodology 

to  support 

the 

Our  ECL  calculation,  including  the  processes  to  derive 
information,  and  the  related 
appropriate  forward-looking 
reporting  processes  and  controls  have  been  tested  through 
parallel runs. 

Detailed  transition  disclosures,  including  a  full  reconciliation 
on the changes arising from adopting IFRS 9, will be provided in 
our first quarter 2018 report.

Classification
IFRS 9 requires all financial assets, except equity instruments, to 
be  classified  at  amortized  cost,  at  fair  value  through  other 
comprehensive  income  (OCI)  or  at  fair  value  through  profit  or 
loss,  based  on  the  business  model  for  managing  the  respective 
assets and their contractual cash flow characteristics.

the 

Expected credit losses 
IFRS  9  introduces  a  forward-looking  ECL  approach,  which  is 
intended  to  result  in  an  earlier  recognition  of  credit  losses 
compared  with  the  incurred-loss  impairment  approach  for 
financial  instruments  under  IAS  39,  Financial  Instruments: 
Recognition  and  Measurement  and 
loss-provisioning 
approach for financial guarantees and loan commitments under 
IAS 37, Provisions, Contingent Liabilities and Contingent Assets. 
The new impairment model applies to financial assets measured 
at amortized cost, investments in debt instruments measured at 
fair value through OCI, lease receivables, loan commitments and 
financial guarantee contracts that are not measured at fair value 
through  profit  or  loss.  The  majority  of  the  ECL  calculated  as  of 
the  transition  date  relates  to  our  private  and  commercial 
mortgage  portfolio  in  Switzerland  within  our  Personal  & 
Corporate Banking division. Under IFRS 9, a maximum 12-month 
ECL  must  be  recognized  from  initial  recognition  on  in-scope 
instruments,  referred  to  as  instruments  within  stage 1.  Lifetime 
ECL  must  be  recognized  if  a  significant  increase  in  credit  risk 
(SICR)  arises  after  the  instrument  was  originally  recognized, 
referred  to  as  instruments  in  stage  2,  or  if  the  instrument  is 
credit impaired, referred to as instruments in stage 3.

Measurement of expected credit losses
The methodology we apply to calculate an individual probability-
weighted  unbiased  ECL  in  line  with  IFRS  9  is  aligned  with  the 
complexity, structure and risk profile of relevant portfolios and is 
mainly  based  on  a  combination  of  the  following  principal 
factors:  probability  of  default  (PD),  loss  given  default  (LGD), 
exposure at default (EAD) and discounting to the reporting date, 
with 
respective  parameters  generally  determined  on  a 
transaction basis. 

27 

 
 
 
Operating environment and strategy
Significant accounting and financial reporting changes in 2018

PDs and LGDs used in the IFRS 9 ECL calculation are point in 
time  (PIT)  based.  To  derive  the  PIT-based  parameters,  we 
leverage  our  existing  Pillar  1  internal  ratings-based  (IRB)  models 
and  Pillar 2  stress  loss  models.  We  make  certain  necessary 
adjustments 
to 
information,  which 
incorporate 
includes  gross  domestic  product  forecasts,  interest  and  foreign 
exchange  rates,  unemployment  rates,  real  estate  price  indices 
and  other  relevant  risk  parameters.  In  addition,  the  prudential 
adjustments  from  Basel  III,  such  as  downturn  LGD  assumptions 
and floors, are removed. 

to  account 
forward-looking  economic 

for  current  conditions  and 

We have selected a range of scenarios (upside, baseline, mild 
downside,  and  downside)  to  capture  material  non-linearity  and 
asymmetries  between  different  possible 
forward-looking 
scenarios  and  associated  credit  losses,  and  we  apply  scenario 
weights  to  reflect  the  likelihood  of  their  occurrence.  We  have 
aligned our baseline scenario selection with the baseline used for 
business planning purposes. 

For  ECL  calculation  purposes,  we  consider  the  maximum 
contractual  period  over  which  we  are  exposed  to  credit  risk, 
taking  into  account  the  respective  counterparty’s  contractual 
extension,  termination  and  prepayment  options.  For  certain 
credit  card  facilities  without  a  defined  contractual  end  date, 
which  are  callable  on  demand  and  where  the  drawn  and 
undrawn  portions  are  managed  as  one  unit,  the  period  over 
which  UBS  is  exposed  to  credit  risk  exceeds  the  contractual 
notice period and therefore this longer period is used within the 
ECL calculation.

Determination of a significant increase in credit risk
Qualitative  and  quantitative  criteria  are  used  to  determine 
whether  the  credit  risk  on  an  instrument  has  significantly 
increased  from  the  date  of  initial  recognition,  with  the  primary 
assessment  based  on  a  comparison  of  the  annualized  forward-
looking  and  scenario-weighted 
lifetime  PIT-based  PDs  at 
inception  of  the  instrument,  and  at  the  reporting  date.  This 
assessment  is  made  at  an  individual  financial  asset  level,  with 
specific  criteria  and  thresholds  applied  based  on  the  applicable 
portfolio.  Qualitative 
factors  are  additionally  considered, 
including internal indicators of credit risk such as days-past-due 
information, external market indicators of credit risk and general 
economic conditions. We generally consider that an SICR occurs 
no later than when the asset is 30 days past due. 

Lombard  loans,  securities  financing  transactions  and  certain 
other  asset-based  lending  transactions  that  are  subject  to  daily 
risk  management  and  monitoring  processes  with  strict 
margining 
the  SICR 
determination  process  given  the  transactions  are  closed  out 
immediately  if  margin  calls  are  not  satisfied,  whereupon  they 
move directly from stage 1 into stage 3 as defaulted positions.

requirements  are  not 

subject 

to 

28 

Governance
The  incorporation  of  forward-looking  information  in  the  ECL 
calculation  and 
the  definition  and  assessment  of  what 
constitutes an SICR are inherently subjective and involve the use 
of  significant  judgment.  Therefore,  we  have  developed  a  front-
to-back governance framework over the ECL calculation process 
jointly  owned  by  the  Group  Chief  Financial  Officer  and  the 
Group  Chief  Risk  Officer  and  have  designed  controls  to  be  in 
compliance with the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. 

the 

Our  economists,  risk  methodology  personnel  and  credit  risk 
forward-looking 
in  developing 
officers  are 
involved 
macroeconomic  assumptions  used 
in  the  ECL  calculation. 
Assumptions and scenarios are validated and approved through 
a scenario committee and an operating committee, which have 
been  established  as  part  of  a  new  governance  process.  This 
process  also  facilitates  a  consistent  use  of  forward-looking 
information throughout UBS, including in our business planning 
process. New models have been approved as part of our existing 
model  validation  and  oversight  processes.  Governance  has  also 
specifically  been  established  around  the  SICR  decision  process 
given management judgment is required. We test ECL and SICR 
inputs  in  a  controlled  environment  and  determine  sensitivities 
with a risk simulation engine.

Group regulatory capital and IFRS 9
The table on the next page sets out key differences in the scope 
and  factors  applied  in  determining  expected  losses  (EL)  under 
the  current  Basel  III  advanced  internal  ratings-based  approach 
and those used in determining ECL for IFRS 9 purposes. 

→ Refer to “Credit risk models” in the “Risk management and 

control” section of this report for more information

for 

following 

In March 2017, the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision 
(BCBS)  finalized  guidance  on  an  interim  approach  for  the 
regulatory  treatment  of  accounting  provisions  and  defined 
the 
transitional  arrangements, 
standards 
introduction  of  IFRS  9.  The  BCBS  confirmed  that  for  an  interim 
period  the  current  treatment  of  accounting  provisions,  under 
both  the  standardized  approach  and  the  IRB  approach,  should 
continue  to  be  applied  until  the  longer-term  treatment  is 
confirmed.  The  BCBS  recommended  that  jurisdictions  issue 
guidance  to  categorize  new  accounting  provisions  as  general 
provisions  or  specific  provisions  for  regulatory  purposes. 
Additionally, 
transitional 
arrangements  to  spread  the  adoption  impacts  over  time,  using 
either  a  static  or  a  dynamic  approach,  including  limiting  the 
transition  period  to  a  maximum  of  five  years.  The  consultation 
period  on  the  related  FINMA  guidance  ended  on  31  January 
2018.  It  includes  the  option  of  phasing  the  initial  effect  of 
adopting  the  new  accounting  provisions  into  regulatory  capital, 
using  a  static  approach.  The  final  guidance  is  expected  to  be 
published during 2018 with an effective date of 1 January 2019.

jurisdictions  may 

implement 

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Comparison of IFRS 9 ECL with Basel III EL

BBasel III (advanced internal ratings-based approach)

IIFRS 9 

SScope

The Basel III advanced internal ratings-based (A-IRB) approach applies to 
most credit risk exposures. It includes transactions measured at amortized 
cost, at fair value through profit or loss and at fair value through OCI, 
including loan commitments and financial guarantees.

The IFRS 9 expected credit loss calculation mainly applies to financial 
assets measured at amortized cost and debt instruments measured at fair 
value through OCI, as well as loan commitments and financial guarantee 
contracts not at fair value through profit or loss.

112-month versus lifetime 
expected loss

The Basel III A-IRB approach takes into account expected losses resulting 
from expected default events occurring within the next 12 months.

EExposure at default
(EAD)

EAD is the amount we expect a counterparty to owe us at the time of a 
possible default. For banking products, the EAD equals the book value as 
of the reporting date, whereas for traded products, such as securities 
financing transactions, the EAD is modeled. The EAD is expected to 
remain constant over the 12-month period. For loan commitments, a 
credit conversion factor is applied to model expected future drawdowns 
over the 12-month period, irrespective of the actual maturity of a 
particular transaction. The credit conversion factor includes downturn 
adjustments.

In the absence of an SICR event, a maximum 12-month ECL is recognized 
to reflect lifetime cash shortfalls that will result if a default event occurs in 
the 12 months after the reporting date (or a shorter period if the expected 
lifetime is less). Once an SICR event has occurred, a lifetime ECL is 
recognized considering expected default events over the life of the 
transaction.

EAD is generally calculated on the basis of the cash flows that are 
expected to be outstanding at the individual points in time during the life 
of the transaction, discounted to the reporting date using the effective 
interest rate. For loan commitments, a credit conversion factor is applied 
to model expected future drawdowns over the life of the transaction 
without including downturn assumptions. In both cases the time period is 
capped at 12 months, unless an SICR has occurred.

PProbability of default
(PD)

PD estimates are determined on a through the cycle (TTC) basis. They 
represent historical average PDs, taking into account observed losses over 
a prolonged historical period, and are therefore less sensitive to 
movements in the underlying economy.

PD estimates will be determined on a PIT basis, based on current 
conditions and incorporating forecasts for future economic conditions at 
the reporting date.

LLoss given default
(LGD)

LGD includes prudential adjustments, such as downturn LGD assumptions 
and floors. Similar to PD, LGD is determined on a TTC basis.

UUse of scenarios

N/A

LGD should reflect the losses that are reasonably expected and prudential 
adjustments should therefore not be applied. Similar to PD, LGD is 
determined on the basis of a PIT approach.

Multiple forward-looking scenarios have to be taken into account to 
determine a probability-weighted ECL.

IFRS 9 and our significant regulated subsidiaries and sub-groups
FINMA’s  plan  to  implement  ECL  under  Swiss  GAAP  has  been 
deferred.  We  will  continue  to  apply  the  incurred  loss  model  in 
the  UBS  AG  standalone  and  UBS  Switzerland  AG  standalone 
financial  statements,  which  are  prepared  in  accordance  with 
Swiss  GAAP  (FINMA  Circular  2015  /  1  and  the  Banking 
Ordinance). 

UBS  Limited  prepares  standalone  financial  statements  in 

accordance with IFRS, and adopted IFRS 9 on 1 January 2018.

UBS Americas Holding LLC expects to early adopt Accounting 
Standards Update (ASU) 2016-13, Measurement of Credit Losses 
on Financial Instruments on 1 January 2020 for its consolidated 
financial  statements  to  align  with  the  mandatory  effective  date 
for some of its subsidiaries.

IFRS 15, Revenue from Contracts with Customers

We  adopted  IFRS  15,  Revenue  from  Contracts  with  Customers 
from 1 January 2018. The new standard will affect when certain 
revenue  can  be  recognized,  with  some  performance-based  fees 
in  Asset  Management  and  research  revenues  in  the  Investment 
Bank deferred until it is certain that the fee has been earned. In 
addition,  IFRS  15  requires  a  change  to  the  presentation  of 
certain  revenues  and  expenses  in  the  income  statement,  with 
enhanced  disclosures.  The  cumulative  effect  of  initially  applying 
the  standard  will  be  recognized  as  an  adjustment  to  our  IFRS 

consolidated  equity  as  of  1  January  2018  and,  as  permitted  by 
the  standard,  we  will  not  restate  prior-period  information.  The 
transition effect will not be material and we also do not expect a 
material  effect  on  the  Group’s  annual  revenues  and  expenses 
going forward.

Potential change of functional and presentation currency

In  light  of  cumulative  changes  in  our  legal  structure,  business 
activities  and  evolving  changes  to  our  structural  currency 
management strategy, we anticipate that during the second half 
of 2018 we may conclude under IAS 21, The Effects of Changes 
in  Foreign  Exchange  Rates,  that  the  functional  currency  of  UBS 
Group AG and UBS AG’s Head Office in Switzerland will change 
from  Swiss  francs  to  US  dollars,  and  the  functional  currency  of 
UBS  AG’s  London  Branch  operations  will  change  from  British 
pounds to US dollars, where such changes would be made on a 
prospective  basis.  If  such  determinations  are  made,  we  would 
also  expect  to  change  the  presentation  currency  of  UBS  Group 
AG’s  consolidated  and  UBS  AG’s  consolidated 
financial 
statements  from  Swiss  francs  to  US  dollars,  with  prior  periods 
restated.  Assets,  liabilities  and  total  equity  would  be  converted 
to US dollars at historic closing rates prevailing on the respective 
balance  sheet  dates.  No  material  changes  are  expected  to  our 
capital ratios nor are material changes expected to our other key 
performance indicators.

29 

 
 
 
 
Operating environment and strategy
Our strategy

Our strategy

Who we are

Our priorities

is  centered  on  our 

The world’s largest and only truly global wealth manager
Our  strategy 
leading  Global  Wealth 
Management  business  and  our  premier  universal  bank  in 
Switzerland, which are enhanced by Asset Management and the 
Investment  Bank.  We  focus  on  businesses  that  have  a  strong 
competitive  position  in  their  targeted  markets,  are  capital 
efficient  and  have  an  attractive  long-term  structural  growth  or 
profitability  outlook.  We  are  the  world’s  largest  and  only  truly 
global  wealth  manager.  We  have  a  strong  presence  in  the 
largest market, the United States, and a leading position in the 
fastest-growing  regions,  including  Asia  Pacific  and  the  other 
emerging  markets.  Our  wealth  management  business  benefits 
from  significant  scale  in  an  industry  with  attractive  growth 
prospects  and  increasingly  high  barriers  to  entry,  and  from  its 
leading  position  across  the  attractive  high  net  worth  and  ultra 
high  net  worth  client  segments.  We  are  the  preeminent 
universal  bank  in  Switzerland,  the  only  country  where  we 
operate  in  all  of  our  business  lines:  wealth  management, 
personal  &  corporate  banking,  asset  management  and 
investment banking. Our leading position in our home market is 
central to UBS’s global brand and profit stability. The partnership 
between  our  wealth  management  business  and  our  other 
business divisions is a key differentiating factor and a source of 
competitive advantage. 

Strong capital position and capital-efficient business model 
Capital  strength  is  the  foundation  of  our  strategy  and  provides 
another competitive advantage. We are well positioned to meet 
the  fully  applied  Swiss  too  big  to  fail  capital  and  total  loss-
absorbing capacity requirements when they become effective on 
1  January  2020.  Our  capital-accretive  and  capital-efficient 
business  model  helps  us  adapt  to  changes  in  regulatory 
requirements,  while  pursuing  growth  opportunities  without  the 
need  for  significant  earnings  retention.  We  believe  that  our 
business  model  can  generate  an  adjusted  return  on  tangible 
equity (excluding deferred tax expense / benefit and deferred tax 
assets) of around 15% in normal market conditions. 

We have an attractive and flexible capital returns policy 
Our  earnings  capacity  and  capital  efficiency  support  our 
objective to deliver sustainable and increasing capital returns to 
our shareholders. We aim to increase our ordinary dividend per 
share at a mid-to-high single-digit percent per annum. We may 
also  return  excess  capital,  after  accruals  for  ordinary  dividends, 
most  likely  in  the  form  of  share  repurchases,  after  considering 
our outlook and subject to regulatory approval. 

1. Drive profitable growth in Global Wealth Management 
In  Global  Wealth  Management,  we  target  10–15%  adjusted 
profit before tax growth annually over the cycle, while growing 
net  new  money  at  2–4%  per  annum  and  aiming  to  operate 
within  an  adjusted  cost  /  income  ratio  range  of  65–75%.  The 
creation of the integrated business division on 1 February 2018 
aims  to  further  enhance  the  client  experience  and  our  product 
offering in line with an increasingly global client base. We expect 
to  more  effectively  capture  the  purchasing  power  of  Global 
Wealth  Management’s  CHF 2.3  trillion  invested  asset  base  and 
generate  greater  synergies  across  technology,  innovation  and 
other  areas  of  investment.  Regional  variations  in  the  client 
service model will be maintained, while middle- and back-office 
functions will be more closely aligned and integrated.

2. Maintain focused leadership and grow profits in Asset 
Management, Investment Bank and Personal & Corporate 
Banking
Our  strength  in  Global  Wealth  Management  also  relies  on  the 
stand  alone  strength  of  our  other  businesses.  Together,  they 
make  a  significant  contribution  to  earnings,  diversify  revenues 
and generate high-quality returns.

3. Enhance diversification by capturing superior growth in Asia 
Pacific and the Americas, leverage our Europe, Middle East and 
Africa capabilities and reinforce our leadership position in 
Switzerland
From a geographic standpoint, we aim to grow in the Americas 
and  to  reinforce  leadership  in  our  home  market  in  Switzerland. 
In  Europe,  Middle  East  and  Africa,  we  want  to  leverage  our 
capabilities to grow our market share during likely consolidation. 
Asia Pacific, and particularly China, presents a significant growth 
opportunity, given the economic expansion and rate of increase 
in the number of billionaires. UBS’s competitive position in Asia 
Pacific  is  strong  and  we  are  well  positioned  to  capture 
opportunities in the region across our businesses.

4. Invest in technology with a focus on superior client 
experience, product capabilities, efficiency and effectiveness
We will continue to invest in technology to drive growth, better 
serve  our  clients  and  improve  efficiency  and  effectiveness.  We 
intend  to  secure  our  position  as  a  leader  in  the  digital  age  by 
maintaining  expenditure  on  technology  of  at  least  10%  of  the 
Group’s revenues for the foreseeable future. 

30 

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Performance targets and capital guidance 2018–2020

The  table  below  shows  our  performance  targets  and  capital 
guidance for the Group and the business divisions for the 2018–
2020  period.  The  targets  and  guidance  reflect  what  we  believe 
can be achieved in normal market conditions.

All  targets  are  measured  on  an  annual  basis,  except  our 
adjusted  profit  before  tax  growth  targets  for  Global  Wealth 
Management  and  Asset  Management,  which  represent  the 
average annual growth we aim to deliver over the cycle. 

→ Refer to the “Group performance” section of this report for 
more information on adjusted results and adjusting items
→ Refer to the “Measurement of performance” section of this 
report for more information on key performance indicators

→ Refer to the “Risk factors” section of this report for more 

information on factors that may affect our ability to deliver on 

our strategy

CCost / income ratio1

PProfitability and growth1

CCapital and resource guidance

GGroup

<75%

~15% RoTE excluding DTAs2

~13% common equity tier 1 capital ratio3

~3.7% common equity tier 1 leverage ratio3 

GGlobal Wealth Management

65–75%

10–15% pre-tax profit growth4

PPersonal & Corporate Banking

50–60%

2–4% net new money growth

1–4% net new business volume 
(personal banking)

150–165 bps net interest margin

AAsset Management

60–70%

~10% pre-tax profit growth4, 5

3–5% net new money growth, 
excluding money market flows

IInvestment Bank

70–80%

>15% RoAE6

RWA and LRD around one-third of the Group total7

11 Annual targets; cost / income ratio, pre-tax profit growth and return targets are on an adjusted basis.     2 Return on tangible equity (RoTE) excluding deferred tax expense / benefit and deferred tax assets (DTAs); 
calculated as adjusted net profit / loss attributable to shareholders excluding deferred tax expense / benefit, such as the net write-down due to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) enacted in the fourth quarter of 2017, 
divided by average tangible equity attributable to shareholders excluding any DTAs that do not qualify as fully applied CET1 capital.    3 Based on fully applied CET1 capital.    4 Over the cycle.    5 Excluding the impact 
of business exits.     6 Return on attributed equity.     7 Including risk-weighted assets (RWA) and leverage ratio denominator (LRD) directly associated with activity that Corporate Center – Group ALM manages 
centrally on the Investment Bank’s behalf; proportion may fluctuate around this level due to factors such as equity market levels and FX rates.

31 

 
 
 
 
Operating environment and strategy
Measurement of performance

Measurement of performance

Performance measures

Key performance indicators
The Group and business divisions are managed on the basis of a 
key  performance  indicator  (KPI)  framework,  which  identifies 
profit  and  growth  financial  measures,  in  the  context  of  sound 
risk  and  capital  management  objectives.  When  determining 
variable  compensation,  both  Group  and  business  division  KPIs 
are taken into account. 

We review the KPI framework on a regular basis, considering 

our strategy and the market environment in which we operate.

KPIs  are  disclosed  in  our  quarterly  and  annual  reporting  to 
allow  comparison  of  our  performance  over  the  reporting 
periods.  For  certain  KPIs  we  have  performance  targets  in  place, 
which are defined in order to measure our performance against 
our  strategy.  Our  KPIs  are  designed  to  be  assessed  on  an  over-
the-cycle basis and are subject to seasonal patterns.

→ Refer to the “Our strategy” section of this report for more 

information on performance targets

Changes to our key performance indicators in 2018
We  reviewed  our  performance  targets  and  KPI  framework  in 
January  2018,  taking  into  account  the  developments  in  the 
regulatory  environment  and  the  achievement  of  our  CHF 2.1 
billion  net  cost  reduction  target  by  the  fourth  quarter  of  2017. 
We will introduce “Common equity tier 1 leverage ratio (%)” as 
a  KPI  for  the  Group  alongside  the  existing  “Going  concern 
leverage ratio (%)” KPI. The existing “Return on tangible equity 
(RoTE)  (%)”  KPI  will  be  complemented  by  “RoTE  excluding 
deferred tax assets (RoTE ex DTAs) (%).” 

“Gross  margin  on  invested  assets  (bps)”  for  the  Group, 
Wealth  Management  and  Asset  Management  will  be  removed 
from  the  KPI  framework  as  this  will  no  longer  be  used  as  a 
strategic  steering  metric.  Cost  control  will  remain  in  focus 
through  the  cost  /  income  ratio,  which  remains  a  KPI  and 
performance target for the Group and all business divisions.

From  1  February  2018,  performance  targets  and  KPIs  for 
Wealth  Management  and  Wealth  Management  Americas  were 
merged  and  are  reported  for  the  Global  Wealth  Management 
business.

32 

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2017 Group and business division key performance indicators

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KKey performance indicators

DDefinition

NNet profit growth (%)

PPre-tax profit growth (%)1

CCost / income ratio (%)

RReturn on tangible equity (RoTE) (%)2

RReturn on attributed equity (RoAE) (%)2

GGoing concern leverage ratio (%)3

CCommon equity tier 1 capital ratio (%)3

NNet new money growth (%)

GGross margin on invested assets (bps)2, 4

NNet margin on invested assets (bps)2

NNet new business volume growth for 
personal banking (%)

Change in net profit attributable to shareholders from continuing 
operations between current and comparison periods / net profit 
attributable to shareholders from continuing operations of 
comparison period

Change in business division operating profit before tax between 
current and comparison periods / business division operating profit 
before tax of comparison period
Operating expenses / operating income before credit loss (expense) 
or recovery

Net profit attributable to shareholders before amortization and 
impairment of goodwill and intangible assets (annualized as 
applicable) / average equity attributable to shareholders less 
average goodwill and intangible assets
Business division operating profit before tax (annualized as 
applicable) / average attributed equity
Total going concern capital / leverage ratio denominator as of 
period end
Common equity tier 1 capital / risk-weighted assets as of period 
end

Net new money for the period (annualized as applicable) / invested 
assets at the beginning of the period. Group net new money 
growth is reported as net new money growth for combined wealth 
management businesses. Asset Management net new money 
excludes money market flows
Operating income before credit loss (expense) or recovery 
(annualized as applicable) / average invested assets
Business division operating profit before tax (annualized as 
applicable) / average invested assets

Net new business volume (i.e., total net inflows and outflows of 
client assets and loans) for the period (annualized as applicable) / 
business volume (i.e., total of client assets and loans) at the 
beginning of the period

NNet interest margin (%)

Net interest income (annualized as applicable) / average loans

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(cid:3)

(cid:3)

(cid:3)

(cid:3)

(cid:3)

(cid:3)

(cid:3)

(cid:3)

(cid:3)

(cid:3)

(cid:3)

(cid:3)

(cid:3)

(cid:3)

(cid:3)

(cid:3)

(cid:3)

(cid:3)

(cid:3)

(cid:3)

(cid:3)

CCost reduction4
11 Excluding the impact of business exits, for Asset Management only.    2 Denominator based on a five-point average of quarter-end values with the beginning and end values weighted with a factor of 0.5 for the 
full-year calculations and based on a simple average for the quarterly calculations.    3 Based on fully applied CET1 capital.    4 Removed from the key performance indicator framework in 2018.

Net exit rate cost reduction

(cid:3)

New key performance indicators in 2018

Key performance indicators

Definition

Return on tangible equity excluding deferred 
tax assets (RoTE ex DTAs) (%)1, 2

Adjusted net profit attributable to shareholders before amortization and 
impairment of goodwill and intangible assets and before deferred tax expense / 
benefit (annualized as applicable) / average equity attributable to shareholders 
less average goodwill and intangible assets and less average deferred tax 
assets that do not qualify as fully applied CET1 capital

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Common equity tier 1 leverage ratio (%)3
1 Excluding deferred tax expense / benefit such as the net write-down due to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act enacted in the fourth quarter of 2017.    2 Denominator based on a five-point average of quarter-end values 
with the beginning and end values weighted with a factor of 0.5 for the full-year calculations and based on a simple average for the quarterly calculations.    3 Based on fully applied CET1 capital.

Common equity tier 1 capital / leverage ratio denominator as of period end

(cid:3)

33 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Operating environment and strategy
Global Wealth Management

Global Wealth Management

Integration of our wealth management businesses

On  1  February  2018,  Wealth  Management  and  Wealth 
Management  Americas  were  combined  into  the  unified  business 
division  Global  Wealth  Management.  The  creation  of  the 
integrated business division aims to further enhance our superior 
client experience and product offering in line with an increasingly 
global  client  base.  Global  Wealth  Management  provides  our 
clients with broader access to more diversified global products and 
services and an integrated multi-shore offering. Our clients benefit 
from  the  scale  and  insights  of  a  truly  global  business,  while  we 
retain  the  distinct  client  service  models  that  we  believe  are  best 
suited  to  each  of  the  regions  in  which  we  operate.  We  believe 
that our platform, combined with a global suite of products and 
services,  bolsters  our  ability  to  attract  the  strongest  investment 
talent,  both  inside  and  outside  of  UBS,  to  best  serve  our  clients. 
We  want  to  leverage  our  scale  to  generate  greater  synergies 
through  joint  investments  in  technology,  new  products,  new 
business lines and our people.

Business

Global  Wealth  Management  provides  comprehensive  advice  and 
tailored  financial  services  to  wealthy  private  clients  around  the 
world. Our clients benefit from the full spectrum of resources that 
a global firm can offer, including investment management, wealth 
planning,  banking  and  lending,  and  corporate  financial  advice. 
Our model gives clients access to a wide range of products from 
the  world’s  leading  third-party  institutions  that  complement  our 
own offerings.

Strategy and clients

We  are  the  global  leader  in  wealth  management  for  private 
clients,  particularly  in  the  ultra  high  net  worth  and  high  net 
worth segments. 

We  seek  to  capitalize  on  our  market-leading  position  in  the 
ultra high net worth business and to increase our market share 
considerably  in  this  segment.  We  also  invest  significantly  in 
growing our high net worth and core affluent businesses. 

Wealth  planning, 

investment  management  and  portfolio 
construction are at the heart of our offering. We aspire to provide 
our  clients  with  a  wider  selection  of  discretionary  and  advisory 
services, helping them to more effectively achieve their goals. This 
in  turn  would  further  increase  our  mandate  penetration  and 
contribute  to  higher  recurring  revenues.  Where  possible,  our 
integrated  client  service  model  allows  us  to  bundle  capabilities 
across  the  Group  to  identify  investment  opportunities  in  varying 
market  conditions  and  create  solutions  that  suit  individual  client 

needs.  For  example,  ultra  high  net  worth  clients  benefit  from 
tailored  institutional  coverage  and  global  execution  provided  by 
dedicated specialist teams from Global Wealth Management and 
the Investment Bank through the Global Family Office Group. 

We continue to invest in our digital capabilities to offer clients 
a  combination  of  market-leading  investment  advice  tailored  to 
their personal goals and innovative digital service solutions.

We  have  unique  scale  and  a  global  footprint  with  booking 
centers  across  the  globe.  These  give  us  a  strong  local  presence 
allowing us to serve our clients and book their assets in multiple 
locations, according to client preferences. 

In Asia Pacific, we have further strengthened our position as 
the  largest  wealth  manager.  Capturing  growth  opportunities  in 
China is central to our strategy. We have accelerated our growth 
and  expanded  our  business  across  the  region,  with  a  particular 
focus on Hong Kong and Singapore, as well as onshore markets, 
for example, Japan, China and Taiwan. 

The  Americas  region  covers  both  North  America  and  Latin 
America.  In  North  America,  we  continue  to  execute  on  our 
distinct  opportunity  to  “feel  small  and  play  big”  by  combining 
the  agility  of  a  boutique  firm  with  all  of  the  capabilities  of  a 
premier,  truly  global  wealth  manager.  We  continue  to  execute 
on  our  operating  model  to  move  decision-making  closer  to 
clients,  better  leverage  global  capabilities  and  invest  in  next-
generation technology. We expect these efforts to enable us to 
achieve higher levels of client satisfaction, strengthen our client 
relationships,  increase  productivity  of  our  financial  advisors  and 
support  the  organic  growth  of  our  franchise.  In  Latin  America, 
we  continue  to  leverage  our  global  booking  model  capabilities. 
We regularly assess our local presence to ensure proximity to our 
clients  in  key  markets  and  to  make  sure  we  meet  our  clients’ 
needs for global diversification and local offerings. In 2017, we 
enhanced  our  presence  in  Brazil  with  the  acquisition  of 
Consenso  Investimentos,  the  country’s  largest  independent 
multi-family  office.  This  transaction  demonstrates  our  long-
standing strategic priority to grow in this key market. 

In  Europe,  Middle  East  and  Africa,  our  Western  Europe 
business  has  a  long-established  local  presence  in  all  major 
markets. In 2017, and early 2018, we announced the acquisition 
of businesses in Europe that are complementary to our strategy. 
The  acquisition  will  enable  us  to  grow  our  presence  in  Europe 
and  further  build  our  position  as  a  key  wealth  manager  for 
Nordic clients in Europe. In line with our strategy to focus on our 
main  markets,  we  sold  our  domestic  wealth  management 
operations in the Netherlands in August 2017. Outside Western 
Europe, we focus on key emerging markets, for example, Russia, 
Turkey and Israel.

34 

In  Switzerland,  we  collaborate  closely  with  our  colleagues  in 
Personal  &  Corporate  Banking,  Asset  Management  and  the 
Investment  Bank.  This  creates  opportunities  to  expand  our 
business  through  client  referrals  and  generates  efficiencies  by 
enabling us to use UBS’s extensive branch network.

We  evaluate  our  performance  against  key  performance 

indicators and our respective targets. 

→ Refer to the “Our strategy” section of this report for 

information on our performance targets

→ Refer to the “Measurement of performance” section of this 

report for information on our key performance indicators

Products and services

Our approach to clients focuses on understanding their financial 
objectives  and  providing  solutions  tailored  to  their  individual 
needs.  Clients  benefit  from  a  comprehensive  set  of  capabilities 
and  expertise,  including  wealth  planning,  investing,  lending, 
protection,  philanthropy  and  corporate  and  banking  services. 
Investment  management  is  a  core  component  of  this  value 
proposition. 

strategists,  and 

Investment  Office 

Our  global  Chief 

(CIO)  draws  on 
investment 
approximately  200  analysts, 
professionals  present  in  10  key  financial  hubs  globally  and 
leverages  access  to  buy-side  partners  and  client  networks. 
Seeking to add alpha to our clients’ portfolios, the CIO provides 
clear,  independent  investment  views,  known  as  the  UBS  House 
View. 

The UBS House View identifies and communicates investment 
opportunities  and  market  risks  to  help  protect  and  grow  our 
clients’  wealth  over  generations.  We  apply  it  to  our  clients’ 
portfolios and asset allocations, and it underpins the investment 
strategies  for  our  flagship  discretionary  mandates.  The  strategic 
asset  allocation  is  an  essential  part  of  our  disciplined  style  of 
managing  our  clients’  wealth  and  strives  to  ensure  that  our 
clients  remain  on  course  to  meet  their  financial  goals  over  the 
long  term.  It  is  complemented  by  our  tactical  asset  allocation, 
which  uses  our  global  expertise  to  help  our  clients  navigate 
markets  tactically  and  ultimately  improve  the  risk  and  return 
trade-off potential of their portfolios. 

Our  Investment  Platforms  and  Solutions  (IPS)  unit  provides 
clients  with  portfolio-based  investment  advice  and  solutions  in 
line  with  their  overall  investment  goals.  Clients  can  choose  to 
delegate  their  investment  decisions  to  our  team  of  investment 
experts through a discretionary mandate. Those who wish to be 
more  actively  involved  in  their  investment  activities  can  choose 
to  receive  recommendations  on  an  advisory  basis.  IPS  seeks  to 
ensure  our  solutions  are  in  step  with  market  conditions  by 

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aligning  our  discretionary  and  advisory  offerings  with  the  UBS 
House  View.  Clients  can  invest  in  a  full  range  of  financial 
instruments,  from  single  securities  across  asset  classes  to 
investment 
structured  products  and  alternative 
investments.  Additionally,  we  offer  our  clients  advice  on 
structured lending and corporate finance. 

funds, 

We  continue  to  develop  innovative  solutions  to  help  our 
clients  address  the  challenges  of  an  increasingly  complex 
financial world and to respond to their evolving needs. We have 
expanded  our  discretionary  mandate  solutions  to  meet  specific 
client needs and preferences. We are also strongly committed to 
broadening our sustainable and impact investment offering. For 
example, in 2017, we offered our clients access to the Rise Fund, 
a  private  equity  impact  investment  vehicle  that  aims  to  achieve 
measurable,  positive  social  and  environmental  outcomes 
combined with competitive financial returns. 

→ Refer to the “UBS and Society” section of this report for more 

information on sustainable investing products and services

Organizational structure

We  are  organized  along  regional  lines,  with  our  business  areas 
being  the  Americas,  including  the  US,  Canada  and  Latin 
America;  Europe,  Middle  East  and  Africa;  Asia  Pacific; 
Switzerland; and the business area for our global ultra high net 
worth clients. 

We  are  governed  by  executive, 

risk  and  operating 
committees.  In  the  US  and  Puerto  Rico,  we  operate  primarily 
through  UBS  Financial  Services  Inc.  and  UBS  Financial  Services 
Incorporated  of  Puerto  Rico.  Our  banking  services  in  the  US 
include  those  conducted  through  UBS  Bank  USA,  a  Federal 
Deposit  Insurance  Corporation-insured  depository  institution 
subsidiary,  and  branches  of  UBS  AG.  Canadian  wealth 
management  and  banking  operations  are  conducted  through 
UBS Bank (Canada). Outside North America and Puerto Rico, we 
mainly  operate  through  UBS  Switzerland  AG  and  UBS  AG 
branches. In Europe, we further operate through UBS Europe SE. 
We have a presence in more than 40 countries. 

Competitors

Our main competitors include the private banking operations of 
BNP  Paribas,  Citigroup,  Credit  Suisse,  Deutsche  Bank,  HSBC, 
JPMorgan Chase, Julius Baer, and the large US-based wirehouses 
Morgan Stanley, Bank of America Merrill Lynch and Wells Fargo, 
in  addition  to  the  banks  and  independent  financial  advisors  in 
each market we operate. 

35 

 
 
 
 
Operating environment and strategy
Personal & Corporate Banking

Personal & Corporate Banking

serve  Swiss-based  corporate  clients  operating  globally.  We  also 
assist  our  Swiss-based  corporate  clients  with  sustainability 
measures,  such  as  the  energy  check-up  offered  by  the  Energy 
Agency  of  the  Swiss  Private  Sector  (EnAW),  that  contribute 
toward enhancing energy efficiency, thereby reducing operating 
costs.

Our clients value their relationship with us and our efforts to 
provide  them  with  superior  service.  In  2017,  for  the  sixth 
consecutive year, the international finance magazine Euromoney 
recognizing  our 
named  UBS  Best  Bank 
experience, client centricity, focus on innovation, and the quality 
of our employees. Additionally, and for the seventh consecutive 
year,  UBS  was  rated  Best  Domestic  Cash  Manager  Switzerland 
based on a survey of cash managers and chief financial officers. 

in  Switzerland, 

Continuous  employee  development,  including  client  advisor 
certification, is a crucial element of our divisional strategy, as this 
is our key to providing superior client service. 

Moreover,  we  continuously  strive  to  simplify  structures  and 
improve  client  experience  without 

in  order  to 

processes 
compromising our risk standards. 

We  evaluate  our  performance  against  key  performance 

indicators and our respective targets. 

→ Refer to the “Our strategy” section of this report for more 

information on our performance targets 

→ Refer to the “Measurement of performance” section of this 
report for information on our key performance indicators
→ Refer to the “UBS and Society” section of this report for more 
information on sustainable investing products and services

Products and services

Our  private  clients  have  access  to  a  comprehensive  life  cycle-
based  offering  and  convenient  digital  banking,  targeting  the 
specific needs of day-to-day banking, retirement and investment 
goals, and real estate transactions.

Our  corporate  and  institutional  clients  benefit  from  our 
financing and investment solutions, notably regarding access to 
equity  and  debt  capital  markets,  syndicated  and  structured 
credit, private placements, leasing and traditional financing. Our 
transaction  banking  offers  solutions  for  payment  and  cash 
management  services,  trade  and  export  finance,  receivable 
finance,  as  well  as  global  custody  solutions  to  institutional 
clients. 

Business

As  the  leading  personal  &  corporate  banking  business  in 
Switzerland,  we  provide  comprehensive  financial  products  and 
in 
services  to  private,  corporate  and 
Switzerland.  We  are  among  the  leading  players  in  the  private 
and  corporate 
in  Switzerland,  with  a  well-
collateralized and conservatively managed lending portfolio. 

institutional  clients 

loan  market 

Our business is central to UBS’s universal bank delivery model 
in Switzerland. We work with the Group’s wealth management, 
investment bank and asset management businesses to help our 
clients  receive  the  best  products  and  solutions  for  their  specific 
financial needs. We are also an important source of growth for 
these  business  divisions  through  client  referrals.  In  addition,  we 
manage  a  substantial  part  of  UBS’s  Swiss  infrastructure  and 
banking  products  platform,  both  of  which  are  leveraged  across 
the Group. 

Our  distribution  model  is  based  on  a  multi-channel  strategy. 
With a steadily rising number of users and client interactions for 
our  digital  banking  offering,  we  continue  to  strengthen  our 
position as the leading multi-channel bank in Switzerland. 

Strategy and clients

Our  strategy  focuses  on  promoting  profitable  growth  while 
continuously  improving  our  banking  services  for  clients  within 
Switzerland. To achieve this, we have launched Client Experience 
2020,  our  strategic  digitalization  program,  which  aims  to 
strengthen  our  position  as  the  leading  universal  bank  in 
Switzerland and enhance our digital leadership position. 

In the personal banking business, we aspire to be the bank of 
choice for private clients in Switzerland. Currently, we serve one 
in  three  Swiss  households  through  our  branch  network, 
customer  service  centers  and  digital  banking  services.  We 
continue  to  pursue  our  strategy  of  moderately  and  selectively 
growing  our  business  in  high-quality  loans  and  endeavor  to 
expand our multi-channel offering.

In the corporate and institutional business, we want to be our 
clients’  main  bank.  We  aim  to  continuously  improve  our 
profitability and capital efficiency, striving to expand our market 
share  in  Switzerland,  centered  on  cash  flow-based  lending  and 
our strategic advisory and trading business. Additionally, we are 
selectively  expanding  our  offering  at  our  international  hubs  to 

36 

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In  2017,  we  implemented  a  number  of  product  and  service 

Organizational structure

innovations: 
– Remote Expert: a videoconferencing tool that allows clients to 
interact  with  our  product  specialists  in  areas  such  as  trade 
finance or cash management.

– Improvements  to  the  UBS  account  opening  app:  clients  can 
now  open  an  account  via  smartphone  using  video 
identification  and  use  paperless  signing  with  a  qualified 
electronic signature for various services, including credit card 
applications. 

– Liquidity  Cockpit:  a  product  that  uses  specific  business 

Our  divisional  business  is  organized  into  Personal  Banking  and 
Corporate  &  Institutional  Clients,  and  is  the  core  of  Region 
Switzerland,  which  in  addition  contains  Wealth  Management 
Investment  Bank  Switzerland  and  Asset 
Switzerland,  the 
Management  Switzerland.  The  Swiss  network  includes  around 
280 branches, covering 10 geographical regions. 

We are governed by executive, risk and operating committees 

and operate mainly through UBS Switzerland AG.

software to help small businesses manage their liquidity. 

Competitors

– KeyPort:  a 

connectivity 

solution  with  multi-banking 

functionality for our midsize and larger corporate clients.

– UBS  Atrium:  a  platform  that  intermediates  between  Swiss 
institutional  investors  looking  to  invest  in  mortgages  and 
owners of investment properties seeking mortgage financing.

We  collaborate  closely  with  the  Investment  Bank  to  offer 
capital  market  and 
foreign  exchange  products,  hedging 
strategies  and  trading  capabilities,  as  well  as  corporate  finance 
advice. Working with Asset Management, we also provide fund 
and portfolio management solutions.

In  the  Swiss  retail  business,  our  competitors  include  Credit 
Suisse,  PostFinance,  Raiffeisen,  the  cantonal  banks  and  other 
regional and local Swiss banks.

In  the  Swiss  corporate  and  institutional  business,  our  main 
competitors  are  Credit  Suisse,  the  cantonal  banks  and  globally 
active foreign banks in Switzerland. 

37 

 
 
 
 
Operating environment and strategy
Asset Management

Asset Management

Business

Asset Management is a large-scale and diversified asset manager, 
with  an  onshore  presence  in  23  countries.  We  offer  investment 
capabilities  and  investment  styles  across  all  major  traditional  and 
alternative asset classes, as well as platform solutions and advisory 
support,  to  institutions,  wholesale  intermediaries  and  wealth 
management clients around the world. 

Strategy and clients

We  aim  to  drive  profitable  and  sustainable  growth  in  key 
markets  in  Europe,  Switzerland,  the  Americas  and  Asia  Pacific, 
including  China,  where  we  continue  to  expand  our  long-
standing  presence.  In  2017,  Asset  Management  was  granted  a 
Private  Fund  Management  license  in  China,  allowing  us  to 
develop  and  offer  onshore  investment  products  for  Chinese 
institutional  and  high  net  worth  investors,  through  our  wholly 
foreign-owned  enterprise  UBS  Asset  Management  (Shanghai) 
Limited.

To achieve our goals, we seek to strengthen our institutional 
business  and  to  accelerate  the  growth  of  our  wholesale 
business. Collaboration with UBS’s wealth management business 
to  provide  best-in-class  products  and  services  to  meet  private 
clients’ needs continues to be a core component of our strategy.
We have defined our strategic growth and efficiency priorities 
with  an  overarching  goal  to  deliver  holistic  investment  and 
platform solutions to our clients, by leveraging our global reach 
and investment expertise.

leverage  our  best 

To  enable  us  to  better 

investment 
processes, tools and systems to generate alpha and offer holistic 
solutions  for  clients,  we  brought  together  our  Equities,  Fixed 
Income, Solutions and single-manager hedge fund capabilities in 
2017 to create an integrated business area named Investments. 
We  also  combined  our  Global  Real  Estate,  Infrastructure  and 
Private  Equity  businesses  to  form  a  new  business  area  named 
Real Estate & Private Markets.

We  continue 

to  develop  our  well-established  passive 
capabilities,  including  indexed  strategies  and  exchange-traded 
funds  (ETFs),  where  we  are  building  on  our  strong  position  in 
Asia Pacific, Europe and Switzerland.

We are committed to integrating sustainability into our active 
investment  capabilities,  as  part  of  our  ambition  to  become  a 
leading provider of sustainable solutions for sophisticated clients. 
We  continue  to  enhance  our  proprietary  sustainability  database 
and  toolset  and  have  built  a  dedicated  sustainability  research 
team to work with our investment teams across asset classes.

38 

To capture opportunities presented by the evolving needs of 
wholesale  clients,  we  are  focused  on  building  strategic 
partnerships and expanding our platforms and advisory support 
capabilities.  With  this  in  mind,  in  late  2017,  we  brought 
together  our  three  Platform  Services  businesses  –  Fondcenter, 
Fund  Management  Services  and  UBS  Partner  –  under  unified 
leadership  within  Client  Coverage  to  best  capture  the  growth 
opportunities globally and to facilitate closer collaboration across 
these capabilities.

To support our efforts to increase our operational efficiency, 
we continue to invest in our operating platform and simplify our 
organization.  Notable  developments  in  this  regard  are  the 
establishment of a dedicated middle-office services function and 
in 
the  sale  of  our 
Luxembourg and Switzerland to Northern Trust in 2017.

fund  administration  servicing  units 

We  evaluate  our  performance  against  key  performance 

indicators and our respective targets.

→ Refer to the “Our strategy” section of this report for 

information on our performance targets

→ Refer to the “Measurement of performance” section of this 
report for information on our key performance indicators
→ Refer to the “UBS and Society” section of this report for more 
information on sustainable investing products and services

Products and services

We  offer  clients  a  wide  range  of  investment  products  and 
services  in  different  asset  classes,  which  can  be  delivered,  
directly  or  through  third-party  banks  and  distributors,  in  the 
form  of  segregated,  pooled  or  advisory  mandates  as  well  as 
registered investment funds in various jurisdictions. 

Our traditional and alternative capabilities include:

– Equities – global, regional and thematic strategies, as well as 

high alpha, growth and quantitative styles.

– Fixed  Income  –  global,  regional  and  local  market-based 
single-sector,  multi-sector  and  extended-sector  strategies, 
such  as  high-yield  and  emerging  market  debt,  as  well  as 
unconstrained and currency strategies.

– O’Connor  –  a  global,  single-manager  hedge  fund  platform, 

offering both multi-strategy and standalone capabilities.

– Real Estate & Private Markets – global and regional real estate 
equity and debt strategies; direct infrastructure investment in 
core  infrastructure  assets  globally;  and  multi-manager  real 
estate,  infrastructure  and  private  equity  strategies  in  broadly 
diversified fund-of-funds portfolios.

– Passive  and  Alternative  Beta  –  indexed,  alternative  beta  and 
rules-based 
income, 
strategies  across  equities, 
commodities, real estate and alternatives, with mainstream to 
highly  customized  benchmarks  and  various  structures 
including ETFs, pooled funds, structured funds and mandates.

fixed 

– Sustainable  &  Impact  Investing  –  to  meet  investors’  financial 
and sustainability goals, we offer a wide range of sustainable 
and  impact  investing  strategies  across  asset  classes,  from 
environmental,  social  and  corporate  governance  integration 
to  impact  investing  including  investment  themes  such  as 
social 
renewable  energy,  environmental 
integration, 
and 
health 
demographics. 

stewardship, 
efficiency 

resource 

care, 

In addition, our Solutions business offers:

– Global and regional asset allocation and currency investment 
strategies  across  the  risk 
including 
balanced, growth, income, risk-managed, and unconstrained 
strategies.

/  return  spectrum, 

– Customized  multi-asset  solutions,  advisory  and  fiduciary 
services,  including  risk-managed  and  structured  strategies, 
pension  risk  management  and  outsourced  Chief  Investment 
Office services. 

– Multi-manager  hedge  fund  solutions  and  advisory  services, 

and manager selection for traditional asset classes.

Our Platform Services business offers:

– Fondcenter:  our  leading  fund  platform  in  Europe  and 
Switzerland  connecting  distribution  partners  with  fund 
providers.

– Fund  Management  Services:  offering  fund  management 

company, white-labeling and representative services.

– UBS  Partner:  our  innovative  modular  platform  providing 
banks  with  powerful  tools  and  analytics  to  support  their 
advisory  offering  and  enable  them  to  significantly  enhance 
their end clients’ experience.

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Organizational structure

Our business is organized by the products and services we offer, 
our  business  areas  being:  Client  Coverage,  Investments,  Real 
Estate  &  Private  Markets,  Products  &  Solutions  and  the  Chief 
Operating Officer area. Our business is driven out of eight main 
hubs:  Chicago,  Hong  Kong,  London,  New  York,  Singapore, 
Sydney,  Tokyo  and  Zurich.  We  are  governed  by  executive,  risk 
and operating committees.

Competitors

Our  main  competitors  include  global  firms  with  wide-ranging 
capabilities  and  distribution  channels,  such  as  Amundi, 
BlackRock,  Deutsche  Asset  Management,  Goldman  Sachs  Asset 
Management, Invesco, J.P. Morgan Asset Management, Morgan 
Investment  Management  and  Schroders.  Other 
Stanley 
competitors  include  firms  with  a  specific  market  or  asset  class 
focus.

39 

 
 
 
 
Operating environment and strategy
Investment Bank

Investment Bank

Business

The  Investment  Bank  provides  investment  advice,  financial 
solutions  and  capital  markets  access  in  over  35  countries,  with 
principal  offices  in  all  major  financial  centers.  We  serve 
corporate,  institutional  and  wealth  management  clients  across 
the  globe  and  partner  with  our  wealth  management,  personal 
and corporate banking and asset management businesses.

The  business  division  is  organized  into  Corporate  Client 
Solutions  and  Investor  Client  Services,  which  also  includes  UBS 
Securities  Research.  Our  specialist  teams  work  closely  together, 
complementing  our  global  product  offering  with  their  regional 
expertise. This enables us to understand our clients and provide 
services tailored to their investment and financing needs.

Strategy and clients

We  aspire  to  provide  best-in-class  services  and  solutions  to  our 
corporate, institutional and wealth management clients, through 
an  integrated,  solutions-led  approach,  driven  by  our  intellectual 
capital  and  leveraging  our  award-winning  electronic  platforms. 
With  our  client-centric  business  model,  we  partner  with  our 
wealth management, personal and corporate banking and asset 
management businesses, and we believe we are well positioned 
to  provide  our  clients  with  market  insight,  global  coverage  of 
markets and products, and execution services. 

Our  focus  remains  on  our  traditional  strengths  in  our 
advisory,  capital  markets,  equities  and  foreign  exchange 
businesses,  complemented  by  a  rates  and  credit  platform,  to 
deliver attractive and sustainable risk-adjusted returns. Using our 
powerful  research  and  technology  capabilities,  we  develop 
integrated  solutions  to  support  our  clients  as  they  adapt  to 
evolving market structures, driven by changes to the regulatory, 
technological, economic and competitive landscape.

We  continue  to  invest  in  talent  and  technology  and  to 
strengthen  our  operational  risk  framework.  We  continue  to 
develop and foster a shared culture across the Investment Bank. 
In  2017,  implementation  of  our  technology  plan  remained 
critical  in  making  our  platform  for  clients  more  effective  and 
simplifying our processes.

40 

We  operate  a  tightly  controlled  balance  sheet,  risk-weighted 
assets  and  leverage  ratio  denominator  allocation  process  to 
support  our  goal  of  earning  attractive  returns  on  allocated 
capital.  We  evaluate  our  performance  against  key  performance 
indicators and our respective targets.

→ Refer to the “Our strategy” section of this report for more 
information on our performance targets and expectations
→ Refer to the “Measurement of performance” section of this 
report for information on our key performance indicators

Products and services

Corporate Client Solutions
In Corporate Client Solutions, we advise our clients on strategic 
business opportunities and help them raise capital to fund their 
activities. Together with Investor Client Services, we offer a full-
includes  the  distribution  and  risk 
service  solution,  which 
financing 
management  of  capital  markets  products  and 
solutions. The main business lines are:
– Advisory  consults  clients  on  matters  such  as  mergers  and 
acquisitions,  spin-offs,  exchange  offers,  leveraged  buyouts, 
joint  ventures,  exclusive  sales, 
takeover 
defense and corporate broking.

restructurings, 

– Equity  Capital  Markets  offers  comprehensive  equity  capital-
raising  services,  as  well  as  related  derivative  products.  This 
includes  managing 
initial  public  offerings  and  private 
placements,  as  well  as  equity-linked  transactions  and  other 
strategic equities solutions.

– Debt  Capital  Markets  provides  financing  advice  and  helps 
clients raise various types of debt capital, as well as hedge the 
resulting exposures.

– Financing  Solutions  provides  customized  solutions  across 
asset  classes  via  a  wide  range  of  financing  capabilities, 
including  structured,  real  estate  and  special  situations 
financing.

– Risk  Management  includes  corporate  lending  and  associated 

hedging activities.

Investor Client Services
In Investor Client Services, we enable our clients to buy and sell 
securities  on  capital  markets  across  the  globe  and  to  manage 
their risks and liquidity. The businesses are: 

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Equities
As one of the world’s largest equities houses and leading equity 
market  participants  in  the  primary  and  secondary  markets,  we 
distribute, structure, execute, finance and clear equity cash and 
derivative products. The main business lines are:
– Cash offers trade execution and clearing for single stocks and 
portfolios  through  both  traditional  and  electronic  channels, 
along with investment advisory and consultancy services.

– Derivatives  enables  clients  to  manage  risk  and  meet  funding 
requirements  through  a  wide  range  of  listed  and  over-the-
counter  equity  derivative 
instruments.  We  create  and 
distribute structured products and notes, enabling our clients 
to optimize their investment returns.

– Financing  Services  provides  our  hedge  fund  and  institutional 
integrated  platform  for  financing 
clients  with  a  fully 
transactions, which includes prime brokerage. In addition, we 
execute and clear exchange-traded equity derivatives in more 
than 45 markets globally. 

Foreign Exchange, Rates and Credit
Foreign  Exchange,  Rates  and  Credit  provides  execution  services 
and  solutions  with  an  emphasis  on  electronic  trading  and 
maintains  high  levels  of  balance  sheet  velocity.  The  main 
business lines are:
– Foreign  Exchange  helps  our  clients  manage  their  currency 
exposures  and  is  recognized  as  one  of  the  leading  foreign 
exchange  market-makers  as  well  as  the  market  leader  in 
precious metals.

– Rates  and  Credit  encompasses  sales,  trading  and  market-
making  in  a  selected  range  of  rates  and  credit  products.  In 
addition,  we  work  closely  with  Corporate  Client  Solutions, 
providing support to our debt capital markets businesses and 
tailoring customized financing solutions for our clients. 

UBS IB Research
In UBS IB Research, we offer clients key insights on securities in 
major  financial  markets  around  the  globe.  Together  with  UBS 
Evidence  Lab,  UBS  research  analysts  refine  investor  questions 
into  testable  propositions  and  apply  various  primary  research 
methods, such as quantitative market research, digital footprint 
analysis,  geospatial  analysis  or  data  science.  In  2017,  UBS  was 
named Institutional 
Investor  magazine’s  Top  Global  Equity 
Research  Firm  of  the  Year.  The  recognition  of  this  award 
positions us well under the new Markets in Financial Instruments 
Directive  II  (MiFID  II)  environment,  where  we  continue  to  focus 
on our clients’ needs with a differentiated approach to question-
driven, evidence-based research.

Organizational structure

Our  business  is  organized  along  the  products  and  services 
described above and has a global reach.

We are governed by executive, risk and operating committees 
and operate through UBS AG branches and other subsidiaries of 
UBS  Group.  Securities  activities  in  the  US  are  conducted  mainly 
through  UBS  Securities  LLC,  a  registered  broker-dealer.  In  the 
UK, Investment Bank activities are conducted mainly out of UBS 
AG London Branch and UBS Limited. 

Competitors

Our  main  competitors  are  the  major  global  investment  banks, 
including  Bank  of  America  Merrill  Lynch,  Barclays,  Citigroup, 
Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase 
and Morgan Stanley. 

41 

 
 
 
 
Corporate Center – Services

Corporate  Center  –  Services  consists  of  the  Group  Chief 
Operating  Officer  area 
(Group  Corporate  Services,  Group 
Human  Resources,  Group  Operations,  Group  Sourcing  and 
Group  Technology),  Group  Finance  (excluding  Group  ALM), 
Group  Legal,  Group  Risk  Control,  Group  Communications  & 
Branding,  Group  Regulatory  &  Governance,  and  UBS  and 
Society. 

The functions within Corporate Center – Services partner with 
business  divisions  and  other  Corporate  Center  units  through  a 
service-based  operating  model,  managing  services  from  a 
quality, risk and cost perspective in order to achieve operational 
and  financial  efficiencies.  Corporate  Center  –  Services  allocates 
the  majority  of  its  operating  expenses  to  the  business  divisions 
and  other  Corporate  Center  units.  As  part  of  the  annual 
business planning cycle, Corporate Center – Services agrees with 
the  business  divisions  and  other  Corporate  Center  units  on 
projected  cost  allocations  for  services  provided,  depending  on 
expected  capital  and  service  consumption  levels  as  well  as  the 
nature of the service performed. Since 2017, Corporate Center – 
Services allocates expenses based on actual costs incurred using 
service-based  billing,  providing  cost  transparency  and  enabling 
cost management. In 2015 and 2016, where costs incurred were 
different  from  those  expected,  Corporate  Center  –  Services 
recognized over- and under-recoveries.

Operating expenses remaining in Corporate Center – Services 
after  allocations  relate  mainly  to  Group  governance  and  other 
corporate activities, certain strategic and regulatory projects and 
certain retained restructuring expenses. 

Operating environment and strategy
Corporate Center

Corporate Center

Corporate  Center  provides  services  to  the  Group  through  the 
reporting  units  Corporate  Center  –  Services  and  Group  Asset 
and  Liability  Management  (Group  ALM).  Corporate  Center  also 
includes the Non-core and Legacy Portfolio unit.

Priorities and initiatives

Our  Corporate  Center  functions  strive  to  provide  best-in-class 
services  to  the  Group  based  on  commercially  sound  service 
transparency  on  both 
including 
management  principles, 
qualitative and quantitative components of the services offered. 
Specifically  in  the  areas  of  finance,  risk  management  and 
control,  and  legal,  we  aim  to  provide  high-quality  advice  and 
solutions,  while  optimizing  resources  and  mitigating  risk.  In 
other  areas  such  as  compliance,  human  resources,  information 
technology, operations and marketing and communications, we 
align  services  based  on  demand  and  delivery  of  defined 
strategies. Moreover, we continue to focus on achieving greater 
effectiveness  and  efficiency  through  the  strategic  levers  of 
workforce and footprint, organization and process optimization 
and technology. 

All  Corporate  Center  functions  are  represented  in  onshore, 
nearshore and offshore locations that allow us to tap into larger 
talent pools and realize efficiencies by reducing our footprint in 
high-cost  real  estate  locations.  As  of  31  December  2017,  36% 
of Corporate Center employees and contractors were in offshore 
or nearshore locations compared with 18% as of 31 December 
2013. 

We seek to increase value by leveraging common capabilities 
and  creating  centralized  functions.  In  2017,  we  successfully 
completed  the  transfer  of  substantially  all  shared  services 
functions  to  our  separate  Group  service  companies,  which,  in 
addition  to  meeting  regulatory  requirements,  allows  us  to 
further  strengthen  our  approach  to  service  management  while 
remaining  efficient  in  the  way  we  operate.  In  our  technology 
landscape,  we  continue  to  upgrade  our  infrastructure,  simplify 
our portfolio of applications and deliver digital innovation, such 
as artificial intelligence.

→ Refer to the “Our strategy” section of this report for more 

information

→ Refer to the “Our evolution” section of this report for more 

information

42 

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Roles and responsibilities within Corporate Center – Services

HHead of Group 
functions

GGroup Chief 
Financial Officer1

RResponsibilities

–

–

–

Is responsible for ensuring transparency in, and the assessment of, the financial performance of the Group and business divisions, and for the Group’s financial 
accounting, controlling, forecasting, planning and reporting processes 
Is responsible for treasury and capital management, including management and control of funding and liquidity risk with independent oversight from the 
Group Chief Risk Officer, and for UBS’s regulatory capital ratios
Ensures asset and liability management by balancing consumption of the Group’s financial resources through consolidation and management of the Group’s 
structural risks, enabling sustainable earnings generation

– Manages and controls the Group’s tax affairs
– Manages the divisional and Group financial control functions
– Makes proposals to the Board of Directors (BoD) regarding the accounting standards adopted by the Group, and defines financial reporting and disclosure 

standards, after consultation with the Audit Committee of the BoD
Provides external certifications under sections 302 and 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, together with the Group Chief Executive Officer (CEO)

–
– Coordinates the working relationship with external auditors under the supervision of the Audit Committee of the BoD
Supports the CEO in strategy development and key strategic topics
–
–
Provides advice on financial aspects of strategic projects and transactions
– Manages relations with investors and analysts, in coordination with the CEO

GGroup Chief 
Operating Officer

–

Provides quality, cost-effective and differentiating Group-wide IT services and tools in line with the needs of the business divisions and Corporate Center 
functions

– Delivers a wide range of operational services across all business divisions and regions
–

Efficiently supplies real estate infrastructure and general administrative services, directs and controls all supply and demand management activities, supports 
the Group with its third-party sourcing strategies and takes responsibility for the Group’s nearshore, offshore, outsourcing and supplier-related processes
Formulates and agrees Group-wide operating strategies, objectives, and financial and execution plans for the Group Chief Operating Officer function in support 
of each business division and the Group functions

–

– Delivers cross-divisional operational initiatives to enhance the Group’s operating platform
– Defines and executes a human resources strategy aligned with UBS’s objectives and positions the Group as an employer of choice
–

Ensures cost-efficient operational and advisory human resources services to employees as well as strategic advice to managers and executives, supporting them 
to attract, engage, develop and retain talent 

GGroup Chief Risk 
Officer

– Manages the divisional, regional and firm-wide risk control functions and monitors and challenges the Group’s risk-taking activities
– Develops the Group’s risk appetite framework and its risk principles 
− In accordance with the risk appetite framework approved by the BoD, is responsible for: 

(i) implementing appropriate independent control frameworks for the Group’s credit, market, treasury, country, compliance and operational risks 
(ii) developing and implementing the frameworks for risk measurement, aggregation, portfolio controls and for risk reporting
(iii) authorizing transactions, positions, exposures, portfolio limits, and credit risk provisions and allowances in accordance with the risk control authorities 
delegated to this role

− Maintains a control framework to ensure that UBS meets relevant regulatory and professional standards in the conduct of its business

GGroup General 
Counsel

– Manages the Group’s legal affairs and is responsible for ensuring effective and timely assessment of legal matters impacting the Group or its business and for 

providing the legal advice required by the Group

– Manages and reports all litigation and other significant contentious matters, including all legal proceedings, that involve UBS
– Manages and supervises the legal function of the Group

GGroup Head 
Communications 
& Branding 

– Manages UBS’s corporate and brand communication to its stakeholders in alignment with the Group’s overall strategy
– Develops UBS’s communications strategy, content and positioning with the primary purpose to build and protect the Group’s reputation and brand
– Manages and coordinates Group-wide marketing communications activities, including partnership marketing and sponsorship measures
–

Provides shared service delivery of Group-wide communication channels

GGroup Head 
Regulatory & 
Governance

– Develops a coherent and effective governmental policy and regulatory strategy and coordinates key external relationships
– Manages the Strategic Regulatory Initiatives portfolio and oversees the planning and execution of relevant initiatives
–
Establishes global and local recovery and resolution planning and develops key resolvability improvement measures
– Designs the Group’s legal entity structure and further develops coherent corporate governance standards 
– Governs the Group’s investigation portfolio and performs important investigations

HHead UBS and 
Society

Is UBS’s senior-level representative for sustainability issues

–
– Manages UBS and Society, which covers all of UBS’s activities related to sustainable investing, philanthropy, environmental and human rights policies 

governing client and supplier relationships, its environmental footprint, as well as community investment

– Develops the UBS and Society strategy and ensures its execution across divisions and regions through chairmanship of the UBS and Society Operating 

Committee

1 Relates to responsibilities for both Corporate Center – Services and Corporate Center – Group ALM.

43 

 
 
 
include  managing  the  Group’s  HQLA  and  long-term  debt 
portfolios.  The  net  positive  or  negative  income  generated 
through these activities is allocated to the business divisions and 
other Corporate Center units based on their consumption of the 
underlying  risks.  This  consumption  is  determined  by  various 
liquidity  and  funding  models  and,  to  reduce  volatility,  is 
allocated  using  stable,  internal  benchmark  rates  rather  than 
actual  income  earned  by  Group  ALM.  Net  positive  or  negative 
income not arising as a result of business division consumption is 
retained by Group ALM.

As  part  of  its  risk  management  activities,  Group  ALM  enters 
into derivative hedges to manage the economic and the interest 
rate  risk  of  the  different  portfolios.  The  results  of  certain 
hedging  activities,  including  any  non-economic  volatility  caused 
by  the  applicable  accounting  treatment,  are  retained  by  Group 
ALM.

Corporate Center – Non-core and Legacy Portfolio

Non-core  and  Legacy  Portfolio  manages  legacy  positions  from 
businesses exited by the Investment Bank, and is overseen by a 
committee chaired by the Group Chief Risk Officer.

Non-core  and  Legacy  Portfolio  pursues  a  primarily  passive 
wind-down strategy, focusing on a disciplined reduction of risk-
weighted assets, leverage ratio denominator and costs. Positions 
are  managed  and  exited  over  time  with  the  objective  of 
maximizing  shareholder  value.  Non-core  and  Legacy  Portfolio 
also  includes  positions  relating  to  legal  matters  arising  from 
businesses  that  were  transferred  to  it  at  the  time  of  its 
formation. 

→ Refer to “Note 20 Provisions and contingent liabilities” in the 
“Consolidated financial statements” section of this report for 

more information

Operating environment and strategy
Corporate Center

Corporate Center – Group ALM

Group  ALM  manages  the  structural  risks  of  our  balance  sheet, 
including interest rate risk in the banking book, currency risk and 
collateral  risk,  as  well  as  the  risks  associated  with  the  Group’s 
liquidity  and  funding  portfolios.  Group  ALM  also  seeks  to 
optimize  the  Group’s  financial  performance  by  matching  assets 
and liabilities within the context of the Group’s liquidity, funding 
and  capital  targets  and  constraints.  Group  ALM  serves  all 
business  divisions  and  other  Corporate  Center  units  through 
three  main  risk  management  areas,  and  its  risk  management  is 
fully integrated into the Group’s risk governance framework. 

Business 

division-aligned 

risk  management 

activities 
performed  on  behalf  of  business  divisions  and  other  Corporate 
Center  units  include  managing  the  interest  rate  risk  in  the 
banking  book  on  behalf  of  Global  Wealth  Management  and 
Personal  &  Corporate  Banking,  high-quality  liquid  asset  (HQLA) 
portfolios  on  behalf  of  specific  business  divisions  as  well  as  risk 
management of credit, debit and funding valuation adjustments 
for  our  over-the-counter  derivatives  portfolio.  Net  income 
generated  by  these  activities  is  fully  allocated  to  the  associated 
business divisions and Corporate Center units. 

Capital investment and issuance activities consist of managing 
the  Group’s  equity  and  capital 
instruments  as  well  as 
instruments  that  contribute  to  our  total  loss-absorbing  capacity 
(TLAC).  Revenues  from  investing  the  Group’s  equity  and  the 
incremental expenses of issuing capital and TLAC instruments at 
the  UBS  Group  AG  level  relative  to  issuing  senior  debt  out  of 
operating subsidiaries are fully allocated to the business divisions 
and  other  Corporate  Center  units  based  on  their  attributed 
portion of the Group’s equity.

Group structural risk management activities are performed to 
meet  overall  Group-wide  risk  management  objectives.  They 

44 

 
Risk factors

Certain  risks,  including  those  described  below,  may  affect  our 
ability to execute our strategy or our business activities, financial 
condition, results of operations and prospects. Because a broad-
based  international  financial  services  firm  such  as  UBS  is 
inherently  exposed  to  multiple  risks,  many  of  which  become 
apparent  only  with  the  benefit  of  hindsight,  risks  of  which  we 
are  not  presently  aware  or  which  we  currently  do  not  consider 
to  be  material  could  also  adversely  affect  us.  The  order  of 
presentation  of  the  risk  factors  below  does  not  indicate  the 
likelihood of their occurrence or the potential magnitude of their 
consequences.

Market conditions and fluctuations may have a 
detrimental effect on our profitability, capital strength, 
liquidity and funding position

Low and negative interest rates in Switzerland and the eurozone 
have  negatively  affected  our  net  interest  income:  A  continuing 
low  or  negative  interest  rate  environment  may  further  erode 
interest  margins  and  adversely  affect  the  net  interest  income 
generated  by  our  Personal  &  Corporate  Banking  and  Global 
Wealth  Management  businesses.  Our  performance  is  also 
affected by the cost of maintaining the high-quality liquid assets 
(HQLA)  required  to  cover  regulatory  outflow  assumptions 
embedded in the liquidity coverage ratio (LCR). 

The  Swiss  National  Bank  permits  Swiss  banks  to  make 
deposits  up  to  a  threshold  at  zero  interest.  Any  reduction  in  or 
limitations  on  the  use  of  this  exemption  from  the  otherwise 
applicable negative interest rates could exacerbate the effect of 
negative interest rates in Switzerland. Low and negative interest 
rates  may  also  affect  customer  behavior  and  hence  our  overall 
balance  sheet  structure.  Mitigating  actions  that  we  have  taken, 
or  may  take  in  the  future,  such  as  the  introduction  of  selective 
deposit  fees  or  minimum  lending  rates,  have  resulted  and  may 
further  result  in  the  loss  of  customer  deposits,  a  key  source  of 
our  funding,  net  new  money  outflows  and  /  or  a  declining 
market share in our domestic lending business.

Our equity and capital are also affected by changes in interest 
rates. In particular, the calculation of our Swiss pension plan net 
defined  benefit  assets  and  liabilities  is  sensitive  to  the  discount 
rate  applied.  Any  further  reduction  in  interest  rates  may  lower 
the discount rates and result in pension plan deficits due to the 
long  duration  of  corresponding  liabilities.  This  would  lead  to  a 
corresponding reduction in our equity and fully applied common 
equity tier 1 (CET1) capital.

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We are subject to risk from currency fluctuations: We prepare 
our  consolidated  financial  statements  in  Swiss  francs.  However, 
a  substantial  portion  of  our  assets,  liabilities,  invested  assets, 
revenues  and  expenses,  equity  of  foreign  operations  and  risk-
weighted  assets  (RWA)  are  denominated  in  US  dollars,  euros, 
British  pounds  and  in  other  foreign  currencies.  Accordingly, 
changes  in  foreign  exchange  rates  may  adversely  affect  our 
profits, balance sheet, including deferred tax assets, and capital, 
leverage  and  liquidity  ratios.  In  particular,  the  portion  of  our 
operating  income  denominated  in  non-Swiss  franc  currencies  is 
greater than the portion of operating expenses denominated in 
non-Swiss  franc  currencies.  Therefore,  the  appreciation  of  the 
Swiss  franc  against  other  currencies  generally  has  an  adverse 
effect on our profits, in the absence of any mitigating actions. 

In order to hedge our CET1 capital ratio, CET1 capital needs 
to have foreign currency exposure, leading to currency sensitivity 
of  CET1  capital.  As  a  consequence,  it  is  not  possible  to 
simultaneously  fully  hedge  both  the  amount  of  capital  and  the 
capital  ratio.  As  the  proportion  of  RWA  denominated  in  non-
Swiss franc currencies outweighs the capital in these currencies, 
a  significant  appreciation  of  the  Swiss  franc  against  these 
currencies  could  benefit  our  capital  ratios,  while  a  significant 
depreciation  of  the  Swiss  franc  against  these  currencies  could 
adversely affect our capital ratios.

→ Refer to the “Current market climate and industry trends” 

section of this report for more information 

Substantial changes in the regulation of our businesses 
may adversely affect our business and our ability to 
execute our strategic plans

the  2007–2009 

Fundamental  changes  in  the  laws  and  regulations  affecting 
financial  institutions  can  have  a  material  and  adverse  effect  on 
our  business.  Following 
financial  crisis, 
regulators and legislators have adopted a wide range of changes 
to  the  laws,  regulations  and  supervisory  frameworks  applicable 
to  banks  intended  to  address  the  perceived  causes  of  the  crisis 
and  to  limit  the  systemic  risks  posed  by  major  financial 
institutions.  These  changes  have  caused  us  to  make  significant 
changes in our businesses and strategy and to move significant 
operations into subsidiaries to improve our resolvability or meet 
regulatory requirements, resulting in substantial implementation 
costs,  increased  our  capital  and  funding  costs  and  reduced 
operational flexibility. Although many of the regulatory changes 
have  been  completed,  a  number  of  these  changes  are  being 
phased  in  over  time  or  require  further  rulemaking  or  guidance 
for 
still  under 
consideration. There remains significant uncertainty regarding a 
number of the measures referred to above. 

implementation.  Certain 

changes  are 

45 

 
 
 
our subsidiaries must comply with minimum capital, liquidity and 
similar requirements and as a result UBS Group AG and UBS AG 
have  contributed  a  significant  portion  of  their  capital  and 
provide substantial liquidity to them. These funds are available to 
meet  funding  and  collateral  needs  in  the  relevant  jurisdictions, 
but are generally not readily available for use by the Group as a 
whole.

Banking  structure  and  activity  limitations:  We  have  made 
significant  changes  in  our  legal  and  operational  structure  to 
meet  legal  and  regulatory  requirements  and  expectations.  For 
example, we have transferred all of our US subsidiaries under a 
US  intermediate  holding  company  to  meet  US  regulatory 
requirements  and  substantially  all  the  operations  of  Personal  & 
Corporate  Banking  and  Wealth  Management  booked 
in 
Switzerland to UBS Switzerland AG to improve our resolvability. 
These  changes,  particularly  the  transfer  of  operations  to 
subsidiaries,  such  as  our  US  intermediate  holding  company  and 
UBS  Switzerland  AG,  require  significant  time  and  resources  to 
implement and create operational, capital, liquidity, funding and 
tax  inefficiencies.  In  addition,  they  may  increase  our  aggregate 
credit  exposure  to  counterparties  as  they  transact  with  multiple 
entities within the UBS Group. Our operations in subsidiaries are 
subject to local capital, liquidity, stable funding, capital planning 
and  stress  testing  requirements.  These  requirements  have 
resulted  in  increased  capital  and  liquidity  requirements  in 
affected  subsidiaries,  which  limit  our  operational  flexibility  and 
negatively  affect  our  ability  to  benefit  from  synergies  between 
business units and to distribute earnings to the Group.

In 

the  US,  we  have 

incurred  substantial  costs 

for 
implementing  our  compliance  and  monitoring  framework  in 
connection with the Volcker Rule under the Dodd-Frank Act. We 
have  also  been  required  to  modify  our  business  activities  both 
inside  and  outside  the  US  to  conform  to  the  Volcker  Rule’s 
activity limitations. The Volcker Rule may also have a substantial 
impact on market liquidity and the economics of market-making 
activities.  We  may  incur  additional  costs  in  the  short  term  if 
aspects  of  the  Volcker  Rule  are  repealed  or  modified.  We  may 
become subject to other similar regulations substantively limiting 
the  types  of  activities  in  which  we  may  engage  or  the  way  we 
conduct  our  operations.  If  adopted  as  proposed,  the  rule  on 
single  counterparty  risk  proposed  by  the  US  Federal  Reserve 
Board  may  affect  how  we  conduct  our  operations  in  the  US, 
including  our  use  of  other  financial  firms  for  payments  and 
securities clearing services and as transactional counterparties. 

Operating environment and strategy
Risk factors

Notwithstanding attempts by regulators to align their efforts, 
the measures adopted or proposed differ significantly across the 
major  jurisdictions,  making  it  increasingly  difficult  to  manage  a 
global institution like UBS. Swiss regulatory changes with regard 
to  such  matters  as  capital  and  liquidity  have  often  proceeded 
more  quickly  than  those  in  other  major  jurisdictions,  and  the 
requirements for Swiss major international banks are among the 
strictest  of  the  major  financial  centers.  This  could  put  Swiss 
banks  such  as  UBS  at  a  disadvantage  when  they  compete  with 
peer  financial  institutions  subject  to  more  lenient  regulation  or 
with unregulated non-bank competitors.

Higher capital and total loss-absorbing capacity requirements 
increase our costs: As an internationally active Swiss systemically 
relevant  bank  (SRB),  we  are  subject  to  capital  and  total  loss-
absorbing  capacity  (TLAC)  requirements  that  are  among  the 
most stringent in the world. New Swiss SRB capital requirements 
impose  significantly  higher  requirements  based  on  RWA  and  a 
significantly  higher  leverage  ratio  requirement.  In  addition,  we 
are  required  to  maintain  minimum  levels  of  TLAC  measured 
based on both our RWA and the leverage ratio denominator.
from  changes 

in 
methodology,  add-ons  in  the  calculation  of  RWA  and  other 
changes  in  2018  and  2019.  Changes  to  international  capital 
standards for banks recently adopted by the Basel Committee on 
Banking  Supervision  are  expected  to  further  increase  our  RWA 
when the standards are scheduled to become effective in 2022. 
We also expect that we will incur significant costs to implement 
the proposed changes.

in  our  RWA 

We  expect 

increases 

Liquidity  and  funding:  The  requirements  to  maintain  an  LCR 
of HQLA to estimated stressed short-term net cash outflows, the 
proposed  requirement  to  maintain  a  net  stable  funding  ratio 
(NSFR), and other similar liquidity and funding requirements we 
are  subject  to,  oblige  us  to  maintain  high  levels  of  overall 
liquidity,  limit  our  efforts  to  optimize  interest  income  and 
expense,  make  certain  lines  of  business  less  attractive  and 
reduce our overall ability to generate profits. Both the LCR and 
NSFR requirements are intended to ensure that we are not overly 
reliant on short-term funding and that we have sufficient long-
term  funding  for  illiquid  assets,  and  the  relevant  calculations 
make  assumptions  about  the  relative  likelihood  and  amount  of 
outflows of funding and available sources of additional funding 
in  market-  and  firm-specific  stress  situations.  There  can  be  no 
assurance that in an actual stress situation our funding outflows 
would  not  exceed  the  assumed  amounts.  Moreover,  many  of 

46 

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Resolvability and resolution and recovery planning: Under the 
Swiss too big to fail (TBTF) framework, we are required to put in 
place  viable  emergency  plans  to  preserve  the  operation  of 
systemically  important  functions  in  the  event  of  a  failure. 
Moreover,  under  the  Swiss  TBTF  framework  and  similar 
regulations  in  the  US,  the  UK,  the  EU  and  other  jurisdictions  in 
which we operate, we are required to prepare credible recovery 
and resolution plans detailing the measures that would be taken 
to recover in the event of a significant adverse event or to wind 
down  the  Group  or  the  operations  in  a  host  country  through 
resolution or insolvency proceedings. We have made changes to 
the  legal  structure  of  the  Group  to  improve  the  viability  of  our 
recovery and resolution plans and may be required in the future 
to  make  further  changes  to  our  legal  structure,  operations,  or 
liquidity and funding plans to enable our recovery and resolution 
plans to meet regulatory expectations. If a recovery or resolution 
plan  that  we  are  required  to  produce  in  a  jurisdiction  is 
determined  by  the  relevant  authority  to  be  inadequate  or  not 
credible,  relevant  regulation  may  permit  the  authority  to  place 
limitations  on  the  scope  or  size  of  our  business  in  that 
jurisdiction,  oblige  us  to  hold  higher  amounts  of  capital  or 
liquidity, or to change our legal structure or business in order to 
remove the relevant impediments to resolution.

The Swiss Banking Act and implementing ordinances provide 
FINMA with significant powers to intervene in order to prevent a 
failure of, or to resolve, a failing financial institution. FINMA has 
considerable  discretion  in  determining  whether,  when,  or  in 
what  manner  to  exercise  such  powers.  In  case  of  a  threatened 
insolvency,  FINMA  may  impose  more  onerous  requirements  on 
us,  including  restrictions  on  the  payment  of  dividends  and 
interest.  FINMA  could  also  require  us,  directly  or  indirectly,  for 
example,  to  alter  our  legal  structure,  including  by  separating 
lines of business into dedicated entities, with limitations on intra-
Group  funding  and  certain  guarantees,  or  to  further  reduce 
business  risk  levels  in  some  manner.  FINMA  also  has  the  ability 
to  write  down  or  convert  into  common  equity  the  capital 
instruments and other liabilities of UBS Group AG, UBS AG and 
UBS Switzerland AG in connection with a resolution. Refer to “If 
we  experience  financial  difficulties,  FINMA  has  the  power  to 
open resolution or liquidation proceedings or impose protective 
measures  in  relation  to  UBS  Group  AG,  UBS  AG  or  UBS 
Switzerland AG, and such proceedings or measures may have a 
material  adverse  effect  on  our  shareholders  and  creditors” 
below.

Substantial  changes  in  market  regulation  have  affected  and 
will continue to affect how we conduct our business: The revised 
Markets  in  Financial  Instruments  Directive  and  the  associated 
Regulation  (MiFID  II  /  MiFIR)  took  effect  on  3  January  2018. 
MiFID  II,  among  other  things,  introduces  substantial  new 
regulation of exchanges and trading venues, including new pre-
trade  and  post-trade  transparency  requirements,  a  ban  on  the 
practice of using commissions on transactions to compensate for 
research  services  and  substantial  new  conduct  requirements  for 
clients. 
financial 
Implementation  by  the  G20  countries  of  the  commitment  to 

dealing  with 

firms  when 

services 

require  all  standardized  over-the-counter 
(OTC)  derivative 
contracts  to  be  traded  on  exchanges  or  trading  facilities  and 
cleared through central counterparties has had and will continue 
to  have  a  significant  effect  on  our  OTC  derivatives  business, 
which  is  conducted  primarily  in  the  Investment  Bank.  These 
market  changes  are  likely  to  reduce  the  revenue  potential  of 
certain  lines  of  business  for  market  participants  generally,  and 
we may be adversely affected. For example, we expect that, as a 
rule,  the  shift  of  OTC  derivatives  trading  to  a  central  clearing 
model will tend to reduce profit margins in these products and 
the changes introduced by MiFID II may result in a reduction in 
commission  rates  and  trading  margins.  Also,  these  laws  may 
have a material impact on the market infrastructure that we use, 
available  platforms,  collateral  management  and  the  way  we 
interact  with  clients,  and  may  cause  us  to  incur  material 
implementation costs. Margin requirements for non-cleared OTC 
derivatives  have  required  significant  changes  to  collateral 
agreements  with  counterparties  and  our  clients’  operational 
implementation  of  these 
processes. 
changes  is  ongoing,  while  rulemaking  and  implementation  are 
delayed  in  others.  This  may  result  in  market  dislocation, 
disruption  of  cross-border  trading,  and  concentration  of 
counterparty trading. It also affects our ability to implement the 
required  changes  and  may  limit  our  ability  to  transact  with 
clients.

jurisdictions 

In  some 

Some of the regulations applicable to UBS AG as a registered 
swap  dealer  with  the  Commodity  Futures  Trading  Commission 
(CFTC) in the US, and certain regulations that will be applicable 
when UBS AG registers as a security-based swap dealer with the 
SEC, apply to UBS AG globally, including those relating to swap 
data  reporting,  record-keeping,  compliance  and  supervision.  As 
a  result,  in  some  cases  US  rules  will  likely  duplicate  or  conflict 
with legal requirements applicable to us elsewhere, including in 
Switzerland, and may place us at a competitive disadvantage to 
firms that are not required to register in the US with the SEC or 
CFTC. 

In  many  instances,  we  provide  services  on  a  cross-border 
basis,  and  we  are  therefore  sensitive  to  barriers  restricting 
market access for third-country firms. In particular, efforts in the 
EU to harmonize the regime for third-country firms to access the 
European  market  may  have  the  effect  of  creating  new  barriers 
that  adversely  affect  our  ability  to  conduct  business  in  these 
jurisdictions  from  Switzerland. 
In  addition,  a  number  of 
jurisdictions  are  increasingly  regulating  cross-border  activities 
based  on  determinations  of  equivalence  of  home  country 
regulation,  substituted  compliance  or  similar  principles  of 
comity.  A  negative  determination  could  limit  our  access  to  the 
market  in  those  jurisdictions  and  may  negatively  influence  our 
ability to act as a global firm. In addition, as such determinations 
are  typically  applied  on  a  jurisdictional  level  rather  than  on  an 
entity  level,  we  will  generally  need  to  rely  on  jurisdictions’ 
willingness to collaborate.

→ Refer to the “Regulation and supervision” and “Regulatory and 

legal developments” sections of this report for more 

information

47 

 
 
 
Operating environment and strategy
Risk factors

If we are unable to maintain our capital strength, this may 
adversely affect our ability to execute our strategy, our 
client franchise and our competitive position

Maintaining  our  capital  strength  is  a  key  component  of  our 
strategy.  It  enables  us  to  support  the  growth  of  our  businesses 
as  well  as  to  meet  potential  regulatory  changes  in  capital 
requirements.  It  reassures  our  stakeholders,  forms  the  basis  for 
our  capital  return  policy  and  contributes  to  our  credit  ratings. 
Our  capital  ratios  are  determined  primarily  by  RWA,  eligible 
capital  and  leverage  ratio  denominator  (LRD),  all  of  which  may 
fluctuate  based  on  a  number  of  factors,  some  of  which  are 
outside our control. 

Our  eligible  capital  may  be  reduced  by  losses  recognized 
within net profit or other comprehensive income. Eligible capital 
may  also  be  reduced  for  other  reasons,  including  certain 
reductions in the ratings of securitization exposures, acquisitions 
and  divestments  changing  the  level  of  goodwill,  adverse 
currency  movements  affecting  the  value  of  equity,  prudential 
adjustments  that  may  be  required  due  to  the  valuation 
uncertainty  associated  with  certain  types  of  positions,  and 
changes in the value of certain pension fund assets and liabilities 
or  in  the  interest  rate  and  other  assumptions  used  to  calculate 
the changes in our net defined benefit obligation recognized in 
other comprehensive income.

RWA  are  driven  by  our  business  activities,  by  changes  in  the 
risk profile of our exposures, by changes in our foreign currency 
exposures  and  foreign  exchange  rates  and  by  regulation.  For 
instance,  substantial  market  volatility,  a  widening  of  credit 
spreads,  which  is  a  major  driver  of  our  value-at-risk,  adverse 
currency  movements,  increased  counterparty  risk,  deterioration 
in the economic environment or increased operational risk could 
result in a rise in RWA. We have significantly reduced our market 
risk  and  credit  risk  RWA  in  recent  years.  However,  increases  in 
operational  risk  RWA,  particularly  those  arising  from  litigation, 
regulatory  and  similar  matters,  and  regulatory  changes  in  the 
calculation of RWA and regulatory add-ons to RWA have offset 
a  substantial  portion  of  this  reduction.  Changes 
in  the 
calculation  of  RWA  or,  as  discussed  above,  the  imposition  of 
additional  supplemental  RWA  charges  or  multipliers  applied  to 
certain  exposures  and  other  methodology  changes,  as  well  as 
the 
implementation  of  the  recently  adopted  changes  to 
international  capital  standards  for  banks,  could  substantially 
increase our RWA. In addition, we may not be successful in our 
plans  to  further  reduce  RWA,  either  because  we  are  unable  to 
carry  out  fully  the  actions  we  have  planned  or  because  other 
business  or  regulatory  developments  or  actions  counteract  the 
effects of our actions.

The  leverage  ratio  is  a  balance  sheet-driven  measure  and 
limits  balance  sheet-intensive  activities,  such  as 
therefore 
lending,  more  than  activities  that  are  less  balance  sheet 
intensive, and it may constrain our business activities even if we 
satisfy  other  risk-based  capital  requirements.  Our  LRD  is  driven 
by,  among  other  things,  the  level  of  client  activity,  including 
deposits  and  loans,  foreign  exchange  rates,  interest  rates  and 
other  market  factors.  Many  of  these  factors  are  wholly  or 
partially outside our control.

→ Refer to the “Regulatory and legal developments” section of 

this report for more information

We may not be successful in the ongoing execution of our 
strategic plans

Over  the  last  six  years,  we  have  transformed  our  business  to 
focus  on  our  wealth  management  businesses  and  our  universal 
bank in Switzerland, complemented by Asset Management and 
a significantly smaller Investment Bank; substantially reduced the 
RWA  and  LRD  usage  in  our  Corporate  Center  –  Non-core  and 
Legacy Portfolio; and made significant cost reductions. We have 
recently  provided  an  update  on  the  execution  of  our  strategy 
and updated our performance targets and provided guidance on 
capital and resources. Risk remains that we may not succeed in 
executing  our  strategy  or  achieve  our  performance  targets,  or 
may be delayed in doing so. Market events or other factors may 
adversely  affect  our  ability 
to  achieve  our  objectives. 
Macroeconomic conditions, geopolitical uncertainty, changes to 
regulatory  requirements  and  the  continuing  costs  of  meeting 
these  requirements  have  prompted  us  to  adapt  our  targets  in 
the past and we may need to do so again in the future.

As part of our strategic plans, we expect to continue to make 
significant  expenditures  on  technology  and  infrastructure  to 
improve our client experience, improve and further enable digital 
offerings  and  increase  efficiency.  There  is  a  risk  that  our 
investments  in  new  technology  will  not  fully  achieve  our 
objectives or improve our ability to attract and retain customers.  
In  addition,  we  may  face  competition  in  providing  digitally 
enabled  offerings  from  both  existing  competitors  and  new 
financial service providers in various portions of the value chain. 
Our  ability  to  develop  and  implement  competitive  digitally 
enabled  offerings  and  processes  will  be  an  important  factor  in 
our ability to compete.

Moreover, the continued illiquidity and complexity of many of 
our  legacy  risk  positions  remaining  in  Corporate  Center  –  Non-
core  and  Legacy  Portfolio  could  make  it  difficult  to  sell  or 
otherwise  exit  these  positions  and  there  remains  a  risk  that  we 
could incur significant losses in doing so.

48 

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As  part  of  our  strategy,  we  also  have  programs  under  way 
that  seek  to  improve  our  operating  efficiency,  in  part  by 
controlling  our  costs.  A  number  of  factors  could  negatively 
affect  our  plans.  We  may  not  be  able  to  identify  feasible  cost 
reduction  opportunities  that  are  also  consistent  with  our 
business goals, and cost reductions may be realized later or may 
be  less  than  we  anticipate.  Higher  temporary  and  permanent 
regulatory  costs  and  higher  business  demand  than  we  had 
originally  anticipated  have  partly  offset  our  cost  reductions  and 
delayed  the  achievement  of  our  cost  reduction  targets  in  the 
past,  and  we  could  continue  to  be  challenged  in  the  execution 
of our ongoing plans.

Changes  in  our  workforce  as  a  result  of  outsourcing, 
nearshoring or offshoring or staff reductions may introduce new 
operational  risks  that,  if  not  effectively  addressed,  could  affect 
our ability to recognize the desired cost and other benefits from 
such changes or could result in operational losses. Such changes 
can  also  lead  to  expenses  recognized  in  the  income  statement 
well  in  advance  of  the  cost  savings  intended  to  be  achieved 
through  such  workforce  strategy,  for  example,  if  provisions  for 
real  estate  lease  contracts  need  to  be  recognized  or  when,  in 
connection  with  the  closure  or  disposal  of  non-profitable 
losses  previously 
operations, 
recorded  in  other  comprehensive  income  are  reclassified  to  the 
income statement. 

foreign  currency 

translation 

As  we  implement  our  effectiveness  and  efficiency  programs, 
we  may  also  experience  unintended  consequences,  such  as  the 
loss  or  degradation  of  capabilities  that  we  need  in  order  to 
maintain  our  competitive  position,  achieve  our  targeted  returns 
or  meet  existing  or  new 
requirements  and 
expectations.

regulatory 

→ Refer to the “Our strategy” section of this report for more 

information

Material legal and regulatory risks arise in the conduct of 
our business

As  a  global  financial  services  firm  operating  in  more  than  50 
countries,  we  are  subject  to  many  different  legal,  tax  and 
regulatory  regimes,  and  we  are  subject  to  extensive  regulatory 
oversight and exposed to significant liability risk. We are subject 
to  a  large  number  of  claims,  disputes,  legal  proceedings  and 
government  investigations,  and  we  expect  that  our  ongoing 
business activities will continue to give rise to such matters in the 
future.  The  extent  of  our  financial  exposure  to  these  and  other 
matters  is  material  and  could  substantially  exceed  the  level  of 
provisions that we have established. We are not able to predict 
the financial and non-financial consequences these matters may 
have  when  resolved.  Resolution  of  regulatory  proceedings  may 
require  us  to  obtain  waivers  of  regulatory  disqualifications  to 

terminate 

suspend  or 

maintain certain operations, may entitle regulatory authorities to 
regulatory 
limit, 
authorizations, and may permit financial market utilities to limit, 
suspend or terminate our participation in them. Failure to obtain 
such  waivers,  or  any  limitation,  suspension  or  termination  of 
licenses,  authorizations  or  participations,  could  have  material 
consequences for us.

licenses 

and 

Our settlements with governmental authorities in connection 
with  foreign  exchange,  LIBOR  and  benchmark  interest  rates 
starkly  illustrate  the  significantly  increased  level  of  financial  and 
reputational  risk  now  associated  with  regulatory  matters  in 
major  jurisdictions.  In  connection  with  investigations  related  to 
LIBOR and other benchmark rates and to foreign exchange and 
precious  metals,  very  large  fines  and  disgorgement  amounts 
were assessed against us, and we were required to enter guilty 
pleas,  despite  our  full  cooperation  with  the  authorities  in  the 
investigations, and despite our receipt of conditional leniency or 
conditional  immunity  from  antitrust  authorities  in  a  number  of 
jurisdictions, including the US and Switzerland.

Ever  since  our  material  losses  arising  from  the  2007–2009 
financial  crisis,  we  have  been  subject  to  a  very  high  level  of 
regulatory  scrutiny  and  to  certain  regulatory  measures  that 
constrain our strategic flexibility. While we believe that we have 
remediated the deficiencies that led to those losses as well as to 
the  unauthorized  trading  incident  announced  in  September 
2011,  the  effects  on  our  reputation  and  relationships  with 
regulatory  authorities  of  the  LIBOR-related  settlements  of  2012 
and settlements with some regulators of matters related to our 
foreign exchange and precious metals business have resulted in 
continued  scrutiny.  We  are  also  subject  to  significant  new 
regulatory  requirements, 
including  recovery  and  resolution 
planning, US enhanced prudential standards and Comprehensive 
Capital  Analysis  and  Review  (CCAR).  Our  implementation  of 
additional  regulatory  requirements  and  changes  in  supervisory 
standards will likely receive heightened scrutiny from supervisors. 
If  we  do  not  meet  supervisory  expectations  in  relation  to  these 
or  other  matters,  or  have  additional  supervisory  or  regulatory 
issues,  we  would  likely  be  subject  to  continued  regulatory 
scrutiny  as  well  as  measures  that  might  further  constrain  our 
strategic  flexibility.  We  are  in  active  dialog  with  our  regulators 
concerning  the  actions  that  we  are  taking  to  improve  our 
operational  risk  management,  control,  anti-money  laundering, 
data management and other frameworks and otherwise seek to 
meet  supervisory  expectations,  but  there  can  be  no  assurance 
that our efforts will have the desired effects. As a result of this 
history, our level of risk with respect to regulatory enforcement 
may be greater than that of some of our peers. 

→ Refer to “Note 20 Provisions and contingent liabilities” in the 
“Consolidated financial statements” section of this report for 

more information

49 

 
 
 
Operating environment and strategy
Risk factors

Operational risks affect our business

third  parties, 

Our businesses depend on our ability to process a large number 
of transactions, many of which are complex, across multiple and 
diverse  markets 
in  different  currencies,  to  comply  with 
requirements  of  many  different  legal  and  regulatory  regimes  to 
which  we  are  subject  and  to  prevent,  or  promptly  detect  and 
stop, unauthorized, fictitious or fraudulent transactions. We also 
rely on access to, and on the functioning of, systems maintained 
including  clearing  systems,  exchanges, 
by 
information processors and central counterparties. Any failure of 
our  or  third-party  systems  could  have  an  adverse  effect  on  us. 
Our  operational  risk  management  and  control  systems  and 
processes  are  designed  to  help  ensure  that  the  risks  associated 
with  our  activities,  including  those  arising  from  process  error, 
failed  execution,  misconduct,  unauthorized  trading,  fraud, 
system  failures,  financial  crime,  cyberattacks,  breaches  of 
information  security,  inadequate  or  ineffective  access  controls 
and failure of security and physical protection, are appropriately 
controlled.  If  our  internal  controls  fail  or  prove  ineffective  in 
identifying  and 
risks,  we  could  suffer 
operational  failures  that  might  result  in  material  losses,  such  as 
the  loss  from  the  unauthorized  trading  incident  announced  in 
September 2011. 

remedying 

these 

We  and  other  financial  services  firms  have  been  subject  to 
breaches  of  security  and  to  cyber-  and  other  forms  of  attack, 
some  of  which  are  sophisticated  and  targeted  attacks  intended 
to  gain  access  to  confidential  information  or  systems,  disrupt 
service  or  destroy  data,  including  through  the  introduction  of 
viruses  or  malware,  social  engineering,  distributed  denial  of 
service  attacks  and  other  means.  These  attempts  may  occur 
directly,  or  using  equipment  or  security  passwords  of  our 
employees, third party service providers or other users. We may 
not  be  able  to  anticipate,  detect  or  recognize  threats  to  our 
systems  or  data  or  that  our  preventative  measures  may  not  be 
effective to prevent an attack or a security breach. In the event a 
security  breach  occurs  notwithstanding  our  preventative 
measures, we may not immediately detect a particular breach or 
attack. Once a particular attack is detected time may be required 
to investigate and assess the nature and extent of the attack. A 
successful breach or circumvention of security of our systems or 
data  could  have  significant  negative  consequences  for  us, 
including  disruption  of  our  operations,  misappropriation  of 
confidential 
information  concerning  us  or  our  customers, 
damage to our systems, financial losses for us or our customers, 
violations  of  data  privacy  and  similar  laws,  litigation  exposure 
and damage to our reputation. 

A  major  focus  of  US  and  other  countries’  governmental 
policies relating to financial institutions in recent years has been 
fighting  money  laundering  and  terrorist  financing.  We  are 
required  to  maintain  effective  policies,  procedures  and  controls 
to  detect,  prevent  and  report  money  laundering  and  terrorist 

50 

financing,  and  to  verify  the  identity  of  our  clients.  We  are  also 
subject  to  laws  and  regulations  related  to  corrupt  and  illegal 
payments  to  government  officials  by  others,  such  as  the  US 
Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and the UK Bribery Act. We have 
implemented  policies,  procedures  and  internal  controls  that  are 
designed  to  comply  with  such  laws  and  regulations.  Failure  to 
maintain  and  implement  adequate  programs  to  combat  money 
laundering, terrorist financing or corruption, or any failure of our 
programs in these areas, could have serious consequences both 
from  legal  enforcement  action  and  from  damage  to  our 
reputation. 

As a result of new and changed regulatory requirements and 
the  changes  we  have  made  in  our  legal  structure  to  meet 
regulatory  requirements  and  improve  our  resolvability,  the 
volume,  frequency  and  complexity  of  our  regulatory  and  other 
reporting  have  significantly  increased.  Regulators  have  also 
significantly  increased  expectations  for  our  internal  reporting 
and  data  aggregation.  We  have  incurred  and  continue  to  incur 
significant  costs  to  implement  infrastructure  to  meet  these 
requirements.  Failure  to  timely  and  accurately  meet  external 
reporting  requirements  or  to  meet  regulatory  expectations  for 
internal  reporting  could  result  in  enforcement  action  or  other 
adverse consequences for us.

Certain  types  of  operational  control  weaknesses  and  failures 
could  also  adversely  affect  our  ability  to  prepare  and  publish 
accurate and timely financial reports. 

In  addition,  despite  the  contingency  plans  we  have  in  place, 
our  ability  to  conduct  business  may  be  adversely  affected  by  a 
disruption in the infrastructure that supports our businesses and 
the  communities  in  which  we  are  located.  This  may  include  a 
disruption  due  to  natural  disasters,  pandemics,  civil  unrest,  war 
communications, 
or 
transportation or other services used by us or third parties with 
whom we conduct business. 

electrical, 

terrorism 

involve 

and 

Our reputation is critical to the success of our business

Our  reputation  is  critical  to  the  success  of  our  strategic  plans, 
business  and  prospects.  Reputational  damage  is  difficult  to 
reverse,  and  improvements  tend  to  be  slow  and  difficult  to 
measure.  Our  reputation  has  been  adversely  affected  by  our 
losses  during  the  financial  crisis,  investigations  into  our  cross-
border  private  banking  services,  criminal  resolutions  of  LIBOR-
related and foreign exchange matters, as well as other matters. 
We believe that reputational damage as a result of these events 
was  an  important  factor  in  our  loss  of  clients  and  client  assets 
across  our  asset-gathering  businesses,  and  contributed  to  our 
loss  of  and  difficulty  in  attracting  staff  in  the  past.  Any  further 
reputational damage could have a material adverse effect on our 
operational  results  and  financial  condition  and  on  our  ability  to 
achieve our strategic goals and financial targets. 

Performance in the financial services industry is affected 
by market conditions and the macroeconomic climate

Our businesses are materially affected by market and economic 
conditions.  Adverse  changes  in  interest  rates,  credit  spreads, 
securities prices, market volatility and liquidity, foreign exchange 
rates,  commodity  prices,  and  other  market  fluctuations,  as  well 
as  changes  in  investor  sentiment,  can  affect  our  earnings  and 
ultimately our financial and capital positions. 

A market downturn and weak macroeconomic conditions can 
be  precipitated  by  a  number  of  factors,  including  geopolitical 
events,  changes  in  monetary  or  fiscal  policy,  trade  imbalances, 
natural disasters, pandemics, civil unrest, acts of violence, war or 
terrorism.  Macroeconomic  and  political  developments  can  have 
unpredictable  and  destabilizing  effects  and,  because  financial 
markets  are  global  and  highly  interconnected,  even  local  and 
regional  events  can  have  widespread  impact  well  beyond  the 
countries  in  which  they  occur.  Moreover,  if  individual  countries 
impose restrictions on cross-border payments or other exchange 
or capital controls, or change their currency (for example, if one 
or  more  countries  should  leave  the  eurozone),  we  could  suffer 
losses  from  enforced  default  by  counterparties,  be  unable  to 
access  our  own  assets,  and  /  or  be  impeded  in,  or  prevented 
from, managing our risks.

We could be materially affected if a crisis develops, regionally 
or  globally,  as  a  result  of  disruptions  in  emerging  markets  or 
developed  markets  that  are  susceptible  to  macroeconomic  and 
political  developments,  or  as  a  result  of  the  failure  of  a  major 
market  participant.  Over  time,  our  strategic  plans  have  become 
more  heavily  dependent  on  our  ability  to  generate  growth  and 
revenue in emerging markets, including China, causing us to be 
more  exposed  to  the  risks  associated  with  such  markets.  The 
binding scenario we use in our combined stress test framework 
reflects  these  aspects,  and  assumes  a  hard  landing  in  China, 
leading  to  severe  contagion  of  Asian  and  emerging  markets 
economies and at the same time multiple debt restructurings in 
Europe,  related  direct  losses  for  European  banks  and  fear  of  a 
eurozone breakup severely affecting developed markets such as 
Switzerland, the UK and the US. 

→ Refer to “Risk measurement” in the “Risk management and 
control” section of this report for more information on our 

stress testing framework

We have material exposures to a number of markets, and the 
regional balance of our business mix also exposes us to risk. Our 
Investment Bank’s Equities business, for example, is more heavily 
weighted  to  Europe  and  Asia,  and  within  this  business  our 
derivatives  business  is  more  heavily  weighted  to  structured 
products  for  wealth  management  clients,  in  particular  with 
European  and  Asian  underlyings.  Turbulence  in  these  markets 
can  therefore  affect  us  more  than  other  financial  service 
providers.

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A decrease in business and client activity and market volumes, 
for example, as a result of significant market volatility, adversely 
affects transaction fees, commissions and margins, particularly in 
our wealth management businesses and in the Investment Bank, 
as  we  experienced  in  2016.  A  market  downturn  is  likely  to 
reduce the volume and valuations of assets that we manage on 
behalf  of  clients,  reducing  our  asset  and  performance-based 
fees,  and  could  also  cause  a  decline  in  the  value  of  assets  that 
we own and account for as investments or trading positions. On 
the  other  hand,  reduced  market  liquidity  or  volatility  limits 
trading  opportunities  and  impedes  our  ability  to  manage  risks, 
impacting  trading  income,  and  may  reduce  institutional  client 
activity and therefore transaction and performance-based fees.

and 

economic 

Credit  risk  is  an  integral  part  of  many  of  our  activities, 
lending,  underwriting  and  derivatives  activities. 
including 
Worsening 
adverse  market 
conditions 
developments could lead to impairments and defaults on credit 
exposures  and  on  our  trading  and  investment  positions.  Losses 
may  be  exacerbated  by  declines  in  the  value  of  collateral  we 
hold. We are exposed to credit risk in activities such as our prime 
brokerage,  reverse  repurchase  and  Lombard  lending,  as  the 
value  or  liquidity  of  the  assets  against  which  we  provide 
financing  may  decline  rapidly.  Macroeconomic  developments, 
such  as  the  strength  of  the  Swiss  franc  and  its  effect  on  Swiss 
exports,  the  adoption  of  negative  interest  rates  by  the  Swiss 
National  Bank  or  other  central  banks  or  any  return  of  crisis 
conditions  within  the  eurozone  or  the  EU,  and  the  potential 
reinstate 
implications  of 
immigration  quotas  for  EU  and  European  Economic  Area 
citizens,  could  also  adversely  affect  the  Swiss  economy,  our 
business  in  Switzerland  in  general  and,  in  particular,  our  Swiss 
mortgage and corporate loan portfolios.

in  Switzerland 

the  decision 

to 

The aforementioned developments have in the past affected, 
and  could  materially  affect,  the  financial  performance  of 
business  divisions  and  of  UBS  as  a  whole,  including  through 
impairment of goodwill and the adjustment of deferred tax asset 
levels. Refer to “Our financial results may be negatively affected 
by changes to assumptions and valuations, as well as changes to 
accounting standards” and “The effect of taxes on our financial 
results  is  significantly  influenced  by  tax  law  changes  and 
reassessments of our deferred tax assets” below.

→ Refer to the “Current market climate and industry trends” 

section of this report for more information

UK withdrawal from the EU

In December 2017, the UK and the remaining EU member states 
reached an agreement on the separation issues under Phase I of 
the  negotiations  for  the  UK’s  withdrawal  from  the  EU.  As  a 
result,  the  European  Council  agreed  that  “sufficient  progress” 
had been made to allow the negotiations to move to Phase II on 
transitional  arrangements  and  the  future  EU-UK  relationship. 
The UK is still expected to leave the EU in March 2019, subject 
to a possible transition period.

51 

 
 
 
Operating environment and strategy
Risk factors

The  nature  of  the  UK’s  future  relationship  with  the  EU 
remains  unclear.  Any  future  limitations  on  providing  financial 
services into the EU from our UK operations could require us to 
make potentially significant changes to our operations in the UK 
and  the  EU,  and  to  our  legal  structure.  In  the  absence  of 
adequate  transition  relief  being  agreed  and  passed  into  law  by 
the  United  Kingdom  and  the  European  Union,  we  currently 
expect  to  merge  UBS  Limited  into  UBS  Europe  SE,  our  German 
headquartered  European  bank,  prior  to  the  United  Kingdom 
leaving  the  European  Union  on  29  March  2019.  Clients  and 
other 
Limited  would  become 
counterparties of UBS Europe SE through the planned merger of 
the  two  entities.  However,  we  anticipate  that  clients  of  UBS 
Limited who can be serviced by UBS AG, London Branch would 
generally  be  migrated  to  UBS  AG,  London  Branch  prior  to  this 
merger.  We  further  anticipate  that  some  staff  would  be 
relocated as a result; the exact number of staff and roles would 
be  determined  in  due  course.  The  timing  and  extent  of  the 
actions we take may vary considerably depending on regulatory 
requirements  and  the  nature  of  any  transition  or  successor 
agreements with the EU.

counterparties  of  UBS 

In  recent  years,  our  Wealth  Management  net  new  money 
inflows have come predominantly from clients in Asia Pacific and 
in the ultra high net worth segment globally. Over time, inflows 
from  these  lower-margin  segments  and  markets  have  been 
replacing  outflows  from  higher-margin  segments  and  markets, 
in  particular  cross-border  clients.  This  dynamic,  combined  with 
changes  in  client  product  preferences  as  a  result  of  which  low-
margin products account for a larger share of our revenues than 
in  the  past,  has  put  downward  pressure  on  our  Wealth 
Management’s margins. 

As the discussion above indicates, we are exposed to possible 
outflows of client assets in our asset-gathering businesses and to 
changes  affecting  the  profitability  of  our  wealth  management 
businesses.  Initiatives  that  we  may  implement  to  overcome  the 
in  the  business  environment  on  our 
effects  of  changes 
profitability, balance sheet and capital positions may not succeed 
in  counteracting  those  effects  and  may  cause  net  new  money 
outflows and reductions in client deposits, as happened with our 
balance  sheet  and  capital  optimization  program  in  2015.  There 
is no assurance that we will be successful in our efforts to offset 
the adverse effect of these or similar trends and developments.

We may not be successful in implementing changes in our 
wealth management businesses to meet changing market, 
regulatory and other conditions 

We may be unable to identify or capture revenue or 
competitive opportunities, or retain and attract qualified 
employees

implementation  across 

investment  managers  and  other 

Our  wealth  and  asset  management  businesses  operate  in  an 
environment  of  increasing  regulatory  scrutiny  and  changing 
standards  with  respect  to  fiduciary  and  other  standards  of  care 
and  the  focus  on  mitigating  or  eliminating  conflicts  of  interest 
between  a  manager  or  advisor  and  the  client,  which  require 
the  global  systems  and 
effective 
processes  of 
industry 
participants.  For  example,  the  US  Department  of  Labor  has 
adopted a rule expanding the definition of “fiduciary” under the 
(ERISA),  which 
Employee  Retirement 
requires  us  to  comply  with  fiduciary  standards  under  ERISA 
when  dealing  with  certain  retirement  plans.  We  will  likely  be 
required  to  materially  change  business  processes,  policies  and 
the  terms  on  which  we  interact  with  these  clients  in  order  to 
comply  with  these  rules  when  they  become  fully  effective.  In 
addition,  MiFID  II  imposes  new  requirements  on  us  when 
providing  advisory  services  to  clients  in  the  EU,  including  new 
requirements for agreements with clients.

Income  Security  Act 

investment  and  fiscal  amnesty  programs, 

We have experienced cross-border outflows over a number of 
years  as  a  result  of  heightened  focus  by  fiscal  authorities  on 
cross-border 
in 
anticipation  of  the  implementation  in  Switzerland  of  the  global 
automatic  exchange  of  tax  information,  and  as  a  result  of  the 
measures  we  have  implemented  in  response  to  these  changes. 
Further  changes  in  local  tax  laws  or  regulations  and  their 
cross-border 
implementation  of 
enforcement, 
tax 
information  exchange 
tax  amnesty  or 
regimes,  national 
enforcement programs or similar actions may affect our clients’ 
ability  or  willingness  to  do  business  with  us  and  result  in 
additional cross-border outflows.

the 

52 

The  financial  services  industry  is  characterized  by  intense 
competition,  continuous  innovation,  restrictive,  detailed,  and 
sometimes  fragmented  regulation  and  ongoing  consolidation. 
We face competition at the level of local markets and individual 
business  lines,  and  from  global  financial  institutions  that  are 
comparable  to  us  in  their  size  and  breadth.  Barriers  to  entry  in 
individual  markets  and  pricing  levels  are  being  eroded  by  new 
technology.  We  expect 
to  continue  and 
these 
competition  to  increase.  Our  competitive  strength  and  market 
position  could  be  eroded  if  we  are  unable  to  identify  market 
trends  and  developments,  do  not  respond  to  them  by  devising 
and  implementing  adequate  business  strategies,  adequately 
developing  or  updating  our  technology,  particularly  in  trading 
businesses, and our digital channels and tools, or are unable to 
attract or retain the qualified people needed to carry them out.

trends 

The  amount  and  structure  of  our  employee  compensation  is 
affected not only by our business results but also by competitive 
factors and regulatory considerations. 

In  recent  years,  in  response  to  the  demands  of  various 
stakeholders,  including  regulatory  authorities  and  shareholders, 
and in order to better align the interests of our staff with those 
of  other  stakeholders,  we  have  made  changes  to  the  terms  of 
compensation awards. Among other things, we have introduced 
individual caps on the proportion of fixed to variable pay for the 
GEB  members,  as  well  as  certain  other  employees.  We  have 
increased  average  deferral  periods  for  stock  awards,  expanded 
forfeiture  provisions  and,  to  a  more  limited  extent,  introduced 
clawback  provisions  for  certain  awards  linked  to  business 
performance. 

Constraints  on  the  amount  or  structure  of  employee 
compensation, higher levels of deferral, performance conditions 
and  other  circumstances  triggering  the  forfeiture  of  unvested 
awards may adversely affect our ability to retain and attract key 
employees.  The  loss  of  key  staff  and  the  inability  to  attract 
qualified  replacements,  depending  on  which  and  how  many 
roles  are  affected,  could  seriously  compromise  our  ability  to 
execute  our  strategy  and  to  successfully  improve  our  operating 
and  control  environment  and  may  affect  our  business 
performance.
Swiss 

the 
compensation  of  the  Board  of  Directors  (BoD)  and  the  Group 
Executive  Board  (GEB)  each  year.  If  our  shareholders  fail  to 
approve  the  compensation  for  the  GEB  or  the  BoD,  this  could 
have  an  adverse  effect  on  our  ability  to  retain  experienced 
directors and our senior management.

shareholders  approve 

requires 

that 

law 

We depend on our risk management and control processes 
to avoid or limit potential losses in our businesses 

Controlled  risk-taking  is  a  major  part  of  the  business  of  a 
financial services firm. Some losses from risk-taking activities are 
inevitable, but to be successful over time, we must balance the 
risks  we  take  against  the  returns  we  generate.  We  must, 
therefore,  diligently  identify,  assess,  manage  and  control  our 
risks,  not  only  in  normal  market  conditions  but  also  as  they 
might  develop  under  more  extreme,  stressed  conditions,  when 
concentrations of exposures can lead to severe losses. 

As seen during the financial crisis of 2007–2009, we are not 
always  able  to  prevent  serious  losses  arising  from  extreme  or 
sudden  market  events  that  are  not  anticipated  by  our  risk 
measures  and  systems.  The  deterioration  of  financial  markets 
since  the  beginning  of  the  crisis  was  extremely  severe  by 
historical  standards.  Value-at-risk,  a  statistical  measure  for 
market  risk,  is  derived  from  historical  market  data,  and  thus  by 
definition  could  not  have  anticipated  the  losses  suffered  in  the 
stressed  conditions  of  the  crisis.  Moreover,  stress  loss  and 
concentration  controls  and  the  dimensions 
in  which  we 
aggregated 
identify  potentially  highly  correlated 
exposures  proved  to  be  inadequate.  As  a  result,  we  recorded 
substantial  losses  on  fixed  income  trading  positions,  particularly 
in 2008 and 2009. Notwithstanding the steps we have taken to 
strengthen  our  risk  management  and  control  framework,  we 
could suffer further losses in the future if, for example:
– we do not fully identify the risks in our portfolio, in particular 

risk 

to 

risk concentrations and correlated risks;

– our  assessment  of  the  risks  identified  or  our  response  to 
inadequate, 

to  be  untimely, 

trends  proves 

negative 
insufficient or incorrect; 

– markets  move  in  ways  that  we  do  not  expect  –  in  terms  of 
their speed, direction, severity or correlation – and our ability 
to  manage  risks  in  the  resulting  environment  is,  therefore, 
affected; 

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– third  parties  to  whom  we  have  credit  exposure  or  whose 
securities we hold for our own account are severely affected 
by events not anticipated by our models, and accordingly we 
suffer  defaults  and  impairments  beyond  the  level  implied  by 
our risk assessment; or 

– collateral  or  other  security  provided  by  our  counterparties 
proves  inadequate  to  cover  their  obligations  at  the  time  of 
their default.

We  hold  positions  related  to  real  estate  in  various  countries, 
and  could  suffer  losses  on  these  positions.  These  positions 
include  a  substantial  Swiss  mortgage  portfolio.  Although 
management  believes  that  this  portfolio  is  prudently  managed, 
we  could  nevertheless  be  exposed  to  losses  if  the  concerns 
expressed  by  the  Swiss  National  Bank  and  others  about 
unsustainable  price  escalation  in  the  Swiss  real  estate  market 
come  to  fruition.  In  addition,  we  continue  to  hold  substantial 
legacy  risk  positions,  primarily  in  Corporate  Center  −  Non-core 
and Legacy Portfolio. They remain illiquid in many cases, and we 
continue  to  be  exposed  to  the  risk  that  they  may  again 
deteriorate in value.

We also manage risk on behalf of our clients in our asset and 
wealth  management  businesses.  The  performance  of  assets  we 
hold for our clients in these activities could be adversely affected 
by the same factors mentioned above. If clients suffer losses or 
the  performance  of  their  assets  held  with  us  is  not  in  line  with 
relevant  benchmarks  against  which  clients  assess  investment 
performance,  we  may  suffer  reduced  fee  income  and  a  decline 
in assets under management, or withdrawal of mandates.

Investment positions, such as equity investments made as part 
of  strategic  initiatives  and  seed  investments  made  at  the 
inception  of  funds  that  we  manage,  may  also  be  affected  by 
market  risk  factors.  These  investments  are  often  not  liquid  and 
generally  are  intended  or  required  to  be  held  beyond  a  normal 
trading  horizon.  They  are  subject  to  a  distinct  control 
framework.  Deteriorations  in  the  fair  value  of  these  positions 
would have a negative effect on our earnings.

Liquidity and funding management are critical to our 
ongoing performance 

The  viability  of  our  business  depends  on  the  availability  of 
funding  sources,  and  our  success  depends  on  our  ability  to 
obtain funding at times, in amounts, for tenors and at rates that 
enable  us  to  efficiently  support  our  asset  base  in  all  market 
conditions.  The  volume  of  our  funding  sources  has  generally 
been stable, but could change in the future due to, among other 
things,  general  market  disruptions  or  widening  credit  spreads, 
which  could  also  influence  the  cost  of  funding.  A  substantial 
part  of  our  liquidity  and  funding  requirements  are  met  using 
short-term  unsecured  funding  sources,  including  retail  and 
wholesale  deposits  and  the  regular  issuance  of  money  market 
securities.  A  change  in  the  availability  of  short-term  funding 
could occur quickly.

53 

 
 
 
Operating environment and strategy
Risk factors

Moreover,  more  stringent  capital  and  liquidity  and  funding 
requirements  will  likely  lead  to  increased  competition  for  both 
secured funding and deposits as a stable source of funding, and 
to higher funding costs. The addition of loss-absorbing debt as a 
component of capital requirements, the regulatory requirements 
to maintain minimum TLAC at holding company level and / or at 
subsidiaries  level,  as  well  as  the  power  of  resolution  authorities 
to bail in TLAC and other debt obligations, and uncertainty as to 
how  such  powers  will  be  exercised,  will  increase  our  cost  of 
funding  and  could  potentially  increase  the  total  amount  of 
funding required absent other changes in our business.

Reductions  in  our  credit  ratings  may  adversely  affect  the 
market value of the securities and other obligations and increase 
our  funding  costs,  in  particular  with  regard  to  funding  from 
wholesale  unsecured  sources,  and  can  affect  the  availability  of 
certain  kinds  of  funding.  In  addition,  as  we  experienced  in 
connection with Moody’s downgrade of our long-term rating in 
June 2012, rating downgrades can require us to post additional 
collateral  or  make  additional  cash  payments  under  master 
trading  agreements  relating  to  our  derivatives  businesses.  Our 
credit ratings, together with our capital strength and reputation, 
also  contribute 
to  maintaining  client  and  counterparty 
confidence and it is possible that rating changes could influence 
the performance of some of our businesses. 

Our financial results may be negatively affected by 
changes to assumptions and valuations, as well as 
changes to accounting standards

We prepare our consolidated financial statements in accordance 
with  IFRS.  The  application  of  these  accounting  standards 
judgment  based  on  estimates  and 
requires  the  use  of 
assumptions that may involve significant uncertainty at the time 
they are made. This is the case, for example, with respect to the 
measurement  of  fair  value  of  financial 
instruments,  the 
recognition  of  deferred  tax  assets,  or  the  assessment  of  the 
impairment  of  goodwill.  Such 
the 
underlying  estimates  and  assumptions,  which  encompass 
historical  experience,  expectations  of  the  future  and  other 
factors,  are  regularly  evaluated  to  determine  their  continuing 
relevance  based  on  current  conditions.  Using  different 
assumptions could cause the reported results to differ. Changes 
in  assumptions,  or  failure  to  make  the  changes  necessary  to 
reflect evolving market conditions, may have a significant effect 
on the financial statements in the periods when changes occur. 
Moreover,  if  the  estimates  and  assumptions  in  future  periods 
deviate  from  the  current  outlook,  our  financial  results  may  also 
be negatively affected. 

judgments, 

including 

Changes  to  IFRS  or  interpretations  thereof  may  cause  our 
future  reported  results  and  financial  position  to  differ  from 
current  expectations,  or  historical  results  to  differ  from  those 
previously reported due to the adoption of accounting standards 
on  a  retrospective  basis.  Such  changes  may  also  affect  our 
regulatory  capital  and  ratios.  For  example,  we  adopted  IFRS  9 
effective  on  1  January  2018,  which  required  us  to  change  the 
accounting  treatment  of  certain  instruments,  requires  us  to 

54 

record loans at inception net of expected credit losses instead of 
recording credit losses on an incurred loss basis and is generally 
expected  to  result  in  an  increase  in  recognized  credit  loss 
allowances. In addition, the expected credit loss (ECL) provisions 
of IFRS 9 may result in greater volatility in credit loss expense as 
ECL changes in response to developments in the credit cycle and 
composition  of  our  loan  portfolio.  The  effect  may  be  more 
pronounced in a deteriorating economic environment.  

→ Refer to the “Critical accounting estimates and judgments” 

section and “Note 1 Summary of significant accounting policies” 

in the “Consolidated financial statements” section of this report 

for more information 

The effect of taxes on our financial results is significantly 
influenced by tax law changes and reassessments of our 
deferred tax assets 

Our effective tax rate is highly sensitive to our performance, our 
expectation of future profitability and statutory tax rates. Based 
on prior years’ tax losses, we have recognized deferred tax assets 
(DTAs) reflecting the probable recoverable level based on future 
taxable  profit  as  informed  by  our  business  plans.  If  our 
performance is expected to produce diminished taxable profit in 
future years, particularly in the US, we may be required to write 
down all or a portion of the currently recognized DTAs through 
the income statement. This would have the effect of increasing 
our  effective  tax  rate  in  the  year  in  which  any  write-downs  are 
taken.  Conversely,  if  our  performance  is  expected  to  improve, 
particularly in the US or the UK, we could potentially recognize 
additional  DTAs  as  a  result  of  that  assessment.  The  effect  of 
doing  so  would  be  to  significantly  reduce  our  effective  tax  rate 
in years in which additional DTAs are recognized and to increase 
our effective tax rate in future years. Our effective tax rate is also 
sensitive  to  any  future  reductions  in  statutory  tax  rates, 
particularly  in  the  US  and  Switzerland,  which  would  cause  the 
expected  future  tax  benefit  from  items  such  as  tax  loss  carry-
forwards  in  the  affected  locations  to  diminish  in  value.  This  in 
turn  would  cause  a  write-down  of  the  associated  DTAs.  For 
example,  the  reduction  in  the  US  federal  corporate  tax  rate  to 
21%  from  35%  introduced  by  the  US  Tax  Cuts  and  Jobs  Act 
(TCJA)  resulted  in  a  CHF 2.9  billion  net  write-down  in  the 
Group’s DTAs in the fourth quarter of 2017. Changes in tax law 
may  materially  affect  our  effective  tax  rate  and  in  some  cases 
may  substantially  affect  the  profitability  of  certain  activities.  For 
example,  the  TCJA  introduced  a  new  minimum  tax  regime 
referred  to  as  the  base  erosion  and  anti-abuse  tax  (BEAT)  that 
potentially  subjects  otherwise  deductible  payments  made  from 
our US businesses to non-US affiliated parties to a minimum tax. 
We  currently  expect  that  BEAT  could  increase  our  current  tax 
expense  by  up  to  CHF  60  million  in  2018.  The  actual  effects 
could be materially higher as the amount of payments subject to 
BEAT will increase with higher interest rates and business activity 
and  as  a  result  of  interpretative  uncertainty  relating  to  BEAT.  It 
may  also  be  lower  if  we  are  able  to  successfully  mitigate  our 
payments subject to BEAT.

We  generally  revalue  our  DTAs  in  the  second  half  of  the 
financial  year  based  on  a  reassessment  of  future  profitability 
taking  into  account  updated  business  plan  forecasts.  We 
consider the performance of our businesses and the accuracy of 
historical  forecasts  tax  rates  and  other  factors  in  evaluating  the 
recoverability  of  our  DTAs,  including  the  remaining  tax  loss 
carry-forward  period  and  our  assessment  of  expected  future 
taxable profits in the forecast period used for recognizing DTAs. 
Estimating  future  profitability  is  inherently  subjective  and  is 
particularly  sensitive  to  future  economic,  market  and  other 
conditions,  which  are  difficult  to  predict.  Our  results  in  recent 
periods  have  demonstrated  that  changes  in  the  recognition  of 
DTAs can have a very significant effect on our reported results. 
The enactment of the TCJA, and the narrowing of the window 
between the end of the forecast period and the expiry of our US 
net operating losses, may also lead us to review our approach to 
periodically  remeasuring  our  US  DTAs  and  the  timing  for 
recognizing  deferred  tax  in  our  income  statement.  Any  change 
in  the  manner  in  which  we  remeasure  DTAs  could  impact  the 
effective tax rate, particularly in the year in which the change is 
made.

Our full-year effective tax rate could also change if aggregate 
tax expenses in respect of profits from branches and subsidiaries 
without loss coverage differ from what is expected, or in case of 
changes  to  the  forecast  period  used  for  DTA  recognition 
purposes  as  part  of  the  aforementioned  reassessment  of  future 
profitability.  Moreover,  tax  laws  or  the  tax  authorities  in 
countries  where  we  have  undertaken  legal  structure  changes 
may prevent the transfer of tax losses incurred in one legal entity 
to  newly  organized  or  reorganized  subsidiaries  or  affiliates  or 
may impose limitations on the utilization of tax losses that relate 
to businesses formerly conducted by the transferor. Were this to 
occur  in  situations  where  there  were  also  limited  planning 
opportunities  to  utilize  the  tax  losses  in  the  originating  entity, 
the DTAs associated with such tax losses could be written down 
through the income statement.

In  addition,  statutory  and  regulatory  changes,  as  well  as 
changes to the way in which courts and tax authorities interpret 
tax laws, could cause the amount of taxes ultimately paid by us 
to materially differ from the amount accrued. 

Our stated capital returns objective is based, in part, on 
capital ratios that are subject to regulatory change and 
may fluctuate significantly 

We  plan  to  operate  with  a  fully  applied  CET1  capital  ratio  of 
around  13%  and  a  fully  applied  CET1  leverage  ratio  of  around 
3.7%. Our ability to maintain these ratios is subject to numerous 
risks, including the financial results of our businesses, the effect of 
changes  to  capital  standards,  methodologies  and  interpretation 
that may adversely affect the calculation of our fully applied CET1 
capital ratio, the imposition of risk add-ons or capital buffers, and 
the  application  of  additional  capital, 
liquidity  and  similar 
requirements  to  subsidiaries.  These  risks  could  prevent  or  delay 
our  ability  to  achieve  our  capital  returns  policy  of  a  progressive 
cash dividend coupled with a share repurchase program.

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As UBS Group AG is a holding company, its operating 
results, financial condition and ability to pay dividends 
and other distributions and / or to pay its obligations in 
the future depend on funding, dividends and other 
distributions received directly or indirectly from its 
subsidiaries, which may be subject to restrictions

in 

restrictions 

UBS Group AG’s ability to pay dividends and other distributions 
and to pay its obligations in the future will depend on the level 
of  funding,  dividends  and  other  distributions,  if  any,  received 
from  UBS  AG  and  other  subsidiaries.  The  ability  of  such 
subsidiaries to make loans or distributions, directly or indirectly, 
to UBS Group AG may be restricted as a result of several factors, 
including 
the 
requirements  of  applicable  law  and  regulatory,  fiscal  or  other 
restrictions.  In  particular,  UBS  Group  AG’s  direct  and  indirect 
subsidiaries,  including  UBS  AG,  UBS  Switzerland  AG,  UBS 
Limited and UBS Americas Holding LLC, are subject to laws and 
regulations that restrict dividend payments, authorize regulatory 
bodies  to  block  or  reduce  the  flow  of  funds  from  those 
subsidiaries  to  UBS  Group  AG,  or  could  impact  their  ability  to 
repay  any  loans  made  to,  or  other  investments  in,  such 

subsidiary by UBS Group AG or another member of the Group. 

financing  agreements  and 

For  example,  the  US  CCAR  process  requires  that  our  US 
intermediate holding company demonstrate that it can continue 
to  meet  minimum  capital  standards  over  a  nine-quarter 
hypothetical  severely  adverse  economic  scenario.  If  it  fails  to 
meet  the  quantitative  capital  requirements,  or  the  Federal 
Reserve  Board’s  qualitative  assessment  of  the  capital  planning 
process is adverse, our US intermediate holding company will be 
prohibited  from  paying  dividends  or  making  distributions. 
Restrictions  and  regulatory  actions  of  this  kind  could  impede 
access  to  funds  that  UBS  Group  AG  may  need  to  meet  its 
obligations or to pay dividends to shareholders. In addition, UBS 
Group AG’s right to participate in a distribution of assets upon a 
subsidiary’s  liquidation  or  reorganization  is  subject  to  all  prior 
claims of the subsidiary’s creditors. 

Our capital instruments may contractually prevent UBS Group 
AG from proposing the distribution of dividends to shareholders, 
other  than  in  the  form  of  shares,  if  we  do  not  pay  interest  on 
these instruments.

Furthermore,  UBS  Group  AG  may  guarantee  some  of  the 
payment obligations of certain of the Group’s subsidiaries from 
time  to  time.  These  guarantees  may  require  UBS  Group  AG  to 
provide  substantial  funds  or  assets  to  subsidiaries  or  their 
creditors  or  counterparties  at  a  time  when  UBS  Group  AG  is  in 
need of liquidity to fund its own obligations.

The  credit  ratings  of  UBS  Group  AG  or  its  subsidiaries  used 
for  funding  purposes  could  be  lower  than  the  ratings  of  the 
Group’s  operating  subsidiaries,  which  may  adversely  affect  the 
market  value  of  the  securities  and  other  obligations  of  UBS 
Group AG or those subsidiaries on a standalone basis.

55 

 
 
 
Operating environment and strategy
Risk factors

If we experience financial difficulties, FINMA has the 
power to open restructuring or liquidation proceedings or 
impose protective measures in relation to UBS Group AG, 
UBS AG or UBS Switzerland AG, and such proceedings or 
measures may have a material adverse effect on our 
shareholders and creditors

Under  the  Swiss  Banking  Act,  FINMA  is  able  to  exercise  broad 
statutory  powers  with  respect  to  Swiss  banks  and  Swiss  parent 
companies of financial groups, such as UBS AG, UBS Group AG 
and  UBS  Switzerland  AG,  if  there  is  justified  concern  that  the 
entity is overindebted, has serious liquidity problems or, after the 
expiration  of  any  relevant  deadline,  no  longer  fulfills  capital 
adequacy requirements. Such powers include ordering protective 
measures,  instituting  restructuring  proceedings  (and  exercising 
any  Swiss  resolution  powers  in  connection  therewith),  and 
instituting  liquidation  proceedings,  all  of  which  may  have  a 
material adverse effect on our shareholders and creditors or may 
prevent  UBS  Group  AG,  UBS  AG  or  UBS  Switzerland  AG  from 
paying dividends or making payments on debt obligations.

Protective  measures  may  include,  but  are  not  limited  to, 
certain measures that could require or result in a moratorium on, 
or the deferment of, payments. We would have limited ability to 
challenge  any  such  protective  measures,  and  creditors  would 
have no right under Swiss law or in Swiss courts to reject them, 
seek  their  suspension,  or  challenge  their  imposition,  including 
measures that require or result in the deferment of payments. 

If  restructuring  proceedings  are  opened  with  respect  to  UBS 
Group  AG,  UBS  AG  or  UBS  Switzerland  AG,  the  resolution 
powers  that  FINMA  may  exercise  include  the  power  to  (i) 
transfer all or some of the assets, debt and other liabilities, and 
contracts of the entity subject to proceedings to another entity, 
(ii) stay for a maximum of two business days the termination of, 
or  the  exercise  of  rights  to  terminate,  netting  rights,  rights  to 
enforce  or  dispose  of  certain  types  of  collateral  or  rights  to 
transfer claims, liabilities or certain collateral, under contracts to 
which  the  entity  subject  to  proceedings  is  a  party,  and  /  or  (iii) 
partially or fully write down the equity capital and, if such equity 
capital  is  fully  written  down,  convert  into  equity  or  write  down 
the  capital  and  other  debt  instruments  of  the  entity  subject  to 
proceedings. Shareholders and creditors would have no right to 
reject,  or  to  seek  the  suspension  of,  any  restructuring  plan 
pursuant  to  which  such  resolution  powers  are  exercised.  They 
would  have  only  limited  rights  to  challenge  any  decision  to 

exercise resolution powers or to have that decision reviewed by 
a judicial or administrative process or otherwise.

Upon full or partial write-down of the equity and of the debt 
of  the  entity  subject  to  restructuring  proceedings,  the  relevant 
shareholders and creditors would receive no payment in respect 
of  the  equity  and  debt  that  is  written  down,  the  write-down 
would be permanent, and the investors would not, at such time 
or  at  any  time  thereafter,  receive  any  shares  or  other 
participation  rights,  or  be  entitled  to  any  write-up  or  any  other 
compensation in the event of a potential recovery of the debtor. 
If  FINMA  orders  the  conversion  of  debt  of  the  entity  subject  to 
restructuring  proceedings  into  equity,  the  securities  received  by 
the  investors  may  be  worth  significantly  less  than  the  original 
debt and may have a significantly different risk profile, and such 
conversion  would  also  dilute  the  ownership  of  existing 
shareholders.  In  addition,  creditors  receiving  equity  would  be 
effectively  subordinated  to  all  creditors  in  the  event  of  a 
subsequent  winding  up,  liquidation  or  dissolution  of  the  entity 
subject  to  restructuring  proceedings,  which  would  increase  the 
risk that investors would lose all or some of their investment. 

its  powers 

FINMA  has  broad  powers  and  significant  discretion  in  the 
exercise  of 
in  connection  with  restructuring 
proceedings. Furthermore, certain categories of debt obligations, 
such  as  certain  types  of  deposits,  are  subject  to  preferential 
treatment. As a result, holders of obligations of an entity subject 
to  a  Swiss  restructuring  proceeding  may  have  their  obligations 
written  down  or  converted  into  equity  even  though  obligations 
ranking on par with or junior to such obligations are not written 
down or converted.

resolution  strategy 

Moreover, FINMA has expressed its preference for a “single-
point-of-entry” 
for  global  systemically 
important  financial  groups,  led  by  the  bank’s  home  supervisory 
and  resolution  authorities  and  focused  on  the  top-level  group 
company.  This  would  mean  that,  if  UBS  AG  or  one  of  UBS 
Group  AG’s  other  subsidiaries  faces  substantial  losses,  FINMA 
could open restructuring proceedings with respect to UBS Group 
AG only and order a bail-in of its liabilities if there is a justified 
concern  that  in  the  near  future  such  losses  could  impact  UBS 
Group AG. In that case, it is possible that the obligations of UBS 
AG  or  any  other  subsidiary  of  UBS  Group  AG  would  remain 
unaffected  and  outstanding,  while  the  equity  capital  and  the 
capital and other debt instruments of UBS Group AG would be 
written down and / or converted into equity of UBS Group AG in 
order to recapitalize UBS AG or such other subsidiary.

56 

 
Financial and 
operating 
performance

Management report

Financial and operating performance
Critical accounting estimates and judgments

Critical accounting estimates and judgments

We  believe  that  the  judgments,  estimates  and  assumptions 
we have made are appropriate under the circumstances and that 
our  financial  statements  fairly  present,  in  all  material  respects, 
the  financial  position  of  UBS  as  of  31  December  2017  and  the 
results  of  our  operations  and  cash  flows  for  the  year  ended  on 
31 December 2017 in accordance with IFRS.

→ Refer to “Note 1a Significant accounting policies” in the 

“Consolidated financial statements” section of this report for 

more information

→ Refer to the “Risk factors” section of this report for more 

information

In  preparing  our  financial  statements  in  accordance  with 
International  Financial  Reporting  Standards  (IFRS),  as  issued  by 
the  Internal  Accounting  Standards  Board  (IASB),  we  apply 
judgment and make estimates and assumptions that may involve 
significant  uncertainty  at  the  time  they  are  made.  We  regularly 
reassess  those  estimates  and  assumptions,  which  encompass 
historical  experience,  expectations  of  the  future  and  other 
pertinent factors, to determine their continuing relevance based 
on  current  conditions  and  we  update  them  as  necessary. 
Changes  in  estimates  and  assumptions  may  have  a  significant 
impact  on  the  financial  statements.  Furthermore,  actual  results 
may differ significantly from our estimates, which could result in 
significant  losses  to  the  Group,  beyond  what  we  anticipated  or 
provided for. 

Key  areas  involving  a  high  degree  of  judgment  and  areas 
where  estimates  and  assumptions  are  significant  to  the 
consolidated and individual financial statements include:
– Fair value of financial instruments
– Allowances and provisions for credit losses
– Pension and other post-employment benefit plans
– Income taxes
– Goodwill 
– Provisions and contingent liabilities
– Consolidation of structured entities

58 

 
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Group performance

Income statement

CHF million

Net interest income

Credit loss (expense) / recovery

Net interest income after credit loss expense

Net fee and commission income

Net trading income

of which: own credit on financial liabilities designated at fair value

Other income

Total operating income

of which: net interest and trading income

Personnel expenses

General and administrative expenses

Depreciation and impairment of property, equipment and software

Amortization and impairment of intangible assets

Total operating expenses

Operating profit / (loss) before tax

Tax expense / (benefit) 

Net profit / (loss)

Net profit / (loss) attributable to non-controlling interests

NNet profit / (loss) attributable to shareholders

Comprehensive income

Total comprehensive income

Total comprehensive income attributable to non-controlling interests

TTotal comprehensive income attributable to shareholders

For the year ended

331.12.17

  6,528

  (128)

  6,400

  17,186

  4,972

  509

  29,067

  11,499

  15,889

  6,808

  1,033

  70

  23,800

  5,268

  4,139

  1,128

  76

  1,053

  218

  428

  (210)

31.12.16

 6,413

 (37)

 6,376

 16,397

 4,948

 599

 28,320

 11,361

 15,720

 7,434

 985

 91

 24,230

 4,090

 805

 3,286

 82

 3,204

 2,170

 352

 1,817

31.12.15

 6,732

 (117)

 6,615

 17,140

 5,742

 553

 1,107

 30,605

 12,474

 15,981

 8,107

 920

 107

 25,116

 5,489

 (898)

 6,386

 183

 6,203

 5,781

 83

 5,698

% change from

31.12.16

 2

 246

 0

 5

 0

 (15)

 3

 1

 1

 (8)

 5

 (23)

 (2)

 29

 414

 (66)

 (7)

 (67)

 (90)

 22

59 

 
 
 
Financial and operating performance
Group performance

Performance by business division and Corporate Center unit – reported and adjusted1,2

CHF million
Operating income as reported

of which: gains on sale of subsidiaries and businesses

of which: gains on sale of financial assets available for sale 4

of which: net foreign currency translation losses 5

FFor the year ended 31.12.17

WWealth 
Manage-
ment
  7,625

WWealth 
Manage-
ment 
Americas
  8,349

PPersonal &
Corporate
Banking
  3,850

AAsset 
Manage-
ment
  2,044

  153

IInvestment 
Bank
  7,651

CCC –
Services3
  (153)

CCC – Non-
core and
Legacy
Portfolio
  (22)

CCC –
Group 
ALM
  (276)

  136

  (22)

UUBS
  29,067

  153
  136

  (22)

Operating income (adjusted)

  7,625

  8,349

  3,850

  1,891

  7,515

  (153)

  (254)

  (22)

  28,800

Operating expenses as reported

of which: personnel-related restructuring expenses 6

of which: non-personnel-related restructuring expenses 6

of which: restructuring expenses allocated from CC ­ Services 6
of which: expenses from modification of terms for certain DCCP 
awards 7

  5,330
  38

  73

  353

  7,141
  1

  0

  113

  2,272
  7

  1,466
  16

  0

  96

  22

  62

Operating expenses (adjusted)

  4,867

  7,028

  2,169

  1,366

  6,402
  38

  18

  303

  25
  6,018

  762
  433

  522

  (935)

  47
  1

  0

  3

  381
  0

  23,800
  534

  0

  6

  634

  0

  743

  43

  375

  25
  22,607

of which: net expenses for provisions for litigation, regulatory and 
similar matters 8

  26

  144

  2

  (3)

  (41)

  242

  0

  51

  420

OOperating profit / (loss) before tax as reported

OOperating profit / (loss) before tax (adjusted)

  2,295

  2,758

  1,208

  1,321

  1,578

  1,681

  578

  525

  1,249

  1,497

  (914)

  (895)

  (322)

  (296)

  (403)

  (397)

  5,268

  6,194

CHF million
Operating income as reported

For the year ended 31.12.16

Wealth 
Manage-
ment
 7,291

Wealth 
Manage-
ment 
Americas
 7,782

Personal &
Corporate
Banking
 3,984

Asset 
Manage-
ment
 1,931

Investment 
Bank
 7,688

CC –
Services3
 (102)

CC – Non-
core and
Legacy
Portfolio
 (36)

CC –
Group 
ALM
 (219)

of which: gains on sale of financial assets available for sale 4

 21

 10

 102

 78

of which: gains on sales of real estate

of which: gains related to investments in associates

of which: net foreign currency translation losses 5

of which: losses on sales of subsidiaries and businesses

 (23)

 21

 120

 (122)

UBS
 28,320

 211

 120

 21

 (122)

 (23)

Operating income (adjusted)

 7,293

 7,772

 3,861

 1,931

 7,610

 (222)

 (97)

 (36)

 28,113

Operating expenses as reported

of which: personnel-related restructuring expenses 6

of which: non-personnel-related restructuring expenses 6

of which: restructuring expenses allocated from CC ­ Services 6

Operating expenses (adjusted)

of which: net expenses for provisions for litigation, regulatory and 
similar matters 8

 5,343
 53

 55
 339

 6,675
 7

 0
 132

 2,224
 4

 0
 113

 1,479
 15

 15
 70

 6,684
 154

 747
 518

 623
 14
 410  (1,084)

 4,896

 6,536

 2,107

 1,379

 6,107

 690

 69

 96

 3

 (2)

 42

 2

 (1)
 0

 0
 0

 (1)

 0

 1,078
 1

 24,230
 751

 0
 21

 706
 0

 1,057

 22,772

 584

 795

OOperating profit / (loss) before tax as reported

OOperating profit / (loss) before tax (adjusted)

  1,948

  2,397

  1,107

  1,236

  1,760

  1,754

  452

  552

  1,004

  1,503

  (849)

  (912)

  (218)

  (96)

  (1,114)

  4,090

  (1,093)

  5,341

60 

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Performance by business division and Corporate Center unit – reported and adjusted (continued)1,2

CHF million
Operating income as reported

of which: own credit on financial liabilities designated at fair value

of which: gains on sales of real estate

of which: gains on sales of subsidiaries and businesses

of which: net foreign currency translation gains 5

of which: gains related to investments in associates

of which: gains on sale of financial assets available for sale 4

of which: net losses related to the buyback of debt

For the year ended 31.12.15

Wealth 
Manage-
ment
 8,155

Wealth 
Manage-
ment 
Americas
 7,381

Personal &
Corporate
Banking
 3,877

Asset 
Manage-
ment
 2,057

Investment 
Bank
 8,821

CC –
Services3
 241

 169

 15

 56

 66

 378

 11

Operating income (adjusted)

 7,971

 7,381

 3,811

 2,001

 8,810

 (137)

Operating expenses as reported

 5,465

 6,663

 2,231

 1,474

 6,929

 1,059

of which: personnel-related restructuring expenses 6

of which: non-personnel-related restructuring expenses 6

of which: restructuring expenses allocated from CC ­ Services 6

of which: a gain related to a change to retiree benefit plans in the US

 20

 38

 265

 0

 0

 137

 (21)

 2

 0

 99

 4

 11

 68

 14

 7

 406

 719

 376

 (986)

of which: impairment of an intangible asset

Operating expenses (adjusted)

 5,142

 6,547

 2,130

 1,392

 11

 6,522

 919

of which: net expenses for provisions for litigation, regulatory and 
similar matters 8

 104

 351

 (2)

 (3)

 2

 15

CC – Non-
core and
Legacy
Portfolio
 (203)

UBS
 30,605

 553

 378

 225

 88

 81

 11

 (257)

 (203)

 29,526

 1,301

 25,116

 14

 0

 43

 460

 775

 0

 (21)
 11

 1,245

 23,891

 620  1,087

CC –
Group 
ALM
 277

 553

 88

 (257)

 (107)

 (5)

 0

 0

 0

 (5)

 0

OOperating profit / (loss) before tax as reported

OOperating profit / (loss) before tax (adjusted)

  2,689

  2,828

  718

  834

  1,646

  1,681

  584

  610

  1,892

  2,288

  (818)

  282

  (1,503)

  5,489

  (1,056)

  (102)

  (1,447)

  5,635

11 Adjusted results are non-GAAP financial measures as defined by SEC regulations.    2 Comparative figures in this table may differ from those originally published in quarterly and annual reports due to adjustments 
following organizational changes, restatements due to the retrospective adoption of new accounting standards or changes in accounting policies, and events after the reporting period.     3 Corporate Center ­ 
Services operating expenses presented in this table are after service allocations to business divisions and other Corporate Center units.    4 Includes a gain on the sale of our investment in London Clearing House in 
the Investment Bank in 2017, gains on sales of our investment in IHS Markit in 2017, 2016 and 2015 in the Investment Bank and a gain on the sale of our investment in Visa Europe in 2016 in Wealth Management 
and Personal & Corporate Banking.     5 Related to the disposal of foreign subsidiaries and branches.      6 Refer to “Note 30 Changes in organization and disposals” in the “Consolidated financial statements” 
section of this report for more information.    7 Relates to the removal of the service period requirement for DCCP awards granted for the performance years 2012 and 2013.    8 Includes recoveries from third parties 
of CHF 53 million, CHF 13 million and CHF 10 million for the years ended 31 December 2017, 31 December 2016 and 31 December 2015, respectively. 

61 

 
 
 
Financial and operating performance
Group performance

2017 compared with 2016

Results

recorded  net  profit  attributable 

We 
to  shareholders  of 
CHF 1,053 million in 2017, which included a net tax expense of 
CHF 4,139  million,  mainly  driven  by  a  CHF 2,865  million  net 
write-down  of  deferred  tax  assets  (DTAs)  following  a  reduction 
in  the  US  federal  corporate  tax  rate  after  the  enactment  of  the 
Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) in the US during the fourth quarter 
of  2017.  In  2016,  net  profit  attributable  to  shareholders  was 
CHF 3,204 million, which included a net tax expense of CHF 805 
million. Excluding the aforementioned net write-down of DTAs, 
net  profit  attributable  to  shareholders  would  have  increased 
22%.

Profit  before  tax  increased  by  CHF 1,178  million  or  29%  to 
CHF 5,268  million,  reflecting  higher  operating  income  and  a 
reduction in operating expenses. Operating income increased by 
CHF 747  million  or  3%,  mainly  due  to  CHF 789  million  higher 
net  fee  and  commission  income,  primarily  in  our  wealth 
management  businesses.  Operating  expenses  decreased  by 
CHF 430  million  or  2%,  mainly  due  to  CHF 626  million  lower 
general  and  administrative  expenses,  mainly  reflecting  CHF 375 
million lower net expenses for provisions for litigation, regulatory 
and similar matters.

In  addition  to  reporting  our  results  in  accordance  with 
International  Financial  Reporting  Standards  (IFRS),  we  report 
adjusted  results  that  exclude  items  that  management  believes 
are  not  representative  of  the  underlying  performance  of  our 

businesses.  Such  adjusted  results  are  non-GAAP  financial 
measures  as  defined  by  SEC  regulations.  For  the  purpose  of 
determining  adjusted  results  for  2017,  we  excluded  gains  of 
CHF 153 million on sale of subsidiaries and businesses related to 
the  disposal  of  Asset  Management’s  fund  administration 
in  Luxembourg  and  Switzerland,  gains  of 
servicing  units 
CHF 136 million on sale of financial assets available for sale, net 
foreign  currency  translation  losses  of  CHF 22  million,  expenses 
of  CHF 25  million  related  to  the  modification  of  terms  for 
Deferred Contingent Capital Plan (DCCP) awards granted for the 
performance  years  2012  and  2013  and  net  restructuring 
expenses of CHF 1,168 million. For 2016, we excluded gains of 
CHF 211  million  on  sale  of  financial  assets  available  for  sale, 
gains of CHF 120 million on sales of real estate, gains of CHF 21 
million related to investments in associates, net foreign currency 
translation losses of CHF 122 million, losses of CHF 23 million on 
sales  of  subsidiaries  and  businesses  and  net  restructuring 
expenses of CHF 1,458 million.

On this adjusted basis, profit before tax increased by CHF 853 
million or 16% to CHF 6,194 million, reflecting CHF 687 million 
higher  adjusted  operating  income  and  CHF 165  million  lower 
adjusted operating expenses.

Operating income

Total operating income was CHF 29,067 million compared with 
CHF 28,320  million.  On  an  adjusted  basis,  total  operating 
income  increased  by  CHF 687  million  or  2%  to  CHF 28,800 
million,  mainly  reflecting  an  increase  of  CHF 789  million  in  net 
fee and commission income.

Net interest and trading income

CHF million

Net interest and trading income
Net interest income

of which: Wealth Management

of which: Wealth Management Americas

of which: Personal & Corporate Banking 

of which: Asset Management

Net trading income

of which: Wealth Management

of which: Wealth Management Americas

of which: Personal & Corporate Banking 

of which: Asset Management
TTotal net interest and trading income

of which: Investment Bank

of which: Corporate Client Solutions

of which: Investor Client Services

of which: Corporate Center 

of which: Services

of which: Group ALM

For the year ended
31.12.16

331.12.17

  6,528

  2,344

  1,679

  2,086

  (14)

  4,972

  694

  332

  376

  (10)

  11,499

  4,282

  1,065

  3,217

  (270)

  (42)

  (157)

 6,413

 2,331

 1,467

 2,199

 (24)

 4,948

 667

 372

 333

 (5)

 11,361

 4,277

 822

 3,455

 (256)

 (89)

 (104)

of which: own credit on financial liabilities designated at fair value

of which: Non-core and Legacy Portfolio

  (71)

 (62)

62 

31.12.15

 6,732

 2,326

 1,174

 2,270

 (17)

 5,742

 708

 362

 343

 12
 12,474

 5,186

 1,001

 4,185

 110

 (3)

 426

 553

 (313)

% change from
31.12.16

 2

 1

 14

 (5)

 (42)

 0

 4

 (11)

 13

 100
 1

 0

 30

 (7)

 5

 (53)

 51

 15

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Net interest and trading income
Total  combined  net  interest  and  trading  income  increased  by 
CHF 138 million to CHF 11,499 million. 

Wealth  Management  net  interest  income  increased  by  CHF 13 
million to CHF 2,344 million, mainly due to an increase in deposit 
revenues,  mostly  reflecting  higher  short-term  US  dollar  interest 
rates, and higher lending revenues. This was largely offset by lower 
allocated treasury-related income from Corporate Center – Group 
Asset  and  Liability  Management  (Group  ALM),  reflecting  lower 
banking  book  interest  income  and  higher  funding  costs  for  long-
term debt that contributes to total loss-absorbing capacity (TLAC). 
Net  trading  income  increased  by  CHF 27  million  to  CHF 694 
million, mainly due to increased client activity, most notably in Asia 
Pacific and Switzerland.

In  Wealth  Management  Americas,  net 

income 
increased by CHF 212 million to CHF 1,679 million, primarily due 
to  an  increase  in  net  interest  margin  on  higher  short-term  US 
dollar interest rates as well as higher lending balances. This was 
partly offset by a CHF 40 million decrease in net trading income, 
mainly due to lower client activity. 

interest 

Personal & Corporate Banking net interest income decreased by 
CHF 113  million  to  CHF 2,086  million,  mainly  due  to  lower 
allocated treasury-related income from Corporate Center – Group 
ALM,  reflecting  higher  funding  costs  for  long-term  debt  that 
contributes to TLAC and lower banking book interest income. This 
was  partly  offset  by  higher  deposit  revenues.  Net  trading  income 
increased  by  CHF 43  million  to  CHF 376  million,  mainly  due  to 
higher revenues from foreign exchange transactions.

Credit loss (expense) / recovery

CHF million
Wealth Management
Wealth Management Americas
Personal & Corporate Banking
Investment Bank
Corporate Center

of which: Non-core and Legacy Portfolio

TTotal

In the Investment Bank, net interest and trading income was 
broadly  stable  at  CHF 4,282  million,  due  to  a  CHF 243  million 
increase  in  Corporate  Client  Solutions,  mainly  in  Equity  Capital 
Markets and Risk Management, which was almost entirely offset 
by  a  CHF 238  million  decrease  in  Investor  Client  Services, 
reflecting lower revenues in Foreign Exchange, Rates and Credit, 
partly offset by higher revenues in Equities.

In  Corporate  Center,  net  interest  and  trading  income 
decreased by CHF 14 million to negative CHF 270 million, mainly 
due to a CHF 53 million decrease in Corporate Center – Group 
ALM, primarily reflecting negative income related to accounting 
asymmetries.  This  was  largely  offset  by  an  increase  of  CHF 47 
million  in  Corporate  Center  –  Services,  mainly  reflecting  higher 
allocated  treasury-related  income  from  Corporate  Center  – 
Group ALM, primarily resulting from a change made in the first 
quarter  of  2017  to  the  methodology  used  to  allocate  certain 
Corporate Center – Group ALM revenues.

Refer  to  “Note  3  Net  interest  and  trading  income”  in  the 
“Consolidated  financial  statements”  section  of  this  report  for 
more information

Credit loss expense / recovery
The net credit loss expense was CHF 128 million compared with 
CHF 37 million, mainly reflecting CHF 79 million higher expenses 
in  the  Investment  Bank,  primarily  related  to  a  margin  loan  to  a 
single client following a significant decrease in the value of the 
collateral.

→ Refer to the “Risk management and control” section of this 

report for more information

For the year ended
31.12.16
 (5)
 (3)
 (6)
 (11)
 (13)

 (13)
 (37)

331.12.17
  (4)
  (4)
  (19)
  (90)
  (11)

  (11)
  (128)

31.12.15
 0
 (4)
 (37)
 (68)
 (8)

 (8)
 (117)

% change from
31.12.16
 (20)
 33
 217
 718
 (15)

 (15)
 246

63 

 
 
 
Financial and operating performance
Group performance

Net fee and commission income
Net fee and commission income increased by CHF 789 million to 
CHF 17,186 million.

Portfolio  management  and  advisory  fees 

increased  by 
CHF 507  million  to  CHF 8,542  million,  primarily  driven  by  our 
wealth  management  businesses,  mainly  due  to  higher  invested 
assets.

Underwriting fees increased by CHF 349 million to CHF 1,295 
million,  largely  due  to  higher  equity  underwriting  revenues, 
mainly in the Investment Bank. 

→ Refer to “Note 4 Net fee and commission income” in the 

“Consolidated financial statements” section of this report for 

more information

Other income
Other  income  was  CHF 509  million  compared  with  CHF 599 
million.  Excluding  the  aforementioned  adjusting  items,  which 
consist of gains on sales of subsidiaries and businesses, gains on 
sales  of  financial  assets  available  for  sale  and  real  estate,  gains 
related  to  investments  in  associates  and  net  foreign  currency 
translation losses, adjusted other income decreased by CHF 150 
million. This decrease was mainly due to lower gains on sale of 
financial assets available for sale and a decrease in other sundry 
income.

→ Refer to “Note 5 Other income” in the “Consolidated financial 

Personnel expenses
Personnel expenses increased by CHF 169 million to CHF 15,889 
million  and  included  net  restructuring  expenses  of  CHF 534 
million  in  2017,  mainly  related  to  our  transitioning  activities  to 
nearshore  and  offshore  locations,  compared  with  CHF 751 
million in 2016. In addition, 2017 included expenses of CHF 25 
million  in  the  Investment  Bank  related  to  the  modification  of 
terms in DCCP awards granted for the performance years 2012 
and  2013.  On  an  adjusted  basis,  personnel  expenses  increased 
by CHF 361 million to CHF 15,330 million.

Adjusted  expenses  for  salaries  decreased  by  CHF 104  million 
to  CHF 5,691  million,  mainly  reflecting  our  nearshoring  and 
offshoring initiatives and cost reduction programs.

Adjusted  expenses  for  total  variable  compensation  increased 
by CHF 103 million, reflecting an increase of CHF 241 million in 
expenses  for  current-year  awards,  partly  offset  by  CHF 140 
million lower expenses for awards related to prior years.

Adjusted  other  personnel  expenses  increased  by  CHF 75 
million,  largely  due  to  CHF 49  million  higher  social  security 
expenses.

Financial  advisor  compensation 

in  Wealth  Management 
Americas  increased  by  CHF 289  million  to  CHF 3,986  million, 
mainly  due  to  higher  compensable  revenues  and  changes  we 
announced  in  2016  to  our  financial  advisor  compensation 
model.

statements” section of this report for more information

→ Refer to the “Compensation” section of this report for more 

Operating expenses

Total  operating  expenses  decreased  by  CHF 430  million  or  2% 
to  CHF 23,800  million.  Excluding  net  restructuring  expenses  of 
CHF 1,168  million  compared  with  CHF 1,458  million  in  2016 
and expenses of CHF 25 million in 2017 in the Investment Bank 
related to the modification of terms in DCCP awards granted for 
the performance years 2012 and 2013, adjusted total operating 
expenses  decreased  by  CHF 165  million  or  1%  to  CHF 22,607 
million. This decrease was mainly due to CHF 375 million lower 
net  expenses  for  provisions  for  litigation,  regulatory  and  similar 
matters,  partly  offset  by  a  CHF 289  million  increase  in  financial 
advisor compensation in Wealth Management Americas.

→ Refer to “Note 30 Changes in organization and disposals” in the 
“Consolidated financial statements” section of this report for 

more information on restructuring expenses

information

→ Refer to “Note 6 Personnel expenses,” “Note 26 Pension and 

other post-employment benefit plans” and “Note 27 Employee 

benefits: variable compensation” in the “Consolidated financial 

statements” section of this report for more information

General and administrative expenses
General  and  administrative  expenses  decreased  by  CHF 626 
million  to  CHF 6,808  million.  Excluding  net  restructuring 
expenses  of  CHF 627  million  compared  with  CHF 695  million, 
adjusted  general  and  administrative  expenses  decreased  by 
CHF 558  million,  primarily  reflecting  CHF 375  million  lower  net 
expenses  for  provisions  for  litigation,  regulatory  and  similar 
matters,  a  decrease  in  expenses  for  marketing  and  public 
relations  and  lower  professional  fees.  In  addition,  the  net 
expense  for  the  UK  bank  levy  was  CHF 17  million  in  2017 
compared  with  CHF 123  million,  primarily  as  2017  included  a 
CHF 82 million credit related to prior years. 

64 

Operating expenses

CHF million

Operating expenses as reported
Personnel expenses 
General and administrative expenses 
Depreciation and impairment of property, equipment and software 
Amortization and impairment of intangible assets 
TTotal operating expenses as reported

Adjusting items
Personnel expenses

of which: restructuring expenses 1
of which: expenses from modification of terms for certain DCCP awards 2
of which: a gain related to a change to retiree benefit plans in the US

General and administrative expenses3
Depreciation and impairment of property, equipment and software3
Amortization and impairment of intangible assets

of which: restructuring expenses 1
of which: impairment of an intangible asset

TTotal adjusting items

For the year ended
31.12.16

331.12.17

  15,889
  6,808
  1,033
  70
  23,800

  559
  534
  25

  627
  7
  0
  0

 15,720
 7,434
 985
 91
 24,230

 751
 751

 695
 11
 0
 0

  1,193

 1,458

31.12.15

 15,981
 8,107
 920
 107
 25,116

 439
 460

 (21)
 761
 12
 13
 2
 11
 1,225

% change from
31.12.16

 1
 (8)
 5
 (23)
 (2)

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General and administrative expenses 

Operating expenses (adjusted)4
Personnel expenses 
of which: salaries
of which: total variable compensation
of which: relating to current year 5
of which: relating to prior years 6

of which: expenses for provisions for litigation, regulatory and similar matters
of which: other general and administrative expenses

of which: Wealth Management Americas ­ Financial advisor compensation 7
of which: other personnel expenses 8

 2
 (2)
 3
 11
 (17)
 8
 3
 (8)
 (47)
 (3)
 5
Depreciation and impairment of property, equipment and software 
Amortization and impairment of intangible assets 
 (23)
TTotal operating expenses (adjusted)
 (1)
11 Refer to “Note 30 Changes in organization and disposals” in the “Consolidated financial statements” section of this report for more information.     2 Relates to the removal of the service period requirement for 
DCCP awards granted for the performance years 2012 and 2013.    3 Consists of restructuring expenses.    4 Adjusted results are non-GAAP financial measures as defined by SEC regulations.    5 Includes expenses 
relating  to  performance  awards  and  other  variable  compensation  for  the  respective  performance  year.     6  Consists  of  amortization  of  prior  years’  awards  relating  to  performance  awards  and  other  variable 
compensation.     7 Financial advisor compensation consists of grid-based compensation based directly on compensable revenues generated by financial advisors and supplemental compensation calculated on the 
basis of financial advisor productivity, firm tenure, assets and other variables. It also includes expenses related to compensation commitments with financial advisors entered into at the time of recruitment that are 
subject  to  vesting  requirements.     8  Consists  of  expenses  related  to  contractors,  social  security,  pension  and  other  post-employment  benefit  plans  and  other  personnel  expenses.  Refer  to  “Note  6  Personnel 
expenses” in the “Consolidated financial statements” section of this report for more information.

 15,542
 5,970
 3,410
 2,610
 799
 3,552
 2,613
 7,346
 1,087
 6,259
 908
 94
 23,891

  15,330
  5,691
  3,182
  2,490
  692
  3,986
  2,471
  6,181
  420
  5,761
  1,026
  70
  22,607

 14,969
 5,795
 3,079
 2,249
 832
 3,697
 2,396
 6,739
 795
 5,944
 974
 91
 22,772

At this point in time, we believe that the industry continues to 
operate  in  an  environment  in  which  expenses  associated  with 
litigation, regulatory and similar matters will remain elevated for 
the  foreseeable  future  and  we  continue  to  be  exposed  to  a 
number  of  significant  claims  and  regulatory  matters.  The 
outcome  of  many  of  these  matters,  the  timing  of  a  resolution, 
and  the  potential  effects  of  resolutions  on  our  future  business, 
financial  results  or  financial  condition  are  extremely  difficult  to 
predict.

Depreciation, impairment and amortization
Depreciation  and  impairment  of  property,  equipment  and 
software  increased  by  CHF 48  million  to  CHF 1,033  million, 
largely driven by higher expenses related to internally generated 
capitalized software.

Amortization and impairment of intangible assets was CHF 70 

million compared with CHF 91 million.

→ Refer to “Note 14 Property, equipment and software” and 

“Note 15 Goodwill and intangible assets” in the “Consolidated 

→ Refer to “Note 7 General and administrative expenses” and 

financial statements” section of this report for more 

“Note 20 Provisions and contingent liabilities” in the 

information

“Consolidated financial statements” section of this report for 

more information

65 

 
 
 
Financial and operating performance
Group performance

Tax

Total comprehensive income attributable to shareholders

We recognized an income tax expense of CHF 4,139 million for 
2017,  which  included  a  net  Swiss  tax  expense  of  CHF 485 
million and a net non-Swiss tax expense of CHF 3,654 million.

The  Swiss  tax  expense  included  a  current  tax  expense  of 
CHF 448  million  related  to  taxable  profits  earned  by  Swiss 
subsidiaries, against which no losses were available to offset. In 
addition,  it  included  a  deferred  tax  expense  of  CHF 37  million, 
which  reflected  a  net  decrease  in  deferred  tax  assets  (DTAs) 
previously  recognized  in  relation  to  tax  losses  carried  forward 
and temporary differences.

The non-Swiss tax expense included a current tax expense of 
CHF 427  million  related  to  taxable  profits  earned  by  non-Swiss 
losses  were 
subsidiaries  and  branches,  against  which  no 
available to offset. In addition, it included a deferred tax expense 
of  CHF 3,227  million,  which  reflected  a  net  decrease  in  DTAs 
previously  recognized  in  relation  to  tax  losses  carried  forward 
and temporary differences and mainly related to the write-down 
of US DTAs resulting from the reduction in the federal corporate 
tax  rate  to  21%  from  35%  after  the  enactment  of  the  TCJA 
during the fourth quarter of 2017.

The  tax  expense  of  CHF 4,139  million  for  2017  was  higher 
than  the  tax  expense  of  CHF 805  million  in  2016,  mainly  as 
2017  included  a  net  write-down  of  DTAs  of  CHF 2,865  million 
resulting  from  the  aforementioned  reduction  in  the  US  federal 
corporate tax rate.

The  TCJA  also  introduced  a  new  minimum  tax  regime, 
referred to as the base erosion and anti-abuse tax (BEAT), which 
targets  US  businesses  benefiting  from  deductible  payments 
made to non-US related parties. 

For  2018,  we  currently  forecast  a  full-year  tax  rate  of 
approximately  25%, 
including  the  effects  of  BEAT,  and 
excluding the effects from any periodic remeasurement of DTAs 
and any change in the manner in which we remeasure DTAs.

→ Refer to “Note 8 Income taxes” in the “Consolidated financial 

statements” section of this report for more information
→ Refer to the “Regulatory and legal developments” section of 

this report for more information on the TCJA

→ Refer to the “Risk factors” section of this report for more 

information

In  2017,  total  comprehensive  income  attributable  to  shareholders 
was  negative  CHF 210  million,  reflecting  net  profit  of  CHF 1,053 
million, more than offset by negative other comprehensive income 
(OCI) of CHF 1,263 million.

OCI related to cash flow hedges was negative CHF 621 million, 
primarily  reflecting  a  decrease  in  unrealized  gains  on  hedging 
derivatives that resulted from increases in long-term interest rates. In 
2016,  OCI  related  to  cash  flow  hedges  was  negative  CHF 666 
million.

Foreign  currency  translation  OCI  was  negative  CHF 530  million, 
mainly  resulting  from  the  weakening  of  the  US  dollar  against  the 
Swiss  franc,  partly  offset  by  the  strengthening  of  the  euro  against 
the  Swiss  franc.  In  2016,  foreign  currency  translation  OCI  was 
positive CHF 292 million.

OCI related to own credit on financial liabilities designated at fair 
value  was  negative  CHF 313  million  compared  with  negative 
CHF 115 million and mainly reflected a tightening of credit spreads 
in 2017.

OCI  associated  with  financial  assets  available  for  sale  was 
negative  CHF 86  million  compared  with  negative  CHF 73  million 
and primarily reflected the reclassification of net gains from OCI to 
the  income  statement  upon  sale  of  assets,  partly  offset  by  net 
unrealized  gains  following  decreases  in  the  respective  long-term 
interest rates.

Defined benefit plan OCI was positive CHF 288 million compared 
with  negative  CHF 824  million.  Total  pre-tax  OCI  related  to  UK 
defined  benefit  plans  was  positive  CHF 296  million,  reflecting  OCI 
gains of CHF 213 million from the return on plan assets and an OCI 
gain of CHF 83 million due to a net decrease in the defined benefit 
obligation (DBO). The OCI gain of CHF 83 million from the net DBO 
decrease  reflected  gains  of  CHF 80  million  due  to  changes  in  life 
expectancy assumptions, a gain of CHF 60 million due to a decline 
in  the  rate  of  pension  increase  and  an  OCI  experience  gain  of 
CHF 49  million,  reflecting  the  effects  of  differences  between  the 
previous  actuarial  assumptions  and  what  actually  occurred,  partly 
offset by a loss of CHF 105 million from a decrease in the applicable 
discount rate. 

Total pre-tax OCI related to the Swiss defined benefit plan was 
negative  CHF 78  million.  This  reflected  an  OCI  gain  of  CHF 1,619 
million from the return on plan assets, which was more than offset 
by an OCI loss of CHF 1,394 million representing an increase in the 
excess  of  the  pension  surplus  over  the  estimated  future  economic 
benefit  and  an  OCI  loss  of  CHF 303  million  due  to  the  DBO 
remeasurement. The OCI loss of CHF 303 million related to the DBO 
remeasurement  mainly  reflected  a  loss  of  CHF 170  million  from  a 
decrease in the applicable discount rate and an OCI experience loss 
of CHF 152 million, reflecting the effects of differences between the 
previous actuarial assumptions and what actually occurred.
→ Refer to “Statement of comprehensive income” in the 

“Consolidated financial statements” section of this report for 

more information

→ Refer to “Note 26 Pension and other post-employment benefit 
plans” in the “Consolidated financial statements” section of this 

report for more information on defined benefit plans

66 

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Sensitivity to interest rate movements

As  of  31  December  2017,  we  estimate  that  a  parallel  shift  in 
yield  curves  by  +100  basis  points  could  lead  to  a  combined 
increase in annual net interest income of approximately CHF 0.7 
billion  in  Wealth  Management,  Wealth  Management  Americas 
and  Personal  &  Corporate  Banking.  Of 
increase, 
approximately  CHF 0.4  billion  would  result  from  changes  in  US 
dollar interest rates. 

this 

The immediate effect on shareholders’ equity of such a shift 
in  yield  curves  would  be  a  decrease  of  approximately  CHF 1.5 
billion recognized in OCI, of which approximately CHF 1.3 billion 
would result from changes in US dollar interest rates. Since the 
majority of this effect on shareholders’ equity is related to cash 
flow  hedge  OCI,  which  is  not  recognized  for  the  purposes  of 
calculating regulatory capital, the immediate effect on regulatory 
capital  would  be  an  increase  of  approximately  CHF 0.1  billion, 
primarily related to the estimated effect related to pension fund 
assets and liabilities.

The  aforementioned  estimates  are  based  on  an  immediate 
increase in interest rates, equal across all currencies and relative 
to  implied  forward  rates  applied  to  our  banking  book  and 
financial assets available for sale. These estimates further assume 
no change to balance sheet size and structure, constant foreign 
exchange rates and no specific management action.

Net profit attributable to non-controlling interests

Net  profit  attributable  to  non-controlling  interests  was  CHF 76 
million in 2017 compared with CHF 82 million in the prior year.

From  2018,  we  currently  expect  net  profit  attributable  to 
non-controlling interests to be less than CHF 10 million per year 
following  the  redemption  of  a  EUR  600  million  non-Basel  III-
compliant  hybrid  tier  1  capital  instrument  in  the  fourth  quarter 
of 2017.

Key figures 

Return on tangible equity 
The  return  on  tangible  equity  (RoTE)  was  2.4%  compared  with 
6.9%. On an adjusted basis, the RoTE was 4.0% compared with 
9.0% and was below our 2017 target of more than 15%. This 
was mainly due to a CHF 2,865 million net write-down of DTAs 
in  2017  following  a  reduction  in  the  US  federal  corporate  tax 
rate after the enactment of the TCJA during the fourth quarter 
of 2017.

Cost / income ratio
The  cost  /  income  ratio  was  81.5%  compared  with  85.4%.  On 
an adjusted basis, the cost / income ratio was 78.1% compared 
with 80.9% and was above our 2017 target range of 60–70%.

Common equity tier 1 capital ratio / risk-weighted assets
Our  fully  applied  common  equity  tier  1  (CET1)  capital  ratio 
remained  stable  at  13.8%  as  of  31  December  2017,  exceeding 
our  2017  target  ratio  of  13.0%  and  reflecting  a  CHF 2  billion 
increase  in  CET1  capital  and  a  CHF 15  billion  increase  in  risk-
weighted assets (RWA).

Our  fully  applied  RWA  increased  by  CHF 15  billion  to 
CHF 237  billion  as  of  31  December  2017,  primarily  due  to  a 
CHF 17  billion  increase  in  methodology,  policy  changes  and 
model updates.

→ Refer to the “Investment Bank,” “Corporate Center” and 
“Capital management” sections of this report for more 

information

Common equity tier 1 leverage ratio / leverage ratio denominator
Our  fully  applied  CET1  leverage  ratio  increased  0.2  percentage 
points  to  3.7%  as  of  31  December  2017,  reflecting  the 
aforementioned  increase  in  CET1  capital,  partly  offset  by  a 
CHF 16 billion increase in the leverage ratio denominator (LRD).

Our fully applied LRD increased by CHF 16 billion to CHF 886 
billion as of 31 December 2017, primarily due to asset size and 
other  increases  of  CHF 20  billion,  partly  offset  by  CHF 3  billion 
incremental netting and collateral mitigation as well as currency 
effects of CHF 1 billion.

→ Refer to the “Investment Bank,” “Corporate Center” and 
“Capital management” sections of this report for more 

information

Going concern leverage ratio
Our  fully  applied  going  concern  leverage  ratio  increased  0.1 
percentage points to 4.7% as of 31 December 2017, reflecting a 
CHF 2  billion  increase  in  going  concern  capital,  partly  offset  by 
the aforementioned increase in LRD.

→ Refer to the “Capital management” section of this report for 

more information

67 

 
 
 
Financial and operating performance
Group performance

Net new money and invested assets
Management’s  discussion  and  analysis  on  net  new  money  and 
invested  assets  is  provided  in  the  “Wealth  Management,” 
“Wealth  Management  Americas”  and  “Asset  Management” 
sections of this report.

Disposals in 2018

Hana  Financial  Group,  our  partner  in  South  Korea,  exercised  a 
10-year  buyout  option  to  acquire  Asset  Management’s  51% 
stake  in  UBS  Hana  Asset  Management  in  the  third  quarter  of 
2017.  This  transaction  is  pending  and  still  subject  to  regulatory 
approval.

Seasonal characteristics

Our  revenues  may  show  seasonal  patterns,  notably  in  the 
Investment Bank and our wealth management businesses, which 
typically show the highest client activity levels in the first quarter, 
with  lower  levels  throughout  the  rest  of  the  year,  especially 
during  the  summer  months  and  end-of-year  holiday  season. 
Other  seasonal  factors  that  may  affect  our  businesses  include 
annual  tax  payments  (which  are  concentrated  in  the  second 
quarter  in  the  US)  and  asset  withdrawals  that  tend  to  occur  in 
the fourth quarter.

Return on equity

CHF million, except where indicated

Net profit

Net profit attributable to shareholders

Amortization and impairment of intangible assets

Pre-tax adjusting items1,2

Tax effect on adjusting items3

Adjusted net profit attributable to shareholders

of which: deferred tax (expense) / benefit 4

Adjusted net profit attributable to shareholders excluding deferred tax expense / benefit

Equity 

Equity attributable to shareholders

Less: goodwill and intangible assets
Tangible equity attributable to shareholders

of which: DTAs not eligible as CET1 capital 5

Tangible equity attributable to shareholders excluding DTAs

Return on equity

Return on equity (%)

Return on tangible equity (%)

Adjusted return on tangible equity (%)1

As of or for the year ended

331.12.17

31.12.16

31.12.15

  1,053

  70

  926

  (204)

  1,845

  (3,264)

  5,109

  51,214

  6,398
  44,816

  6,654
  38,162

  2.0

  2.4

  4.0

 3,204

 91

 1,251

 (275)

 4,271

 7

 4,264

 53,621

 6,556
 47,065

 10,238
 36,827

 5.9

 6.9

 9.0

 6,203

 107

 135

 (140)

 6,305

 1,613

 4,692

 55,313

 6,568
 48,745

 10,066
 38,679

 11.8

 13.7

 13.7

Adjusted return on tangible equity excluding deferred tax expense / benefit and DTAs (%)1,6
11 Adjusted results are non-GAAP financial measures as defined by SEC regulations.     2 Refer to the “Performance by business division and Corporate Center unit ­ reported and adjusted” table in this section for 
more information.     3 Generally reflects an indicative tax rate of 22% on pre-tax adjusting items. 2015 included own credit on financial liabilities designated at fair value as an adjusting item with an indicative tax 
rate of 2%.     4 Deferred tax expense / benefit in respect to taxable profits and any remeasurements of DTAs, such as the net write-down due to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act enacted in the fourth quarter of 2017.  
5 DTAs that do not qualify as CET1 capital, reflecting DTAs recognized for tax loss carry-forwards of CHF 5,797 million as 31 December 2017 (31 December 2016: CHF 8,403 million; 31 December 2015: CHF 7,468 
million) as well as DTAs on temporary differences, excess over threshold of CHF 857 million as of 31 December 2017 (31 December 2016: CHF 1,835 million; 31 December 2015: CHF 2,598 million), in accordance 
with fully applied Swiss SRB rules. Refer to the “Capital management” section of this report for more information.     6 Calculated as adjusted net profit / loss attributable to shareholders excluding deferred tax 
expense / benefit, such as the net write-down due to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act enacted in the fourth quarter of 2017, divided by average tangible equity attributable to shareholders excluding any DTAs that do not 
qualify as fully applied CET1 capital. 

  13.8

 12.4

 11.3

68 

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Net new money1

CHF billion

WWealth Management 

WWealth Management (adjusted)2

WWealth Management Americas 

AAsset Management 

of which: excluding money market flows 

of which: money market flows 

For the year ended

331.12.17

31.12.16

31.12.15

  51.1

  51.1

  (6.8)

  58.7

  48.1

  10.6

 26.8

 26.8

 15.4

 (15.5)

 (22.5)

 7.0

 12.9

 22.8

 21.3

 (5.4)

 (0.7)

 (4.7)

11 Net new money excludes interest and dividend income.     2 Adjusted net new money excludes the negative effect on net new money of CHF 9.9 billion in 2015 from our balance sheet and capital optimization 
program.

Invested assets

CHF billion

Wealth Management

Wealth Management Americas1

Asset Management

of which: excluding money market funds

of which: money market funds

As of

% change from

31.12.17

31.12.16

31.12.15

31.12.16

 1,148

 1,195

 776

 701

 76

 977

 1,119

 656

 591

 66

 947

 1,024

 650

 592

 58

 18

 7

 18

 19

 15

1 Certain account types were corrected during 2017. As a result, invested assets as of 31 December 2016 and 31 December 2015 were corrected by CHF 12 billion and CHF 11 billion, respectively.

69 

 
 
 
Financial and operating performance
Group performance

2016 compared with 2015

Operating income

Results

recorded  net  profit  attributable 

We 
to  shareholders  of 
CHF 3,204 million in 2016, which included a net tax expense of 
CHF 805 million. In 2015, net profit attributable to shareholders 
was  CHF 6,203  million,  which  included  a  net  tax  benefit  of 
CHF 898 million. 

Profit  before  tax  was  CHF 4,090  million  in  2016  compared 
with  CHF 5,489  million  in  the  prior  year.  Operating  income 
decreased  by  CHF 2,285  million  or  7%,  mainly  due  to 
CHF 1,113  million  lower  combined  net  interest  and  trading 
income, primarily in the Investment Bank and Corporate Center 
–  Group  ALM,  and  a  decline  of  CHF 743  million  in  net  fee  and 
commission 
in  Wealth  Management. 
Operating expenses decreased by CHF 886 million or 4%, mainly 
due  to  CHF 673  million  lower  general  and  administrative 
expenses  and  a  decline  of  CHF 261  million  in  personnel 
expenses. 

income,  primarily 

In  addition  to  reporting  our  results  in  accordance  with  IFRS, 
we report adjusted results that exclude items that management 
believes are not representative of the underlying performance of 
our  businesses.  Such  adjusted  results  are  non-GAAP  financial 
measures  as  defined  by  SEC  regulations.  For  the  purpose  of 
determining  adjusted  results  for  2016,  we  excluded  gains  of 
CHF 211  million  on  sale  of  financial  assets  available  for  sale, 
gains on sales of real estate of CHF 120 million, gains of CHF 21 
million related to investments in associates, net foreign currency 
translation  losses  of  CHF 122  million,  losses  on  sales  of 
subsidiaries  and  businesses  of  CHF 23  million  and  net 
restructuring  expenses  of  CHF 1,458  million.  For  2015,  we 
excluded an own credit gain of CHF 553 million, gains on sales 
of  real  estate  of  CHF 378  million,  gains  on  sales  of  subsidiaries 
and  businesses  of  CHF 225  million,  net  foreign  currency 
translation  gains  of  CHF 88  million,  gains  of  CHF 81  million 
related to investments in associates, gains of CHF 11 million on 
sale of financial assets available for sale, net losses related to the 
buyback  of  debt  in  a  tender  offer  of  CHF 257  million,  net 
restructuring  expenses  of  CHF 1,235  million,  a  gain  of  CHF 21 
million related to a change to retiree benefit plans in the US and 
an impairment of an intangible asset of CHF 11 million. 

On  this  adjusted  basis,  profit  before  tax  was  CHF 5,341 
million  in  2016  compared  with  CHF 5,635  million  in  the  prior 
year,  reflecting  CHF 1,413  million  lower  operating  income, 
largely offset by CHF 1,119 million lower operating expenses.

Total operating income was CHF 28,320 million compared with 
CHF 30,605  million.  On  an  adjusted  basis,  total  operating 
income  decreased  by  CHF 1,413  million  or  5%  to  CHF 28,113 
million,  mainly  reflecting  a  decrease  of  CHF 743  million  in  net 
fee  and  commission 
lower 
combined net interest and trading income.

income  and  CHF 560  million 

Net interest and trading income
Total  combined  net  interest  and  trading  income  decreased  by 
CHF 1,113  million  to  CHF 11,361  million.  Excluding  the  own 
credit gain of CHF 553 million in 2015, adjusted net interest and 
trading income decreased by CHF 560 million. 

In  Wealth  Management,  net  interest  and  trading  income 
decreased  by  CHF 36  million  to  CHF 2,998  million,  mainly 
reflecting reduced client activity. 

Wealth  Management  Americas  net  interest  and  trading 
income  increased  by  CHF 302  million  to  CHF 1,839  million, 
primarily  due  to  an  increase  in  net  interest  income,  reflecting 
higher  short-term  interest  rates  as  well  as  growth  in  loan  and 
deposit balances.

In  Personal  &  Corporate  Banking,  net  interest  and  trading 
income declined by CHF 81 million to CHF 2,532 million, mainly 
due  to  lower  treasury-related  income  from  Corporate  Center  – 
Group ALM and lower deposit-related income. 

In  the  Investment  Bank,  net  interest  and  trading  income 
decreased  by  CHF 909  million  to  CHF 4,277  million,  primarily 
due  to  a  CHF 513  million  decline  in  Equities,  with  lower 
revenues  in  Derivatives  and  Financing  Services.  In  addition,  net 
interest and trading income decreased by CHF 217 million in our 
Foreign  Exchange,  Rates  and  Credit  businesses,  mainly  as  2015 
benefited from higher volatility and client activity levels following 
the Swiss National Bank’s actions in January 2015.

Corporate  Center  –  Group  ALM  net  interest  and  trading 
income, excluding the effect of own credit, improved by CHF 23 
million. 

In  Corporate  Center  –  Non-core  and  Legacy  Portfolio,  net 
interest  and  trading  income  improved  by  CHF 251  million, 
primarily  as  the  prior  year  included  higher  losses  related  to 
unwind and novation activities.

Credit loss expense / recovery
The  net  credit  loss  expense  was  CHF 37  million  compared  with 
CHF 117 million. The Investment Bank recorded a net credit loss 
expense of CHF 11 million compared with CHF 68 million in the 
prior  year,  reflecting  lower  expenses  related  to  the  energy 
sector. Net credit loss expense in Personal & Corporate Banking 
was CHF 6 million compared with CHF 37 million, mainly due to 
higher net recoveries on existing impaired positions.

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Net fee and commission income
Net  fee  and  commission  income  decreased  by  CHF 743  million 
to CHF 16,397 million. 

Investment  fund  fees  declined  by  CHF 412  million  to 
CHF 3,155 million, mainly in Wealth Management, primarily due 
into 
to  the  effects  of  cross-border  outflows  and  shifts 
retrocession-free  products,  as  well  as  changes  in  clients’  asset 
allocation. 

Underwriting  fees  decreased  by  CHF 300  million  to  CHF 946 
revenues, 

equity  underwriting 

million  due 
predominantly in the Investment Bank. 

lower 

to 

Net brokerage fees declined by CHF 276 million to CHF 2,784 
million,  mainly  in  Wealth  Management  and  the  Investment 
Bank, largely driven by reduced client activity. 

Portfolio  management  and  advisory  fees 

increased  by 
CHF 177  million  to  CHF 8,035  million,  primarily  in  Wealth 
Management  Americas,  mainly  due  to  increased  managed 
account fees, reflecting higher invested asset levels.

Other income
Other  income  was  CHF 599  million  compared  with  CHF 1,107 
million.  Excluding  certain  gains  on  sales  of  financial  assets 
available for sale and real estate, gains related to investments in 
associates, net foreign currency translation gains and losses, and 
gains and losses on sales of subsidiaries and businesses, adjusted 
other  income  decreased  by  CHF 189  million.  This  decline  was 
mainly due to lower gains on sale of financial assets available for 
sale.

Operating expenses

Total  operating  expenses  decreased  by  CHF 886  million  or  4% 
to  CHF 24,230  million.  Net 
restructuring  expenses  were 
CHF 1,458  million  compared  with  CHF 1,235  million,  reflecting 
an increase of CHF 291 million in personnel-related restructuring 
expenses,  mainly  related  to  our  transitioning  activities  to 
nearshore and offshore locations, partly offset by a decrease of 
CHF 69 million in non-personnel-related restructuring expenses. 

Adjusted  total  operating  expenses  decreased  by  CHF 1,119 
million  or  5%  to  CHF 22,772  million.  This  decrease  was  mainly 
due  to  a  decline  of  CHF 607  million  in  adjusted  general  and 
administrative expenses, of which CHF 292 million related to net 
expenses  for  provisions  for  litigation,  regulatory  and  similar 
matters,  and  a  decrease  of  CHF 573  million  in  adjusted 
personnel expenses, primarily due to lower expenses for salaries 
and variable compensation.

Personnel expenses
to 
Personnel  expenses  decreased  by  CHF 261  million 
CHF 15,720  million  and  included  net  restructuring  expenses  of 
CHF 751 million compared with CHF 460 million, largely related 
to our transitioning activities to nearshore and offshore locations 
and  our  cost  reduction  programs.  On  an  adjusted  basis, 
personnel  expenses  decreased  by  CHF 573  million 
to 
CHF 14,969 million. Adjusted expenses for salaries decreased by 
CHF 175 million to CHF 5,795 million, mainly reflecting our cost 
reduction  programs.  Adjusted  expenses  for  total  variable 
compensation  decreased  by  CHF 331  million,  reflecting  a 
decrease  of  CHF 361  million  in  expenses  for  current-year 
awards.

Adjusted  other  personnel  expenses  decreased  by  CHF 217 
million,  largely  due  to  CHF 149  million  lower  pension  costs  for 
our  Swiss  pension  plan,  reflecting  the  effect  of  changes  to 
demographic  and  financial  assumptions,  and  a  decline  of 
CHF 76 million in social security expenses.
Financial  advisor  compensation 

in  Wealth  Management 
Americas  increased  by  CHF 145  million  to  CHF 3,697  million, 
mainly  due  to  currency  effects  and  higher  expenses  for 
compensation  commitments,  reflecting  the  recruitment  of 
financial advisors.

General and administrative expenses
General  and  administrative  expenses  decreased  by  CHF 673 
million to CHF 7,434 million. 

Excluding  net  restructuring  expenses  of  CHF 695  million 
compared  with  CHF 761  million,  adjusted  general  and 
administrative expenses decreased by CHF 607 million, primarily 
reflecting CHF 292 million lower net expenses for provisions for 
litigation,  regulatory  and  similar  matters,  a  decrease  of  CHF 95 
million  in  professional  fees  and  CHF 79  million  lower  expenses 
for  outsourcing  of  IT  and  other  services.  Also,  the  net  expense 
for the annual UK bank levy was CHF 123 million compared with 
CHF 166  million,  primarily  related  to  currency  effects.  This  net 
expense  was  mainly  recorded  in  the  Investment  Bank  and 
Corporate Center – Non-core and Legacy Portfolio. 

Tax

We recognized a net income tax expense of CHF 805 million for 
2016,  which  included  a  net  Swiss  tax  expense  of  CHF 1,094 
million and a net non-Swiss tax benefit of CHF 289 million. 

The  Swiss  tax  expense  included  a  current  tax  expense  of 
CHF 459  million  related  to  taxable  profits,  mainly  earned  by 
Swiss  subsidiaries,  against  which  no  losses  were  available  to 
offset. In addition, it included a deferred tax expense of CHF 635 
million,  which  reflected  a  decrease  in  deferred  tax  assets 
previously  recognized  in  relation  to  tax  losses  carried  forward 
and temporary differences. 

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The net non-Swiss tax benefit included a current tax expense 
of  CHF 353  million  related  to  taxable  profits  earned  by  non-
Swiss  subsidiaries  and  branches,  against  which  no  losses  were 
available to offset. This was more than offset by a net deferred 
tax  benefit  of  CHF 642  million,  primarily  due  to  an  increase  in 
our  US  deferred  tax  assets,  reflecting  updated  profit  forecasts. 
We  recognized  a  tax  expense  in  2016  compared  with  a  tax 
benefit  in  2015,  mainly  due  to  an  upward  revaluation  of  US 
deferred  tax  assets  in  2015  in  relation  to  the  extension  of  the 
forecast period for US taxable profits to seven years from six. In 
2016, there was no extension of the forecast period.

Total comprehensive income attributable to shareholders

total 

comprehensive 

to 
In  2016, 
shareholders  was  CHF 1,817  million,  reflecting  net  profit  of 
CHF 3,204  million,  partly  offset  by  negative  OCI  of  CHF 1,386 
million. 

income  attributable 

Defined  benefit  plan  OCI  was  negative  CHF 824  million 
compared  with  positive  CHF 298  million.  In  2016,  we  updated 
and refined certain actuarial assumptions used in calculating our 
defined benefit obligations (DBOs). This resulted in net OCI gains 
of CHF 319 million related to the Swiss defined benefit plan and 
an OCI gain of CHF 63 million related to the UK pension plan.

Total  pre-tax  OCI  related  to  UK  defined  benefit  plans  was 
negative  CHF 615  million,  reflecting  an  OCI  loss  of  CHF 928 
million  due  to  a  net  increase  in  the  DBO,  mainly  due  to  a 
decrease  in  the  applicable  discount  rate,  partly  offset  by  the 
aforementioned  gain  of  CHF 63  million  from  changes  in 
assumptions. The OCI loss related to the net increase in the DBO 
was  partly  offset  by  OCI  gains  of  CHF 312  million  from  the 
return on plan assets. 

largely offset by an OCI gain of CHF 824 million from the return 
on  plan  assets.  The  OCI  loss  of  CHF 477  million  related  to  the 
net  DBO  increase  was  mainly  due  to  an  experience  loss  of 
CHF 438  million,  reflecting  the  effects  of  differences  between 
the  previous  actuarial  assumptions  and  what  actually  occurred, 
and  a  loss  of  CHF 433  million  from  a  decline  in  the  applicable 
discount  rate,  partly  offset  by  the  aforementioned  net  gain  of 
CHF 319 million from changes in assumptions. 

OCI  related  to  cash  flow  hedges  was  negative  CHF 666 
million,  which  primarily  reflected  a  decrease  in  unrealized  gains 
on hedging derivatives due to an increase in US dollar long-term 
interest  rates.  In  2015,  OCI  related  to  cash  flow  hedges  was 
negative CHF 509 million. 

OCI related to own credit on financial liabilities designated at 
fair  value  was  negative  CHF 115  million  in  2016,  mainly 
reflecting a downward shift in LIBOR curves. 

OCI  associated  with  financial  assets  available  for  sale  was 
negative CHF 73 million compared with negative CHF 63 million 
and primarily reflected the reclassification of net gains from OCI 
to the income statement upon sale of assets, partly offset by net 
unrealized gains following decreases in the respective long-term 
interest rates.

Foreign currency translation OCI was CHF 292 million, mainly 
resulting  from  the  strengthening  of  the  US  dollar  against  the 
Swiss  franc,  partly  offset  by  the  significant  weakening  of  the 
British  pound  against  the  Swiss  franc.  In  addition,  net  losses 
totaling  CHF 126  million  were  reclassified  to  the  income 
statement  following  the  disposal  of  foreign  subsidiaries  and 
branches.

Net profit attributable to non-controlling interests

Total  pre-tax  OCI  related  to  the  Swiss  defined  benefit  plan 
was  a  loss  of  CHF 105  million.  This  reflected  an  OCI  loss  of 
CHF 477  million  related  to  a  net  DBO  increase  and  a  loss  of 
CHF 452  million  representing  an  increase  in  the  excess  of  the 
pension  surplus  over  the  estimated  future  economic  benefit, 

Net  profit  attributable  to  non-controlling  interests  was  CHF 82 
million in 2016 compared with CHF 183 million in the prior year. 
This mainly related to dividends of CHF 79 million that were paid 
to preferred noteholders, for which no accrual was required in a 
prior period.

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Wealth Management

Wealth Management1

CHF million, except where indicated

Results
Net interest income
Recurring net fee income2
Transaction-based income3
Other income
Income
Credit loss (expense) / recovery
TTotal operating income
Personnel expenses
General and administrative expenses
Services (to) / from Corporate Center and other business divisions

of which: services from CC – Services

Depreciation and impairment of property, equipment and software
Amortization and impairment of intangible assets
TTotal operating expenses
BBusiness division operating profit / (loss) before tax

Adjusted results4
TTotal operating income as reported

of which: gain / (loss) on sales of subsidiaries and businesses
of which: gain related to investments in associates
of which: gain on sale of financial assets available for sale 5

TTotal operating income (adjusted)
TTotal operating expenses as reported

of which: personnel-related restructuring expenses
of which: non-personnel-related restructuring expenses
of which: restructuring expenses allocated from CC – Services

TTotal operating expenses (adjusted)
BBusiness division operating profit / (loss) before tax as reported
BBusiness division operating profit / (loss) before tax (adjusted)

Key performance indicators6
Pre-tax profit growth (%)
Cost / income ratio (%)
Net new money growth (%)
Gross margin on invested assets (bps)
Net margin on invested assets (bps)

Adjusted key performance indicators4,6
Pre-tax profit growth (%)
Cost / income ratio (%)
Net new money growth (%)
Gross margin on invested assets (bps)
Net margin on invested assets (bps)

As of or for the year ended

331.12.17

31.12.16

31.12.15

% change from
31.12.16

  2,344
  3,634
  1,611
  39
  7,629
  (4)
  7,625
  2,354
  594
  2,372
  2,294
  3
  7
  5,330
  2,295

  7,625

  7,625
  5,330
  38
  73
  353
  4,867
  2,295
  2,758

  17.8
  69.9
  5.2
  72
  22

  15.1
  63.8
  5.2
  72
  26

 2,331
 3,548
 1,397
 20
 7,296
 (5)
 7,291
 2,349
 640
 2,348
 2,256
 2
 4
 5,343
 1,948

 7,291

 (23)

 21
 7,293
 5,343
 53
 55
 339
 4,896
 1,948
 2,397

 (27.6)
 73.2
 2.8
 77
 21

 (15.2)
 67.1
 2.8
 77
 25

 2,326
 3,820
 1,778
 231
 8,155
 0
 8,155
 2,532
 637
 2,289
 2,209
 5
 3
 5,465
 2,689

 8,155
 169
 15

 7,971
 5,465
 20
 38
 265
 5,142
 2,689
 2,828

 15.6
 67.0
 1.3
 86
 28

 12.6
 64.5
 2.3
 84
 30

 1
 2
 15
 95
 5
 (20)
 5
 0
 (7)
 1
 2
 50
 75
 0
 18

 5

 5
 0

 (1)
 18
 15

 (6)
 5

 (6)
 4

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Financial and operating performance
Wealth Management

Wealth Management (continued)1

CHF million, except where indicated

Additional information
Recurring income7
Recurring income as a percentage of income (%)
Average attributed equity (CHF billion)8
Return on attributed equity (%)8
Return on attributed tangible equity (%)8
Risk-weighted assets (CHF billion)8

of which: held by Wealth Management (CHF billion)
of which: held by CC – Group ALM on behalf of Wealth Management (CHF billion) 9

Leverage ratio denominator (CHF billion)8

of which: held by Wealth Management (CHF billion)
of which: held by CC – Group ALM on behalf of Wealth Management (CHF billion) 9

As of or for the year ended

331.12.17

31.12.16

31.12.15

% change from
31.12.16

 5,880
 80.6
 3.5
 56.1

 25.8
 25.8

 115.5
 115.5

 6,146
 75.4
 3.5
 77.4

 25.3
 25.3

 119.0
 119.0

 2

 77

 17
 12

 51
 11

  5,978
  78.4
  6.2
  37.1
  47.7
  30.2
  29.0
  1.2
  173.9
  128.0
  45.9
  1.4
  51.1
  1,148
  1,338
  115.2
  195.3
  9,665
  3,794

Goodwill and intangible assets (CHF billion)
Net new money (CHF billion)
Invested assets (CHF billion)
 18
 16
Client assets (CHF billion)
Loans, gross (CHF billion)
 13
Due to customers (CHF billion)
 2
Personnel (full-time equivalents)
 (1)
 (2)
Client advisors (full-time equivalents)
11 Comparative figures in this table may differ from those originally published in quarterly and annual reports due to adjustments following organizational changes, restatements due to the retrospective adoption of 
new  accounting  standards  or  changes  in  accounting  policies,  and  events  after  the  reporting  period.     2  Recurring  net  fee  income  consists  of  fees  for  services  provided  on  an  ongoing  basis  such  as  portfolio 
management fees, asset-based investment fund fees, custody fees and account-keeping fees, which are generated on client assets.    3 Transaction-based income consists of the non-recurring portion of net fee and 
commission income, mainly consisting of brokerage and transaction-based investment fund fees as well as credit card fees and fees for payment transactions, together with net trading income.     4 Adjusted results 
are non-GAAP financial measures as defined by SEC regulations.     5 Reflects a gain on the sale of our investment in Visa Europe in 2016.     6 Refer to the “Measurement of performance” section of this report for 
the  definitions  of  our  key  performance  indicators.     7 Recurring  income  consists  of  net  interest  income  and  recurring  net  fee  income.     8  Refer  to  the  “Capital  management”  section  of  this  report  for  more 
information.     9  Represents  risk-weighted  assets  and  leverage  ratio  denominator  held  by  Corporate  Center  –  Group  ALM  that  are  directly  associated  with  activity  managed  centrally  on  behalf  of  the  business 
divisions  and  other  Corporate  Center  units.  For  the  purpose  of  attributing  equity  under  the  revised  framework  effective  as  of  1  January  2017,  these  resources  are  allocated  to  the  business  divisions  and  other 
Corporate Center units, primarily based on the level of high-quality liquid assets needed to meet the Group’s minimum liquidity coverage ratio requirement of 110%. Refer to “Equity attribution and return on 
attributed equity” in the “Capital management” section of this report for more information.

 1.3
 12.9
 947
 1,122
 105.2
 172.3
 10,239
 4,019

 1.3
 26.8
 977
 1,157
 101.9
 192.3
 9,721
 3,859

 8

Regional breakdown of key figures1

As of or for the year ended 31.12.17
Net new money (CHF billion)

Net new money growth (%)

Invested assets (CHF billion)

Client advisors (full-time equivalents)

Europe
 17.4

Asia Pacific
 28.3

Switzerland
 5.7

Emerging markets
 0.8

Total of 
regions2
 52.2

of which: ultra high 
net worth
 45.2

of which: Global 
Family Office 3
 6.3

 4.9

 402

 1,265

 9.7

 373

 1,037

 3.2

 204

 743

 0.5

 166

 651

 5.3

 1,145

 3,696

 8.2

 678

 810 4

 6.7

 120

1 Refer to the “Measurement of performance” section of this report for the definitions of our key performance indicators.     2 Excluding minor functions with 98 client advisors, CHF 3 billion of invested assets, and 
CHF 1.1 billion of net new money outflows in 2017.     3 Joint venture between Wealth Management and the Investment Bank. Global Family Office is reported as a sub-segment of ultra high net worth and is 
included in the ultra high net worth figures.     4 Represents client advisors who exclusively serve ultra high net worth clients. In addition to these, other client advisors may also serve certain ultra high net worth 
clients, but not exclusively.

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Results

Profit  before  tax  increased  by  CHF 347  million  or  18%  to 
CHF 2,295  million  and  adjusted  profit  before  tax  increased  by 
CHF 361 million or 15% to CHF 2,758 million, mainly reflecting 
higher operating income.

Operating income
Total  operating  income  increased  by  CHF 334  million  or  5%  to 
CHF 7,625  million.  2016  included  a  loss  on  the  sale  of 
subsidiaries  and  businesses  of  CHF 23  million  and  a  gain  of 
CHF 21  million  on  the  sale  of  our  investment  in  Visa  Europe. 
Excluding  these  items,  adjusted  operating  income  increased  by 
CHF 332 million or 5% to CHF 7,625 million, driven by increases 
across all income lines.

Net interest income increased by CHF 13 million to CHF 2,344 
million,  primarily  due  to  higher  deposit  revenues,  mostly 
reflecting higher short-term US dollar interest rates, as well as an 
increase  in  lending  revenues.  This  was  partly  offset  by  lower 
allocated  treasury-related  income  from  Corporate  Center  – 
Group  Asset  and  Liability  Management  (Group  ALM),  reflecting 
lower  banking  book  interest  income  and  higher  funding  costs 
for  long-term  debt  that  contributes  to  total  loss-absorbing 
capacity. 

Recurring  net  fee  income  increased  by  CHF 86  million  to 
CHF 3,634  million,  predominantly  driven  by  higher  average 
invested assets, increases in discretionary and advisory mandate 
penetration  and  pricing  measures.  These  factors  were  partly 
offset  by  the  effects  of  cross-border  outflows  and  shifts  into 
retrocession-free products.

Transaction-based  income  increased  by  CHF 214  million  to 
CHF 1,611  million  across  all  regions  and  most  products,  mainly 
due to increased client activity, most notably in Asia Pacific and 
Switzerland.

Other income increased by CHF 19 million to CHF 39 million, 

reflecting net gains on sales of subsidiaries and businesses.

Operating expenses
Total  operating  expenses  decreased  by  CHF 13  million  to 
CHF 5,330  million  and  adjusted  operating  expenses  decreased 
by CHF 29 million or 1% to CHF 4,867 million. 

Personnel expenses increased by CHF 5 million to CHF 2,354 
million and increased by CHF 20 million to CHF 2,316 million on 
an adjusted basis, mainly due to higher variable compensation. 

General  and  administrative  expenses  decreased  by  CHF 46 
million  to  CHF 594  million  and  decreased  by  CHF 64  million  to 
CHF 521  million  on  an  adjusted  basis,  predominantly  driven  by 
lower  net  expenses  for  provisions  for  litigation,  regulatory  and 
similar matters.

Net  expenses  for  services  from  Corporate  Center  and  other 
business  divisions  increased  by  CHF 24  million  to  CHF 2,372 
million and increased by CHF 10 million to CHF 2,019 million on 
an  adjusted  basis,  mainly  reflecting  higher  costs  related  to 
strategic and regulatory initiatives and higher net expenses from 
control  functions,  partly  offset  by  lower  net  expenses  from 
Group Technology.

Cost / income ratio
The cost / income ratio decreased to 69.9% from 73.2%. On an 
adjusted  basis,  the  ratio  decreased  to  63.8%  from  67.1%  and 
was within our 2017 target range of 55% to 65%.

Net new money
Net  new  money  was  CHF 51.1 billion  compared  with  CHF 26.8 
billion,  resulting  in  an  annual  growth  rate  of  5.2%  compared 
with  2.8%,  which  was  above  our  2017  target  range  of  3%  to 
5%.  Net  new  money  was  positive  in  all  regions,  predominantly 
driven  by  inflows  in  Asia  Pacific  and  Europe.  Cross-border-
related net outflows were CHF 12 billion compared with CHF 14 
billion,  mainly  driven  by  outflows  in  emerging  markets.  In 
addition,  we  incurred  net  outflows  of  CHF 8  billion  related  to 
the  introduction  of  fees  on  euro  deposit  concentrations  in 
Europe,  emerging  markets  and  Switzerland.  Net  new  money 
from ultra high net worth clients was CHF 45.2 billion compared 
with CHF 27.3 billion.

Invested assets
Invested  assets  increased  by  CHF 171  billion  to  CHF 1,148 
billion,  primarily  reflecting  positive  market  performance  of 
CHF 114  billion,  net  new  money  of  CHF 51  billion,  positive 
foreign  currency  translation  effects  of  CHF 4  billion  and  an 
increase  of  CHF 4  billion  due  to  the  positive  net  effect  of 
acquisitions  and  divestments  of  subsidiaries  and  businesses. 
Discretionary  and  advisory  mandate  penetration  increased  to 
28.9% from 26.9%.

Personnel

Wealth Management employed 9,665 personnel compared with 
9,721. The number of client advisors decreased by 65 to 3,794 
and  the  number  of  non-client-facing  staff  remained  stable  at 
5,871.

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2016 compared with 2015

Results

Profit  before  tax  decreased  by  CHF 741  million  or  28%  to 
CHF 1,948  million  and  adjusted  profit  before  tax  decreased  by 
CHF 431  million  or  15%  to  CHF 2,397  million,  reflecting  lower 
operating 
income,  partly  offset  by  decreased  operating 
expenses.

Operating income
Total operating income decreased by CHF 864 million or 11% to 
CHF 7,291  million.  2016  included  a  loss  on  the  sale  of 
subsidiaries  and  businesses  of  CHF 23  million  and  a  gain  of 
CHF 21  million  on  the  sale  of  our  investment  in  Visa  Europe. 
2015  included  net  gains  of  CHF 169  million  on  the  sale  of 
subsidiaries and businesses and a CHF 15 million gain related to 
our investment in the SIX Group. Excluding these items, adjusted 
operating  income  decreased  by  CHF 678  million  or  9%  to 
CHF 7,293  million,  mainly  due  to  lower  transaction-based 
income and recurring net fee income.

Net interest income increased by CHF 5 million to CHF 2,331 
million,  mainly  due  to  higher  deposit  revenues,  partly  offset  by 
lower  treasury-related  income  from  Corporate  Center  –  Group 
Asset and Liability Management (Group ALM). 

Recurring  net  fee  income  decreased  by  CHF 272  million  to 
CHF 3,548  million  due  to  the  effects  of  cross-border  outflows 
and  shifts  into  retrocession-free  products,  changes  in  clients’ 
asset  allocation  and  the  effect  of  our  exit  from  the  Australian 
and  Belgian  domestic  businesses.  This  was  partly  offset  by  the 
effects  of  increases  in  discretionary  and  advisory  mandate 
penetration and pricing measures. 

Transaction-based  income  decreased  by  CHF 381  million  to 
CHF 1,397  million  across  all  regions  and  most  products,  mainly 
due  to  reduced  client  activity,  most  notably  in  Asia  Pacific  and 
emerging markets. Additionally, 2015 included a fee of CHF 45 
million received from Personal & Corporate Banking for the shift 
of clients, as a result of a detailed client segmentation review. 

Other  income  decreased  by  CHF 211  million  to  CHF 20 
million,  mainly  related  to  the  aforementioned  net  gains  on  the 
sale of subsidiaries and businesses in 2015.

Operating expenses
Total  operating  expenses  decreased  by  CHF 122  million  or  2% 
to CHF 5,343 million and adjusted operating expenses decreased 
by CHF 246 million or 5% to CHF 4,896 million. 

to 
Personnel  expenses  decreased  by  CHF 183  million 
CHF 2,349  million  and  adjusted  personnel  expenses  decreased 
by CHF 216 million to CHF 2,296 million, driven by a decrease in 
staff levels and lower variable compensation expenses, as well as 
lower  pension  costs  for  our  Swiss  pension  plan,  reflecting  the 
effects of changes to demographic and financial assumptions. 

General  and  administrative  expenses  increased  by  CHF 3 
to  CHF 640  million  and  adjusted  general  and 
million 
administrative expenses decreased by CHF 14 million to CHF 585 
million.  This  was  driven  by  a  CHF 35  million  decrease  in  net 
expenses  for  provisions  for  litigation,  regulatory  and  similar 
matters, partly offset by higher professional fees.

Net  expenses  for  services  from  Corporate  Center  and  other 
business  divisions  increased  by  CHF 59  million  to  CHF 2,348 
million  and  adjusted  net  expenses  for  services  decreased  by 
CHF 15  million  to  CHF 2,009  million,  mainly  reflecting  lower 
expenses  from  Group  Operations  partly  offset  by  higher 
occupancy expenses from Group Corporate Services.

Cost / income ratio
The cost / income ratio increased to 73.2% from 67.0%. On an 
adjusted  basis,  the  ratio  increased  to  67.1%  from  64.5%  and 
was above our target range of 55% to 65%.

Net new money
Net  new  money  was  CHF 26.8  billion  compared  with  adjusted 
net  new  money  of  CHF 22.8  billion  in  the  prior  year,  which 
excluded the negative effect of CHF 9.9 billion from our balance 
sheet  and  capital  optimization  program.  The  net  new  money 
growth rate was 2.8% compared with an adjusted growth rate 
of  2.3%,  and  was  below  our  target  range  of  3%  to  5%.  Net 
new money was driven predominantly by inflows in Asia Pacific, 
but  also  Europe  and  Switzerland,  partly  offset  by  outflows  in 
emerging  markets,  mainly  due  to  cross-border  outflows.  Total 
cross-border outflows were CHF 14 billion compared with CHF 8 
billion,  mainly  driven  by  outflows  in  emerging  markets.  On  a 
global  basis,  net  new  money  from  ultra  high  net  worth  clients 
was CHF 27.3 billion compared with adjusted net new money of 
CHF 23.4 billion.

Invested assets
Invested  assets  increased  by  CHF 30  billion  to  CHF 977  billion, 
primarily  reflecting  net  new  money  of  CHF 27  billion  and 
positive market performance of CHF 19 billion, partly offset by a 
CHF 13  billion  decrease  due  to  the  sale  of  subsidiaries  and 
businesses  that  did  not  affect  net  new  money,  and  negative 
translation  effects  of  CHF 1  billion. 
foreign 
Discretionary  and  advisory  mandate  penetration  increased  to 
26.9% from 26.4%.

currency 

Personnel

Wealth Management employed 9,721 personnel compared with 
10,239.  The  number  of  client  advisors  decreased  by  160  to 
3,859  and  the  number  of  non-client-facing  staff  decreased  by 
358  to  5,862,  both  driven  by  our  cost  reduction  programs  and 
our  exit  from  the  Australian  domestic  business.  Of  the 
aforementioned  decrease  in  client  advisors,  82  were  related  to 
our exit from the Australian domestic business. 

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Wealth Management Americas – in US dollars1

USD million, except where indicated

Results
Net interest income
Recurring net fee income2
Transaction-based income3
Other income
Income
Credit loss (expense) / recovery
TTotal operating income
Personnel expenses

Financial advisor compensation4
Compensation commitments with recruited financial advisors5
Salaries and other personnel costs
General and administrative expenses
Services (to) / from Corporate Center and other business divisions

of which: services from CC – Services

Depreciation and impairment of property, equipment and software
Amortization and impairment of intangible assets
TTotal operating expenses
BBusiness division operating profit / (loss) before tax

Adjusted results6
TTotal operating income as reported

of which: gain on sale of financial assets available for sale

TTotal operating income (adjusted)
TTotal operating expenses as reported

of which: personnel-related restructuring expenses
of which: non-personnel-related restructuring expenses
of which: restructuring expenses allocated from CC – Services
of which: a gain related to a change to retiree benefit plans in the US 

TTotal operating expenses (adjusted)
BBusiness division operating profit / (loss) before tax as reported
BBusiness division operating profit / (loss) before tax (adjusted)

Key performance indicators7
Pre-tax profit growth (%)
Cost / income ratio (%)
Net new money growth (%)
Gross margin on invested assets (bps)
Net margin on invested assets (bps)

Adjusted key performance indicators6,7
Pre-tax profit growth (%)
Cost / income ratio (%)
Net new money growth (%)
Gross margin on invested assets (bps)
Net margin on invested assets (bps)

As of or for the year ended

331.12.17

31.12.16

31.12.15

% change from
31.12.16

  1,712
  5,263
  1,516
  24
  8,516
  (4)
  8,512
  5,274
  3,310
  754
  1,210
  657
  1,307
  1,286
  2
  42
  7,282
  1,230

  8,512

  8,512
  7,282
  1
  0
  115

  7,167
  1,230
  1,345

  10.0
  85.5
  (0.7)
  73
  11

  7.6
  84.2
  (0.7)
  73
  12

 1,484
 4,880
 1,474
 35
 7,873
 (3)
 7,871
 4,874
 2,931
 808
 1,135
 576
 1,250
 1,236
 2
 50
 6,752
 1,118

 7,871
 10
 7,861
 6,752
 7
 0
 134

 6,610
 1,118
 1,250

 48.3
 85.8
 1.5
 74
 10

 43.0
 84.1
 1.5
 74
 12

 1,215
 4,795
 1,614
 32
 7,657
 (4)
 7,653
 4,746
 2,921
 761
 1,064
 845
 1,252
 1,236
 3
 53
 6,899
 754

 7,653

 7,653
 6,899
 0
 0
 141
 (21)

 6,779
 754
 874

 (23.1)
 90.1
 2.1
 75
 7

 (15.1)
 88.5
 2.1
 75
 9

 15
 8
 3
 (31)
 8
 33
 8
 8
 13
 (7)
 7
 14
 5
 4
 0
 (16)
 8
 10

 8

 8
 8

 8
 10
 8

 (1)
 10

 (1)
 0

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Wealth Management Americas – in US dollars (continued)1

USD million, except where indicated

Additional information
Recurring income8
Recurring income as a percentage of income (%)
Average attributed equity (USD billion)9
Return on attributed equity (%)9
Return on attributed tangible equity (%)9
Risk-weighted assets (USD billion)9

of which: held by Wealth Management Americas (USD billion)
of which: held by CC – Group ALM on behalf of Wealth Management Americas (USD billion) 10

Leverage ratio denominator (USD billion)9

of which: held by Wealth Management Americas (USD billion)
of which: held by CC – Group ALM on behalf of Wealth Management Americas (USD billion) 10

As of or for the year ended

331.12.17

31.12.16

31.12.15

% change from
31.12.16

 6,364
 80.8
 2.6
 43.0

 23.4
 23.4

 66.9
 66.9

 6,010
 78.5
 2.6
 29.3

 21.9
 21.9

 62.8
 62.8

 10

 158

 16
 12

 35
 10

  6,975
  81.9
  6.7
  18.3
  41.6
  27.2
  26.2
  1.0
  90.2
  73.7
  16.6
  3.6
  (7.2)
  21.7
  1,225
  1,288
  54.4
  77.6
  2,619
  580
  13,512
  6,822

 (3)

Goodwill and intangible assets (USD billion)
Net new money (USD billion)
Net new money including interest and dividend income (USD billion)11
Invested assets (USD billion)12
 11
 11
Client assets (USD billion)
 5
Loans, gross (USD billion)
 (13)
Due to customers (USD billion)
Recruitment loans to financial advisors
 (14)
 26
Other loans to financial advisors
Personnel (full-time equivalents)
 0
Financial advisors (full-time equivalents)
 (3)
11 Comparative figures in this table may differ from those originally published in quarterly and annual reports due to adjustments following organizational changes, restatements due to the retrospective adoption of 
new  accounting  standards  or  changes  in  accounting  policies,  and  events  after  the  reporting  period.     2  Recurring  net  fee  income  consists  of  fees  for  services  provided  on  an  ongoing  basis  such  as  portfolio 
management fees, asset-based investment fund fees, custody fees and account-keeping fees, which are generated on client assets.    3 Transaction-based income consists of the non-recurring portion of net fee and 
commission income, mainly consisting of brokerage and transaction-based investment fund fees as well as credit card fees and fees for payment transactions, together with net trading income.    4 Financial advisor 
compensation consists of grid-based compensation based directly on compensable revenues generated by financial advisors and supplemental compensation calculated on the basis of financial advisor productivity, 
firm  tenure,  assets  and  other  variables.     5  Compensation  commitments  with  recruited  financial  advisors  represent  expenses  related  to  compensation  commitments  granted  to  financial  advisors  at  the  time  of 
recruitment that are subject to vesting requirements.     6 Adjusted results are non-GAAP financial measures as defined by SEC regulations.     7 Refer to the “Measurement of performance” section of this report for 
the  definitions  of  our  key  performance  indicators.     8  Recurring  income  consists  of  net  interest  income  and  recurring  net  fee  income.     9  Refer  to  the  “Capital  management”  section  of  this  report  for  more 
information.     10 Represents risk-weighted assets and leverage ratio denominator held by Corporate Center – Group ALM that are directly associated with activity managed centrally on behalf of the business 
divisions  and  other  Corporate  Center  units.  For  the  purpose  of  attributing  equity  under  the  revised  framework  effective  as  of  1 January  2017,  these  resources  are  allocated  to  the  business  divisions  and  other 
Corporate Center units, primarily based on the level of high-quality liquid assets needed to meet the Group’s minimum liquidity coverage ratio requirement of 110%. Refer to “Equity attribution and return on 
attributed equity” in the “Capital management” section of this report for more information.     11 Presented in line with historical reporting practice in the US market.     12 Certain account types were corrected 
during 2017. As a result, invested assets as of 31 December 2016 and 31 December 2015 were corrected by USD 11 billion. The effect on net new money in all periods was immaterial.

 3.7
 21.4
 47.8
 1,022
 1,084
 48.7
 83.1
 3,179
 418
 13,611
 7,140

 3.7
 15.4
 40.8
 1,100
 1,160
 51.6
 89.2
 3,033
 462
 13,526
 7,025

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2017 compared with 2016

Results

Profit  before  tax  increased  by  USD 112  million  or  10%  to 
USD 1,230  million,  and  adjusted  profit  before  tax  increased  by 
USD 95  million  or  8%  to  USD 1,345  million  driven  by  higher 
operating income, partly offset by higher operating expenses.

Operating income
Total  operating  income  increased  by  USD 641  million  or  8%  and 
adjusted operating income increased by USD 651 million or 8% to 
USD 8,512  million,  mainly  due  to  higher  net  interest  income  and 
recurring net fee income.

Net interest income increased by USD 228 million to USD 1,712 
million,  primarily  due  to  an  increase  in  net  interest  margin  on 
higher short-term US dollar interest rates as well as higher lending 
balances. The average mortgage portfolio balance increased 18% 
and  the  average  securities-backed  lending  portfolio  balance 
increased 2%.

Recurring  net  fee  income  increased  by  USD 383  million  to 
USD 5,263  million,  mainly  due  to  increased  invested  assets  in 
managed accounts.

Transaction-based  income  increased  by  USD 42  million  to 

USD 1,516 million, primarily due to higher client activity.

Operating expenses
Total  operating  expenses  increased  by  USD 530  million  or  8%  to 
USD 7,282  million  and  adjusted  operating  expenses  increased  by 
USD 557 million or 8% to USD 7,167 million.

Personnel  expenses 

increased  by  USD 400  million 

to 
USD 5,274 million and adjusted personnel expenses increased by 
USD 406  million  to  USD 5,273  million,  mainly  due  to  USD 379 
million higher financial advisor compensation and an increase in 
salaries  and  other  personnel  costs.  The  higher  financial  advisor 
compensation  reflects  higher  compensable  revenues  as  well  as 
changes  we  announced  in  2016  to  our  financial  advisor 
compensation  model.  The 
in  salaries  and  other 
personnel  costs  is  due  to  an  increase  in  support  staff.  These 
increases were partly offset by lower expenses for compensation 
commitments with recruited financial advisors.

increase 

General  and  administrative  expenses  increased  by  USD 81 
million  to  USD 657  million,  largely  due  to  a  USD  51  million  net 
expense for provisions for litigation, regulatory and similar matters. 
Furthermore, other provisions increased by USD 22 million, mainly 
as 2016 included a release of USD 18 million.

Net  expenses  for  services  from  Corporate  Center  and  other 
business divisions increased by USD 57 million to USD 1,307 million 
and  increased  by  USD 76  million  to  USD 1,192  million  on  an 
adjusted  basis,  mainly  reflecting  higher  costs  related  to  Group 
Technology and strategic and regulatory initiatives.

Cost / income ratio
The  cost  /  income  ratio  decreased  to  85.5%  from  85.8%.  On  an 
adjusted basis, the cost / income ratio was 84.2% compared with 
84.1% and was within our 2017 target range of 75% to 85%. 

Net new money
Net new money outflows were USD 7.2 billion compared with net 
inflows of USD 15.4 billion, reflecting outflows from net recruiting 
partly offset by inflows from financial advisors employed with UBS 
for  more  than  one  year.  The  net  new  money  growth  rate  was 
negative 0.7% compared with positive 1.5%, and was below our 
2017 target range of 2% to 4%.

Invested assets
Invested assets increased by USD 125 billion to USD 1,225 billion, 
reflecting  positive  market  performance  of  USD 135  billion,  partly 
offset  by  net  new  money  outflows  of  USD 7  billion.  Discretionary 
and  advisory  mandate  penetration  increased  to  36.8%  from 
35.1%.

Personnel

As  of  31  December  2017,  Wealth  Management  Americas 
employed 13,512 personnel, a decrease of 14 from 31 December 
2016. Financial advisor headcount decreased by 203 to 6,822, due 
to  attrition.  Non-financial  advisor  headcount  increased  by  189  to 
6,690 due to an increase in support staff.

79 

 
 
 
Financial and operating performance
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2016 compared with 2015

Results

Profit  before  tax  increased  by  USD 364  million  or  48%  to 
USD 1,118  million,  and  adjusted  profit  before  tax  increased  by 
USD 376  million  or  43%  to  USD 1,250  million  due  to  higher 
operating income and lower operating expenses.

Operating income
Total  operating  income  increased  by  USD 218  million  or  3%  to 
USD 7,871  million.  Adjusted  operating  income  increased  by 
USD 208  million  or  3%  to  USD 7,861  million,  due  to  higher  net 
interest income and recurring net fee income, partly offset by lower 
transaction-based income.

Net interest income increased by USD 269 million to USD 1,484 
million, due to higher short-term interest rates and growth in loan 
and  deposit  balances.  The  average  mortgage  portfolio  balance 
increased 12% and the average securities-backed lending portfolio 
balance increased 6%.

Recurring  net  fee  income  increased  by  USD 85  million  to 
USD 4,880 million, mainly due to increased managed account fees, 
reflecting higher invested asset levels.

Transaction-based  income  decreased  by  USD 140  million  to 

USD 1,474 million, primarily due to lower client activity levels.

Operating expenses
Operating  expenses  decreased  by  USD 147  million  or  2%  to 
USD 6,752  million  and  adjusted  operating  expenses  decreased  by 
USD 169  million  or  2%  to  USD 6,610  million,  due  to  USD 260 
million  lower  net  expenses  for  provisions  for  litigation,  regulatory 
and  similar  matters,  partly  offset  by  higher  adjusted  personnel 
expenses. 

Personnel expenses increased by USD 128 million to USD 4,874 
million  and  adjusted  personnel  expenses  increased  by  USD 101 

million to USD 4,867 million, mainly due to higher salary costs and 
other personnel costs due to an increase in support staff, as well as 
higher  expenses  for  compensation  commitments,  reflecting  the 
recruitment of financial advisors.

General  and  administrative  expenses  decreased  by  USD 269 
million  to  USD 576  million,  mainly  due  to  the  aforementioned 
reduction  in  net  expenses  for  provisions  for  litigation,  regulatory 
and similar matters. 

Cost / income ratio
The cost / income ratio was 85.8% compared with 90.1%. On an 
adjusted basis, the cost / income ratio was 84.1% compared with 
88.5% and was within our target range of 75% to 85%.

Net new money
Net  new  money  was  USD 15.4  billion  compared  with  USD 21.4 
billion,  reflecting  lower  inflows  from  financial  advisors  employed 
with UBS for more than one year. The net new money growth rate 
was 1.5% compared with 2.1%, and was below our target range 
of 2% to 4%.

Invested assets
Invested  assets  increased  by  USD 78  billion  to  USD 1,100  billion, 
reflecting  positive  market  performance  of  USD 62  billion  and  net 
new  money  inflows  of  USD 15  billion.  Discretionary  and  advisory 
mandate penetration increased to 35.1% from 34.3%.

Personnel

As  of  31  December  2016,  Wealth  Management  Americas 
employed 13,526 personnel, a decrease of 85 from 31 December 
2015. Financial advisor headcount decreased by 115 to 7,025, due 
to  attrition.  Non-financial  advisor  headcount  increased  by  30  to 
6,501. 

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Wealth Management Americas – in Swiss francs1

CHF million, except where indicated

Results
Net interest income
Recurring net fee income2
Transaction-based income3
Other income
Income
Credit loss (expense) / recovery
TTotal operating income
Personnel expenses

Financial advisor compensation4
Compensation commitments with recruited financial advisors5
Salaries and other personnel costs
General and administrative expenses
Services (to) / from Corporate Center and other business divisions

of which: services from CC – Services

Depreciation and impairment of property, equipment and software
Amortization and impairment of intangible assets
TTotal operating expenses
BBusiness division operating profit / (loss) before tax

Adjusted results6
TTotal operating income as reported

of which: gain on sale of financial assets available for sale 

TTotal operating income (adjusted)
TTotal operating expenses as reported

of which: personnel-related restructuring expenses
of which: non-personnel-related restructuring expenses
of which: restructuring expenses allocated from CC – Services
of which: a gain related to a change to retiree benefit plans in the US 

TTotal operating expenses (adjusted)
BBusiness division operating profit / (loss) before tax as reported
BBusiness division operating profit / (loss) before tax (adjusted)

Key performance indicators7
Pre-tax profit growth (%)
Cost / income ratio (%)
Net new money growth (%)
Gross margin on invested assets (bps)
Net margin on invested assets (bps)

Adjusted key performance indicators6,7
Pre-tax profit growth (%)
Cost / income ratio (%)
Net new money growth (%)
Gross margin on invested assets (bps)
Net margin on invested assets (bps)

As of or for the year ended

331.12.17

31.12.16

31.12.15

% change from
31.12.16

  1,679
  5,162
  1,488
  24
  8,353
  (4)
  8,349
  5,173
  3,246
  740
  1,187
  644
  1,282
  1,262
  2
  41
  7,141
  1,208

  8,349

  8,349
  7,141
  1
  0
  113

  7,028
  1,208
  1,321

  9.1
  85.5
  (0.6)
  73
  11

  6.9
  84.1
  (0.6)
  73
  12

 1,467
 4,825
 1,458
 35
 7,785
 (3)
 7,782
 4,819
 2,898
 799
 1,122
 570
 1,235
 1,221
 2
 50
 6,675
 1,107

 7,782
 10
 7,772
 6,675
 7
 0
 132

 6,536
 1,107
 1,236

 54.2
 85.7
 1.5
 75
 11

 48.2
 84.1
 1.5
 74
 12

 1,174
 4,623
 1,555
 31
 7,384
 (4)
 7,381
 4,579
 2,817
 735
 1,027
 822
 1,209
 1,193
 3
 51
 6,663
 718

 7,381

 7,381
 6,663
 0
 0
 137
 (21)

 6,547
 718
 834

 (20.2)
 90.2
 2.1
 75
 7

 (11.8)
 88.7
 2.1
 75
 8

 14
 7
 2
 (31)
 7
 33
 7
 7
 12
 (7)
 6
 13
 4
 3
 0
 (18)
 7
 9

 7

 7
 7

 8
 9
 7

 (3)
 0

 (1)
 0

81 

 
 
 
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Wealth Management Americas – in Swiss francs (continued)1

CHF million, except where indicated

Additional information
Recurring income8
Recurring income as a percentage of income (%)
Average attributed equity (CHF billion)9
Return on attributed equity (%)9
Return on attributed tangible equity (%)9
Risk-weighted assets (CHF billion)9

of which: held by Wealth Management Americas (CHF billion)
of which: held by CC – Group ALM on behalf of Wealth Management Americas (CHF billion) 10

Leverage ratio denominator (CHF billion)9

of which: held by Wealth Management Americas (CHF billion)
of which: held by CC – Group ALM on behalf of Wealth Management Americas (CHF billion) 10

As of or for the year ended

331.12.17

31.12.16

31.12.15

% change from
31.12.16

 6,292
 80.8
 2.6
 43.4

 23.8
 23.8

 68.1
 68.1

 5,798
 78.5
 2.5
 29.0

 21.9
 21.9

 62.9
 62.9

 9

 154

 11
 7

 29
 5

  6,841
  81.9
  6.6
  18.3
  41.6
  26.5
  25.5
  1.0
  88.0
  71.8
  16.2
  3.5
  (6.8)
  21.4
  1,195
  1,256
  53.0
  75.6
  2,553
  565
  13,512
  6,822

 (5)

Goodwill and intangible assets (CHF billion)
Net new money (CHF billion)
Net new money including interest and dividend income (CHF billion)11
Invested assets (CHF billion)12
 7
 6
Client assets (CHF billion)
 1
Loans, gross (CHF billion)
 (17)
Due to customers (CHF billion)
Recruitment loans to financial advisors
 (17)
 20
Other loans to financial advisors
Personnel (full-time equivalents)
 0
Financial advisors (full-time equivalents)
 (3)
11 Comparative figures in this table may differ from those originally published in quarterly and annual reports due to adjustments following organizational changes, restatements due to the retrospective adoption of 
new  accounting  standards  or  changes  in  accounting  policies,  and  events  after  the  reporting  period.     2  Recurring  net  fee  income  consists  of  fees  for  services  provided  on  an  ongoing  basis  such  as  portfolio 
management fees, asset-based investment fund fees, custody fees and account-keeping fees, which are generated on client assets.    3 Transaction-based income consists of the non-recurring portion of net fee and 
commission income, mainly consisting of brokerage and transaction-based investment fund fees as well as credit card fees and fees for payment transactions, together with net trading income.    4 Financial advisor 
compensation consists of grid-based compensation based directly on compensable revenues generated by financial advisors and supplemental compensation calculated on the basis of financial advisor productivity, 
firm  tenure,  assets  and  other  variables.     5  Compensation  commitments  with  recruited  financial  advisors  represent  expenses  related  to  compensation  commitments  granted  to  financial  advisors  at  the  time  of 
recruitment that are subject to vesting requirements.     6 Adjusted results are non-GAAP financial measures as defined by SEC regulations.     7 Refer to the “Measurement of performance” section of this report for 
the  definitions  of  our  key  performance  indicators.     8  Recurring  income  consists  of  net  interest  income  and  recurring  net  fee  income.     9  Refer  to  the  “Capital  management”  section  of  this  report  for  more 
information.     10 Represents risk-weighted assets and leverage ratio denominator held by Corporate Center − Group ALM that are directly associated with activity managed centrally on behalf of the business 
divisions  and  other  Corporate  Center  units.  For  the  purpose  of  attributing  equity  under  the  revised  framework  effective  as  of  1 January  2017,  these  resources  are  allocated  to  the  business  divisions  and  other 
Corporate Center units, primarily based on the level of high-quality liquid assets needed to meet the Group’s minimum liquidity coverage ratio requirement of 110%. Refer to “Equity attribution and return on 
attributed equity” in the “Capital management” section of this report for more information.     11 Presented in line with historical reporting practice in the US market.     12 Certain account types were corrected 
during  2017.  As  a  result,  invested  assets  as  of  31  December  2016  and  31  December  2015  were  corrected  by  CHF  12  billion  and  CHF  11  billion,  respectively.  The  effect  on  net  new  money  in  all  periods  was 
immaterial.

 3.7
 21.3
 46.9
 1,024
 1,085
 48.8
 83.2
 3,184
 418
 13,611
 7,140

 3.7
 15.4
 40.5
 1,119
 1,181
 52.5
 90.8
 3,087
 471
 13,526
 7,025

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Personal & Corporate Banking1

CHF million, except where indicated

Results
Net interest income
Recurring net fee income2
Transaction-based income3

Other income
Income

Credit loss (expense) / recovery
TTotal operating income

Personnel expenses

General and administrative expenses

Services (to) / from Corporate Center and other business divisions

of which: services from CC – Services

Depreciation and impairment of property, equipment and software

Amortization and impairment of intangible assets
TTotal operating expenses

BBusiness division operating profit / (loss) before tax

Adjusted results4
TTotal operating income as reported

of which: gain related to investments in associates
of which: gain on sale of financial assets available for sale 5

TTotal operating income (adjusted)

TTotal operating expenses as reported

of which: personnel-related restructuring expenses

of which: non-personnel-related restructuring expenses

of which: restructuring expenses allocated from CC – Services

TTotal operating expenses (adjusted)

BBusiness division operating profit / (loss) before tax as reported

BBusiness division operating profit / (loss) before tax (adjusted)

Key performance indicators6
Pre-tax profit growth (%)

Cost / income ratio (%)

Net interest margin (bps)

Net new business volume growth for personal banking (%)

Adjusted key performance indicators4,6
Pre-tax profit growth (%)

Cost / income ratio (%)

Net interest margin (bps)

Net new business volume growth for personal banking (%)

As of or for the year ended

331.12.17

31.12.16

31.12.15

% change from
31.12.16

  2,086

  593

  1,104

  86
  3,869

  (19)
  3,850

  836

  290

  1,133

  1,227

  13

  0
  2,272

  1,578

  3,850

  3,850

  2,272

  7

  0

  96

  2,169

  1,578

  1,681

  (10.3)

  58.7

  157

  4.0

  (4.2)

  56.1

  157

  4.0

 2,199

 553

 1,028

 211
 3,990

 (6)
 3,984

 845

 285

 1,080

 1,186

 15

 0
 2,224

 1,760

 3,984

 21

 102

 3,861

 2,224

 4

 0

 113

 2,107

 1,760

 1,754

 6.9

 55.7

 163

 3.1

 4.3

 54.5

 163

 3.1

 2,270

 544

 959

 140
 3,913

 (37)
 3,877

 873

 264

 1,077

 1,180

 17

 0
 2,231

 1,646

 3,877

 66

 3,811

 2,231

 2

 0

 99

 2,130

 1,646

 1,681

 9.3

 57.0

 167

 2.4

 7.1

 55.4

 167

 2.4

 (5)

 7

 7

 (59)
 (3)

 217
 (3)

 (1)

 2

 5

 3

 (13)

 2

 (10)

 (3)

 0

 2

 3

 (10)

 (4)

 (4)

 (4)

83 

 
 
 
Financial and operating performance
Personal & Corporate Banking

Personal & Corporate Banking (continued)1

CHF million, except where indicated

Additional information
Average attributed equity (CHF billion)7
Return on attributed equity (%)7
Return on attributed tangible equity (%)7
Risk-weighted assets (CHF billion)7

of which: held by Personal & Corporate Banking (CHF billion)
of which: held by CC – Group ALM on behalf of Personal & Corporate Banking (CHF billion) 8

Leverage ratio denominator (CHF billion)7

of which: held by Personal & Corporate Banking (CHF billion)
of which: held by CC – Group ALM on behalf of Personal & Corporate Banking (CHF billion) 8

Business volume for personal banking (CHF billion)

Net new business volume for personal banking (CHF billion)
Client assets (CHF billion)9

Loans, gross (CHF billion) 

Due to customers (CHF billion)

As of or for the year ended

331.12.17

31.12.16

31.12.15

% change from
31.12.16

  6.1

  25.8

  25.8

  49.1

  48.0

  1.0

  186.9

  148.0

  38.9
  155

  6.0
  667

  131.4

  135.9

 4.1

 43.2

 41.6

 41.6

 152.2

 152.2

 149

 4.6
 630

 133.9

 135.9

 3.9

 41.9

 34.6

 34.6

 153.8

 153.8

 148

 3.4
 611

 135.6

 132.4

 49

 18

 15

 23

 (3)

 4

 6

 (2)

 0

  92.7

Secured loan portfolio as a percentage of total loan portfolio, gross (%)
Impaired loan portfolio as a percentage of total loan portfolio, gross (%)10
Personnel (full-time equivalents)
 (1)
11 Comparative figures in this table may differ from those originally published in quarterly and annual reports due to adjustments following organizational changes, restatements due to the retrospective adoption of 
new  accounting  standards  or  changes  in  accounting  policies,  and  events  after  the  reporting  period.     2  Recurring  net  fee  income  consists  of  fees  for  services  provided  on  an  ongoing  basis  such  as  portfolio 
management fees, asset-based investment fund fees, custody fees and account-keeping fees, which are generated on client assets.    3 Transaction-based income consists of the non-recurring portion of net fee and 
commission income, mainly consisting of brokerage and transaction-based investment fund fees as well as credit card fees and fees for payment transactions, together with net trading income.     4 Adjusted results 
are non-GAAP financial measures as defined by SEC regulations.     5 Reflects a gain on the sale of our investment in Visa Europe in 2016.     6 Refer to the “Measurement of performance” section of this report for 
the definitions of our key performance indicators.     7 Refer to the “Capital management” section of this report for more information.     8 Represents risk-weighted assets and leverage ratio denominator held by 
Corporate Center – Group ALM that are directly associated with activity managed centrally on behalf of the business divisions and other Corporate Center units. For the purpose of attributing equity under the 
revised framework effective as of 1 January 2017, these resources are allocated to the business divisions and other Corporate Center units, primarily based on the level of high-quality liquid assets needed to meet 
the Group’s minimum liquidity coverage ratio requirement of 110%. Refer to “Equity attribution and return on attributed equity” in the “Capital management” section of this report for more information.    9 Client 
assets are comprised of invested assets and other assets held purely for transactional purposes or custody only. We do not measure net new money for Personal & Corporate Banking.    10 Refer to the “Risk 
management and control” section of this report for more information on impaired loan exposures.

  0.6
  5,102

 0.6
 5,058

 0.6
 5,143

 93.9

 92.9

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Results

Profit  before  tax  decreased  by  CHF 182  million  or  10%  to 
CHF 1,578  million.  Adjusted  profit  before  tax  decreased  by 
CHF 73 million or 4% to CHF 1,681 million, due to slightly lower 
operating income and higher operating expenses. 

Operating income
Total operating income decreased by CHF 134 million or 3% to 
CHF 3,850  million.  2016  included  a  gain  on  the  sale  of  our 
investment  in  Visa  Europe  of  CHF 102  million,  as  well  as  gains 
related to investments in associates of CHF 21 million. Excluding 
these  items,  adjusted  operating  income  decreased  by  CHF 11 
million to CHF 3,850 million, mainly reflecting lower net interest 
income, partly offset by higher transaction-based income.

Net 

interest 

income  decreased  by  CHF 113  million  to 
CHF 2,086  million,  mainly  due  to  lower  allocated  treasury-
related  income  from  Corporate  Center  –  Group  Asset  and 
Liability  Management  (Group  ALM)  reflecting  higher  funding 
costs for long-term debt that contributes to total loss-absorbing 
capacity  and  lower  banking  book  interest  income.  This  was 
partly offset by higher deposit revenues. 

→ Refer to the “Corporate Center – Group Asset and Liability 
Management” section under “Financial and operating 

performance” for more information

Recurring  net  fee  income  increased  by  CHF 40  million  to 
CHF 593 million, mainly reflecting higher custody and mandates 
revenues.

Transaction-based  income  increased  by  CHF 76  million  to 
CHF 1,104  million,  mainly  reflecting  higher  revenues  from 
foreign exchange and credit card transactions. 

Other  income  decreased  by  CHF 125  million  to  CHF 86 
million,  mainly  due  to  the  aforementioned  gains  on  the  sale  of 
our investment in Visa Europe and investments in associates.

We  recorded  a  net  credit  loss  expense  of  CHF 19  million 
compared  with  CHF 6  million,  reflecting  higher  expenses  for 
newly  impaired  positions  as  well  as  lower  net  recoveries  on 
existing impaired positions. 

→ Refer to the “Risk management and control” section of this 

report for more information

Operating expenses
Operating  expenses  increased  by  CHF 48  million  to  CHF 2,272 
million  and  adjusted  operating  expenses  increased  by  CHF 62 
million to CHF 2,169 million.

Personnel  expenses  decreased  by  CHF 9  million  to  CHF 836 
million  and  adjusted  personnel  expenses  decreased  by  CHF 12 
million  to  CHF 829  million,  mainly  reflecting  lower  salary  costs 
due  to  a  decrease  in  the  number  of  employees  and  other  cost 
saving initiatives.

General  and  administrative  expenses  slightly  increased  by 

CHF 5 million to CHF 290 million.

Net  expenses  for  services  from  Corporate  Center  and  other 
business  divisions  increased  by  CHF 53  million  to  CHF 1,133 
million.  Adjusted  net  expenses  increased  by  CHF 70  million  to 
CHF 1,037 million, mainly reflecting higher expenses for services 
for  strategic  and  regulatory 
initiatives  and  from  Group 
Operations. 

Cost / income ratio
The cost / income ratio increased to 58.7% from 55.7%. On an 
adjusted  basis,  the  ratio  increased  to  56.1%  compared  with 
54.5%  and  remained  within  our  2017  target  range  of  50%  to 
60%.

Net interest margin
The  net  interest  margin  decreased  6  basis  points  to  157  basis 
points  on  both  a  reported  and  adjusted  basis,  and  remained 
within our 2017 target range of 140 to 180 basis points.

Net new business volume growth for personal banking
The  net  new  business  volume  growth  rate  for  our  personal 
banking business was 4.0% compared with 3.1% and remained 
within  the  upper  level  of  our  2017  target  range  of  1%  to  4%. 
Net new client assets and, to a lesser extent, net new loans were 
positive.

Personnel

Personal  &  Corporate  Banking  employed  5,102  personnel  as  of 
31  December  2017,  a  decrease  of  41  compared  with  5,143 
personnel as of 31 December 2016.

85 

 
 
 
Operating expenses
Operating  expenses  decreased  by  CHF 7  million  to  CHF 2,224 
million  and  adjusted  operating  expenses  decreased  by  CHF 23 
million to CHF 2,107 million.

Personnel expenses decreased by CHF 28 million to CHF 845 
million, mainly due to lower pension costs for our Swiss pension 
plan,  reflecting  the  effect  of  changes  to  demographic  and 
financial  assumptions,  as  well  as  lower  variable  compensation 
expenses.  This  was  partly  offset  by  higher  expenses  due  to  a 
shift of staff from Wealth Management to Personal & Corporate 
Banking. 

General  and  administrative  expenses  increased  by  CHF 21 
million  to  CHF 285  million,  mainly  reflecting  higher  capital-
related levies in Switzerland.

Net  expenses  for  services  from  Corporate  Center  and  other 
business  divisions  increased  by  CHF 3  million  to  CHF 1,080 
million.  Adjusted  net  expenses  decreased  by  CHF 11  million  to 
CHF 967 million, mainly reflecting lower allocations from Group 
Operations and Group Technology. 

Cost / income ratio
The cost / income ratio decreased to 55.7% from 57.0%. On an 
adjusted  basis,  the  ratio  decreased  to  54.5%  compared  with 
55.4% and remained within our target range of 50% to 60%.

Net interest margin
The  net  interest  margin  decreased  4  basis  points  to  163  basis 
points  on  both  a  reported  and  adjusted  basis,  and  remained 
within our target range of 140 to 180 basis points.

Net new business volume growth for personal banking
The  net  new  business  volume  growth  rate  for  our  personal 
banking business was 3.1% compared with 2.4% and remained 
within our target range of 1% to 4%. Net new client assets and, 
to a lesser extent, net new loans were positive. 

Personnel

Personal  &  Corporate  Banking  employed  5,143  personnel  as  of 
31  December  2016,  an  increase  of  85  compared  with  5,058 
personnel  as  of  31  December  2015,  mainly  reflecting  a  shift  of 
staff  from  Wealth  Management  to  Personal  &  Corporate 
Banking.

Financial and operating performance
Personal & Corporate Banking

2016 compared with 2015

Results

Profit  before  tax  increased  by  CHF 114  million  or  7%  to 
CHF 1,760  million.  Adjusted  profit  before  tax  increased  by 
CHF 73  million  or  4%  to  CHF 1,754  million,  due  to  higher 
operating income and lower operating expenses. 

Operating income
Total  operating  income  increased  by  CHF 107  million  or  3%  to 
CHF 3,984  million.  2016  included  a  gain  on  the  sale  of  our 
investment  in  Visa  Europe  of  CHF 102  million,  as  well  as  gains 
related to investments in associates of CHF 21 million, compared 
with  CHF 66  million.  Excluding  these  items,  adjusted  operating 
income increased by CHF 50 million to CHF 3,861 million, mainly 
reflecting  higher  transaction-based  income  and  a  lower  net 
credit  loss  expense,  partly  offset  by  decreased  net  interest 
income.
Net 

income  decreased  by  CHF 71  million  to 
CHF 2,199 million, mainly due to lower treasury-related income 
from Corporate Center – Group Asset and Liability Management 
(Group  ALM)  and  lower  deposit-related  income  driven  by  the 
adverse effect of persistently low interest rates on our replication 
portfolios. This was partly offset by higher loan-related income. 

interest 

Recurring  net  fee  income  increased  by  CHF 9  million  to 
CHF 553  million,  mainly  reflecting  higher  account-keeping  fees 
partly offset by lower fee income allocated from Group ALM for 
the provision of collateral in relation to issued covered bonds.

Transaction-based  income  increased  by  CHF 69  million  to 
CHF 1,028  million,  mainly  as  2015  included  a  fee  of  CHF 45 
million paid to Wealth Management for the shift of clients as a 
result  of  a  detailed  client  segmentation  review.  Additionally, 
2016 included higher fees from corporate finance activity. 

Other  income  increased  by  CHF 71  million  to  CHF 211 
million,  mainly  due  to  the  aforementioned  gains  on  the  sale  of 
our investment in Visa Europe and investments in associates.

We  recorded  a  net  credit  loss  expense  of  CHF 6  million 
compared  with  CHF 37  million,  mainly  due  to  higher  net 
recoveries on existing impaired positions. 

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Asset Management1

CHF million, except where indicated

Results
Net management fees2
Performance fees 
Gains on sale of subsidiaries and businesses
TTotal operating income 
Personnel expenses 
General and administrative expenses 
Services (to) / from Corporate Center and other business divisions 

of which: services from CC – Services 

Depreciation and impairment of property, equipment and software 
Amortization and impairment of intangible assets 
TTotal operating expenses
BBusiness division operating profit / (loss) before tax 

Adjusted results3
TTotal operating income as reported 

of which: gains on sale of subsidiaries and businesses

TTotal operating income (adjusted) 
TTotal operating expenses as reported 

of which: personnel-related restructuring expenses 
of which: non-personnel-related restructuring expenses 
of which: restructuring expenses allocated from CC – Services

TTotal operating expenses (adjusted) 
BBusiness division operating profit / (loss) before tax as reported 
BBusiness division operating profit / (loss) before tax (adjusted) 

Key performance indicators4
Pre-tax profit growth (%) 
Cost / income ratio (%) 
Net new money growth excluding money market flows (%) 
Gross margin on invested assets (bps) 
Net margin on invested assets (bps) 

Adjusted key performance indicators3,4
Pre-tax profit growth (%) 
Cost / income ratio (%) 
Net new money growth excluding money market flows (%) 
Gross margin on invested assets (bps) 
Net margin on invested assets (bps) 

Information by business line / asset class5
NNet new money (CHF billion) 
Equities
Fixed Income

of which: money market

Multi Assets & Solutions
Hedge Fund Businesses
Real Estate & Private Markets
TTotal net new money 

As of or for the year ended

331.12.17

31.12.16

31.12.15

% change from
31.12.16

  1,764
  127
  153
  2,044
  716
  231
  514
  551
  1
  3
  1,466
  578

  2,044
  153
  1,891
  1,466
  16
  22
  62
  1,366
  578
  525

  27.9
  71.7
  8.1
  29
  8

  (4.9)
  72.2
  8.1
  26
  7

  18.5
  28.1
  10.6
  4.9
  2.2
  5.0
  58.7

 1,810
 122

 1,931
 727
 241
 506
 530
 1
 4
 1,479
 452

 1,931

 1,931
 1,479
 15
 15
 70
 1,379
 452
 552

 (22.6)
 76.6
 (3.8)
 30
 7

 (9.5)
 71.4
 (3.8)
 30
 9

 (9.9)
 (3.0)
 7.0
 (4.2)
 (0.3)
 1.8
 (15.5)

 1,847
 154
 56
 2,057
 729
 232
 502
 523
 2
 8
 1,474
 584

 2,057
 56
 2,001
 1,474
 4
 11
 68
 1,392
 584
 610

 25.1
 71.7
 (0.1)
 32
 9

 19.8
 69.6
 (0.1)
 31
 9

 (16.3)
 (3.2)
 (4.7)
 6.5
 4.3
 3.2
 (5.4)

 (3)
 4

 6
 (2)
 (4)
 2
 4
 0
 (25)
 (1)
 28

 6

 (2)
 (1)

 (1)
 28
 (5)

 (3)
 14

 (13)
 (22)

87 

 
 
 
Financial and operating performance
Asset Management

Asset Management (continued)1

CHF million, except where indicated

As of or for the year ended

331.12.17

31.12.16

31.12.15

% change from
31.12.16

IInvested assets (CHF billion) 
Equities
Fixed Income

of which: money market

Multi Assets & Solutions
Hedge Fund Businesses
Real Estate & Private Markets
TTotal invested assets 

of which: passive strategies

Information by region 
IInvested assets (CHF billion) 
Americas
Asia Pacific
Europe, Middle East and Africa
Switzerland
TTotal invested assets 

Information by channel
IInvested assets (CHF billion) 
Third-party institutional
Third-party wholesale
UBS’s wealth management businesses
TTotal invested assets 

Assets under administration6
Assets under administration (CHF billion)7
Net new assets under administration (CHF billion)8
Gross margin on assets under administration (bps)

Additional information 
Average attributed equity (CHF billion)9

Return on attributed equity (%)9

Return on attributed tangible equity (%)9

Risk-weighted assets (CHF billion)9

of which: held by Asset Management (CHF billion)
of which: held by CC – Group ALM on behalf of Asset Management (CHF billion) 10

Leverage ratio denominator (CHF billion)9

of which: held by Asset Management (CHF billion)
of which: held by CC – Group ALM on behalf of Asset Management (CHF billion) 10

Goodwill and intangible assets (CHF billion) 

Personnel (full-time equivalents) 

  293
  242
  76
  126
  41
  74
  776
  286

  183
  159
  174
  261
  776

  486
  80
  210
  776

  1.7

  34.0

  184.6

  4.0

  3.9
  0.1

  4.8

  2.7
  2.1

  1.4

  2,335

 220
 210
 66
 121
 39
 67
 656
 207

 160
 129
 143
 225
 656

 395
 75
 186
 656

 420
 0.3
 3

 1.4

 32.3

 3.9

 3.9

 2.7

 2.7

 219
 208
 58
 123
 39
 62
 650
 197

 152
 136
 143
 219
 650

 383
 71
 196
 650

 407
 24.0
 5

 1.6

 36.5

 2.6

 2.6

 2.7

 2.7

 1.4

 2,308

 1.4

 2,277

 33
 15
 15
 4
 5
 10
 18
 38

 14
 23
 22
 16
 18

 23
 7
 13
 18

 21

 3

 0

 78

 0

 0

 1

11 Comparative figures in this table may differ from those originally published in quarterly and annual reports due to adjustments following organizational changes, restatements due to the retrospective adoption of 
new accounting standards or changes in accounting policies, and events after the reporting period.     2 Net management fees include transaction fees, fund administration revenues (including net interest and 
trading  income  from  lending  activities  and  foreign  exchange  hedging  as  part  of  the  fund  services  offering),  gains  or  losses  from  seed  money  and  co-investments,  funding  costs,  and  other  items  that  are  not 
performance  fees.     3  Adjusted  results  are  non-GAAP  financial  measures  as  defined  by  SEC  regulations.     4  Refer  to  the  “Measurement  of  performance”  section  of  this  report  for  the  definitions  of  our  key 
performance indicators.    5 As of 1 January 2017, Asset Management was reorganized into the following business lines: Equities, Fixed Income, Multi Assets & Solutions, Hedge Fund Businesses and Real Estate & 
Private Markets. Prior-period figures are presented in accordance with this new structure.    6 Following the sale of our fund administration servicing units in Luxembourg and Switzerland to Northern Trust on 1 
October 2017, we no longer report assets under administration.     7 Includes UBS and third-party fund assets for which the fund services unit provided professional services, including fund setup, accounting and 
reporting for traditional investment funds and alternative funds.     8 Inflows of assets under administration from new and existing funds less outflows from existing funds or fund exits.     9 Refer to the “Capital 
management” section of this report for more information.     10 Represents risk-weighted assets and leverage ratio denominator held by Corporate Center – Group ALM that are directly associated with activity 
managed  centrally  on  behalf  of  the  business  divisions  and  other  Corporate  Center  units.  For  the  purpose  of  attributing  equity  under  the  revised  framework  effective  as  of  1  January  2017,  these  resources  are 
allocated to the business divisions and other Corporate Center units, primarily based on the level of high-quality liquid assets needed to meet the Group’s minimum liquidity coverage ratio requirement of 110%. 
Refer to “Equity attribution and return on attributed equity” in the “Capital management” section of this report for more information.

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2017 compared with 2016

Results

Profit before tax increased by CHF 126 million or 28% to CHF 578 
million, primarily driven by a gain of CHF 153 million on the sale of 
our  fund  administration  servicing  units  in  Luxembourg  and 
Switzerland  to  Northern  Trust.  Excluding  this  gain,  adjusted  profit 
before tax decreased by CHF 27 million or 5% to CHF 525 million, 
primarily reflecting lower operating income.

Operating income
Total  operating  income  increased  by  CHF 113  million  or  6%  to 
CHF 2,044  million.  Excluding  the  aforementioned  gain  on  sale  of 
our fund administration servicing units, adjusted operating income 
decreased  by  CHF 40  million  or  2%.  Net  management  fees 
decreased by CHF 46 million to CHF 1,764 million, reflecting lower 
revenues  following  the  aforementioned  sale,  the  positive  effect  of 
fee true-ups of CHF 17 million in 2016 as well as an impairment loss 
of  CHF 13  million  on  a  co-investment  in  an  infrastructure  fund, 
partly  offset  by  the  effect  of  higher  average  invested  assets. 
Performance  fees  increased  by  CHF 5  million  to  CHF 127  million, 
with a decline in Real Estate being more than offset by Equities and 
our hedge fund businesses.

As  of  31  December  2017,  approximately  71%  of  performance 
fee-eligible assets within our hedge fund businesses exceeded high-
water marks compared with 43%.

Operating expenses
Total  operating  expenses  and  adjusted  operating  expenses 
decreased  by  CHF 13  million  to  CHF 1,466  million  and  CHF 1,366 
million, respectively.

Personnel  expenses  decreased  by  CHF 11  million  to  CHF 716 
million  and  adjusted  personnel  expenses  decreased  by  CHF 12 
million to CHF 700 million, mainly driven by lower salary costs.

General  and  administrative  expenses  decreased  by  CHF 10 
million  to  CHF 231  million.  Adjusted  general  and  administrative 
expenses  decreased  by  CHF 17  million  to  CHF 209  million,  mainly 
driven by lower professional fees.

Net  expenses  for  services  from  Corporate  Center  and  other 
business  divisions  increased  by  CHF 8  million  to  CHF 514  million. 
Adjusted net expenses for services from Corporate Center and other 
business  divisions  increased  by  CHF 16  million,  mainly  driven  by 
higher expenses from Group Risk Control as well as increased costs 
for occupancy and strategic and regulatory initiatives.

Cost / income ratio
The  cost  /  income  ratio  was  71.7%  compared  with  76.6%.  On 
an adjusted basis, the cost / income ratio was 72.2% compared 
with  71.4%,  and  was  above  our  2017  target  range  of  60%  to 
70%.

Net new money
Excluding  money  market  flows,  net  new  money  was  CHF 48.1 
billion compared with outflows of CHF 22.5 billion, primarily driven 
by our third-party institutional channel. The net new money growth 
rate  was  positive  8.1%  compared  with  negative  3.8%  and  was 
above  our  2017  target  range  of  3%  to  5%.  Net  inflows  were 
mainly driven by Switzerland and Asia Pacific.

Invested assets
Invested  assets  increased  to  CHF 776  billion  from  CHF 656  billion, 
mainly  due  to  positive  market  performance  of  CHF 65  billion  and 
net new money inflows of CHF 59 billion, including money market 
flows,  partly  offset  by  negative  foreign  currency  translation  effects 
of CHF 1 billion.

As  of  31  December  2017,  CHF 286  billion  or  37%  of  invested 
assets were managed in passive strategies, while CHF 414 billion or 
53% of invested assets were managed in active, non-money market 
strategies. The remaining CHF 76 billion or 10% of invested assets 
were  managed  in  money  market  strategies.  On  a  regional  basis, 
34% of invested assets related to clients serviced from Switzerland, 
24% from the Americas, 22% from Europe, Middle East and Africa, 
and 20% from Asia Pacific.

Assets under administration
The aforementioned sale of our fund administration servicing units 
in  Luxembourg  and  Switzerland  to  Northern  Trust  concluded  our 
exit from this line of business.

Personnel

Asset Management employed 2,335 personnel as of 31 December 
2017 compared with 2,308 personnel as of 31 December 2016.

89 

 
 
 
Financial and operating performance
Asset Management

Investment performance

The  market  environment  in  2017  was  generally  supportive  for 
investments. Asset class correlations and market volatility fell as 
favorable 
financial  conditions  supported  global  economic 
growth but inflationary pressures remain subdued. 

For  2017,  89%  of  our  active  traditional  funds  outperformed 
their  benchmark  and  67%  outperformed  peer  averages.  Long-
term  performance  is  strong,  with  85%  outperforming  their 
benchmark and 80% outperforming peer averages over 5 years.

Investment performance as of 31 December 2017

Active funds versus benchmark 

Percentage of fund assets exceeding benchmark
Equities1

Fixed income1

Multi-asset1

TTotal traditional investments

Active funds versus peers 

Percentage of fund assets ranking in first or second quartile / exceeding peer index
Equities1

Fixed income1

Multi-asset1

TTotal traditional investments

Passive funds tracking accuracy

Annualized

1 year

3 years

5 years

 74

 97

 98

  89

 70

 54

 74

  67

 65

 95

 89

  83

 71

 77

 81

  76

 75

 87

 93

  85

 78

 74

 89

  80

Percentage of passive fund assets within applicable tracking tolerance
All asset classes2
11 Percentage of active fund assets above benchmark (gross of fees) / peer median. Based on the universe of European domiciled active wholesale funds available to UBS’s wealth management businesses and other 
wholesale intermediaries as of 31 December 2017. Source of comparison versus peers: Thomson Reuters LIM (Lipper Investment Management). Source of comparison versus benchmark: UBS. Universe represents 
approximately 72% of all active fund assets and 17% of all actively managed assets (including segregated accounts) in these asset classes globally as of 31 December 2017.     2 Percentage of passive fund assets 
within applicable tracking tolerance on a gross of fees basis. Tracking accuracy information represents a universe of European domiciled institutional and wholesale funds representing approximately 44% of our 
total passive invested assets as of 31 December 2017. Source: UBS.

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2016 compared with 2015

Results

Profit before tax decreased by CHF 132 million or 23% to CHF 452 
million, partly as 2015 included a gain of CHF 56 million on the sale 
of  our  Alternative  Fund  Services  (AFS)  business.  Adjusted  profit 
before tax decreased by CHF 58 million or 10% to CHF 552 million, 
primarily reflecting lower operating income.

Operating income
Total  operating  income  decreased  by  CHF 126  million  or  6%  to 
CHF 1,931  million.  Excluding  the  aforementioned  gain  on  sale  of 
our AFS business, adjusted operating income decreased by CHF 70 
million or 3%. Adjusted net management fees decreased by CHF 37 
million to CHF 1,810 million, mainly in Fund Services, reflecting the 
reduced size of our Fund Services business following the sale of AFS. 
This  was  partly  offset  by  an  increase  in  Global  Real  Estate. 
Performance fees decreased by CHF 32 million to CHF 122 million, 
primarily in Equities, Multi Asset & O’Connor.

As  of  31  December  2016,  approximately  43%  of  performance 
fee-eligible assets within our hedge fund businesses exceeded high-
water marks compared with 26%.

Operating expenses
Total operating expenses increased by CHF 5 million to CHF 1,479 
million  and  adjusted  operating  expenses  decreased  by  CHF 13 
million or 1% to CHF 1,379 million.

Personnel  expenses  decreased  by  CHF 2  million  to  CHF 727 
million  and  adjusted  personnel  expenses  decreased  by  CHF 13 
million  to  CHF 712  million.  The  decrease  in  adjusted  personnel 
expenses  was  mainly  driven  by  lower  variable  compensation 
expenses and lower salary costs as a result of the aforementioned 
sale  of  our  AFS  business,  partly  offset  by  higher  average  staffing 
levels, primarily in distribution and investments areas.

General and administrative expenses increased by CHF 9 million 
to  CHF 241  million.  Adjusted  general  and  administrative  expenses 
increased  by  CHF 3  million  to  CHF 226  million,  mainly  driven  by 
higher  professional  fees  and  increased  costs  for  market  data 
services, partly offset by lower travel and entertainment expenses. 

Cost / income ratio
The  cost  /  income  ratio  was  76.6%  compared  with  71.7%.  On 
an adjusted basis, the cost / income ratio was 71.4% compared 
with 69.6%, and was above our target range of 60% to 70%.

Net new money
Excluding  money  market  flows,  net  new  money  outflows  were 
CHF 22.5 billion compared with CHF 0.7 billion, which resulted in a 
negative  net  new  money  growth  rate  of  3.8%  compared  with 
negative  0.1%,  below  our  target  range  of  3%  to  5%.  By  client 
segment,  net  outflows  from  third  parties  were  CHF 12.5  billion, 
which  included  a  CHF 7.2  billion  pricing-related  outflow  from  one 
client and asset allocation changes, compared with CHF 7.7 billion. 
Net outflows were mainly from clients serviced from Asia Pacific, the 
Americas  and  Europe,  partly  offset  by  inflows  in  Switzerland.  Net 
new  money  outflows  from  clients  of  UBS’s  wealth  management 
businesses were CHF 10.0 billion compared with inflows of CHF 7.0 
billion,  largely  driven  by  changes  in  asset  allocation  in  the  fourth 
quarter of 2016.

Invested assets
Invested  assets  increased  to  CHF 656  billion  from  CHF 650  billion, 
reflecting  positive  market  performance  of  CHF 22  billion,  partly 
offset by net new money outflows of CHF 16 billion.

As  of  31  December  2016,  CHF 385  billion  or  59%  of  invested 
assets  were  managed  in  active,  non-money  market  strategies  and 
CHF 206  billion,  or  31%,  of  invested  assets  were  managed  in 
passive  strategies.  The  remaining  CHF 66  billion,  or  10%,  were 
managed  in  money  market  assets.  On  a  regional  basis,  34%  of 
invested  assets  related  to  clients  serviced  from  Switzerland,  24% 
from the Americas, 22% from Europe, Middle East and Africa, and 
20% from Asia Pacific.

Assets under administration
Total assets under administration increased to CHF 420 billion from 
CHF 407 billion, primarily reflecting positive market performance of 
CHF 13 billion. 

Personnel

Asset  Management  employed  2,308  personnel  as  of 
31 December 2016  compared  with  2,277  personnel  as  of 
31 December 2015. 

91 

 
 
 
 
Financial and operating performance
Investment Bank

Investment Bank

Investment Bank1

CHF million, except where indicated

Results
CCorporate Client Solutions 
Advisory 
Equity Capital Markets 
Debt Capital Markets 
Financing Solutions 
Risk Management 
IInvestor Client Services 
Equities 
Foreign Exchange, Rates and Credit 
Income 
Credit loss (expense) / recovery 
TTotal operating income 
Personnel expenses 
General and administrative expenses 
Services (to) / from Corporate Center and other business divisions 

of which: services from CC – Services 

Depreciation and impairment of property, equipment and software 
Amortization and impairment of intangible assets 
TTotal operating expenses
BBusiness division operating profit / (loss) before tax 

Adjusted results2
TTotal operating income as reported 

of which: gains on sale of financial assets available for sale 3

TTotal operating income (adjusted) 
TTotal operating expenses as reported 

of which: personnel-related restructuring expenses 
of which: non-personnel-related restructuring expenses 
of which: restructuring expenses allocated from CC – Services
of which: impairment of an intangible asset
of which: expenses from modification of terms for certain DCCP awards 4

TTotal operating expenses (adjusted) 
BBusiness division operating profit / (loss) before tax as reported 
BBusiness division operating profit / (loss) before tax (adjusted) 

92 

As of or for the year ended

331.12.17

31.12.16

31.12.15

% change from
31.12.16

  2,813
  636
  1,054
  782
  307
  35
  4,928
  3,546
  1,382
  7,740
  (90)
  7,651
  2,949
  662
  2,769
  2,676
  10
  12
  6,402
  1,249

  7,651
  136
  7,515
  6,402
  38
  18
  303

  25
  6,018
  1,249
  1,497

 2,382
 691
 674
 740
 360
 (84)
 5,318
 3,486
 1,831
 7,699
 (11)
 7,688
 3,082
 805
 2,765
 2,675
 21
 12
 6,684
 1,004

 7,688
 78
 7,610
 6,684
 154
 14
 410

 6,107
 1,004
 1,503

 2,960
 709
 1,047
 691
 441
 73
 5,929
 3,962
 1,967
 8,889
 (68)
 8,821
 3,220
 841
 2,817
 2,731
 26
 24
 6,929
 1,892

 8,821
 11
 8,810
 6,929
 14
 7
 376
 11

 6,522
 1,892
 2,288

 18
 (8)
 56
 6
 (15)

 (7)
 2
 (25)
 1
 718
 0
 (4)
 (18)
 0
 0
 (52)
 0
 (4)
 24

 0

 (1)
 (4)

 (1)
 24
 0

Investment Bank (continued)1

CHF million, except where indicated

Key performance indicators5
Pre-tax profit growth (%) 
Cost / income ratio (%) 
Return on attributed equity (%)6

Adjusted key performance indicators2,5
Pre-tax profit growth (%) 
Cost / income ratio (%) 
Return on attributed equity (%)6

Additional information
Total assets (CHF billion)7
Average attributed equity (CHF billion)6
Return on attributed tangible equity (%)6
Risk-weighted assets (CHF billion)6

of which: held by the Investment Bank (CHF billion)
of which: held by CC – Group ALM on behalf of the Investment Bank (CHF billion) 8

Return on risk-weighted assets, gross (%)9
Leverage ratio denominator (CHF billion)6

of which: held by the Investment Bank (CHF billion)
of which: held by CC – Group ALM on behalf of the Investment Bank (CHF billion) 8

As of or for the year ended

331.12.17

31.12.16

31.12.15

% change from
31.12.16

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 (46.9)
 86.8
 13.1

 (34.3)
 80.1
 19.6

 242.3
 7.7

 70.4
 70.4

 11.9
 231.2
 231.2

 78.0
 25.9

 73.5
 31.3

 253.5
 7.3

 62.9
 62.9

 13.7
 268.0
 268.0

 9
 21

 7
 6

 23
 14

  24.4
  82.7
  13.4

  (0.4)
  79.1
  16.0

  262.9
  9.3
  13.6
  75.0
  74.5
  0.5
  10.6
  283.6
  264.1
  19.4
  2.8
  0.1
  38.1
  9
  1.0
  4,822

Return on leverage ratio denominator, gross (%)9
Goodwill and intangible assets (CHF billion) 
Compensation ratio (%) 
Average VaR (1-day, 95% confidence, 5 years of historical data) 
Impaired loan portfolio as a percentage of total loan portfolio, gross (%)10
Personnel (full-time equivalents)
11 Comparative figures in this table may differ from those originally published in quarterly and annual reports due to adjustments following organizational changes, restatements due to the retrospective adoption of 
new accounting standards or changes in accounting policies, and events after the reporting period.    2 Adjusted results are non-GAAP financial measures as defined by SEC regulations.    3 Reflects gains on sales of 
our investment in IHS Markit in 2017, 2016 and 2015 as well as a gain on the sale of our investment in London Clearing House in 2017.     4 Relates to the removal of the service period requirement for DCCP 
awards granted for the performance years 2012 and 2013.     5 Refer to the “Measurement of performance” section of this report for the definitions of our key performance indicators.     6 Refer to the “Capital 
management” section of this report for more information.     7 Based on third-party view, i.e., without intercompany balances.     8 Represents risk-weighted assets (RWA) and leverage ratio denominator (LRD) held 
by Corporate Center – Group ALM that are directly associated with activity managed centrally on behalf of the business divisions and other Corporate Center units. For the purpose of attributing equity under the 
revised framework effective as of 1 January 2017, these resources are allocated to the business divisions and other Corporate Center units, primarily based on the level of high-quality liquid assets needed to meet 
the Group’s minimum liquidity coverage ratio requirement of 110%. Refer to “Equity attribution and return on attributed equity” in the “Capital management” section of this report for more information.    9 Based 
on total RWA and LRD. Figures for 31 December 2016 and 31 December 2015 are based on RWA and LRD held by the Investment Bank and are therefore not fully comparable.    10 Refer to the “Risk management 
and control” section of this report for more information on impaired loan exposures.

 3.1
 0.1
 36.2
 12
 1.5
 5,243

 3.0
 0.1
 40.0
 9
 0.9
 4,734

 2

 0

 0

93 

 
 
 
Financial and operating performance
Investment Bank

2017 compared with 2016

Results

Profit  before  tax  increased  by  CHF 245  million  or  24%  to 
CHF 1,249  million,  due  to  lower  operating  expenses.  Adjusted 
profit  before  tax  was  broadly  unchanged  at  CHF 1,497  million, 
primarily due to lower operating income, largely offset by lower 
operating expenses.

Operating income
Total  operating 
income  decreased  by  CHF 37  million  to 
CHF 7,651  million.  Excluding  gains  of  CHF 78  million  in  2016 
and CHF 107 million in 2017 related to sales of our investment 
in IHS Markit and a gain of CHF 29 million in 2017 related to the 
sale of our investment in London Clearing House, adjusted total 
operating  income  decreased  by  CHF 95  million  or  1%  to 
CHF 7,515  million  from  CHF 7,610  million,  mainly  reflecting 
CHF 448  million  lower  revenues  in  Investor  Client  Services, 
mostly  offset  by  CHF 431  million 
in 
Corporate Client Solutions. Net credit loss expense was CHF 90 
million  compared  with  CHF 11  million,  mainly  related  to  a 
margin loan to a single client following a significant decrease in 
the value of the collateral. In US dollar terms, adjusted operating 
income decreased 1%.

increased  revenues 

→ Refer to the “Risk management and control” section of this 

report for more information on credit loss expenses

Operating income by business unit:

Corporate Client Solutions
Corporate  Client  Solutions  revenues  increased  by  CHF 431 
million  or  18%  to  CHF 2,813  million,  largely  due  to  higher 
revenues in Equity Capital Markets. In US dollar terms, revenues 
increased 19%.

Advisory  revenues  decreased  by  CHF 55  million  to  CHF 636 
million, reflecting lower revenues from private transactions, and 
lower revenues from merger and acquisition transactions against 
a global fee pool decline of 2%.

Equity Capital Markets revenues increased by CHF 380 million 
to CHF 1,054 million, mainly due to higher revenues from public 
offerings as the global fee pool increased 31% as well as higher 
revenues from private transactions.

Debt Capital Markets revenues increased by CHF 42 million to 
CHF 782 million, largely due to higher revenues from leveraged 
finance against a global fee pool increase of 11%. This increase 
was partly offset by lower investment grade revenues. 

Financing Solutions revenues decreased by CHF 53 million to 
CHF 307  million,  reflecting  lower  client  activity  across  all 
products.

Risk  Management  revenues  were  positive  CHF 35  million 
compared  with  negative  CHF 84  million,  mainly  due  to  lower 
costs related to portfolio hedges. 

Investor Client Services
Investor  Client  Services  revenues  decreased  by  CHF 390  million 
or  7%  to  CHF 4,928  million.  Excluding  the  aforementioned 
gains  totaling  CHF 136  million  in  2017  and  CHF 78  million  in 
2016, adjusted revenues decreased by CHF 448 million or 9% to 
CHF 4,792  million  due  to  lower  revenues  in  Foreign  Exchange, 
Rates  and  Credit  businesses.  In  US  dollar  terms,  adjusted 
revenues decreased 8%.

Equities
Equities  revenues  increased  by  CHF 60  million  to  CHF 3,546 
million.  Excluding  a  gain  of  CHF 27  million  in  2017  related  to 
sales  of  our  investment  in  IHS  Markit  and  a  gain  of  CHF 29 
million in 2017 related to the sale of our investment in London 
Clearing House, adjusted revenues increased by CHF 4 million to 
CHF 3,490 million.

Adjusted  Cash  revenues  decreased  by  CHF 27  million  to 

CHF 1,198 million, due to lower trading revenues.

Derivatives revenues increased by CHF 146 million to CHF 868 
million,  reflecting  increased  client  activity  levels  and  stronger 
trading revenues.

Adjusted  Financing  Services  revenues  decreased  by  CHF 81 
million to CHF 1,448 million, due to weaker trading revenues in 
Equity Finance.

Foreign Exchange, Rates and Credit 
Foreign  Exchange,  Rates  and  Credit  revenues  decreased  by 
CHF 449 million to CHF 1,382 million. Excluding gains of CHF 80 
million  in  2017  and  CHF 78  million  in  2016  related  to  sales  of 
our  investment  in  IHS  Markit,  adjusted  revenues  decreased  to 
CHF 1,302  million  from  CHF 1,753  million,  mainly  due  to 
reduced client activity across the majority of products reflecting 
persistent low market volatility.

Operating expenses
Total  operating  expenses  decreased  by  CHF 282  million  or  4% 
to  CHF 6,402  million,  and  adjusted  operating  expenses 
decreased by CHF 89 million or 1% to CHF 6,018 million. In US 
dollar terms, adjusted operating expenses also decreased 1%.

Personnel  expenses  decreased  to  CHF 2,949  million  from 
CHF 3,082  million,  and  adjusted  personnel  expenses  decreased 
to  CHF 2,886  million  from  CHF 2,928  million,  mainly  due  to 
lower salary expenses as a result of our cost reduction programs, 
partly  offset  by  higher  variable  compensation  expenses.  In 
addition, 2017 included an expense of CHF 25 million related to 
the  modification  of  terms  of  Deferred  Contingent  Capital  Plan 
awards granted for the performance years 2012 and 2013. This 
was treated as an adjusting item.

General  and  administrative  expenses  decreased  to  CHF 662 
million from CHF 805 million and on an adjusted basis decreased 
to CHF 644 million from CHF 791 million, mainly due to CHF 83 
million  lower  expenses  for  provisions  for  litigation,  regulatory 
and similar matters. In addition, the net expense for the UK bank 
levy was CHF 33 million compared with a net expense of CHF 80 
million,  primarily  as  2017  included  a  CHF 49  million  credit 
related to prior years.

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Net  expenses  for  services  from  Corporate  Center  and  other 
business divisions were broadly unchanged at CHF 2,769 million 
and  on  an  adjusted  basis  increased  to  CHF 2,466  million  from 
CHF 2,355  million,  mainly  due  to  higher  costs  for  strategic  and 
regulatory  initiatives  and  higher  net  expenses  from  Group 
Technology and Group Risk Control. 

Cost / income ratio
The cost / income ratio decreased to 82.7% from 86.8%. On an 
adjusted basis, the cost / income ratio decreased to 79.1% from 
80.1% and was within our target range of 70% to 80%.

Return on attributed equity
Return  on  attributed  equity  (RoAE)  for  2017  was  13.4%,  and 
16.0% on an adjusted basis, above our target of over 15%.

Leverage ratio denominator
The  leverage  ratio  denominator  (LRD)  held  by  the  Investment 
Bank  increased  by  CHF 33  billion  to  CHF 264  billion  as  of 
31 December  2017,  mainly  due  to  higher  trading  portfolio 
assets,  reflecting  client-driven  increases  and  higher  equity 
markets,  and  an  increase  in  financial  assets  designated  at  fair 
value,  available  for  sale  and  held  to  maturity.  These  increases 
were partly offset by lower off-balance sheet and net derivative 
exposures. Total LRD, including LRD held by Corporate Center – 
Group  ALM  on  behalf  of  the  Investment  Bank,  was  CHF 284 
billion  as  of  31  December  2017  and  remained  below  our  2017 
short- to medium-term expectation of around CHF 325 billion.
→ Refer to the “Capital management” section of this report for 

more information

→ Refer to “Equity attribution and return on attributed equity” in 
the “Capital management” section of this report for more 

Personnel

The 
Investment  Bank  employed  4,822  personnel  as  of 
31 December  2017,  an  increase  of  88  compared  with  4,734  as 
of 31 December 2016, primarily due to the transfer of business-
aligned  personnel  in  our  Business  Solutions  Centers  from 
Corporate  Center  to  the  Investment  Bank,  partly  offset  by  a 
decrease as a result of our cost reduction programs.

information

Risk-weighted assets
Risk  weighted  assets  (RWA)  held  by  the  Investment  Bank 
increased  by  CHF 4.1  billion  to  CHF 74.5  billion  as  of 
31 December  2017,  driven  by  an  increase  in  credit  and 
counterparty credit risk RWA, mostly due to model updates and 
regulatory  add-ons,  partly  offset  by  a  decrease  in  market  risk 
RWA.  Total  RWA,  including  RWA  held  by  Corporate  Center  – 
Group  Asset  and  Liability  Management  (Group  ALM)  on  behalf 
of the Investment Bank, was CHF 75.0 billion as of 31 December 
2017,  below  our  2017  short-  to  medium-term  expectation  of 
around CHF 85 billion. 

→ Refer to the “Capital management” section of this report for 

more information

95 

 
 
 
Financial and operating performance
Investment Bank

2016 compared with 2015

Results

Profit  before  tax  decreased  by  CHF 888  million  or  47%  to 
CHF 1,004  million,  and  adjusted  profit  before  tax  decreased  by 
CHF 785  million  or  34%  to  CHF 1,503  million,  primarily  due  to 
lower  operating  income,  partly  offset  by  lower  operating 
expenses.

Operating income
Total operating income decreased by CHF 1,133 million or 13% 
to  CHF 7,688  million.  On  an  adjusted  basis,  excluding  gains 
related to partial sales of our investment in IHS Markit of CHF 78 
million  in  2016  and  CHF 11  million  in  2015,  total  operating 
income  decreased  by  CHF 1,200  million  or  14%  to  CHF 7,610 
million  from  CHF 8,810  million,  as  revenues  in  Investor  Client 
Services  decreased  by  CHF 678  million  and  revenues 
in 
Corporate  Client  Solutions  decreased  by  CHF 578  million.  Net 
credit  loss  expense  was  CHF 11  million  compared  with  CHF 68 
million, reflecting lower expenses related to the energy sector. In 
US dollar terms, adjusted operating income decreased 16%.

Operating income by business unit:

Corporate Client Solutions
Corporate  Client  Solutions  revenues  decreased  by  CHF 578 
million  or  20%  to  CHF 2,382  million,  largely  due  to  lower 
revenues  in  Equity  Capital  Markets,  Risk  Management  and 
Financing  Solutions.  In  US  dollar  terms,  revenues  decreased 
22%.

Advisory  revenues  decreased  by  CHF 18  million  to  CHF 691 
million,  reflecting  lower  revenues  from  private  transactions, 
partly offset by increased revenues from merger and acquisition 
transactions against a broadly unchanged global fee pool.

Equity  Capital  Markets  revenues  decreased  by  CHF 373 
million  to  CHF 674  million,  mainly  due  to  lower  revenues  from 
public offerings as the global fee pool declined 25%, as well as 
lower revenues from private transactions.

Debt Capital Markets revenues increased by CHF 49 million to 
CHF 740 million, largely due to higher revenues from leveraged 
finance  against  a  global  fee  pool  decline  of  2%.  This  increase 
was partly offset by lower investment grade revenues.

Financing Solutions revenues decreased by CHF 81 million to 
CHF 360  million,  mainly  reflecting  lower  structured  finance 
revenues.

Risk  Management  revenues  were  negative  CHF 84  million 
compared with positive CHF 73 million, mainly due to losses on 
portfolio  macro  hedges  largely  reflecting  tightening  credit 
spreads. 

Investor Client Services
Investor  Client  Services  revenues  decreased  by  CHF 611  million 
or  10%  to  CHF 5,318  million.  Excluding  the  aforementioned 
gains  of  CHF 78  million  in  2016  and  CHF 11  million  in  2015, 
adjusted  revenues  decreased  by  CHF 678  million  or  11%  to 
CHF 5,240  million  due  to  lower  revenues  in  both  the  Equities 
and Foreign Exchange, Rates and Credit businesses. In US dollar 
terms, adjusted revenues decreased 14%.

Equities
Equities  revenues  decreased  by  CHF 476  million  to  CHF 3,486 
million. 

Cash  revenues  decreased  by  CHF 146  million  to  CHF 1,225 

million, mainly due to lower trading revenues.

Derivatives  revenues  decreased  by  CHF 324  million  to 
CHF 722 million, reflecting lower client activity levels and weaker 
trading revenues.

Financing  Services  revenues  decreased  by  CHF 52  million  to 
CHF 1,529  million,  due  to  weaker  trading  revenues  in  Equity 
Finance from a strong 2015.

to  CHF 1,831  million.  Excluding 

Foreign Exchange, Rates and Credit
Foreign  Exchange,  Rates  and  Credit  revenues  decreased  by 
CHF 136  million 
the 
aforementioned  gain  of  CHF 78  million  compared  with  CHF 11 
million, adjusted revenues decreased to CHF 1,753 million from 
CHF 1,956 million, mainly as the first quarter of 2015 benefited 
from higher volatility and client activity levels following the Swiss 
National Bank’s actions in January 2015.

Operating expenses
Total  operating  expenses  decreased  by  CHF 245  million  or  4% 
to  CHF 6,684  million,  and  adjusted  operating  expenses 
decreased by CHF 415 million or 6% to CHF 6,107 million. In US 
dollar terms, adjusted operating expenses decreased 9%.

Personnel  expenses  decreased  to  CHF 3,082  million  from 
CHF 3,220  million,  and  adjusted  personnel  expenses  decreased 
to  CHF 2,928  million  from  CHF 3,206  million,  mainly  due  to 
lower variable compensation expenses and lower salary expenses 
as a result of our cost reduction programs.

General  and  administrative  expenses  decreased  to  CHF 805 
million from CHF 841 million and on an adjusted basis decreased 
to CHF 791 million from CHF 834 million, mainly due to reduced 
professional  fees  and  travel  and  entertainment  expenses,  partly 
offset  by  CHF 44  million  higher  expenses  for  provisions  for 
litigation,  regulatory  and  similar  matters.  The  expense  for  the 
annual UK bank levy was CHF 80 million compared with CHF 98 
million.

Net  expenses  for  services  from  Corporate  Center  and  other 
business  divisions  decreased 
from 
CHF 2,817  million  and  on  an  adjusted  basis  decreased  to 
CHF 2,355 million from CHF 2,441 million.

to  CHF 2,765  million 

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Cost / income ratio
The cost / income ratio increased to 86.8% from 78.0%. On an 
adjusted basis, the cost / income ratio increased to 80.1% from 
73.5% and was slightly above our target range of 70% to 80%.

Leverage ratio denominator
The LRD decreased by CHF 37 billion to CHF 231 billion as of 31 
December 2016 and remained below our short- to medium-term 
expectation  of  around  CHF 325  billion.  The  reduction  during 
2016 was mainly due to effective resource management.

Return on attributed equity
Return  on  attributed  equity  (RoAE)  for  2016  was  13.1%,  and 
19.6% on an adjusted basis, above our target of over 15%.

Personnel

Risk-weighted assets
RWA  increased  by  CHF 7.5  billion  to  CHF 70.4  billion  as  of 
31 December  2016,  below  our  short- 
to  medium-term 
expectation of around CHF 85 billion. The increase was driven by 
an  increase  of  CHF 3.5  billion  in  market  risk  RWA  as  well  as 
increases of CHF 2.7 billion in operational risk RWA and CHF 1.5 
billion in credit risk RWA.

The 
Investment  Bank  employed  4,734  personnel  as  of 
31 December 2016, a decrease of 509 compared with 5,243 as 
of  31  December  2015,  largely  reflecting  our  cost  reduction 
programs.

97 

 
 
 
 
Financial and operating performance
Corporate Center

Corporate Center

Corporate Center1

CHF million, except where indicated

Results
TTotal operating income 

Personnel expenses 

General and administrative expenses 

Services (to) / from business divisions 

Depreciation and impairment of property, equipment and software 

Amortization and impairment of intangible assets 
TTotal operating expenses

OOperating profit / (loss) before tax 

Adjusted results2
TTotal operating income as reported 

of which: own credit on financial liabilities designated at fair value

of which: gain on sales of real estate 

of which: net gain / (loss) related to the buyback of debt 
of which: net foreign currency translation gain / (loss) 3

TTotal operating income (adjusted) 

TTotal operating expenses as reported 

of which: personnel-related restructuring expenses 

of which: non-personnel-related restructuring expenses 

of which: restructuring expenses allocated from CC – Services

TTotal operating expenses (adjusted) 

OOperating profit / (loss) before tax as reported 

OOperating profit / (loss) before tax (adjusted) 

As of or for the year ended

331.12.17

31.12.16

31.12.15

% change from
31.12.16

  (451)

  3,862

  4,387

  (8,071)

  1,004

  7
  1,189

  (1,640)

 (357)

 3,899

 4,893

 (7,933)

 944

 21
 1,824

 (2,181)

  (451)

 (357)

 120

 (122)

 (355)

 1,824

 519

 623

 (1,064)

 1,746

 (2,181)

 (2,101)

  (22)

  (429)

  1,189

  434

  522

  (926)

  1,159

  (1,640)

  (1,588)

 315

 4,049

 5,311

 (7,894)

 868

 21
 2,354

 (2,040)

 315

 553

 378

 (257)

 88

 (447)

 2,354

 420

 719

 (943)

 2,158

 (2,040)

 (2,606)

26

 (1)

 (10)

 2

 6

 (67)
 (35)

 (25)

 26

 21

 (35)

 (34)

 (25)

 (24)

Additional information
Average attributed equity (CHF billion)4
Total assets (CHF billion)5
Risk-weighted assets (fully applied, CHF billion)4,6
Leverage ratio denominator (fully applied, CHF billion)4,6
Personnel (full-time equivalents) 
11 Comparative figures in this table may differ from those originally published in quarterly and annual reports due to adjustments following organizational changes, restatements due to the retrospective adoption of 
new accounting standards or changes in accounting policies, and events after the reporting period.    2 Adjusted results are non-GAAP financial measures as defined by SEC regulations.    3 Related to the disposal of 
foreign subsidiaries and branches.    4 Refer to the “Capital management” section of this report for more information.    5 Based on third-party view, i.e., without intercompany balances.    6 Prior to attributions to 
business divisions and other Corporate Center units for the purpose of attributing equity.

 291.2
 23,671

  271.4
  25,817

 300.7
 23,955

 (10)
 8

  312.8

 354.5

 359.4

  56.5

  22.9

 60.2

 57.1

 29.1

 25.8

 (21)

 (13)

 (1)

98 

Corporate Center – Services

Corporate Center – Services1

CHF million, except where indicated

Results
TTotal operating income 

Personnel expenses 

General and administrative expenses 

Depreciation and impairment of property, equipment and software 

Amortization and impairment of intangible assets 
TTotal operating expenses before allocations to BDs and other CC units 
Services (to) / from business divisions and other CC units 

of which: services to Wealth Management 

of which: services to Wealth Management Americas  

of which: services to Personal & Corporate Banking

of which: services to Asset Management  

of which: services to Investment Bank  

of which: services to CC – Group ALM 

of which: services to CC – Non-core and Legacy Portfolio  

TTotal operating expenses

OOperating profit / (loss) before tax 

Adjusted results2
TTotal operating income as reported 

of which: gain on sales of real estate 

TTotal operating income (adjusted) 

TTotal operating expenses as reported before allocations

of which: personnel-related restructuring expenses 

of which: non-personnel-related restructuring expenses 

TTotal operating expenses (adjusted) before allocations

Services (to) / from BDs and other CC units 

of which: restructuring expenses allocated to BDs and other CC units

TTotal operating expenses as reported after allocations

TTotal operating expenses (adjusted) after allocations

OOperating profit / (loss) before tax as reported 

OOperating profit / (loss) before tax (adjusted) 

Additional information 
Average attributed equity (CHF billion)3
Total assets (CHF billion)4
Risk-weighted assets (fully applied, CHF billion)3

of which: held by CC – Services (fully applied, CHF billion)

Leverage ratio denominator (fully applied, CHF billion)3

of which: held by CC – Services (fully applied, CHF billion)
of which: held by CC – Group ALM on behalf of CC – Services (fully applied, CHF billion) 5

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As of or for the year ended

% change from

331.12.17

31.12.16

31.12.15

31.12.16

  (153)

  3,785

  4,247

  1,004

  7
  9,043
  (8,281)

  (2,294)

  (1,262)

  (1,227)

  (551)

  (2,676)

  (142)

  (194)
  762

  (914)

  (153)

  (153)

  9,043

  433

  522

  8,088

  (8,281)

  (935)

  762

  743

  (914)

  (895)

  18.9

  20.9

  29.2

  29.2

  6.8

  6.7

 (102)

 3,801

 4,145

 944

 21
 8,911
 (8,164)

 (2,256)

 (1,221)

 (1,186)

 (530)

 (2,675)

 (110)

 (225)
 747

 (849)

 (102)

 120

 (222)

 8,911

 518

 623

 7,770

 (8,164)

 (1,084)

 747

 690

 (849)

 (912)

 22.8

 23.7

 27.6

 27.6

 5.8

 5.8

 241

 3,903

 4,483

 868

 21
 9,274
 (8,215)

 (2,209)

 (1,193)

 (1,180)

 (523)

 (2,731)

 (96)

 (313)
 1,059

 (818)

 241

 378

 (137)

 9,274

 406

 719

 8,151

 (8,215)

 (986)

 1,059

 919

 (818)

 (1,056)

 19.6

 22.6

 23.6

 23.6

 4.8

 4.8

 50

 0

 2

 6

 (67)
 1
 1

 2

 3

 3

 4

 0

 29

 (14)
 2

 8

 50

 (31)

 1

 4

 1

 2

 8

 8

 (2)

 (17)

 (12)

 6

 6

 17

 16

  0.1
  25,623

99 

Personnel (full-time equivalents) 
11 Comparative figures in this table may differ from those originally published in quarterly and annual reports due to adjustments following organizational changes, restatements due to the retrospective adoption of 
new accounting standards or changes in accounting policies, and events after the reporting period.     2 Adjusted results are non-GAAP financial measures as defined by SEC regulations.      3 Refer to the “Capital 
management” section of this report for more information.    4 Based on third-party view, i.e., without intercompany balances.    5 Represents leverage ratio denominator held by Corporate Center – Group ALM that 
is directly associated with activity managed centrally on behalf of the business divisions and other Corporate Center units. For the purpose of attributing equity under the revised framework effective as of 1 January 
2017, this resource is allocated to the business divisions and other Corporate Center units, primarily based on the level of high-quality liquid assets needed to meet the Group’s minimum liquidity coverage ratio 
requirement of 110%. Refer to “Equity attribution and return on attributed equity” in the “Capital management” section of this report for more information.

 23,470

 23,750

 8

 
 
 
Financial and operating performance
Corporate Center

2017 compared with 2016

Corporate  Center  –  Services  recorded  a  loss  before  tax  of 
CHF 914  million  compared  with  CHF 849  million,  and  CHF 895 
million on an adjusted basis compared with CHF 912 million.

Operating income
Operating income was negative CHF 153 million compared with 
negative CHF 102 million, partly as 2016 recorded gains on sales 
of  real  estate  of  CHF 120  million.  On  an  adjusted  basis, 
operating income was negative CHF 153 million compared with 
negative CHF 222 million, mainly due to higher treasury-related 
income  from  Corporate  Center  –  Group  Asset  and  Liability 
Management (Group ALM), resulting from a change made in the 
first  quarter  of  2017  to  the  methodology  used  to  allocate 
revenues  from  the  investment  of  equity  and  the  funding  costs 
for  long-term  debt  that  contributes  to  total  loss-absorbing 
capacity.  This  was  partly  offset  by  higher  funding  costs  relating 
to Corporate Center – Services’ balance sheet assets.

Operating expenses 

Operating expenses before service allocations to business 
divisions and other Corporate Center units
Before  service  allocations  to  business  divisions  and  other 
Corporate  Center  units,  total  operating  expenses  increased  by 
CHF 132  million  or  1%  to  CHF 9,043  million.  Restructuring 
expenses  were  CHF 955  million  compared  with  CHF 1,141 
million  and  mainly  related  to  our  transitioning  activities  to 
nearshore  and  offshore  locations,  as  well  as  outsourcing  of  IT 
and  other  services.  Adjusted  operating  expenses  before 
allocations  increased  by  CHF 318  million  or  4%  to  CHF 8,088 
million.

to 
Personnel  expenses  decreased  by  CHF 16  million 
CHF 3,785  million.  Excluding  restructuring  expenses,  adjusted 
personnel  expense  increased  by  CHF 69  million  to CHF 3,352 
million, mainly driven by increased staffing levels and insourcing 
of  certain  activities  from  third-party  vendors  to  our  Business 
Solutions  Centers.  General  and  administrative  expenses 

increased by CHF 102 million to CHF 4,247 million and adjusted 
general  and  administrative  expenses  increased  by  CHF 198 
million,  mainly  due  to  CHF 240  million  higher  net  expenses  for 
provisions  for  litigation,  regulatory  and  similar  matters,  partly 
offset by lower marketing costs. 

Depreciation  and  impairment  of  property,  equipment  and 
software  increased  to  CHF 1,004  million  from  CHF 944  million, 
reflecting  increased  depreciation  expenses  related  to  internally 
generated capitalized software.

Services to / from business divisions and other Corporate Center 
units
Corporate  Center  –  Services  allocated  expenses  of  CHF 8,281 
million  to  the  business  divisions  and  other  Corporate  Center 
units  compared  with  CHF 8,164  million.  Adjusted  net  allocated 
expenses  for  services  to  business  divisions  and  other  Corporate 
Center units were CHF 7,346 million compared with CHF 7,080 
million,  mainly  as  the  costs  allocated  to  business  divisions  and 
other  Corporate  Center  units  in  2016  were  lower  than  the 
actual  costs  incurred  by  Corporate  Center  –  Services  on  their 
behalf. Since 2017, costs are allocated to the business divisions 
and other Corporate Center units based on actual costs incurred 
by Corporate Center – Services.

Operating expenses after service allocations to / from business 
divisions and other Corporate Center units
Corporate  Center  –  Services  retains  costs  related  to  Group 
governance  and  other  corporate  activities,  certain  strategic  and 
regulatory  projects  and  certain  restructuring  expenses.  Total 
operating  expenses  remaining  in  Corporate  Center  –  Services 
after  allocations  increased  to  CHF 762  million  from  CHF 747 
million  and  to  CHF 743  million  from  CHF 690  million  on  an 
adjusted  basis,  driven  by  the  aforementioned  higher  net 
expenses  for  provisions  for  litigation,  regulatory  and  similar 
matters,  largely  offset  by  lower  retained  expenses  as  the  costs 
allocated to business divisions and other Corporate Center units 
in 2016 were lower than the actual costs incurred by Corporate 
Center – Services on their behalf. 

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2016 compared with 2015

Corporate  Center  –  Services  recorded  a  loss  before  tax  of 
CHF 849  million  compared  with  CHF 818  million,  and  CHF 912 
million on an adjusted basis compared with CHF 1,056 million.

Operating income
Operating income was negative CHF 102 million compared with 
positive CHF 241 million, mainly as gains on sales of real estate 
decreased  to  CHF 120  million  from  CHF 378  million.  On  an 
adjusted  basis,  operating  income  was  negative  CHF 222  million 
compared  with  negative  CHF 137  million,  mainly  due  to  lower 
income  from  the  investment  of  the  Group’s  equity  allocated 
from Corporate Center – Group Asset and Liability Management 
(Group ALM).

Operating expenses 

Operating expenses before service allocations to business 
divisions and other Corporate Center units
Before  service  allocations  to  business  divisions  and  other 
Corporate  Center  units,  total  operating  expenses  decreased  by 
CHF 363  million  or  4%  to  CHF 8,911  million.  Restructuring 
expenses  were  CHF 1,141  million  compared  with  CHF 1,125 
million  and  mainly  related  to  our  transitioning  activities  to 
nearshore  and  offshore  locations,  as  well  as  outsourcing  of  IT 
and  other  services.  Adjusted  operating  expenses  before 
allocations  decreased  by  CHF 381  million  or  5%  to  CHF 7,770 
million.

to 
Personnel  expenses  decreased  by  CHF 102  million 
CHF 3,801 million and by CHF 216 million to CHF 3,283 million 
on  an  adjusted  basis.  The  decrease  in  adjusted  personnel 
expenses  was  mainly  a  result  of  nearshoring  and  offshoring 
initiatives  as  well  as  lower  pension  costs  for  our  Swiss  pension 
plan,  reflecting  the  effect  of  changes  to  demographic  and 
financial assumptions. 

General  and  administrative  expenses  decreased  by  CHF 338 
million  to  CHF 4,145  million  and  adjusted  general  and 
administrative  expenses  decreased  by  CHF 242  million,  mainly 
due 
for  outsourcing  and  decreased 
professional fees. 

lower  expenses 

to 

Depreciation  and  impairment  of  property,  equipment  and 
software  increased  to  CHF 944  million  from  CHF 868  million, 
reflecting  increased  depreciation  expenses  related  to  internally 
generated capitalized software.

Services to / from business divisions and other Corporate Center 
units
Corporate  Center  –  Services  allocated  expenses  of  CHF 8,164 
million  to  the  business  divisions  and  other  Corporate  Center 
units  compared  with  CHF 8,215  million.  Adjusted  net  allocated 
expenses  for  services  to  business  divisions  and  other  Corporate 
Center units were CHF 7,080 million compared with CHF 7,231 
million.

Operating expenses after service allocations to / from business 
divisions and other Corporate Center units
Corporate  Center  –  Services  retains  costs  related  to  Group 
governance  functions  and  other  corporate  activities,  certain 
strategic  and  regulatory  projects  and  certain  restructuring 
expenses.  Total  operating  expenses  remaining  in  Corporate 
Center – Services after allocations decreased to CHF 747 million 
from  CHF 1,059  million  and  to  CHF 690  million  from  CHF 919 
million  on  an  adjusted  basis,  mainly  reflecting  lower  retained 
expenses  for  regulatory  projects,  a  reduction  of  CHF 13  million 
in  expenses  for  provisions  for  litigation,  regulatory  and  similar 
matters,  and  lower  pension  costs  for  our  Swiss  pension  plan, 
reflecting  the  effect  of  changes  to  demographic  and  financial 
assumptions.

101 

 
 
 
 
Financial and operating performance
Corporate Center

Corporate Center – Group Asset and Liability Management

Corporate Center – Group ALM1

CHF million, except where indicated

Results

Business division-aligned risk management net income

Capital investment and issuance net income

Group structural risk management net income
TTotal risk management net income before allocations

Allocations to business divisions and other CC units 

of which: Wealth Management 

of which: Wealth Management Americas 

of which: Personal & Corporate Banking

of which: Asset Management 

of which: Investment Bank 

of which: CC – Services 

of which: CC – Non-core and Legacy Portfolio 
TTotal risk management net income after allocations

Accounting asymmetries related to economic hedges
Hedge accounting ineffectiveness2
Net foreign currency translation gain / (loss)3

Net gain / (loss) related to the buyback of debt

Own credit on financial liabilities designated at fair value

Other
TTotal operating income as reported
TTotal operating income (adjusted)4,5

Personnel expenses 

General and administrative expenses 

Depreciation and impairment of property, equipment and software 

Amortization and impairment of intangible assets 

Services (to) / from business divisions and other CC units 
TTotal operating expenses as reported

of which: personnel-related restructuring expenses 

of which: non-personnel-related restructuring expenses 

of which: restructuring expenses allocated from CC – Services

TTotal operating expenses (adjusted)

OOperating profit / (loss) before tax as reported
OOperating profit / (loss) before tax (adjusted)4

Additional information 
Average attributed equity (CHF billion)6
Total assets (CHF billion)7
Risk-weighted assets (CHF billion)6

of which: held by CC – Group ALM on behalf of BDs and other CC units (CHF billion) 8

Leverage ratio denominator (CHF billion)6

of which: held by CC – Group ALM on behalf of BDs and other CC units (CHF billion) 8

As of or for the year ended

331.12.17

31.12.16

31.12.15

% change from
31.12.16

  712

  (119)

  (510)
  84

  (264)

  (256)

  (115)

  (181)

  (18)

  344

  (120)

  83
  (179)

  (62)

  (12)

  (22)

  0
  (276)

  (254)

  34

  26

  0

  0

  (13)
  47

  1

  0

  3

  43

  (322)

  (296)

 847

 45

 (547)
 345

 (512)

 (389)

 (118)

 (332)

 (7)

 260

 (36)

 110
 (167)

 27

 7

 (122)

 37
 (219)

 (97)

 31

 17

 0

 0

 (49)
 (1)

 0

 0

 0

 (1)

 (218)

 (96)

 878

 272

 (647)
 503

 (832)

 (471)

 (104)

 (421)

 (15)

 211

 (145)

 114
 (329)

 (66)

 156

 88

 (257)

 553

 133
 277

 (107)

 30

 22

 0

 0

 (57)
 (5)

 0

 0

 0

 (5)

 282

 (102)

  2.7

  245.7

  11.2

  3.9

  249.9

 4.3

 267.2

 10.6

 3.3

 237.5

 6.0

 272.4

 247.9

 (16)

 (7)
 (76)

 (48)

 (34)

 (3)

 (45)

 157

 32

 233

 (25)
 7

 (100)
 26

 162

 10

 53

 (73)

 48

 208

 (37)

 (8)

 6

 (8)

  124.4
  143

Personnel (full-time equivalents) 
11 Comparative figures in this table may differ from those originally published in quarterly and annual reports due to adjustments following organizational changes, restatements due to the retrospective adoption of 
new accounting standards or changes in accounting policies, and events after the reporting period.     2 Excludes ineffectiveness of hedges of net investments in foreign operations.     3 Related to the disposal of 
foreign subsidiaries and branches.     4 Adjusted results are non-GAAP financial measures as defined by SEC regulations.     5 Adjusted total operating income excludes foreign currency translation gains or losses.  
6 Refer  to  the  “Capital  management”  section  of  this  report  for  more  information.     7  Based  on  third-party  view,  i.e.,  without  intercompany  balances.     8 Represents  risk-weighted  assets  and  leverage  ratio 
denominator held by Corporate Center – Group ALM that are directly associated with activity managed centrally on behalf of the business divisions and other Corporate Center units. For the purpose of attributing 
equity under the revised framework effective as of 1 January 2017, these resources are allocated to the business divisions and other Corporate Center units, primarily based on the level of high-quality liquid assets 
needed to meet the Group’s minimum liquidity coverage ratio requirement of 110%. Refer to “Equity attribution and return on attributed equity” in the “Capital management” section of this report for more 
information.

 125

 142

 1

102 

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2017 compared with 2016

Corporate  Center  –  Group  Asset  and  Liability  Management 
(Group  ALM)  recorded  a  loss  before  tax  of  CHF 322  million 
compared with a loss of CHF 218 million. On an adjusted basis, 
the loss before tax was CHF 296 million compared with a loss of 
CHF 96  million,  driven  by  lower  net  income  on  accounting 
asymmetries  related  to  economic  hedges  and  higher  retained 
operating expenses.

Operating income
Total operating income was negative CHF 276 million compared 
with negative CHF 219 million. Adjusted total operating income 
retained by Group ALM was negative CHF 254 million compared 
with negative CHF 97 million.

Total risk management net income before allocations
Total risk management net income before allocations to business 
divisions  and  other  Corporate  Center  units  was  CHF 84  million 
compared  with  CHF 345  million,  mainly  reflecting  lower  net 
income 
risk  management 
activities  and  negative  net  income  from  capital  investment  and 
issuance.

from  business  division-aligned 

Business division-aligned risk management net income
Net  income  from  business  division-aligned  risk  management 
activities  was  CHF 712  million  compared  with  CHF 847  million, 
mainly  reflecting  reduced 
interest  rate  risk  management 
revenues  in  the  banking  book  for  Wealth  Management  and 
Personal & Corporate Banking. This decrease was mainly due to 
lower  interest  income  from  managing  euro-  and  Swiss  franc-
denominated  deposits  in  the  current  negative  interest  rate 
environment.

Capital investment and issuance net income
Net  income  from  capital  investment  and  issuance  activities  was 
negative  CHF 119  million  compared  with  positive  CHF 45 
million.  This  decrease  was  due  to  CHF 83  million  higher  net 
interest expenses as a result of an increase in total outstanding 
long-term debt that is eligible for total loss-absorbing capital and 
CHF 81 million lower interest income from the investment of the 
Group’s  equity  due  to  maturing  positions  being  replaced  at 
lower long-term interest rates.

Group structural risk management net income
Net  income  from  Group  structural  risk  management  activities 
was negative CHF 510 million compared with negative CHF 547 
million.  An  increase  in  income  of  CHF 132  million  from  the 
management  of  the  Group’s  high-quality  liquid  assets  (HQLA), 
mainly due to wider spreads between certain HQLA and internal 
funding  liabilities,  was  largely  offset  by  an  increase  in  net 
interest expense of CHF 98 million due to issuances of long-term 
debt during 2017. 

Allocations to business divisions and other Corporate Center 
units
Combined  allocations  from  risk  management  activities  to 
business  divisions  and  other  Corporate  Center  units  were 
CHF 264  million  compared  with  CHF 512  million.  This  decrease 
primarily  reflects  the  aforementioned  lower  net  income  from 
capital investment and issuance activities, which is fully allocated 
to  the  business  divisions  and  other  Corporate  Center  units  in 
proportion to their attributed equity, and lower net income from 
business  division-aligned  risk  management  activities,  which  is 
allocated 
to  business  divisions,  predominantly  Wealth 
Management and Personal & Corporate Banking.

Total risk management net income after allocations
Group  ALM  retained  negative  CHF 179  million  from  its  risk 
management activities after allocations compared with negative 
CHF 167 million. 

Retained  income  from  risk  management  activities  is  entirely 
related  to  Group  structural  risk  management  and  is  mainly  the 
net  result  of  costs  from  buffers  that  are  maintained  by  Group 
ALM  at  levels  above  the  total  consumption  of  the  business 
divisions  and  the  revenues  generated  by  Group  ALM  from  the 
management  of  the  Group’s  HQLA  portfolio  relative  to  the 
benchmark rates used to allocate the costs.

103 

 
 
 
Operating expenses
Total  operating  expenses  were  CHF 47  million  compared  with 
negative  CHF 1  million.  From  June  2017,  Group  ALM  retains 
costs related to Group structural risk management income to the 
extent that such income is not allocated to the business divisions 
and  other  Corporate  Center  units.  Previously,  Group  ALM 
allocated  all  costs  to  business  divisions  and  other  Corporate 
Center units.

Balance sheet assets 
Balance  sheet  assets  decreased  by  CHF 21  billion  to  CHF 246 
billion as of 31 December 2017, reflecting increased net funding 
consumption by the business divisions. Group ALM is responsible 
for  investing  any  funding  generated  that  is  surplus  to  the 
requirements of the business divisions. As a result, Group ALM’s 
balance sheet is mainly driven by the volume of liabilities created 
across 
than  centrally  managed  asset 
requirements.

the  Group 

rather 

→ Refer to the “Treasury management” section of this report for 

more information

Risk-weighted assets
Risk-weighted assets (RWA) were largely stable at CHF 11 billion 
as of 31 December 2017.

→ Refer to the “Capital management” section of this report for 

more information

Leverage ratio denominator
The  leverage  ratio  denominator  (LRD)  decreased  to  CHF 250 
billion  from  CHF 272  billion,  consistent  with  the  decrease  in 
balance sheet assets.

→ Refer to the “Capital management” section of this report for 

more information

Financial and operating performance
Corporate Center

Accounting asymmetries related to economic hedges 
Net  income  retained  by  Group  ALM  due  to  accounting 
asymmetries  related  to  economic  hedges  was  negative  CHF 62 
million compared with positive CHF 27 million, primarily due to a 
loss of CHF 170 million compared with a loss of CHF 38 million 
on  Group  ALM’s  cross-currency  and  interest  rate  derivatives 
hedges  related  to  its  portfolio  of  internal  funding  as  well  as 
lower fair value gains of CHF 70 million compared with CHF 174 
million  on  certain  internal  funding  transactions  due  to  the 
tightening of own credit funding spreads. This was partly offset 
by  a  gain  of  CHF 38  million  compared  with  a  loss  of  CHF 43 
million related to HQLA classified as available for sale.

Hedge accounting ineffectiveness
Net  income  related  to  hedge  accounting  ineffectiveness  was 
negative  CHF 12  million  compared  with  positive  CHF 7  million. 
This  ineffectiveness  primarily  arises  from  changes  in  the  spread 
between  LIBOR  and  the  overnight  index  swap  rate  due  to 
differences in the way these impact the valuation of the hedged 
items  and  hedging  instruments  through  either  the  benchmark 
rate determining cash flows or the discount rate.

Other
Other net income was nil compared with CHF 37 million, mainly 
reflecting  lower  interest  income  retained  by  Group  ALM  on 
behalf of non-controlling interests. 

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2016 compared with 2015

Corporate  Center  –  Group  Asset  and  Liability  Management 
(Group  ALM)  recorded  a  loss  before  tax  of  CHF 218  million 
compared  with  a  profit  before  tax  of  CHF 282  million.  On  an 
adjusted basis, the loss before tax was CHF 96 million compared 
with  a  loss  of  CHF 102  million,  driven  by  lower  negative  net 
income after allocations, largely offset by lower gains on hedge 
accounting ineffectiveness.

Transfer of Risk Exposure Management function
Consistent  with  changes  in  the  manner  in  which  operating 
segment  performance  is  assessed,  we  transferred  in  2016  the 
Risk  Exposure  Management  (REM)  function  from  Corporate 
Center  –  Non-core  and  Legacy  Portfolio  to  Corporate  Center  – 
Group  ALM  to  further  harmonize  REM  risk  management 
responsibility  with  the  reporting  structure  and  align  it  more 
closely  with  other  activities  performed  by  Group  ALM.  REM 
primarily  performs  risk  management  over  credit,  debit  and 
funding  valuation  adjustments  for  our  over-the-counter  (OTC) 
derivatives portfolio. 

Prior-period  profit  and  loss  information  has  been  restated  to 
reflect  this  transfer.  Net  income  from  REM  before  allocations  is 
now  presented  within  the  line  “Business  division-aligned  risk 
management net income” and is fully allocated to the business 
divisions and other Corporate Center units. There was no effect 
on  operating  profit  before  tax  for  any  segment  for  any  period 
from this restatement. 

Prior-period  information  for  balance  sheet  assets  and  risk-
weighted  assets  has  not  been  restated  as  the  effect  would  not 
have been material. 

The  LRD  of  Group  ALM  has  been  restated  for  31  December 
2015 and as a result increased by CHF 7.7 billion, with an equal 
and  opposite  decrease  in  Corporate  Center  –  Non-core  and 
Legacy Portfolio. 

Operating income
Total operating income was negative CHF 219 million compared 
with  positive  CHF 277  million.  Adjusted  total  operating  income 
retained by Group ALM was negative CHF 97 million compared 
with negative CHF 107 million.

Business division-aligned risk management net income
Net  income  from  business  division-aligned  risk  management 
activities  was  CHF 847  million  compared  with  CHF 878  million, 
mainly  reflecting  reduced 
interest  rate  risk  management 
revenues  in  the  banking  book  for  Wealth  Management  and 
Personal & Corporate Banking. This decrease was mainly due to 
lower  penalty  fees  received  from  clients  from  the  early 
termination  of  loans  and  lower  interest  income  from  managing 
euro-denominated deposits in the current negative interest rate 
environment. 

Capital investment and issuance net income
Net  income  from  capital  investment  and  issuance  activities  was 
CHF 45  million  compared  with  CHF 272  million.  This  decrease 
was due to CHF 168 million in higher net interest expenses as a 
result of an increase in total outstanding long-term debt that is 
eligible  for  total  loss-absorbing  capital,  fees  paid  related  to  the 
issuance  of  additional  tier  1  capital  and  senior  unsecured  debt 
during the year, and CHF 58 million lower interest income from 
the investment of the Group’s equity due to maturing positions 
being replaced at lower long-term interest rates.

Group structural risk management net income
Net  income  from  Group  structural  risk  management  activities 
was negative CHF 547 million compared with negative CHF 647 
million.  An  increase  in  income  of  CHF 481  million  from  the 
management  of  the  Group’s  high-quality  liquid  assets  (HQLA), 
mainly due to wider spreads between certain HQLA and internal 
funding  liabilities,  was  largely  offset  by  an  increase  in  net 
interest  expense  of  CHF 382  million  due  to  issuances  of  long-
term debt during 2016.

Allocations to business divisions and other Corporate Center 
units
Combined  allocations  from  risk  management  activities  to 
business  divisions  and  other  Corporate  Center  units  were 
CHF 512  million  compared  with  CHF 832  million.  This  decrease 
primarily  reflects  the  aforementioned  lower  net  income  from 
capital investment and issuance activities, which is fully allocated 
to  the  business  divisions  and  other  Corporate  Center  units  in 
proportion to their attributed equity. In addition, cost allocations 
from  Group  structural  risk  management  activities  increased  by 
CHF 62  million.  This  allocation  is  based  on  consumption  of 
funding  and  liquidity  risk  by  the  business  divisions  and  other 
Corporate Center units.

Total risk management net income after allocations
Group  ALM  retained  negative  CHF 167  million  from  its  risk 
management activities after allocations compared with negative 
CHF 329 million. 

Retained  income  from  risk  management  activities  is  entirely 
related  to  Group  structural  risk  management  and  is  mainly  the 
net  result  of  costs  from  buffers  that  are  maintained  by  Group 
ALM  at  levels  above  the  total  consumption  of  the  business 
divisions  and  the  revenues  generated  by  Group  ALM  from  the 
management  of  the  Group’s  HQLA  portfolio  relative  to  the 
benchmark rates used to allocate the costs.

105 

 
 
 
Balance sheet assets 
Balance  sheet  assets  increased  by  CHF 30  billion  to  CHF 267 
billion,  mainly  due  to  a  CHF 23  billion  net  increase  in  financial 
assets  designated  at  fair  value,  available  for  sale  and  held  to 
maturity,  as  well  as  an  CHF 18  billion  increase  in  cash  and 
balances  with  central  banks  that  primarily  occurred  toward  the 
end  of  the  year.  These  increases  mainly  reflected  liquidity 
requirements  applicable 
intermediate  holding 
company and UBS Europe SE and also resulted from an increase 
in net funds transferred to Group ALM by the business divisions.

to  our  US 

Group  ALM 

is  responsible  for 

investing  any  funding 
generated  that  is  surplus  to  the  requirements  of  the  business 
divisions.  As  a  result,  Group  ALM’s  balance  sheet  is  mainly 
driven  by  the  volume  of  liabilities  created  across  the  Group 
rather than centrally managed asset requirements. 

Risk-weighted assets
Fully  applied  risk-weighted  assets  (RWA)  increased  by  CHF 5 
billion  to  CHF 11  billion  as  of  31  December  2016,  largely  as  a 
result of a revised methodology for the allocation of operational 
risk  RWA  to  business  divisions  and  Corporate  Center  units  and 
an increase in credit risk in Group ALM’s HQLA portfolios.

Leverage ratio denominator
The  LRD  increased  to  CHF 272  billion  from  CHF 248  billion, 
consistent with the increase in balance sheet assets. 

Financial and operating performance
Corporate Center

Accounting asymmetries related to economic hedges 
Net  income  retained  by  Group  ALM  due  to  accounting 
asymmetries  related  to  economic  hedges  was  CHF 27  million 
compared  with  negative  CHF 66  million,  primarily  due  to  a  fair 
value  gain  of  CHF 174  million  on  certain  internal  funding 
transactions due to the tightening of own credit funding spreads 
compared with a loss of CHF 19 million. This was partly offset by 
a  loss  of  CHF 43  million  related  to  HQLA  classified  as  available 
for  sale  compared  with  a  gain  of  CHF 102  million.  The  lower 
magnitude  of  this  asymmetrical  result  reflects  the  change 
applied since the first quarter of 2016 to classify the majority of 
newly  purchased  HQLA  debt  securities  as  financial  assets 
designated  at  fair  value  through  profit  or  loss,  instead  of 
classifying them as financial assets available for sale.

Hedge accounting ineffectiveness
Net  income  related  to  hedge  accounting  ineffectiveness  was 
CHF 7  million  compared  with  CHF 156  million.  The  higher 
revenue in the prior year mainly related to our cash flow hedges 
following the Swiss National Bank’s actions in January 2015. This 
ineffectiveness  primarily  arises  from  changes  in  the  spread 
between  LIBOR  and  the  overnight  index  swap  rate  due  to 
differences in the way these impact the valuation of the hedged 
items  and  hedging  instruments  through  either  the  benchmark 
rate determining cash flows or the discount rate.

Other
Other  net  income  was  CHF 37  million  compared  with  CHF 133 
million, reflecting negative income related to own-bond market-
making  activity  in  the  Investment  Bank  and  lower  interest 
income  retained  by  Group  ALM  on  behalf  of  non-controlling 
interests.  Additionally,  2016  included  a  loss  of  CHF 12  million 
from the Group ALM-managed monthly conversion of non-Swiss 
franc profits compared with a gain of CHF 56 million in 2015. 

106 

 
Corporate Center – Non-core and Legacy Portfolio

Corporate Center – Non-core and Legacy Portfolio1

CHF million, except where indicated

Results
Income 

Credit loss (expense) / recovery
TTotal operating income 

Personnel expenses 

General and administrative expenses 

Services (to) / from business divisions and other CC units 

of which: services from CC – Services 

Depreciation and impairment of property, equipment and software 

Amortization and impairment of intangible assets 
TTotal operating expenses

OOperating profit / (loss) before tax 

Adjusted results2
TTotal operating income as reported 

TTotal operating income (adjusted) 

TTotal operating expenses as reported 

of which: personnel-related restructuring expenses 

of which: non-personnel-related restructuring expenses 

of which: restructuring expenses allocated from CC – Services

TTotal operating expenses (adjusted) 

OOperating profit / (loss) before tax as reported 

OOperating profit / (loss) before tax (adjusted) 

Additional information 
Average attributed equity (CHF billion)3
Total assets (CHF billion)4
Risk-weighted assets (CHF billion)3

of which: held by CC – Non-core and Legacy Portfolio (CHF billion)

Leverage ratio denominator (CHF billion)3

of which: held by CC – Non-core and Legacy Portfolio (CHF billion)
of which: held by CC – Group ALM on behalf of CC – Non-core and Legacy Portfolio 
(CHF billion) 5

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As of or for the year ended

331.12.17

31.12.16

31.12.15

% change from
31.12.16

  (11)

  (11)
  (22)

  43

  114

  224

  194

  0

  0
  381

  (403)

  (22)

  (22)

  381

  0

  0

  6

  375

  (403)

  (397)

  1.3

  46.2

  16.1

  16.1

  16.6

  14.9

 (23)

 (13)
 (36)

 66

 732

 280

 225

 0

 0
 1,078

 (1,114)

 (36)

 (36)

 1,078

 1

 0

 21

 1,057

 (1,114)

 (1,093)

 2.1

 68.5

 18.9

 18.9

 22.4

 22.4

 (195)

 (8)
 (203)

 116

 806

 379

 313

 0

 0
 1,301

 (1,503)

 (203)

 (203)

 1,301

 14

 0

 43

 1,245

 (1,503)

 (1,447)

 2.9

 94.4

 30.7

 30.7

 38.5

 38.5

 (52)

 (15)
 (39)

 (35)

 (84)

 (20)

 (14)

 (65)

 (64)

 (39)

 (39)

 (65)

 (65)

 (64)

 (64)

 (38)

 (33)

 (15)

 (15)

 (26)

 (33)

 (17)
Personnel (full-time equivalents) 
11 Comparative figures in this table may differ from those originally published in quarterly and annual reports due to adjustments following organizational changes, restatements due to the retrospective adoption of 
new accounting standards or changes in accounting policies, and events after the reporting period.     2 Adjusted results are non-GAAP financial measures as defined by SEC regulations.     3 Refer to the “Capital 
management” section of this report for more information.    4 Based on third-party view, i.e., without intercompany balances.    5 Represents leverage ratio denominator held by Corporate Center – Group ALM that 
is directly associated with activity managed centrally on behalf of the business divisions and other Corporate Center units. For the purpose of attributing equity under the revised framework effective as of 1 January 
2017, this resource is allocated to the business divisions and other Corporate Center units, primarily based on the level of high-quality liquid assets needed to meet the Group’s minimum liquidity coverage ratio 
requirement of 110%. Refer to “Equity attribution and return on attributed equity” in the “Capital management” section of this report for more information.

 77

 63

  1.7
  52

107 

 
 
 
Financial and operating performance
Corporate Center

2017 compared with 2016

Corporate  Center  –  Non-core  and  Legacy  Portfolio  recorded  a 
loss  before  tax  of  CHF 403  million  compared  with  CHF 1,114 
million.

Operating income
Operating  income  was  negative  CHF 22  million  compared  with 
negative CHF 36 million. The improved result was mainly due to 
income related to a claim on a defaulted counterparty position, 
largely  allocated  from  Corporate  Center  –  Group  Asset  and 
Liability  Management  (Group  ALM),  and  lower  losses  from 
novation and unwind activities. 

Operating expenses
Total operating expenses decreased by CHF 697 million or 65% 
to CHF 381 million. 2017 included CHF 51 million net expenses 
for  provisions  for  litigation,  regulatory  and  similar  matters 
compared with CHF 584 million. Net expenses for services from 
business  divisions  and  other  Corporate  Center  units  decreased 
by CHF 56 million as a result of reduced consumption of shared 
services.  Furthermore,  professional  fees  declined  by  CHF 42 
million and personnel expenses decreased by CHF 23 million due 
to lower staff levels. 

In addition, 2017 reflected a net credit for the UK bank levy 
of  CHF 11  million  compared  with  a  net  expense  of  CHF 31 
million,  primarily  as  2017  included  a  CHF 22  million  credit 
related to prior years.

Balance sheet assets
During 2017, total assets decreased by CHF 22 billion to CHF 46 
billion,  mainly  due  to  a  CHF  19  billion  reduction  in  positive 
replacement values (PRVs), primarily reflecting trade terminations 
and  maturities,  mainly  related  to  interest  rate  and  foreign 
exchange contracts. 

Total  assets  excluding  PRVs  decreased  by  CHF 4  billion  to 
CHF 8  billion,  mainly  due  to  a  reduction  in  cash  collateral 
receivables on derivative instruments. 

Assets  classified  as  Level  3  in  the  fair  value  hierarchy  totaled 

CHF 1.6 billion as of 31 December 2017.

Risk-weighted assets
Risk-weighted  assets  (RWA)  decreased  by  CHF 3  billion  to 
CHF 16 billion.

→ Refer to the “Capital management” section of this report for 

more information

Leverage ratio denominator
The  leverage  ratio  denominator  (LRD)  decreased  to  CHF 15 
billion  from  CHF 22  billion,  consistent  with  the  reduction  in 
balance sheet assets.

→ Refer to the “Capital management” section of this report for 

more information

108 

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Composition of Non-core and Legacy Portfolio

An  overview  of  the  composition  of  Non-core  and  Legacy 
Portfolio is presented in the table below. 

The  groupings  of  positions  by  category  and  the  order  in 
which  these  are  listed  are  not  necessarily  representative  of  the 

magnitude of the risks associated with them, nor do the metrics 
shown in the table necessarily represent the risk measures used 
to manage and control these positions. 

Exposure category

Description

RWA

Total assets¹

LRD²

Rates (linear)

Rates (non-linear)

Credit

Securitizations

Consists of linear OTC products (primarily vanilla interest 
rate, inflation, basis and cross-currency swaps for all 
major currencies and some emerging markets) and non-
linear OTC products (vanilla and structured options). 
More than 85% of gross PRVs are collateralized and more 
than 95% of uncollateralized exposures are rated 
investment grade. More than 60% of gross PRVs are due 
to mature by the end of 2021.

Consists primarily of a residual structured credit book that 
is largely hedged against market risk and is expected to 
materially run off by the end of 2018. The remaining 
counterparty risk is fully collateralized and diversified 
across multiple names. Also includes corporate lending 
and residual distressed credit positions, with a similar 
expected run-off profile.

Consists primarily of a portfolio of CDS positions 
referencing ABS assets with related cash and synthetic 
hedges to mitigate the impact of directional movements. 
The majority of the remaining positions are expected to 
settle by 2020.

31.12.17

31.12.16

31.12.17

31.12.16

31.12.17

31.12.16

1.3

2.5

28.6

42.6

6.2

9.4

0.2

0.8

8.4

14.5

1.2

2.0

0.3

0.5

0.7

1.0

0.9

2.2

1.9

2.4

0.9

1.4

0.8

1.4

Auction preferred stocks (APSs)
and auction rate securities (ARSs)

Portfolio of long-dated APSs and municipal ARSs. All APSs 
were rated A or above and all ARS exposures were rated 
Ba1 or above as of 31 December 2017.

Municipal swaps and options

Swaps and options with US state and local governments. 
More than 99% of the PRVs are with counterparties that 
were rated investment grade as of 31 December 2017.

Other

Diverse portfolio of smaller positions.

Operational risk

Total

Operational risk RWA allocated to Non-core and Legacy 
Portfolio.

0.6

0.7

2.1

2.5

2.1

2.5

0.5

1.0

10.3

16.1

0.4

1.5

10.1

18.9

2.1

3.4

2.3

4.2

1.5

2.2

1.7

3.2

46.2

68.5

14.9

22.4

1 Total assets of CHF 46.2 billion as of 31 December 2017 (CHF 68.5 billion as of 31 December 2016) include positive replacement values (gross exposure excluding the impact of any counterparty netting) of 
CHF 38.0 billion (CHF 56.5 billion as of 31 December 2016).    2 Swiss SRB leverage ratio denominator.

109 

 
 
 
replacement  values 

Balance sheet assets
During  2016,  balance  sheet  assets  decreased  to  CHF 68  billion 
from  CHF 94  billion.  Positive 
(PRVs) 
decreased  by  CHF 22  billion,  primarily  reflecting  ongoing 
reduction  activity  including  negotiated  bilateral  settlements, 
third-party  novations,  including  transfers  to  central  clearing 
houses,  and  agreements  to  net  down  trades  with  other  dealer 
counterparties, partly offset by fair value increases resulting from 
increases in interest rates. Total assets excluding PRVs decreased 
by CHF 4 billion to CHF 12 billion, mainly due to a reduction in 
cash collateral receivables on derivative instruments. 

Assets  classified  as  Level  3  in  the  fair  value  hierarchy  totaled 

CHF 2.0 billion as of 31 December 2016.

Risk-weighted assets
Fully applied RWA decreased by CHF 12 billion to CHF 19 billion, 
largely as a result of a revised methodology for the allocation of 
operational risk RWA to business divisions and Corporate Center 
units.

Leverage ratio denominator
The  fully  applied  LRD  decreased  to  CHF 22  billion  from  CHF 38 
billion, consistent with the reduction in balance sheet assets. 

Financial and operating performance
Corporate Center

2016 compared with 2015

Corporate  Center  –  Non-core  and  Legacy  Portfolio  recorded  a 
loss  before  tax  of  CHF 1,114  million  compared  with  CHF 1,503 
million.

Operating income
Operating  income  was  negative  CHF 36  million  compared  with 
negative  CHF 203  million.  The  improved  result  was  mainly  due 
from  novation  and  unwind  activities. 
to 
Furthermore, 2016 included a gain related to the settlement of a 
litigation  claim  and  valuation  gains  on 
financial  assets 
designated at fair value compared with valuation losses in 2015. 

losses 

lower 

Operating expenses
Total operating expenses decreased by CHF 223 million or 17% 
to  CHF 1,078  million.  Net  expenses  for  services  from  business 
divisions and other Corporate Center units decreased by CHF 99 
million  as  a  result  of  reduced  consumption  of  shared  services. 
Personnel  expenses  decreased  by  CHF 50  million,  driven  by  a 
decrease in staff levels. Net expenses for provisions for litigation, 
regulatory  and  similar  matters  declined  by  CHF 36  million  to 
CHF 584  million.  Moreover,  2016  included  an  expense  of 
CHF 33  million  for  the  annual  UK  bank  levy  compared  with 
CHF 50 million in 2015.

110 

 
Risk, treasury 
and capital 
management

Management report

Audited information according to IFRS 7 and IAS 1

Risk  and  capital  disclosures  provided  in  line  with  the  requirements  of  International  Financial  Reporting  Standard  7  (IFRS  7), 
Financial Instruments: Disclosures and International Accounting Standard 1 (IAS 1), Presentation of Financial Statements form 
part of the financial statements included in the ”Consolidated financial statements” section of this report and audited by the 
independent registered public accounting firm Ernst & Young Ltd, Basel. This information is marked as “Audited” within this 
section  of  the  report.  The  risk  profile  of  UBS  AG  consolidated  does  not  differ  materially  from  that  of  UBS  Group  AG 
consolidated.  Audited  information  provided  in  the  “Risk  management  and  control”  and  “Treasury  management”  sections  
applies to both UBS Group AG consolidated and UBS AG consolidated.

Table of contents

113

116

115

119

113

117

Risk management and control
Overview of risks arising from our business activities
Risk categories
Top and emerging risks
Risk governance
Risk appetite framework
Internal risk reporting
Risk measurement
Credit risk
126
148 Market risk
Country risk
159
Operational risk

122

123

164

167

167

178

181

182

183

183

185

188

193

197

199

201

Treasury management
Balance sheet, liquidity and funding management
Off-balance sheet
Currency management
Cash flows

Capital management
Capital management objectives, planning and activities
Swiss SRB total loss-absorbing capacity framework
Total loss-absorbing capacity
Risk-weighted assets
Leverage ratio denominator
Equity attribution and return on attributed equity
UBS shares

112 

 
Risk management and control

Overview of risks arising from our business activities

The  scale  of  our  business  activities  is  dependent  on  the  capital 
we have available to cover the risks in our business, the size of 
our on- and off-balance sheet assets through their contribution 
to our capital, leverage and liquidity ratios, and our risk appetite.
Our  overall  credit  risk  profile  remained  stable  over  the  year 
and  we  continued  to  manage  market  risks  at  generally  low 
levels. Operational risk remains a focus. 

The  table  on  the  next  page  shows  risk-weighted  assets 
(RWA),  the  leverage  ratio  denominator  (LRD)  and  risk-based 
capital  (RBC),  as  well  as  attributed  tangible  equity,  total  assets 
and operating profit before tax on both a reported and adjusted 
basis, for our business divisions and Corporate Center units. This 

illustrates  how  the  activities  in  our  business  divisions  and 
Corporate  Center  units  are  captured  in  the  risk  measures 
mentioned  above  the  table,  and  it  illustrates  their  financial 
performance in the context of these measures.

→ Refer to the “Capital management” section of this report for 
more information on risk-weighted assets, leverage ratio 

denominator and our equity attribution framework
→ Refer to “Statistical measures” in this section for more 

information on risk-based capital

→ Refer to the “Performance by business division and Corporate 
Center unit – reported and adjusted” table in the “Group 

performance” section of this report for more information

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Risk, treasury and capital management
Risk management and control

Key risks, risk measures and performance by business division and Corporate Center unit

Business 
divisions and 
Corporate 
Center units

Key risks 
arising from 
business 
activities

Wealth 
Management

Wealth
 Management
 Americas

Personal &
 Corporate
 Banking

Asset
 Management

Investment 
Bank

CC – Services

CC – Group ALM

Small amounts of 
credit and market 
risk

Credit risk from 
lending against 
securities 
collateral and 
mortgages, and a 
small amount of 
derivatives trading 
activity. Minimal 
contribution to 
market risk

Credit risk from 
lending against 
securities 
collateral and 
mortgages 

Market risk from 
municipal 
securities and 
taxable fixed 
income securities

Credit risk from 
retail business, 
mortgages, 
secured and 
unsecured 
corporate 
lending, and a 
small amount of 
derivatives 
trading activity. 
Minimal 
contribution to 
market risk

Credit risk from 
lending (including 
temporary loan 
underwriting 
activities), 
derivatives 
trading and 
securities 
financing 

Market risk from 
primary under-
writing activities 
and secondary 
trading is 
materially hedged

No material risk 
exposures

Credit and mmarket 
risk arising from 
management of 
the Group’s 
balance sheet, 
capital, profit or 
loss and liquidity 
portfolios.
Market risk is 
materially hedged 

Central 
management of 
liquidity, funding, 
counterparty 
credit and 
structural FX risk

CC – Non-core
 and Legacy
 Portfolio

Credit risk from 
remaining lending 
and derivative 
exposures 

Market risk is 
materially hedged 

Operational risk is an inevitable consequence of being in business, as losses can result from inadequate or failed internal processes, people and systems, or from external events. It can 
arise as a result of our past and current business activities across all business divisions and Corporate Center units.

Risk measures and performance

CHF billion, as of or for the year ended
Risk-weighted assets (fully applied)1

of which: credit and counterparty credit risk
of which: market risk
of which: operational risk

Leverage ratio denominator (fully applied)1
Risk-based capital3
Average attributed tangible equity4
Total assets
Operating profit / (loss) before tax (as reported)
Operating profit / (loss) before tax (adjusted)5

Wealth
Management
 29.0 
 15.4 
 0.0 
 13.5 
 128.0 
 3.0
 4.8
 123.0
 2.3
 2.8

Wealth
Management
Americas
 25.5 
 10.4 
 1.6 
 13.5 
 71.8 
 1.8
 3.0
 67.1
 1.2
 1.3

Personal &
 Corporate 
Banking
 48.0 
 44.0 
 0.0 
 4.0 
 148.0 
 3.2
 6.1
 135.6
 1.6
 1.7

31.12.17

Asset
Management
 3.9 
 1.5 
 0.0 
 2.4 
 2.7 
 0.4
 0.3
 14.3
 0.6
 0.5

Investment 
Bank
 74.5 
 42.9 
 11.7 
 19.8 
 264.1 
 6.8
 9.3
 262.9
 1.2
 1.5

31.12.16

CC – 
Services
 29.2 
 1.8 
 (3.1) 2
 13.3 
 6.7 
 11.0
 18.9
 20.9
 (0.9)
 (0.9)

CC – 
Group 
ALM
 11.2 
 8.0 
 0.7 
 2.5 
 249.9 
 5.7
 2.7
 245.7
 (0.3)
 (0.3)

CC –
Non-core
and Legacy 
Portfolio
 16.1 
 4.5 
 1.3 
 10.3 
 14.9 
 2.0
 1.3
 46.2
 (0.4)
 (0.4)

Group
 237.5 
 128.4 
 12.3 
 79.4 
 886.1 
 33.9
 46.4
 915.6
 5.3
 6.2

CHF billion, as of or for the year ended
Risk-weighted assets (fully applied)1

of which: credit and counterparty credit risk
of which: market risk
of which: operational risk

Wealth
Management
 25.8
 12.5
 0.0
 13.2
 115.5
 1.5
 2.8
 115.5
 1.9
 2.4

Wealth
Management
Americas
 23.8
 9.1
 1.4
 13.2
 68.1
 1.3
 1.9
 65.9
 1.1
 1.2

Personal &
 Corporate 
Banking
 41.6
 37.7
 0.0
 3.9
 152.2
 2.7
 4.1
 139.9
 1.8
 1.8

Asset
Management
 3.9
 1.6
 0.0
 2.3
 2.7
 0.3
 0.2
 12.0
 0.5
 0.6

Investment 
Bank
 70.4
 37.0
 14.0
 19.5
 231.2
 7.8
 7.6
 242.3
 1.0
 1.5

CC – 
Services
 27.6
 1.4
 (3.2) 2
 13.1
 5.8
 12.7
 19.2
 23.7
 (0.8)
 (0.9)

CC – 
Group 
ALM
 10.6
 7.3
 0.7
 2.5
 272.4
 5.2
 4.3
 267.2
 (0.2)
 (0.1)

CC –
Non-core
and Legacy 
Portfolio
 18.9
 6.2
 2.6
 10.1
 22.4
 2.4
 2.1
 68.5
 (1.1)
 (1.1)

Group
 222.7
 112.8
 15.5
 77.8
 870.5
 33.9
 42.2
 935.0
 4.1
 5.3

Leverage ratio denominator (fully applied)1
Risk-based capital3
Average attributed tangible equity4
Total assets
Operating profit / (loss) before tax (as reported)
Operating profit / (loss) before tax (adjusted)5
1  Represents  RWA  and  LRD  prior  to  allocation  of  RWA  and  LRD  held  by  Corporate  Center  –  Group  ALM  that  is  directly  associated  with  activity  managed  centrally  on  behalf  of  the  business  divisions  and  other 
Corporate Center units. Calculated in accordance with Swiss systemically relevant banks rules. Refer to the “Capital management” section of this report for more information.     2 Corporate Center – Services market 
risk RWA were negative, as they included the effect of portfolio diversification across businesses.      3 Refer to “Statistical measures” in this section for more information on risk-based capital.      4 Refer to the 
“Capital  management”  section  of  this  report  for  more  information  on  our  equity  attribution  framework.      5  Adjusted  results  are  non-GAAP  financial  measures  as  defined  by  SEC  regulations.  Refer  to  the 
“Performance by business division and Corporate Center unit – reported and adjusted” table in the “Group performance” section of this report for more information.    

114 

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Risk categories

We categorize the risk exposures of our business divisions and Corporate Center units as outlined in the table below.

Risk definitions

Primary risks: the risks that our businesses may take to generate a return

Audited | Credit risk: the risk of loss resulting from the failure of a client or counterparty to meet its 
contractual obligations toward UBS. This includes settlement risk and loan underwriting risk:
Settlement risk: the risk of loss resulting from transactions that involve exchange of value 
(e.g., security versus cash) where we must deliver without first being able to determine with certainty 
that we will receive the countervalue
Loan underwriting risk: the risk of loss arising during the holding period of financing transactions that 
are intended for further distribution p

Audited | Market risk (traded and non-traded): the risk of loss resulting from adverse movements in 
market variables. Market variables include observable variables, such as interest rates,  foreign exchange 
rates, equity prices, credit spreads and commodity (including precious metal) prices, and variables that 
may be unobservable or only indirectly observable, such as volatilities and correlations. Market risk 
 includes issuer risk and investment risk:

Issuer risk: the risk of loss from changes in fair value resulting from credit-related events affecting an 
 issuer to which we are exposed through tradable  securities or derivatives referencing the issuer 
Investment risk: issuer risk associated with positions held as  financial investments p

Country risk: the risk of losses resulting from country-specific events. It includes transfer risk, whereby 
a(cid:124)country’s authorities prevent or restrict the payment of an obligation, as well as systemic risk events 
arising from country-specific political or macroeconomic developments

Risk managed by

Independent 
 oversight by

Captured in our risk(cid:124) 
appetite framework

Business management

Risk Control

Business management

Risk Control

CC – Group ALM

Business management

Risk Control

Consequential risks: the risks to which our businesses are exposed as a consequence of being in business

Audited | Liquidity risk: the risk of being unable to generate sufficient funds from assets to meet 
 payment obligations when they fall due, including in times of stress p
Audited | Funding risk: the risk of higher-than-expected funding costs due to wider-than-expected UBS 
credit spreads when existing funding positions mature and need to be rolled over or replaced by other, 
more expensive funding sources. If a shortage of available funding sources is expected in a stress event, 
 funding risk also covers potential additional losses from forced asset sales p
Structural foreign exchange risk: the risk of decreases in our capital due to changes in foreign 
 exchange rates with an adverse translation effect on capital held in currencies other than Swiss francs

Operational risk: the risk of loss resulting from inadequate or failed internal processes, people and 
systems, or from external events, including cyber risk. Operational risk includes, among other things, 
legal risk, conduct risk and compliance risk:

Legal risk: (i) the financial risk resulting from the non-enforceability of a contract or the failure to 
assert non-contractual rights, or (ii) the financial or reputational risk resulting from UBS being held 
liable for a contractual or legal claim, or otherwise being subject to a penalty or liability in a legal 
action, based on a contractual or other legal claim, violation of law, or regulation, or infringement of 
intellectual property rights, or failing to manage litigation or other actions appropriately or effectively
Conduct risk: the risk that the conduct of the firm or its individuals unfairly impacts clients or counter-
parties, undermines the integrity of the financial system or impairs effective competition to the detriment 
of consumers
Compliance risk: the financial or reputational risk incurred by us by not adhering to the applicable 
laws, rules and regulations, local and international best practice (including ethical standards) and our 
own internal standards
Cyber risk: the risk of a material impact from an external or internal attack on our information systems 
with the purpose of data theft, fraud or denial of service. Cyberattacks are manifestations of a cyber threat 
into an act of aggression or criminal activity causing financial, regulatory or reputational harm or loss
Money laundering risk: the risk that UBS fails to detect money laundering activities to prevent the 
 financing of illegal activities (including terrorism) and fails to report suspicious activities or respond 
to(cid:124)anti-money laundering requests from relevant authorities

Pension risk: the risk of a negative impact on our capital as a result of deteriorating funded status from 
decreases in the fair value of assets held in the defined benefit pension funds and / or changes in the 
value of defined benefit pension obligations due to changes in actuarial assumptions (e.g., discount rate, 
life expectancy, rate of pension increase) and / or changes to plan designs

Environmental and social risk: the possibility of us suffering reputational or financial harm from 
transactions, products, services or activities that involve a party associated with environmentally or 
socially sensitive activities

 ➔ Refer to the “UBS and Society” section of this report for more information

Group Treasury

Risk Control

CC – Group ALM

Risk Control

Business management

Risk Control

Legal

Risk Control

Human Resources

Risk Control and 
 Finance

Business management

Risk Control

Business risks: the risks arising from the commercial, strategic and economic environment in which our businesses operate

Business risks: the potential negative impact on earnings from lower-than-expected business volumes 
and / or margins, to the extent they are not offset by a decrease in expenses

Business management

Finance

Reputational risks

Reputational risk: the risk of damage to our reputation from the point of view of our stakeholders, 
such as clients, shareholders, staff and the general public

All businesses and 
functions

All control functions

115 

 
 
 
 
Risk, treasury and capital management
Risk management and control

Top and emerging risks

The  top  and  emerging  risks  disclosed  below  reflect  those  that 
we  currently  think  have  the  potential  to  materialize  within  one 
year  and  that  could  significantly  affect  the  Group.  Investors 
should also carefully consider all information set out in the “Risk 
factors” section of this report, where we discuss these and other 
material  risks  we  currently  consider  could  impact  our  ability  to 
execute  our  strategy  and  may  affect  our  business  activities, 
financial condition, results of operations and prospects. 
– We  are  exposed  to  a  number  of  macroeconomic  issues  as 
well  as  general  market  conditions.  As  noted  in  “Market 
conditions and fluctuations may have a detrimental effect on 
our  profitability,  capital  strength,  liquidity  and  funding 
position” and “Performance in the financial services industry 
is  affected  by  market  conditions  and  the  macroeconomic 
climate”  in  the  “Risk  factors”  section  of  this  report,  these 
external  pressures  may  have  a  significant  adverse  effect  on 
our  business  activities  and  related  financial  results,  primarily 
through  reduced  margins  and  revenues,  asset  impairments 
these 
and  other  valuation  adjustments.  Accordingly, 
macroeconomic factors are considered in the development of 
stress  testing  scenarios  for  our  ongoing  risk  management 
activities. 

– We  are  exposed  to  substantial  changes  in  the  regulation  of 
our  businesses  that  could  have  a  material  adverse  effect  on 
our  business,  as  discussed  in  the  “Regulatory  and  legal 
developments”  section  of  this  report  and  in  “Substantial 
changes  in  the  regulation  of  our  businesses  may  adversely 
affect  our  business  and  our  ability  to  execute  our  strategic 
plans” in the “Risk factors” section of this report.

– As  a  global  financial  services  firm  we  are  subject  to  many 
different  legal,  tax  and  regulatory  regimes  and  extensive 
regulatory  oversight.  We  are  exposed  to  significant  liability 

risk  and  we  are  subject  to  various  claims,  disputes,  legal 
proceedings  and  government  investigations,  as  noted  in 
“Material  legal  and  regulatory  risks  arise  in  the  conduct  of 
our  business”  in  the  “Risk  factors”  section  of  this  report. 
Information  on  litigation,  regulatory  and  similar  matters  we 
in  “Note  20 
currently  consider  significant 
Provisions  and  contingent  liabilities”  in  the  “Consolidated 
financial statements” section of this report. 

is  disclosed 

– One  of  the  most  critical  risks  facing  the  broader  industry  is 
the  threat  of  cyberattacks,  which  continue  to  evolve  and 
become more powerful. Along with the rest of the industry, 
we  face  ongoing  threats,  such  as  data  theft,  disruption  of 
service  and  cyber  fraud,  all  of  which  have  the  potential  to 
significantly  impact  our  business.  Additionally,  due  to  the 
operational  complexity  of  all  our  businesses,  we  are 
continually exposed to operational risks such as process error, 
failed execution, system failures and fraud. Conduct risks are 
inherent 
in  our  businesses.  Moreover,  financial  crime, 
including  money  laundering,  terrorist  financing,  sanctions 
violation, fraud, bribery and corruption, continues to present 
risks,  as  emerging  technologies  and  changing  geopolitical 
risks 
increase  complexity,  and  continued  heightened 
regulatory  attention  and  expectations  result  in  increased 
overall  risk.  Refer  to  “Operational  risk”  in  this  section  and 
“Operational  risks  affect  our  business”  in  the  “Risk  factors” 
section of this report for more information. 

– Our reputation is critical to achieving our strategic goals and 
performance targets, and damage to it can have fundamental 
negative effects on our business and prospects, as described 
in “Our reputation is critical to the success of our business” in 
the “Risk factors” section of this report.

116 

Risk governance

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Our  risk  governance  framework  operates  along  three  lines  of 
defense.  Our  first  line  of  defense,  business  management,  owns 
its risk exposures and is required to maintain effective processes 
and  systems  to  manage 
including  robust  and 
comprehensive  internal  controls  and  documented  procedures. 
Business  management  has  appropriate  supervisory  controls  and 
review  processes 
identify  control 
weaknesses and inadequate processes.

in  place  designed 

its  risks, 

to 

Our second line of defense is formed by the control functions, 
which are independent from the business and report directly to 
independent 
the  Group  CEO.  Control 

functions  provide 

(cid:35)(cid:87)(cid:70)(cid:75)(cid:86)(cid:71)(cid:70)(cid:2)(cid:94)(cid:2)(cid:52)(cid:75)(cid:85)(cid:77)(cid:2)(cid:73)(cid:81)(cid:88)(cid:71)(cid:84)(cid:80)(cid:67)(cid:80)(cid:69)(cid:71)

oversight  of  risks,  including  setting  risk  limits  and  protecting 
against non-compliance with applicable laws and regulations.

Our third line of defense, Group Internal Audit (GIA), reports 
to the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors and evaluates 
the  overall  effectiveness  of  governance,  risk  management  and 
the  control  environment,  including  the  assessment  of  how  the 
first and second lines of defense meet their objectives.

The  key  roles  and  responsibilities  for  risk  management  and 
control  are  illustrated  in  the  following  chart  and  described  on 
the next pages.

(cid:52)(cid:75)(cid:85)(cid:77)(cid:2)(cid:37)(cid:81)(cid:79)(cid:79)(cid:75)(cid:86)(cid:86)(cid:71)(cid:71)

(cid:35)(cid:87)(cid:70)(cid:75)(cid:86)(cid:2)(cid:37)(cid:81)(cid:79)(cid:79)(cid:75)(cid:86)(cid:86)(cid:71)(cid:71)

(cid:37)(cid:81)(cid:84)(cid:82)(cid:81)(cid:84)(cid:67)(cid:86)(cid:71)(cid:2)(cid:37)(cid:87)(cid:78)(cid:86)(cid:87)(cid:84)(cid:71)(cid:2)(cid:67)(cid:80)(cid:70)(cid:2)
(cid:52)(cid:71)(cid:85)(cid:82)(cid:81)(cid:80)(cid:85)(cid:75)(cid:68)(cid:75)(cid:78)(cid:75)(cid:86)(cid:91)(cid:2)(cid:37)(cid:81)(cid:79)(cid:79)(cid:75)(cid:86)(cid:86)(cid:71)(cid:71)

(cid:41)(cid:81)(cid:88)(cid:71)(cid:84)(cid:80)(cid:67)(cid:80)(cid:69)(cid:71)(cid:2)(cid:67)(cid:80)(cid:70)(cid:2)
(cid:48)(cid:81)(cid:79)(cid:75)(cid:80)(cid:67)(cid:86)(cid:75)(cid:80)(cid:73)(cid:2)(cid:37)(cid:81)(cid:79)(cid:79)(cid:75)(cid:86)(cid:86)(cid:71)(cid:71)

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(cid:2)(cid:86)

117 

 
 
 
 
authorities.  Business  division  and  regional  Chief  Risk  Officers 
have  delegated  authority  for  their  respective  divisions  and 
regions.  Moreover,  authorities  are  delegated  to  risk  officers 
according to their expertise, experience and responsibilities.

The Group Chief Financial Officer (Group CFO) is responsible 
for  assessing  and  facilitating  transparency  in  the  financial 
performance  of  the  Group  and  business  divisions,  and  for 
monitoring  whether  disclosure  of  our  financial  performance 
meets  regulatory  requirements  and  corporate  governance 
standards.  The  Group  CFO  manages  the  Group’s  and  divisional 
financial  control  functions, 
including  financial  accounting, 
controlling,  forecasting,  planning  and  reporting  processes. 
Further  responsibilities  include  managing  UBS’s  tax  affairs,  as 
well  as  treasury  and  capital  management, 
including  the 
management  of  funding  and  liquidity  risk  and  UBS’s  regulatory 
capital ratios. 

The  Group  General  Counsel  (Group  GC)  manages  the  Group’s 
legal  affairs  and  is  responsible  for  supporting  the  Group  with 
effective  and  timely  assessment  of  legal  matters  impacting  the 
Group or its businesses and for providing the legal advice required 
by  the  Group.  The  Group  GC  is  further  responsible  for  the 
management  and  reporting  of  all  litigation  and  other  significant 
contentious  matters,  including  all  legal  proceedings,  that  involve 
UBS.

(GIA) 

Group 

Internal  Audit 

independently  assesses  the 
adherence to our strategy, the effectiveness of governance, risk 
management  and  control  processes  at  Group,  business  division 
and  regional  levels,  including  compliance  with  legal,  regulatory 
and statutory requirements, as well as with internal policies and 
contracts.  The  Head  GIA  reports  to  the  Chairman  of  the  BoD 
and, in addition, GIA has a functional reporting line to the Audit 
Committee.

The above roles and responsibilities are replicated for certain 
significant legal entities of the Group through the appointment 
of  entity  level  Presidents,  Chief  Risk  Officers,  Chief  Financial 
Officers and General Counsels. (cid:3)

Risk, treasury and capital management
Risk management and control

Audited 

|  The  Board  of  Directors  (BoD)  is  responsible  for 
determining the risk principles, risk appetite and major portfolio 
limits  of  the  Group,  including  their  allocation  to  the  business 
divisions  and  Corporate  Center  units.  The  BoD  is  supported  by 
the  BoD  Risk  Committee,  which  monitors  and  oversees  the 
implementation  of  the  risk 
Group’s  risk  profile  and  the 
framework  as  approved  by  the  BoD,  as  well  as  assesses  the 
Group’s  key  risk  measurement  methodologies.  The  Corporate 
Culture  and  Responsibility  Committee  supports  the  BoD  in 
fulfilling  its  duty  to  safeguard  and  advance  the  Group’s 
reputation  for  responsible  and  sustainable  conduct.  It  reviews 
and  assesses  stakeholder  concerns  and  expectations  pertaining 
to  UBS’s  societal  performance  and  corporate  culture  and 
recommends appropriate actions to the BoD. 

The  Group  Executive  Board  (GEB)  implements  the  risk 
framework,  controls  the  Group’s  risk  profile  and  approves  key 
risk policies.

The  Group  Chief  Executive  Officer  (Group  CEO)  is  responsible 
for  the  Group’s  results,  has  risk  authority  over  transactions, 
positions and exposures, and allocates portfolio limits approved by 
the BoD within the business divisions and Corporate Center units.

The  business  division  Presidents  are  accountable  for  the 
results of their business divisions. This includes actively managing 
their risk exposures, and balancing profit potential, risk, balance 
sheet  and  capital  usage.  The  regional  Presidents  facilitate  the 
implementation  of  UBS’s  strategy  in  their  region,  and  have  the 
mandate  to  escalate  activities  and  issues  that  may  give  rise  to 
reputational 
actual  or  potentially  material 
concerns.

regulatory  or 

The  Group  Chief  Risk  Officer  (Group  CRO)  is  responsible  for 
Risk  Control.  Risk  Control  independently  oversees  all  primary 
in  “Risk 
risks  and  most  consequential  risks  as  outlined 
categories”  above.  This  includes  establishing  methodologies  to 
measure  and  assess  risk,  setting  risk  limits,  and  developing  and 
operating an appropriate risk control infrastructure. Risk Control 
is  also  the  central  function  for  model  risk  management,  which 
includes  the  validation  of  models  used  in  the  firm.  The  risk 
control  process  is  supported  by  a  framework  of  policies  and 

118 

Risk appetite framework

Our  risk  appetite  is  defined  at  the  aggregate  level  and  reflects 
the types of risk that we are willing to accept or intend to avoid. 
It  is  established  via  a  complementary  set  of  qualitative  and 
quantitative  risk  appetite  statements  defined  on  a  Group-wide 
level  and  is  embedded  throughout  our  business  divisions  and 
legal  entities  through  Group,  business  division  and  legal  entity 
policies,  limits  and  authorities.  These  statements  are  a  critical 
foundation  to  maintaining  a  robust  risk  culture  throughout  our 
organization. The “Risk appetite framework” chart below shows 
the  key  elements  of  this  framework,  which  are  described  in 
more detail further below.

Qualitative statements aim to ensure we maintain the desired 
risk culture. Quantitative risk appetite objectives are designed to 
enhance  the  Group’s  resilience  against  the  impact  of  potential 
severe  adverse  economic  or  geopolitical  events.  These  risk 
appetite  objectives  cover  the  Group’s  minimum  capital  and 
leverage ratios, solvency, earnings, liquidity and funding, and are 

subject  to  periodic  review,  including  as  part  of  the  annual 
business planning process.

These  objectives  are  complemented  by  operational  risk 
appetite  objectives,  which  are  established  for  each  of  our 
operational risk categories, such as market conduct, theft, fraud, 
data confidentiality and technology risks. Operational risk events 
that  exceed  predetermined  risk  tolerances,  expressed  as 
percentages of the Group’s operating income, must be escalated 
to  the  respective  business  division  President  or  higher,  as 
appropriate.

The  quantitative  risk  appetite  objectives  are  supported  by  a 
comprehensive suite of risk limits set at the portfolio level. These 
may  apply  across  the  Group,  within  a  business  division  or 
business  unit,  at  legal  entity  level,  or  to  an  asset  class.  These 
additional  quantitative  controls  are  typically  bottom-up  and  are 
designed to monitor specific portfolios and to identify potential 
risk concentrations. 

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insight 

Risk reports aggregating measures of risk across products and 
businesses  provide 
into  the  amounts,  types,  and 
sensitivities of the various risks in our portfolios and are intended 
to  ensure  compliance  with  defined  limits.  Risk  officers,  senior 
management  and  the  BoD  use  this  information  to  understand 
our risk profile and the performance of the portfolios.

The status of risk appetite objectives is evaluated each month 
and  reported  to  the  BoD  and  the  GEB.  Our  risk  appetite  may 
change  over  time.  Therefore,  portfolio  limits  and  associated 
approval authorities are subject to periodic reviews and changes, 
particularly  in  the  context  of  our  annual  business  planning 
process. 

Our  risk  appetite  framework  is  encompassed  in  a  single 
overarching  policy  and  conforms  to  the  Financial  Stability 
Board’s  Principles  for  an  Effective  Risk  Appetite  Framework 
published in 2013. 

Risk principles and risk culture

A strong risk culture is a prerequisite for success in today’s highly 
complex operating environment. We are focused on maintaining 
a  strong  culture  as  a  source  of  sustainable  competitive 
advantage. By placing prudent and disciplined risk-taking at the 
center  of  every  decision,  we  want  to  achieve  our  goals  of 
delivering  unrivaled  client  satisfaction,  creating  long-term  value 
for  stakeholders,  and  making  UBS  one  of  the  most  attractive 
companies to work for in the world.

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119 

 
 
 
 
Risk, treasury and capital management
Risk management and control

Our  risk  appetite  framework  combines  all  the  important 
elements  of  our  risk  culture,  expressed  in  our  Pillars,  Principles 
and Behaviors, our risk management and control principles, our 
Code  of  Conduct  and  Ethics  and  our  Total  Reward  Principles. 
Together,  these  aim  to  align  the  decisions  we  make  with  the 
Group’s strategy, principles and risk appetite. They help provide 
a  solid  foundation  for  promoting  risk  awareness,  leading  to 
appropriate  risk-taking  and  the  establishment  of  robust  risk 
management  and  control  processes.  These  principles  are 
supported  by  a  range  of  initiatives  covering  employees  at  all 
levels. This includes the UBS House View on Leadership, which is 
a  set  of  explicit  expectations  for  leaders  that  establishes 
consistent leadership standards across UBS. These initiatives also 

Risk management and control principles

include our principles of good supervision, which establish clear 
expectations  of  managers  and  employees  with  respect  to 
supervisory  responsibilities,  specifically:  to  take  responsibility,  to 
organize their business, to know their employees and what they 
do, to know their business, to create a good compliance culture 
and to respond to and resolve issues. 

→ Refer to the “Our employees” section of this report for more 

information on our Pillars, Principles and Behaviors

→ Refer to “Key principles and policies” in the “UBS and Society” 
section of this report and to the UBS Code of Conduct and 

Ethics at www.ubs.com/code for more information

Protection of
financial strength

Protection of reputation

Business management
accountability

Independent controls

Risk disclosure

Protecting UBS’s financial strength 
by controlling our risk exposure 
and avoiding potential risk 
concentrations at individual 
exposure levels, at specific 
portfolio levels and at an 
aggregate firm-wide level across 
all risk types

Protecting our reputation through 
a sound risk culture characterized 
by a holistic and integrated view 
of risk, performance and reward, 
and through full compliance with 
our standards and principles, 
particularly our Code of Conduct 
and Ethics

Maintaining management 
accountability, whereby business 
management, as opposed to Risk 
Control, owns all risks assumed 
throughout the Group and is 
responsible for the continuous and 
active management of all risk 
exposures to provide for balanced 
risk and return

Independent control functions that 
monitor the effectiveness of the 
businesses’ risk management and 
oversee risk-taking activities

Disclosure of risks to senior 
management, the BoD, investors, 
regulators, credit rating agencies 
and other stakeholders with an 
appropriate level of 
comprehensiveness and 
transparency

To  maintain  an  environment  where  staff  are  comfortable 
raising  concerns,  we  have  whistleblowing  policies  and 
procedures  in  place.  These  offer  multiple  channels  through 
which  individuals  may,  either  openly  or  anonymously,  escalate 
suspected  breaches  of  laws,  regulations,  rules  and  other  legal 
requirements,  our  Code  of  Conduct  and  Ethics,  policies,  or 
relevant  professional  standards.  Our  program  is  designed  to 
ensure  that  whistleblowing  concerns  are  investigated  and  that 
appropriate and consistent action is taken. We are committed to 
ongoing awareness training and communication to all staff.

We  also  have  a  mandatory  training  program  in  place  for  all 
employees. The program covers a range of compliance and risk-
related topics, including anti-money laundering and operational 
risk.  In  addition,  specialized  training  is  provided  for  employees 
depending  on  their  specific  roles  and  responsibilities,  such  as 
credit risk and market risk training for those working in trading 
areas.  Failure  to  satisfactorily  complete  mandatory  training 
sessions  within  the  given  deadline  results  in  consequences, 
including  disciplinary  action.  Our  operational  risk  framework, 
incorporating  the  conduct  risk  framework,  aims  to  identify  and 
manage  financial,  regulatory,  and  reputational  risks,  together 
with risks to clients and to markets.

Quantitative risk appetite objectives

Through a set of quantitative risk appetite objectives, we aim to 
ensure  that  our  aggregate  risk  exposure  remains  within  our 
desired  risk  capacity,  based  on  our  capital  and  business  plans. 
The specific definition of risk capacity for each objective seeks to 
ensure  that  we  have  sufficient  capital,  earnings,  funding  and 
liquidity to protect our business franchises and exceed minimum 
regulatory  requirements  under  a  severe  stress  event.  The  risk 
appetite objectives are evaluated as part of the annual business 
planning process, and are approved by the BoD. The comparison 
of  risk  exposure  with  risk  capacity  is  a  key  consideration  in 
management decisions on potential adjustments to the business 
strategy and the risk profile of the Group.

We  make  use  of  both  scenario-based  stress  tests  and 
statistical risk measurement techniques to assess the impact of a 
severe stress event at a Group-wide level. These complementary 
frameworks  capture  exposures  to  all  material  primary  and 
consequential  risks  as  well  as  business  risks  across  our  business 
divisions and Corporate Center units. 

→ Refer to “Risk measurement” in this section for more 

information on our stress testing and statistical frameworks

120 

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In determining our risk capacity, we adjust projected earnings 
from the strategic plan for business risk to reflect lower expected 
earnings  and  lower  expenses,  such  as  the  reversal  of  variable 
compensation  accruals,  in  a  severe  stress  event.  We  also  adjust 
our capital to take into account the impact of stress on deferred 
tax  assets,  pension  plan  assets  and  liabilities,  and  accruals  for 
capital returns to shareholders.

The  chart  on  this  page  provides  an  overview  of  our 
quantitative  risk  appetite  objectives  during  2017.  For  2018,  we 
have decided to remove the going concern minimum capital and 
leverage  ratio  objectives  as  they  would  be  satisfied  when  the 
corresponding  CET1  objective  is  met,  given  the  amount  of 
additional  tier  1  (AT1)  instruments  that  have  been  issued.  Our 
earnings objectives will consider the entire Group instead of only 
the core businesses going forward, and potential losses under a 
stress event are compared with historical earnings.

Risk  appetite  statements  at  the  business  division  level  are 
derived from the Group-wide objectives. They may also comprise 
objectives specific to the division, related to the specific activities 
and risks in that division. Risk appetite objectives are also set for 
certain legal entities. These must be consistent with the Group-
wide risk appetite framework and approved in accordance with 
the  regulations  of  the  legal  entity  and  the  Group’s  regulations. 
Differences  may  exist  that  reflect  the  specific  nature,  size, 
complexity  and  regulations  applicable  to  the  relevant  legal 
entity.

121 

 
 
 
 
Risk, treasury and capital management
Risk management and control

Internal risk reporting

Comprehensive  and  transparent  reporting  of  risks  is  central  to 
the  control  and  oversight  responsibilities  set  out  in  our  risk 
governance  framework  and  is  a  requirement  of  our  risk 
management  and  control  principles.  Accordingly,  risks  are 
reported  at  a  frequency  and  to  a  level  of  detail  commensurate 
with  the  extent  and  variability  of  the  risk  and  the  needs  of  the 
various governance bodies, regulators and risk authority holders.
On a monthly basis, the Group Risk Report provides a detailed 
qualitative and quantitative overview of developments in primary 
and consequential risks for the business divisions and Corporate 
Center units, along with aggregate views of risks at the Group-
wide  level,  including  the  status  of  our  risk  appetite  objectives 
and results of Group-wide stress testing. The Group Risk Report 
is distributed internally to the BoD Risk Committee and GEB, and 
to senior members of Group Risk Control, Group Internal Audit, 
Finance  and  Legal.  Key  extracts  from  the  Group  Risk  Report, 
along with extracts from the monthly Group Finance Report and 
Group Treasury Report, are included in the monthly performance 

update  provided  to  the  GEB  and  BoD.  Granular  divisional  risk 
reports  are  provided  to  the  respective  business  division  Chief 
Risk  Officers  and  the  business  division  Presidents.  This  monthly 
reporting  is  supplemented  with  a  suite  of  daily  and  weekly 
reports  at  various  levels  of  granularity,  covering  market  and 
credit risks for the business divisions and Corporate Center units, 
to  enable  risk  officers  and  senior  management  to  monitor  and 
control the Group’s risk profile.

Our 

internal  risk  reporting,  which  covers  primary  and 
consequential risks, is supported by risk data and measurement 
systems,  which  are  also  used  for  external  disclosure  and 
regulatory reporting. Dedicated units within Risk Control assume 
responsibility  for  measurement,  analysis  and  reporting  of  risk 
and for overseeing the quality and integrity of risk-related data. 
Our  risk  data  and  measurement  systems  are  subject  to  periodic 
review  by  Group  Internal  Audit  following  a  risk-based  audit 
approach.

122 

Risk measurement

Audited | We apply a variety of methodologies and measurements 
to  quantify  the  risks  of  our  portfolios  and  potential  risk 
concentrations. Risks that are not fully reflected within standard 
measures  are  subject  to  additional  controls,  which  may  include 
preapproval  of  specific  transactions  and  the  application  of 
specific  restrictions.  Models  to  quantify  risk  are  generally 
developed  by  dedicated  units  within  control  functions  and  are 
subject to independent verification. (cid:3)

Models  and  methodologies  must  be  approved  and  are 
regularly  reviewed  in  accordance  with  regulatory  requirements 
as  well  as  internal  policies  to  test  that  models  perform  as 
expected,  produce  results  comparable  with  actual  events  and 
values,  and  reflect  best-in-practice  approaches  and  recent 
academic developments. Our reviews assess whether models are 
performing satisfactorily, whether additional analysis is required 
and  whether  models  need  to  be  recalibrated  or  redeveloped. 
Results  and  conclusions  are  presented 
relevant 
to 
governance body and, as required, to regulators.

the 

The  ongoing  process  of  assessing  model  quality  and 
performance  in  the  production  environment  comprises  two 
components:  model  verification, 
in  which  Model  Risk 
Management  &  Control  (MRMC)  independently  assesses  a 
model’s  conceptual  soundness,  and  model  confirmation,  the 
regular process of confirming the accuracy and appropriateness 
of  the  model  output  and  its  application,  carried  out  by  the 
model developers and reviewed by MRMC. 

→ Refer to “Credit risk,” “Market risk” and “Operational risk” in 
this section for more information on model confirmation 

procedures

Stress testing

We perform stress testing to estimate the loss that could result 
from  extreme,  yet  plausible  macroeconomic  and  geopolitical 
stress events. This enables us to identify, better understand and 
manage  our  potential  vulnerabilities  and  risk  concentrations. 
Stress testing plays a key role in our limits framework at Group-
wide,  business  division,  legal  entity  and  portfolio  levels.  Stress 
test  results  are  regularly  reported  to  the  BoD,  the  Risk 
Committee  and  the  GEB.  We  also  provide  detailed  stress  loss 
analyses  to  FINMA  and  the  regulators  of  our  legal  entities  in 
accordance  with  their  requirements.  As  described  in  “Risk 
appetite framework” above, stress testing, along with statistical 
loss  measures,  plays  a  central  role  in  our  risk  appetite  and 
business planning processes.

Our  stress  testing  framework  incorporates  three  pillars:  (i) 
combined  stress  tests,  (ii)  a  comprehensive  range  of  portfolio- 
and risk type-specific stress tests and (iii) reverse stress testing.

Our  combined  stress  test  (CST)  framework  is  scenario  based 
and aims to quantify overall Group-wide losses that could result 
from  a  number  of  potential  global  systemic  events.  The 
framework captures all material primary and consequential risks, 
as well as business risks, as indicated in “Risk categories” above. 

Scenarios  are  forward  looking  and  encompass  macroeconomic 
and  geopolitical  stress  events  calibrated  to  different  levels  of 
potential  severity.  We  implement  each  scenario  through  the 
expected evolution of market indicators and economic variables 
under that scenario. We then assess the resulting effect on our 
primary, consequential and business risks to estimate the overall 
loss and capital implications were the scenario to occur. At least 
once  a  year,  the  Risk  Committee  approves  the  most  relevant 
scenario, known as the binding scenario, to be used as the main 
scenario  for  regular  CST  reporting  and  for  monitoring  risk 
exposure  against  our  minimum  capital,  earnings  and  leverage 
ratio  objectives  in  our  risk  appetite  framework.  Results  are 
reported  to  the  Risk  Committee,  BoD,  GEB  and  FINMA  on  a 
monthly basis. 

in 

The Enterprise-wide Stress Committee (ESC) is responsible for 
ensuring the consistency and adequacy of the assumptions and 
scenarios  used  for  our  Group-wide  stress  measures.  As  part  of 
these  responsibilities,  the  ESC  seeks  to  ensure  that  the  suite  of 
stress  scenarios  adequately  reflects  current  and  potential 
developments 
the  macroeconomic  and  geopolitical 
environment,  our  current  and  planned  business  activities,  and 
actual  or  potential  risk  concentrations  and  vulnerabilities  in  our 
portfolios. The ESC meets at least quarterly and is comprised of 
Group,  business  division  and  legal  entity  representatives  of  Risk 
Control. In executing its responsibilities, the ESC considers input 
from the Think Tank, a panel of senior representatives from the 
business  divisions,  Risk  Control  and  economic  research,  which 
meets quarterly to review the current and possible future market 
environment  in  order  to  identify  potential  stress  scenarios  that 
could materially affect the Group’s profitability. This results in a 
range of internal stress scenarios that are developed and evolve 
over time, separate from the scenarios mandated by FINMA.

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Each  scenario  captures  a  wide  range  of  macroeconomic 
variables.  These  include  gross  domestic  product  (GDP),  equity 
prices, interest rates, foreign exchange rates, commodity prices, 
property prices and unemployment. We use assumed changes in 
these  macroeconomic  and  market  variables  in  each  scenario  to 
stress  the  key  risk  drivers  of  our  portfolios.  For  example,  lower 
GDP growth and rising interest rates may reduce the income of 
clients to whom we have lent money, which leads to changes in 
the  credit  risk  parameters  for  probability  of  default,  loss  given 
default and exposure at default, and results in higher predicted 
credit  losses  within  the  stress  scenario.  We  also  capture  the 
business  risk  resulting  from  lower  fee,  interest  and  trading 
income  and  lower  expenses.  These  effects  are  measured  across 
all  material  risk  types  and  all  businesses  to  calculate  the 
aggregate  estimated  effect  of  the  scenario  on  profit  or  loss, 
other  comprehensive  income,  RWA,  LRD  and,  ultimately,  our 
in 
capital  and 
macroeconomic  variables  are  updated  periodically  to  take 
account  of  changes  in  the  current  and  possible  future  market 
environment.

ratios.  The  assumed  changes 

leverage 

123 

 
 
 
 
Risk, treasury and capital management
Risk management and control

Through 2017, the binding scenario for CST was the internal 
Global  Deflation  scenario,  which  is  characterized  by:  a  crisis  in 
the  eurozone,  with  sovereign  defaults  in  peripheral  economies 
and  the  abandonment  of  the  monetary  union  by  Greece;  a 
China  hard  landing,  triggered  by  excessive  policy  tightening  in 
light  of  market  turbulence,  including  high  real  interest  rates, 
insufficient 
stringent  anti-corruption 
campaigns; an ineffective direct support of the equity market by 
governments;  and  a  global  recession,  with  central  banks  in 
major  developed  economies  such  as  the  eurozone,  US  and  UK 
attempting  to  stimulate  growth  and  restore  market  confidence 
by reducing policy rates further into negative territory.

stimulus,  and 

fiscal 

The CST risk exposure was broadly stable over the year with 
most  of  the  month-on-month  variability  arising  primarily  from 
temporary loan underwriting exposure in the Investment Bank.

As  part  of  the  CST  framework,  we  routinely  monitored  four 

additional stress scenarios throughout 2017.
– Failure  of  a  Major  Financial  Institution  scenario  represents 
renewed  financial  market  turmoil  due  to  the  failure  of  a 
major  global  financial  institution,  leading  to  prolonged 
financial  deleveraging  and  dramatically  plunging  activity 
around the globe.

– US Monetary Crisis scenario represents a loss of confidence in 
the  US,  which  leads  to  international  portfolio  repositioning 
out of US dollar-denominated assets, sparking an abrupt and 
substantial  US  dollar  sell-off.  The  US  is  pushed  back  into 
recession,  other  industrialized  countries  replicate  this  pattern 
and  inflationary  concerns  lead  to  an  overall  higher  interest 
rate level.

– Global Depression scenario represents a severe and prolonged 
eurozone  crisis  in  which  several  peripheral  countries  default 
and  exit  the  eurozone,  and  advanced  economies  are  pulled 
into a prolonged period of economic stagnation.

– Global Interest Rate Steepening scenario represents a sudden 
shift in market sentiment causing a disorderly sell-off in long-
dated  bonds  and  a  rapid  steepening  of  the  yield  curve, 
exacerbated by a lack of liquidity in financial markets. This in 
turn triggers a sovereign crisis in Japan and a global recession.

We have developed a new Severe Eurozone Crisis scenario to 
be  used  as  the  binding  stress  scenario  in  our  combined  stress 
test  framework  for  2018.  In  line  with  the  Global  Deflation 
scenario,  this  retains  a  eurozone  crisis  at  its  core,  but  with 
greater severity through the inclusion of an additional sovereign 
debt  restructuring  as  a  consequence  of  the  ensuing  crisis.  A 
China hard landing remains a feature of the scenario, while the 
assumption  of  more  severe  negative  rates  in  major  developed 
countries has been removed. 

Portfolio-specific stress tests are measures that are tailored to 
the risks of specific portfolios. Our portfolio stress loss measures 
are derived from data on past events, but also include forward-
looking  elements.  For  example,  we  derive  the  expected  market 
movements  within  our  liquidity-adjusted  stress  metric  using  a 
combination of historical market behavior, based on an analysis 
of  historical  events,  and  forward-looking  analysis  including 
consideration  of  defined  scenarios  that  have  never  occurred. 
Results  of  portfolio-specific  stress  tests  may  be  subject  to  limits 

124 

to  explicitly  control  risk-taking,  or  may  be  monitored  without 
limits to identify vulnerabilities.

Reverse  stress  testing  starts  from  a  defined  stress  outcome 
(e.g.,  a  specified  loss  amount,  reputational  damage,  a  liquidity 
shortfall  or  a  breach  of  regulatory  capital  ratios)  and  works 
backward  to  identify  the  economic  or  financial  scenarios  that 
could result in such an outcome. As such, reverse stress testing is 
intended to complement scenario-based stress tests by assuming 
“what  if”  outcomes  that  could  extend  beyond  the  range 
thereby  potentially  challenge 
normally  considered,  and 
assumptions  regarding  severity  and  plausibility.  The  results  of 
reverse stress testing are reported to relevant governance bodies 
according to the materiality and scope of the exercise.

Additionally,  we  routinely  analyze  the  effect  of  increases  or 
decreases in interest rates and changes in the structure of yield 
curves.

testing 

Moreover,  Group  Treasury  performs  stress 

to 
determine  the  optimum  asset  and  liability  structure  that  allows 
us  to  maintain  an  appropriately  balanced  liquidity  and  funding 
position  under  various  scenarios.  These  scenarios  differ  from 
those  outlined  above,  because  they  are  focused  on  specific 
situations  that  could  generate  liquidity  and  funding  stress,  as 
opposed  to  the  scenarios  used  in  the  CST  framework,  which 
focus on the impact on profit or loss and capital.

→ Refer to “Credit risk” and “Market risk” in this section for more 

information on stress loss measures

→ Refer to the “Treasury management” section of this report for 

more information on stress testing

→ Refer to “Our stated capital returns objective is based, in part, 

on capital ratios that are subject to regulatory change and may 

fluctuate significantly” in the “Risk factors” section of this 

report for more information

Statistical measures

In  addition  to  our  scenario-based  CST  measure,  we  employ  a 
statistical  stress  framework  that  allows  us  to  calculate  and 
aggregate risks using statistical techniques to derive stress events 
at chosen confidence levels.

We  use  this  framework  to  derive  a  distribution  of  potential 
earnings  based  on  historically  observed  market  changes  in 
combination  with  the  firm’s  actual  risk  exposures,  considering 
effects on both income and expenses. From this, we determine 
earnings-at-risk  (EaR),  which  measures  the  potential  shortfall  in 
earnings  (i.e.,  the  deviation  from  forecast  earnings)  at  a  95% 
confidence level and is evaluated over a one-year horizon. EaR is 
used  for  the  assessment  of  the  earnings  objectives  in  our  risk 
appetite framework.

We  extend  the  EaR  measure  by  incorporating  the  effects  of 
gains  and  losses  recognized  through  other  comprehensive 
income,  to  derive  a  distribution  of  potential  effects  of  stress 
events  on  CET1  capital.  From  this  distribution,  we  derive  our 
capital-at-risk  (CaR)  buffer  measure  at  a  95%  confidence  level 
for the assessment of our capital and leverage ratio risk appetite 
objectives, and we derive our CaR solvency measure at a 99.9% 
confidence level for the assessment of our solvency risk appetite 
objective.

We also use the CaR solvency measure as the basis to derive 
the  contributions  of  business  divisions  and  Corporate  Center 
units  to  risk-based  capital  (RBC),  which  is  a  component  of  our 
equity  attribution  framework.  RBC  measures  the  potential 
capital  impairment  from  an  extreme  stress  event  at  a  99.9% 
confidence  level  to  estimate  the  capital  required  to  absorb 
unexpected loss while remaining able to fully repay creditors.

→  Refer to the “Capital management” section of this report for 

more information on the equity attribution framework

Portfolio and position limits

The Group-wide stress and statistical metrics are complemented 
by  more  granular  portfolio  and  position  limits,  triggers  and 
targets.  The  combination  of  these  measures  provides  a 
comprehensive,  granular  control  framework  that  is  applied  to 
our business divisions and Corporate Center units, as well as the 
significant legal entities, as relevant to the key risks arising from 
their business models.

We apply limits to a variety of exposures at the portfolio level, 
using statistical and stress-based measures, such as value-at-risk, 
liquidity-adjusted  stress,  notional 
limits, 
economic  value  sensitivity  and  portfolio  default  simulations  for 
our loan books. These are complemented with a set of controls 
for  net  interest  income  sensitivity,  mark-to-market  losses  on 
available-for-sale  portfolios,  and  the  effect  of  foreign  exchange 
movements on capital and capital ratios.

loan  underwriting 

Portfolio  measures  are  supplemented  with  position-level 
controls.  Risk  measures  for  position  controls  are  based  on 
market  risk  sensitivities  and  counterparty-level  credit  risk 
exposures.  Market  risk  sensitivities 
include  sensitivities  to 
changes  in  general  market  risk  factors,  such  as  equity  indices, 
foreign  exchange  rates  and  interest  rates,  and  sensitivities  to 
issuer-specific  factors,  such  as  changes  in  an  issuer’s  credit 
spread  or  default  risk.  We  monitor  a  significant  number  of 
market  risk  controls  for  the  Investment  Bank  and  Corporate 
Center – Group Asset and Liability Management and Corporate 
Center  –  Non-core  and  Legacy  Portfolio  on  a  daily  basis. 
Counterparty measures capture the current and potential future 
exposure  to  an  individual  counterparty,  taking  into  account 
collateral and legally enforceable netting agreements. 

→ Refer to “Credit risk” in this section for more information on 

counterparty limits 

Risk concentrations

Audited | A risk concentration exists where (i) a position is affected 
by  changes  in  a  group  of  correlated  factors,  or  a  group  of 
positions  are  affected  by  changes  in  the  same  risk  factor  or  a 
group  of  correlated  factors,  and  (ii)  the  exposure  could,  in  the 
event  of  large  but  plausible  adverse  developments,  result  in 
significant  losses.  The  categories  in  which  risk  concentrations 
may  occur  include  counterparties,  industries,  legal  entities, 
countries or geographical regions, products and businesses.

The identification of risk concentrations requires judgment, as 
potential  future  developments  cannot  be  accurately  predicted 
and may vary from period to period. In determining whether we 
have  a  risk  concentration,  we  consider  a  number  of  elements, 
both  individually  and  collectively.  These  elements  include  the 
shared  characteristics  of  the  positions  and  our  counterparties, 
the  size  of  the  position  or  group  of  positions,  the  sensitivity  of 
the position or group of positions to changes in risk factors and 
the volatility and correlations of those factors. Also important in 
our  assessment  is  the  liquidity  of  the  markets  where  the 
positions  are  traded,  and  the  availability  and  effectiveness  of 
hedges or other potential risk-mitigating factors. The value of a 
hedging  instrument  may  not  always  move  in  line  with  the 
position being hedged, and this mismatch is referred to as basis 
risk.

Risk concentrations are subject to increased oversight by Risk 
Control  and  are  assessed  to  determine  whether  they  should  be 
reduced  or  mitigated,  depending  on  the  available  means  to  do 
so. It is possible that material losses could occur on asset classes, 
positions and hedges, particularly if the correlations that emerge 
in a stressed environment differ markedly from those envisaged 
by our risk models. (cid:3)

→ Refer to “Credit risk” and “Market risk” in this section for more 

information on the compositions of our portfolios

→ Refer to the “Risk factors” section of this report for more 

information

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125 

 
 
 
 
 
Risk, treasury and capital management
Risk management and control

Credit risk

Key developments

Audited | Main sources of credit risk

Overall,  our  gross  credit  risk  exposures  decreased  by  CHF 30 
billion to CHF 518 billion during 2017. The increase in our gross 
loan portfolio of CHF 13 billion to CHF 319 billion, mainly driven 
by an increase in Wealth Management, was more than offset by 
exposure  reductions  in  balances  with  central  banks,  loan 
commitments and over-the-counter derivatives.

Total  net  credit  loss  expense  was  CHF 128  million  compared 
with  CHF 37  million,  mainly  reflecting  CHF 79  million  higher 
expenses in the Investment Bank in the fourth quarter of 2017, 
primarily  related  to  a  margin  loan  to  a  single  client  following  a 
significant decrease in the value of the collateral.
for 
lending  portfolios,  which 
approximately  half  of  our  loan  exposure,  continued  to  perform 
well, although we remain watchful for any signs of deterioration 
in the Swiss economy that could impact our counterparties and 
lead  to  an  increase  in  credit  loss  expenses  from  the  low  levels 
recently observed.

account 

Swiss 

Our 

Volatility  was  remarkably  low  in  2017,  amid  a  broad-based 
acceleration 
in  global  growth,  strong  corporate  profits, 
predictable  and  still  largely  supportive  monetary  policy  and 
expectations  of  US  tax  cuts.  Tensions  around  Syria  and  North 
Korea,  the  fallout  from  natural  disasters  and  political  turmoil  in 
the  US  contributed  to  intermittent  periods  of  market  volatility 
during  the  year,  although  overall  the  market  reaction  to 
geopolitical and other risk events has been largely muted. 

In  2017,  many  counterparties  in  the  energy  segments 
adapted  to  operating  in  a  lower  oil  price  environment,  hence 
price  volatility  during  the  year  had  very  little  impact  on  our 
portfolio. 

– A  substantial  portion  of  our  lending  exposure  arises  from  our 
Swiss  domestic  business,  which  offers  corporate  loans  and 
mortgage  loans  mainly  secured  against  residential  properties 
and  income-producing  real  estate,  and  therefore  depends  on 
the performance of the Swiss economy.

– Within the Investment Bank, our credit exposure mainly arises 
from lending, derivatives trading and securities financing and 
is predominantly investment grade. Loan underwriting activity 
can be lower rated and gives rise to concentrated exposure of 
a temporary nature.

– Our  wealth  management  businesses  predominately  conduct 

securities-based lending and mortgage lending. 

– Credit  risk  within  Non-core  and  Legacy  Portfolio  relates  to 
derivative  transactions,  predominantly  carried  out  on  a  cash-
collateralized basis, and securitized positions. (cid:3)

Audited | Overview of measurement, monitoring and 
management techniques

– Credit 

from 

risk  arising 

transactions  with 

individual 
counterparties  is  measured  according  to  our  estimates  of 
probability  of  default,  exposure  at  default  and  loss  given 
default. Limits are established for individual counterparties and 
groups  of  related  counterparties  covering  banking  and  traded 
products as well as settlement amounts. Risk control authorities 
are  approved  by  the  Board  of  Directors  and  are  delegated  to 
the  Group  Chief  Executive  Officer,  Group  Chief  Risk  Officer 
and  divisional  Chief  Risk  Officers  based  on  risk  exposure 
amounts and internal credit rating.

Within the loan underwriting business, we continued to see a 
steady flow of transactions as leveraged loan markets remained 
relatively strong. 

– Limits apply not only to the current outstanding amount, but 
also  to  contingent  commitments  and  the  potential  future 
exposure of traded products.

– For  the  Investment  Bank,  our  monitoring,  measurement  and 
limit  framework  distinguishes  between  exposures  intended  to 
be  held  to  maturity  (take-and-hold  exposures)  and  those  that 
are intended to be held for a short term, pending distribution 
or risk transfer (temporary exposures).

– We also use models to derive portfolio credit risk measures of 
expected loss, statistical loss and stress loss at the Group-wide 
and  business  division  levels  and  establish  portfolio  limits  at 
these levels.

– Credit  risk  concentrations  can  arise  if  clients  are  engaged  in 
similar activities, are located in the same geographical region or 
have comparable economic characteristics, for example, if their 
ability  to  meet  contractual  obligations  would  be  similarly 
affected by changes in economic, political or other conditions. 
To avoid credit risk concentrations, we establish limits and / or 
operational  controls  that  constrain  risk  concentrations  at 
portfolio  and  sub-portfolio  levels  with  regard  to  sector 
exposure, country risk and specific product exposures. (cid:3)

126 

Credit risk profile of the Group

Banking products

The exposures detailed in this section are based on our internal 
management view of credit risk, which differs in certain respects 
from the measurement requirements of IFRS.

Internally, we categorize credit risk exposures into two broad 
categories:  banking  products  and  traded  products.  Banking 
products  comprise  drawn  loans,  undrawn  guarantees  and  loan 
commitments,  amounts  due  from  banks  and  balances  with 
central banks. Traded products comprise over-the-counter (OTC) 
derivatives,  exchange-traded  derivatives  (ETD)  and  securities 
financing  transactions  (SFTs),  comprised  of  securities  borrowing 
and lending and repurchase and reverse repurchase agreements.

The  breakdowns  of  our  banking  products  exposures  are  shown 
before and after allowances and provisions for credit losses and 
related  single-name  credit  hedges.  The  effect  of  portfolio 
hedges,  such  as  index  credit  default  swaps  (CDS),  is  not 
reflected.  Guarantees  and  loan  commitments  are  shown  on  a 
notional basis, without applying credit conversion factors.

Total gross banking products exposure decreased to CHF 474 
billion as of 31 December 2017 compared with CHF 497 billion 
at  the  end  of  2016,  mainly  due  to  decreases  in  balances  with 
central  banks  in  Corporate  Center  –  Group  Asset  and  Liability 
Management  (Group  ALM)  and  in  loan  commitments  in  the 
Investment Bank, partly offset by higher loan balances in Wealth 
Management.

Banking and traded products exposure by business division and Corporate Center unit

CHF million
Balances with central banks
Due from banks
Loans1
Guarantees
Loan commitments
BBanking products exposure2
BBanking products exposure, net4
Over-the-counter derivatives5
Securities financing transactions5
Exchange-traded derivatives5
TTraded products exposure5
TTraded products exposure, net5
CCredit exposure5
CCredit exposure, net5

WWealth
Management
  427
  1,356
  115,180
  1,982
  1,861
  120,806
  120,701
  5,547
  0
  963
  6,510
  6,510
  127,316
  127,211

WWealth
Management
Americas
  0
  3,357
  53,014
  460
  347
  57,178
  57,153
  26
  222
  1,730
  1,978
  1,978
  59,156
  59,131

PPersonal &
Corporate
Banking
  0
  1,485
  131,380
  9,551
  9,160
  151,576
  151,105
  1,234
  0
  76
  1,310
  1,310
  152,886
  152,414

AAsset
Management
  0
  570
  1
  0
  0
  570
  570
  0
  0
  0
  0
  0
  570
  570

331.12.17

IInvestment
Bank
  32
  8,725
  12,094
  5,040
  20,619
  46,510
  44,693

31.12.16

CCC –
Services
  0
  356
  34
  105
  0
  496
  496

CCC –
Group ALM
  86,618
  2,740
  7,226
  2
  0
  96,585
  96,585

CCC –
Non-core
and Legacy
Portfolio
  0
  0
  88
  2
  0
  90
  61

  11,444
  17,842
  5,444
  34,729
  33,996
  178,411
  175,832

GGroup
  87,078
  18,589
  319,016
  17,142
  31,988
  473,8133
  471,364
  18,250
  18,064
  8,213
  44,527
  43,794
  518,339
  515,158

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Investment
Bank
 37
 9,662
 12,022
 5,336
 36,496
 63,553
 57,682

Wealth
Management
 901
 915
 101,876
 2,187
 1,730
 107,608
 107,546
 5,359
 0
 926
 6,285
 6,285
 113,894
 113,832

Group
CHF million
 107,100
Balances with central banks
 18,543
Due from banks
Loans1
 306,379
 17,220
Guarantees
 47,943
Loan commitments
 497,1863
BBanking products exposure2
BBanking products exposure, net4
 490,541
Over-the-counter derivatives5
 24,353
Securities financing transactions5
 17,669
Exchange-traded derivatives5
 9,454
TTraded products exposure5
 51,476
TTraded products exposure, net5
 50,324
CCredit exposure5
 548,662
CCredit exposure, net5
 540,865
11 Does not include reclassified securities and similar acquired securities in our CC – Non-core and Legacy Portfolio.     2 Does not include loans designated at fair value.     3 As of 31 December 2017, total banking 
products  exposure  of  UBS  AG  consolidated  was  CHF  2.1  billion  higher  than  the  exposure  of  UBS  Group  AG  consolidated,  related  to  receivables  of  UBS  AG  and  UBS  Switzerland  AG  against  UBS  Group  AG 
(31 December 2016: CHF 0.6 billion).      4 Net of allowances, provisions and hedges.     5 As counterparty risk for traded products is managed at counterparty level, no further split between exposures in the 
Investment Bank, CC – Non-core and Legacy Portfolio and CC – Group ALM is provided.                                       

 17,540
 17,414
 7,031
 41,985
 40,833
 221,063
 213,843

Asset
Management
 0
 544
 1
 0
 0
 545
 545
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 545
 545

CC –
Group ALM
 106,162
 2,176
 5,962
 1
 0
 114,301
 114,301

CC –
Services
 0
 455
 43
 111
 0
 610
 610

Wealth
Management
Americas
 0
 2,635
 52,486
 558
 375
 56,054
 56,025
 35
 255
 1,371
 1,661
 1,661
 57,716
 57,686

Personal &
Corporate
Banking
 0
 2,156
 133,861
 9,023
 8,861
 153,900
 153,414
 1,420
 0
 125
 1,544
 1,544
 155,445
 154,958

CC –
Non-core
and Legacy
Portfolio
 0
 0
 129
 4
 481
 614
 418

127 

 
 
 
 
Risk, treasury and capital management
Risk management and control

Wealth Management
Gross  banking  products  exposure  within  Wealth  Management 
increased to CHF 121 billion from CHF 108 billion, mainly driven 
by  loan  growth  in  Asia  Pacific.  Our  Wealth  Management  loan 
portfolio is mainly secured by securities (Lombard loans) and by 
residential  property.  Most  of  the  Lombard  loans  were  of  high 
quality, with 96% rated investment grade based on our internal 
ratings,  and  are  typically  short  term  in  nature  with  an  average 
duration  of  three  to  six  months.  Moreover,  Lombard  loans  can 
be  canceled  immediately  if  the  collateral  quality  deteriorates  or 
margin calls are not met. 

The portfolio of mortgage loans secured by properties outside 
Switzerland  increased  to  CHF 6.2  billion  from  CHF 5.5  billion, 
driven mainly by the UK and Monaco. The overall quality of this 
portfolio remained high over the year.

Wealth Management Americas
Gross  banking  products  exposure  within  Wealth  Management 
Americas increased to CHF 57 billion from CHF 56 billion, driven 
mainly  by  increased  loan  origination.  This  exposure  largely 
relates to loans secured by securities and by residential property. 
Out  of  the  loans  secured  by  securities,  99%  were  rated 
investment grade based on our internal ratings, compared with 
96% in 2016, with the increase driven by a model change.

The portfolio of loans secured by residential property consists 
primarily of residential mortgage loans offered in the US. Gross 
exposure  increased  to  CHF 11.4  billion  from  CHF 10.2  billion. 
The  overall  quality  of  this  portfolio  remained  high  with  an 
average  loan-to-value  ratio  (LTV)  of  58%,  unchanged  from 
2016, and we have experienced negligible credit losses since the 
inception  of  the  mortgage  program  in  2009.  Natural  disasters 
that  occurred  in  the  US  during  2017  had  a  very  limited  impact 
on  properties  within  the  mortgage  loan  portfolio.  The  five 
largest  geographic  concentrations  in  the  portfolio  were  in 
California  (30%),  New  York  (16%),  Florida  (10%),  Texas  (4%) 
and New Jersey (4%).

Wealth Management, Wealth Management Americas and Personal & Corporate Banking loan portfolios, gross1
Wealth Management
331.12.17
  34,644

CHF million
Secured by residential property

Wealth Management Americas

331.12.17
  11,367

331.12.17
  95,381

31.12.16
 32,208

31.12.16
 10,239

Personal & Corporate Banking

Secured by commercial / industrial property

Secured by cash

Secured by securities

Secured by guarantees and other collateral

Unsecured loans

  2,071

  10,271

  59,946

  7,869

  379

 1,974

 14,436

 46,194

 6,697

 366

  0

  4,276

  36,231

  800

  341

 0

 1,042

 40,182

 716

 307

  16,619

  1,458

  1,868

  6,442

  9,611

31.12.16
 95,966

 17,819

 1,884

 1,990

 6,707

 9,496

 133,861
TTotal loans, gross
 133,419
TTotal loans, net of allowances
11  Collateral  arrangements  generally  incorporate  a  range  of  collateral,  including  cash,  securities,  property  and  other  collateral.  In  2017,  we  further  aligned  our  collateral  allocation  processes  within  Wealth 
Management Americas to prioritize collateral mainly according to its liquidity profile. This change resulted in increases in loans secured by cash and decreases in loans secured by securities of CHF 4.5 billion.  

  115,180
  115,076

  131,380
  130,939

 101,876
 101,814

  53,014
  52,989

 52,486
 52,455

128 

Personal & Corporate Banking
Gross  banking  products  exposure  within  Personal  &  Corporate 
Banking decreased to CHF 152 billion from CHF 154 billion. Net 
banking products exposure was CHF 151 billion compared with 
CHF 153  billion,  of  which  approximately  60%  was  classified  as 
investment grade compared with 61% in the prior year. Around 
53%  of  the  exposure  is  categorized  in  the  lowest  loss  given 
default  (LGD)  bucket  of  0%  to  25%,  compared  with  81%  in 
2016.  This  significant  decrease  is  due  to  the  introduction  of  a 
new  LGD  framework,  leading  to  higher  LGDs  mainly  for  the 
mortgage  business.  The  size  of  Personal  &  Corporate  Banking’s 
gross  loan  portfolio  decreased  by  CHF 2  billion  to  CHF 131 
billion.  As  of  31  December  2017,  93%  of  this  portfolio  was 
secured  by  collateral,  mainly 
residential  and  commercial 
property.  Of  the  total  unsecured  amount,  77%  related  to  cash 
flow-based lending to corporate counterparties and 9% related 
to  lending  to  public  authorities.  Based  on  our  internal  ratings, 
51%  of  the  unsecured  loan  portfolio  was  rated  investment 
grade compared with 50% in 2016.

Credit  loss  expense  for  this  portfolio  remained  low  in  2017. 
Given  the  reliance  of  the  Swiss  economy  on  exports,  the  slight 
weakening of the Swiss franc may have provided some support 
to the financials of export-oriented counterparties.

loans,  guarantees  and 

Our  Swiss  corporate  banking  products  portfolio,  which 
totaled  CHF 26.2  billion  compared  with  CHF 25.5  billion, 
consists  of 
loan  commitments  to 
multinational  and  domestic  counterparties.  The  small  and 
medium-sized  enterprises  portfolio,  especially,  is  well  diversified 
across  industries.  However,  such  companies  are  reliant  on  the 
domestic economy and the economies to which they export, in 
particular  the  EU  and  the  US.  In  addition,  the  development  of 
the EUR / CHF exchange rate is an important risk factor for Swiss 
corporates.

The  delinquency  ratio,  being  the  ratio  of  past  due  but  not 
impaired  loans  to  total  loans,  was  0.6%  for  the  corporate  loan 
portfolio compared with 0.7% at the end of 2016.

→ Refer to “Credit risk models” in this section for more 

information on loss given default, rating grades and rating 

agency mappings

Swiss mortgage loan portfolio
Our  Swiss  mortgage  loan  portfolio  secured  by  residential  and 
commercial real estate in Switzerland continues to be our largest 
loan  portfolio.  These  mortgage  loans  totaling  CHF 136  billion 
mainly  originate  from  Personal  &  Corporate  Banking,  but  also 
from  Wealth  Management.  CHF 124  billion  of  these  mortgage 
loans  related  to  residential  properties  that  the  borrower  was 
either  occupying  or  renting  out,  with  full  recourse  to  the 
borrower.  Of  this  CHF 124  billion,  CHF 90  billion  related  to 
properties occupied by the borrower, with an average LTV ratio 
of  56%  compared  with  53%  as  of  31  December  2016.  The 
average  LTV  for  newly  originated  loans  for  this  portion  was 
65%,  compared  with  62%  in  2016.  The  remaining  CHF 34 
billion of the Swiss residential mortgage loan portfolio relates to 
properties  rented  out  by  the  borrower  and  the  average  LTV  of 
this portfolio was 57%, compared with 56% as of 31 December 
2016.  The  average  LTV  for  newly  originated  Swiss  residential 
mortgage  loans  for  properties  rented  out  by  the  borrower  was 
60% compared with 54% in 2016. 

As  illustrated  in  the  “Swiss  mortgages:  distribution  of  net 
exposure  at  default  (EAD)  across  exposure  segments  and  loan-
to-value (LTV) buckets” table on the next page, over 99% of the 
aggregate  amount  of  Swiss  residential  mortgage  loans  would 
continue  to  be  covered  by  the  real  estate  collateral  even  if  the 
value assigned to that collateral were to decrease by 20%, and 
98% would remain covered by the real estate collateral even if 
the value assigned to that collateral were to decrease by 30%. In 
this table, the amount of each mortgage loan is allocated across 
the  LTV  buckets  to  indicate  the  portion  at  risk  at  the  various 
value levels shown. For example, a loan of 75 with an LTV ratio 
of 75% (collateral value of 100) would result in allocations of 30 
in the less-than-30% LTV bucket, 20 in the 31–50% bucket, 10 
in the 51–60% bucket, 10 in the 61–70% bucket and 5 in the 
71–80% bucket. 

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Risk, treasury and capital management
Risk management and control

31.12.16

WWeighted
average
LGD (%)
  26

  32

  32

  32

  39

  28

Exposure
 94,083

 59,817

 52,878

 5,053

 1,886

 153,900

 (486)

Weighted
average
LGD (%)
 17

 18

 18

 14

 38

 17

Personal & Corporate Banking: distribution of banking products exposure across internal UBS ratings
and loss given default (LGD) buckets
CHF million, except where indicated

331.12.17
LLGD buckets

Internal UBS rating1
Investment grade

Sub-investment grade

of which: 6−9

of which: 10−12

of which: 13 and defaulted

EExposure
  89,975

  61,602

00–25%
  53,566

  27,210

226–50% 551–75%
  6,508
  27,950

776–100%
  1,951

  21,878

  10,193

  55,730

  25,234

  19,036

  9,358

  4,040

  1,832

  1,894

  82

  1,266

  1,575

  662

  172

  2,321

  2,101

  217

  3

Total exposure before deduction of allowances and provisions

  151,576

  80,776

  49,827

  16,701

  4,272

Less: allowances and provisions

  (472)

NNet banking products exposure
11 The ratings of the major credit rating agencies, and their mapping to our internal rating scale, are shown in the “Internal UBS rating scale and mapping of external ratings” table in this section.

  151,105

 153,414

Personal & Corporate Banking: unsecured loans by industry sector

CHF million

Construction

Financial institutions

Hotels and restaurants

Manufacturing

Private households

Public authorities

Real estate and rentals

Retail and wholesale

Services

Other

Net exposure

31.12.17

CHF million
 127

 1,162

 83

 1,779

 1,367

 877

 181

 1,978

 1,821

 236

 9,611

%
 1.3

 12.1

 0.9

 18.5

 14.2

 9.1

 1.9

 20.6

 18.9

 2.5

 100.0

31.12.16

CHF million
 140

 1,675

 96

 1,188

 1,334

 1,221

 143

 1,694

 1,748

 258

 9,496

Swiss mortgages: distribution of net exposure at default (EAD) across exposure segments
and loan-to-value (LTV) buckets

%
 1.5

 17.6

 1.0

 12.5

 14.0

 12.9

 1.5

 17.8

 18.4

 2.7

 100.0

31.12.16

31.12.17

LTV buckets

≤30%

 67.3

 58

 10.7

 60

 5.4

 61

 0.6

 65

 84.0

 59

 86.7

 60

31–50%

51–60%

61–70%

71–80% 81–100% >100%

Total

Total

 31.5

 27

 4.8

 27

 2.2

 25

 0.2

 21

 38.7

 27

 38.8

 27

 9.3

 8

 1.4

 8

 0.6

 7

 0.1

 7

 11.3

 8

 10.7

 7

 5.0

 4

 0.7

 4

 0.3

 4

 0.0

 5

 6.1

 4

 5.3

 4

 1.9

 2

 0.2

 1

 0.2

 2

 0.0

 2

 2.3

 2

 1.7

 1

 0.3

 0

 0.0

 0

 0.1

 1

 0.0

 0

 0.5

 0

 0.3

 0

 0.0

 115.4

 114.6

 0

 0.0

 0

 0.1

 1

 0.0

 0

 100

 17.9

 100

 8.9

 100

 0.9

 100

 19.1

 8.7

 1.0

 0.1

 143.0

 143.5

 0

 100

 0.1

 143.5

 0

 100

CHF billion, except where indicated

Exposure segment
Residential mortgages

Net EAD

as a % of row total

Income-producing real estate (IPRE)

Net EAD

Corporates

Other segments

Mortgage-covered exposure

Mortgage-covered exposure 31.12.16

as a % of row total

Net EAD

as a % of row total

Net EAD

as a % of row total

Net EAD

as a % of total

Net EAD

as a % of total

130 

Asset Management
Gross  banking  products  exposure  within  Asset  Management 
was less  than  CHF 1  billion  as  of  31  December  2017  and 
31 December 2016.

The  Investment  Bank  actively  manages  the  credit  risk  of  this 
portfolio and, as of 31 December 2017, held CHF 1.8 billion of 
single-name CDS hedges against its exposures to corporates and 
other non-banks, a decrease of CHF 4.1 billion year on year. 

Investment Bank
The  Investment  Bank’s  lending  activities  are  largely  associated 
with corporate and non-bank financial institutions. The business 
is broadly diversified across industry sectors, but concentrated in 
North America.

During  2017,  the  gross  banking  products  exposure  of  the 
Investment  Bank  decreased  to  CHF 47  billion  from  CHF 64 
billion.  The  decrease  was  due  to  lower  corporate  lending 
exposure,  which  also  includes  temporary  loan  underwriting 
activity.

Within the loan underwriting business, we continued to see a 
steady flow of transactions as leveraged loan markets remained 
relatively  strong.  Total  temporary  underwriting  exposure  ended 
2017 significantly lower than the previous year as our ability to 
distribute  was  robust,  while  a  large  investment  grade  merger 
and acquisition financing commitment, which had exceeded our 
targeted  distribution  date,  expired  unused  during  the  second 
quarter  of  2017.  Loan  underwriting  exposures  are  classified  as 
held for trading, with fair values reflecting market conditions at 
the end of 2017.

Investment Bank: banking products1

CHF million

Total exposure, before deduction of allowances, provisions and hedges

Less: allowances, provisions

Less: credit protection bought (credit default swaps, notional)2

NNet exposure after allowances, provisions and hedges

from  CHF 49.9  billion,  driven  by 

Net  banking  products  exposure,  excluding  balances  with 
central banks and the vast majority of amounts due from banks, 
and  after  allowances,  provisions  and  hedges,  decreased  to 
CHF 36.6  billion 
the 
aforementioned  lower  level  of  corporate  lending  at  the  end  of 
2017.  Based  on  our  internal  ratings,  57%  of  the  Investment 
Bank’s  net  banking  products  exposure  was  classified  as 
investment  grade  compared  with  63%  at  the  end  of  the  prior 
year.  The  majority  of  the  Investment  Bank’s  net  banking 
products  exposure  had  an  estimated  LGD  of  between  0%  and 
50%.

Many counterparties in the energy segments adapted in 2017 
to  operating  in  a  lower  oil  price  environment,  hence  price 
volatility during the year had very little impact on our portfolio. 
Overall,  while  our  exposures  remain  relatively  stable,  we 
continue to actively monitor exposures to this sector.

→ Refer to “Credit risk models” in this section for more 

information on loss given default, rating grades and rating 

agency mappings

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331.12.17

  38,439

  (42)

  (1,755)

  36,643

31.12.16

 55,709

 (41)

 (5,810)

 49,859

11 Internal risk view, excludes balances with central banks, internal risk adjustments and the vast majority of due from banks exposures.    2 The effects of portfolio hedges, such as index credit default swaps (CDSs), 
and of loss protection from the subordinated tranches of structured credit protection are not reflected in this table.                        

131 

 
 
 
 
Risk, treasury and capital management
Risk management and control

Investment Bank: distribution of net banking products exposure across internal UBS ratings and loss given default 
(LGD) buckets
CHF million, except where indicated

331.12.17

31.12.16

Internal UBS rating1
Investment grade

Sub-investment grade

of which: 6−9

of which: 10−12

of which: 13 and defaulted

LLGD buckets

EExposure
  20,704

00–25%
  5,738

226–50%
  9,708

551–75%
  1,516

776–100%
  3,742

  15,939

  10,435

  10,376

  5,282

  281

  8,266

  1,989

  180

  4,378

  1,456

  2,821

  101

  669

  653

  15

  0

  456

  0

  456

  0

WWeighted
average
LGD (%)
  49

  22

  17

  33

  19

Weighted
average
LGD (%)
 50

 23

 21

 29

 11

Exposure
 31,398

 18,461

 12,444

 5,391

 625

NNet banking products exposure, after application 
of credit hedges
 40
  16,174
11 The ratings of the major credit rating agencies, and their mapping to our internal rating scale, are shown in the “Internal UBS rating scale and mapping of external ratings“ table in this section.                                

  36,643

  14,087

 49,859

  2,185

  4,198

  37

Investment Bank: net banking products exposure by geographical region

Asia Pacific

Latin America

Middle East and Africa

North America

Switzerland

Rest of Europe

Net exposure

Investment Bank: net banking products exposure by industry sector

Banks

Chemicals

Electricity, gas, water supply

Financial institutions, excluding banks

Manufacturing1

Mining1

Public authorities

Real estate and construction

Retail and wholesale

Technology and communications

Transport and storage1

Other

Net exposure1

of which: oil and gas1

31.12.17

CHF million

 1,424

 164

 73

 27,087

 135

 7,761

 36,643

31.12.17

CHF million

 1,399

 843

 2,425

 13,207

 4,123

 2,755

 963

 3,340

 971

 2,687

 2,798

 1,131

 36,643

 4,290

%

 3.9

 0.4

 0.2

 73.9

 0.4

 21.2

 100.0

%

 3.8

 2.3

 6.6

 36.0

 11.3

 7.5

 2.6

 9.1

 2.6

 7.3

 7.6

 3.1

 100.0

 11.7

31.12.16

CHF million

 1,978

 212

 32

 37,691

 3,128

 6,818

 49,859

31.12.16

CHF million

 3,101

 4,112

 2,515

 19,990

 4,195

 2,838

 1,573

 3,588

 870

 3,153

 3,166

 756

 49,859

 5,069

%

 4.0

 0.4

 0.1

 75.6

 6.3

 13.7

 100.0

%

 6.2

 8.2

 5.0

 40.1

 8.4

 5.7

 3.2

 7.2

 1.7

 6.3

 6.3

 1.5

 100.0

 10.2

1 As of 31 December 2017, the CHF 4.3 billion Investment Bank net banking products exposure to the oil and gas sector comprised CHF 2.3 billion related to mining, CHF 1.5 billion related to transport and storage 
and CHF 0.4 billion related to manufacturing. As of 31 December 2016, the CHF 5.1 billion Investment Bank net banking products exposure to the oil and gas sector comprised CHF 2.2 billion related to mining, 
CHF 2.0 billion related to transport and storage and CHF 0.9 billion related to manufacturing.    

132 

Corporate Center – Group Asset and Liability Management
Gross  banking  products  exposure  within  Corporate  Center  – 
Group  Asset  and  Liability  Management  (Group  ALM),  which 
arises  primarily  in  connection  with  treasury  activities,  decreased 
by  CHF 18  billion  to  CHF 97  billion.  This  was  driven  by  a 
decrease in balances with central banks of CHF 20 billion, mainly 
due  to  higher  consumption  by  the  business  divisions,  partly 
offset by net issuances of short-term and long-term debt.

→ Refer to “Balance sheet assets – Group ALM“ in the “Treasury 

management“ section of this report 

Corporate Center – Non-core and Legacy Portfolio

→ Refer to the “Corporate Center – Non-core and Legacy 

Portfolio” section under “Financial and operating performance” 

of this report for more information

Traded products

Traded  products  include  over-the-counter  (OTC)  derivatives 
exposures, as well as securities financing transactions (SFTs) and 
exchange-traded  derivatives  (ETD)  exposures.  Credit  risk  arising 
from  traded  products,  after  the  effects  of  master  netting 
agreements  but  excluding  credit  valuation  adjustments  and 
hedges,  decreased  by  CHF 7  billion  to  CHF 45  billion  as  of 

31 December  2017.  OTC  derivatives  accounted  for  CHF 18 
billion,  exposures  from  SFTs  were  CHF 18  billion,  and  ETD 
exposures amounted to CHF 8 billion. OTC derivatives exposures 
are generally measured as net positive replacement values after 
the  application  of  legally  enforceable  netting  agreements  and 
the  deduction  of  cash  and  marketable  securities  held  as 
collateral.  SFT  exposures  are  reported  taking  into  account 
collateral  received,  and  ETD  exposures  take  into  account 
collateral margin calls.

The  majority  of  the  traded  products  exposures  were  within 
the Investment Bank, Non-core and Legacy Portfolio and Group 
ALM, totaling CHF 35 billion compared with CHF 42 billion as of 
31  December  2016.  As  counterparty  risk  for  traded  products  is 
managed  at  counterparty  level,  no  further  split  between 
exposures  in  the  Investment  Bank  and  those  in  Non-core  and 
Legacy  Portfolio  and  Group  ALM  is  provided.  The  traded 
products exposure includes OTC derivatives exposures of CHF 11 
billion  in  the  Investment  Bank  and  Non-core  and  Legacy 
Portfolio, a decrease of CHF 6 billion from the prior year. During 
2017, SFT exposures increased slightly to CHF 18 billion and ETD 
exposures decreased by CHF 2 billion to CHF 5 billion. The tables 
below and on the following pages provide more information on 
the  OTC  derivatives,  SFT  and  ETD  exposures  of  the  Investment 
Bank, Non-core and Legacy Portfolio and Group ALM. 

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CHF million

OOTC derivatives

SSFTs
331.12.17

EETD

TTotal

Total exposure, before deduction of credit valuation adjustments and hedges

  11,442

  17,810

  5,444

  34,696

Less: credit valuation adjustments and allowances

Less: credit protection bought (credit default swaps, notional)

  (297)

  (436)

  (297)

  (436)

TTotal
31.12.16
 41,941

 (376)

 (757)

NNet exposure after credit valuation adjustments, allowances and hedges

  10,710

  17,810

  5,444

  33,964

 40,808

Investment Bank, Non-core and Legacy Portfolio and Group ALM: distribution of net OTC derivatives and SFT exposure 
across internal UBS ratings and loss given default (LGD) buckets
CHF million, except where indicated

31.12.16

31.12.17
LGD buckets

Internal UBS rating1
Net OTC derivatives exposure

Investment grade

Sub-investment grade

of which: 6−9

of which: 10−12

of which: 13 and defaulted

Exposure

0–25% 26–50% 51–75% 76–100%

 10,076

 304

 633

 226

 59

 349

 56

 43

 0

 13

 8,604

 437

 52

 50

 335

 1,016

 152

 73

 69

 4

 0

 67

 62

 5

 0

Total net OTC derivatives exposure, after credit valuation adjustments
and hedges

 10,710

 361

 9,041

 1,088

 220

 45

 16,395

Net SFT exposure

Investment grade

Sub-investment grade

Total net SFT exposure

 17,302

 508

 17,810

 14

 1

 14

 14,530

 2,303

 156

 53

 14,686

 2,357

 455

 297

 752

 44

 72

 44

 16,877

 504

 17,381

1 The ratings of the major credit rating agencies, and their mapping to our internal rating scale, are shown in the “Internal UBS rating scale and mapping of external ratings“ table in this section.                                

133 

Weighted
average
LGD (%)

 45

 41

 62

 41

 27

Exposure

 15,672

 723

 294

 85

 344

Weighted
average
LGD (%)

 30

 34

 46

 34

 24

 30

 28

 58

 28

 
 
 
 
Risk, treasury and capital management
Risk management and control

Investment Bank, Non-core and Legacy Portfolio and Group ALM: net OTC derivatives and SFT exposure
by geographical region

Asia Pacific

Latin America

Middle East and Africa

North America

Switzerland

Rest of Europe

NNet exposure

NNet OTC derivatives

NNet SFTs

331.12.17

31.12.16

331.12.17

31.12.16

CCHF million
  1,154

  59

  143

  3,420

  292

  5,642

%%
  10.8

  0.5

  1.3

  31.9

  2.7

  52.7

CHF million
 2,904

 83

 149

 4,931

 453

 7,876

%
 17.7

 0.5

 0.9

 30.1

 2.8

 48.0

CCHF million
  3,624

  144

  622

  4,241

  771

  8,407

%%
  20.3

  0.8

  3.5

  23.8

  4.3

  47.2

CHF million
 3,410

 114

 1,126

 4,548

 825

 7,358

%
 19.6

 0.7

 6.5

 26.2

 4.7

 42.3

  10,710

  100.0

 16,395

 100.0

  17,810

  100.0

 17,381

 100.0

Investment Bank, Non-core and Legacy Portfolio and Group ALM: net OTC derivatives and SFT exposure by industry

Net OTC derivatives

Net SFTs

31.12.17

31.12.16

31.12.17

31.12.16

Banks

Chemicals

Electricity, gas, water supply

Financial institutions, excluding banks

Manufacturing

Mining

Public authorities

Retail and wholesale

Transport, storage and communication

Other

Net exposure

Credit risk mitigation

CHF million
 4,559

 11

 166

 3,600

 139

 7

 1,513

 9

 289

 417

%
 42.6

 0.1

 1.5

 33.6

 1.3

 0.1

 14.1

 0.1

 2.7

 3.9

CHF million
 6,242

 17

 231

 6,778

 428

 108

 1,834

 19

 265

 473

%
 38.1

 0.1

 1.4

 41.3

 2.6

 0.7

 11.2

 0.1

 1.6

 2.9

CHF million
 5,288

%
 29.7

CHF million
 4,095

%
 23.6

 10,983

 61.7

 11,932

 68.6

 1,500

 3

 35

 8.4

 0.0

 0.2

 100.0

 1,350

 2

 2

 17,381

 7.8

 0.0

 0.0

 100.0

 10,710

 100.0

 16,395

 100.0

 17,810

to  80%,  depending  on  the  type  of  property,  the  age  of  the 
property and the amount of renovation work required. 

Audited  | The value assigned by UBS to each property is based 
on  the  lowest  value  determined  from  internally  calculated 
valuations, the purchase price and, in some cases, an additional 
external valuation. (cid:3)

We  use  two  separate  models  provided  by  a  market-leading 
external  vendor  to  derive  property  valuations  for  owner-
occupied residential properties (ORP) and income-producing real 
estate. For ORP, we estimate the current value of properties by 
using  a  regression  model  (hedonic  model)  to  compare  detailed 
characteristics  for  each  property  against  a  database  of  property 
transactions. In addition to the model-derived values, valuations 
for  ORP  are  updated  quarterly  throughout  the  lifetime  of  the 
loan  by  using  region-specific  real  estate  price  indices.  The  price 
indices  are  sourced  from  an  external  vendor  and  are  subject  to 
internal validation and benchmarking against two other external 
vendors.  On  a  quarterly  basis,  we  use  these  valuations  to 
compute  indexed  LTV  for  all  ORP  and  consider  these  together 
with  other  risk  measures  (e.g.,  rating  migration  and  behavioral 
information)  to  identify  higher-risk  loans,  which  are  then 
reviewed  individually  by  client  advisors  and  credit  officers,  with 
actions taken where they are considered necessary.

Audited  |  We  actively  manage  the  credit  risk  in  our  portfolios  by 
taking  collateral  against  exposures  and  by  utilizing  credit 
hedging. (cid:3)

Lending secured by real estate
Audited  | We use a scoring model as part of a standardized front-
to-back process to support credit decisions for the origination or 
modification  of  Swiss  mortgage  loans.  The  two  key  factors 
within this model are an affordability calculation relative to gross 
income and the loan-to-value (LTV) ratio. (cid:3)

The  calculation  of  affordability  takes  into  account  interest 
payments,  minimum  amortization 
requirements,  potential 
property  maintenance  costs  and,  in  the  case  of  properties 
expected  to  be  rented  out,  the  level  of  rental  income.  Interest 
payments  are  estimated  using  a  predefined  framework,  which 
takes  into  account  the  potential  for  significant  increases  in 
interest rates during the lifetime of the loan. The interest rate is 
floored at 5% per annum.

For  residential  properties  occupied  by  the  borrower,  the 
maximum  LTV  allowed  within  the  standard  approval  process  is 
80%. This is reduced to 60% in the case of vacation properties 
and  luxury  real  estate.  For  other  properties,  the  maximum  LTV 
allowed within the standard approval process ranges from 30% 

134 

For  income-producing  real  estate,  the  capitalization  model  is 
used  to  determine  the  property  valuation  by  discounting 
estimated  sustainable  future  income  using  a  capitalization  rate 
based on various attributes. These attributes consider regional as 
well  as  specific  property  characteristics,  such  as  market  and 
location data (e.g., vacancy rates), benchmarks (e.g., for running 
costs)  and  certain  other  standardized  input  parameters  (e.g., 
property  condition).  Rental  income  from  properties  is  reviewed 
at  a  minimum  once  every  three  years,  but  indications  of 
significant  changes  in  the  amount  of  rental  income  or  in  the 
vacancy rate can trigger an interim reappraisal.

To take market developments into account for these models, 
the  external  vendor  regularly  updates  the  parameters  and  /  or 
refines  the  architecture  for  each  model.  Model  changes  and 
parameter updates are subject to the same validation procedures 
as for our internally developed models. 

Audited  |  We  similarly  apply  underwriting  guidelines  for  our 
Wealth  Management  Americas  mortgage  loan  portfolio  taking 
into  account  affordability  of  the  loans  and  sufficiency  of 
collateral.  The  maximum  LTV  within  the  standard  approval 
process for any type of mortgage is 80%. A stratification of LTVs 
exists  for  the  various  mortgage  types,  such  as  residential 
mortgage  or  investment  property,  based  on  associated  risk 
factors,  such  as  property  types,  loan  size  and  loan  purpose. 
Maximum LTVs go as low as 45%. Additionally, other credit risk 
metrics  are  applied,  based  upon  property  and  borrower 
characteristics, such as debt-to-income ratios, FICO credit scores 
and required client reserves.

LTV 

exposures  within 

A risk limit framework is applied to the Wealth Management 
Americas  mortgage  portfolio.  Limits  have  been  established  to 
govern 
categories,  geographic 
concentrations,  portfolio  growth  and  high-risk  mortgage 
segments such as interest-only loans. These limits are monitored 
by  a  specialized  credit  risk  monitoring  team  and  reported  to 
senior  management.  Supplementing  this  limit  framework  is  a 
real estate lending policy and procedures framework, established 
to govern the real estate lending activities. Quality assurance and 
quality  control  programs  are  in  place  to  monitor  compliance 
with  mortgage  underwriting  and  documentation  requirements. 
(cid:3)

→ Refer to “Swiss mortgage loan portfolio” in this section for 
more information on loan-to-value in our Swiss mortgage 

portfolio

→ Refer to “Wealth Management Americas” in this section for 

more information on loan-to-value in our Wealth Management 

Americas mortgage portfolio

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Lombard lending
Audited  |  Lombard  loans  are  secured  by  a  pledge  of  marketable 
securities,  guarantees  and  other  forms  of  collateral.  Eligible 
financial  securities  primarily  include  transferable  securities  (such 
as  bonds  and  equities),  that  are  liquid  and  actively  traded,  and 
other  transferable  securities  such  as  approved  structured 
products for which regular prices are available and for which the 
issuer of the security provides a market. To a lesser degree, less 
liquid collateral is also financed.

the  view  of 

We apply discounts (haircuts) to reflect the collateral’s risk and 
to derive the lending value. Haircuts for marketable securities are 
calculated to cover the possible change in the market value over a 
given  close-out  period  and  confidence  level;  the  haircut  applied 
will  vary  depending  on 
the  counterparty’s 
creditworthiness. Less liquid or more volatile collateral will typically 
attract  larger  haircuts.  For  less  liquid  instruments,  such  as 
structured  products,  some  bonds,  and  products  with  long 
redemption periods, the assumed close-out period may be much 
longer than that for highly liquid instruments, or an assessment is 
made as to the expected recovery on the asset in the event of the 
counterparty’s  default,  resulting  in  a  larger  haircut.  For  cash,  life 
insurance  policies,  guarantees  and  letters  of  credit,  haircuts  are 
determined on a product- or client-specific basis. 

We  also  consider  concentration  and  correlation  risks  across 
collateral  posted  on  a  counterparty  level  as  well  as  at  a  divisional 
level  across  counterparties.  Additionally,  we  perform  targeted 
Group-wide reviews of concentrations. A concentration of collateral 
in  single  securities,  issuers  or  issuer  groups,  industry  sectors, 
countries,  regions  or  currencies  may  result  in  higher  risk  and 
reduced liquidity. In such cases, the lending value of the collateral, 
margin call and close-out levels are adjusted accordingly. (cid:3)

Exposures  and  collateral  values  are  monitored  on  a  daily  basis 
with the intention of ensuring that the credit exposure continues to 
be within the established risk appetite. A shortfall occurs when the 
lending  value  drops  below  the  exposure.  If  a  shortfall  exceeds  a 
defined trigger level, a margin call is initiated, requiring the client to 
provide  additional  collateral,  reduce  the  exposure  or  take  other 
action to bring the exposure in line with the agreed lending value of 
the collateral. If the shortfall increases, or is not corrected within the 
required period, a close-out is initiated, through which collateral is 
liquidated, open derivative positions are closed and guarantees are 
called.

We  also  conduct  stress  testing  of  collateralized  exposures  to 
simulate market events that increase the risk of collateral shortfalls 
and unsecured exposures by significantly reducing the value of the 
collateral, increasing the exposure of traded products, or both. For 
certain  classes  of  counterparties,  limits  on  such  calculated  stress 
exposures  are  applied  and  controlled  on  a  counterparty  level.  In 
addition, there are portfolio limits applied across certain businesses 
or collateral types. 

→ Refer to “Stress loss” in this section for more information on 

our stress testing

135 

 
 
 
 
Risk, treasury and capital management
Risk management and control

Counterparty credit risk
Audited  |  Counterparty  credit  risk  arising  from  traded  products, 
which 
include  OTC  derivatives,  ETD  exposures  and  SFTs 
originating  in  the  Investment  Bank,  Non-core  and  Legacy 
Portfolio  and  Corporate  Center  –  Group  ALM,  is  generally 
managed on a close-out basis. This takes into account the effect 
of  market  movements  on  the  exposure  and  any  associated 
collateral over the potential time it would take to close out our 
positions.  In  the  Investment  Bank,  limits  are  applied  to  the 
potential future exposure per counterparty, with the size of the 
limit  driven  by  the  view  of  the  creditworthiness  of  the 
counterparty  as  determined  by  Credit  Risk  Control.  Limit 
frameworks  are  also  applied  to  control  overall  exposure  to 
specific  classes  or  categories  of  collateral  on  a  portfolio  level. 
Such  portfolio  limits  are  monitored  and  reported  to  senior 
management.

law. 

Trading  in  OTC  derivatives  is  conducted  through  central 
counterparties  (CCPs)  where  practicable.  Where  CCPs  are  not 
used, we have clearly defined policies and processes for trading 
on a bilateral basis. Trading is typically conducted under bilateral 
International Swaps and Derivatives Association (ISDA) or similar 
master netting agreements, which generally allow for the close-
out and netting of transactions in the event of default subject to 
applicable 
For  most  major  market  participant 
counterparties, we employ two-way collateral agreements under 
which  either  party  can  be  required  to  provide  collateral  in  the 
form  of  cash  or  marketable  securities  when  the  exposure 
exceeds specified levels. This collateral typically consists of well-
rated  government  debt  or  other  collateral  permitted  by 
applicable  regulations.  For  certain  counterparties,  initial  margin 
is  taken  to  cover  some  or  all  of  the  calculated  close-out 
exposure.  This  is  in  addition  to  the  variation  margin  taken  to 
settle  changes  in  the  market  value  of  transactions.  Regulations 
governing the margining of uncleared OTC derivatives continue 
to  evolve.  These  generally  expand  the  scope  of  bilateral 
derivatives  activity  subject  to  margining.  In  addition,  they  will 
result  in  greater  amounts  of  initial  margin  received  from,  and 
posted to, certain bilateral trading counterparties than had been 
required in the past. These changes should result in lower close-
out risk over time. (cid:3)

→ Refer to “Note 12 Derivative instruments and hedge accounting” 
in the “Consolidated financial statements” section of this report 

for more information on our over-the-counter derivatives 

settled through central counterparties

→ Refer to “Note 24 Offsetting financial assets and financial 

liabilities” in the “Consolidated financial statements” section of 

this report for more information on the effect of netting and 

collateral arrangements on our derivative exposures

Credit hedging
Audited | We utilize single-name CDSs, credit index CDSs, bespoke 
protection, and other instruments to actively manage credit risk 
in the Investment Bank and Non-core and Legacy Portfolio. This 
is  aimed  at  reducing  concentrations  of  risk  from  specific 
counterparties,  sectors  or  portfolios  and,  in  the  case  of 
counterparty  credit  risk,  the  profit  or  loss  impact  arising  from 
changes in credit valuation adjustments (CVA).

We  maintain  strict  guidelines  for  taking  credit  hedges  into 
account  for  credit  risk  mitigation  purposes.  For  example,  when 
monitoring  exposures  against  counterparty  limits,  we  do  not 
usually  recognize  credit  risk  mitigants  such  as  proxy  hedges 
(credit  protection  on  a  correlated  but  different  name)  or  credit 
index CDSs. Buying credit protection also creates credit exposure 
against  the  protection  provider.  We  monitor  and  limit  our 
exposures to credit protection providers and the effectiveness of 
credit  hedges  as  part  of  our  overall  credit  exposures  to  the 
relevant  counterparties.  Trading  with  such  counterparties  is 
typically collateralized. For credit protection purchased to hedge 
the  lending  portfolio,  this  includes  monitoring  mismatches 
between the maturity of the credit protection purchased and the 
maturity of the associated loan. Such mismatches result in basis 
risk  and  may  reduce  the  effectiveness  of  the  credit  protection. 
Mismatches  are  routinely  reported  to  credit  officers  and 
mitigating actions are taken when deemed necessary. (cid:3)
→ Refer to “Note 12 Derivative instruments and hedge 

accounting” in the “Consolidated financial statements” section 

of this report for more information

Mitigation of settlement risk
To  mitigate  settlement  risk,  we  reduce  our  actual  settlement 
volumes through the use of multilateral and bilateral agreements 
with counterparties, including payment netting.

Our  most  significant  source  of  settlement  risk  is  foreign 
exchange transactions. We are a member of Continuous Linked 
Settlement  (CLS),  an  industry  utility  that  provides  a  multilateral 
framework  to  settle  transactions  on  a  delivery-versus-payment 
basis,  thereby  significantly  reducing  foreign  exchange-related 
settlement risk relative to the volume of business. However, the 
mitigation of settlement risk through CLS and other means does 
in  foreign  exchange 
not  fully  eliminate  our  credit  risk 
transactions  resulting  from  changes  in  exchange  rates  prior  to 
settlement,  which  is  managed  as  part  of  our  overall  credit  risk 
management of OTC derivatives. 

136 

Credit risk models

|  We  have  developed  tools  and  models  in  order  to 
Audited 
estimate future credit losses that may be implicit in our current 
portfolio.

Exposures  to  individual  counterparties  are  measured  on  the 
basis  of  three  generally  accepted  parameters:  probability  of 
default  (PD),  loss  given  default  (LGD)  and  exposure  at  default 
(EAD).  For  a  given  credit  facility,  the  product  of  these  three 
parameters  results  in  the  expected  loss.  These  parameters  are 
the basis for the majority of our internal measures of credit risk, 
and  are  key  inputs  for  the  regulatory  capital  calculation  under 
the  advanced  internal  ratings-based  approach  of  the  Basel  III 

framework  governing  international  convergence  of  capital.  We 
also  use  models  to  derive  the  portfolio  credit  risk  measures  of 
expected loss, statistical loss and stress loss. (cid:3)

The  “Key  features  of  our  main  credit  risk  models”  table  on 
the next page shows the number and key features of the models 
that we use to derive PD, LGD and EAD for our main portfolios 
and asset classes, and is followed by more detailed explanations 
of these models and parameters.

→ Refer to the 31 December 2017 Pillar 3 report – Group and 

significant regulated subsidiaries and sub-groups under “Pillar 3 

disclosures” at www.ubs.com/investors for more information 

on the regulatory capital calculation under the advanced 

internal ratings-based approach

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137 

 
 
 
 
Risk, treasury and capital management
Risk management and control

Key features of our main credit risk models

PProbability of 
default

PPortfolio in scope

Sovereigns and central banks

Owner-occupied mortgages in 
Switzerland and the US

Income-producing real estate 
mortgages

AAsset class
Central governments and 
central banks

Retail: residential 
mortgages
Retail: residential 
mortgages, 
Corporates: specialized 
lending

MModel
approach

Score card

Score card

Score card

Lombard lending

Retail: other 

Merton type

Small and medium-sized 
enterprises

Corporates: other lending Score card

Banks

Commodity traders

Banks and securities 
dealers
Corporates: specialized 
lending

Aircraft financing

Corporates: other lending

Large corporates

Corporates: other lending

LLoss given default

Other portfolios
Owner-occupied mortgages in 
Switzerland and the US

Income-producing real estate 
mortgages

Corporates: other 
lending,
Public sector entities and 
multilateral development 
banks
Retail: residential 
mortgages
Retail: residential 
mortgages, Corporates: 
specialized lending

Lombard lending

Retail: other

Small and medium-sized 
enterprises

Investment Bank – all 
counterparties

Corporates: other lending

Across the asset classes

EExposure at default Banking products

Across the asset classes

Traded products

Across the asset classes

Score card
Rating 
template
Rating 
template

Score card / 
market data

Score card / 
pooled rating 
approach / 
rating 
template
Statistical 
model

Statistical 
model
Statistical 
model, 
simulation

Statistical 
model

Statistical 
model

Statistical 
model

Statistical 
model

NNumber of 

main models MMain drivers

1 Political, institutional and economic indicators

Behavioral data, affordability relative to income, 
property type, loan-to-value. Separate models for 
mortgages in Switzerland and the US
Loan-to-value, debt service coverage, financial data 
(for large corporates only), behavioral data; weights 
of risk drivers differ between corporate and private 
clients
Loan-to-value, historical asset returns, behavioral 
data
Financial data including balance sheet ratios and 
profit and loss, behavioral data. Weights of risk 
drivers differ depending on the corporate client sub-
segment
Financial data including balance sheet ratios and 
profit and loss. Separate models for banks – 
developed markets, banks – emerging markets,  
broker-dealers and investment banks, private banks
Financial data including balance sheet ratios and 
profit and loss, as well as non-financial criteria

2

1

1

1

4

1

1 Financial structure of the transaction

Financial data including balance sheet ratios and 
profit and loss, and market data. Separate models for 
corporates with publicly traded and highly liquid 
stocks (Market Intelligence Tool), private corporates, 
leveraged corporates and corporates in construction 
and real estate business
Financial data and / or historical portfolio 
performance for pooled ratings. Separate models for 
hedge funds, managed funds, insurance companies, 
retail aggregators, commercial real estate loans, 
mortgage originators, Australian protected lending 
clients, ETD-only clients and sub-sovereigns / public-
sector entities
Loan-to-value, time since last valuation. Separate 
models for mortgages in Switzerland and the US

Loan-to-value, time since last valuation, property 
type, location indicator

4

13

2

1

1 Historical observed loss rates

Separate models for mortgage and non-mortgage 
LGDs. Mortgage models: loan-to-value, time since 
last valuation, property type, location indicator. Non-
mortgage models: historical observed loss rates
Counterparty- and facility-specific drivers, including 
industry segment, collateral, seniority, legal 
environment and bankruptcy procedures
Separate models based on exposure type (committed 
credit lines, revocable credit lines, contingent 
products)
Product-specific market drivers, e.g., interest rates. 
Separate models for OTC Derivatives, ETDs and SFTs 
that generate the simulation of risk factors used for 
the credit exposure measure

2

1

3

2

NNumber of
years loss 
data1

10

23

23

5–10

23

10

19

7

10

10

11

11

10–15

11–17

5–10

>10

n/a

11 For sovereign and Investment Bank PD models, the length of internal portfolio history is shown in “Number of years loss data.”

138 

Audited | 
Internal UBS rating scale and mapping of external ratings

IInternal UBS rating
00 and 1
22
33
44
55
66
77
88
99
110
111
112
113
CCounterparty is in default 

1-year PD range in %
0.00–0.02
0.02–0.05
0.05–0.12
0.12–0.25
0.25–0.50
0.50–0.80
0.80–1.30
1.30–2.10
2.10–3.50
3.50–6.00
6.00–10.00
10.00–17.00
>17
Default

Description
Investment grade

Sub-investment grade

Defaulted

Moody’s Investors
Service mapping
Aaa
Aa1 to Aa3
A1 to A3
Baa1 to Baa2
Baa3
Ba1
Ba2
Ba3
B1
B2
B3
Caa
Ca to C

Standard & Poor’s
mapping
AAA
AA+ to AA–
A+ to A–
BBB+ to BBB
BBB–
BB+
BB
BB–
B+
B
B–
CCC
CC to C
D

Fitch mapping
AAA
AA+ to AA–
A+ to A–
BBB+ to BBB
BBB–
BB+
BB
BB–
B+
B
B–
CCC
CC to C
D

(cid:3)

Probability of default
The probability of default (PD) is an estimate of the likelihood of a 
counterparty defaulting on its contractual obligations over the next 
12  months.  PD  ratings  are  used  for  credit  risk  measurement  and 
are  an  important  input  for  determining  credit  risk  approval 
authorities. For the calculation of RWA, a 3-basis-points PD floor is 
applied  to  Banks,  Corporates  and  Retail  exposures  as  required 
under  the  Basel  III  framework.  Additionally,  for  the  Swiss  owner-
occupied mortgages we apply an 8-basis-point PD floor and for the 
Lombard loans a 4-basis-point PD floor.

PD  is  assessed  using  rating  tools  tailored  to  the  various 
categories  of  counterparties.  Statistically  developed  score  cards, 
based  on  key  attributes  of  the  obligor,  are  used  to  determine  PD 
for  many  of  our  corporate  clients  and  for  loans  secured  by  real 
estate.  Where  available,  market  data  may  also  be  used  to  derive 
the  PD  for  large  corporate  counterparties.  For  low  default 
portfolios, where available, we take into account relevant external 
default  data  in  the  rating  tool  development.  For  Lombard  loans, 
Merton-type  historical  return-based  model  simulations  taking  into 
account  potential  changes  in  the  value  of  securities  collateral  are 
used in our rating approach. These categories are also calibrated to 
our  internal  credit  rating  scale  (masterscale),  which  is  designed  to 
ensure  a  consistent  assessment  of  default  probabilities  across 
counterparties.  Our  masterscale  expresses  one-year  default 
probabilities that we determine through our various rating tools by 
means of distinct classes, whereby each class incorporates a range 
of  default  probabilities.  Counterparties  migrate  between  rating 
classes as our assessment of their PD changes.

The  ratings  of  the  major  credit  rating  agencies,  and  their 
mapping to our internal rating masterscale and internal PD bands, 
are  shown  in  the  “Internal  UBS  rating  scale  and  mapping  of 
external ratings” table above. The mapping is based on the long-
term  average  of  one-year  default  rates  available  from  the  rating 

agencies.  For  each  external  rating  category,  the  average  default 
rate is compared with our internal PD bands to derive a mapping to 
our internal rating scale. Our internal rating of a counterparty may 
therefore  diverge  from  one  or  more  of  the  correlated  external 
ratings  shown  in  the  table.  Observed  defaults  by  rating  agencies 
may  vary  through  economic  cycles,  and  we  do  not  necessarily 
expect the actual number of defaults in our equivalent rating band 
to  equal  the  rating  agencies’  average  in  any  given  period.  We 
periodically  assess  the  long-term  average  default  rates  of  credit 
rating  agencies’  grades,  and  we  adjust  their  mapping  to  our 
masterscale as necessary to reflect any material changes. 

the 

Loss given default
Loss given default (LGD) is the magnitude of the likely loss if there 
is  a  default.  Our  LGD  estimates,  which  consider  downturn 
conditions,  include  loss  of  principal,  interest  and  other  amounts 
(such as workout costs, including the cost of carrying an impaired 
position during the workout process) less recovered amounts. We 
determine LGD based on the likely recovery rate of claims against 
defaulted  counterparties,  which  depends  on 
type  of 
counterparty  and  any  credit  mitigation  by  way  of  collateral  or 
guarantees. Our estimates are supported by our internal loss data 
information  where  available.  Where  we  hold 
and  external 
collateral,  such  as  marketable  securities  or  a  mortgage  on  a 
property,  loan-to-value  ratios  typically  are  a  key  parameter  in 
determining  LGD.  For  low  default  portfolios,  where  available,  we 
take into account relevant external default data in the rating tool 
development. In the RWA calculation, the regulatory LGD floor of 
10%  is  applied  for  exposures  secured  by  residential  properties. 
Additionally,  we  applied  a  30%  LGD  floor  for  Lombard  loans  in 
Wealth Management and a 25% LGD floor for Lombard loans in 
Wealth Management Americas. All other LGDs are subject to a 5% 
floor.

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139 

 
 
 
 
Risk, treasury and capital management
Risk management and control

Exposure at default
Exposure at default (EAD) represents the amount we expect to be 
owed by a counterparty at the time of a possible default. We derive 
EAD from our current exposure to the counterparty and the possible 
future development of that exposure.

Expected loss
Credit  losses  are  an  inherent  cost  of  doing  business  and  the 
occurrence and amount of credit losses can be erratic. In order to 
quantify  future  credit  losses  that  may  be  implicit  in  our  current 
portfolio, we use the concept of expected loss.

The  EAD  of  a  loan  is  the  drawn  or  face  value  of  the  loan.  For 
loan  commitments  and  guarantees,  the  EAD  includes  the  amount 
drawn  as  well  as  potential  future  amounts  that  may  be  drawn, 
which are estimated using credit conversion factors (CCFs) based on 
historical  observations.  To  comply  with  regulatory  guidance,  we 
floor individual observed CCF values at zero in the CCF model, i.e., 
we assume that the drawn exposure at default will be no less than 
the drawn amount one year prior to default.

For traded products, we derive the EAD by modeling the range 
of  possible  exposure  outcomes  at  various  points  in  time  using 
scenario and statistical techniques. We assess the net amount that 
may  be  owed  to  us  or  that  we  may  owe  to  others,  taking  into 
account the effect of market moves over the potential time it would 
take to close out our positions. For exchange-traded derivatives, our 
calculation of EAD takes into account collateral margin calls. When 
measuring individual counterparty exposure against credit limits, we 
consider the maximum likely exposure measured to a high level of 
confidence.  However,  when  aggregating  exposures  to  different 
counterparties for portfolio risk measurement purposes, we use the 
expected  exposure  to  each  counterparty  at  a  given  time  period 
(usually one year) generated by the same model.

the 

factors  driving 

We assess our exposures where there is a material correlation 
the 
between 
counterparty and those driving the potential future value of our 
traded  products  exposure  (wrong-way  risk),  and  we  have 
established specific controls to mitigate these risks. 

the  credit  quality  of 

Expected  loss  is  a  statistical  measure  used  to  estimate  the 
average  annual  costs  we  expect  to  experience  from  positions  that 
become  impaired.  The  expected  loss  for  a  given  credit  facility  is  a 
product  of  the  three  components  described  above:  PD,  EAD  and 
LGD. We aggregate the expected loss for individual counterparties 
to derive our expected portfolio credit losses.

Expected  loss  is  the  basis  for  quantifying  credit  risk  in  all  our 
portfolios.  It  is  also  the  starting  point  for  the  measurement  of  our 
portfolio statistical loss and stress loss.

We  use  a  statistical  modeling  approach  to  estimate  the  loss 
profile of each of our credit portfolios over a one-year period to a 
specified level of confidence. The mean value of this loss distribution 
is the expected loss. The loss estimates deviate from the mean value 
due to statistical uncertainty on the defaulting counterparties and to 
systematic  default  relationships  among  counterparties  within  and 
between  segments.  The  statistical  measure 
to 
concentration  risks  on  individual  counterparties  and  groups  of 
counterparties.  The  outcome  provides  an  indication  of  the  level  of 
risk in our portfolio and the way it may develop over time. 

is  sensitive 

→ Refer to “IFRS 9, Financial Instruments” in the “Significant 

accounting and financial reporting changes in 2018” section of 

this report for more information on future requirements of the 

expected credit loss methodology under IFRS 9

140 

Stress loss
We  complement  our  statistical  modeling  approach  with 
scenario-based  stress  loss  measures.  Stress  tests  are  run  on  a 
regular  basis  to  monitor  the  potential  impact  of  extreme,  but 
nevertheless plausible, events on our portfolios, under which key 
credit  risk  parameters  are  assumed  to  deteriorate  substantially. 
Where we consider it appropriate, we apply limits on this basis.

Stress scenarios and methodologies are tailored to the nature 
of  the  portfolios,  ranging  from  regionally  focused  to  global 
systemic  events,  and  varying  in  time  horizon.  For  example,  for 
our loan underwriting portfolio, we apply a global market event 
under  which,  simultaneously,  the  market  for  loan  syndication 
freezes,  market  conditions  significantly  worsen,  and  credit 
quality  deteriorates.  Similarly,  for  Lombard  lending,  we  apply  a 
range of scenarios representing instantaneous market shocks to 
all  collateral  and  exposure  positions,  taking  into  consideration 
their liquidity and potential concentrations. The portfolio-specific 
stress  test  for  our  mortgage  lending  business  in  Switzerland 
reflects  a  multi-year  event,  and  the  overarching  stress  test  for 
global wholesale and counterparty credit risk to corporates uses 

a  one-year  global  stress  event  and  takes  into  account  exposure 
concentrations to single counterparties. 

→ Refer to “Stress testing” in this section for more information on 

our stress testing framework

Credit risk model confirmation
Our  approach  to  model  confirmation  involves  both  quantitative 
methods,  including  monitoring  compositional  changes  in  the 
portfolios  and  the  results  of  backtesting,  and  qualitative 
assessments,  including  feedback  from  users  on  the  model 
output as a practical indicator of the performance and reliability 
of the model.

Material  changes  in  a  portfolio  composition  may  invalidate 
the  conceptual  soundness  of  the  model.  We  therefore  perform 
regular  analysis  of  the  evolution  of  portfolios  to  identify  such 
changes  in  the  structure  and  credit  quality  of  portfolios.  This 
includes  analysis  of  changes  in  key  attributes,  changes  in 
portfolio concentration measures, as well as changes in RWA. 

→ Refer to “Risk measurement” in this section for more 

information on our approach to model confirmation procedures

Main credit models backtesting by regulatory asset class

Length of time series
used for the calibration
(in years)

Actual rates in %

Average of last
5 years1

Min. of last
5 years2

Max. of last
5 years2

Estimated average rates
at the start of
2017 in %

PProbability of default3

Central governments and central banks

Banks and securities dealers

Public sector entities, multilateral development banks

Corporates: specialized lending

Corporates: other lending

Retail: residential mortgages

Retail: other

LLoss given default 

Central governments and central banks

Banks and securities dealers

Public sector entities, multilateral development banks

Corporates: specialized lending

Corporates: other lending

Retail: residential mortgages

Retail: other 

CCredit conversion factors

Corporates

> 104

> 10

> 10

> 10

> 10

> 20

> 10

> 10

> 10

> 10

> 10

> 10

> 20

> 10

 0.00

 0.17

 0.06

 0.25

 0.23

 0.17

 0.01

 0.00

 8.02

 24.65

 1.48

 13.43

 0.00

 0.00

 0.00

 0.15

 0.21

 0.12

 0.00

 0.00

 14.41

 0.26

 8.48

 0.00

 0.53

 0.19

 0.39

 0.26

 0.28

 0.02

 20.48

 28.86

 2.63

 65.26

 0.35

 0.71

 0.20

 0.98

 0.49

 0.57

 0.15

 40.42

 42.09

 21.44

 15.72

 22.61

 7.28

 20.00

>10

 24.09

 6.87

 44.32

 37.97

11 Average of all observations over the last five years.     2 Minimum / maximum annual average of observations in any single year from the last five years. Yearly averages are only calculated where five or more 
observations occurred during that year.    3 Average PD estimation is based on all rated clients in the portfolio.    4 Sovereign PD model is calibrated to UBS masterscale, length of time series shows span of internal 
history for this portfolio.  

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141 

 
 
 
 
Risk, treasury and capital management
Risk management and control

Backtesting
We monitor the performance of our models by backtesting and 
benchmarking  them,  whereby  model  outcomes  are  compared 
with  actual  results,  based  on  our  internal  experience  as  well  as 
externally observed results. To assess the predictive power of our 
credit  exposure  models  for  traded  products  such  as  OTC 
derivatives  and  ETD  products,  we  statistically  compare  the 
predicted  future  exposure  distributions  at  different  forecast 
horizons with the realized values. 

For  PD,  we  use  statistical  modeling  to  derive  a  predicted 
distribution of the number of defaults. The observed number of 
defaults  is  then  compared  with  this  distribution,  allowing  us  to 
derive  a 
the  model 
conservativeness.  In  addition,  we  derive  a  lower  and  upper 
bound  for  the  average  default  rate.  If  the  portfolio  average  PD 
lies  outside  the  derived  interval,  the  rating  tool  is,  as  a  general 
rule, recalibrated.

level  of  confidence 

statistical 

in 

For LGD, the backtesting statistically tests whether the mean 
difference  between  the  observed  and  predicted  LGD  is  zero.  If 
the  test  fails,  then  there  is  evidence  that  our  predicted  LGD  is 
too  low.  In  such  cases,  models  are  recalibrated  where  these 
differences are outside expectations.

Credit  conversion  factors  (CCFs),  used  for  the  calculation  of 
EAD  for  undrawn  facilities  with  corporate  counterparties,  are 
dependent  on  several  contractual  dimensions  of  the  credit 
facility. We compare the predicted amount drawn with observed 
for  defaulted 
historical  utilization  of 
such 
is 
counterparties. 
observed, the relevant CCFs are redefined.

If  any  statistically  significant  deviation 

facilities 

The  “Main  credit  models  backtesting  by  regulatory  asset 
class”  table  on  the  previous  page  compares  the  current  model 
calibration for PD, LGD and CCFs with historical observed values 
over the last five years. 

Changes to models and model parameters during the period
As  part  of  our  continuous  efforts  to  enhance  models  to  reflect 
market  developments  and  newly  available  data,  we  updated 
several models in the course of 2017.

rating  approach  where 

Within  Personal  &  Corporate  Banking  and  Wealth 
Management,  we  updated  the  PD  model  for  income-producing 
real  estate  mortgages  from  a  transaction  rating  approach  to  a 
counterparty-based 
financial  and 
behavioral  data  of  the  client  is  now  taken  into  account. 
Additionally,  we  enhanced  the  PD  model  for  Swiss  owner-
occupied  mortgages  to  include  behavioral  information  via  a 
vendor  credit  score.  New  LGD  models  were  implemented  for 
most of the portfolios in Personal & Corporate Banking and the 
mortgage  portfolios  in  Wealth  Management.  The  RWA  impact 
of  the  new  LGD  model  and  the  new  PD  model  for  the  Swiss 
owner-occupied  mortgages  will  be  phased  in  over  the  years 
2018 and 2019.

→ Refer to “Risk-weighted assets” in the “Capital management” 

section of this report for more information on the impact of the 

changes to models and model parameters on credit risk RWA

142 

For 

the  Lombard  portfolio,  we  globally 

implemented 
redeveloped PD and LGD models. These models reflect a Monte 
Carlo-based  historical  simulation  approach,  taking  into  account 
the  individual  client’s  loan-to-value  and  historical  securities 
return data including the financial crisis of 2007-2009.

Within the Investment Bank, we have recalibrated the rating 
tool  for  residential  real  estate  mortgage  finance  originators, 
bringing resulting PDs to a more conservative level. 

With  respect  to  the  LGD  model  used  for  sovereigns, 
multinationals and financial institutions (mainly counterparties of 
the  Investment  Bank  and  Corporate  Center  –  Group  ALM),  the 
model was recalibrated, which impacted mainly banks and non-
leveraged  managed  funds.  Other  corporates  and  sovereigns 
were impacted to a lesser extent.

With  regard  to  the  EAD,  we  implemented  revised  credit 
conversion  factors  for  contingent  products  and  construction 
loans  in  Personal  &  Corporate  Banking  and  for  unutilized 
Lombard loan facilities in our wealth management businesses.

As  part  of  a  review  of  our  internal  rating  models,  we 
transferred our unsecured lending portfolio of private clients and 
account  overdrafts  from  the  internal  ratings-based  approach  to 
the standardized approach for the RWA calculation. 

Where  required,  changes  to  models  and  model  parameters 
were  approved  by  the  Swiss  Financial  Market  Supervisory 
Authority (FINMA) prior to implementation. 

Future credit risk-related regulatory capital developments
In December 2017, the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision 
published  the  final  Basel  III  framework  to  be  implemented  until 
1 January 2022. The updated framework has made a number of 
revisions to the internal ratings-based (IRB) approaches, namely: 
(i)  removing  the  possibility  to  use  the  advanced  IRB  (A-IRB) 
approach for certain asset classes (including large and medium-
sized  corporates,  banks  and  other  financial  institutions);  (ii) 
placing  floors  on  certain  model  inputs  under  the  IRB  approach, 
introducing  various 
such  as  for  PD  and  LGD;  and 
requirements to reduce RWA variability, for example, for LGD. 

(iii) 

The published framework has a number of requirements that 
are  subject  to  national  discretion.  In  addition,  revisions  to  the 
credit  valuation  adjustment  (CVA)  framework  were  published, 
including the removal of the advanced CVA (A-CVA) approach. 
UBS  maintains  a  close  dialog  with  FINMA  to  discuss  in  more 
detail  the  implementation  objectives  and  to  ensure  a  smooth 
transition of the capital regime for credit risk.

→ Refer to “Capital management objectives, planning and 

activities” in the “Capital management” section of this report 

for more information on the development of RWA
→ Refer to “Risk measurement” in this section for more 

information on our approach to model confirmation procedures

→ Refer to the “Regulatory and legal developments” and “Risk 

factors” sections of this report for more information

Policies for past due, non-performing and impaired claims

The  diagram  “Exposure  categorization”  on  the  next  page 
illustrates  how  we  categorize  banking  products  and  SFTs  as 
performing, non-performing and / or impaired. 

Audited | For products accounted for on a fair value basis, such 
as  OTC  derivatives,  credit  deterioration  is  recognized  through  a 
credit  valuation  adjustment  (CVA),  and  these  products  are 
therefore not subject to the impairment framework.

We  consider  a  claim  held  at  amortized  cost  (loans  and  SFTs) 
and certain off-balance sheet commitments to be past due when 
a  contractual  payment  has  not  been  received  by  its  contractual 
due date, or in case of account overdrafts, i.e., where the credit 
limit  is  exceeded.  Past  due  claims  are  not  considered  impaired 
where we otherwise expect to collect all amounts due under the 
contractual terms of the claims.

A  past  due  claim  is  considered  non-performing  when  (i)  the 
payment  of  interest,  principal  or  fees  is  past  due  by  more  than 
90  days,  or  more  than  180  days  for  certain  specified  retail 
portfolios.  Claims  are  also  classified  as  non-performing  when 
(ii) the  counterparty  is  subject  to  bankruptcy,  or  insolvency 
proceedings  or  enforced  liquidation  have  commenced  or  (iii) 
obligations have been restructured on preferential terms, such as 
preferential  interest  rates,  extension  of  maturity,  modifying  the 
schedule of repayments or subordination. 

Claims  are  classified  as  impaired  if,  following  an  individual 
impairment  assessment,  an  allowance  or  provision  for  credit 
losses  is  established.  Accordingly,  both  performing  and  non-
performing loans may be classified as impaired. 

When  a 

financial  asset  has  become  non-performing, 
individually 
the 
impaired  or  otherwise  has  defaulted, 
counterparty is rated as in default according to our UBS internal 
rating scale.(cid:3)

Restructured claims
Audited  |  Under  imminent  payment  default  or  where  default  has 
already occurred, we sometimes restructure claims by providing 
concessions that we would otherwise not consider and that are 
outside  our  normal  risk  appetite,  such  as  preferential  interest 
rates,  extension  of  maturity,  modifying  the  schedule  of 
repayments, debt/equity swap and subordination. When a credit 
restructuring  takes  place,  each  case  is  considered  individually 
and  the  exposure  is  classified  as  defaulted  and  assessed  for 
impairment.  It  will  remain  so,  until  the  loan  is  collected  or 
written  off,  non-preferential  conditions  are  granted  that 
supersede  the  preferential  conditions  or  until  the  counterparty 
has  recovered  and  the  preferential  conditions  no  longer  exceed 
our risk appetite.

Contractual  adjustments  when  there  is  no  evidence  of 
imminent  payment  default,  or  where  changes  to  terms  and 
conditions are within our usual risk appetite, are not considered 
to be a credit restructuring. (cid:3)

Individual and collective impairment assessments
Audited  |  Claims  are  assessed  individually  for  impairment  where 
there  are  indicators  that  an  impairment  may  exist.  Otherwise, 
portfolios  of  claims  with  similar  credit  risk  characteristics  are 
included in a collective impairment assessment. (cid:3)

Individual impairment assessment
Audited  |  Non-performing  status  is  considered  an  indicator  that  a 
loan  may  be  impaired  and  therefore  non-performing  claims  are 
assessed  individually  for  impairment.  However,  an  impairment 
analysis  would  be  carried  out  irrespective  of  non-performing 
status  if  other  objective  evidence  indicates  that  a  loan  may  be 
impaired. Any event that impacts current and future cash flows 
may  be  an  indication  of  impairment  and  trigger  an  assessment 
by  the  risk  officer.  Such  events  may  be  (i)  significant  collateral 
shortfalls  due  to  a  fall  in  lending  values  (securities  and  real 
estate),  (ii)  increase  in  loan  exposure,  (iii)  significant  financial 
difficulties  of  a  client  and  (iv)  high  probability  of  the  client’s 
bankruptcy, debt moratorium or financial reorganization.

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143 

 
 
 
 
Risk, treasury and capital management
Risk management and control

Individual  claims  are  assessed  for  impairment  based  on  the 
borrower’s  overall  financial  condition,  resources  and  payment 
record,  the  prospects  of  support  from  contractual  guarantors 
and, where applicable, the realizable value of any collateral. The 
recoverable  amount  is  determined  from  all  relevant  cash  flows, 
and where this is lower than the carrying amount of the claim, 
the claim is considered impaired. 

We  have  established  processes  to  determine  the  carrying 
values of impaired claims in compliance with IFRS requirements. 
Our  credit  controls  applied  to  valuation  processes  and  workout 
agreements  are  the  same  for  credit  products  measured  at 
amortized  cost  and  fair  value.  Our  workout  strategy  and 
estimation  of  recoverable  amounts  are  independently  approved 
in accordance with our credit authorities. (cid:3)

Collective impairment assessment
Audited  |  We  assess  our  portfolios  of  claims  carried  at  amortized 
cost  with  similar  credit  risk  characteristics  for  collective 
impairment  in  order  to  consider  if  these  portfolios  contain 
impaired  claims  that  cannot  yet  be  individually  identified.  To 
cover  the  time  lag  between  the  occurrence  of  an  impairment 
event  and  its  identification  based  on  the  policies  above,  we 
establish collective loan loss allowances based on the estimated 
loss  for  the  portfolio  over  the  average  period  between  trigger 
events and the identification of any individual impairment. These 
portfolios are not considered impaired loans in the tables shown 
in this section.

(cid:39)(cid:90)(cid:82)(cid:81)(cid:85)(cid:87)(cid:84)(cid:71)(cid:2)(cid:69)(cid:67)(cid:86)(cid:71)(cid:73)(cid:81)(cid:84)(cid:75)(cid:92)(cid:67)(cid:86)(cid:75)(cid:81)(cid:80)

Additionally, for all of our portfolios we assess whether there 
have  been  any  developments  that  might  result  in  event-driven 
impairments  that  are  not  immediately  observable.  These  events 
could be stress situations, such as a natural disaster or a country 
crisis, or they could result from significant changes in the legal or 
regulatory  environment.  To  determine  whether  a  collective 
impairment  exists,  we  regularly  use  a  set  of  global  economic 
drivers  to  assess  the  most  vulnerable  countries  and  review  the 
impact of any potential impairment event. (cid:3)

Recognition of impairment
Audited | The recognition of impairment in our financial statements 
depends  on  the  accounting  treatment  of  the  claim.  For  claims 
carried at amortized cost, impairment is recognized through the 
creation  of  an  allowance,  or  in  the  case  of  off-balance  sheet 
items 
loan 
commitments through a provision, both charged to the income 
statement as a credit loss expense. 

financial  guarantees  and  certain 

such  as 

For claims measured at fair value, a deterioration of the credit 
quality  is  recognized  as  a  CVA  in  the  income  statement  in  Net 
trading income. (cid:3)

→ Refer to “Note 1 Summary of significant accounting policies,” 

“Note 11 Allowances and provisions for credit losses” and “Note 

22d Valuation adjustments” in the “Consolidated financial 

statements” section of this report for more information 

(cid:50)(cid:71)(cid:84)(cid:72)(cid:81)(cid:84)(cid:79)(cid:75)(cid:80)(cid:73)

(cid:48)(cid:81)(cid:80)(cid:15)(cid:82)(cid:71)(cid:84)(cid:72)(cid:81)(cid:84)(cid:79)(cid:75)(cid:80)(cid:73) (cid:19)

(cid:40)(cid:87)(cid:78)(cid:78)(cid:91)(cid:2)(cid:82)(cid:71)(cid:84)(cid:72)(cid:81)(cid:84)(cid:79)(cid:75)(cid:80)(cid:73)
(cid:37)(cid:78)(cid:67)(cid:75)(cid:79)(cid:85)(cid:2)(cid:86)(cid:74)(cid:67)(cid:86)(cid:2)(cid:67)(cid:84)(cid:71)(cid:2)(cid:80)(cid:81)(cid:86)(cid:2)(cid:82)(cid:67)(cid:85)(cid:86)(cid:2)(cid:70)(cid:87)(cid:71)(cid:16)(cid:2)(cid:54)(cid:74)(cid:75)(cid:85)(cid:2)(cid:75)(cid:80)(cid:69)(cid:78)(cid:87)(cid:70)(cid:71)(cid:85)(cid:28)
(cid:115)(cid:2) (cid:69)(cid:78)(cid:67)(cid:75)(cid:79)(cid:85)(cid:2)(cid:82)(cid:84)(cid:71)(cid:88)(cid:75)(cid:81)(cid:87)(cid:85)(cid:78)(cid:91)(cid:2)(cid:69)(cid:78)(cid:67)(cid:85)(cid:85)(cid:75)(cid:386)(cid:71)(cid:70)(cid:2)(cid:67)(cid:85)(cid:2)(cid:80)(cid:81)(cid:80)(cid:15)(cid:82)(cid:71)(cid:84)(cid:72)(cid:81)(cid:84)(cid:79)(cid:75)(cid:80)(cid:73)(cid:2)(cid:81)(cid:84)(cid:2)(cid:75)(cid:79)(cid:82)(cid:67)(cid:75)(cid:84)(cid:71)(cid:70)(cid:14)(cid:2)(cid:68)(cid:87)(cid:86)
(cid:2)
(cid:2)
(cid:115)(cid:2) (cid:69)(cid:78)(cid:67)(cid:75)(cid:79)(cid:85)(cid:2)(cid:86)(cid:74)(cid:67)(cid:86)(cid:2)(cid:74)(cid:67)(cid:88)(cid:71)(cid:2)(cid:68)(cid:71)(cid:71)(cid:80)(cid:2)(cid:84)(cid:71)(cid:85)(cid:86)(cid:84)(cid:87)(cid:69)(cid:86)(cid:87)(cid:84)(cid:71)(cid:70)(cid:2)(cid:81)(cid:80)(cid:2)(cid:67)(cid:2)(cid:80)(cid:81)(cid:80)(cid:15)(cid:82)(cid:84)(cid:71)(cid:72)(cid:71)(cid:84)(cid:71)(cid:80)(cid:86)(cid:75)(cid:67)(cid:78)(cid:2)(cid:68)(cid:67)(cid:85)(cid:75)(cid:85)(cid:14)
(cid:2) (cid:71)(cid:16)(cid:73)(cid:16)(cid:14)(cid:2)(cid:67)(cid:70)(cid:70)(cid:75)(cid:86)(cid:75)(cid:81)(cid:80)(cid:67)(cid:78)(cid:124)(cid:69)(cid:81)(cid:78)(cid:78)(cid:67)(cid:86)(cid:71)(cid:84)(cid:67)(cid:78)(cid:2)(cid:74)(cid:67)(cid:85)(cid:2)(cid:68)(cid:71)(cid:71)(cid:80)(cid:2)(cid:82)(cid:84)(cid:81)(cid:88)(cid:75)(cid:70)(cid:71)(cid:70)(cid:2)(cid:68)(cid:91)(cid:2)(cid:86)(cid:74)(cid:71)(cid:2)(cid:68)(cid:81)(cid:84)(cid:84)(cid:81)(cid:89)(cid:71)(cid:84)

(cid:86)(cid:74)(cid:67)(cid:86)(cid:2)(cid:74)(cid:67)(cid:88)(cid:71)(cid:2)(cid:84)(cid:71)(cid:86)(cid:87)(cid:84)(cid:80)(cid:71)(cid:70)(cid:2)(cid:86)(cid:81)(cid:124)(cid:82)(cid:71)(cid:84)(cid:72)(cid:81)(cid:84)(cid:79)(cid:75)(cid:80)(cid:73)(cid:2)(cid:75)(cid:80)(cid:2)(cid:67)(cid:69)(cid:69)(cid:81)(cid:84)(cid:70)(cid:67)(cid:80)(cid:69)(cid:71)(cid:2)(cid:89)(cid:75)(cid:86)(cid:74)(cid:2)(cid:86)(cid:74)(cid:71)(cid:2)(cid:71)(cid:90)(cid:75)(cid:85)(cid:86)(cid:75)(cid:80)(cid:73)
(cid:86)(cid:71)(cid:84)(cid:79)(cid:85)(cid:2)(cid:81)(cid:72)(cid:2)(cid:86)(cid:74)(cid:71)(cid:2)(cid:67)(cid:84)(cid:84)(cid:67)(cid:80)(cid:73)(cid:71)(cid:79)(cid:71)(cid:80)(cid:86)(cid:2)(cid:67)(cid:80)(cid:70)

(cid:50)(cid:67)(cid:85)(cid:86)(cid:2)(cid:70)(cid:87)(cid:71)(cid:2)(cid:87)(cid:82)(cid:2)(cid:86)(cid:81)(cid:2)(cid:67)(cid:80)(cid:70)(cid:2)(cid:75)(cid:80)(cid:69)(cid:78)(cid:87)(cid:70)(cid:75)(cid:80)(cid:73)(cid:2)(cid:27)(cid:18)(cid:2)(cid:70)(cid:67)(cid:91)(cid:85)(cid:20)
(cid:115)(cid:2) (cid:37)(cid:78)(cid:67)(cid:75)(cid:79)(cid:85)(cid:2)(cid:86)(cid:74)(cid:67)(cid:86)(cid:2)(cid:74)(cid:67)(cid:88)(cid:71)(cid:2)(cid:85)(cid:87)(cid:72)(cid:72)(cid:71)(cid:84)(cid:71)(cid:70)(cid:2)(cid:79)(cid:75)(cid:85)(cid:85)(cid:71)(cid:70)(cid:2)(cid:82)(cid:67)(cid:91)(cid:79)(cid:71)(cid:80)(cid:86)(cid:85)(cid:2)(cid:81)(cid:84)(cid:2)(cid:81)(cid:88)(cid:71)(cid:84)(cid:70)(cid:84)(cid:67)(cid:72)(cid:86)(cid:85)(cid:2)(cid:75)(cid:80)
(cid:2) (cid:71)(cid:90)(cid:69)(cid:71)(cid:85)(cid:85)(cid:2)(cid:81)(cid:72)(cid:2)(cid:86)(cid:74)(cid:71)(cid:2)(cid:69)(cid:84)(cid:71)(cid:70)(cid:75)(cid:86)(cid:2)(cid:78)(cid:75)(cid:79)(cid:75)(cid:86)(cid:2)(cid:87)(cid:82)(cid:2)(cid:86)(cid:81)(cid:2)(cid:67)(cid:2)(cid:82)(cid:71)(cid:84)(cid:75)(cid:81)(cid:70)(cid:2)(cid:81)(cid:72)(cid:2)(cid:27)(cid:18)(cid:2)(cid:70)(cid:67)(cid:91)(cid:85)(cid:2)(cid:85)(cid:75)(cid:80)(cid:69)(cid:71)(cid:2)(cid:86)(cid:74)(cid:71)(cid:2)(cid:82)(cid:67)(cid:91)(cid:79)(cid:71)(cid:80)(cid:86)(cid:2)
(cid:2) (cid:70)(cid:67)(cid:86)(cid:71)(cid:2)(cid:81)(cid:84)(cid:2)(cid:78)(cid:75)(cid:79)(cid:75)(cid:86)(cid:2)(cid:68)(cid:84)(cid:71)(cid:67)(cid:69)(cid:74)

(cid:50)(cid:67)(cid:85)(cid:86)(cid:2)(cid:70)(cid:87)(cid:71)(cid:2)(cid:79)(cid:81)(cid:84)(cid:71)(cid:2)(cid:86)(cid:74)(cid:67)(cid:80)(cid:2)(cid:27)(cid:18)(cid:2)(cid:70)(cid:67)(cid:91)(cid:85)(cid:20)
(cid:37)(cid:78)(cid:67)(cid:75)(cid:79)(cid:85)(cid:2)(cid:86)(cid:74)(cid:67)(cid:86)(cid:2)(cid:74)(cid:67)(cid:88)(cid:71)(cid:2)(cid:85)(cid:87)(cid:72)(cid:72)(cid:71)(cid:84)(cid:71)(cid:70)(cid:2)(cid:79)(cid:75)(cid:85)(cid:85)(cid:71)(cid:70)(cid:2)(cid:82)(cid:67)(cid:91)(cid:79)(cid:71)(cid:80)(cid:86)(cid:85)(cid:2)(cid:81)(cid:84)(cid:2)(cid:81)(cid:88)(cid:71)(cid:84)(cid:70)(cid:84)(cid:67)(cid:72)(cid:86)(cid:85)(cid:2)(cid:75)(cid:80)(cid:2)(cid:71)(cid:90)(cid:69)(cid:71)(cid:85)(cid:85)(cid:2)
(cid:81)(cid:72)(cid:2)(cid:86)(cid:74)(cid:71)(cid:2)(cid:69)(cid:84)(cid:71)(cid:70)(cid:75)(cid:86)(cid:2)(cid:78)(cid:75)(cid:79)(cid:75)(cid:86)(cid:2)(cid:72)(cid:81)(cid:84)(cid:2)(cid:79)(cid:81)(cid:84)(cid:71)(cid:2)(cid:86)(cid:74)(cid:67)(cid:80)(cid:2)(cid:27)(cid:18)(cid:2)(cid:70)(cid:67)(cid:91)(cid:85)

(cid:52)(cid:71)(cid:85)(cid:86)(cid:84)(cid:87)(cid:69)(cid:86)(cid:87)(cid:84)(cid:71)(cid:70)(cid:2)(cid:10)(cid:82)(cid:84)(cid:71)(cid:72)(cid:71)(cid:84)(cid:71)(cid:80)(cid:86)(cid:75)(cid:67)(cid:78)(cid:2)(cid:86)(cid:71)(cid:84)(cid:79)(cid:85)(cid:11)
(cid:37)(cid:78)(cid:67)(cid:75)(cid:79)(cid:85)(cid:2)(cid:72)(cid:81)(cid:84)(cid:2)(cid:89)(cid:74)(cid:75)(cid:69)(cid:74)(cid:2)(cid:80)(cid:71)(cid:89)(cid:2)(cid:86)(cid:71)(cid:84)(cid:79)(cid:85)(cid:2)(cid:74)(cid:67)(cid:88)(cid:71)(cid:2)(cid:68)(cid:71)(cid:71)(cid:80)(cid:2)(cid:73)(cid:84)(cid:67)(cid:80)(cid:86)(cid:71)(cid:70)(cid:2)(cid:81)(cid:80)(cid:2)(cid:67)(cid:2)(cid:82)(cid:84)(cid:71)(cid:72)(cid:71)(cid:84)(cid:71)(cid:80)(cid:86)(cid:75)(cid:67)(cid:78)(cid:2)(cid:68)(cid:67)(cid:85)(cid:75)(cid:85)(cid:2)
(cid:75)(cid:80)(cid:2)(cid:81)(cid:84)(cid:70)(cid:71)(cid:84)(cid:2)(cid:86)(cid:81)(cid:2)(cid:67)(cid:88)(cid:81)(cid:75)(cid:70)(cid:124)(cid:70)(cid:71)(cid:72)(cid:67)(cid:87)(cid:78)(cid:86)(cid:2)(cid:81)(cid:72)(cid:2)(cid:86)(cid:74)(cid:71)(cid:2)(cid:69)(cid:81)(cid:87)(cid:80)(cid:86)(cid:71)(cid:84)(cid:82)(cid:67)(cid:84)(cid:86)(cid:91)(cid:14)(cid:2)(cid:71)(cid:16)(cid:73)(cid:16)(cid:14)(cid:2)(cid:75)(cid:80)(cid:86)(cid:71)(cid:84)(cid:71)(cid:85)(cid:86)(cid:2)(cid:69)(cid:81)(cid:80)(cid:69)(cid:71)(cid:85)(cid:85)(cid:75)(cid:81)(cid:80)(cid:14)(cid:2)
(cid:71)(cid:90)(cid:86)(cid:71)(cid:80)(cid:70)(cid:71)(cid:70)(cid:2)(cid:79)(cid:67)(cid:86)(cid:87)(cid:84)(cid:75)(cid:86)(cid:91)(cid:14)(cid:2)(cid:85)(cid:87)(cid:68)(cid:81)(cid:84)(cid:70)(cid:75)(cid:80)(cid:67)(cid:86)(cid:75)(cid:81)(cid:80)(cid:14)(cid:2)(cid:70)(cid:71)(cid:68)(cid:86) (cid:17)(cid:71)(cid:83)(cid:87)(cid:75)(cid:86)(cid:91)(cid:2)(cid:85)(cid:89)(cid:67)(cid:82)(cid:85)

(cid:36)(cid:67)(cid:80)(cid:77)(cid:84)(cid:87)(cid:82)(cid:86)(cid:69)(cid:91)(cid:2)(cid:67)(cid:80)(cid:70)(cid:2)(cid:75)(cid:80)(cid:85)(cid:81)(cid:78)(cid:88)(cid:71)(cid:80)(cid:69)(cid:91)(cid:2)(cid:82)(cid:84)(cid:81)(cid:69)(cid:71)(cid:71)(cid:70)(cid:75)(cid:80)(cid:73)(cid:85)
(cid:36)(cid:67)(cid:80)(cid:77)(cid:84)(cid:87)(cid:82)(cid:86)(cid:69)(cid:91)(cid:14)(cid:2)(cid:75)(cid:80)(cid:85)(cid:81)(cid:78)(cid:88)(cid:71)(cid:80)(cid:69)(cid:91)(cid:2)(cid:82)(cid:84)(cid:81)(cid:69)(cid:71)(cid:71)(cid:70)(cid:75)(cid:80)(cid:73)(cid:85)(cid:2)(cid:81)(cid:84)(cid:2)(cid:71)(cid:80)(cid:72)(cid:81)(cid:84)(cid:69)(cid:71)(cid:70)(cid:2)(cid:78)(cid:75)(cid:83)(cid:87)(cid:75)(cid:70)(cid:67)(cid:86)(cid:75)(cid:81)(cid:80)(cid:2)(cid:74)(cid:67)(cid:88)(cid:71)(cid:2)(cid:69)(cid:81)(cid:79)(cid:79)(cid:71)(cid:80)(cid:69)(cid:71)(cid:70)(cid:2)
(cid:67)(cid:73)(cid:67)(cid:75)(cid:80)(cid:85)(cid:86)(cid:2)(cid:86)(cid:74)(cid:71)(cid:2)(cid:81)(cid:68)(cid:78)(cid:75)(cid:73)(cid:81)(cid:84)

(cid:48)(cid:81)(cid:2)(cid:75)(cid:80)(cid:70)(cid:75)(cid:69)(cid:67)(cid:86)(cid:75)(cid:81)(cid:80)(cid:2)(cid:81)(cid:72)(cid:2)
(cid:75)(cid:79)(cid:82)(cid:67)(cid:75)(cid:84)(cid:79)(cid:71)(cid:80)(cid:86)(cid:2)(cid:71)(cid:90)(cid:75)(cid:85)(cid:86)(cid:85)

(cid:43)(cid:72)(cid:2)(cid:75)(cid:80)(cid:70)(cid:75)(cid:69)(cid:67)(cid:86)(cid:75)(cid:81)(cid:80)(cid:2)(cid:81)(cid:72)(cid:2)
(cid:75)(cid:79)(cid:82)(cid:67)(cid:75)(cid:84)(cid:79)(cid:71)(cid:80)(cid:86)(cid:2)(cid:71)(cid:90)(cid:75)(cid:85)(cid:86)(cid:85)

(cid:43)(cid:80)(cid:70)(cid:75)(cid:69)(cid:67)(cid:86)(cid:81)(cid:84)(cid:85)(cid:2)(cid:81)(cid:72)(cid:2)(cid:75)(cid:79)(cid:82)(cid:67)(cid:75)(cid:84)(cid:79)(cid:71)(cid:80)(cid:86)(cid:2)

(cid:37)(cid:78)(cid:67)(cid:75)(cid:79)(cid:85)(cid:2)(cid:67)(cid:85)(cid:85)(cid:71)(cid:85)(cid:85)(cid:71)(cid:70)(cid:2)(cid:69)(cid:81)(cid:78)(cid:78)(cid:71)(cid:69)(cid:86)(cid:75)(cid:88)(cid:71)(cid:78)(cid:91)(cid:2)
(cid:72)(cid:81)(cid:84)(cid:2)(cid:75)(cid:79)(cid:82)(cid:67)(cid:75)(cid:84)(cid:79)(cid:71)(cid:80)(cid:86)

(cid:37)(cid:78)(cid:67)(cid:75)(cid:79)(cid:85)(cid:2)(cid:67)(cid:85)(cid:85)(cid:71)(cid:85)(cid:85)(cid:71)(cid:70)(cid:2)(cid:75)(cid:80)(cid:70)(cid:75)(cid:88)(cid:75)(cid:70)(cid:87)(cid:67)(cid:78)(cid:78)(cid:91)(cid:2)
(cid:72)(cid:81)(cid:84)(cid:2)(cid:75)(cid:79)(cid:82)(cid:67)(cid:75)(cid:84)(cid:79)(cid:71)(cid:80)(cid:86)

(cid:37)(cid:78)(cid:67)(cid:75)(cid:79)(cid:85)(cid:2)(cid:67)(cid:85)(cid:85)(cid:71)(cid:85)(cid:85)(cid:71)(cid:70)(cid:2)(cid:75)(cid:80)(cid:70)(cid:75)(cid:88)(cid:75)(cid:70)(cid:87)(cid:67)(cid:78)(cid:78)(cid:91)(cid:2)
(cid:72)(cid:81)(cid:84)(cid:2)(cid:75)(cid:79)(cid:82)(cid:67)(cid:75)(cid:84)(cid:79)(cid:71)(cid:80)(cid:86)

(cid:43)(cid:79)(cid:82)(cid:67)(cid:75)(cid:84)(cid:71)(cid:70) (cid:19)

(cid:50)(cid:71)(cid:84)(cid:72)(cid:81)(cid:84)(cid:79)(cid:75)(cid:80)(cid:73)(cid:2)(cid:67)(cid:80)(cid:70)(cid:2)(cid:80)(cid:81)(cid:80)(cid:15)(cid:82)(cid:71)(cid:84)(cid:72)(cid:81)(cid:84)(cid:79)(cid:75)(cid:80)(cid:73)(cid:2)(cid:69)(cid:78)(cid:67)(cid:75)(cid:79)(cid:85)(cid:2)(cid:72)(cid:81)(cid:84)(cid:2)(cid:89)(cid:74)(cid:75)(cid:69)(cid:74)(cid:2)(cid:81)(cid:68)(cid:76)(cid:71)(cid:69)(cid:86)(cid:75)(cid:88)(cid:71)(cid:2)(cid:71)(cid:88)(cid:75)(cid:70)(cid:71)(cid:80)(cid:69)(cid:71)(cid:2)(cid:81)(cid:72)(cid:2)(cid:75)(cid:79)(cid:82)(cid:67)(cid:75)(cid:84)(cid:79)(cid:71)(cid:80)(cid:86)(cid:2)(cid:71)(cid:90)(cid:75)(cid:85)(cid:86)(cid:85)(cid:2)(cid:67)(cid:80)(cid:70)(cid:2)
(cid:86)(cid:74)(cid:71)(cid:2)(cid:69)(cid:67)(cid:84)(cid:84)(cid:91)(cid:75)(cid:80)(cid:73)(cid:2)(cid:67)(cid:79)(cid:81)(cid:87)(cid:80)(cid:86)(cid:2)(cid:71)(cid:90)(cid:69)(cid:71)(cid:71)(cid:70)(cid:85)(cid:2)(cid:86)(cid:74)(cid:71)(cid:2)(cid:84)(cid:71)(cid:69)(cid:81)(cid:88)(cid:71)(cid:84)(cid:67)(cid:68)(cid:78)(cid:71)(cid:2)(cid:67)(cid:79)(cid:81)(cid:87)(cid:80)(cid:86)

(cid:19)(cid:2)(cid:37)(cid:78)(cid:67)(cid:75)(cid:79)(cid:85)(cid:2)(cid:84)(cid:67)(cid:86)(cid:71)(cid:70)(cid:2)(cid:67)(cid:85)(cid:2)(cid:75)(cid:80)(cid:2)(cid:70)(cid:71)(cid:72)(cid:67)(cid:87)(cid:78)(cid:86)(cid:16)(cid:2)(cid:35)(cid:78)(cid:78)(cid:2)(cid:85)(cid:87)(cid:69)(cid:74)(cid:2)(cid:69)(cid:78)(cid:67)(cid:75)(cid:79)(cid:85)(cid:2)(cid:67)(cid:84)(cid:71)(cid:2)(cid:71)(cid:90)(cid:69)(cid:78)(cid:87)(cid:70)(cid:71)(cid:70)(cid:2)(cid:72)(cid:84)(cid:81)(cid:79)(cid:2)(cid:69)(cid:81)(cid:78)(cid:78)(cid:71)(cid:69)(cid:86)(cid:75)(cid:88)(cid:71)(cid:2)(cid:75)(cid:79)(cid:82)(cid:67)(cid:75)(cid:84)(cid:79)(cid:71)(cid:80)(cid:86)(cid:2)(cid:67)(cid:85)(cid:85)(cid:71)(cid:85)(cid:85)(cid:79)(cid:71)(cid:80)(cid:86)(cid:16)(cid:2)(cid:2)(cid:2)(cid:2)(cid:20)(cid:2)(cid:19)(cid:26)(cid:18)(cid:2)(cid:70)(cid:67)(cid:91)(cid:85)(cid:2)(cid:72)(cid:81)(cid:84)(cid:2)(cid:69)(cid:71)(cid:84)(cid:86)(cid:67)(cid:75)(cid:80)(cid:2)(cid:85)(cid:82)(cid:71)(cid:69)(cid:75)(cid:386)(cid:71)(cid:70)(cid:2)(cid:84)(cid:71)(cid:86)(cid:67)(cid:75)(cid:78)(cid:2)(cid:82)(cid:81)(cid:84)(cid:86)(cid:72)(cid:81)(cid:78)(cid:75)(cid:81)(cid:85)(cid:16)

144 

Impaired financial instruments 

Audited | The following tables show impaired financial instruments, 
comprising loans, guarantees and loan commitments, and SFTs. 
As  of  31  December  2017,  gross  impaired  financial  instruments 
stood  at  CHF 1.3  billion  compared  with  CHF 1.2  billion  as  of 
31 December  2016.  After  deducting  the  estimated  liquidation 
proceeds of collateral and specific allowances and provisions, net 
impaired  financial  instruments  were  CHF 0.3  billion  compared 
with CHF 0.4 billion. (cid:3)

→ Refer to the “Investment Bank, Non-core and Legacy Portfolio and 
Group ALM: distribution of net OTC derivatives and SFT exposure 

across internal UBS ratings and loss given default (LGD) buckets” 

table in this section for OTC derivative exposures in the Investment 

Bank and Corporate Center – Non-core and Legacy Portfolio that 

are rated at level 13 or in default according to our internal rating 

scale

Audited  |  Collateral  held  against  our  impaired  loan  exposure 
mainly  consisted  of  real  estate  and  securities.  It  is  our  policy  to 
dispose  of  foreclosed  real  estate  as  soon  as  practicable.  The 
carrying amount of foreclosed property recorded in our balance 
sheet at the end of 2017 and 2016 amounted to CHF 60 million 
and CHF 51 million, respectively. We seek to liquidate collateral 
held  in  the  form  of  financial  assets  expeditiously  and  at  prices 
considered  fair.  This  may  require  us  to  purchase  assets  for  our 
own  account,  where  permitted  by 
law,  pending  orderly 
liquidation. (cid:3)

Specific  and  collective  allowances  and  provisions  for  credit 
losses  increased  by  CHF 41  million  to  CHF 694  million  as  of 
31 December 2017. This includes collective loan loss allowances 
of CHF 13 million, broadly unchanged from the prior year.

The  “Loss  history  statistics”  table  below  provides  a  five-year 
history  of  our  credit  loss  experience  for  loans  (including  due  from 
banks) relative to our impaired and non-performing loans. 

→ Refer to “Note 11 Allowances and provisions for credit losses” in 
the “Consolidated financial statements” section of this report for 

→ Refer to “Policies for past due, non-performing and impaired 

claims” in this section, and to “Note 10 Due from banks and loans 

more information on movements in allowances and provisions

(held at amortized cost)” and “Note 11 Allowances and provisions 

for credit losses” in the “Consolidated financial statements” section 

of this report for more information

Impaired loans
During 2017, gross impaired loans (including amounts due from 
banks)  increased  to  CHF 1,076  million  from  CHF 975  million. 
The  majority  of  this  exposure  relates  to  loans  in  our  Swiss 
domestic  business.  The  ratio  of  impaired  loans  to  total  loans 
remained at 0.3%. 

Audited | 
Impaired financial instruments by type

CHF million

Loans (including amounts due from banks)

Guarantees and loan commitments

TTotal impaired financial instruments

Gross impaired
financial instruments
331.12.17

31.12.16

  1,076

  199

  1,2752

 975

 260

 1,235

Allowances and provisions

331.12.17

31.12.16

Estimated liquidation
proceeds of collateral1
331.12.17

31.12.16

Net impaired
financial instruments
331.12.17

31.12.16

  (661)

  (33)

  (694)2

 (599)

 (54)

 (653)

  (206)

  (5)

  (210)

 (161)

 (10)

 (171)

  210

  161

  371

 215

 195

 411

11 Does not include oil and gas reserves related to reserve-based lending.    2 Includes CHF 13 million in collective loan loss allowances (31 December 2016: CHF 12 million). Does not include exposures within Other 
assets of CHF 352 million, with associated allowances of CHF 19 million.    

(cid:3)

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Loss history statistics
CHF million, except where indicated
Due from banks and loans (gross)
Impaired loans (including due from banks)
Non-performing loans (including due from banks)
Allowances and provisions for credit losses1,2

of which: allowances for due from banks and loans 1

Net write-offs3

of which: net write-offs for due from banks and loans

31.12.17
 333,967
 1,076
 2,095
 694
 661
 98
 98
 (128)

31.12.16
 320,080
 975
 2,399
 653
 599
 123
 123
 (37)

31.12.15
 324,594
 1,226
 1,630
 727
 692
 116
 116
 (117)

31.12.14
 329,800
 1,204
 1,602
 735
 708
 124
 124
 (78)

31.12.13
 301,601
 1,241
 1,582
 750
 686
 83
 83
 (50)

Credit loss (expense) / recovery4
Ratios
Impaired loans as a percentage of due from banks and loans (gross)
Non-performing loans as a percentage of due from banks and loans (gross)
Allowances as a percentage of due from banks and loans (gross)
Net write-offs as a percentage of average due from banks and loans (gross) outstanding during the period
1 Includes collective loan loss allowances. Does not include allowances for other receivables for an amount of CHF 19 million (31 December 2016: CHF 0 million, 31 December 2015: CHF 0 million, 31 December 
2014: CHF 0 million, 31 December 2013: CHF 0 million).     2 Includes provisions for loan commitments and allowances for securities financing transactions.     3 Includes net write-offs for loan commitments and 
securities financing transactions.    4 Includes credit loss (expense) / recovery for loan commitments, guarantees and securities financing transactions.

 0.3
 0.6
 0.2
 0.0

 0.3
 0.7
 0.2
 0.0

 0.4
 0.5
 0.2
 0.0

 0.4
 0.5
 0.2
 0.0

 0.4
 0.5
 0.2
 0.0

145 

 
 
 
 
Risk, treasury and capital management
Risk management and control

Allowances and provisions for credit losses

CHF million, except where indicated
Group
Balances with central banks
Due from banks
Loans
Guarantees
Loan commitments
TTotal

IFRS exposure, gross1

Impaired exposure, 
gross

331.12.17

31.12.16

331.12.17 31.12.16

Estimated liquidation
proceeds of collateral2
331.12.17

31.12.16

Allowances and provisions 
for credit losses3

331.12.17

31.12.16

Impairment ratio (%)
331.12.17

31.12.16

  87,078
  13,741
  320,225
  18,854
  39,069

 107,100
 13,159
 306,921
 16,711
 54,430
  478,9674,5  498,322

  3
  1,074
  168
  31
  1,275

 3
 972
 202
 58
 1,235

  206
  4
  1
  210

 161
 7
 3
 171

  3
  658
  13
  20
  6945

 3
 596
 8
 47
 653

  0.0
  0.3
  0.9
  0.1
  0.3

 0.0
 0.3
 1.2
 0.1
 0.2

 0

  0

 13

 77

 77

 13

 62

 29

 27

 27

 29

  26

  22

  22

  45

  45

  26

 0.1

 0.1

 0.1

 0.0

  0.1

  0.1

  0.0

  0.0

  570

  1056

  1606

  1606

 61
 1

  1046
  1

 121
 7
 3
 131

  113
  4
  1
  118

 3
 443
 7
 34
 486

 3
 756
 202
 35
 995

  3
  441
  12
  16
  472

  3
  733
  158
  12
  906

 0
 2,635
 52,486
 558
 375
 56,054

  0
  3,357
  53,014
  460
  347
  57,178

 901
 915
 101,876
 2,187
 1,730
 107,608

 0
 2,156
 133,861
 9,023
 8,861
 153,900

  0
  1,485
  131,380
  9,551
  9,160
  151,576

  427
  1,356
  115,180
  1,982
  1,861
  120,806

Wealth Management
Balances with central banks
Due from banks
Loans
Guarantees
Loan commitments
TTotal
Wealth Management Americas
Balances with central banks
Due from banks
Loans
Guarantees
Loan commitments
TTotal
Personal & Corporate Banking
Balances with central banks
Due from banks
Loans
Guarantees
Loan commitments
TTotal
Asset Management
TTotal
Investment Bank
Balances with central banks
Due from banks
Loans
Guarantees
Loan commitments
TTotal
CC – Services
TTotal
CC – Group ALM
Balances with central banks
Due from banks
Loans
Guarantees
Loan commitments
TTotal
CC – Non-core and Legacy Portfolio
Balances with central banks
Due from banks
Loans
Guarantees
Loan commitments
TTotal
11 The measurement requirements of IFRS differ in certain respects from our internal management view of credit risk.     2 Does not include oil and gas reserves related to reserve-based lending.     3 Includes CHF 13 
million (31 December 2016: CHF 12 million) in collective loan loss allowances for credit losses.     4 As of 31 December 2017, total IFRS exposure of UBS AG consolidated was CHF 2.1 billion higher than the 
exposure of UBS Group AG consolidated, related to receivables of UBS AG and UBS Switzerland AG against UBS Group AG (31 December 2016: CHF 0.6 billion).    5 Does not include exposures within Other assets 
of CHF 352 million, of which CHF 347 million were in Corporate Center – Non-core and Legacy Portfolio and CHF 5 million were in the Investment Bank, with associated allowances of CHF 19 million, of which CHF 
14 million were in Corporate Center – Non-core and Legacy Portfolio and CHF 5 million were in the Investment Bank.     6 The increase in impaired exposure and allowances relates mainly to a margin loan to a 
single client originated by Wealth Management and risk-managed by the Investment Bank.                                  

 106,162
 2,176
 5,962
 1
 0
 114,301

  32
  3,855
  11,165
  6,739
  27,700
  49,4915

  86,618
  2,740
  7,226
  2
  0
  96,585

 37
 4,234
 10,086
 4,790
 42,937
 62,085

  0
  22
  2,226
  16
  0
  2,2645

 0
 43
 2,606
 41
 527
 3,218

  0.2
  0.6
  1.7
  0.1
  0.6

 0.1
 0.6
 2.2
 0.4
 0.6

  110
  10
  19
  139

 95
 0
 23
 118

  1.0
  0.1
  0.1
  0.3

 0.9
 0.0
 0.1
 0.2

  4
  615

 13
 61

  496

 610

 545

  295

  0.0

  0.0

  0.0

  2.1

  2.1

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0

 0.6

 0.5

  29

  57

  47

  47

  48

  48

 48

 27

 27

 15

 17

 17

 15

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

 0

 0

 0

 0

 0

 0

 0

 0

 0

 0

146 

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Development of individually impaired loans (including due from banks)

CHF million

BBalance at the beginning of the year

New impaired loans

Increase in existing impaired loans

Repayments / sales / upgrades

Write-offs

Foreign currency translations effects

BBalance at the end of the year

For the year ended

331.12.17

  975

  448

  102

  (328)

  (115)1

  (5)

  1,076

31.12.16

 1,226

 356

 140

 (605)

 (143)1

 1

 975

11 Does not include CHF 2 million in write-offs charged directly to collective loan loss allowances (31 December 2016: CHF 2 million).

Past due but not impaired loans

The  table  below  shows  a  breakdown  of  total  loan  balances 
where payments have been missed, but that we do not consider 
impaired  because  we  otherwise  expect  to  collect  all  amounts 
due  under  the  contractual  terms  of  the  loans  or  the  equivalent 
value  from  liquidation  of  collateral.  The  loan  balances  in  the 
table  arise  predominantly  within  Personal  &  Corporate  Banking 
and, to a lesser extent, Wealth Management.

The  amount  of  past  due  but  not  impaired  mortgage  loans 
was  not  significant  compared  with  the  overall  size  of  the 
mortgage portfolio. 

→ Refer to “Note 1 Summary of significant accounting policies” in 
the “Consolidated financial statements” section of this report 

for more information on our impairment policies 

Audited | 
Past due but not impaired loans

CHF million

1–10 days

11–30 days

31–60 days

61–90 days

>90 days

of which: mortgage loans

Total

1 Total mortgage loans IFRS carrying value was CHF 153,729 million (31 December 2016: CHF 153,006 million).

31.12.17

31.12.16

 126

 108

 126

 192

 507

 336 1

 1,059

 54

 113

 68

 10

 641

 542 1

 887

(cid:3)

147 

 
 
 
 
 
Risk, treasury and capital management
Risk management and control

Market risk

Key developments

We continued to manage market risk to low levels during 2017. 
Average 1-day, 95% confidence level, management value-at-risk 
(VaR)  was  unchanged  at  CHF 11  million.  With  VaR  at  such  low 
levels, we continue to see some volatility in the measure driven 
by  positions  arising  from  client  facilitation  as  well  as  option 
expiries.  The  number  of  backtesting  exceptions  within  a  250-
business-day  window  decreased  to  one  from  seven  by  the  end 
of  the  year.  Accordingly,  the  FINMA  VaR  multiplier  used  to 
compute  regulatory  and  stressed  VaR  RWA  decreased  to  3.00 
from 3.65 as of 31 December 2017.

Audited | Main sources of market risk

– Market  risks  arise  from  both  our  trading  and  non-trading 

business activities.

– Trading  market  risks  arise  mainly  in  connection  with  primary 
debt  and  equity  underwriting,  securities  and  derivatives 
trading  for  market-making  and  client  facilitation  within  our 
Investment  Bank,  as  well  as  the  remaining  positions  within 
Non-core  and  Legacy  Portfolio  and  our  municipal  securities 
trading business within Wealth Management Americas.

– Non-trading  market  risk  arises  predominantly  in  the  form  of 
interest  rate  and  foreign  exchange  risks  in  connection  with 
personal  banking  and  lending  in  our  wealth  management 
businesses,  our  personal  and  corporate  banking  business  in 
Switzerland  and  the  Investment  Bank’s  lending  business,  in 
addition to treasury activities.

– Corporate  Center  –  Asset  and  Liability  Management  (Group 
ALM)  assumes  market  risks  in  the  process  of  managing 
interest  rate  risk,  structural  foreign  exchange  risk  and  the 
liquidity  and  funding  profile  (including  high-quality  liquid 
assets) of the Group.

– Equity and debt investments can also give rise to market risks, 
as  can  some  aspects  of  our  employee  benefits,  such  as 
defined benefit pension schemes. (cid:3)

Audited | Overview of measurement, monitoring and 
management techniques

– Management VaR measures exposures under the market risk 
framework.  This  includes  trading  market  risks  and  parts  of 
non-trading  market  risks.  Non-trading  market  risks  not 
included in VaR are covered in the risks controlled by Treasury 
Risk Control as set out further below.

– Market risk limits are set for the Group, the business divisions 
and Corporate Center units and at granular levels within the 
various business lines, reflecting the nature and magnitude of 
the market risks.

– Our  primary  portfolio  measures  of  market  risk  are  liquidity-
adjusted  stress  (LAS)  loss  and  value-at-risk  (VaR).  Both  are 

148 

common to all our business divisions and subject to limits that 
are approved by the Board of Directors (BoD).

– These  measures  are  complemented  by  concentration  and 
granular  limits  for  general  and  specific  market  risk  factors. 
Our  trading  businesses  are  subject  to  multiple  market  risk 
limits.  These  limits  take  into  account  the  extent  of  market 
liquidity  and  volatility,  available  operational  capacity, 
valuation uncertainty and, for our single-name exposures, the 
credit quality of issuers.

– Trading market risks are managed on an integrated basis at a 
portfolio  level.  As  risk  factor  sensitivities  change  due  to  new 
transactions, transaction expiries or changes in market levels, 
risk factors are dynamically rehedged to remain within limits. 
Accordingly,  in  the  trading  portfolio,  we  do  not  generally 
seek to distinguish between specific positions and associated 
hedges.

– Issuer  risk  is  controlled  by  limits  applied  at  the  business 
division 
jump-to-zero  measures,  which 
estimate our maximum default exposure (the loss in the case 
of a default event assuming zero recovery).

level  based  on 

– Non-trading  foreign  exchange  risks  are  managed  under 
market  risk  limits,  with  the  exception  of  Corporate  Center  – 
Group ALM’s management of consolidated capital activity. 

Our  Treasury  Risk  Control  function  applies  a  holistic  risk 
framework,  which  sets  the  appetite  for  treasury-related  risk-
taking  activities  across  the  Group.  A  key  element  of  the 
framework is an overarching economic value sensitivity limit, set 
by  the  BoD.  This  limit  is  linked  to  the  level  of  Basel  III  common 
equity  tier  1  (CET1)  capital  and  takes  into  account  risks  arising 
from  interest  rates,  foreign  exchange  and  credit  spreads.  In 
addition,  the  sensitivity  of  net  interest  income  to  changes  in 
interest rates is monitored against targets set by the Group Chief 
Executive Officer, in order to analyze the outlook and volatility of 
net  interest  income  based  on  market-expected  interest  rates. 
Limits are also set by the BoD to balance the impact of foreign 
exchange  movements  on  our  CET1  capital  and  CET1  capital 
ratio.  Non-trading  interest  rate  and  foreign  exchange  risks  are 
included in our Group-wide statistical and stress testing metrics, 
which flow into our risk appetite framework.

Equity  and  debt  investments  are  subject  to  a  range  of  risk 
controls,  including  preapproval  of  new  investments  by  business 
management  and  Risk  Control  and  regular  monitoring  and 
reporting.  They  are  also  included  in  our  Group-wide  statistical 
and  stress  testing  metrics,  which  flow  into  our  risk  appetite 
framework. (cid:3)

→ Refer to the “Treasury management” section of this report for 

more information on Corporate Center – Group ALM’s 

management of foreign exchange risks

→ Refer to the “Capital management” section of this report for 
more information on the sensitivity of our CET1 capital and 

CET1 capital ratio to currency movements

Market risk stress loss

In  addition  to  VaR,  which  is  discussed  below,  we  measure  and 
manage  our  market  risks  through  a  comprehensive  framework 
of  non-statistical  measures  and  related  limits.  This  includes  an 
extensive  series  of  stress  tests  and  scenario  analyses,  which  we 
continuously  evaluate  with  the  intention  of  ensuring  that  any 
losses  resulting  from  an  extreme,  yet  plausible  event  do  not 
exceed our risk appetite.

Liquidity-adjusted stress
Our primary measure of stress loss for Group-wide market risk is 
LAS.  The  LAS  framework  is  designed  to  capture  the  economic 
losses that could arise under specified stress scenarios. This is in 
part  achieved  by  replacing  the  standard  one-day  and  10-day 
holding  period  assumptions  used 
for  management  and 
regulatory  VaR  with 
liquidity-adjusted  holding  periods,  as 
explained below. Shocks are then applied to positions based on 
the  expected  market  movements  over  the  liquidity-adjusted 
holding periods resulting from the specified scenario.

The holding periods used in LAS are calibrated to reflect the 
amount  of  time  it  would  take  to  reduce  or  hedge  the  risk  of 
positions  in  each  major  risk  factor  in  a  stressed  environment, 
assuming maximum utilization of the relevant position limits. We 
also  apply  minimum  holding  periods,  regardless  of  observed 
liquidity  levels,  reflecting  the  fact  that  identification  of  and 
reaction to a crisis may not always be immediate.

The  expected  market  movements  are  derived  using  a 
combination of historical market behavior, based on an analysis 
of  historical  events,  and  forward-looking  analysis  that  includes 
consideration  of  defined  scenarios  that  have  not  occurred 
historically.

LAS-based  limits  are  applied  at  a  number  of  levels:  Group, 
business  division  and  Corporate  Center  unit,  business  area  and 
sub-portfolio.  In  addition,  LAS  forms  the  core  market  risk 
component  of  our  combined  stress  test  framework  and  is 
therefore integral to our overall risk appetite framework.

→ Refer to “Risk appetite framework” in this section for more 

information

→ Refer to “Stress testing” in this section for more information on 

our stress testing framework

Value-at-risk

VaR definition
Audited  |  VaR  is  a  statistical  measure  of  market  risk,  representing 
the  market  risk  losses  that  could  potentially  be  realized  over  a 
set  time  horizon  (holding  period)  at  an  established  level  of 
confidence.  The  measure  assumes  no  change  in  the  Group’s 
trading positions over the set time horizon.

We  calculate  VaR  on  a  daily  basis.  The  profit  or  loss 
distribution  from  which  VaR  is  derived  is  constructed  by  our 
internally  developed  VaR  model.  The  VaR  model  simulates 
returns over the holding period of those risk factors to which our 
trading  positions  are  sensitive,  and  subsequently  quantifies  the 
profit  or  loss  impact  of  these  risk  factor  returns  on  the  trading 
positions.  Risk  factor  returns  associated  with  the  risk  factor 
classes  of  general 
interest  rates,  foreign  exchange  and 
commodities are based on a pure historical simulation approach, 
taking  into  account  a  five-year  look-back  window.  Risk  factor 
returns for selected issuer-based risk factors, such as equity price 
and  credit  spreads,  are  decomposed  into  systematic  and 
residual, 
issuer-specific  components  using  a  factor  model 
approach. Systematic returns are based on historical simulation, 
and residual returns are based on a Monte Carlo simulation. The 
VaR model profit and loss distribution is derived from the sum of 
the  systematic  and  the  residual  returns  in  such  a  way  that  we 
consistently  capture  systematic  and  residual  risk.  Correlations 
among  risk  factors  are  implicitly  captured  via  the  historical 
simulation  approach.  In  modeling  the  risk  factor  returns,  we 
consider the stationarity properties of the historical time series of 
risk factor changes. Depending on the stationarity properties of 
the  risk  factors  within  a  given  risk  factor  class,  we  choose  to 
model  the  risk  factor  returns  using  absolute  returns  or 
logarithmic  returns.  The  risk  factor  return  distributions  are 
updated on a fortnightly basis.

Although  our  VaR  model  does  not  have  full  revaluation 
capability, we source full revaluation grids and sensitivities from 
our  front-office  systems,  enabling  us  to  capture  material  non-
linear profit or loss effects.

We  use  a  single  VaR  model  for  both  internal  management 
purposes  and  determining  market  risk  regulatory  capital 
requirements,  although  we  consider  different  confidence  levels 
and  time  horizons.  For  internal  management  purposes,  we 
establish  risk  limits  and  measure  exposures  using  VaR  at  the 
95% confidence level with a one-day holding period, aligned to 
the  way  we  consider  the  risks  associated  with  our  trading 
activities.  The  regulatory  measure  of  market  risk  used  to 
underpin  the  market  risk  capital  requirement  under  Basel  III 
requires a measure equivalent to a 99% confidence level using a 
10-day  holding  period.  In  the  calculation  of  a  10-day  holding 
period  VaR,  we  employ  10-day  risk  factor  returns,  whereby  all 
observations are equally weighted.

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Additionally, 

the  population  of 

the  portfolio  within 
management  and  regulatory  VaR  is  slightly  different.  The 
population within regulatory VaR meets regulatory requirements 
for  inclusion  in  regulatory  VaR.  Management  VaR  includes  a 
broader  population  of  positions.  For  example,  regulatory  VaR 
excludes the credit spread risks from the securitization portfolio, 
which are treated instead under the securitization approach for 
regulatory purposes.

149 

 
 
 
 
Risk, treasury and capital management
Risk management and control

We also use stressed VaR (SVaR) for the calculation of regulatory 
capital.  SVaR  adopts  broadly  the  same  methodology  as  regulatory 
VaR  and  is  calculated  using  the  same  population,  holding  period 
(10-day)  and  confidence  level  (99%).  However,  unlike  regulatory 
VaR, the historical data set for SVaR is not limited to five years, but 
spans  the  time  period  from  1  January  2007  to  the  present.  In 
deriving SVaR, we search for the largest 10-day holding period VaR 
for the current portfolio of the Group across all one-year look-back 
windows  that  fall  into  the  interval  from  1  January  2007  to  the 
present. SVaR is computed weekly. (cid:3)

→ Refer to the 31 December 2017 Pillar 3 report – Group and 

significant regulated subsidiaries and sub-groups under “Pillar 3 

disclosures” at www.ubs.com/investors for more information 

on the regulatory capital calculation under the advanced 

internal ratings-based approach

Management VaR for the period
The  tables  below  show  minimum,  maximum,  average  and 
period-end management VaR by business division and Corporate 
Center  unit,  and  by  general  market  risk  type.  We  continued  to 
manage  management  VaR  at  low  levels  with  average  VaR 
remaining stable compared with year-end 2016. 

Audited | 
Management value-at-risk (1-day, 95% confidence, 5 years of historical data) by business division and Corporate 
Center unit and general market risk type1

FFor the year ended 31.12.17

CHF million

TTotal management VaR, Group
Wealth Management
Wealth Management Americas
Personal & Corporate Banking
Asset Management
Investment Bank
CC – Services
CC – Group ALM
CC – Non-core and Legacy Portfolio
Diversification effect2,3

CHF million

MMin.

  5
  0
  0
  0
  0
  4
  0
  3
  3

Min.

MMax.

AAverage

  18
  0
  1
  0
  0
  17
  0
  8
  5

331.12.17
  10
  0
  1
  0
  0
  8
  0
  4
  3
  (6)

  11
  0
  1
  0
  0
  9
  0
  6
  3
  (8)

EEquity
  1
  14
  6
  4

  0
  0
  0
  0
  6
  0
  0
  1
  (1)

IInterest 
rates
  6
  12
  9
  8

FForeign
exchange
  1
  5
  2
  3

CCredit 
spreads
  4
  8
  6
  8
AAverage (per business division and risk type)
  0
  1
  0
  0
  5
  0
  2
  2
  (4)

  0
  0
  0
  0
  2
  0
  1
  0
  (1)

  0
  1
  0
  0
  7
  0
  5
  2
  (6)

CCommodities
  0
  6
  2
  2

  0
  0
  0
  0
  2
  0
  0
  0
  0

For the year ended 31.12.16

Equity
 1
 15
 5
 4

31.12.16
 11

Interest 
rates
 9
 15
 11
 11

Credit 
spreads
 3
 6
 4
 5
Average (per business division and risk type)

Foreign
exchange
 1
 5
 3
 2

Commodities
 0
 2
 1
 1

TTotal management VaR, Group

 8

 18

 11

Max.

Average

 0
Wealth Management
 0
Wealth Management Americas
 0
Personal & Corporate Banking
 0
Asset Management
 1
Investment Bank
 0
CC – Services
 0
CC – Group ALM
 0
CC – Non-core and Legacy Portfolio
Diversification effect2,3
 0
11 Statistics at individual levels may not be summed to deduce the corresponding aggregate figures. The minima and maxima for each level may well occur on different days, and likewise, the VaR for each business 
line or risk type, being driven by the extreme loss tail of the corresponding distribution of simulated profits and losses for that business line or risk type, may well be driven by different days in the historical time 
series, rendering invalid the simple summation of figures to arrive at the aggregate total.     2 Difference between the sum of the standalone VaR for the business divisions and Corporate Center units and the VaR 
for the Group as a whole.    3 As the minimum and maximum occur on different days for different business divisions and Corporate Center, it is not meaningful to calculate a portfolio diversification effect.                  
(cid:3)

 0
 0
 0
 0
 9
 0
 7
 4
 (10)

 0
 1
 0
 0
 3
 0
 1
 2
 (3)

 0
 0
 0
 0
 3
 0
 1
 1
 (1)

 0
 1
 0
 0
 8
 0
 7
 4
 (9)

 0
 1
 0
 0
 8
 0
 6
 4
 (8)

 0
 0
 0
 0
 5
 0
 0
 0
 0

 0
 1
 0
 0
 18
 0
 9
 5

 0
 0
 0
 0
 5
 0
 5
 3

150 

VaR limitations
Audited  |  Actual  realized  market  risk  losses  may  differ  from  those 
implied by our VaR for a variety of reasons.
– The  VaR  measure  is  calibrated  to  a  specified  level  of 
confidence and may not indicate potential losses beyond this 
confidence level.

– The  one-day  time  horizon  used  for  VaR  for 

internal 
management  purposes,  or  10-day  in  the  case  of  the 
regulatory VaR measure, may not fully capture the market risk 
of positions that cannot be closed out or hedged within the 
specified period.

– In  certain  cases,  VaR  calculations  approximate  the  impact  of 
changes  in  risk  factors  on  the  values  of  positions  and 
portfolios.  This  may  happen  because  the  number  of  risk 
factors included in the VaR model is necessarily limited. 

– The  effect  of  extreme  market  movements  is  subject  to 
estimation  errors,  which  may  result  from  non-linear  risk 
sensitivities,  as  well  as  the  potential  for  actual  volatility  and 
correlation  levels  to  differ  from  assumptions  implicit  in  the 
VaR calculations.

– The use of a five-year window means that sudden increases in 
market  volatility  will  tend  not  to  increase  VaR  as  quickly  as 
the  use  of  shorter  historical  observation  periods,  but  the 
increase  will  affect  our  VaR  for  a  longer  period  of  time. 
Similarly, following a period of increased volatility, as markets 
stabilize, VaR predictions will remain more conservative for a 
period  of  time  influenced  by  the  length  of  the  historical 
observation period. 

SVaR  is  subject  to  the  same  limitations  as  noted  for  VaR 
above,  but  the  use  of  one-year  data  sets  avoids  the  smoothing 
effect of the five-year data set used for VaR, and the absence of 
the  five-year  window  provides  for  a  longer  history  of  potential 

loss  events.  Therefore,  although  the  significant  period  of  stress 
during  the  financial  crisis  of  2007–2009  is  no  longer  contained 
in  the  historical  five-year  period  used  for  management  and 
regulatory  VaR,  SVaR  will  continue  to  use  this  data.  This 
approach  is  intended  to  reduce  the  procyclicality  of  the 
regulatory capital requirements for market risks.

We  recognize  that  no  single  measure  may  encompass  the 
entirety  of  risks  associated  with  a  position  or  portfolio. 
Consequently,  we  employ  a  suite  of  various  metrics  with  both 
overlapping and complementary characteristics in order to create 
a holistic framework that seeks to ensure material completeness 
of risk identification and measurement. As a statistical aggregate 
risk  measure,  VaR  supplements  our  liquidity-adjusted  stress  and 
comprehensive stress testing frameworks.

In  the  fourth  quarter  of  2017,  we  went  live  with  a  new 
framework  to  identify  and  quantify  potential  risks  that  are  not 
fully captured by our VaR model. We refer to these risks as risks-
not-in-VaR.  This  framework  is  used  to  underpin  these  potential 
risks  with  regulatory  capital,  calculated  as  a  multiple  of 
regulatory VaR and stressed VaR.(cid:3)

Backtesting of VaR
For backtesting purposes, we compute backtesting VaR using a 
99%  confidence  level  and  one-day  holding  period  for  the 
population  included  within  regulatory  VaR.  The  backtesting 
process compares backtesting VaR calculated on positions at the 
close of each business day with the revenues generated by those 
positions  on  the  following  business  day.  Backtesting  revenues 
exclude  non-trading  revenues,  such  as  fees  and  commissions 
and revenues from intraday trading, to provide for a like-for-like 
comparison.  A  backtesting  exception  occurs  when  backtesting 
revenues are negative and the absolute value of those revenues 
is greater than the previous day’s backtesting VaR.

t
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t

,
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(cid:41)(cid:84)(cid:81)(cid:87)(cid:82)(cid:28)(cid:2)(cid:70)(cid:71)(cid:88)(cid:71)(cid:78)(cid:81)(cid:82)(cid:79)(cid:71)(cid:80)(cid:86)(cid:2)(cid:81)(cid:72)(cid:2)(cid:68)(cid:67)(cid:69)(cid:77)(cid:86)(cid:71)(cid:85)(cid:86)(cid:75)(cid:80)(cid:73)(cid:2)(cid:84)(cid:71)(cid:88)(cid:71)(cid:80)(cid:87)(cid:71)(cid:85)(cid:19)(cid:2)(cid:67)(cid:80)(cid:70)(cid:2)(cid:67)(cid:69)(cid:86)(cid:87)(cid:67)(cid:78)(cid:2)(cid:86)(cid:84)(cid:67)(cid:70)(cid:75)(cid:80)(cid:73)(cid:2)(cid:84)(cid:71)(cid:88)(cid:71)(cid:80)(cid:87)(cid:71)(cid:85)(cid:20)(cid:2)(cid:67)(cid:73)(cid:67)(cid:75)(cid:80)(cid:85)(cid:86)(cid:2)(cid:68)(cid:67)(cid:69)(cid:77)(cid:86)(cid:71)(cid:85)(cid:86)(cid:75)(cid:80)(cid:73)(cid:2)(cid:56)(cid:67)(cid:52)(cid:21)(cid:2)
(cid:10)(cid:19)(cid:15)(cid:70)(cid:67)(cid:91)(cid:14)(cid:2)(cid:27)(cid:27)(cid:7)(cid:2)(cid:69)(cid:81)(cid:80)(cid:386)(cid:70)(cid:71)(cid:80)(cid:69)(cid:71)(cid:11)
(cid:37)(cid:42)(cid:40)(cid:2)(cid:79)(cid:75)(cid:78)(cid:78)(cid:75)(cid:81)(cid:80)

(cid:44)

(cid:40)

(cid:47)

(cid:35)

(cid:47)

(cid:44)

(cid:44)

(cid:35)

(cid:53)

(cid:49)

(cid:48)

(cid:38)

(cid:19)(cid:18)(cid:18)

(cid:26)(cid:18)

(cid:24)(cid:18)

(cid:22)(cid:18)

(cid:20)(cid:18)

(cid:18)

(cid:10)(cid:20)(cid:18)(cid:11)

(cid:10)(cid:22)(cid:18)(cid:11)

(cid:36)(cid:67)(cid:69)(cid:77)(cid:86)(cid:71)(cid:85)(cid:86)(cid:75)(cid:80)(cid:73)(cid:2)(cid:84)(cid:71)(cid:88)(cid:71)(cid:80)(cid:87)(cid:71)(cid:85)

(cid:35)(cid:69)(cid:86)(cid:87)(cid:67)(cid:78)(cid:2)(cid:86)(cid:84)(cid:67)(cid:70)(cid:75)(cid:80)(cid:73)(cid:2)(cid:84)(cid:71)(cid:88)(cid:71)(cid:80)(cid:87)(cid:71)(cid:85)

(cid:27)(cid:27)(cid:7)(cid:2)(cid:82)(cid:81)(cid:85)(cid:75)(cid:86)(cid:75)(cid:88)(cid:71)(cid:2)(cid:86)(cid:67)(cid:75)(cid:78)(cid:2)(cid:81)(cid:72)(cid:2)(cid:86)(cid:74)(cid:71)(cid:2)(cid:68)(cid:67)(cid:69)(cid:77)(cid:86)(cid:71)(cid:85)(cid:86)(cid:75)(cid:80)(cid:73)(cid:2)(cid:56)(cid:67)(cid:52)(cid:2)(cid:70)(cid:75)(cid:85)(cid:86)(cid:84)(cid:75)(cid:68)(cid:87)(cid:86)(cid:75)(cid:81)(cid:80)

(cid:36)(cid:67)(cid:69)(cid:77)(cid:86)(cid:71)(cid:85)(cid:86)(cid:75)(cid:80)(cid:73)(cid:2)(cid:56)(cid:67)(cid:52)(cid:2)(cid:10)(cid:19)(cid:15)(cid:70)(cid:67)(cid:91)(cid:14)(cid:2)(cid:27)(cid:27)(cid:7)(cid:2)(cid:69)(cid:81)(cid:80)(cid:386)(cid:70)(cid:71)(cid:80)(cid:69)(cid:71)(cid:2)(cid:31)(cid:2)(cid:19)(cid:7)(cid:2)(cid:80)(cid:71)(cid:73)(cid:67)(cid:86)(cid:75)(cid:88)(cid:71)(cid:2)(cid:86)(cid:67)(cid:75)(cid:78)(cid:11)

(cid:19)(cid:2)(cid:39)(cid:90)(cid:69)(cid:78)(cid:87)(cid:70)(cid:71)(cid:85)(cid:2)(cid:80)(cid:81)(cid:80)(cid:15)(cid:86)(cid:84)(cid:67)(cid:70)(cid:75)(cid:80)(cid:73)(cid:2)(cid:84)(cid:71)(cid:88)(cid:71)(cid:80)(cid:87)(cid:71)(cid:85)(cid:14)(cid:2)(cid:85)(cid:87)(cid:69)(cid:74)(cid:2)(cid:67)(cid:85)(cid:2)(cid:69)(cid:81)(cid:79)(cid:79)(cid:75)(cid:85)(cid:85)(cid:75)(cid:81)(cid:80)(cid:85)(cid:2)(cid:67)(cid:80)(cid:70)(cid:2)(cid:72)(cid:71)(cid:71)(cid:85)(cid:14)(cid:2)(cid:67)(cid:80)(cid:70)(cid:2)(cid:84)(cid:71)(cid:88)(cid:71)(cid:80)(cid:87)(cid:71)(cid:85)(cid:2)(cid:72)(cid:84)(cid:81)(cid:79)(cid:2)(cid:75)(cid:80)(cid:86)(cid:84)(cid:67)(cid:70)(cid:67)(cid:91)(cid:2)(cid:86)(cid:84)(cid:67)(cid:70)(cid:75)(cid:80)(cid:73)(cid:16)(cid:2)(cid:2)(cid:2)(cid:2)(cid:20)(cid:2)(cid:43)(cid:80)(cid:69)(cid:78)(cid:87)(cid:70)(cid:71)(cid:85)(cid:2)(cid:68)(cid:67)(cid:69)(cid:77)(cid:86)(cid:71)(cid:85)(cid:86)(cid:75)(cid:80)(cid:73)(cid:2)(cid:84)(cid:71)(cid:88)(cid:71)(cid:80)(cid:87)(cid:71)(cid:85)(cid:2)(cid:67)(cid:80)(cid:70)(cid:2)(cid:84)(cid:71)(cid:88)(cid:71)(cid:80)(cid:87)(cid:71)(cid:85)(cid:2)(cid:72)(cid:84)(cid:81)(cid:79)(cid:2)(cid:75)(cid:80)(cid:86)(cid:84)(cid:67)(cid:70)(cid:67)(cid:91)(cid:2)(cid:86)(cid:84)(cid:67)(cid:70)(cid:75)(cid:80)(cid:73)(cid:16)(cid:2)(cid:2)(cid:2)(cid:2)(cid:21)(cid:2)(cid:36)(cid:67)(cid:85)(cid:71)(cid:70)(cid:2)(cid:81)(cid:80)(cid:2)(cid:36)(cid:67)(cid:85)(cid:71)(cid:78)(cid:2)(cid:43)(cid:43)(cid:43)(cid:2)(cid:84)(cid:71)(cid:73)(cid:87)(cid:78)(cid:67)(cid:86)(cid:81)(cid:84)(cid:91)(cid:2)(cid:56)(cid:67)(cid:52)(cid:14)(cid:2)(cid:71)(cid:90)(cid:69)(cid:78)(cid:87)(cid:70)(cid:71)(cid:85)(cid:2)
(cid:37)(cid:56)(cid:35)(cid:2)(cid:82)(cid:81)(cid:85)(cid:75)(cid:86)(cid:75)(cid:81)(cid:80)(cid:85)(cid:2)(cid:67)(cid:80)(cid:70)(cid:2)(cid:86)(cid:74)(cid:71)(cid:75)(cid:84)(cid:2)(cid:71)(cid:78)(cid:75)(cid:73)(cid:75)(cid:68)(cid:78)(cid:71)(cid:2)(cid:74)(cid:71)(cid:70)(cid:73)(cid:71)(cid:85)(cid:14)(cid:2)(cid:89)(cid:74)(cid:75)(cid:69)(cid:74)(cid:2)(cid:67)(cid:84)(cid:71)(cid:2)(cid:85)(cid:87)(cid:68)(cid:76)(cid:71)(cid:69)(cid:86)(cid:2)(cid:86)(cid:81)(cid:2)(cid:86)(cid:74)(cid:71)(cid:2)(cid:80)(cid:71)(cid:89)(cid:2)(cid:85)(cid:86)(cid:67)(cid:80)(cid:70)(cid:67)(cid:78)(cid:81)(cid:80)(cid:71)(cid:2)(cid:37)(cid:56)(cid:35)(cid:2)(cid:69)(cid:74)(cid:67)(cid:84)(cid:73)(cid:71)(cid:16)

151 

100

100

72

72

44

44

16

16

-12

-12

-40

-40

 
 
 
 
VaR model confirmation
In  addition  to  model  backtesting  performed  for  regulatory 
purposes  as  described  above,  we  also  conduct  extended 
backtesting  for  our  internal  model  confirmation  purposes.  This 
includes observing model performance across the entire profit or 
loss  distribution,  not  just  the  tails,  and  at  multiple  levels  within 
the business division and Corporate Center unit hierarchies.
→ Refer to “Risk measurement” in this section for more 

information on our approach to model confirmation procedures

VaR model developments in 2017
Audited  |  We  have  not  made  any  material  changes  to  the  VaR 
model in 2017.(cid:3)

Future market risk-related regulatory capital developments 
In December 2017, the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision 
extended  the  implementation  date  of  the  revised  minimum 
capital  requirements  for  market  risk  to  1  January  2022.  The 
extension  aligns  implementation  with  the  Basel  III  revisions  to 
credit risk and operational risk and recognizes that some of the 
market  risk-related  rules  are  still  being  finalized  by  the  Basel 
Committee. 

internal  model-based  approach, 

Key elements of the revised market risk framework include: (i) 
changes  to  the 
including 
changes  to  the  model  approval  and  performance  measurement 
process; (ii) changes to the standardized approach with the aim 
of  it  being  a  credible  fallback  method  for  an  internal  model-
based  approach;  and  (iii)  a  revised  boundary  between  trading 
book  and  banking  book.  UBS  maintains  a  close  dialog  with 
FINMA  to  discuss  in  more  detail  the  implementation  objectives 
and  to  ensure  a  smooth  transition  of  the  capital  regime  for 
market risk.

→ Refer to “Capital management objectives, planning and 

activities” in the “Capital management” section of this report 

for more information on the development of RWA

→ Refer to “Risk measurement” in this section for more 

information on our approach to model confirmation procedures

→ Refer to the “Regulatory and legal developments” and “Risk 

factors” sections of this report for more information

Risk, treasury and capital management
Risk management and control

Statistically, given the confidence level of 99%, two or three 
backtesting  exceptions  per  year  can  be  expected.  More 
exceptions  than  this  could  indicate  that  the  VaR  model  is  not 
performing  appropriately,  as  could  too  few  exceptions  over  a 
prolonged  period  of  time.  However,  as  noted  in  the  VaR 
limitations  above,  a  sudden  increase  or  decrease  in  market 
volatility relative to the five-year window could lead to a higher 
or  lower  number  of  exceptions,  respectively.  Accordingly, 
Group-level  backtesting  exceptions  are  investigated,  as  are 
exceptional  positive  backtesting  revenues,  with  results  being 
reported  to  senior  business  management,  the  Group  Chief  Risk 
Officer  and  the  divisional  Chief  Risk  Officers.  Backtesting 
exceptions  are  also  reported  to  internal  and  external  auditors 
and to the relevant regulators.

The “Group: development of backtesting revenues and actual 
trading revenues against backtesting VaR” chart on the previous 
page  shows  the  12-month  development  of  backtesting  VaR 
against  the  Group’s  backtesting  revenues  and  actual  trading 
revenues  for  2017.  The  chart  shows  both  the  negative  and 
positive  tails  of  the  backtesting  VaR  distribution  at  99% 
confidence  intervals  representing,  respectively,  the  losses  and 
gains that could potentially be realized over a one-day period at 
that  level  of  confidence.  The  asymmetry  between  the  negative 
and positive tails is due to the long gamma risk profile that has 
been  run  historically  in  the  Investment  Bank.  This  long  gamma 
position  profits  from  increases  in  volatility,  which  therefore 
benefits  the  positive  tail  of  the  VaR  simulated  profit  or  loss 
distribution.

The  actual 

trading 
backtesting revenues, intraday revenues.

revenues 

include, 

in  addition 

to 

The number of negative backtesting exceptions within a 250-
business-day  window  decreased  to  one  from  seven  by  the  end 
of  the  year.  Accordingly,  the  FINMA  VaR  multiplier  used  to 
compute  regulatory  and  stressed  VaR  RWA  decreased  to  3.00 
from 3.65 as of 31 December 2017.

152 

Interest rate risk in the banking book

Sources of interest rate risk in the banking book
Audited | Interest rate risk in the banking book arises from balance 
sheet positions such as Loans, Due from customers, Debt issued, 
Financial  assets  available  for  sale,  Financial  assets  held  to 
maturity, certain Financial assets and liabilities designated at fair 
value,  derivatives  measured  at  fair  value,  including  derivatives 
used  for  cash  flow  hedge  accounting  purposes,  as  well  as 
related  funding  transactions.  These  positions  may  impact  Other 
income  statement, 
the 
(OCI)  or 
income 
comprehensive 
depending on their accounting treatment.

Our  largest  banking  book  interest  rate  exposures  arise  from 
client deposits and lending products in our wealth management 
businesses  and  Personal  &  Corporate  Banking.  For  Wealth 
Management  and  Personal  &  Corporate  Banking,  the  inherent 
interest  rate  risks  are  transferred  either  by  means  of  back-to-
back transactions or, in the case of products with no contractual 
maturity  date  or  direct  market-linked  rate,  by  replicating 
portfolios from the originating business into Corporate Center – 
Group  ALM,  which  manages  the  risks  on  an  integrated  basis, 
allowing  for  netting  interest  rate  risks  across  different  sources. 
Any  residual  interest  rate  risks  in  our  wealth  management 
businesses  and  Personal  &  Corporate  Banking  that  are  not 
transferred  to  Corporate  Center  –  Group  ALM  are  managed 
locally and are subject to independent monitoring and control by 
local  risk  control  units  as  well  as  centrally  by  Market  Risk 
Control.  To  manage  the  interest  rate  risk  centrally,  Corporate 
Center – Group ALM uses derivative instruments, most of which 
are  in  designated  hedge  accounting  relationships.  A  significant 
amount of interest rate risk also arises from Corporate Center – 

Group  ALM  financing  and  investing  activities,  such  as  the 
investment  and  refinancing  of  non-monetary  corporate  balance 
sheet items with indefinite maturities, including equity, goodwill 
and real estate. For these items, senior management has defined 
specific  target  durations  as  a  basis  for  our  funding  and 
investment activities, as applicable. These targets are defined by 
replication  portfolios,  which  establish  rolling  benchmarks  to 
execute against. As of 31 December 2017, the target replication 
portfolios  for  equity,  goodwill  and  real  estate  were  defined  as 
francs  with  an  average  duration  of 
follows: 
approximately  two  years  and  fair  value  sensitivity  of  CHF 5 
million per basis point; in US dollars with an average duration of 
approximately  five  years  and  a  sensitivity  of  CHF 11  million  per 
basis  point.  Corporate  Center  –  Group  ALM  also  maintains  a 
portfolio  of  debt  investments  to  meet  the  Group’s  liquidity 
needs.

in  Swiss 

Interest rate risk within Wealth Management Americas arises 
from the business division’s portfolio of available-for-sale assets, 
in addition to its lending and deposit products offered to clients. 
This  interest  rate  risk  is  closely  measured,  monitored  and 
managed  within  approved  risk  limits  and  controls,  taking  into 
account  Wealth  Management  Americas’  balance  sheet  items 
that mutually offset interest rate risk.

Banking  book  interest  rate  exposure  in  the  Investment  Bank 
arises  predominantly  from  the  business  of  Corporate  Client 
Solutions, where transactions are subject to approval on a case-
by-case basis.

Corporate Center – Non-core and Legacy Portfolio assets that 
are  classified  as  loans  and  receivables,  and  certain  other  debt 
securities  held  as  loans  and  receivables,  also  give  rise  to  non-
trading interest rate risk. (cid:3)

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153 

 
 
 
 
Risk, treasury and capital management
Risk management and control

Effect of interest rate changes on shareholders’ equity and 
CET1 capital
The “Accounting and capital effect of changes in interest rates” 
table  below 
illustrates  the  accounting  and  CET1  capital 
treatment of gains and losses resulting from changes in interest 
rates.  For  instruments  held  at  fair  value,  a  change  in  interest 
rates  results  in  an  immediate  fair  value  gain  or  loss  recognized 
either  in  the  income  statement  or  through  OCI.  For  assets  and 
liabilities  held  at  amortized  cost,  including  financial  assets  held 
to  maturity,  a  change  in  interest  rates  does  not  result  in  a 
change  in  the  carrying  amount  of  the  instruments,  but  could 
affect the amount of interest income or expense recognized over 
time in the income statement. 

Typically,  increases  in  interest  rates  would  lead  to  an 
immediate reduction in the value of our longer-term assets held 
at  fair  value,  but  we  would  expect  this  to  be  offset  over  time 
through  higher  net  interest  income  (NII)  on  our  core  banking 
products. 

In  addition  to  the  differing  accounting  treatments,  our 
banking  book  positions  have  different  sensitivities  to  different 
points  on  yield  curves.  For  example,  our  portfolios  of  debt 
securities,  whether  accounted  for  as  instruments  designated  at 
fair  value,  as  assets  held  to  maturity  or  as  assets  available  for 
sale, and interest rate swaps designated as cash flow hedges, on 
the  whole,  are  more  sensitive  to  changes  in  longer-duration 
interest rates, whereas our deposits and a significant portion of 
our loans contributing to net interest income are more sensitive 
to  short-term  rates.  These  factors  are  important  as  yield  curves 

Accounting and capital effect of changes in interest rates1

may not shift on a parallel basis and could, for example, exhibit 
an initial steepening, followed by a flattening over time.

to 

recognize  an 

initial  decrease 

By  virtue  of  the  accounting  treatment  and  yield  curve 
sensitivities outlined above, in a steepening yield curve scenario 
we  would  expect 
in 
shareholders’ equity as a result of fair value losses recognized in 
OCI. This would be compensated over time by increased NII once 
increases  in  interest  rates  affect  the  shorter  end  of  the  yield 
curve  in  particular.  The  effect  on  CET1  capital  would  be  less 
pronounced,  as  gains  and  losses  on  interest  rate  swaps 
designated  as  cash  flow  hedges  are  not  recognized  for 
regulatory  capital  purposes.  Fair  value  losses  on  instruments 
designated  at  fair  value  are  expected  to  be  offset  by  economic 
hedges.

We subject the interest rate-sensitive banking book exposures 
to a suite of interest rate scenarios in order to assess the effect 
on  expected  NII  over  both  a  one-year  and  a  three-year  time 
horizon  assuming  constant  business  volumes.  We  also  consider 
the  effect  of  the  interest  rate  movements  in  each  scenario  on 
the  fair  value  recognized  in  OCI  of  financial  assets  available  for 
sale  and  cash  flow  hedges  managed  by  Corporate  Center  – 
Group  ALM.  The  scenario  assessment  also 
includes  the 
estimated effect through OCI on shareholders’ equity and CET1 
capital  from  pension  fund  assets  and  liabilities.  While  certain 
standard  scenarios,  such  as  a  parallel  rise  in  all  yield  curves  of 
100 basis points, are retained and regularly used, other scenarios 
are adopted as a function of changing market conditions. 

RRecognition

SShareholders’ equity

CCET1 capital

Financial assets available for sale

Derivatives transacted as economic hedges

Derivatives designated as cash flow hedges

Loans and deposits at amortized costs3

Financial assets designated at fair value

TTiming

Immediate

Immediate

Immediate

Gradual

IIncome statement / OCI

OCI

Income statement

OCI2

Income statement

Immediate

Income statement

Gains
(cid:3)
(cid:3)
(cid:3)
(cid:3)
(cid:3)
(cid:3)

Losses
(cid:3)
(cid:3)
(cid:3)
(cid:3)
(cid:3)
(cid:3)

Gains

(cid:3)

Losses
(cid:3)
(cid:3)

(cid:3)
(cid:3)
(cid:3)

(cid:3)
(cid:3)
(cid:3)

Financial assets held to maturity3
11 Refer to the “Reconciliation of IFRS equity to Swiss SRB common equity tier 1 capital” table in the “Capital management” section of this report for more information on the differences between shareholders’ 
equity and CET1 capital.    2 Excluding hedge ineffectiveness that is recognized in the income statement in accordance with IFRS.    3 For fixed-rate financial instruments, changes in interest rates impact the income 
statement when these instruments roll over and reprice.  

Income statement

Gradual

154 

At  the  end  of  2017,  the  following  scenarios  were  analyzed  in 
detail:
– Negative Interest Rates (NIR) then Recovery: Yield curves drop 
50  basis  points  in  parallel  with  no  zero-floor  applied  and 
therefore can become negative, or more negative. Thereafter, 
all rates recover according to market-implied forward rates.
– NIR  then  Constant:  Same  assumptions  as  the  NIR  then 
Recovery  scenario,  but  after  the  initial  shock,  rates  do  not 
recover but remain at the then-prevailing levels until the end 
of the simulated time horizon.

– Global  Interest  Rate  Steepener:  Represents  a  sudden  shift  in 
market  sentiment  causing  a  disorderly  sell-off  in  long-dated 
bonds and a rapid steepening of the yield curve, exacerbated 
by the lack of liquidity in financial markets. This corresponds 
to  the  general  interest  rate  movements  contained  in  the 
corresponding  CST  scenario  described  in  “Stress  testing”  in 
this section.

– Parallel  +100  basis  points:  All  yield  curves  rise  100  basis 

points in parallel.

– Severe  Eurozone  Crisis:  This  scenario  assumes  a  eurozone 
crisis at its core and includes sovereign debt restructuring as a 
consequence  of  the  ensuing  crisis.  A  China  hard  landing  is 
also a feature of the scenario. This corresponds to the general 
interest  rate  movements  contained  in  the  binding  stress 
scenario in our CST framework for 2018 described in “Stress 
testing” in this section.

– Inverted Steepener: Yield curves across all currencies undergo 
a  sharp  rise  for  short  tenors,  with  only  a  modest  rise  in  the 
long end of the yield curve: +200 basis points for tenors up to 
1 year, +100 basis points for the 5-year tenor and +20 basis 
points for 8-year to 10-year tenors.

– Constant Rates: All rates stay at current levels.

The  results  are  compared  with  a  baseline  NII,  which  is 
calculated  assuming  that  interest  rates  in  all  currencies  develop 
according  to  their  market-implied  forward  rates  and  under  the 
assumption  of  constant  business  volumes  and  no  specific 
management  actions.  The  calculated  effects  on  baseline  NII 
range  between  a  deterioration  of  approximately  6%  and  9% 
over  a  one-year  and  three-year  horizon,  respectively,  and  an 
improvement  of  approximately  27%  and  52%  over  a  one-year 
and  a  three-year  horizon,  respectively.  The  most  adverse 
scenario is the Negative Interest Rates then Constant over both a 
one-year  horizon  and  three-year  horizon.  The  most  beneficial 
scenario  is  the  Inverted  Steepener  over  a  one-year  horizon  and 
the Global Interest Rate Steepener over a three-year horizon.

In  addition  to  the  above  scenario  analysis,  we  also  monitor 
the  sensitivity  of  the  NII  to  immediate  parallel  shocks  of  –200 

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and  +200  basis  points  compared  with  baseline  NII,  under  the 
assumption  of  a  constant  balance  sheet  volume  and  structure. 
Any resulting reduction in first-year NII relative to the baseline NII 
is subject to predefined threshold levels to monitor the extent to 
which  the  NII  is  exposed  to  an  adverse  movement  in  market 
rates.  As  of  31  December  2017,  the  baseline  NII  would  have 
been  approximately  17%  less  under  a  parallel  shock  of  –200 
basis  points,  whereas  under  a  parallel  +200-basis-point  shock, 
the baseline NII would have been approximately 29% higher. 

To  shelter  the  level  of  our  NII  from  the  persistently  low  and 
negative  interest  rate  environment  in  Swiss  francs  in  particular, 
we  rely  on  self-funding  of  our  lending  businesses  through  our 
deposit base in Wealth Management and Personal & Corporate 
Banking,  along  with  appropriate  additional  adjustments  to  our 
lose  this 
interest  rate-linked  product  pricing.  Should  we 
equilibrium  on  the  balance  sheet,  for  example,  due  to 
unattractive  pricing  relative  to  our  peers  for  either  our 
mortgages or deposits, this could lead to a decrease in our NII in 
a persistently low and negative interest rate environment. As we 
assume constant business volumes, these risks do not appear in 
the aforementioned interest rate scenarios.

low  and  negative 

Moreover,  should  the 

interest  rate 
environment  persist  or  worsen,  this  could  lead  to  additional 
pressure  on  our  NII  and  we  could  face  additional  costs  for 
holding  our  Swiss  franc  high-quality  liquid  asset  portfolio.  A 
reduction  of  the  Swiss  National  Bank’s  deposit  exemption 
threshold  for  banks  would  also  lead  to  increased  costs  that  we 
might not be able to offset, for example, by passing on some of 
the  costs  to  our  depositors.  Should  euro  interest  rates  also 
decline  significantly  further  into  negative  territory,  this  could 
likewise  increase  our  liquidity  costs  and  put  our  NII  generated 
from  euro-denominated  loans  and  deposits  at  risk  of  volume 
imbalances.  Depending  on  the  overall  economic  and  market 
environment, sustained and significant negative rates could also 
lead  to  our  Wealth  Management  and  Personal  &  Corporate 
Banking clients paying down their loans together with reducing 
any excess cash they hold with us as deposits. This would reduce 
the underlying business volume and lower our NII accordingly. 

A  net  decrease  in  deposits  would  require  replacement 
funding  at  a  potential  relative  cost  increase  that  would  depend 
on  various  factors,  including  the  term  and  nature  of  the 
replacement  funding,  whether  such  funding  is  raised  in  the 
wholesale  markets  or  from  swapping  with  available  funding 
denominated 
the  other  hand, 
imbalances  leading  to  an  excess  deposit  position  could  require 
additional investments at negative yields, which we might not be 
able  to  compensate  for  sufficiently  as  a  result  of  our  excess 
deposit balance charging mechanisms.

in  another  currency.  On 

155 

 
 
 
 
Risk, treasury and capital management
Risk management and control

Interest rate risk sensitivity to parallel shifts in yield curves
Audited | Interest rate risk in the banking book is not underpinned 
for capital purposes, but is subject to a regulatory threshold. As 
of 31 December 2017, the economic-value effect of an adverse 
parallel  shift  in  interest  rates  of  ±200  basis  points  on  our 
banking book interest rate risk exposures was significantly below 
the  threshold  of  20%  of  eligible  capital  recommended  by 
regulators.

The  interest  rate  risk  sensitivity  figures  presented  in  the 
“Interest rate sensitivity – banking book” table on the next page 
represent  the  effect  of  +1,  ±100  and  ±200-basis-point  parallel 
moves  in  yield  curves  on  present  values  of  future  cash  flows, 
irrespective  of  accounting  treatment.  For  some  portfolios,  the 
+1-basis-point  sensitivity  has  been  estimated  by  dividing  the 
+100-basis-point  sensitivity  by  100.  In  the  prevailing  negative 
interest rate environment for the Swiss franc in particular, and to 
a lesser extent for the euro and the Japanese yen, interest rates 
for  Wealth  Management  and  Personal  &  Corporate  Banking 
client  transactions  are  generally  being  floored  at  non-negative 
levels.  Accordingly,  for  the  purposes  of  this  disclosure  table, 
downward moves of 100 / 200 basis points are floored to ensure 
that  the  resulting  shocked  interest  rates  do  not  turn  negative. 
The flooring results in non-linear sensitivity behavior.

The  sensitivity  of  the  banking  book  to  rising  rates  was 
approximately  nil  compared  with  negative  CHF 3.1  million  per 
basis  point  at  prior  year-end.  This  was  mainly  due  to  increased 
sensitivity  in  Corporate  Center  –  Group  ALM,  reduced  negative 
sensitivity  in  Wealth  Management  Americas  and,  to  a  lesser 
extent,  a  change  in  the  sensitivity  in  Corporate  Center  –  Non-
core  and  Legacy  Portfolio  from  negative  CHF  0.1  million  per 
basis  point  to  positive  CHF  0.5  million  per  basis  point.  The 
increased  sensitivity  in  Corporate  Center  –  Group  ALM  was 
mainly due to adjustments leading to more-positive sensitivity to 
interest  rates  in  Swiss  francs  and  a  reduction  of  negative 
sensitivity  in  US  dollar  interest  rates.  The  reduction  in  negative 
interest  rate  sensitivity  within  Wealth  Management  Americas 

was  primarily  due  to  the  introduction  of  a  new  deposit  pricing 
interest  rate 
approach,  which  resulted 
sensitivity, thus providing a larger offset to asset sensitivity. The 
change  in  Corporate  Center  –  Non-core  and  Legacy  Portfolio 
was due to improved capture of risk sensitivities of auction rate 
securities and auction preferred securities. 

in  higher  deposit 

The sensitivity of the banking book to rising rates includes the 
interest rate sensitivities arising from debt investments classified 
as Financial assets available for sale and their associated hedges. 
(excluding  hedges  and 
The  sensitivity  of  these  positions 
excluding  investments  in  funds  accounted  for  as  available  for 
sale)  to  a  1-basis-point  parallel  increase  in  the  yields  of  the 
respective  instruments  is  approximately  negative  CHF 2  million, 
which would be recorded in OCI if such a change occurred. This 
sensitivity is around CHF 1 million per basis point less than as of 
31  December  2016,  mainly  due  to  a  further  reduction  in 
available-for-sale  debt  securities  held  in  Corporate  Center  – 
Group  ALM  with  an  associated  buildup  of  debt  securities 
designated at fair value.

The sensitivity of the banking book to rising interest rates also 
includes interest rate sensitivities arising from interest rate swaps 
designated  in  cash  flow  hedges.  Fair  value  gains  or  losses 
associated  with  the  effective  portion  of  these  hedges  are 
recognized  initially  in  Equity.  When  the  hedged  forecast  cash 
flows affect profit or loss, the associated gains or losses on the 
hedging derivatives are reclassified from Equity to profit or loss. 
These  swaps  are  predominantly  denominated  in  US  dollars, 
euros, Swiss francs and British pounds. A 1-basis-point increase 
of  underlying  LIBOR  curves  would  have  decreased  equity  by 
approximately CHF 20 million, excluding adjustments for tax. (cid:3)
→ Refer to “Note 13 Financial assets available for sale and held to 
maturity” in the “Consolidated financial statements” section of 

this report for more information

→ Refer to the “Group performance” section of this report for 
more information on sensitivity to interest rate movements

156 

Audited | 
Interest rate sensitivity – banking book1

CHF million

CHF

EUR

GBP

USD

Other

TTotal effect on fair value of interest rate-sensitive banking book positions

of which: Wealth Management Americas

of which: Investment Bank

of which: CC – Group ALM

of which: CC – Non-core and Legacy Portfolio

CHF million

CHF

EUR

GBP

USD

Other

TTotal effect on fair value of interest rate-sensitive banking book positions

of which: Wealth Management Americas

of which: Investment Bank

of which: CC – Group ALM

of which: CC – Non-core and Legacy Portfolio

––200 bps

––100 bps

++1 bp

++100 bps

++200 bps

331.12.17

  (31.8)

  (142.0)

  (57.6)

  26.6

  4.4

  (200.4)

  144.8

  32.9

  (272.4)

  (106.2)

  (31.8)

  (90.5)

  (55.4)

  14.4

  0.8

  (162.5)

  59.1

  18.3

  (188.1)

  (52.1)

  1.0

  0.2

  0.1

  (1.3)

  0.0

  0.0

  (1.8)

  (0.2)

  1.4

  0.5

  97.7

  15.2

  11.2

  (135.1)

  5.0

  (6.0)

  (175.5)

  (15.4)

  138.6

  46.6

  191.2

  31.1

  21.3

  (280.6)

  10.3

  (26.7)

  (362.3)

  (30.8)

  279.8

  87.3

–200 bps

–100 bps

+1 bp

+100 bps

+200 bps

31.12.16

 (13.0)

 (109.0)

 (184.5)

 823.2

 0.5

 517.1

 730.5

 26.3

 (238.8)

 (1.2)

 (13.0)

 (91.9)

 (103.0)

 358.9

 (1.7)

 149.4

 325.8

 14.3

 (192.3)

 1.2

 0.5

 0.0

 (0.1)

 (3.4)

 0.0

 (3.1)

 (2.9)

 (0.1)

 0.0

 (0.1)

 44.8

 (2.5)

 (9.9)

 (347.2)

 (3.3)

 (318.1)

 (286.4)

 (12.7)

 (10.6)

 (7.3)

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 89.3

 (2.6)

 (27.7)

 (704.3)

 (6.3)

 (651.6)

 (583.8)

 (25.9)

 (24.2)

 (15.6)

(cid:3)

11 Does not include interest rate sensitivities for credit valuation adjustments on monoline credit protection, US and non-US reference-linked notes.    

Other market risk exposures

Own credit
We  are  exposed  to  changes  in  UBS’s  own  credit  that  are 
reflected in the valuation of financial liabilities designated at fair 
value  when  UBS’s  own  credit  risk  would  be  considered  by 
market  participants.  We  also  estimate  debit  valuation 
adjustments (DVA) to incorporate own credit in the valuation of 
derivatives. 

→ Refer to “Note 22 Fair value measurement” in the “Consolidated 

financial statements” section of this report for more 

information on own credit

Structural foreign exchange risk
in  foreign 
Upon  consolidation,  assets  and 
operations are translated into Swiss francs at the closing foreign 
exchange  rate  on  the  balance  sheet  date.  Value  changes  (in 
Swiss  francs)  of  non-Swiss  franc  assets  or  liabilities  due  to 
foreign  exchange  movements  are  recognized  in  OCI  and 
therefore affect shareholders’ equity and CET1 capital.

liabilities  held 

Corporate  Center  –  Group  ALM  employs  strategies  to 
manage  this  foreign  currency  exposure,  including  matched 
funding of assets and liabilities and net investment hedging.

→ Refer to the “Treasury management” section of this report for 
more information on our exposure to and management of 

structural foreign exchange risk

→ Refer to “Note 12 Derivative instruments and hedge 

accounting” in the “Consolidated financial statements” section 

of this report for more information on our hedges of net 

investments in foreign operations

Equity investments
Audited  |  Under  International  Financial  Reporting  Standards  (IFRS) 
effective  on  31  December  2017,  equity  investments  not  in  the 
trading  book  may  be  classified  as  Financial  assets  available  for 
sale,  Financial  assets  designated  at  fair  value  or  Investments  in 
associates.

We  make  direct  investments  in  a  variety  of  entities  and  buy 
equity  holdings  in  both  listed  and  unlisted  companies  for  a 
variety of purposes. This includes investments such as exchange 
and  clearing  house  memberships  held  to  support  our  business 
activities.  We  may  also  make  investments  in  funds  that  we 
manage  in  order  to  fund  or  seed  them  at  inception  or  to 
demonstrate that our interests align with those of investors. We 
also  buy,  and  are  sometimes  required  by  agreement  to  buy, 
securities and units from funds that we have sold to clients.

157 

 
 
 
 
Risk, treasury and capital management
Risk management and control

The fair value of equity investments tends to be influenced by 
factors specific to the individual investments. Equity investments 
are generally intended to be held for the medium or long term 
and may be subject to lockup agreements. For these reasons, we 
generally  do  not  control  these  exposures  by  using  the  market 
risk measures applied to trading activities. However, such equity 
investments  are  subject  to  a  different  range  of  controls, 
including  preapproval  of  new 
investments  by  business 
management  and  Risk  Control,  portfolio  and  concentration 
to  senior 
limits,  and 
management.  They  are  also  included  in  our  Group-wide 
statistical  and  stress  testing  metrics,  which  flow  into  our  risk 
appetite framework.

regular  monitoring  and 

reporting 

As of 31 December 2017, we held equity investments totaling 
CHF 1.6  billion,  of  which  CHF 0.5  billion  were  classified  as 
Financial  assets  available  for  sale  and  CHF 1.0  billion  as 
Investments in associates. This was broadly unchanged from the 
prior year. (cid:3)

→ Refer to “Note 13 Financial assets available for sale and held to 
maturity” and “Note 28 Interests in subsidiaries and other 

entities” in the “Consolidated financial statements” section of 

this report for more information

→ Refer to the “Significant accounting and financial reporting 

changes in 2018” section of this report for more information on 

the classification of financial instruments under IFRS 9

Debt investments
Audited  | Debt investments classified as Financial assets available for 
sale  as  of  31  December  2017  were  measured  at  fair  value  with 
changes in fair value recorded through Equity, and can broadly be 
categorized  as  money  market  instruments  and  debt  securities 
primarily held for statutory, regulatory or liquidity reasons.

The risk control framework applied to debt instruments classified 
as  Financial  assets  available  for  sale  depends  on  the  nature  of  the 
instruments  and  the  purpose  for  which  we  hold  them.  Our 
exposures  may  be  included  in  market  risk  limits  or  be  subject  to 
specific monitoring and interest rate sensitivity analysis. They are also 
included  in  our  Group-wide  statistical  and  stress  testing  metrics, 
which flow into our risk appetite framework.

Debt  instruments  classified  as  Financial  assets  available 
for  sale  had  a  fair  value  of  CHF 8.1  billion  as  of  31 De-
cember  2017  compared  with  CHF 15.0  billion  as  of 
31 December 2016.(cid:3)

→ Refer to “Note 13 Financial assets available for sale and held to 
maturity” in the “Consolidated financial statements” section of 

this report for more information

→ Refer to “Interest rate risk sensitivity to parallel shifts in yield 

Pension risk
We  provide  a  number  of  pension  plans  for  past  and  current 
employees,  some  of  which  are  classified  as  defined  benefit 
pension plans under IFRS. These defined benefit plans can have a 
material effect on our IFRS equity and CET1 capital.

In order to meet the expected future benefit payments, the plans 
invest employee and employer contributions in various asset classes. 
The funded status of the plan is the difference between the fair value 
of these assets and the present value of the expected future benefit 
payments to plan members, i.e., the defined benefit obligation.

Pension risk is the risk that the funded status of defined benefit 
plans might decrease, negatively affecting our IFRS equity and / or 
our CET1 capital. This can arise from a fall in the plan assets’ value 
or  in  the  investment  returns,  an  increase  in  defined  benefit 
obligations, or a combination of these.

Important  risk  factors  affecting  the  fair  value  of  the  plan  assets 
are, among other things, equity market returns, interest rates, bond 
yields  and  real  estate  prices.  Important  risk  factors  affecting  the 
present value of the expected future benefit payments include high-
grade bond yields, interest rates, inflation rates and life expectancy.

Pension risk is included in our Group-wide statistical and stress 
testing metrics, which flow into our risk appetite framework. The 
potential effects are thus captured in the calculation of our post-
stress fully applied CET1 capital ratio.

→ Refer to “Note 1a item 7 Pension and other post-employment 
benefit plans,” “Note 26 Pension and other post-employment 

benefit plans” and “Note 35 Events after the reporting period” in 

the “Consolidated financial statements” section of this report for 

more information on defined benefit plans and on changes to the 

pension fund of UBS in Switzerland to support its long-term 

financial stability

UBS own share exposure
Group Treasury holds UBS Group AG shares to hedge future share 
delivery obligations related to employee share-based compensation 
and  participation  plans.  In  addition,  the  Investment  Bank  holds  a 
very  limited  number  of  UBS  Group  AG  shares,  primarily  in  its 
capacity  as  a  market-maker  in  UBS  Group  AG  shares  and  related 
derivatives  and 
issued  structured  debt 
instruments.

to  hedge  certain 

The  Group  has  announced  a  share  repurchase  program  under 
which it may acquire up to CHF 2 billion of UBS Group AG shares 
over the next three years, of which up to CHF 550 million may be 
acquired  in  2018.  Shares  acquired  through  the  share  repurchase 
program  are  intended  for  cancelation.  Until  the  shareholders  of 
UBS Group AG approve cancelation of the shares, shares acquired 
in the repurchase program will be held in Group Treasury.

curves” in this section for more information

→ Refer to “UBS shares” in the “Capital management” section of this 

→ Refer to the “Treasury management” section of this report for 

report for more information 

more information

→ Refer to the “Significant accounting and financial reporting 

changes in 2018” section of this report for more information on 

the classification and measurement of financial instruments 

under IFRS 9

158 

 
Country risk

Country risk framework

Country risk includes all country-specific events that occur within 
a  sovereign’s  jurisdiction  and  may  lead  to  an  impairment  of 
UBS’s  exposures.  Country  risk  may  take  the  form  of  sovereign 
risk, which refers to the ability and willingness of a government 
to  honor  its  financial  commitments;  transfer  risk,  which  would 
arise  if  an  issuer  or  counterparty  could  not  acquire  foreign 
currencies following a moratorium of a central bank on foreign 
exchange transfers; or “other” country risk. “Other” country risk 
may manifest itself through increased and multiple counterparty 
and  issuer  default  risk  (systemic  risk)  on  the  one  hand,  and  on 
the other hand through events that may affect the standing of a 
country, such as adverse shocks affecting political stability or the 
legal  framework.  We  maintain  a  well-
institutional  and 
established risk control framework, through which we assess the 
risk profile of all countries where we have exposure.

We  attribute  to  each  foreign  country  a  sovereign  rating, 
which expresses the probability of the sovereign defaulting on its 
own  financial  obligations  in  foreign  currency.  Our  ratings  are 
expressed  by  statistically  derived  default  probabilities  as 
described  in  the  “Probability  of  default”  section.  Based  on  this 
internal  analysis,  we  also  define  the  probability  of  a  transfer 
event  occurring  and  establish  rules  as  to  how  the  aspects  of 
“other” country risk should be incorporated into the analysis of 
the  counterparty  rating  of  entities  that  are  domiciled  in  the 
respective country.

Our  risk  exposure  to  foreign  countries  considers  the  credit 
ratings  assigned  to  those  countries.  A  country  risk  ceiling  (i.e., 
maximum  aggregate  exposure)  applies  to  our  exposures  to 
counterparties  or  issuers  of  securities  and  financial  investments 
in the respective foreign country. We may limit the extension of 
credit,  transactions  in  traded  products  or  positions  in  securities 
based  on  a  country  risk  ceiling,  even  if  our  exposure  to  a 
counterparty is otherwise acceptable.

For internal measurement and control of country risk, we also 
consider the financial impact of market disruptions arising prior 
to, during and after a country crisis. These may take the form of 
a severe deterioration in a country’s debt, equity or other asset 
markets, or a sharp depreciation of the currency. We use stress 
testing  to  assess  the  potential  financial  impact  of  a  severe 
country  or  sovereign  crisis.  This  involves  the  development  of 
plausible  stress  scenarios  for  combined  stress  testing  and  the 

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identification  of  countries  that  may  potentially  be  subject  to  a 
losses  and  making 
crisis  event,  determining  potential 
assumptions  about  recovery  rates  depending  on  the  types  of 
credit  transactions  involved  and  their  economic  importance  to 
the affected countries.

Our  exposures  to  market  risks  are  also  subject  to  regular 
stress tests that cover major global scenarios, which are used for 
combined stress testing as well, whereby we apply market shock 
factors  to  equity  indices,  interest  rates  and  currency  rates  in  all 
relevant  countries  and  consider  the  potential  liquidity  of  the 
instruments.

Country risk exposure

Country risk exposure measure
The  presentation  of  country  risk  follows  our  internal  risk  view, 
whereby  the  basis  for  measurement  of  exposures  depends  on 
the  product  category  into  which  we  have  classified  our 
exposures.  In  addition  to  the  classification  of  exposures  into 
banking products and traded products as defined in the “Credit 
risk  profile  of  the  Group”  section,  within  trading  inventory  we 
classify  issuer  risk  on  securities  such  as  bonds  and  equities,  as 
well  as  the  risk  relating  to  the  underlying  reference  assets  for 
derivative  positions,  including  those  linked  to  credit  protection 
we  buy  or  sell,  loan  or  security  underwriting  commitments 
pending  distribution  and  single-stock  margin 
for 
syndication. 

loans 

As  we  manage  the  trading  inventory  on  a  net  basis,  we  net 
the value of long positions against short positions with the same 
underlying  issuer.  Net  exposures  are,  however,  floored  at  zero 
per  issuer  in  the  figures  presented  in  the  following  tables.  We 
therefore  do  not  recognize  the  potentially  offsetting  benefit  of 
certain hedges and short positions across issuers.

We  do  not  recognize  any  expected  recovery  values  when 
reporting  country  exposures  as  exposure  before  hedges,  except 
for  the  risk-reducing  effects  of  master  netting  agreements  and 
collateral  held  in  the  form  of  either  cash  or  portfolios  of 
diversified  marketable  securities,  which  we  deduct  from  the 
basic  positive  exposure  values.  Within  banking  products  and 
traded products, the risk-reducing effect of any credit protection 
is taken into account on a notional basis when determining the 
net of hedges exposures.

159 

 
 
 
 
any exposure arising from securities held and issued by the same 
entity  as  the  reference  asset.  In  the  case  of  derivatives 
referencing  a  basket  of  assets,  the  issuer  risk  against  each 
reference entity is calculated as the expected change in fair value 
of  the  derivative  given  an  instantaneous  fall  in  value  to  zero  of 
the  corresponding  reference  asset  (or  assets)  issued  by  that 
entity. Exposures are then aggregated by country across issuers, 
floored at zero per issuer.

Exposures to selected eurozone countries
Our  exposure  to  peripheral  European  countries  remains  limited, 
but  we  nevertheless  remain  watchful  regarding  the  potential 
broader  implications  of  adverse  developments  in  the  eurozone. 
As  noted  in  “Stress  testing”  in  this  section,  a  eurozone  crisis 
remains  a  core  part  of  the  new  binding  Severe  Eurozone  Crisis 
scenario for combined stress test purposes, making it central to 
the  regular  monitoring  of  risk  exposure  against  the  minimum 
capital, earnings and leverage ratio objectives in our risk appetite 
framework. 

The “Exposures to eurozone countries rated lower than AAA / 
Aaa by at least one major rating agency” table on the next page 
provides an overview of our exposures to such rated countries as 
of 31 December 2017. 

CDSs are primarily bought and sold in relation to our trading 
businesses,  but  are  also  used  to  hedge  parts  of  our  risk 
exposure,  including  that  related  to  certain  eurozone  countries. 
As of 31 December 2017, and not taking into account the risk-
reducing  effect  of  master  netting  agreements,  we  had 
purchased approximately CHF 12 billion gross notional of single 
name  CDS  protection  on  issuers  domiciled  in  Greece,  Italy, 
Ireland,  Portugal  and  Spain  (GIIPS)  and  had  sold  CHF  11  billion 
gross  notional  of  single-name  CDS  protection  for  these  same 
countries.  On  a  net  basis,  taking  into  account  the  risk-reducing 
effect  of  master  netting  agreements, 
to 
approximately  CHF  3  billion  notional  purchased  and  CHF  2 
billion  notional  sold.  All  gross  protection  purchased  was  from 
investment  grade  counterparties  (based  on  our  internal  ratings) 
and on a collateralized basis. The vast majority of this was from 
financial  institutions  domiciled  outside  the  eurozone.  The  gross 
protection  purchased  from  counterparties  domiciled  in  a  GIIPS 
country  was  CHF  66  million,  with  only  CHF  18  million  from 
counterparties  domiciled  in  the  same  country  as  the  reference 
entity.

this  equates 

Risk, treasury and capital management
Risk management and control

Country risk exposure allocation
In general, exposures are shown against the country of domicile 
of the contractual counterparty or the issuer of the security. For 
some  counterparties  whose  economic  substance  in  terms  of 
assets  or  source  of  revenues  is  primarily  located  in  a  different 
country,  the  exposure  is  allocated  to  the  risk  domicile  of  that 
issuer.

This is the case, for example, with legal entities incorporated 
in  financial  offshore  centers,  which  have  their  main  assets  and 
revenue  streams  outside  the  country  of  domicile.  The  same 
principle  applies  to  exposures  for  which  we  hold  third-party 
guarantees  or  collateral,  where  we  report  the  exposure  against 
the country of domicile of either the guarantor or the issuer of 
the  underlying  security,  or  against  the  country  where  pledged 
physical assets are located.

We apply a specific approach for banking products exposures 
to branches of financial institutions that are located in a country 
other  than  the  legal  entity’s  domicile.  In  such  cases,  exposures 
are  recorded  in  full  against  the  country  of  domicile  of  the 
counterparty and additionally in full against the country in which 
the branch is located.

In  the  case  of  derivatives,  we  show  the  counterparty  risk 
associated with the positive replacement value (PRV) against the 
country of domicile of the counterparty (presented within traded 
products). In addition, the risk associated with the instantaneous 
fall in value of the underlying reference asset to zero (assuming 
no  recovery)  is  shown  against  the  country  of  domicile  of  the 
trading 
issuer  of 
inventory).  This  approach  allows  us  to  capture  both  the 
counterparty  and,  where  applicable,  issuer  elements  of  risk 
arising  from  derivatives  and  applies  comprehensively  for  all 
derivatives,  including  single-name  credit  default  swaps  (CDSs) 
and other credit derivatives.

(presented  within 

reference  asset 

the 

As a basic example: if CDS protection for a notional value of 
100  bought  from  a  counterparty  domiciled  in  country  X 
referencing debt of an issuer domiciled in country Y has a PRV of 
20, we record (i) the fair value of the CDS (20) against country X 
(within  traded  products)  and  (ii)  the  hedge  benefit  (notional 
minus fair value) of the CDS (100 – 20 = 80) against country Y 
(within trading inventory). In the example of protection bought, 
the  80  hedge  benefit  would  offset  any  exposure  arising  from 
securities  held  and  issued  by  the  same  entity  as  the  reference 
asset,  floored  at  zero  per  issuer.  In  the  case  of  protection  sold, 
this  would  be  reflected  as  a  risk  exposure  of  80  in  addition  to 

160 

Exposures to eurozone countries rated lower than AAA / Aaa by at least one major rating agency

TTraded products
(counterparty risk from derivatives and 
securities financing)
after master netting agreements
and net of collateral

TTrading inventory
(securities and potential
benefits / remaining
exposure from 
derivatives)

CHF million

TTotal

BBanking products 
(loans, guarantees, loan commitments)
Exposure
before
hedges
  94
 5

Net of
hedges1
  94
 5

of which:
unfunded
  46

Net of
hedges1
  896
 516

Net long
per issuer
  770
 502

Exposure
before hedges
  137
 114

Net of
hedges
  32
 9

  5

  2

  490

 74
 15
  88

 71
 16
  49

 74
 15
  88

 15
 8
  85

 71
 16
  34

 15
 8
  85

 10
 76
  6

 10
 76
  6

  1,001
 621

 2
 12
  37
 30

 235
 485
  2

 6
 28
  716
 3

 6
 43
  722
 3

 264
 3
  235
 221

 354
 26
  408
 221

 354
 26
  408
 221

 2
 2
 2
  926
 223

 2
 2
 2
  1,018
 315

 83
 104
  93
 30
 2
 9
 52
  7,843
 6,292
 0
 477
 1,074
  14

 83
 104
  77
 30
 2
 9
 37
  7,744
 6,199
 0
 477
 1,068
  14

31.12.17
AAustria
Sovereign, agencies and central bank
Local governments
Banks
Other2
BBelgium
Sovereign, agencies and central bank
Local governments
Banks
Other2
FFinland
Sovereign, agencies and central bank
Local governments
Banks
Other2
FFrance
Sovereign, agencies and central bank
Local governments
Banks
Other2
GGreece
Sovereign, agencies and central bank
Local governments
Banks
Other2
IIreland3
Sovereign, agencies and central bank
Local governments
Banks
Other2
IItaly
Sovereign, agencies and central bank
Local governments
Banks
Other2
PPortugal
Sovereign, agencies and central bank
Local governments
Banks
 0
Other2
 12
SSpain
  114
Sovereign, agencies and central bank
 36
Local governments
 2
Banks
 1
Other2
 75
OOther4
  50
11 Not deducted from the “Net of hedges” exposures are total allowances and provisions for credit losses of CHF 48 million (of which: Malta CHF 36 million, Ireland CHF 6 million and France CHF 4 million).  
2 Includes corporates, insurance companies and funds.     3 The majority of the Ireland exposure relates to funds and foreign bank subsidiaries.     4 Represents aggregate exposures to Andorra, Cyprus, Estonia, 
Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, San Marino, Slovakia and Slovenia.

 99
 1,014
  1,114
 5
 69
 271
 769
  31
 0

 99
 1,014
  1,507
 45
 69
 271
 1,122
  31
 0

 1
 7
  6,102
 5,974
 0
 1
 127
  11

 5
 112
  89
 1
 6
 9
 74
  12
 0

 12
 792
  166
 4
 63
 17
 82
  1

 12
 792
  207
 45
 63
 17
 82
  1

 18
 13
  614
 48
 2
 143
 421
  465

 18
 13
  749
 48
 2
 143
 555
  465

 2
 11
  1,114
 1

 2
 11
  1,114
 1

 82
 111
  1,212

 0
 11
  118
 1

 241
 462
  0

 241
 462
  0

 82
 111
  859

 235
 479
  2

 245
 614
  17

 119
 329
  413

 245
 967
  17

 119
 464
  413

 2
 0
  193

 2
 0
  193

 24
 17
  1

 24
 17
  1

 0
 1
  40

 0
 1
  40

  594
 12

  460
 12

  756

  369

  803

  803

  44

  15

 17

 17

  1

  8

 0

 0

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161 

 
 
 
 
Risk, treasury and capital management
Risk management and control

Exposure from single-name credit default swaps referencing Greece, Italy, Ireland, Portugal or Spain (GIIPS)

PProtection bought

PProtection sold

of which: counterparty 
domiciled in GIIPS
country

of which: counterparty
domicile is the same as the
reference entity domicile

NNet position
(after application of counterparty master netting 
agreements)

Notional
  31

  9,718

  535

  392

  1,265

  11,941

RV
  (3)

  (31)

  (18)

  (10)

  (32)

  (94)

Notional
  0

  4

  14

  0

  49

  66

RV
  0

  0

  (1)

  0

  (1)

  (2)

Notional
  0

  4

  14

  0

  0

  18

RV
  0

  0

  (1)

  0

  0

  (1)

Notional
  (26)

  (9,430)

  (448)

  (396)

  (957)

  (11,258)

RV
  2

  (35)

  11

  8

  27

  12

Buy
notional
  19

  1,669

  264

  175

  622

Sell
notional
  (14)

  (1,381)

  (177)

  (179)

  (315)

  2,749

  (2,066)

PRV
  0

  34

  2

  4

  11

  50

NRV
  (2)

  (100)

  (9)

  (6)

  (16)

  (132)

CHF million

31.12.17
Greece

Italy

Ireland

Portugal

Spain

Total

Holding  CDSs  for  credit  default  protection  does  not  necessarily 
protect  the  buyer  of  protection  against  losses,  as  the  contracts 
will  only  pay  out  under  certain  scenarios.  The  effectiveness  of 
our CDS protection as a hedge of default risk is influenced by a 
number of factors, including the contractual terms under which 
the CDS was written. Generally, only the occurrence of a credit 
event as defined by the CDS terms (which may include, among 
other events, failure to pay, restructuring or bankruptcy) results 
in  a  payment  under  the  purchased  credit  protection  contracts. 
For CDS contracts on sovereign obligations, repudiation can also 
be deemed as a default event. The determination as to whether 
a credit event has occurred is made by the relevant International 
Swaps  and  Derivatives  Association 
(ISDA)  determination 
committees (comprised of various ISDA member firms) based on 
the  terms  of  the  CDS  and  the  facts  and  circumstances 
surrounding the event.

Exposure to emerging market countries
The  “Emerging  market  net  exposure  by  major  geographical 
region and product type” table on the following page shows the 
five  largest  emerging  market  country  exposures  in  each  major 
geographical  area  by  product  type  as  of  31  December  2017 
compared  with  31  December  2016.  Based  on  the  sovereign 
rating  categories,  as  of  31  December  2017,  79%  of  our 
emerging market country exposure was rated investment grade, 
compared with 83% as of 31 December 2016.

Our  direct  net  exposure  to  China  was  CHF  5  billion,  down 
CHF  0.1  billion  from  the  prior  year.  Trading  inventory,  which  is 
measured at fair value, continues to account for the majority of 
our exposure to China.

Emerging markets net exposure¹ by internal UBS country rating category

CHF million

Investment grade

Sub-investment grade

Total

31.12.17

31.12.16

 14,021

 3,772

 17,794

 13,833

 2,787

 16,620

1 Net of credit hedges (for banking products and for traded products); net long per issuer (for trading inventory). Total allowances and provisions of CHF 74 million are not deducted (31 December 2016: CHF 79 
million).

162 

Emerging market net exposures by major geographical region and product type

TTotal
Net of hedges1

BBanking products
(loans, guarantees, loan 
commitments)
Net of hedges1

TTraded products
(counterparty risk from derivatives 
and securities financing)
after master netting agreements
and net of collateral
Net of hedges

TTrading inventory
(securities and potential
benefits / remaining
exposure from derivatives)
Net long per issuer

331.12.17

31.12.16

331.12.17

31.12.16

331.12.17

31.12.16

331.12.17

31.12.16

CHF million

EEmerging America

Brazil

Mexico

Argentina

Chile

Colombia

Other

EEmerging Asia

China

Hong Kong

South Korea

India

Thailand

Other

EEmerging Europe

Russia

Turkey

Azerbaijan

Poland

Ukraine

Other

MMiddle East and Africa

South Africa

United Arab Emirates

Saudi Arabia

Kuwait

Israel

Other

TTotal

  1,405

  813

  355

  79

  51

  30

  76

 1,426

 968

 247

 27

 24

 62

 98

  12,085

 10,799

  5,020

  2,534

  1,453

  857

  789

  1,432

  1,625

  608

  552

  218

  63

  60

  126

  2,678

  886

  533

  279

  216

  200

  565

 5,141

 1,715

 1,058

 1,047

 443

 1,395

 1,467

 532

 467

 145

 61

 32

 229

 2,929

 681

 556

 577

 490

 225

 401

  17,794

 16,620

  400

  131

  148

  22

  28

  18

  53

  3,955

  706

  1,445

  527

  467

  136

  674

 493

 199

 147

 14

 16

 49

 69

 3,838

 868

 1,113

 348

 661

 131

 717

  1,124

 1,007

  206

  507

  211

  43

  56

  100

  1,321

  345

  251

  136

  19

  53

  518

  6,800

 181

 438

 117

 50

 23

 199

 1,029

 34

 391

 124

 31

 61

 388

 6,367

  267

  225

  20

  0

  14

  4

  5

 321

 263

 49

 2

 4

 3

  1,705

 1,676

  330

  403

  607

  165

  8

  192

  93

  51

  21

  1

  8

  12

  807

  123

  279

  143

  197

  35

  30

 394

 282

 469

 251

 2

 278

 106

 41

 25

 28

 7

 5

 1,373

 239

 163

 453

 459

 49

 10

  2,872

 3,475

  738

  457

  188

  57

  9

  8

  19

  6,425

  3,984

  685

  319

  225

  645

  566

  408

  351

  23

  5

  12

  4

  13

  551

  418

  3

  113

  17

  8,121

11 Not deducted are total allowances and provisions for credit losses of CHF 74 million (31 December 2016: CHF 79 million).                                                      

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 612

 506

 52

 13

 7

 9

 26

 5,285

 3,880

 320

 241

 135

 310

 400

 353

 311

 4

 4

 10

 25

 527

 408

 2

 115

 3

 6,778

163 

 
 
 
 
Risk, treasury and capital management
Risk management and control

Operational risk

Key developments

The  pervasive  consequential  risk  themes  that  continue  to 
challenge  UBS  and  the  financial  industry  are  operational 
resilience, conduct and financial crime. 

Operational  resilience  remains  critical,  as  the  cyber  threat 
landscape  continues  to  evolve  while  other  disaster  scenarios 
remain  an  ever-present  threat.  In  2017,  many  organizations 
were  affected  by  two  prominent  global  malware  attacks. 
Throughout 2017, data theft continued to be the most prevalent 
threat  with  a  number  of  serious  breaches  at  high-profile 
organizations.  UBS  continues  to  invest  in  both  preventive 
measures  and  measures 
from 
cyberattacks.  We  have  implemented  cyber  recovery  playbooks 
for various scenarios, as well as regular cyber crisis exercises up 
to the Group Executive Board and Board of Directors level. 

to  detect  and 

recover 

As  a  global  firm,  UBS  was  affected  by  extreme  weather 
events  in  the  US  and  India  in  2017,  in  each  case  triggering 
business continuity procedures, which allowed us to monitor the 
safety  of  staff  and  for  operations  to  continue  with  minimal 
disruption. 

this 

Achieving  fair  outcomes  for  our  clients,  upholding  market 
integrity  and  cultivating  the  highest  standards  of  employee 
conduct  are  of  critical  importance  to  the  firm.  Management  of 
conduct  risks  is  an  integral  part  of  our  operational  risk 
framework. In managing conduct risk, we continue to focus on 
embedding 
the  management 
framework,  enhancing 
information and maintaining momentum on addressing culture. 
Conduct-related  management  information  is  reviewed  at  the 
business  and  regional  governance  level,  providing  metrics  on 
employee conduct, clients and markets, with employee conduct 
being  a  central  consideration  in  the  annual  compensation 
process.  Our  incentive  schemes  distinguish  clearly  between 
quantitative performance and conduct-related behaviors, so that 
achievement  against  financial  targets 
is  not  the  primary 
determinant  of  our  employees’  performance  assessment. 
Furthermore,  we  continue  to  deliver  on  behavioral  initiatives, 
such  as  the  “Principles  of  Good  Supervision,”  and  provide 
mandatory compliance and risk training.

Suitability  risk,  product  selection,  cross-divisional  service 
offerings,  quality  of  advice  and  price  transparency  also  remain 
areas  of  heightened  focus  for  UBS  and  for  the  industry  as  a 
whole,  as  low  interest  rates  and  major  legislative  change 
programs,  such  as  the  Markets 
Instruments 
Directive II  (MiFID  II)  in  the  EU,  continue.  We  regularly  monitor 
our  suitability,  product  and  conflicts  of 
interest  control 
frameworks  to  assess  whether  they  are  reasonably  designed  to 
facilitate  our  adherence  to  applicable  laws  and  regulatory 
expectations.

in  Financial 

164 

for 

laundering, 

Financial  crime, 

terrorist 
including  money 
financing,  sanctions  violations,  fraud,  bribery  and  corruption, 
continues  to  present  risks,  as  technological  innovation  and 
geopolitical  developments  have  increased  the  complexity  of 
operating  an  effective  program  to  prevent  and  detect  financial 
crime.  Regulators  and  other  governmental  authorities  have 
heightened  expectations 
financial  crime  compliance 
programs and have significantly increased their focus in this area 
over  the  last  several  years.  Given  the  profile  of  our  wealth 
management  businesses  as  well  as  heightened  regulatory 
expectations, maintaining effective programs for prevention and 
detection of money laundering and for sanctions compliance is a 
high  priority  for  us.  We  are  investing  to  improve  our  detection 
and  monitoring  capabilities,  including  in  automation  of  our 
techniques  are 
processes.  Money 
becoming  increasingly  sophisticated,  while  geopolitical  volatility 
makes  the  sanctions  landscape  more  complex.  We  continue  to 
invest  in  improving  our  anti-money  laundering  (AML),  terrorist 
financing prevention, sanctions and fraud control capabilities to 
meet 
regulatory 
expectations. 

the  evolving  challenge  and  heightened 

laundering  and 

fraud 

We also continue to invest heavily in our detection capabilities 
and  core  systems  as  part  of  our  financial  crime  prevention 
program. We have been exploring new technologies to combat 
financial  crime,  and  implementing  rule-based  monitoring  by 
applying self-learning systems to identify suspicious transactions. 
Furthermore, we are actively participating in AML public-private 
partnerships  with  public-sector  stakeholders,  including  law 
enforcement,  to  improve  information  sharing  and  better  detect 
financial crimes.

Cross-border risk remains an area of regulatory attention for 
global  financial  institutions,  with  a  strong  focus  on  fiscal 
transparency  and  increased  legislation,  such  as  the  automatic 
exchange of information. We continue to adapt our cross-border 
control framework to adhere to the regulatory expectations and 
facilitate compliant client-driven cross-border business. 

As  the  overall  regulatory  environment  continues  to  undergo 
major  change  with  the 
introduction  of  new  regulation, 
international  collaboration  among  regulators,  and  increased 
focus  on  individual  liability  and  industry  operating  models,  it  is 
important  that  we  maintain  strong  relationships  with  our 
industry’s 
regulatory  bodies  and  demonstrate  observable 
progress in achieving and sustaining corrective actions. 

→ Refer to the “Risk factors” section of this report for more 

information

Operational risk framework

Operational  risk  is  an  inherent  part  of  our  business.  Losses  can 
result  from  inadequate  or  flawed  internal  processes,  decisions 
and systems, or from external events. We provide a Group-wide 
framework  that  supports  identifying,  assessing  and  mitigating 
material  operational  risks  and  their  potential  concentrations,  to 
achieve  a  suitable  balance  between  risk  and  return.  The 
divisional  Presidents  and  the  Corporate  Center  function  heads 
are  ultimately  accountable  for  the  effectiveness  of  operational 
risk  management  and  for  implementing  the  operational  risk 
framework.  Responsibility 
front-to-back  control 
for 
environment  and  risk  management  is  held  by  the  Chief 
Operating  Officers.  Management  in  all  functions  is  responsible 
risk  management 
robust  operational 
for  establishing  a 
environment,  including  establishing  and  maintaining  internal 
controls, effective supervision and a strong risk culture. In 2017, 
we 
framework, 
streamlined  administrative  processes,  strengthened  our  abilities 
to detect and mitigate operational risk and better embedded the 
framework as a key tool used by the business to manage its risks 
day-to-day.

improved  our  operational 

further 

risk 

the 

(C&ORC) 

Compliance  &  Operational  Risk  Control 

is 
responsible  for  providing  an  independent  and  objective  view  of 
the adequacy of operational risk management across the Group, 
and  aims  to  ensure  that  all  our  operational  risks,  including 
compliance  and  conduct  risk,  are  understood,  owned  and 
managed to the firm’s risk appetite. C&ORC is governed by the 
C&ORC  Management  Committee,  which  is  chaired  by  the 
Global  Head  of  C&ORC,  who  reports  to  the  Group  Chief  Risk 
Officer and is a member of the Risk Executive Committee.

risk 

The  operational 

framework  establishes  general 
requirements  for  managing  and  controlling  operational  risks, 
including compliance and conduct risk at UBS. It is built on the 
following pillars:
– classifying 
taxonomy

the  operational 

inherent 

through 

risks 

risk 

– assessing  the  design  and  operating  effectiveness  of  controls 

through the internal control assessment process 

– assessing  residual  risk  through  the  risk  assessment  processes 
with  remediation  to  address  identified  deficiencies  that  are 
outside accepted levels of residual risk
– defining  operational  risk  appetite, 

levels  of 
operational  risk  that  exceed  defined  thresholds  and  taking 
appropriate  measures  to  bring  residual  risk  back  within  the 
defined appetite 

identifying 

The  operational  risk  taxonomy  provides  a  clear  and  logical 
inherent  operational  risks,  across  all 
classification  of  our 
divisions. Throughout the organizational hierarchy, a level of risk 
appetite  must  be  agreed  for  each  of  the  taxonomy  categories, 
together with a minimum set of internal controls and associated 
performance  thresholds  considered  necessary  to  keep  risk 
exposure within acceptable levels.

All  functions  within  our  firm  are  required  to  assess  internal 
controls  periodically,  whereby  they  evaluate  and  evidence  the 
design  and  operating  effectiveness  of  their  key  controls.  This 
also  forms  the  basis  for  the  assessment  and  testing  of  internal 
controls  over  financial  reporting  as  required  by  the  Sarbanes-
Oxley Act, section 404 (SOX 404). The framework facilitates the 
identification  of  SOX  404-relevant  controls  for  independent 
testing,  functional  assessments,  management  affirmation  and, 
where  control  weaknesses  are  identified,  remediation  tracking. 
We  employ  a  consistent  global  framework  to  assess  the 
aggregated  impact  of  control  deficiencies  and  the  adequacy  of 
remediation efforts.

The  UBS  risk  assessment  approach  covers  all  business 
activities  and  internal  as  well  as  external  identified  or  known 
factors posing a threat to the UBS Group. Aggregated with any 
identified or known weaknesses in the control environment, the 
risk assessment articulates the current operational risk exposure 
against the firm’s risk appetite.

Key  control  deficiencies  that  surface  during  the  internal 
control  and  risk  assessment  processes  are  required  to  be 
reported  in  the  operational  risk  inventory,  and  sustainable 
remediation  must  be  defined  and  executed.  These  issues  are 
assigned to owners at the senior management level and must be 
reflected  in  the  respective  manager’s  annual  performance 
measurement  and  management  objectives.  To  assist  with 
prioritizing  the  known  operational  risk  issues,  irrespective  of 
origin, a common rating methodology is adopted by all internal 
control  functions  and  both  internal  and  external  audit.  Group 
Internal  Audit  conducts  an  issue  assurance  process  after  a  risk 
issue  has  been  closed  to  maintain  rigorous  management 
discipline in the sustainable mitigation and control of operational 
risk issues.

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165 

 
 
 
 
Risk, treasury and capital management
Risk management and control

Advanced measurement approach model

The  operational  risk  framework  detailed  above  is  aligned  with 
and  underpins 
for 
operational risk, which in turn allows us to quantify operational 
risk and to define effective management incentives. 

the  calculation  of 

regulatory  capital 

We  measure  operational 

risk  exposure  and  calculate 
operational  risk  regulatory  capital  by  using  the  advanced 
measurement  approach  (AMA)  in  accordance  with  FINMA 
requirements.

For regulated subsidiaries, the basic indicator or standardized 
approaches are adopted in agreement with local regulators. For 
certain  UBS  entities,  the  Group  AMA  methodology  is  leveraged 
to  meet  local  regulatory  requirements.  An  entity-specific  AMA 
model  has  been  applied  for  UBS  Switzerland  AG,  while  the 
Group AMA model is leveraged for UBS Limited, supporting the 
local Internal Capital Adequacy Assessment Process, and for UBS 
Bank USA’s Dodd-Frank Act stress tests submissions. 

Currently,  the  model  includes  15  AMA  Units  of  Measures 
(UoMs), all aligned with our operational risk taxonomy. For each 
of  the  model’s  UoMs,  a  frequency  and  severity  parameter  is 
calibrated.  The  modeled  distribution 
for  both 
frequency  and  severity  are  then  leveraged  to  generate  the 
annual  loss  distribution.  The  resulting  99.9%  quantile  of  the 
overall  annual  operational  risk  loss  distribution  across  all  UoMs 
determines the required regulatory capital. Currently, we do not 
reflect  mitigation  through  insurance  or  any  other  risk  transfer 
mechanism in our AMA model.

functions 

A  key  assumption  when  calibrating  the  base  or  data-driven 
frequency and severity distributions is that historical loss patterns 
and  exposures  form  a  reasonable  proxy  for  future  events. 
However,  it  is  important  to  note  that  our  approach  not  only 
models  historical  internal  losses,  but  also  includes  external 
industry losses. A statistical mechanism aims to ensure that only 
those  industry  losses  that  are  fairly  consistent  with  the  internal 
UBS loss profile are used in modeling.

AMA model calibration and review

To  account  for  fast-changing  external  developments  such  as 
new  regulations,  geopolitical  change,  and  volatile  market  and 
economic  conditions,  as  well  as  internal  factors  including 
changes  in  business  strategy  and  internal  control  framework 
enhancements,  the  modeling  of  historical  internal  and  external 
losses  is  further  enriched  to  more  effectively  forecast  potential 
future losses. To refine the loss forecast, qualitative information 
on  both  the  external  business  environment  and  the  internal 

166 

control  framework  is  summarized  and  an  overall  rating  is 
determined to structure and facilitate the Subject Matter Expert 
(SME) inputs. The purpose of the SME reviews is to account for 
important  qualitative  elements  in  calibrating  the  AMA  model, 
but  also  to  consider  expert  knowledge  and  insights  that  the 
SMEs can provide into the calibration process. 

To  maintain  risk  sensitivity,  our  model  has  to  be  regularly 
recalibrated. Therefore, the SME reviews are conducted at least 
annually,  and  encompass  all  UoMs.  Change  recommendations 
are presented to FINMA for approval prior to their utilization for 
disclosure  purposes.  In  addition  to  the  annual  reviews,  a  high-
level semiannual review accounts for any material developments 
between  annual  calibrations  to  be  reflected  in  the  model 
outputs.  Following  regulatory  approval,  these  changes  become 
effective for the subsequent disclosures accordingly.

AMA model confirmation
The Group AMA model is subject to an annual quantitative and 
qualitative  review  so  that  model  parameters  are  plausible  and 
reflect  the  developing  operational  risk  profile  of  the  firm.  This 
review  is  independently  verified  and  confirmed  by  Model  Risk 
Management  &  Control  and  supplemented  with  additional 
sensitivity and benchmarking analysis by the model owner. 

Future operational risk-related regulatory capital developments
In December 2017, the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision 
published  the  final  Basel  III  framework.  Based  on  the  published 
framework,  the  regulatory  capital  requirements  on  operational 
risks  will  be  determined  by  the  standardized  measurement 
approach (SMA), which will replace the AMA capital regime. 

The  SMA  is  mainly  based  on  two  components:  a  business 
indicator  component,  which  is  basically  utilized  as  a  size  proxy 
for  the  banks  in  the  SMA  context,  and  a  historical  loss 
experience  component.  With  regard  to  the  loss  experience 
component,  the  published  framework  has  a  number  of 
parameters that are subject to national discretion. UBS maintains 
a  close  dialog  with  FINMA  to  discuss  in  more  detail  the 
implementation  objectives  and  to  provide  for  a  smooth 
transition of the capital regime for operational risks.

→ Refer to “Capital management objectives, planning and 

activities” in the “Capital management” section of this report 

for more information on the development of RWA
→ Refer to “Risk measurement” in this section for more 

information on our approach to model confirmation procedures

→ Refer to the “Regulatory and legal developments” and “Risk 

factors” sections of this report for more information

 
Treasury management

Balance sheet, liquidity and funding management

Strategy, objectives and governance

future 

in  consideration  of  current  and 

Audited  |  We  manage  our  balance  sheet,  liquidity  and  funding 
positions  with  the  overall  objective  of  optimizing  the  value  of 
our business franchise across a broad range of market conditions 
and 
regulatory 
constraints. We employ a number of measures to monitor these 
positions under normal and stressed conditions. In particular, we 
use  stress  scenarios  to  apply  behavioral  adjustments  to  our 
balance sheet and calibrate the results from these internal stress 
models  with  external  measures,  primarily  the  liquidity  coverage 
ratio (LCR) and the net stable funding ratio (NSFR). Our liquidity 
and  funding  strategy  is  proposed  by  Group  Treasury,  approved 
by  the  Group  Asset  and  Liability  Management  Committee 
(Group  ALCO),  which  is  a  committee  of  the  Group  Executive 
Board,  and  is  overseen  by  the  Risk  Committee  of  the  Board  of 
Directors (BoD). (cid:3)

This section provides more detailed information on regulatory 
requirements,  our  governance  structure,  our  balance  sheet, 
liquidity  and  funding  management,  including  our  sources  of 
liquidity  and  funding,  and  our  contingency  planning  and  stress 
testing. The balances disclosed in this section represent year-end 
positions,  unless  indicated  otherwise.  Intra-period  balances 
fluctuate in the ordinary course of business and may differ from 
year-end positions.

Group  Treasury  monitors  and  oversees  the  implementation 
and  execution  of  our  liquidity  and  funding  strategy  and  is 
responsible  for  adherence  to  policies,  limits  and  targets.  This 
enables  close  control  of  both  our  cash  and  collateral,  including 
our  high-quality  liquid  assets  (HQLA),  and  centralizes  the 
Group’s general access to wholesale cash markets in Corporate 
Center  –  Group  Asset  and  Liability  Management  (Group  ALM). 

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In addition, should a crisis require contingency funding measures 
to  be  invoked,  Group  Treasury  is  responsible  for  coordinating 
liquidity generation with representatives of the relevant business 
areas.  Group  Treasury  reports  on  the  Group’s  overall  liquidity 
and 
and 
concentration risks, at least monthly to the Group ALCO and the 
Risk Committee of the BoD.

funding  position, 

including 

funding 

status 

Audited  |  Liquidity  and  funding  limits  and  targets  are  set  at  a 
Group  and,  where  appropriate,  at  legal  entity  and  business 
division levels, and are reviewed and reconfirmed at least once a 
year  by  the  BoD,  the  Group  ALCO,  the  Group  Chief  Financial 
Officer,  the  Group  Treasurer  and  the  business  divisions,  taking 
into  consideration  current  and  projected  business  strategy  and 
risk  tolerance.  The  principles  underlying  our  limit  and  target 
framework  are  designed  to  maximize  and  sustain  the  value  of 
our  business  franchise  and  maintain  an  appropriate  balance  in 
the  asset  and  liability  structure.  Structural  limits  and  targets 
focus  on  the  structure  and  composition  of  the  balance  sheet, 
while supplementary limits and targets are designed to drive the 
utilization, diversification and allocation of funding resources. To 
complement  and  support  this  framework,  Group  Treasury 
monitors  the  markets  with  a  dashboard  of  early  warning 
indicators  reflecting  the  current  liquidity  situation.  The  liquidity 
status  indicators  are  used  at  Group  level  to  assess  both  the 
overall  global  and  regional  situations  for  potential  threats. 
Treasury  Risk  Control  provides  independent  oversight  over 
liquidity and funding risks. (cid:3)

→ Refer to the “Corporate governance” section of this report for 

more information

→ Refer to the “Risk management and control” section of this 

report for more information

167 

 
 
 
 
Risk, treasury and capital management
Treasury management

Assets and liquidity management

Audited | Our liquidity risk management aims to maintain a sound 
liquidity  position  to  meet  all  our  liabilities  when  due  and  to 
provide  adequate  time  and  financial  flexibility  to  respond  to  a 
firm-specific  liquidity  crisis  in  a  generally  stressed  market 
environment,  without  incurring  unacceptable  losses  or  risking 
sustained damage to our various businesses. (cid:3)

Balance sheet assets – Group
As of 31 December 2017, balance sheet assets totaled CHF 916 
billion,  a  decrease  of  CHF 19  billion  from  31  December  2016, 
mainly  due  to  reductions  in  positive  replacement  values  (PRVs), 
cash  and  balances  with  central  banks  and  financial  assets 
designated  at  fair  value,  available  for  sale  and  held  to  maturity, 
partly  offset  by  an  increase  in  trading  portfolio  assets.  Total 
assets  excluding  PRVs  increased  by  CHF 21  billion  to  CHF 797 
billion as of 31 December 2017. Excluding currency effects, total 
assets excluding PRVs increased by CHF 22 billion.

PRVs  decreased  by  CHF 40  billion,  primarily  resulting  from  a 
CHF 24  billion  decrease  in  our  Foreign  Exchange,  Rates  and 
Credit  business  within  the  Investment  Bank,  mainly  related  to 
foreign  exchange  contracts,  primarily  reflecting  net  maturities, 
partly  offset  by  fair  value  changes  resulting  from  currency 
market movements, and a CHF 19 billion reduction in Non-core 
and Legacy Portfolio, primarily reflecting trade terminations and 
maturities,  mainly  related  to  interest  rate  and  foreign  exchange 
contracts.  Cash  and  balances  with  central  banks  decreased  by 
CHF 20  billion,  largely  in  Group  ALM,  mainly  due  to  higher 
consumption  by  the  business  divisions,  partly  offset  by  net 
issuances  of  short-term  and  long-term  debt.  Financial  assets 
designated  at  fair  value,  available  for  sale  and  held  to  maturity 
decreased by CHF 14 billion, primarily resulting from rebalancing 
within our HQLA portfolio held by Group ALM, partly offset by a 
client-driven  increase  in  Corporate  Client  Solutions  within  the 
Investment Bank.

These  decreases  were  partly  offset  by  a  CHF 34  billion 
increase  in  trading  portfolio  assets,  primarily  in  our  Equities 

IFRS balance sheet assets

business  within  the  Investment  Bank,  mainly  reflecting  a  client-
driven  increase  and  higher  equity  markets.  Lending  assets 
increased  by  CHF 14  billion,  mainly  due  to  higher  Lombard 
lending  balances  in  Wealth  Management.  Receivables  from 
securities  financing  transactions  increased  by  CHF 8  billion, 
the 
primarily 
aforementioned rebalancing within our HQLA portfolio.

in  Group  ALM,  mainly 

resulting 

from 

Other  assets  were  broadly  unchanged  as  a  CHF 9  billion 
client-driven  increase  in  prime  brokerage  receivables  was  offset 
by a decrease in assets held for sale, following completion of the 
sale of a life insurance subsidiary within Wealth Management, a 
reduction in cash collateral receivables on derivative instruments 
and lower deferred tax assets.

→ Refer to the “Consolidated financial statements” section of this 

report for more information

Balance sheet assets – Investment Bank
Investment  Bank  total  assets  increased  by  CHF 21  billion  to 
CHF 263  billion,  and  total  assets  excluding  PRVs  increased  by 
CHF 41 billion, mainly due to a CHF 34 billion increase in trading 
portfolio assets and a CHF 9 billion increase in prime brokerage 
receivables,  primarily  in  our  Equities  business,  reflecting  client-
driven  increases  and  higher  equity  markets.  A  CHF 7  billion 
increase in financial assets designated at fair value, available for 
sale  and  held  to  maturity,  primarily  in  Corporate  Client 
Solutions, was more than offset by an CHF 8 billion decrease in 
receivables  from  securities  financing  transactions,  mainly  in 
Equities.

Balance sheet assets – Non-core and Legacy Portfolio
Non-core and Legacy Portfolio total assets decreased by CHF 22 
billion  to  CHF 46  billion,  mainly  due  to  a  CHF 19  billion 
reduction  in  PRVs,  primarily  reflecting  trade  terminations  and 
maturities,  mainly  related  to  interest  rate  and  foreign  exchange 
contracts.

Total  assets  excluding  PRVs  decreased  by  CHF 4  billion  to 
CHF 8  billion,  mainly  due  to  a  reduction  in  cash  collateral 
receivables on derivative instruments. 

% change from
CHF billion
31.12.16
 (19)
Cash and balances with central banks
Lending1
 4
Collateral trading2
 10
Trading portfolio
 35
 (25)
Positive replacement values
Financial assets at FV / AFS / HTM3
 (15)
Other assets4
 (2)
TTotal IFRS assets
 (2)
11 Consists of amounts due from banks and loans.     2 Consists of reverse repurchase agreements and cash collateral on securities borrowed.     3 Consists of financial assets designated at fair value, financial assets 
available for sale and financial assets held to maturity.    4 Includes cash collateral receivables on derivative instruments and prime brokerage receivables. 

331.12.17
  87.8
  333.3
  89.6
  130.7
  118.2
  76.8
  79.2
  915.6

31.12.16
 107.8
 319.5
 81.4
 96.6
 158.4
 90.3
 81.1
 935.0

As of 

168 

Balance sheet assets – Group ALM
Group ALM total assets decreased by CHF 21 billion to CHF 246 
billion, primarily reflecting a CHF 20 billion reduction in cash and 
balances with central banks, mainly due to higher consumption 
by the business divisions, partly offset by net issuances of short-
term  and  long-term  debt.  Financial  assets  designated  at  fair 
value,  available  for  sale  and  held  to  maturity  decreased  by 
CHF 20  billion,  mostly  offset  by  a  CHF 17  billion  increase  in 
receivables  from  securities  financing  transactions,  primarily 
resulting from rebalancing within our HQLA portfolio.

Balance sheet assets – Other business divisions
Wealth  Management  total  assets  increased  by  CHF 7  billion, 
primarily  due  to  higher  Lombard  lending  balances,  partly  offset 
by a decrease in assets held for sale, following completion of the 
sale  of  a  life  insurance  subsidiary.  Asset  Management  total 
assets increased by CHF 2 billion to CHF 14 billion, reflecting an 
increase in unit-linked investment contracts. 

Personal  &  Corporate  Banking  total  assets  decreased  by 
CHF 4  billion  to  CHF 136  billion,  mainly  reflecting 
lower 
mortgage  and  other  lending  balances.  Corporate  Center  – 
Services total assets decreased by CHF 3 billion to CHF 21 billion, 
resulting  from  the  net  write-down  of  the  Group’s  deferred  tax 
assets following a reduction in the US federal corporate tax rate 
after  the  enactment  of  the  Tax  Cuts  and  Jobs  Act  in  the  US 
during the fourth quarter of 2017.

Wealth  Management  Americas  total  assets  were  broadly 

unchanged at CHF 67 billion. 

including  cash,  central  bank 

High-quality liquid assets
HQLA  are  low-risk  unencumbered  assets  under  the  control  of 
Group Treasury that are easily and immediately convertible into 
cash at little or no loss of value in order to meet liquidity needs 
in  a  30-calendar-day 
liquidity  stress  scenario.  Our  HQLA 
predominantly consist of assets that qualify as Level 1 in the LCR 
reserves  and 
framework, 
government  bonds.  Group  HQLA  are  held  by  UBS  AG  and  its 
subsidiaries and may include amounts that are available to meet 
funding and collateral needs in certain jurisdictions, but are not 
readily  available  for  use  by  the  Group  as  a  whole.  These 
regulatory 
local 
limitations  are 
requirements, 
large  exposure 
requirements.  Funds  that  are  effectively  restricted  are  excluded 
from  the  calculation  of  Group  HQLA  to  the  extent  they  exceed 
the  outflow  assumptions  for  the  subsidiary  that  holds  the 
relevant  HQLA.  On  this  basis,  CHF 30  billion  of  assets  were 
excluded  from  our  daily  average  Group  HQLA  for  the  fourth 
quarter  of  2017.  Amounts  held  in  excess  of  local  liquidity 
requirements  that  are  not  subject  to  other  restrictions  are 
generally available for transfer within the Group.

result  of 
the 
local  LCR  and 

typically 
including 

The  total  weighted  liquidity  value  of  HQLA  decreased  by 
CHF 13  billion  to  CHF 183  billion,  primarily  reflecting  increased 
funding consumption by the business divisions.

Liquidity coverage ratio
The LCR measures the short-term resilience of a bank’s liquidity 
profile  by  comparing  whether  sufficient  HQLA  are  available  to 
survive  expected  net  cash  outflows  from  a  significant  liquidity 
stress scenario, as defined by the relevant regulator. 

The  Basel  Committee  on  Banking  Supervision 

(BCBS) 
standards  require  an  LCR  of  at  least  100%  by  2019,  with  a 
phase-in period that started in 2015. UBS is required to maintain 
a minimum total Group LCR of 110% as communicated by the 
Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA), as well as 
a Swiss franc LCR of 100%. In addition, both UBS AG and UBS 
Switzerland AG are subject to minimum LCR requirements on a 
standalone  basis.  In  a  period  of  financial  stress,  FINMA  may 
allow banks to use their HQLA and let their LCR temporarily fall 
below the minimum threshold.

We  monitor  the  LCR  in  all  significant  currencies  in  order  to 
manage  any  currency  mismatches  between  HQLA  and  the  net 
expected cash outflows in times of stress.

Our  daily  average  LCR  for  the  fourth  quarter  of  2017  was 
143%  compared  with  a  three-month  average  of  132%  in  the 
fourth quarter of 2016, mainly due to a CHF 20 billion reduction 
in  net  cash  outflows,  partly  offset  by  the  aforementioned 
reduction  in  HQLA.  The  CHF 20  billion  reduction  in  net  cash 
outflows was primarily driven by secured financing transactions, 
financial  liabilities  at  fair  value  reported  in  unsecured  wholesale 
funding  and  committed  facilities  reported 
in  other  cash 
outflows.

→ Refer to the 31 December 2017 Pillar 3 report – Group and 

significant regulated subsidiaries and sub-groups under “Pillar 3 

disclosures” at www.ubs.com/investors for more information 

on the liquidity coverage ratio

→ Refer to “Holding company and significant regulated 

subsidiaries and sub-groups” at www.ubs.com/investors for 

more information on the liquidity coverage ratio of UBS AG and 

UBS Switzerland AG

In  December  2017,  FINMA  amended  its  circular  “Liquidity 
risks  –  banks”  following  the  Federal  Council’s  amendment  to  a 
number  of  provisions  on  bank 
in  the  Liquidity 
Ordinance.  The  circular  is  effective  from  1  January  2018.  We 
expect moderate upward pressure in net cash outflows affecting 
our  LCR  in  the  first  quarter  of  2018  as  a  result  of  these 
amendments.

liquidity 

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169 

 
 
 
 
Risk, treasury and capital management
Treasury management

Liquidity coverage ratio

High-quality liquid assets2
Cash balances3

Securities (on- and off-balance sheet)
TTotal high-quality liquid assets4

Cash outflows5
Retail deposits and deposits from small business customers

Unsecured wholesale funding

Secured wholesale funding

Other cash outflows
TTotal cash outflows

Cash inflows5
Secured lending

Inflows from fully performing exposures

Other cash inflows
TTotal cash inflows

Liquidity coverage ratio
High-quality liquid assets

AAverage 4Q171

Average 4Q161

  103

  80
  183

  26

  104

  79

  44
  254

  83

  33

  10
  126

  183

 102

 94
 196

 26

 109

 73

 58
 266

 71

 32

 15
 117

 196

Net cash outflows
 148
LLiquidity coverage ratio (%)
 132
11 Calculated based on an average of 63 data points in the fourth quarter of 2017. The fourth quarter of 2016 is based on a three-month average.     2 Calculated after the application of haircuts.     3 Includes cash 
and balances with central banks and other eligible balances as prescribed by FINMA.    4 Calculated in accordance with FINMA requirements.    5 Calculated after the application of inflow and outflow rates.

  128
  143

Asset encumbrance
The  table  on  the  next  page  provides  a  breakdown  of  on-  and 
off-balance 
sheet  assets  between  encumbered  assets, 
unencumbered  assets  and  assets  that  cannot  be  pledged  as 
collateral.

Assets  are  presented  as  Encumbered  if  they  have  been 
pledged  as  collateral  against  an  existing  liability  or  if  they  are 
otherwise  not  available  for  the  purpose  of  securing  additional 
funding. Included within the latter category are assets protected 
under  client  asset  segregation  rules,  assets  held  by  the  Group’s 
insurance  entities  to  back  related  liabilities  to  policy  holders, 
assets  held  in  certain  jurisdictions  to  comply  with  explicit 
minimum local asset maintenance requirements and assets held 
in  consolidated  bankruptcy  remote  entities,  such  as  certain 
investment funds and other structured entities. 

→ Refer to “Note 23 Restricted and transferred financial assets” in 

the “Consolidated financial statements” section of this report 

for more information

Assets  that  cannot  be  pledged  as  collateral  represent  those 
assets  that  are  not  encumbered,  but  by  their  nature  are  not 
considered  available  to  secure  funding  or  to  meet  collateral 
needs. These mainly include collateral trading assets, PRVs, cash 
collateral  receivables  on  derivative  instruments,  deferred  tax 
assets, goodwill and intangible assets and other assets.

All other assets are presented as Unencumbered. Assets that 
are  considered  to  be  readily  available  to  secure  funding  on  a 
Group  and  /  or  legal  entity  level  are  shown  separately  and 
consist  of  cash  and  securities  readily  realizable  in  the  normal 
course of business. These include our HQLA and unencumbered 
positions in our trading portfolio. Unencumbered assets that are 
considered  to  be  available  to  secure  funding  on  a  legal  entity 
level may be subject to restrictions that limit the total amount of 
assets  that  is  available  to  the  Group  as  a  whole.  Other 
unencumbered assets, which are not considered readily available 
to secure funding on a Group and / or legal entity level, primarily 
consist of loans and amounts due from banks. 

170 

Encumbered

Assets 
otherwise 
restricted and 
not available 
to secure 
funding

Assets 
pledged
as collateral

Unencumbered
Cash and 
securities 
available to 
secure funding 
on a Group and / 
or legal entity 
level

Other 
realizable 
assets

Assets that 
cannot be 
pledged as 
collateral

Total Group
assets (IFRS)

 170
 17,631
 17,631
  17,801

  46,219 1 
 4,397
 2,307

 2,495
 8
 8
 37,013

  64,020
 57,213

 3,280
 2,602
 1,256

  7,137

 0
  0
  957
 0
 208

 749

  11,316

  246

 3,822

 95
  3,917
  23,573
 26,470

  87,775

 45,117

  45,117

  68,369
 8,457
 6,048

 6,389
 360
 149
 42,552
 4,563

  8,419
  9,166

 10,432
 10,439
 288,967
 145,493
  309,838

  3,847

 3,847

 1,018
 8,829

  218,846
 238,321

  9,847
  323,532
 304,944

  0
 27
 605
 11,713

  12,344
 12,393
 77,240
  89,633

  118,227

 19,612

 6,398
 9,844
 29,612
  65,466
  285,671
 308,069

  87,775
 13,739
 58,933
 319,568
 163,124
  392,239
 12,393
 77,240
  89,633
  119,392
 12,854
 8,563
 3,847
 9,632
 368
 157
 79,565
 4,563
  11,316
  118,227
  8,665
  9,166
 23,434
 1,018
 8,829
 6,398
 9,844
 29,706
  79,230
  915,642
 935,016

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Asset encumbrance

CHF million
OOn-balance sheet assets
CCash and balances with central banks

Due from banks
Financial assets designated at fair value
Loans

of which: mortgage loans

LLending

Cash collateral on securities borrowed
Reverse repurchase agreements

CCollateral trading
TTrading portfolio assets excluding financial assets for unit-linked investment contracts

of which: government bills / bonds
of which: corporate and municipal bonds
of which: loans
of which: investment fund units
of which: asset-backed securities

of which: mortgage-backed securities

of which: equity instruments
of which: precious metals and other physical commodities

FFinancial assets for unit-linked investment contracts
PPositive replacement values
FFinancial assets available for sale
FFinancial assets held to maturity

Cash collateral receivables on derivative instruments
Investments in associates
Property, equipment and software
Goodwill and intangible assets
Deferred tax assets
Other assets

OOther
TTotal on-balance sheet assets as of 31 December 2017
Total on-balance sheet assets as of 31 December 2016

CHF million
OOff-balance sheet assets
TTotal off-balance sheet assets as of 31 December 2017
Total off-balance sheet assets as of 31 December 2016

Encumbered

Unencumbered

Assets that 
have been 
sold or 
repledged as 
collateral

Assets 
otherwise 
restricted and 
not available 
to secure 
funding

Assets available  
to secure funding 
on a Group and / 
or legal entity 
level

  337,514
 316,323

  13,005
 12,632

  114,144
 96,833

  332,990
 172,391
 335,153
 200,226

TTotal on- and off-balance sheet assets as of 31 December 2017

  401,534

  36,579

of which: high-quality liquid assets 

Total on- and off-balance sheet assets as of 31 December 2016

 373,536

 39,102

of which: high-quality liquid assets 

11 Includes CHF 35,363 million of assets pledged as collateral that may be sold or repledged by counterparties.   

Other 
realizable 
assets

  4,469
 3,540

Assets that 
cannot be 
pledged as 
collateral

Total assets 
received that 
can be sold 
or repledged

  469,132
 429,327

  328,001

  285,671

 308,484

 308,069

171 

 
 
 
 
Risk, treasury and capital management
Treasury management

Unencumbered assets available to secure funding on a Group and / or legal entity level by currency

331.12.17

  63,193

  139,699

  42,754

  87,344

  332,990

31.12.16

 71,915

 132,379

 54,867

 75,993

 335,153

funding,  unusually 

Acute scenario
The  acute  scenario  represents  an  extreme  stress  event  that 
combines  a  firm-specific  crisis  with  market  disruption.  This 
scenario assumes substantial outflows on otherwise stable client 
deposits,  mainly  due  on  demand,  inability  to  renew  or  replace 
maturing  unsecured  wholesale 
large 
drawdowns on loan commitments, reduced capacity to generate 
liquidity from trading assets, liquidity outflows corresponding to 
a  three-notch  downgrade  in  our  long-term  credit  rating  and  a 
corresponding  downgrade  in  our  short-term  rating,  triggering 
contractual  obligations  to  unwind  derivative  positions  or  to 
deliver 
collateral 
requirements due to adverse movements in the market values of 
derivatives.  It  is  run  both  daily  and  monthly,  with  the  former 
used  to  project  potential  cash  outflows  over  a  one-month  time 
horizon  for  day-to-day  risk  management,  while  the  latter 
involves  a  more  detailed  assessment  of  asset  and  liability  cash 
flows.

additional 

additional 

collateral, 

and 

Contingency funding
Audited  |  Our  Group  contingency  funding  plan  is  an  integral  part 
of  our  global  crisis  management  framework,  which  covers 
various  types  of  crisis  events.  This  contingency  funding  plan 
contains  an  assessment  of  contingent  funding  sources  in  a 
stressed environment, liquidity status indicators and metrics, and 
contingency  procedures.  Our  funding  diversification  and  global 
scope help protect our liquidity position in the event of a crisis. 
We  regularly  assess  and  test  all  material,  known  and  expected 
cash  flows,  as  well  as  the  level  and  availability  of  high-grade 
collateral  that  could  be  used  to  raise  additional  funding  if 
required.  Our  contingent  funding  sources  include  our  HQLA 
portfolio,  available  and  unutilized  liquidity  facilities  at  several 
major central banks, and contingent reductions of liquid trading 
portfolio assets.(cid:3)

CHF million

Swiss franc

US dollar

Euro

Other

TTotal

Stress testing
Audited | We perform stress testing to determine the optimal asset 
and liability structure that allows us to maintain an appropriately 
balanced liquidity and funding position under various scenarios. 
Liquidity  crisis  scenario  analysis  and  contingency  funding 
planning  support  the  liquidity  management  process  and  ensure 
that  immediate  corrective  measures  to  absorb  potential  sudden 
liquidity shortfalls can be put into effect. (cid:3)

We  model  our  liquidity  exposures  under  two  main  potential 
scenarios that encompass stressed and acute market conditions, 
including  considering  the  possible  impact  on  our  access  to 
markets  from  stress  events  affecting  all  parts  of  our  business. 
These  models  and  their  assumptions  are  reviewed  regularly  to 
incorporate  the  latest  business  and  market  developments.  We 
continuously  refine  the  assumptions  used  to  maintain  a  robust, 
actionable and tested contingency plan.

→ Refer to “Risk measurement” in the “Risk management and 

control” section of this report for more information on stress 

testing

Stressed scenario
As  a  liquidity  crisis  could  have  a  myriad  of  causes,  the  stressed 
scenario encompasses potential stress effects across all markets, 
currencies  and  products  but  it  is  typically  not  firm-specific.  In 
addition to the loss of the ability to replace maturing wholesale 
funding,  it  assumes  a  gradual  decline  of  otherwise  stable  client 
deposits  and  liquidity  outflows  corresponding  to  a  two-notch 
downgrade  in  our  long-term  credit  rating  and  a  corresponding 
downgrade in our short-term rating.

We  use  a  cash  capital  model  that  incorporates  the  stress 
scenario  and  measures  the  amount  of  long-term  funding 
available to fund illiquid assets. The illiquid portion of an asset is 
the  difference,  i.e.,  the  haircut,  between  the  carrying  value  of 
the asset and its effective cash value when used as collateral in a 
secured  funding  transaction.  Long-term  funding  used  as  cash 
capital  to  support  illiquid  assets  is  comprised  of  unsecured 
funding with a remaining time to maturity of at least one year, 
shareholders’ equity and core deposits, which are the portion of 
our  customer  deposits  that  are  deemed  to  have  a  behavioral 
maturity of at least one year.

172 

Liabilities and funding management

Audited  |  Group  Treasury  regularly  monitors  our  funding  status, 
including  concentration  risks,  to  ensure  we  maintain  a  well-
balanced  and  diversified  liability  structure.  Our  funding  risk 
management aims for the optimal asset and liability structure to 
finance  our  businesses  reliably  and  cost-efficiently,  and  our 
funding  activities  are  planned  by  analyzing  the  overall  liquidity 
and  funding  profile  of  our  balance  sheet,  taking  into  account 
the amount of stable funding that would be needed to support 
ongoing  business  activities  through  periods  of  difficult  market 
conditions. (cid:3)

Our  business  activities  generate  asset  and  liability  portfolios 
that are highly diversified with respect to market, product, tenor 
and  currency.  This  reduces  our  exposure  to  individual  funding 
sources, provides a broad range of investment opportunities and 
reduces liquidity risk.

Our  wealth  management  businesses  and  Personal  & 
Corporate Banking provide significant, cost-efficient and reliable 
sources  of  funding.  These  include  core  deposits  and  our 
portfolio  of  Swiss  residential  mortgages,  a  portion  of  which  is 
pledged  as  collateral  to  generate  long-term  funding  through 
Swiss Pfandbriefe. In addition, we have several short-, medium- 
and  long-term  funding  programs  under  which  we  issue  senior 
unsecured debt and structured notes, as well as short-term debt. 

IFRS balance sheet liabilities and equity

These  programs  allow  institutional  and  private  investors  in 
Europe, the US and Asia Pacific to customize their investments in 
UBS’s  debt.  Collectively,  these  broad  product  offerings  and 
funding sources, together with the global scope of our business 
activities, support our funding stability.

Balance sheet liabilities 
Total liabilities decreased by CHF 16 billion to CHF 864 billion as 
of  31  December  2017.  Negative  replacement  values  decreased 
by  CHF 38  billion,  in  line  with  the  aforementioned  decreases  in 
PRVs.  Customer  deposits  decreased  by  CHF 15  billion,  primarily 
in Wealth Management Americas, mainly reflecting client-driven 
decreases,  in  response  to  rising  interest  rates  and  higher  equity 
markets,  and  the  shift  of  customer  sweep  deposit  balances  in 
excess of insured limits to third-party banks. As of 31 December 
2017,  customer  deposits  represented  60%  of  our  funding 
sources and our ratio of customer deposits to outstanding loan 
balances  was  128%  (31  December  2016:  138%).  Other 
liabilities  decreased  by  CHF 11  billion,  mainly  due  to  the 
aforementioned  completion  of  the  sale  of  a  life  insurance 
subsidiary in Wealth Management, a reduction in cash collateral 
payables  on  derivative  instruments  and  lower  prime  brokerage 
payables.

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As of

% change from
31.12.16
CHF billion
Short-term borrowings1
 59
Collateral trading2
 81
Trading portfolio
 33
Negative replacement values
 (24)
 (3)
Due to customers
Long-term debt issued3
 8
Other liabilities4
 (11)
TTotal IFRS liabilities
 (2)
Share capital
 0
Share premium
 (8)
Treasury shares
 (5)
 3
Retained earnings
Other comprehensive income5
 28
 (4)
TTotal IFRS equity attributable to shareholders
 (92)
IFRS equity attributable to non-controlling interests
 (6)
TTotal IFRS equity
TTotal IFRS liabilities and equity
 (2)
11 Consists of short-term debt issued and amounts due to banks.     2 Consists of repurchase agreements and cash collateral on securities lent.     3 Consists of long-term debt issued held at amortized cost and 
financial  liabilities  designated  at  fair  value.  The  classification  of  debt  issued  into  short-term  and  long-term  does  not  consider  any  early  redemption  features.     4  Includes  cash  collateral  payables  on  derivative 
instruments and prime brokerage payables.    5 Excludes defined benefit plans and own credit that are recorded directly in Retained earnings.

331.12.17
  58.5
  17.0
  30.5
  116.1
  409.0
  142.8
  90.4
  864.4
  0.4
  25.9
  (2.1)
  32.8
  (5.7)
  51.2
  0.1
  51.3
  915.6

31.12.16
 36.8
 9.4
 22.8
 153.8
 423.7
 132.5
 101.7
 880.7
 0.4
 28.3
 (2.2)
 31.7
 (4.5)
 53.6
 0.7
 54.3
 935.0

173 

 
 
 
 
Risk, treasury and capital management
Treasury management

These  decreases  were  offset  by  a  CHF 22  billion  increase  in 
short-term  borrowings,  which  represented  9%  of  our  funding 
sources, mainly reflecting net issuances of commercial paper and 
certificates  of  deposit,  primarily  to  support  short-term  funding 
requirements.

Long-term  debt  issued,  which  represented  21%  of  our 
funding sources as of 31 December 2017, increased by CHF 10 
billion,  mainly  due  to  an  CHF 11  billion  increase  in  long-term 
debt held at amortized cost, primarily reflecting the issuance of 
CHF 10  billion  equivalent  of  US  dollar-,  euro-  and  Swiss  franc-
denominated senior unsecured debt that contributes to our total 
loss-absorbing  capacity  (TLAC)  and  the  issuance  of  CHF 14 
billion  equivalent  of  senior  unsecured  debt,  partly  offset  by  the 
maturity  or  early  redemption  of  CHF 8  billion  equivalent  of 
senior  unsecured  debt  and  CHF 2  billion  equivalent  of  tier  2 
capital instruments. 

(cid:37)(cid:81)(cid:80)(cid:86)(cid:84)(cid:67)(cid:69)(cid:86)(cid:87)(cid:67)(cid:78)(cid:2)(cid:79)(cid:67)(cid:86)(cid:87)(cid:84)(cid:75)(cid:86)(cid:91)(cid:2)(cid:82)(cid:84)(cid:81)(cid:386)(cid:78)(cid:71)(cid:2)(cid:81)(cid:72)(cid:2)(cid:81)(cid:87)(cid:86)(cid:85)(cid:86)(cid:67)(cid:80)(cid:70)(cid:75)(cid:80)(cid:73)(cid:2)(cid:78)(cid:81)(cid:80)(cid:73)(cid:15)(cid:86)(cid:71)(cid:84)(cid:79)(cid:2)
(cid:70)(cid:71)(cid:68)(cid:86)(cid:2)(cid:74)(cid:71)(cid:78)(cid:70)(cid:2)(cid:67)(cid:86)(cid:2)(cid:67)(cid:79)(cid:81)(cid:84)(cid:86)(cid:75)(cid:92)(cid:71)(cid:70)(cid:2)(cid:69)(cid:81)(cid:85)(cid:86)
(cid:37)(cid:42)(cid:40)(cid:2)(cid:68)(cid:75)(cid:78)(cid:78)(cid:75)(cid:81)(cid:80)(cid:14)(cid:2)(cid:71)(cid:90)(cid:69)(cid:71)(cid:82)(cid:86)(cid:2)(cid:89)(cid:74)(cid:71)(cid:84)(cid:71)(cid:2)(cid:75)(cid:80)(cid:70)(cid:75)(cid:69)(cid:67)(cid:86)(cid:71)(cid:70)

(cid:35)(cid:85)(cid:2)(cid:81)(cid:72)(cid:2)(cid:21)(cid:19)(cid:16)(cid:19)(cid:20)(cid:16)(cid:19)(cid:25)

(cid:21)(cid:20)

(cid:20)(cid:22)

(cid:19)(cid:24)

(cid:2)(cid:2)(cid:26)

(cid:2)(cid:2)(cid:18)

(cid:20)(cid:18)(cid:19)(cid:26)

(cid:20)(cid:18)(cid:19)(cid:27)

(cid:20)(cid:18)(cid:20)(cid:18)

(cid:20)(cid:18)(cid:20)(cid:19)(cid:115)(cid:20)(cid:18)(cid:20)(cid:20) (cid:20)(cid:18)(cid:20)(cid:21)(cid:115)(cid:20)(cid:18)(cid:20)(cid:25) (cid:20)(cid:18)(cid:20)(cid:26)(cid:115)(cid:20)(cid:18)(cid:21)(cid:25)

(cid:67)(cid:72)(cid:86)(cid:71)(cid:84)(cid:2)(cid:20)(cid:18)(cid:21)(cid:25)

(cid:53)(cid:71)(cid:80)(cid:75)(cid:81)(cid:84)(cid:2)(cid:70)(cid:71)(cid:68)(cid:86)

(cid:53)(cid:87)(cid:68)(cid:81)(cid:84)(cid:70)(cid:75)(cid:80)(cid:67)(cid:86)(cid:71)(cid:70)(cid:2)(cid:70)(cid:71)(cid:68)(cid:86)

(cid:59)(cid:71)(cid:67)(cid:84)(cid:2)(cid:81)(cid:72)(cid:2)(cid:79)(cid:67)(cid:86)(cid:87)(cid:84)(cid:75)(cid:86)(cid:91)

liabilities 

Trading  portfolio 

increased  by  CHF 8  billion, 
primarily  reflecting  client-driven  increases  in  Corporate  Client 
transactions 
financing 
Solutions.  Payables 
increased by CHF 8 billion, primarily in Group ALM.

from  securities 

→ Refer to the document “UBS Group AG consolidated capital 
instruments and TLAC-eligible senior unsecured debt” under 

“Bondholder information” at www.ubs.com/investors for more 

information 

→ Refer to the “Consolidated financial statements” section of this 

report for more information

Funding by product and currency

Short-term borrowings

of which: due to banks
of which: short-term debt issued1

Securities financing transactions
of which: securities lending
of which: repurchase agreements
Cash collateral payables on derivative 
instruments
Due to customers

of which: demand deposits
of which: retail savings / deposits
of which: time deposits
of which: fiduciary deposits

Long-term debt issued2
Prime brokerage payables

TTotal

CCHF billion
AAll currencies
331.12.17 31.12.16
 36.8
 10.6
 26.2
 9.4
 2.8
 6.6

  58.5
  7.5
  51.0
  17.0
  1.8
  15.3

  30.2
 35.5
  409.0
 423.7
  188.6  194.0
  161.8  170.7
 52.7
  47.4
  11.2
 6.2
 132.5
  142.8
 32.0
  29.6

AAll currencies
331.12.17 31.12.16
 5.5
 1.6
 3.9
 1.4
 0.4
 1.0

  8.5
  1.1
  7.4
  2.5
  0.3
  2.2

  4.4
  59.5
  27.4
  23.5
  6.9
  1.6
  20.8
  4.3

 5.3
 63.2
 29.0
 25.5
 7.9
 0.9
 19.8
 4.8

  687.2

 669.9

  100.0

 100.0

AAs a percentage of total funding sources (%)
EEUR
331.12.17 31.12.16
 0.9
 0.1
 0.8
 0.3
 0.0
 0.3

CCHF
331.12.17 31.12.16
 0.6
 0.5
 0.1
 0.0
 0.0
 0.0

UUSD
331.12.17 31.12.16
 2.9
 0.7
 2.2
 1.0
 0.4
 0.6

  0.5
  0.4
  0.0
  0.0
  0.0
  0.0

  3.1
  0.1
  2.9
  0.3
  0.0
  0.3

  3.7
  0.3
  3.4
  2.0
  0.2
  1.8

  0.1
  24.7
  9.1
  14.5
  1.0
  0.1
  1.8
  0.1

  27.2

 0.2
 24.4
 8.9
 14.1
 1.4
 0.1
 1.9
 0.1

 27.2

  1.4
  7.2
  6.3
  0.8
  0.1
  0.0
  4.9
  0.5

 1.8
 7.7
 6.6
 0.8
 0.2
 0.1
 4.9
 0.6

  17.3

 16.2

  2.1
  22.2
  8.1
  8.2
  4.5
  1.4
  12.5
  2.5

  44.9

 2.3
 25.7
 9.6
 10.6
 4.9
 0.6
 11.6
 2.8

 46.2

OOther
331.12.17 31.12.16
 1.1
 0.3
 0.8
 0.1
 0.0
 0.1

  1.3
  0.2
  1.1
  0.2
  0.0
  0.2

  0.8
  5.4
  4.0
  0.0
  1.3
  0.1
  1.6
  1.3

 1.0
 5.4
 3.9
 0.0
 1.4
 0.1
 1.3
 1.3

  10.5

 10.3

11 Short-term debt issued is comprised of certificates of deposit, commercial paper, acceptances and promissory notes, and other money market paper.    2 Long-term debt issued also includes debt with a remaining 
time to maturity of less than one year. The classification of debt issued into short-term and long-term does not consider any early redemption features.

174 

(cid:35)(cid:85)(cid:85)(cid:71)(cid:86)(cid:2)(cid:72)(cid:87)(cid:80)(cid:70)(cid:75)(cid:80)(cid:73)
(cid:37)(cid:42)(cid:40)(cid:2)(cid:68)(cid:75)(cid:78)(cid:78)(cid:75)(cid:81)(cid:80)(cid:14)(cid:2)(cid:71)(cid:90)(cid:69)(cid:71)(cid:82)(cid:86)(cid:2)(cid:89)(cid:74)(cid:71)(cid:84)(cid:71)(cid:2)(cid:75)(cid:80)(cid:70)(cid:75)(cid:69)(cid:67)(cid:86)(cid:71)(cid:70)

(cid:19)(cid:18)(cid:20)

(cid:25)(cid:25)

(cid:27)(cid:18)

(cid:37)(cid:67)(cid:85)(cid:74)(cid:14)(cid:2)(cid:68)(cid:67)(cid:78)(cid:67)(cid:80)(cid:69)(cid:71)(cid:85)(cid:2)(cid:89)(cid:75)(cid:86)(cid:74)(cid:2)(cid:69)(cid:71)(cid:80)(cid:86)(cid:84)(cid:67)(cid:78)(cid:2)(cid:68)(cid:67)(cid:80)(cid:77)(cid:85)(cid:2)(cid:67)(cid:80)(cid:70)(cid:2)(cid:70)(cid:87)(cid:71)(cid:2)(cid:72)(cid:84)(cid:81)(cid:79)(cid:2)(cid:68)(cid:67)(cid:80)(cid:77)(cid:85)

(cid:40)(cid:75)(cid:80)(cid:67)(cid:80)(cid:69)(cid:75)(cid:67)(cid:78)(cid:2)(cid:75)(cid:80)(cid:88)(cid:71)(cid:85)(cid:86)(cid:79)(cid:71)(cid:80)(cid:86)(cid:85)(cid:2)(cid:70)(cid:71)(cid:85)(cid:75)(cid:73)(cid:80)(cid:67)(cid:86)(cid:71)(cid:70)(cid:2)(cid:67)(cid:86)(cid:2)(cid:72)(cid:67)(cid:75)(cid:84)(cid:2)(cid:88)(cid:67)(cid:78)(cid:87)(cid:71)(cid:14)(cid:2)
(cid:67)(cid:88)(cid:67)(cid:75)(cid:78)(cid:67)(cid:68)(cid:78)(cid:71)(cid:2)(cid:72)(cid:81)(cid:84)(cid:2)(cid:85)(cid:67)(cid:78)(cid:71)(cid:2)(cid:67)(cid:80)(cid:70)(cid:2)(cid:74)(cid:71)(cid:78)(cid:70)(cid:2)(cid:86)(cid:81)(cid:2)(cid:79)(cid:67)(cid:86)(cid:87)(cid:84)(cid:75)(cid:86)(cid:91)

(cid:53)(cid:71)(cid:69)(cid:87)(cid:84)(cid:75)(cid:86)(cid:75)(cid:71)(cid:85)(cid:2)(cid:386)(cid:80)(cid:67)(cid:80)(cid:69)(cid:75)(cid:80)(cid:73)(cid:2)(cid:86)(cid:84)(cid:67)(cid:80)(cid:85)(cid:67)(cid:69)(cid:86)(cid:75)(cid:81)(cid:80)(cid:85)

(cid:19)(cid:21)(cid:19)

(cid:54)(cid:84)(cid:67)(cid:70)(cid:75)(cid:80)(cid:73)(cid:2)(cid:82)(cid:81)(cid:84)(cid:86)(cid:72)(cid:81)(cid:78)(cid:75)(cid:81)(cid:2)

(cid:21)(cid:20)(cid:18)

(cid:46)(cid:81)(cid:67)(cid:80)(cid:85)

(cid:37)(cid:42)(cid:40)(cid:2)(cid:25)(cid:21)(cid:2)(cid:68)(cid:75)(cid:78)(cid:78)(cid:75)(cid:81)(cid:80)(cid:2)
(cid:69)(cid:81)(cid:78)(cid:78)(cid:67)(cid:86)(cid:71)(cid:84)(cid:67)(cid:78)(cid:2)
(cid:85)(cid:87)(cid:84)(cid:82)(cid:78)(cid:87)(cid:85)

(cid:19)(cid:20)(cid:26)(cid:7)(cid:2)(cid:69)(cid:81)(cid:88)(cid:71)(cid:84)(cid:67)(cid:73)(cid:71)(cid:2)
(cid:37)(cid:42)(cid:40)(cid:2)(cid:26)(cid:27)(cid:2)(cid:68)(cid:75)(cid:78)(cid:78)(cid:75)(cid:81)(cid:80)(cid:2)(cid:85)(cid:87)(cid:84)(cid:82)(cid:78)(cid:87)(cid:85)

(cid:53)(cid:74)(cid:81)(cid:84)(cid:86)(cid:15)(cid:86)(cid:71)(cid:84)(cid:79)(cid:2)(cid:68)(cid:81)(cid:84)(cid:84)(cid:81)(cid:89)(cid:75)(cid:80)(cid:73)(cid:85)
(cid:53)(cid:71)(cid:69)(cid:87)(cid:84)(cid:75)(cid:86)(cid:75)(cid:71)(cid:85)(cid:2)(cid:386)(cid:80)(cid:67)(cid:80)(cid:69)(cid:75)(cid:80)(cid:73)(cid:2)(cid:86)(cid:84)(cid:67)(cid:80)(cid:85)(cid:67)(cid:69)(cid:86)(cid:75)(cid:81)(cid:80)(cid:85)
(cid:54)(cid:84)(cid:67)(cid:70)(cid:75)(cid:80)(cid:73)(cid:2)(cid:82)(cid:81)(cid:84)(cid:86)(cid:72)(cid:81)(cid:78)(cid:75)(cid:81)(cid:2)

(cid:38)(cid:71)(cid:79)(cid:67)(cid:80)(cid:70)(cid:2)(cid:70)(cid:71)(cid:82)(cid:81)(cid:85)(cid:75)(cid:86)(cid:85)

(cid:52)(cid:71)(cid:86)(cid:67)(cid:75)(cid:78)(cid:2)(cid:85)(cid:67)(cid:88)(cid:75)(cid:80)(cid:73)(cid:85)(cid:17) (cid:70)(cid:71)(cid:82)(cid:81)(cid:85)(cid:75)(cid:86)(cid:85)

(cid:54)(cid:75)(cid:79)(cid:71)(cid:2)(cid:70)(cid:71)(cid:82)(cid:81)(cid:85)(cid:75)(cid:86)(cid:85)
(cid:40)(cid:75)(cid:70)(cid:87)(cid:69)(cid:75)(cid:67)(cid:84)(cid:91)(cid:2)(cid:70)(cid:71)(cid:82)(cid:81)(cid:85)(cid:75)(cid:86)(cid:85)
(cid:40)(cid:75)(cid:80)(cid:67)(cid:80)(cid:69)(cid:75)(cid:67)(cid:78)(cid:2)(cid:78)(cid:75)(cid:67)(cid:68)(cid:75)(cid:78)(cid:75)(cid:86)(cid:75)(cid:71)(cid:85)(cid:2)(cid:70)(cid:71)(cid:85)(cid:75)(cid:73)(cid:80)(cid:67)(cid:86)(cid:71)(cid:70)(cid:2)(cid:67)(cid:86)(cid:2)(cid:72)(cid:67)(cid:75)(cid:84)(cid:2)(cid:88)(cid:67)(cid:78)(cid:87)(cid:71)(cid:142)

(cid:42)(cid:71)(cid:78)(cid:70)(cid:2)(cid:67)(cid:86)(cid:2)(cid:67)(cid:79)(cid:81)(cid:84)(cid:86)(cid:75)(cid:92)(cid:71)(cid:70)(cid:2)(cid:69)(cid:81)(cid:85)(cid:86)

(cid:85)
(cid:84)
(cid:71)
(cid:79)
(cid:81)
(cid:86)
(cid:85)
(cid:87)
(cid:69)
(cid:2)
(cid:81)
(cid:86)
(cid:2)
(cid:71)
(cid:87)
(cid:38)

(cid:149)
(cid:70)
(cid:71)
(cid:87)
(cid:85)
(cid:85)
(cid:75)
(cid:2)
(cid:86)
(cid:68)
(cid:71)
(cid:70)

(cid:2)

(cid:79)
(cid:84)
(cid:71)
(cid:86)
(cid:15)
(cid:73)
(cid:80)
(cid:81)
(cid:46)

(cid:49)(cid:86)(cid:74)(cid:71)(cid:84)

(cid:26)(cid:19)

(cid:49)(cid:86)(cid:74)(cid:71)(cid:84)(cid:2)(cid:10)(cid:75)(cid:80)(cid:69)(cid:78)(cid:87)(cid:70)(cid:75)(cid:80)(cid:73)(cid:2)(cid:80)(cid:71)(cid:86)(cid:2)(cid:84)(cid:71)(cid:82)(cid:78)(cid:67)(cid:69)(cid:71)(cid:79)(cid:71)(cid:80)(cid:86)(cid:2)(cid:88)(cid:67)(cid:78)(cid:87)(cid:71)(cid:85)(cid:11)

(cid:54)(cid:81)(cid:86)(cid:67)(cid:78)(cid:2)(cid:71)(cid:83)(cid:87)(cid:75)(cid:86)(cid:91)

(cid:35)(cid:85)(cid:85)(cid:71)(cid:86)(cid:85)

(cid:46)(cid:75)(cid:67)(cid:68)(cid:75)(cid:78)(cid:75)(cid:86)(cid:75)(cid:71)(cid:85)(cid:2)(cid:67)(cid:80)(cid:70)(cid:2)(cid:71)(cid:83)(cid:87)(cid:75)(cid:86)(cid:91)

(cid:19)(cid:2)(cid:46)(cid:81)(cid:80)(cid:73)(cid:15)(cid:86)(cid:71)(cid:84)(cid:79)(cid:2)(cid:70)(cid:71)(cid:68)(cid:86)(cid:2)(cid:75)(cid:85)(cid:85)(cid:87)(cid:71)(cid:70)(cid:2)(cid:67)(cid:78)(cid:85)(cid:81)(cid:2)(cid:75)(cid:80)(cid:69)(cid:78)(cid:87)(cid:70)(cid:71)(cid:85)(cid:2)(cid:70)(cid:71)(cid:68)(cid:86)(cid:2)(cid:89)(cid:75)(cid:86)(cid:74)(cid:2)(cid:67)(cid:2)(cid:84)(cid:71)(cid:79)(cid:67)(cid:75)(cid:80)(cid:75)(cid:80)(cid:73)(cid:2)(cid:86)(cid:75)(cid:79)(cid:71)(cid:2)(cid:86)(cid:81)(cid:2)(cid:79)(cid:67)(cid:86)(cid:87)(cid:84)(cid:75)(cid:86)(cid:91)(cid:2)(cid:81)(cid:72)(cid:2)(cid:78)(cid:71)(cid:85)(cid:85)(cid:2)(cid:86)(cid:74)(cid:67)(cid:80)(cid:2)(cid:81)(cid:80)(cid:71)(cid:2)(cid:91)(cid:71)(cid:67)(cid:84)(cid:16)(cid:2)(cid:2)(cid:2)(cid:2)(cid:20)(cid:2)(cid:43)(cid:80)(cid:69)(cid:78)(cid:87)(cid:70)(cid:75)(cid:80)(cid:73)(cid:2)(cid:85)(cid:86)(cid:84)(cid:87)(cid:69)(cid:86)(cid:87)(cid:84)(cid:71)(cid:70)(cid:2)(cid:81)(cid:88)(cid:71)(cid:84)(cid:15)(cid:86)(cid:74)(cid:71)(cid:15)(cid:69)(cid:81)(cid:87)(cid:80)(cid:86)(cid:71)(cid:84)(cid:2)(cid:70)(cid:71)(cid:68)(cid:86)(cid:2)(cid:75)(cid:80)(cid:85)(cid:86)(cid:84)(cid:87)(cid:79)(cid:71)(cid:80)(cid:86)(cid:85)(cid:16)

(cid:35)(cid:85)(cid:2)(cid:81)(cid:72)(cid:2)(cid:21)(cid:19)(cid:16)(cid:19)(cid:20)(cid:16)(cid:19)(cid:25)

(cid:22)(cid:18)(cid:27)

(cid:19)(cid:22)(cid:21)

(cid:23)(cid:26)

(cid:19)(cid:25)

(cid:21)(cid:18)
(cid:19)(cid:26)(cid:27)

(cid:19)(cid:24)(cid:20)

(cid:22)(cid:25)

(cid:19)(cid:19)

(cid:23)(cid:22)

(cid:26)(cid:27)

(cid:27)(cid:18)

(cid:23)(cid:19)

Equity 
Equity  attributable  to  shareholders  decreased  by  CHF 2,407 
million to CHF 51,214 million as of 31 December 2017.

Total comprehensive income attributable to shareholders was 
negative  CHF 210  million,  reflecting  net  profit  of  CHF 1,053 
million  and  negative  other  comprehensive  income  (OCI)  of 
CHF 1,263  million.  Negative  OCI  included  net  losses  on  cash 
flow  hedges  of  CHF 621  million,  foreign  currency  translation 
losses of CHF 530 million, own credit losses of CHF 313 million 
and negative OCI related to financial assets available for sale of 
CHF 86  million,  partly  offset  by  net  gains  on  defined  benefit 
plans of CHF 288 million.

Share premium decreased by CHF 2,313 million, primarily due 
to  the  distribution  of  CHF 2,229  million  out  of  the  capital 
contribution  reserve  and  a  reduction  of  CHF 845  million  from 
the delivery of treasury shares under share-based compensation 
plans, partly offset by an increase of CHF 721 million due to the 
amortization  of  deferred  equity  compensation  awards  in  the 
income statement.

Net  treasury  share  activity  increased  equity  attributable  to 
shareholders  by  CHF 116  million,  mainly  reflecting  the  net 
disposal  of  treasury  shares  related  to  employee  share-based 
compensation awards.

Equity  attributable  to  non-controlling  interests  decreased  by 
CHF 625 million to CHF 57 million, primarily as we redeemed a 
EUR  600  million  non-Basel  III-compliant  hybrid  tier  1  capital 
instrument on its first call date.

→ Refer to the “Group performance” and “Consolidated financial 

statements” sections of this report for more information

Net stable funding ratio
The  NSFR  framework  is  intended  to  limit  overreliance  on  short-
term  wholesale  funding,  to  encourage  a  better  assessment  of 
funding  risk  across  all  on-  and  off-balance  sheet  items  and  to 
promote funding stability. The NSFR consists of two components: 
available  stable  funding  (ASF)  and  required  stable  funding  (RSF). 
ASF is the portion of capital and liabilities expected to be available 
over the period of one year. RSF is a measure of the stable funding 
requirement of an asset based on its maturity, encumbrance and 
other  characteristics,  as  well  as  the  potential  for  contingent  calls 
on  funding  liquidity  from  off-balance  sheet  exposures.  The  Basel 
Committee  on  Banking  Supervision  (BCBS)  NSFR  regulatory 
framework requires a ratio of at least 100% from 2018. 

We  report  our  estimated  pro  forma  NSFR  based  on  current 
guidance  from  FINMA  and  will  adjust  our  NSFR  reporting 
according to the final implementation of the BCBS NSFR disclosure 
standards in Switzerland. 

As of 31 December 2017, our estimated pro forma NSFR was 
105%,  a  decrease  of  11  percentage  points  from  31  December 
2016,  primarily  reflecting  a  CHF 44  billion  increase  in  required 
stable  funding,  mainly  driven  by  an  increase  in  trading  assets, 
loans and prime brokerage receivables. The calculation of our pro 
forma NSFR includes interpretation and estimates of the effect of 
the  NSFR  rules,  and  will  be  refined  as  regulatory  interpretations 
evolve and as new models and associated systems are enhanced. 
In  November  2017,  the  Swiss  Federal  Council  informed  that  the 
introduction  of  the  NSFR,  which  was  originally  planned  for 
1 January  2018,  has  been  postponed  and  that  it  will  reconsider 
the matter at the end of 2018.

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Pro forma net stable funding ratio

CHF billion, except where indicated

Available stable funding

Required stable funding

PPro forma net stable funding ratio (%)

331.12.17

31.12.16

  447

  425

  105

 442

 381

 116

175 

 
 
 
 
Risk, treasury and capital management
Treasury management

Internal funding and funds transfer pricing
We  employ  an  integrated  liquidity  and  funding  framework  to 
govern  the  liquidity  management  of  all  our  branches  and 
subsidiaries,  and  our  major  sources  of  liquidity  are  channeled 
through  entities  that  are  fully  consolidated.  Group  ALM  meets 
internal demands for funding by channeling funds from entities 
generating surplus cash to those in need of financing, except in 
those circumstances where transfer restrictions exist.

Funding  costs  and  benefits  are  allocated  to  our  business 
divisions  and  Non-core  and  Legacy  Portfolio  according  to  our 
liquidity and funding risk management framework. Our internal 
funds  transfer  pricing  system,  which  is  governed  by  Group 
Treasury,  is  designed  to  provide  the  proper  liability  structure  to 
support  the  assets  and  planned  activities  of  each  business 
division.  The  funds  transfer  pricing  mechanism  aims  to  allocate 
funding  and  liquidity  costs  to  the  activities  generating  the 
liquidity  and  funding  risks,  and  deals  with  the  movement  of 
funds  from  those  businesses  in  surplus  to  those  that  have  a 
shortfall.  Funding  is  internally  transferred  or  allocated  among 
businesses at rates and tenors that reflect each business’s asset 
composition,  liquidity  and  reliable  external  funding  and,  for 
major  subsidiaries,  is  entity-specific.  We  regularly  review  our 
transfer  pricing  mechanisms,  and  make 
internal 
enhancements where appropriate to help better accomplish our 
liquidity and funding management objectives.

funds 

Credit ratings
Credit  ratings  can  affect  the  cost  and  availability  of  funding, 
especially funding from wholesale unsecured sources. Our credit 
ratings  can  also  influence  the  performance  of  some  of  our 
businesses and the levels of client and counterparty confidence. 
Rating  agencies  take  into  account  a  range  of  factors  when 
assessing  creditworthiness  and  setting  credit  ratings.  These 
include  the  company’s  strategy,  its  business  position  and 
franchise  value,  stability  and  quality  of  earnings,  capital 
adequacy,  risk  profile  and  management,  liquidity  management, 
diversification  of  funding  sources,  asset  quality  and  corporate 
governance.  Credit  ratings  reflect  the  opinions  of  the  rating 
agencies and can change at any time.

In  evaluating  our  liquidity  and  funding  requirements,  we 
consider the potential impact of a reduction in UBS’s long-term 
credit  ratings  and  a  corresponding  reduction  in  short-term 
ratings. 

If  our  credit  ratings  were  to  be  downgraded,  rating  trigger 
clauses could result in an immediate cash settlement or the need 
to deliver additional collateral to counterparties from contractual 
obligations related to over-the-counter (OTC) derivative positions 
and  other  obligations.  Based  on  our  credit  ratings  as  of 
31 December 2017, CHF 0.1 billion, CHF 0.4 billion and CHF 1.3 
billion  would  have  been 
for  such  contractual 
obligations  in  the  event  of  a  one-notch,  two-notch  and  three-

required 

notch  reduction  in  long-term  credit  ratings,  respectively.  Of 
these,  the  portion  related  to  additional  collateral  is  CHF 0.1 
billion, CHF 0.3 billion and CHF 0.8 billion, respectively.

There were two main rating actions on UBS Group AG’s and 
UBS  AG’s  solicited  credit  ratings  in  2017  and  one  rating  action 
related to UBS Group AG in 2018 up to the date of this report.

On  28  September  2017,  Fitch  Ratings  upgraded  UBS  Group 
AG’s long-term issuer default rating to A+ (stable outlook) from 
A, and UBS AG’s long-term issuer default rating to AA– (stable 
outlook) from A+. 

On  25  September  2017,  Scope  Ratings  AG  upgraded  UBS 
Group  AG’s  issuer  credit  strength  rating  to  A+  (stable  outlook) 
from  A,  and  UBS  AG’s  issuer  credit  strength  rating  to  AA– 
(stable outlook) from A.

On  29  January  2018,  Standard  &  Poor’s  Global  Ratings 
downgraded  UBS  Group  AG’s  high-trigger  additional  tier  1 
instruments rating to BB (stable outlook) from BB+.

→ Refer to “Liquidity and funding management are critical to our 
ongoing performance” in the “Risk factors” section of this 

report for more information

Maturity analysis of assets and liabilities

The table on the following page provides an analysis of on- and 
off-balance  sheet  assets  and  liabilities  by  residual  contractual 
maturity as of the balance sheet date. The contractual maturity 
of  liabilities  is  based  on  carrying  amounts  and  the  earliest  date 
on which we could be required to pay. The contractual maturity 
of  assets  is  based  on  carrying  amounts  and  the  latest  date  the 
asset will mature. The presentation of liabilities at carrying value 
in this table differs from “Note 25d Maturity analysis of financial 
liabilities” in the “Consolidated financial statements” section of 
liabilities  are  presented  on  an 
this  report,  where  these 
undiscounted  basis,  as  required  by 
International  Financial 
Reporting Standards (IFRS).

Derivative replacement values and trading portfolio assets and 
liabilities are assigned to the column Due within 1 month, noting 
that  the  respective  contractual  maturities  may  extend  over 
significantly longer periods. 

Other  financial  assets  and  liabilities  with  no  contractual 
maturity, such as equity securities, are included in the Perpetual / 
Not  applicable  time  bucket.  Undated  or  perpetual  instruments 
are  classified  based  on  the  contractual  notice  period  that  the 
counterparty of the instrument is entitled to give. Where there is 
no contractual notice period, undated or perpetual contracts are 
included in the Perpetual / Not applicable time bucket.

Non-financial  assets  and 

liabilities  with  no  contractual 
maturity are generally included in the Perpetual / Not applicable 
time bucket.

Loan  commitments  are  classified  on  the  basis  of  the  earliest 

date they can be drawn down.

176 

Due 
within
1 month

Due
between
1 and 3
months

Due
between
3 and 6
months

Due
between
6 and 9
months

Due
between
9 and 12
months

Due
between
1 and 2
years

Due
between
2 and 5
years

Due over
5 years

Perpetual /
Not 
applicable

Total

Maturity analysis of assets and liabilities

CHF billion

Assets
Cash and balances with central banks
Due from banks
Cash collateral on securities borrowed
Reverse repurchase agreements
Trading portfolio assets
Positive replacement values
Cash collateral receivables on derivative instruments
Loans

of which: residential mortgages
of which: commercial mortgages
of which: Lombard loans
of which: other loans
of which: securities

Financial assets designated at fair value
Financial assets available for sale
Financial assets held to maturity
Investments in associates
Property, equipment and software
Goodwill and intangible assets
Deferred tax assets
Other assets
TTotal assets as of 31 December 2017
TTotal assets as of 31 December 2016

Liabilities
Due to banks
Cash collateral on securities lent
Repurchase agreements
Trading portfolio liabilities
Negative replacement values
Cash collateral payables on derivative instruments
Due to customers
Financial liabilities designated at fair value
Debt issued
Provisions
Other liabilities
TTotal liabilities as of 31 December 2017
TTotal liabilities as of 31 December 2016

GGuarantees, commitments and forward starting transactions
Loan commitments
Guarantees
Reverse repurchase agreements
Securities borrowing agreements
TTotal as of 31 December 2017
TTotal as of 31 December 2016

 87.7
 12.4
 12.4
 40.9
 130.7
 118.2
 23.4
 117.7
 12.1
 3.6
 88.7
 13.3

 4.7
 0.7

 25.3
  574.2
 591.6

 6.1
 1.6
 11.8
 30.5
 116.1
 30.2
 393.0
 18.6
 4.0
 3.1
 52.3
  667.5
 720.2

 38.6
 18.8
 12.7
 0.0
  70.1
 81.0

 38.3
 21.7
 5.5
 9.1
 2.1

 9.7
 0.1

 0.1
  70.7
 73.4

 0.4
 0.1
 2.8

 10.2
 10.2
 14.1

 2.9
  40.7
 40.4

 0.2
 0.0

  0.2
 0.2

 0.7
 0.0
 21.7

 0.3

 5.8

 0.1
 0.0
 2.6

 0.1

 1.6

 0.0

 0.4

 0.2
 0.0
 4.2

 7.0
 3.1
 0.4
 2.8
 0.6

 4.7
 0.4
 1.2

 0.0
  17.5
 18.2

 0.4

 0.2

 1.8
 2.5
 10.9

  15.8
 12.9

 13.8
 6.0
 1.2
 4.9
 1.7

 5.0
 0.2
 0.7

 0.0
  25.9
 22.5

 0.5

 0.3

 2.8
 5.5
 21.8

  30.8
 19.5

 8.9
 3.5
 0.5
 3.3
 1.6

 10.4
 0.2
 0.7

 0.1
  22.9
 20.8

 0.0

 0.1

 0.5
 3.2
 10.8

  14.6
 6.0

 24.4
 14.5
 1.5
 2.4
 6.0

 6.5
 0.9
 1.5

 0.1
  35.0
 43.2

 0.1

 0.0

 0.3
 3.5
 9.5

 0.5
  14.0
 12.6

 87.8
 13.7
 12.4
 77.2
 130.7
 118.2
 23.4
 319.6
   144.4
 18.7
   115.0
 39.4
 2.1
 58.9
 8.7
 9.2
 1.0
 8.8
 6.4
 9.8
 29.7
  915.6
 935.0

 0.6
 0.7

 1.0
 8.8
 6.4
 9.8

  27.4
 30.3

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 0.1
 0.0

 47.2
 40.9
 2.1
 0.2
 1.9
 2.1
 1.3
 4.1
 3.1

 62.3
 42.7
 3.9
 3.5
 12.2

 16.1
 1.4
 2.0

 2.2
  84.4
 75.4

 1.9
  57.6
 59.7

 0.0

 0.0

 0.3
 4.5
 33.0

 0.2
  38.0
 25.7

 0.1
 6.2
 27.9

 0.3
  34.4
 34.8

 7.6

 1.0
  8.6
 8.5

 0.1

 0.0

 0.0

 0.1

  0.1
 0.1

  0.0
 0.0

  0.0
 0.0

  0.1
 0.0

  0.0
 0.0

  0.0
 0.0

 7.5
 1.8
 15.3
 30.5
 116.1
 30.2
 409.0
 54.2
 139.6
 3.1
 57.1
  864.4
 880.7

 39.1
 18.9
 12.7
 0.0
  70.6
 81.4

177 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Risk, treasury and capital management
Treasury management

Off-balance sheet

Off-balance sheet arrangements

In the normal course of business, we enter into transactions that 
may not be recognized in whole or in part on our balance sheet 
in  accordance  with  IFRS.  These  transactions  include  derivative 
instruments,  guarantees  and  similar  arrangements,  as  well  as 
some  purchased  and  retained  interests  in  non-consolidated 
structured  entities  (SEs),  which  are  transacted  for  a  number  of 
reasons,  including  hedging  and  market-making  activities,  to 
meet  specific  needs  of  our  clients  or  to  offer  investment 
opportunities  to  clients  through  entities  that  are  not  controlled 
by us.

When we incur an obligation or become entitled to an asset 
through these arrangements, we recognize them on the balance 
sheet.  It  should  be  noted  that  in  certain  instances  the  amount 
recognized on the balance sheet does not represent the full gain 
or loss potential inherent in such arrangements.

→ Refer to “Note 1a Significant accounting policies, items 1, 3a 
and 3d” and “Note 28 Interests in subsidiaries and other 

entities” in the “Consolidated financial statements” section of 

this report for more information 

The  following  paragraphs  provide  more  information  on 
several  distinct  off-balance  sheet  arrangements.  Additional  off-
balance sheet information is primarily provided in Notes 12, 20, 
23,  28  and  31  in  the  “Consolidated  financial  statements” 
section of this report, as well as in the 31 December 2017 Pillar 
3 report – Group and significant regulated subsidiaries and sub-
groups under “Pillar 3 disclosures” at www.ubs.com/investors.

Risk disclosures, including our involvement with off-balance 
sheet vehicles
Refer  to  the  “Risk  management  and  control”  section  of  this 
report  for  comprehensive  credit,  market  and  liquidity  risk 
information  related  to  our  exposures,  which  includes  exposures 
to off-balance sheet vehicles.

Support provided to non-consolidated investment funds
In 2017, the Group did not provide material support, financial or 
otherwise, to unconsolidated investment funds when the Group 
was  not  contractually  obligated  to  do  so,  nor  does  the  Group 
have an intention to do so.

178 

Guarantees and similar arrangements
In  the  normal  course  of  business,  we  issue  various  forms  of 
guarantees,  commitments  to  extend  credit,  standby  and  other 
letters  of  credit  to  support  our  clients,  commitments  to  enter 
into  forward  starting  transactions,  note  issuance  facilities  and 
revolving  underwriting  facilities.  With  the  exception  of  related 
premiums, generally these guarantees and similar obligations are 
kept  as  off-balance  sheet  items  unless  a  provision  to  cover 
probable losses is required.

As of 31 December 2017, the net exposure (gross values less 
sub-participations) from guarantees and similar instruments was 
CHF 16.0  billion  compared  with  CHF 13.8  billion  as  of 
31 December  2016.  Fee  income  from  issuing  guarantees  was 
not significant to total revenues in 2017 and 2016.

Guarantees  represent  irrevocable  assurances  that,  subject  to 
the satisfaction of certain conditions, we will make payments in 
the  event  that  our  clients  fail  to  fulfill  their  obligations  to  third 
parties. We also enter into commitments to extend credit in the 
form  of  credit  lines  that  are  available  to  secure  the  liquidity 
needs of our clients. The majority of these unutilized credit lines 
range in maturity from one month to five years. If customers fail 
to meet their obligations, our maximum exposure to credit risk is 
the  contractual  amount  of  these  instruments.  The  risk  is  similar 
to the risk involved in extending loan facilities and is subject to 
the same risk management and control framework. In 2017, we 
recognized a net credit loss recovery of CHF 21 million related to 
loan  commitments  and  guarantees  compared  with  a  net  credit 
loss expense of CHF 9 million in 2016. Provisions recognized for 
guarantees  and  loan  commitments  were  CHF 33  million  as  of 
31 December  2017  and  CHF 54  million  as  of  31  December 
2016.

→ Refer to “Note 11 Allowances and provisions for credit losses” 

in the “Consolidated financial statements” section of this report 

for more information on provisions for loan commitments and 

guarantees

into  partial 

For  certain  obligations,  we  enter 

sub-
participations to mitigate various risks from guarantees and loan 
commitments.  A  sub-participation  is  an  agreement  by  another 
party to take a share of the loss in the event that the obligation 
is  not  fulfilled  by  the  obligor  and,  where  applicable,  to  fund  a 
part of the credit facility. We retain the contractual relationship 
with  the  obligor,  and  the  sub-participant  has  only  an  indirect 
relationship.  We  only  enter  into  sub-participation  agreements 
with banks to which we ascribe a credit rating equal to or better 
than that of the obligor.

Furthermore,  we  provide  representations,  warranties  and 
indemnifications  to  third  parties  in  the  normal  course  of 
business.

Guarantees, commitments and forward starting transactions

The table below shows the maximum irrevocable amount of guarantees, commitments and forward starting transactions.

CHF million
GGuarantees

Credit guarantees and similar instruments

Performance guarantees and similar instruments

Documentary credits

TTotal guarantees

LLoan commitments

FForward starting transactions1

Reverse repurchase agreements

Securities borrowing agreements

Repurchase agreements

11 Cash to be paid in the future by either UBS or the counterparty.

331.12.17

31.12.16

GGross

SSub-participations

NNet

Gross

Sub-participations

Net

  8,428

  3,420

  7,007

  18,854

  39,069

  12,683

  23

  8,187

  (433)

  (823)

  (1,612)

  (2,867)

  (1,074)

  7,995

  2,597

  5,395

  15,987

  37,995

 6,447

 3,190

 7,074

 16,711

 54,430

 10,178

 36

 5,984

 (424)

 (696)

 (1,761)

 (2,881)

 (1,513)

 6,023

 2,494

 5,313

 13,830

 52,917

Clearing house and exchange memberships
We  are  a  member  of  numerous  securities  and  derivative 
exchanges  and  clearing  houses.  In  connection  with  some  of 
those  memberships,  we  may  be  required  to  pay  a  share  of  the 
financial  obligations  of  another  member  who  defaults  or  we 
may  be  otherwise  exposed  to  additional  financial  obligations. 
While  the  membership  rules  vary,  obligations  generally  would 
arise  only  if  the  exchange  or  clearing  house  had  exhausted  its 
resources. We consider the probability of a material loss due to 
such obligations to be remote.

Deposit insurance
Swiss  banking  law  and  the  deposit  insurance  system  require 
Swiss  banks  and  securities  dealers  to  jointly  guarantee  an 
amount  of  up  to  CHF 6  billion  for  privileged  client  deposits  in 
the  event  that  a  Swiss  bank  or  securities  dealer  becomes 
insolvent.  FINMA  estimates  our  share  in  the  deposit  insurance 
system to be CHF 0.9 billion. 

As  a  member  of  the  Deposit  Protection  Fund  of  the 
Association  of  German  Banks  (the  Fund),  we  are  required  to 
provide  an  indemnity  to  the  Fund  related  to  its  coverage  of 
certain  non-institutional  deposits  for  amounts  above  EUR  0.1 
million  and  below  EUR  261  million  per  depositor  in  the  event 
that a German bank becomes unable to meet its obligations.

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The 

aforementioned  deposit 

requirements 
represent  a  contingent  payment  obligation  and  expose  us  to 
additional  risk.  As  of  31  December  2017,  we  considered  the 
probability of a material loss from our obligations to be remote.

insurance 

179 

 
 
 
 
Risk, treasury and capital management
Treasury management

Contractual obligations
The  table  below  summarizes  payments  due  by  period  under 
contractual obligations as of 31 December 2017.

All  contractual  obligations  included  in  this  table,  with  the 
exception  of  purchase  obligations  (i.e.,  those  in  which  we  are 

committed  to  purchasing  determined  volumes  of  goods  and 
services), are either recognized as liabilities on our balance sheet 
or,  in  the  case  of  operating  leases,  disclosed  in  “Note  31 
Operating  leases  and  finance  leases”  in  the  “Consolidated 
financial statements” section of this report.

Contractual obligations

CHF million

Long-term debt obligations

Finance lease obligations

Operating lease obligations

Purchase obligations

TTotal as of 31 December 2017

Payment due by period

Within 1 year

 53,671

 3

 666

 1,229

  55,569

1–3 years

 34,431

 5

 1,118

 1,049

  36,604

3–5 years

Over 5 years

Total

 25,203

 45,172

 158,476

 0

 811

 320

 18

 2,013

 220

 26

 4,608

 2,819

  26,335

  47,422

  165,929

Long-term  debt  obligations  as  of  31  December  2017  were 
CHF 158 billion. They consisted of financial liabilities designated 
at fair value (CHF 56 billion) and long-term debt issued (CHF 102 
billion)  and  represent  estimated  future  interest  and  principal 
payments on an undiscounted basis. 

→ Refer to “Note 25d Maturity analysis of financial liabilities” in 
the “Consolidated financial statements” section of this report 

for more information

Approximately half of total long-term debt obligations had a 
variable  rate  of  interest.  Amounts  due  on  interest  rate  swaps 
used  to  hedge  interest  rate  risk  inherent  in  fixed-rate  debt 
issued,  and  designated 
fair  value  hedge  accounting 
relationships,  are  not  included  in  the  table  above.  The  notional 
amount  of  these  interest  rate  swaps  was  CHF 60  billion  as  of 
31 December  2017.  Financial  liabilities  designated  at  fair  value 
mostly  consist  of 
structured  notes  and  are  generally 
economically  hedged,  but  it  would  not  be  practicable  to 

in 

estimate the amount and / or timing of the payments on interest 
swaps  used  to  hedge  these  instruments  as  interest  rate  risk 
inherent  in  respective  liabilities  is  generally  risk  managed  on  a 
portfolio level.

Within  purchase  obligations,  the  obligation  to  employees 
under  mandatory  notice  periods  is  excluded  (i.e.,  the  period  in 
which  we  must  pay  contractually  agreed  salaries  to  employees 
leaving the firm).

Our  liabilities  recognized  on  the  balance  sheet  as  Due  to 
banks, Cash collateral on securities lent, Repurchase agreements, 
Trading  portfolio  liabilities,  Negative  replacement  values,  Cash 
collateral payables on derivative instruments, Due to customers, 
Provisions  and  Other  liabilities  are  excluded  from  the  table 
above. 

→ Refer to the respective Notes in the “Consolidated financial 
statements” section of this report for more information 

180 

Currency management

Strategy, objectives and governance

Our  Group  currency  management  activities  are  designed  to 
reduce adverse currency effects on our reported financial results 
in Swiss francs, within limits set by the BoD. Group ALM focuses 
on  three  principal  areas  of  currency  risk  management:  (i) 
currency-matched  funding  and  investment  of  non-Swiss  franc 
assets and liabilities, (ii) sell-down of non-Swiss franc profits and 
losses  and  (iii)  selective  hedging  of  anticipated  non-Swiss  franc 
profits and losses. Non-trading foreign exchange risks arising on 
transactions denominated in a currency other than the reporting 
entity’s  functional  currency  are  managed  under  market  risk 
limits.  Activities  performed  by  Group  ALM 
the 
management  of  the  structural  currency  composition  at  the 
consolidated Group level.

include 

Currency-matched funding and investment of non-Swiss franc 
assets and liabilities
For monetary balance sheet items and non-core investments, as 
far  as  it  is  practical  and  efficient,  we  follow  the  principle  of 
matching  the  currencies  of  our  assets  and  liabilities  for  funding 
purposes.  This  avoids  profits  and  losses  arising  from  the 
translation of non-Swiss franc assets and liabilities.

Net  investment  hedge  accounting  is  applied  to  non-Swiss 
franc core investments to balance the effect of foreign exchange 
movements  on  both  common  equity  tier  1  (CET1)  capital  and 
the CET1 capital ratio on a fully applied basis.

→ Refer to “Note 1a Significant accounting policies” and “Note 12 

Derivative instruments and hedge accounting” in the 

“Consolidated financial statements” section of this report for 

more information

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Sell-down of non-Swiss franc reported profits and losses
Income  statement  items  of  foreign  subsidiaries  and  branches 
with  a  functional  currency  other  than  the  Swiss  franc  are 
translated  into  Swiss  francs  on  a  monthly  basis  using  the 
relevant  month-end  rate.  To  reduce  earnings  volatility  on  the 
foreign 
translation  of  previously 
currencies,  Group  ALM  centralizes  the  profits  and  losses  arising 
in  UBS  AG  and  its  branches  and  sells  or  buys  the  profit  or  loss 
for  Swiss  francs.  Our  foreign  subsidiaries  follow  a  similar 
monthly sell-down process into their own functional currencies. 
Retained  earnings  in  foreign  subsidiaries  with  a  functional 
currency other than the Swiss franc are integrated and managed 
as part of our net investment hedge accounting program.

recognized  earnings 

in 

Hedging of anticipated non-Swiss franc profits and losses
The  Group  ALCO  may  at  any  time  instruct  Group  ALM  to 
execute hedges to protect anticipated future profits and losses in 
foreign  currencies  against  possible  adverse  trends  of  foreign 
exchange  rates.  Although  intended  to  hedge  future  earnings, 
these transactions are accounted for as open currency positions 
and are subject to internal market risk limits for value-at-risk and 
stress loss limits.

→ Refer to the “Capital management” section of this report for 
more information on our active management of sensitivity to 

currency movements and its effect on our key ratios

181 

 
 
 
 
Risk, treasury and capital management
Treasury management

Cash flows

As a global financial institution, our cash flows are complex and 
often may bear little relation to our net earnings and net assets. 
Consequently, we believe that a traditional cash flow analysis is 
less  meaningful  in  evaluating  our  liquidity  position  than  the 
liquidity,  funding  and  capital  management  frameworks  and 
measures described elsewhere in the “Risk, treasury and capital 
management” section of this report.

Cash and cash equivalents

As  of  31  December  2017,  cash  and  cash  equivalents  totaled 
CHF 102.2  billion,  a  decrease  of  CHF 18.9  billion  from 
31 December 2016, driven by net cash outflows from operating 
activities,  partly  offset  by  net  cash  inflows  from  financing 
activities. 

Operating activities

In  2017,  net  cash  outflows  from  operating  activities  were 
CHF 50.9  billion.  Net  operating  cash  flow,  before  changes  in 
operating  assets  and  liabilities  and  income  taxes  paid,  was  an 
inflow  of  CHF 7.0  billion.  Changes  in  operating  assets  and 
liabilities  resulted  in  net  cash  outflows  of  CHF 56.9  billion, 
mainly  driven  by  a  CHF 21.8  billion  net  outflow  related  to 
trading  portfolio  activity,  a  CHF 14.2  billion  net  increase  in 
lending  balances  and  a  CHF 12.7  billion  net  decrease  in 
customer deposits.

In  2016,  net  cash  outflows  from  operating  activities  were 
CHF 16.5  billion,  mainly  due  to  the  increase  of  financial  assets 
designated at fair value of CHF 60.7 billion, substantially due to 
cash  proceeds  from  reductions  of  debt  securities  classified  as 
Financial  assets  available  for  sale,  which  triggered  cash  inflows 
from 
investing  activities.  These  proceeds  were  used  for 
purchases  of  similar  debt  instruments  classified  under  the  fair 
value  option,  which  are  presented  in  operating  activities.  This 
effect  was  partly  offset  by  inflows  related  to  an  increase  in 
customer  deposits  of  CHF 33.6  billion  and  net  operating  cash 
flow,  before  changes  in  operating  assets  and  liabilities  and 
income taxes paid, of CHF 12.5 billion.

Statement of cash flows (condensed)

CHF million

Net cash flow from / (used in) operating activities

Net cash flow from / (used in) investing activities

Net cash flow from / (used in) financing activities

Effects of exchange rate differences on cash and cash equivalents

NNet increase / (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents

CCash and cash equivalents at the end of the year

182 

Investing activities

Investing activities resulted in a net cash inflow of CHF 5.1 billion 
in  2017,  primarily  related  to  gross  cash  inflows  of  CHF 14.9 
billion  from  the  disposal  and  redemption  of  financial  assets 
available for sale, partly offset by gross cash outflows of CHF 8.4 
billion  related  to  the  purchase  of  financial  assets  available  for 
sale.

In  2016,  investing  activities  generated  a  net  cash  inflow  of 
CHF 36.3 billion, as disposals and redemptions of financial assets 
available for sale exceeded purchases of financial assets available 
for sale and financial assets held to maturity.

Financing activities

Financing  activities  resulted  in  a  net  cash  inflow  of  CHF 26.6 
billion  in  2017,  mainly  due  to  the  net  issuance  of  CHF 24.1 
billion of short-term debt and CHF 6.2 billion of long-term debt, 
which includes financial liabilities designated at fair value, partly 
offset  by  a  dividend  distribution  to  shareholders  of  CHF 2.2 
billion.

In 2016, financing activities resulted in a net cash outflow of 
CHF 1.0  billion,  primarily  due  to  a  dividend  distribution  to 
shareholders  of  CHF 3.2  billion,  payments  of  CHF 1.4  billion  to 
holders of preferred notes and net cash of CHF 1.2 billion used 
to  acquire  treasury  shares,  largely  offset  by  the  net  issuance  of 
CHF 5.4 billion of short-term debt.

For the year ended

331.12.17

  (50,911)

  5,100

  26,608

  265

  (18,938)

  102,200

31.12.16

 (16,457)

 36,328

 (972)

 (806)

 18,094

 121,138

 
  
 
Capital management

Capital management objectives, planning and activities 

Capital management objectives

Audited | An adequate level of total loss-absorbing capacity (TLAC) 
in accordance with both our internal assessment and regulatory 
requirements  is  a  prerequisite  to  conducting  our  business 
activities.(cid:3) We are therefore committed to maintaining a strong 
TLAC  position  and  sound  TLAC  ratios  at  all  times  in  order  to 
meet  regulatory  capital  requirements  and  our  target  capital 
ratios, and to support the growth of our businesses.

increases 

We  expect  to  meet  known  future 

in  TLAC 
requirements  mainly  through  a  combination  of  retaining 
earnings and issuing high-trigger loss-absorbing additional tier 1 
(AT1) capital instruments, including Deferred Contingent Capital 
Plan  (DCCP)  employee  compensation  awards,  as  well  as  issuing 
senior unsecured debt that contributes to our TLAC. 

As  of  31  December  2017,  our  fully  applied  common  equity 
tier  1  (CET1)  capital  ratio  and  our  fully  applied  CET1  leverage 
ratio  were  13.8%  and  3.7%,  respectively,  each  of  which  is 
above  the  requirements  for  Swiss  systemically  relevant  banks 
(SRBs), which are stricter than the Basel Committee on Banking 
Supervision  (BCBS)  requirements  and  which  will  apply  from 
1 January 2020. 

In  December  2017,  the  BCBS  announced  the  finalization  of 
the  Basel  III  framework.  As  a  result,  we  have  provided  updated 
capital guidance for the 2018–2020 period. We plan to operate 
with a fully applied CET1 capital ratio of around 13% and a fully 
applied CET1 leverage ratio of around 3.7%.

We  currently  estimate  that  the  introduction  of  the  revised 
Basel  III  framework  will  likely  lead  to  a  further  net  increase  in 
risk-weighted  assets  (RWA)  of  around  CHF 35 billion,  before 
taking  into  account  mitigation  actions.  These  estimates  are 
based  on  our  current  understanding  of  the  relevant  standards 
and  may  change  as  a  result  of  new  or  changed  regulatory 
interpretations,  implementation  of  the  Basel III  standards  into 
national law, changes in business growth, market conditions and 
other  factors.  We  plan  to  update  our  guidance  on  CET1  ratios 
when  further  details  on  the  final  implementation  of  the  new 
Basel III rules into national law are available.

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In  addition,  over  the  next  three  years,  as  a  result  of  other 
known  regulatory  changes  and  estimated  business  growth,  we 
estimate  our  RWA  may  increase  by  around  CHF 40 billion  and 
our  leverage  ratio  denominator  (LRD)  by  around  CHF 85 billion. 
Actual  increases  may  vary  depending  on  growth  opportunities, 
market  conditions  and  mitigation  actions.  As  a  consequence, 
and based on the estimates above, we may build approximately 
CHF 4 billion  of  additional  fully  applied  CET1  capital  over  the 
next  three  years,  subject  to  market  conditions,  as  well  as  RWA 
and LRD development. 

We believe that our capital strength is a source of confidence 
for our stakeholders, contributes to our strong credit ratings and 
is the foundation of our success.

→ Refer to the “Our strategy” section of this report for more 

information on our updated capital guidance 

→ Refer to “Finalization of the Basel III capital framework” in the 
“Regulatory and legal developments” section of this report for 

more information on changes to our regulatory capital 

requirements 

→ Refer to “Our stated capital returns objective is based, in part, 
on capital ratios that are subject to regulatory change and may 

fluctuate significantly” in the “Risk factors” section of this 

report for more information on the risks related to our capital 

ratios

Capital planning and activities

Audited  |  We  manage  our  balance  sheet,  RWA,  LRD  and  TLAC  ratio 
levels within our internal limits and targets and on the basis of our 
regulatory  TLAC  requirements.  Our  strategic  focus  is  set  on 
achieving  an  optimal  attribution  and  use  of  financial  resources 
between  our  business  divisions  and  Corporate  Center,  as  well  as 
between our legal entities, while remaining within the limits defined 
for the Group and allocated to the business divisions by the Board 
of  Directors  (BoD).  These  resource  allocations,  in  turn,  affect 
business plans and earnings projections, which are reflected in our 
capital plans.

The annual strategic planning process includes a capital-planning 
component that is key in defining medium- and longer-term capital 
targets. It is based on an attribution of Group RWA and LRD internal 
limits to the business divisions.

183 

 
 
 
 
Risk, treasury and capital management
Capital management

Limits  and  targets  are  established  at  both  the  Group  and 
business division levels, and are submitted to the BoD for approval 
at least annually. In the target-setting process, we take into account 
the current and potential future TLAC requirements, our aggregate 
risk  exposure  in  terms  of  capital-at-risk,  the  assessment  by  rating 
agencies,  comparisons  with  peers  and  the  effect  of  expected 
accounting  policy  changes.(cid:3)   Monitoring  is  based  on  these 
internal  limits  and  targets  and  provides  indications  if  changes  are 
required. Any breach of the limits in place triggers the imposition of 
a series of required remediating actions.

Group  Treasury  plans  for,  and  monitors,  consolidated  TLAC 
information on an ongoing basis, also considering developments in 
capital regulations. In addition, capital planning and monitoring are 
performed  at  the  legal  entity  level  for  our  significant  subsidiaries 
that are subject to prudential supervision and must meet capital and 
other supervisory requirements.

Audited  |  In  2017,  we  continued  to  focus  on  meeting  the  Swiss 
SRB fully applied capital requirements, which will go into effect 
from  1  January  2020.  Therefore,  we  executed  a  series  of 
transactions, including:
– the  issuance  of  CHF 10.4  billion  equivalent  of  TLAC-eligible 

senior unsecured debt 

– the issuance of CHF 0.4 billion of high-trigger loss-absorbing AT1 
capital  instruments  related  to  DCCP  awards  granted  for  the 
performance year 2017

– the  call  of  CHF 2.7  billion  equivalent  of  non-Basel  III-compliant 

tier 1 and tier 2 capital instruments.(cid:3)

As of 31 December 2017, these transactions contributed to our 
fully  applied  TLAC  ratio  amounting  to  33.0%  of  our  RWA  and 
8.8%  of  our  LRD  compared  with  the  respective  minimum 
requirements  of  26.6%,  excluding 
countercyclical  buffer 
requirements, and 9.3%, which are applicable as of 1 January 2020.
→ Refer to “Equity attribution and return on attributed equity” in this 
section for more information on how equity is attributed to our 

business divisions

→ Refer to “Capital and capital ratios of our significant regulated 

subsidiaries” in this section for more information 

184 

Swiss SRB total loss-absorbing capacity framework

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Disclosures in this section are provided for UBS Group AG on a 
consolidated basis and focus on information in accordance with 
the  Basel  III  framework  as  applicable  to  Swiss  systemically 
relevant banks (SRBs). 

Information  in  accordance  with  the  Basel  Committee  on 
Banking  Supervision  (BCBS)  framework,  including  requirements 
for global systemically important banks as of 31 December 2017 
for UBS Group AG consolidated, is provided in the 31 December 
2017  Pillar  3  report  –  Group  and  significant  regulated 
subsidiaries  and  sub-groups  under  “Pillar  3  disclosures”  at 
www.ubs.com/investors.

Capital and other regulatory information as of 31 December 
2017 for UBS AG consolidated is provided in the UBS Group AG 
and  UBS  AG  Annual  Report  2017  under  “Annual  reporting”  at 
www.ubs.com/investors. 

Capital and other regulatory information as of 31 December 
2017  for  UBS  AG  standalone,  UBS  Switzerland  AG  standalone, 
UBS  Limited  standalone  and  UBS  Americas  Holding  LLC 
consolidated  is  provided  in  the  “Financial  and  regulatory  key 
figures for our significant regulated subsidiaries and sub-groups” 
section  of  this  report  and  in  the  31  December  2017  Pillar  3 
report  –  Group  and  significant  regulated  subsidiaries  and  sub-
groups under “Pillar 3 disclosures” at www.ubs.com/investors.

Regulatory framework

The  Basel  III  framework  came  into  effect  in  Switzerland  on 
1 January 2013 and is embedded in the Swiss Capital Adequacy 
Ordinance  (CAO).  The  CAO  also  includes  the  too  big  to  fail 
provisions  applicable  to  Swiss  SRBs,  which  became  effective  on 
1 July 2016 and will be transitioned in until 1 January 2020.

Under  the  Swiss  SRB  framework,  going  and  gone  concern 
requirements  represent  the  total  loss-absorbing  capacity  (TLAC) 
requirement  of  the  Group.  TLAC  encompasses  regulatory 
capital,  such  as  common  equity  tier  1  (CET1),  loss-absorbing 
additional tier 1 (AT1) and tier 2 capital instruments, as well as 
liabilities  that  can  be  written  down  or  converted  into  equity  in 
case of resolution or for the purpose of restructuring measures.

Common equity tier 1 capital
The  Basel  III  framework  includes  prudential  filters  for  the 
calculation  of  capital.  These  prudential  filters  consist  mainly  of 
capital deductions for deferred tax assets (DTAs) recognized for 
tax  loss  carry-forwards,  DTAs  on  temporary  differences  that 
exceed a certain threshold and effects related to defined benefit 
plans.  As  these  filters  are  being  phased  in  between  2014  and 
2018, their effects are gradually factored into our calculations of 
capital,  risk-weighted  assets  (RWA)  and  capital  ratios  on  a 
phase-in basis and are entirely reflected in our capital, RWA and 
capital ratios on a fully applied basis. 

In  2017,  we  deducted  from  our  phase-in  CET1  capital  80% 
(in  2016:  60%)  of:  (i)  DTAs  recognized  for  tax  loss  carry-
forwards,  (ii)  DTAs  on  temporary  differences  that  exceed  the 
threshold of 10% of CET1 capital before deductions for DTAs on 
temporary  differences  and  (iii)  net  defined  benefit  pension  plan 
assets.  As  of  31  December  2017,  we  deducted  80%  (in  2016: 
60%)  of  our  goodwill  from  phase-in  CET1  capital  and  20%  (in 
2016:  40%)  of  our  goodwill  from  loss-absorbing  AT1  capital. 
Starting  1  January  2018,  the  aforementioned  requirements  are 
fully phased in. 

Capital and other instruments contributing to our total loss-
absorbing capacity
In addition to CET1 capital, the following instruments contribute 
to our loss-absorbing capacity:
– Loss-absorbing  AT1  capital  instruments  (high-  and  low-

trigger)

– Loss-absorbing  tier  2  capital  instruments  (high-  and  low-

trigger)

– Non-Basel III-compliant tier 2 capital instruments
– TLAC-eligible senior unsecured debt instruments

Under the fully applied Swiss SRB rules, going concern capital 
includes  CET1  and  high-trigger  loss-absorbing  AT1  capital 
instruments.  Under  the  transitional  rules  for  the  Swiss  SRB 
framework,  outstanding  low-trigger  loss-absorbing  AT1  capital 
instruments  are  available  to  meet  the  going  concern  capital 
requirements until their first call date, even if the first call date is 
after  31 December 2019.  As  of  their  first  call  date,  these 
instruments are eligible to meet the gone concern requirements.

Outstanding  high-  and  low-trigger  loss-absorbing  tier  2 
capital  instruments  are  available  to  meet  the  going  concern 
capital requirements until the earlier of (i) their maturity or first 
call  date  or  (ii)  31  December  2019,  and  to  meet  gone  concern 
requirements thereafter. Outstanding low-trigger loss-absorbing 
tier 2 capital instruments are subject to amortization starting five 
years  prior  to  their  maturity,  with  the  amortized  portion 
qualifying as gone concern loss-absorbing capacity. 

Non-Basel  III-compliant  tier  2  capital  instruments  and  TLAC-
eligible  senior  unsecured  debt  instruments  are  eligible  to  meet 
gone concern requirements. 

Instruments available to meet gone concern requirements are 
eligible  until  one  year  before  maturity,  with  a  haircut  of  50% 
applied in the last year of eligibility.

→ Refer to “Bondholder information” at www.ubs.com/investors for 

more information on the eligibility of capital and senior 

unsecured debt instruments and on key features and terms and 

conditions of capital instruments

185 

 
 
 
 
Risk, treasury and capital management
Capital management

Total loss-absorbing capacity and leverage ratio requirements

Going concern capital requirements
Once  the  Swiss  SRB  requirements  are  fully  implemented  by 
1 January 2020, total going concern minimum requirements for 
all Swiss SRBs are a capital ratio requirement of 12.86% of RWA 
and  a  leverage  ratio  requirement  of  4.5%.  In  addition  to  these 
minimum  requirements,  an  add-on  reflecting  the  degree  of 
systemic  importance  is  applied  based  on  market  share  and  the 
leverage ratio denominator (LRD). The add-on for UBS is expected 
to  be  1.44%  of  RWA  and  0.5%  of  our  LRD,  resulting  in  total 
going  concern  capital  requirements  applicable  starting  as  of 
1 January  2020  of  14.3%  of  RWA  (excluding  countercyclical 
buffer requirements) and 5.0% of the LRD. Furthermore, of the 
total  going  concern  capital  requirement  of  14.3%  of  RWA,  at 
least 10% must be met with CET1 capital, while a maximum of 
4.3%  can  be  met  with  high-trigger  loss-absorbing  AT1  capital 
instruments.  Similarly,  of  the  total  going  concern  leverage  ratio 
requirement  of  5.0%,  3.5%  must  be  met  with  CET1  capital, 
while  a  maximum  of  1.5%  can  be  met  with  high-trigger  loss-
absorbing AT1 capital instruments. 

National  authorities  can  put  in  place  a  countercyclical  buffer 
requirement  of  up  to  2.5%  of  RWA  for  private  sector  credit 
exposures  in  their  jurisdictions.  The  requirement  must  also  be 
met with CET1 capital. The Swiss Federal Council has activated a 
countercyclical buffer requirement of 2% of RWA for mortgage 
loans  on  residential  property  in  Switzerland,  applicable  since 
30 June  2014.  Furthermore,  since  1  July  2016,  we  are  required 
to  apply  additional 
requirements 
implemented  in  other  Basel  Committee  member  jurisdictions. 
The requirements will be phased in by and become fully effective 
on  1  January  2019.  The  effect  as  of  31  December  2017  was 
immaterial. 

countercyclical  buffer 

Gone concern loss-absorbing capacity requirements
As  an  internationally  active  Swiss  SRB,  UBS  is  also  subject  to 
gone  concern  loss-absorbing  capacity  requirements.  The  gone 
concern requirements also include add-ons for market share and 
the  LRD,  and  may  be  met  with  senior  unsecured  debt  that  is 
TLAC eligible. 

Under  the  Swiss  SRB  framework,  banks  are  eligible  for  a 
rebate  on  the  gone  concern  requirement  if  they  take  actions 
that  facilitate  recovery  and  resolvability  beyond  the  minimum 
requirements  to  ensure  the  integrity  of  systemically  important 
functions in the case of an impending insolvency. In addition, in 
the  event  that  certain  low-trigger  loss-absorbing  AT1  or  tier  2 
capital  instruments  are  used  to  meet  the  gone  concern 
requirements,  such  requirements  may  be  reduced  by  up  to 
2.86%  for  the  RWA-based  requirement  and  up  to  1%  for  the 
LRD-based  requirement.  The  combined  reduction  applied  for 
resolvability  measures  and  the  aforementioned  gone  concern 
requirement reduction for use of low-trigger loss-absorbing AT1 
and  tier  2  capital  instruments  may  not  exceed  5.72%  for  the 
RWA-based  requirement  of  14.3%  and  2%  for  the  LRD-based 
requirement  of  5%.  The  amount  of  the  rebate  for  improved 
resolvability is assessed annually by FINMA. Based on actions we 
completed  up  to  December  2016  to  improve  resolvability, 
FINMA  granted  a  rebate  on  the  gone  concern  requirement  of 
35%  of  the  aforementioned  maximum  rebate  in  2017,  which 
resulted  in  a  reduction  of  2.0 percentage  points  for  the  RWA-
based requirement and 0.7 percentage points for the LRD-based 
requirement. This rebate will be phased in until 1 January 2020, 
when  UBS  will  be  subject  to  a  12.3%  RWA-based  and  4.3% 
LRD-based  gone  concern 
requirement.  As  we  complete 
additional  measures  to  improve  the  resolvability  of  the  Group, 
we  expect  to  qualify  for  a  larger  rebate  and  therefore  aim  to 
operate  with  a  gone  concern  ratio  of  less  than  4%  of  the  LRD 
upon completion of the phase-in period. 

In  this  report,  we  refer  to  the  RWA-based  gone  concern 
capacity 
concern 
requirements  as  gone 
requirements, and the RWA-based gone concern ratio is referred 
to as the gone concern loss-absorbing capacity ratio.

loss-absorbing 

Swiss SRB going and gone concern requirements – time series1

RRisk-weighted assets (%)
RRequirements
11.1.18

11.1.19

331.12.17

11.1.20

331.12.17

LLeverage ratio (%)
RRequirements
11.1.18

11.1.19

11.1.20

GGoing concern
Minimum capital
Buffer capital including applicable add-ons2
TTotal going concern

  8.00
  4.22
  12.22
  9.22

  8.00
  4.86
  12.86
  9.46

  8.00
  5.58
  13.58
  9.68

  8.00
  6.30
  14.30
  10.00

  3.00
  0.50
  3.50
  2.60

  3.00
  1.00
  4.00
  2.90

  3.00
  1.50
  4.50
  3.20

  3.00
  2.00
  5.00
  3.50

of which: common equity tier 1 capital 2
of which: maximum high-trigger loss-absorbing additional tier 1 
capital
GGone concern
Base requirement including applicable add-ons and rebate 
TTotal gone concern
TTotal loss-absorbing capacity
11 This table includes a rebate equal to 35% of the maximum rebate on the gone concern requirements, which was granted by FINMA due to improved resolvability. This resulted in a reduction of 2.0 percentage 
points for the RWA-based requirement and 0.7 percentage points for the LRD-based requirement and will be phased in until 1 January 2020. This table does not include a rebate for the usage of low-trigger loss-
absorbing additional tier 1 or tier 2 capital instruments to meet the gone concern requirements.    2 Going concern capital ratio requirements as of 31 December 2017 include a countercyclical buffer requirement of 
0.22%. Requirements for subsequent periods exclude the effect of the countercyclical buffer requirement, as potential future countercyclical buffer requirements are not yet known. 

  9.98
  9.98
  23.56

  12.30
  12.30
  26.60

  5.33
  5.33
  17.55

  7.65
  7.65
  20.51

  2.58
  2.58
  6.58

  1.72
  1.72
  5.22

  3.44
  3.44
  7.94

  4.30
  4.30
  9.30

  3.00

  3.90

  1.10

  3.40

  4.30

  0.90

  1.30

  1.50

186 

Swiss SRB going and gone concern requirements and information1

As of 31.12.17
CHF million, except where indicated
Common equity tier 1 capital 
Maximum high-trigger loss-absorbing additional
tier 1 capital2,3

of which: high-trigger loss-absorbing additional 
tier 1 capital 
of which: low-trigger loss-absorbing additional 
tier 1 capital 
of which: high-trigger loss-absorbing tier 2 
capital 
of which: low-trigger loss-absorbing tier 2 capital

TTotal going concern capital
Base gone concern loss-absorbing capacity, 
including applicable add-ons and rebate
TTotal gone concern loss-absorbing capacity
TTotal loss-absorbing capacity

As of 31.12.17
CHF million, except where indicated
Common equity tier 1 capital 
Maximum high-trigger loss-absorbing additional
tier 1 capital2

of which: high-trigger loss-absorbing additional 
tier 1 capital 
of which: low-trigger loss-absorbing additional 
tier 1 capital

SSwiss SRB, including transitional arrangements (phase-in)

RRequirement (%)
 9.22

RRWA
AActual (%)
 14.89

RRequirement
 21,974

EEligible
 35,494

RRequirement (%)
 2.60

LLRD
AActual (%)
 4.00

RRequirement
 23,079

EEligible
 35,494

 3.00

 6.82

 7,152

 16,254

 0.90

 1.83

 7,989

 16,254

 2.88

 0.46

 0.18
 3.30
  21.71

 11.87
  11.87
  33.58

 6,857

 1,087

 435
 7,874
  51,748

 28,300
  28,300
  80,048

  29,126

 12,711
  12,711
  41,837

  12.224

 5.336
  5.33
  17.55

 0.77

 0.12

 0.05
 0.89
  5.83

 3.19
  3.19
  9.02

 6,857

 1,087

 435
 7,874
  51,748

 28,300
  28,300
  80,048

  31,067

 15,267
  15,267
  46,335

  3.505

 1.726
  1.72
  5.22

SSwiss SRB as of 1.1.20 (fully applied)

RRequirement (%)
 10.22

RRWA
AActual (%)
 13.76

RRequirement
 24,266

EEligible
 32,671

RRequirement (%)
 3.50

LLRD
AActual (%)
 3.69

RRequirement
 31,014

EEligible
 32,671

 4.30

 3.89

 10,212

 9,240

 1.50

 1.04

 13,292

 9,240

 2.89

 6,857

 0.77

 6,857

 1.00
  17.65

 2,383
  41,911

 0.27
  4.73

 2,383
  41,911

  5.008

  14.527

  34,478

 15.32
  15.32
  32.97

 12.309
  12.30
  26.82

TTotal going concern capital
Base gone concern loss-absorbing capacity, 
including applicable add-ons and rebate
TTotal gone concern loss-absorbing capacity
TTotal loss-absorbing capacity
11 This table includes a rebate equal to 35% of the maximum rebate on the gone concern requirements, which was granted by FINMA. This resulted in a reduction of 2.0 percentage points for the RWA-based 
requirement and 0.7 percentage points for the LRD-based requirement and will be phased in until 1 January 2020. This table does not include a rebate for the usage of low-trigger loss-absorbing additional tier 1 or 
tier 2 capital instruments to meet the gone concern requirements.     2 Includes outstanding low-trigger loss-absorbing additional tier 1 (AT1) capital instruments, which are available under the transitional rules of 
the Swiss SRB framework to meet the going concern requirements until their first call date, even if the first call date is after 31 December 2019. As of their first call date, these instruments are eligible to meet the 
gone concern requirements. Low-trigger loss-absorbing AT1 capital was partly offset by required deductions for goodwill on a phase-in basis.     3 Includes outstanding high- and low-trigger loss-absorbing tier 2 
capital instruments, which are available under the transitional rules of the Swiss SRB framework to meet the going concern requirements until the earlier of (i) their maturity or first call date or (ii) 31 December 
2019, and to meet gone concern requirements thereafter. Outstanding low-trigger loss-absorbing tier 2 capital instruments are subject to amortization starting five years prior to their maturity, with the amortized 
portion qualifying as gone concern loss-absorbing capacity. Instruments available to meet gone concern requirements are eligible until one year before maturity, with a haircut of 50% applied in the last year of 
eligibility.     4 Consists of a minimum capital requirement of 8% and a buffer capital requirement of 4.22%, including the effect of countercyclical buffers of 0.22%.     5 Consists of a minimum leverage ratio 
requirement of 3% and a buffer leverage ratio requirement of 0.5%.     6 Includes applicable add-ons of 0.36% for RWA and 0.13% for leverage ratio denominator and a rebate of 0.87% for RWA and 0.28% for 
LRD.     7 Consists of a minimum capital requirement of 8% and a buffer capital requirement of 6.52%, including the effect of countercyclical buffers of 0.22% and applicable add-ons of 1.44%.     8 Consists of a 
minimum leverage ratio requirement of 3% and a buffer leverage ratio requirement of 2%, including applicable add-ons of 0.5%.    9 Includes applicable add-ons of 1.44% for RWA and 0.5% for LRD and a rebate 
of 2% for RWA and 0.7% for LRD.

 36,392
  36,392
  78,303

 36,392
  36,392
  78,303

 29,207
  29,207
  63,685

 38,103
  38,103
  82,409

 4.309
  4.30
  9.30

 4.11
  4.11
  8.84

  44,306

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187 

 
 
 
 
Risk, treasury and capital management
Capital management

Total loss-absorbing capacity

Swiss SRB going and gone concern information

CHF million, except where indicated

331.12.17

31.12.16

331.12.17

31.12.16

SSwiss SRB, including
transitional arrangements
(phase-in)

SSwiss SRB as of 1.1.20
(fully applied)

  35,494
  6,857
  1,0871
  7,944
  43,438
  435
  7,8742
  8,309
  51,748

  0
  0

  3782
  689
  1,067
  27,233
  28,300

 37,788
 6,5121
 01
 6,512
 44,299
 891
 10,402
 11,293
 55,593

 642
 642

 698
 698
 16,890
 18,229

  32,671
  6,857
  2,383
  9,240
  41,911

 30,693
 6,809
 2,342
 9,151
 39,844

  41,911

 39,844

  0
  0
  218
  8,252
  689
  9,159
  27,233
  36,392

 642
 642
 679
 10,402
 698
 11,779
 16,890
 29,311

  80,048

 73,822

  78,303

 69,154

  238,394
  887,635

 225,412
 874,925

  237,494
  886,116

 222,677
 870,470

  21.7
  14.9
  11.9
  33.6

 24.7
 16.8
 8.1
 32.7

  17.6
  13.8 5
  15.3
  33.0

 17.9
 13.8
 13.2
 31.1

Gone concern leverage ratio 
Total loss-absorbing capacity leverage ratio 
11 High-trigger loss-absorbing additional tier 1 (AT1) capital (31 December 2016: CHF 6,809 million) and low-trigger loss-absorbing AT1 capital (31 December 2017: CHF 2,383 million; 31 December 2016: CHF 
2,342 million) were partly offset by required deductions for goodwill (31 December 2017: CHF 1,296 million; 31 December 2016: CHF 2,639 million).     2 Outstanding low-trigger loss-absorbing tier 2 capital 
instruments are subject to amortization starting five years prior to their maturity, with the amortized portion qualifying as gone concern loss-absorbing capacity.     3 Instruments available to meet gone concern 
requirements  are  eligible  until  one  year  before  maturity,  with  a  haircut  of  50%  applied  in  the  last  year  of  eligibility.     4  Non-Basel  III-compliant  tier  1  and  tier  2  capital  instruments  qualify  as  gone  concern 
instruments.    5 Our post-stress CET1 capital ratio exceeded the 10% objective as of 31 December 2017.

  5.8
  4.0
  3.2
  9.0

 6.4
 4.3
 2.1
 8.4

  4.7
  3.7
  4.1
  8.8

 4.6
 3.5
 3.4
 7.9

Going concern capital
CCommon equity tier 1 capital
High-trigger loss-absorbing additional tier 1 capital
Low-trigger loss-absorbing additional tier 1 capital
TTotal loss-absorbing additional tier 1 capital
TTotal tier 1 capital
High-trigger loss-absorbing tier 2 capital
Low-trigger loss-absorbing tier 2 capital
TTotal tier 2 capital
TTotal going concern capital 

Gone concern loss-absorbing capacity3
Non-Basel III-compliant tier 1 capital4
TTotal tier 1 capital
High-trigger loss-absorbing tier 2 capital
Low-trigger loss-absorbing tier 2 capital
Non-Basel III-compliant tier 2 capital4
TTotal tier 2 capital
TTLAC-eligible senior unsecured debt
TTotal gone concern loss-absorbing capacity 

Total loss-absorbing capacity
TTotal loss-absorbing capacity

Risk-weighted assets / leverage ratio denominator
Risk-weighted assets
Leverage ratio denominator

Capital and loss-absorbing capacity ratios (%)
Going concern capital ratio 

of which: common equity tier 1 capital ratio

Gone concern loss-absorbing capacity ratio 
Total loss-absorbing capacity ratio 

Leverage ratios (%)
Going concern leverage ratio 

of which: common equity tier 1 leverage ratio

188 

Audited |  
Reconciliation of IFRS equity to Swiss SRB common equity tier 1 capital

CHF million

TTotal IFRS equity

Equity attributable to non-controlling interests

Deferred tax assets recognized for tax loss carry-forwards1

Deferred tax assets on temporary differences, excess over threshold

Goodwill, net of tax1,2

Intangible assets, net of tax                                 

Compensation-related components (not recognized in net profit)

Expected losses on advanced internal ratings-based portfolio less general provisions

Unrealized (gains) / losses from cash flow hedges, net of tax                                          

Unrealized own credit related to financial liabilities designated at fair value, net of tax, and replacement values

Unrealized gains related to financial assets available for sale, net of tax

Prudential valuation adjustments                                           

Consolidation scope

Accruals for proposed dividends to shareholders

Other

TTotal common equity tier 1 capital                                    

SSwiss SRB, including 
transitional arrangements
(phase-in)
331.12.17

31.12.16

SSwiss SRB as of 1.1.20
(fully applied)

331.12.17

31.12.16

  51,271

 54,302

  51,271

 54,302

  (57)

 (682)

  (4,637)

 (5,042)

  (489)

 (741)

  (5,183)

 (3,959)

  (214)

 (241)

  (57)

  (5,797)

  (857)

  (6,479)

  (214)

 (682)

 (8,403)

 (1,835)

 (6,599)

 (241)

  (1,620)

 (1,589)

  (1,620)

 (1,589)

  (634)

  (351)

  133

  (193)

  (59)

  (44)

 (356)

 (972)

 (294)

 (262)

 (68)

 (129)

  (634)

  (351)

  133

  (193)

  (59)

  (44)

 (356)

 (972)

 (294)

 (262)

 (68)

 (129)

  (2,438)

 (2,250)

  (2,438)

 (2,250)

  10

 71

  10

 71

  35,494

 37,788

  32,671

 30,693

11 As of 31 December 2017, the phase-in deduction applied was 80%; as of 31 December 2016, the phase-in deduction applied was 60%.     2 Includes goodwill related to significant investments in financial 
institutions of CHF 350 million (31 December 2016: CHF 342 million).    

(cid:3)

Total loss-absorbing capacity and movement

Going concern capital and movement
Audited  |  Our  CET1  capital  mainly  consists  of  share  capital,  share 
premium,  which  primarily  consists  of  additional  paid-in  capital 
related  to  shares  issued,  and  retained  earnings.  A  detailed 
reconciliation  of  IFRS  equity  to  CET1  capital  is  provided  in  the 
“Reconciliation of IFRS equity to Swiss SRB common equity tier 1 
capital” table. 

Loss-absorbing capacity and leverage ratios
Our fully applied CET1 capital ratio was 13.8%, unchanged from 
31 December 2016, exceeding our 2017 target ratio of 13.0%, 
reflecting  a  CHF 2.0  billion  increase  in  CET1  capital  and  a 
CHF 14.8 billion increase in risk-weighted assets (RWA). The net 
write-down  of  deferred  tax  assets  (DTAs)  following  a  reduction 
in  the  US  federal  corporate  tax  rate  after  the  enactment  of  the 
Tax  Cuts  and  Jobs  Act  in  the  US  during  the  fourth  quarter  of 
2017 had a negligible effect on this ratio.

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Our fully applied CET1 capital increased by CHF 2.0 billion to 
CHF 32.7 billion as of 31 December 2017, mainly as a result of 
operating  profit  before  tax,  partly  offset  by  accruals  for  capital 
returns  to  shareholders.  Our  loss-absorbing  additional  tier 1 
capital 
from 
31 December  2016,  as  a  CHF 0.4  billion  increase  related  to 
Deferred Contingent Capital Plan (DCCP) awards granted for the 
performance year 2017 was offset by currency effects.(cid:3)

at  CHF 9.2 billion,  unchanged 

remained 

Gone concern loss-absorbing capacity and movement
Audited  |  Our  fully  applied  total  gone  concern  loss-absorbing 
capacity  increased  by  CHF 7.1  billion  to  CHF 36.4  billion  as  of 
31 December  2017,  including  CHF 27.2 billion  of  TLAC-eligible 
senior  unsecured  debt.  (cid:3) This  was  primarily  driven  by  the 
issuance  of  CHF 10.4  billion  TLAC-eligible  senior  unsecured 
debt, partly offset by a CHF 3.3 billion decrease mainly resulting 
from the call of a low-trigger tier 2 capital instrument equivalent 
to  CHF 2.0  billion,  the  call  of  a  CHF 0.7 billion  non-Basel  III-
compliant tier 1 capital instrument and CHF 0.4 billion related to 
the  decrease  in  eligibility  of  certain  DCCP  awards  due  to  the 
shortening of the residual tenor.

Our 

fully 

applied  CET1 

increased 
0.2 percentage  points  to  3.7%  as  of  31  December  2017, 
reflecting  the  aforementioned  increase  in  CET1  capital,  partly 
offset  by  a  CHF 16 billion  increase  in  the  leverage  ratio 
denominator (LRD).

leverage 

ratio 

On  a  fully  applied  basis,  our  gone  concern  loss-absorbing 
capacity  ratio  increased  2.1  percentage  points  to  15.3%, 
primarily driven by the aforementioned issuance of TLAC-eligible 
senior  unsecured  debt.  Our  gone  concern  leverage  ratio  on  a 
fully applied basis increased 0.7 percentage points to 4.1% due 
to  the  aforementioned  increase  in  the  gone  concern  loss-
absorbing capacity, partly offset by the higher LRD. 

→ Refer to the “Regulatory and legal developments” section of 

this report for more information on the significant tax law 

changes enacted in the US

189 

 
 
 
 
Risk, treasury and capital management
Capital management

Swiss SRB total loss-absorbing capacity movement

CHF million

Going concern capital
CCommon equity tier 1 capital as of 31.12.16

Operating profit before tax
Net (profit) / loss attributable to non-controlling interests
Current tax (expense) / benefit
Deferred tax assets recognized for tax loss carry-forwards, additional phase-in effect
Deferred tax assets recognized for temporary differences, additional phase-in effect
Goodwill, additional phase-in effect
Deferred tax assets recognized for tax loss carry-forwards
Deferred tax assets recognized for temporary differences
Foreign currency translation effects 
Expected loss on advanced IRB portfolio less general provisions
Compensation-related capital and share premium components
Defined benefit plans
Own credit risk related to derivative liabilities
Consolidation scope
Accruals for proposed dividends to shareholders
Other 

CCommon equity tier 1 capital as of 31.12.17
LLoss-absorbing additional tier 1 capital as of 31.12.16

Goodwill, additional phase-in effect
Issuance of high-trigger loss-absorbing additional tier 1 capital
Foreign currency translation and other effects 

LLoss-absorbing additional tier 1 capital as of 31.12.17
TTier 2 capital as of 31.12.16

Call of a low-trigger loss-absorbing tier 2 capital instrument
Amortization due to shortening residual tenor 
Amortization of Deferred Contingent Capital Plan (DCCP)
Foreign currency translation and other effects 

TTier 2 capital as of 31.12.17
TTotal going concern capital as of 31.12.16
TTotal going concern capital as of 31.12.17

Gone concern loss-absorbing capacity
TTier 1 capital as of 31.12.16

Call of the non-Basel III-compliant tier 1 capital instrument
Foreign currency translation and other effects 

TTier 1 capital as of 31.12.17
TTier 2 capital as of 31.12.16

Call of a low-trigger loss-absorbing tier 2 capital instrument
Amortized portion, which qualifies as gone concern loss-absorbing capacity
Decrease in eligibility due to shortening residual tenor (DCCP)
Foreign currency translation and other effects 

TTier 2 capital as of 31.12.17
TTLAC-eligible senior unsecured debt as of 31.12.16

Issuance of TLAC-eligible senior unsecured debt instruments
Foreign currency translation and other effects 
TTLAC-eligible senior unsecured debt as of 31.12.17
TTotal gone concern loss-absorbing capacity as of 31.12.16
TTotal gone concern loss-absorbing capacity as of 31.12.17

Total loss-absorbing capacity
TTotal loss-absorbing capacity as of 31.12.16
TTotal loss-absorbing capacity as of 31.12.17

190 

SSwiss SRB, including
transitional arrangements
(phase-in)

SSwiss SRB as of 1.1.20
(fully applied)

  37,788
 5,268
 (76)
 (875)
 (1,681)
 (547)
 (1,320)
 (432)
 (79)
 (302)
 (278)
 (28)
 263
 101
 85
 (2,438)
 45
  35,494
  6,512
 1,320
 383
 (270)
  7,944
  11,293
 (1,982)
 (380)
 (398)
 (225)
  8,309
  55,593
  51,748

  642
 (687)
 45
  0
  698

 380

 (10)
  1,067
  16,890
 10,377
 (33)
  27,233
  18,229
  28,300

  73,822
  80,048

  30,693
 5,268
 (76)
 (875)

 100
 (186)
 (278)
 (28)
 263
 101
 85
 (2,438)
 42
  32,671
  9,151

 383
 (294)
  9,240

  39,844
  41,911

  642
 (687)
 45
  0
  11,779
 (1,982)

 (446)
 (193)
  9,159
  16,890
 10,377
 (33)
  27,233
  29,311
  36,392

  69,154
  78,303

Additional information

Active management of sensitivity to currency movements
Corporate  Center  –  Group  Asset  and  Liability  Management 
(Group  ALM)  is  mandated  to  minimize  adverse  effects  from 
changes in currency rates on our fully applied CET1 capital and 
CET1 capital ratio. A significant portion of our capital and RWA 
are  denominated  in  US  dollars,  euros,  British  pounds  and  other 
foreign  currencies.  In  order  to  hedge  the  CET1  capital  ratio, 
CET1 capital needs to have foreign currency exposure, leading to 
currency  sensitivity  of  CET1  capital.  As  a  consequence,  it  is  not 
possible to simultaneously fully hedge the capital and the capital 
ratio.  As  the  proportion  of  RWA  denominated  in  foreign 
currencies outweighs the capital in these currencies, a significant 
appreciation  of  the  Swiss  franc  against  these  currencies  could 
benefit our capital ratios, while a significant depreciation of the 
Swiss  franc  against  these  currencies  could  adversely  affect  our 
capital  ratios.  The  Group  Asset  and  Liability  Management 
Committee,  a  committee  of  the  Group  Executive  Board,  can 
adjust the currency mix in capital, within limits set by the Board 
of  Directors,  to  balance  the  effect  of  foreign  exchange 
movements  on  the  fully  applied  CET1  capital  and  capital  ratio. 
Limits are in place for the sensitivity of both CET1 capital and the 
capital  ratio  to  an  appreciation  or  depreciation  of  10%  in  the 
value of the Swiss franc against other currencies.

Sensitivity to currency movements 

Risk-weighted assets
We estimate that a 10% depreciation of the Swiss franc against 
other currencies would have increased our fully applied RWA by 
fully  applied  CET1  capital  by 
CHF 11  billion  and  our 
CHF 1.2 billion  as  of  31 December 2017  (31 December  2016: 
CHF 10 billion and CHF 1.2 billion, respectively) and reduced our 
fully  applied  CET1  capital 
ratio  by  11  basis  points 
(31 December 2016:  7  basis  points).  Conversely,  we  estimate 
that  a  10%  appreciation  of  the  Swiss  franc  against  other 
currencies  would  have  reduced  our  fully  applied  RWA  by 
CHF 10 billion  and  our 
fully  applied  CET1  capital  by 
CHF 1.1 billion 
(31  December  2016:  CHF 9  billion  and 
CHF 1.1 billion,  respectively)  and  increased  our  fully  applied 
CET1 capital ratio by 11 basis points (31 December 2016: 7 basis 
points).

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Leverage ratio denominator
is  also  sensitive  to  foreign  exchange 
leverage  ratio 
Our 
movements  due  to  the  currency  mix  of  our  capital  and  LRD. 
When adjusting the currency mix in capital, potential effects on 
the going concern leverage ratio are taken into account and the 
sensitivity of the going concern leverage ratio to an appreciation 
or  depreciation  of  10%  in  the  value  of  the  Swiss  franc  against 
other currencies is actively monitored.

We  estimate  that  a  10%  depreciation  of  the  Swiss  franc 
against  other  currencies  would  have  increased  our  fully  applied 
LRD  by  CHF 68  billion  (31 December  2016:  CHF 64  billion)  and 
reduced our fully applied Swiss SRB going concern leverage ratio 
by  12  basis  points  (31 December  2016:  9  basis  points). 
Conversely,  we  estimate  that  a  10%  appreciation  of  the  Swiss 
franc  against  other  currencies  would  have  reduced  our  fully 
applied  LRD  by  CHF 61 billion  (31 December  2016:  CHF 58 
billion) and increased our fully applied Swiss SRB going concern 
leverage  ratio  by  12  basis  points  (31 December  2016:  10  basis 
points).

The  aforementioned  sensitivities  do  not  consider  foreign 
currency  translation  effects  related  to  defined  benefit  plans 
other  than  those  related  to  the  currency  translation  of  the  net 
equity of foreign operations.

Estimated effect on capital from litigation, regulatory and similar 
matters subject to provisions and contingent liabilities
We  have  estimated  the  loss  in  capital  that  we  could  incur  as  a 
result of the risks associated with the matters described in “Note 
20  Provisions  and  contingent  liabilities”  in  the  “Consolidated 
financial  statements”  section  of  this  report.  We  have  used  for 
this  purpose  the  advanced  measurement  approach  (AMA) 
methodology  that  we  use  when  determining  the  capital 
requirements  associated  with  operational  risks,  based  on  a 
level  over  a  12-month  horizon.  The 
99.9%  confidence 
methodology 
industry 
into  consideration  UBS  and 
takes 
experience  for  the  AMA  operational  risk  categories  to  which 
those  matters  correspond,  as  well  as  the  external  environment 
affecting  risks  of  these  types,  in  isolation  from  other  areas.  On 
this  standalone  basis,  we  estimate  the  loss  in  capital  that  we 
could  incur  over  a  12-month  period  as  a  result  of  our  risks 
at 
associated  with 
CHF 4.8 billion  as  of  31  December  2017  (31  December  2016: 
CHF 4.8 billion). This estimate is not related to and does not take 
into account any provisions recognized for any of these matters 
and  does  not  constitute  a  subjective  assessment  of  our  actual 
exposure in any of these matters.

these  operational 

categories 

risk 

→ Refer to “Operational risk” in the “Risk management and 

control” section of this report for more information

→ Refer to “Note 20 Provisions and contingent liabilities” in the 
“Consolidated financial statements” section of this report for 

more information

191 

 
 
 
 
Risk, treasury and capital management
Capital management

Capital and capital ratios of our significant regulated subsidiaries
UBS Group AG is a holding company and conducts substantially 
all  of  its  operations  through  UBS  AG  and  its  subsidiaries.  UBS 
Group AG and UBS AG have contributed a significant portion of 
their  respective  capital  and  provide  substantial  liquidity  to 
subsidiaries. Many of these subsidiaries are subject to regulations 
requiring compliance with minimum capital, liquidity and similar 
requirements.  Regulatory  capital  components  and  capital  ratios 
of  our  significant  regulated  subsidiaries  determined  under  the 
regulatory framework of each subsidiary’s home jurisdiction are 
provided  in  the  “Financial  and  regulatory  key  figures  for  our 
significant regulated subsidiaries and sub-groups” section of this 
report.  Supervisory  authorities  generally  have  discretion  to 
impose higher requirements or to otherwise limit the activities of 
subsidiaries.  Supervisory  authorities  also  may  require  entities  to 
measure capital and leverage ratios on a stressed basis and may 
limit the ability of the entity to engage in new activities or take 
capital actions based on the results of those tests. 

→ Refer to the 31 December 2017 Pillar 3 report – Group and 

significant regulated subsidiaries and sub-groups under “Pillar 3 

disclosures” at www.ubs.com/investors for more information 

on capital and other regulatory information of our subsidiaries 

and sub-groups

Joint liability of UBS AG and UBS Switzerland AG
In  June  2015,  upon  the  transfer  of  the  Personal  &  Corporate 
Banking  and  Wealth  Management  businesses  booked 
in 
Switzerland from UBS AG to UBS Switzerland AG, UBS AG and 
UBS  Switzerland  AG  assumed  joint  liability  for  obligations 
transferred  to  UBS  Switzerland  AG  and  existing  at  UBS  AG, 
respectively. Under certain circumstances, the Swiss Banking Act 
and FINMA’s Banking Insolvency Ordinance authorize FINMA to 
modify,  extinguish  or  convert  to  common  equity  liabilities  of  a 
bank in connection with a resolution or insolvency of such bank.

Both  joint  liability  amounts  have  declined  as  obligations 
matured,  terminated  or  were  novated  following  the  transfer 
date. As of 31 December 2017, the joint liability of UBS AG and 
UBS  Switzerland  AG  amounted  to  less  than  CHF  1  billion  and 
CHF 69 billion, respectively. 

192 

Risk-weighted assets

Our  risk-weighted  assets  (RWA)  on  a  fully  applied  basis  are  the 
same  as  on  a  phase-in  basis,  except  for  differences  related  to 
defined  benefit  plans  and  deferred  tax  assets  (DTAs)  on 
temporary differences.

On a fully applied basis, any net defined benefit pension asset 
recognized  in  accordance  with  IAS  19  is  fully  deducted  from 
common  equity  tier  1  (CET1)  capital.  On  a  phase-in  basis,  the 
deduction  of  net  defined  benefit  pension  assets  from  capital  is 
phased  in,  and  the  portion  of  the  net  defined  benefit  pension 
asset that is not yet deducted from CET1 capital is risk weighted 
at 100%.

On  a  fully  applied  basis,  DTAs  on  temporary  differences 
below  a  deduction  threshold  are  risk  weighted  at  250%.  On  a 
phase-in  basis,  the  amount  that  is  risk  weighted  at  250%  is 
higher due to a higher deduction threshold. 

As  a  result  of  these  differences,  our  phase-in  RWA  were 
CHF 0.9 billion  higher  than  our  fully  applied  RWA  as  of 
31 December 2017 (31 December 2016: CHF 2.7 billion higher), 
entirely attributable to non-counterparty-related risk RWA. 

RWA development in 2017

As  of  31  December  2017,  fully  applied  RWA  increased  by 
CHF 14.8 billion 
a 
CHF 15.6 billion  increase  in  credit  and  counterparty  credit  risk 
and a CHF 1.6 billion increase in operational risk, partly offset by 
a CHF 3.2 billion decrease in market risk. 

to  CHF 237.5 

billion, 

driven 

by 

The 

total  RWA 

increase  was  primarily  driven  by  a 
CHF 17.4 billion increase from methodology, policy changes and 
model updates, mainly relating to credit and counterparty credit 
increased  by  CHF 0.4  billion  as 
risk.  RWA  also  slightly 
CHF 2.2 billion  higher 
for  credit  and 
counterparty  credit  risk  were  partly  offset  by  CHF 1.8 billion 
lower regulatory add-ons for market risk. 

regulatory  add-ons 

These  increases  were  partly  offset  by  a  CHF 2.1 billion 
decrease  in  asset  size  and  other  movements,  primarily  in  credit 
and  counterparty  credit  risk  and  in  market  risk,  as  well  as 
CHF 1.0 billion lower RWA due to currency effects. 

On  a  phase-in  basis,  RWA  increased  by  CHF 13.0  billion  to 

CHF 238.4 billion as of 31 December 2017.

→ Refer to the 31 December 2017 Pillar 3 report – Group and 

significant regulated subsidiaries and sub-groups under “Pillar 3 

disclosures” at www.ubs.com/investors for more information 

on RWA movements and definitions of RWA movement key 

drivers

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Movement in fully applied risk-weighted assets by key driver

CHF billion
Credit and counterparty credit risk2

Non-counterparty-related risk

Market risk

Operational risk

TTotal

RWA as of 
31.12.16
 112.8

 16.6

 15.5

 77.8

  222.7

Currency
effects
 (0.7)

 (0.2)

  (1.0)

Methodology, 
policy changes 
and model 
updates
 16.5

Regulatory 
add-ons
 2.2

Asset size 
and other1
 (2.3)

RRWA as of 
31.12.17
  128.4

 (0.7)

 1.6

  17.4

 (1.8)

  0.4

 1.0

 (0.8)

 0.0

  (2.1)

  17.4

  12.3

  79.4

  237.5

11  Includes  the  Pillar  3  categories  “Asset  size,”  “Credit  quality  of  counterparties,”  “Acquisitions  and  disposals”  and  “Other.”  Refer  to  the  31  December  2017  Pillar  3  report  –  Group  and  significant  regulated 
subsidiaries  and  sub-groups  under  “Pillar  3  disclosures”  at  www.ubs.com/investors  for  more  information.     2  Includes  settlement  risk,  credit  valuation  adjustments,  equity  exposures  in  the  banking  book  and 
securitization exposures in the banking book.

193 

 
 
 
 
Risk, treasury and capital management
Capital management

Credit and counterparty credit risk
increased  by 
Credit  and  counterparty  credit 
CHF 15.6 billion  to  CHF 128.4 billion  as  of  31  December  2017. 
This increase was primarily driven by a CHF 16.4 billion increase 

risk  RWA 

resulting  from  model  updates  and  a  CHF 2.2  billion  increase 
from  regulatory  add-ons,  partly  offset  by  a  CHF 1.0 billion 
decrease in asset quality and a CHF 0.8 billion decrease in asset 
size as well as currency effects and other changes.

Movement in fully applied credit and counterparty credit risk RWA by key driver1

CHF billion
TTotal credit and counterparty credit risk RWA as of 
31.12.16

Asset size

Asset quality

Model updates

Methodology and policy changes 

Regulatory add-ons

Acquisitions and disposals

Foreign exchange movements

Other

Wealth
Management

Wealth 
Management
Americas

Personal &
Corporate
Banking

Asset
Management

Investment
Bank

CC –
Services

CC – 
Group ALM

  12.5
 1.4

 (0.4)

 1.8

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0

 0.1

 0.0

  9.1
 0.6

 0.1

 1.2

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0

 (0.4)

 (0.3)

  37.7
 (1.6)

 1.4

 6.3

 0.0

 (0.2)

 0.0

 (0.1)

 0.6

  1.6
 0.1

 0.0

 0.0

 (0.2)

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0

  37.0
 (0.2)

 (1.4)

 6.1

 0.0

 2.4

 0.0

 (0.3)

 (0.6)

  1.4
 0.4

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0

  7.3
 (0.4)

 0.0

 0.9

 0.3

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0

 (0.1)

CC – Non-
core and
Legacy
Portfolio

  6.2
 (1.0)

 (0.8)

 0.2

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0

 (0.1)

 (0.1)

GGroup

  112.8
  (0.8)

  (1.0)

  16.4

  0.1

  2.2

  0.0

  (0.7)

  (0.5)

TTotal movement 
TTotal credit and counterparty credit risk RWA as of 
31.12.17
11 Refer to the 31 December 2017 Pillar 3 report – Group and significant regulated subsidiaries and sub-groups under “Pillar 3 disclosures” at www.ubs.com/investors for the definitions of credit and counterparty 
credit risk RWA movement categories.

  128.4

  (1.7)

  (0.1)

  44.0

  15.4

  10.4

  42.9

  15.6

  1.8

  6.3

  0.4

  4.5

  8.0

  0.7

  2.9

  1.3

  1.5

  5.9

Model updates
The  increase  in  credit  and  counterparty  credit  risk  RWA  from 
model updates of CHF 16.4 billion was driven by an increase of 
CHF 6.6 billion resulting from the implementation of changes to 
the  probability  of  default  (PD)  and  loss  given  default  (LGD) 
parameters  for  income-producing  real  estate  exposures  and 
Lombard exposures, of which CHF 4.3 billion was in Personal & 
Corporate Banking, CHF 1.7 billion in Wealth Management and 
CHF 0.6  billion 
in  Wealth  Management  Americas.  A 
CHF 5.4 billion  increase  primarily  resulted  from  changes  to  LGD 
parameters  for  exposures  to  multinationals,  sovereigns  and 
financial  institutions,  of  which  CHF 3.6  billion  was  in  the 
Investment  Bank,  CHF 0.9  billion  in  Corporate  Center  –  Group 
Asset  and  Liability  Management  (Group  ALM)  and  CHF 0.7 
billion  in  Personal  &  Corporate  Banking.  A  further  increase  of 
CHF 2.0 billion  was  driven  by  the  implementation  of  revised 
credit  conversion  factors  (CCFs)  for  letters  of  credit,  trade 
finance-related guarantees, deferred payments and construction 
loans in Personal & Corporate Banking of CHF 1.2 billion, as well 
as  for  unutilized  Lombard  loan  facilities  of  CHF 0.6  billion  in 
Wealth  Management  Americas.  An  increase  of  CHF 2.5  billion 
was  due  to  higher  RWA  for  derivative  exposures,  driven  by  an 
update  of  the  stress  period  used  for  the  Basel  III  exposure-at-
default calculation, mainly in the Investment Bank.

We anticipate that methodology changes and model updates, 
including  adjustments  to  probability  of  default  and  loss  given 
default  factors,  CCFs,  the  revised  Basel 
III  securitization 
framework,  and  scheduled  increases  in  the  FINMA-required 

194 

multiplier  for  Investment  Bank  exposures  to  corporates  will 
increase  credit  risk  RWA  by  around  CHF 12  billion  in  2018,  of 
which  around  CHF 4  billion  in  the  first  quarter  of  2018.  The 
extent  and  timing  of  RWA  increases  may  vary  as  methodology 
changes  and  model  updates  are  completed  and  receive 
regulatory  approval,  and  as  regulatory  multipliers  are  adjusted. 
In  addition,  changes  in  composition  of  the  relevant  portfolios 
and other factors will affect our RWA. 

→ Refer to “Credit risk models” in the “Risk management and 

control” section of this report for more information on model 

updates

from 

increase 

Regulatory add-ons
The  net  RWA 
regulatory  add-ons  of 
CHF 2.2 billion  was  mainly  driven  by  an  increase  in  the  internal 
ratings-based  (IRB)  multiplier  on  Investment  Bank  exposures  to 
corporates  of  CHF 2.9 billion,  as  well  as  an  increase  in  the  IRB 
multiplier  on  Swiss  residential  mortgages  of  CHF 1.4  billion  in 
Personal  &  Corporate  Banking  and  CHF 0.4 billion  in  Wealth 
Management. These increases were partly offset by decreases of 
CHF 1.8 billion in Personal & Corporate Banking, CHF 0.4 billion 
in  Wealth  Management  and  CHF 0.5  billion  in  the  Investment 
Bank, following FINMA approval of the aforementioned updates 
to PD and LGD parameters. 

→ Refer to the “Risk management and control” section of this 

report and the 31 December 2017 Pillar 3 report – Group and 

significant regulated subsidiaries and sub-groups under “Pillar 3 

disclosures” at www.ubs.com/investors for more information 

on credit and counterparty credit risk developments

risk  RWA  decreased  by  CHF 3.2  billion 

Market risk
to 
Market 
CHF 12.3 billion  as  of  31  December  2017,  mainly  driven  by 
CHF 1.8  billion  lower  regulatory  add-ons,  a  CHF 0.8  billion 
decrease  due  to  asset  size  and  other  movements  and  a 
CHF 0.7 billion  decrease  due  to  methodology,  policy  changes 
and model updates.

The  CHF 1.8  billion  lower  RWA  from  regulatory  add-ons 
mainly reflected a lower regulatory value-at-risk (VaR) multiplier, 
which  decreased  from  3.65  to  3.0  as  a  result  of  fewer 
backtesting exceptions, partly offset by changes to the risks-not-
in-VaR (RniV) framework. 

The  CHF 0.8  billion  decrease 

in  asset  size  and  other 
movements  was  primarily  driven  by  lower  average  VaR  and 
stressed  VaR  levels  observed  during  the  year,  primarily  in  the 
Investment Bank’s Equities business.

The CHF 0.7 billion decrease in methodology, policy changes 
and model updates resulted from the effects of an enhancement 
to  VaR  model  parameters.  We  will  continue  to  implement  the 
changes  to  the  RniV  framework  over  the  first  three  quarters  of 

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2018, with RWA expected to increase by around CHF 3 billion in 
total,  of  which  around  CHF 1 billion  in  the  first  quarter.  Our 
estimates  of  future  RWA  increases  do  not  reflect  mitigating 
actions  that  we  may  take  or  any  changes  in  the  trading  book 
composition or risk levels. 

→ Refer to the “Risk management and control” section of this 

report and the 31 December 2017 Pillar 3 report – Group and 

significant regulated subsidiaries and sub-groups under “Pillar 3 

disclosures” at www.ubs.com/investors for more information 

on market risk developments

risk  RWA 

Operational risk
Operational 
to 
CHF 79.4 billion as of 31 December 2017, driven by changes to 
the advanced measurement approach (AMA) model used for the 
calculation  of  operational  risk  capital.  These  changes  were 
approved by FINMA in the first quarter of 2017.

increased  by  CHF 1.6  billion 

→ Refer to “Operational risk” in the “Risk management and 

control” section of this report for more information on the AMA 

model

195 

 
 
 
 
Risk, treasury and capital management
Capital management

Risk-weighted assets by business division and Corporate Center unit

CHF billion

CCredit and counterparty credit risk1

Advanced IRB approach 2

Standardized approach 3
NNon-counterparty-related risk4

MMarket risk

OOperational risk

TTotal RWA, phase-in

Phase-out items6
TTotal RWA, fully applied7

RWA held by CC – Group ALM on behalf of 
business divisions and other CC units8
RRWA after allocation from CC – Group ALM to 
business divisions and other CC units

CCredit and counterparty credit risk1

Advanced IRB approach 2

Standardized approach 3
NNon-counterparty-related risk4

MMarket risk

OOperational risk

TTotal RWA, phase-in

Phase-out items6

TTotal RWA, fully applied

CCredit and counterparty credit risk1

Advanced IRB approach 2

Standardized approach 3
NNon-counterparty-related risk4

MMarket risk

OOperational risk

TTotal RWA, phase-in

Phase-out items6

TTotal RWA, fully applied

WWealth
Management

WWealth
Management
Americas

PPersonal &
Corporate
Banking

AAsset
Manage-
ment

IInvestment
Bank

CCC –
Services

331.12.17

  1.5

 0.8

 0.6

  0.1

  0.0

  2.4

  3.9

 0.0

  3.9

0.1

44.0

CCC –
Group
ALM

  8.0

 6.3

 1.8

  0.0

  0.7

  2.5

  11.2

 0.0

  11.2

CCC – Non-
core and
Legacy
Portfolio

TTotal
RWA

  4.5

  128.4

 3.4  108.9

 1.1

 19.6

  0.0

  1.3

  10.3

  16.1

 0.0

  16.1

  18.3

  12.3

  79.4

  238.4

 (0.9)

  237.5

  42.9

 40.2

 2.8

  0.0

  11.7

  19.8

  74.5

 0.0

  74.5

  1.8

 0.4

 1.4

  18.0
  (3.1)5

  13.3

  30.1

 (0.9)

  29.2

0.5

0.0

(3.9)

0.0

0.0

775.0

229.2

77.3

116.1

2237.5

331.12.16

  1.6

 0.9

 0.6

  0.0

  0.0

  2.3

  3.9

 0.0

  3.9

  37.0

 33.7

 3.3

  0.0

  14.0

  19.5

  70.4

 0.0

  70.4

331.12.17 vs 31.12.16

  (0.1)

 (0.1)

 0.0

  0.1

  0.0

  0.1

  0.0

 0.0

  0.0

  5.9

 6.5

 (0.5)

  0.0

  (2.3)

  0.3

  4.1

 0.0

  4.1

  1.4

 0.2

 1.2

  19.1
  (3.2)5

  13.1

  30.3

 (2.7)

  27.6

  0.4

 0.2

 0.2

  (1.1)

  0.1

  0.2

  (0.2)

 1.8

  1.6

  7.3

 4.8

 2.6

  0.0

  0.7

  2.5

  10.6

 0.0

  10.6

  0.7

 1.5

 (0.8)

  0.0

  0.0

  0.0

  0.6

 0.0

  0.6

  6.2

 5.0

 1.2

  0.0

  2.6

  10.1

  18.9

 0.0

  18.9

  112.8

 93.4

 19.4

  19.3

  15.5

  77.8

  225.4

 (2.7)

  222.7

  (1.7)

  15.6

 (1.6)

 15.5

 (0.1)

  0.0

  (1.3)

  0.2

  (2.8)

 0.0

  (2.8)

 0.2

  (1.0)

  (3.2)

  1.6

  13.0

 1.8

  14.8

  15.4

 11.0

 4.4

  0.0

  0.0

  13.5

  29.0

 0.0

  29.0

1.2

330.2

  12.5

 9.0

 3.5

  0.1

  0.0

  13.2

  25.8

 0.0

  25.8

  2.9

 2.0

 0.9

  (0.1)

  0.0

  0.3

  3.2

 0.0

  3.2

  10.4

 5.2

 5.2

  0.0

  1.6

  13.5

  25.5

 0.0

  25.5

1.0

226.5

  9.1

 3.7

 5.4

  0.0

  1.4

  13.2

  23.8

 0.0

  23.8

  1.3

 1.5

 (0.2)

  0.0

  0.2

  0.3

  1.7

 0.0

  1.7

  44.0

 41.6

 2.4

  0.1

  0.0

  4.0

  48.0

 0.0

  48.0

1.0

449.1

  37.7

 36.1

 1.6

  0.1

  0.0

  3.9

  41.6

 0.0

  41.6

  6.3

 5.5

 0.8

  0.0

  0.0

  0.1

  6.4

 0.0

  6.4

11 Includes settlement risk, credit valuation adjustments, equity exposures in the banking book and securitization exposures in the banking book.     2 Includes equity exposures in the banking book according to the 
simple  risk  weight  method.     3  Includes  settlement  risk  and  business  transfers.     4  Non-counterparty-related  risk  includes  deferred  tax  assets  recognized  for  temporary  differences  (31  December  2017: 
CHF 9.3 billion; 31 December 2016: CHF 10.9 billion), property, equipment and software (31 December 2017: CHF 8.8 billion; 31 December 2016: CHF 8.3 billion) and other items (31 December 2017: CHF 0.2 
billion; 31 December 2016: CHF 0.2 billion).    5 Corporate Center – Services market risk RWA were negative, as they included the effect of portfolio diversification across businesses.    6 Phase-out items are entirely 
related to non-counterparty-related risk RWA.     7 Represents RWA held by the respective business division or Corporate Center unit.     8 Represents RWA held by Corporate Center – Group ALM that are directly 
associated with activity managed centrally on behalf of the business divisions and other Corporate Center units. For the purpose of attributing equity under the revised framework effective as of 1 January 2017, 
these resources are allocated to the business divisions and other Corporate Center units, primarily based on the level of high-quality liquid assets needed to meet the Group’s minimum liquidity coverage ratio 
requirement of 110%. Refer to “Equity attribution and return on attributed equity“ in this section for more information.

196 

t
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Leverage ratio denominator

The fully applied leverage ratio denominator (LRD) increased by CHF 16 billion to CHF 886 billion as of 31 December 2017, primarily 
driven by asset size and other increases of CHF 20 billion, partly offset by CHF 3 billion incremental netting and collateral mitigation 
and currency effects of CHF 1 billion.

Movement in fully applied leverage ratio denominator by key driver

CHF billion
On-balance sheet exposures (excluding derivative exposures and SFTs)1

Derivative exposures

Securities financing transactions

Off-balance sheet items 

Deduction items

LLRD as of 
31.12.16
 638.1

 107.6

 104.7

 37.7

 (17.7)

Currency 
effects
 (2.4)

 1.3

 0.0

 (0.5)

 0.5

Incremental
netting and 
collateral 
mitigation

 (2.2)

 (0.8)

Asset size 
and 
other
 11.3

 (8.6)

 20.2

 (6.1)

 3.1

LLRD as of 
31.12.17
  646.9

  98.1

  124.2

  31.1

  (14.1)

TTotal
11 Excludes positive replacement values, cash collateral receivables on derivative instruments, cash collateral on securities borrowed, reverse repurchase agreements, margin loans and prime brokerage receivables 
related to securities financing transactions, which are presented separately under Derivative exposures and Securities financing transactions in this table.

  870.5

  886.1

  (3.0)

  (1.1)

  19.8

Securities 

Currency  effects  mainly  reflect  the  weakening  of  the  US  dollar 
against  the  Swiss  franc.  The  LRD  movements  described  below 
exclude currency effects. 
financing 

increased  by 
transactions 
CHF 20 billion due to asset size and other movements, primarily 
resulting  from  the  rebalancing  of  our  high-quality  liquid  assets 
(HQLA) portfolio in Corporate Center – Group Asset and Liability 
Management 
(Group  ALM)  of  CHF 16 billion,  as  well  as 
CHF 3 billion  client-driven  increases  in  the  Investment  Bank, 
mainly related to higher prime brokerage receivables. 

(SFTs) 

On-balance  sheet  exposures  (excluding  derivative  exposures 
and SFTs) increased by CHF 11 billion. This was mainly driven by 
a CHF 33 billion increase in trading portfolio assets, primarily in 
our  Investment  Bank’s  Equities  business,  mainly  reflecting  a 
client-driven increase and higher equity markets. An increase in 
lending  by  CHF 14  billion  primarily  reflects  higher  Lombard 
lending  balances  in  Wealth  Management.  These  increases  were 
partly  offset  by  a  CHF 20  billion  decrease  in  cash  and  balances 
with central banks primarily in Corporate Center – Group ALM, 
mainly  due  to  higher  funding  consumption  by  the  business 
divisions,  partly  offset  by  net  issuances  of  short-term  and  long-
term debt. Financial assets designated at fair value, available for 
sale  and  held  to  maturity  decreased  by  CHF 12 billion,  mainly 
resulting from the aforementioned rebalancing within our HQLA 
portfolio  held  by  Corporate  Center  –  Group  ALM,  partly  offset 
by  a  CHF 7 billion  client-driven  increase  in  Corporate  Client 

Solutions  within  the  Investment  Bank.  A  CHF 2 billion  decrease 
in Corporate Center – Services mainly resulted from a net write-
down  in  the  Group’s  deferred  tax  assets  (DTAs)  following  a 
reduction  in  the  US  federal  corporate  tax  rate  after  the 
enactment  of  the  Tax  Cuts  and  Jobs  Act  in  the  US  during  the 
fourth  quarter  of  2017,  which  was  fully  offset  by  lower 
deduction items for DTAs. 

resulting 

Derivative exposures decreased by CHF 9 billion due to asset 
size  and  other  movements,  primarily 
from  a 
CHF 6 billion reduction in our Corporate Center – Non-core and 
Legacy  Portfolio,  primarily  reflecting  trade  terminations  and 
maturities,  mainly  related  to  interest  rate  and  foreign  exchange 
contracts,  and  a  CHF 3 billion  net  decrease  in  the  Investment 
Bank,  mainly  related  to  foreign  exchange  contracts  in  our 
Foreign Exchange, Rates and Credit business, primarily reflecting 
net maturities, partly offset by fair value changes resulting from 
currency market movements. A decrease of CHF 2 billion related 
to  incremental  netting  and  collateral  mitigation  benefits  mainly 
reflected improved netting of eligible cash variation margin.

Off-balance sheet items decreased by CHF 6 billion, primarily 
due  to  terminations  of  committed  credit  facilities  in  the 
Investment Bank’s Corporate Client Solutions business. 

→ Refer to “Balance sheet, liquidity and funding management” in 
the “Treasury management” section of this report for more 

information on balance sheet movements

197 

 
 
 
 
Risk, treasury and capital management
Capital management

Leverage ratio denominator by business division and Corporate Center unit

CHF billion

Total IFRS assets
Difference in scope of consolidation1
Less: derivative exposures and SFTs2
OOn-balance sheet exposures
Derivative exposures
Securities financing transactions
Off-balance sheet items 
Items deducted from Swiss SRB tier 1 capital
LLRD, phase-in
Additional items deducted from Swiss SRB tier 1 capital
LLRD, fully applied3
LRD held by CC – Group ALM on behalf of business 
divisions and other CC units4
LLRD after allocation from CC – Group ALM to business 
divisions and other CC units

Total IFRS assets
Difference in scope of consolidation1
Less: derivative exposures and SFTs2
OOn-balance sheet exposures
Derivative exposures
Securities financing transactions
Off-balance sheet items 
Items deducted from Swiss SRB tier 1 capital
LLRD, phase-in
Additional items deducted from Swiss SRB tier 1 capital
LLRD, fully applied

WWealth
Management 

WWealth
Management
Americas

PPersonal &
Corporate
Banking

AAsset
Management

IInvestment
Bank

CCC –
Services

 123.0
 0.0
 (2.6)
  120.4
 2.9
 1.2
 3.6

 67.1
 (0.2)
 (2.1)
  64.8
 5.2
 1.0
 0.8

 135.6
 0.0
 (1.2)
  134.4
 1.8
 0.0
 11.9

  128.0

  71.8

  148.0

  128.0

  71.8

  148.0

45.9

1173.9

 115.5
 (5.1)
 (2.0)
  108.4
 3.5
 0.0
 3.6

16.2

888.0

 65.9
 (0.2)
 (2.0)
  63.7
 2.5
 1.0
 0.9

38.9

1186.9

 139.9
 0.0
 (2.2)
  137.7
 2.7
 0.0
 11.9

  115.5

  68.1

  152.2

  115.5

  68.1

  152.2

CCC – Non-
core and
Legacy
Portfolio

CCC –
Group
ALM

 245.7
 0.1
 (78.1)
  167.8
 5.8
 76.1
 0.1

 46.2
 (0.1)
 (41.9)
  4.2
 9.4
 1.3
 0.0

  249.9

  14.9

  249.9

  14.9

TTotal 

 915.6
 (12.1)
 (256.6)
  646.9
 98.1
 124.2
 31.1
 (12.6)
  887.6
 (1.5)
  886.1

 262.9
 (0.3)
 (130.6)
  132.1
 73.0
 44.6
 14.5

  264.1

  264.1

 20.9
 (0.1)
 0.0
  20.7
 0.0
 0.0
 0.1
 (12.6)
  8.2
 (1.5)
  6.7

331.12.17
 14.3
 (11.6)
 0.0
  2.7
 0.0
 0.0
 0.0

  2.7

  2.7

2.1

44.8

19.4

0.1

(124.4)

1.7

0.0

2283.6

66.8

1125.5

116.6

8886.1

31.12.16
 12.0
 (9.3)
 0.0
  2.7
 0.0
 0.0
 0.0

  2.7

  2.7

 242.3
 (0.7)
 (151.4)
  90.2
 77.5
 42.9
 20.6

  231.2

  231.2

31.12.17 vs 31.12.16

 23.7
 (0.2)
 0.0
  23.4
 0.0
 0.0
 0.1
 (13.2)
  10.3
 (4.5)
  5.8

 267.2
 0.2
 (60.6)
  206.7
 6.3
 59.1
 0.3

 68.5
 0.0
 (63.3)
  5.2
 15.2
 1.8
 0.3

  272.4

  22.4

  272.4

  22.4

 935.0
 (15.5)
 (281.4)
  638.1
 107.6
 104.7
 37.7
 (13.2)
  874.9
 (4.5)
  870.5

 1.2
 0.0
 (0.1)
  1.1
 2.7
 0.0
 (0.1)

 7.5
 5.1
 (0.6)
  12.0
 (0.6)
 1.2
 0.0

Total IFRS assets
Difference in scope of consolidation1
Less: derivative exposures and SFTs2
OOn-balance sheet exposures
Derivative exposures
Securities financing transactions
Off-balance sheet items 
Items deducted from Swiss SRB tier 1 capital
LLRD, phase-in
Additional items deducted from Swiss SRB tier 1 capital
LLRD, fully applied
11 Represents the difference between the IFRS and the regulatory scope of consolidation, which is the applicable scope for the LRD calculation.    2 Consists of positive replacement values, cash collateral receivables on 
derivative  instruments,  cash  collateral  on  securities  borrowed,  reverse  repurchase  agreements,  margin  loans  and  prime  brokerage  receivables  related  to  securities  financing  transactions  in  accordance  with  the 
regulatory scope of consolidation, which are presented separately under Derivative exposures and Securities financing transactions.     3 Represents LRD held by the respective business division or Corporate Center 
unit.     4 Represents LRD held by Corporate Center – Group ALM that is directly associated with activity managed centrally on behalf of the business divisions and other Corporate Center units. For the purpose of 
attributing equity under the revised framework effective as of 1 January 2017, these resources are allocated to the business divisions and other Corporate Center units, primarily based on the level of high-quality 
liquid assets needed to meet the Group’s minimum liquidity coverage ratio requirement of 110%. Refer to “Equity attribution and return on attributed equity“ in this section for more information.

 (19.4)
 3.4
 24.8
  8.8
 (9.5)
 19.5
 (6.6)
 0.6
  12.7
 3.0
  15.6

 (2.8)
 0.1
 0.0
  (2.7)
 0.0
 0.0
 0.0
 0.6
  (2.1)
 3.0
  0.9

 (21.5)
 (0.1)
 (17.5)
  (38.9)
 (0.5)
 17.0
 (0.2)

 (22.3)
 (0.1)
 21.4
  (1.0)
 (5.8)
 (0.5)
 (0.3)

 20.6
 0.4
 20.8
  41.9
 (4.5)
 1.7
 (6.1)

 (4.3)
 0.0
 1.0
  (3.3)
 (0.9)
 0.0
 0.0

 2.3
 (2.3)
 0.0
  0.0
 0.0
 0.0
 0.0

  (22.5)

  (22.5)

  (7.5)

  (7.5)

  (4.2)

  (4.2)

  32.9

  12.5

  32.9

  12.5

  3.7

  0.0

  3.7

  0.0

198 

 
Equity attribution and return on attributed equity

Average  attributed  equity  to  business  divisions  and  Corporate 
Center increased by CHF 4.6 billion to CHF 52.8 billion in 2017, 
primarily  driven  by  the  changes  to  the  equity  attribution 
framework described below. 

Change in equity attribution framework in 2017
In the first quarter of 2017, we implemented an updated equity 
attribution framework, which reflects the revision of the too big 
to fail provisions applicable to Swiss systemically relevant banks. 

Effective  1  January  2017,  the  weighting  used  for  the 
attribution of tangible equity was changed from an equal driver 
weighting  of  one-third  each  for  average  fully  applied  risk-
weighted  assets  (RWA),  average  fully  applied  leverage  ratio 
denominator (LRD) and risk-based capital (RBC) to 50% each for 
RWA and LRD. Average fully applied RWA and LRD continue to 
be  converted  to  their  common  equity  tier  1  (CET1)  capital 
equivalents  based  on  capital  ratios  of  11%  and  3.75%, 
respectively,  both  of  which  exceed 
regulatory 
requirements.  If  the  tangible  attributed  equity  calculated  under 
the  weighted-driver  approach  is  less  than  the  CET1  capital 
equivalent  of  RBC  for  any  business  division,  the  CET1  capital 
equivalent  of  RBC  will  be  used  as  a  floor  for  that  business 
division.

future 

Under  the  revised  framework,  LRD  and  RWA  held  by 
Corporate  Center  –  Group  Asset  and  Liability  Management 
(Group  ALM)  directly  associated  with  activities  that  Corporate 
Center  –  Group  ALM  manages  centrally  on  behalf  of  the 

business divisions and other Corporate Center units are allocated 
to those business divisions and other Corporate Center units for 
the  purpose  of  equity  attribution.  This  allocation  is  primarily 
based on the level of high-quality liquid assets that is needed to 
meet the Group’s minimum liquidity coverage ratio requirement 
of  110%.  Corporate  Center  –  Group  ALM  continues  to  retain 
attributed  equity  related  to  liquidity  and  funding  surpluses,  i.e., 
at  levels  above  regulatory  requirements,  together  with  that 
related to its own activities.

In addition to tangible equity, we continue to allocate equity 
to  our  businesses  to  support  goodwill  and  intangible  assets. 
However,  following  the  aforementioned  change  in  the  first 
quarter of 2017, we now also attribute to the business divisions 
equity  for  goodwill  and  intangible  assets  resulting  from  the 
acquisition  of  PaineWebber  that  until  1  January  2017  was  held 
centrally  in  Group  items  within  Corporate  Center  –  Services 
under the previous framework.

We  attribute  all  Basel  III  capital  deduction  items  to  Group 
items. These deduction items include deferred tax assets, which 
constitute  the  largest  component  of  Group  items,  unrealized 
gains  from  cash  flow  hedges  and  compensation-  and  own 
shares-related  components.  Prior  to  2017,  Group  items  only 
included  an  amount  of  attributed  equity  for  certain  capital 
deduction  items.  The  total  amount  of  attributed  equity  now 
equals average shareholders’ equity. 

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199 

 
 
 
 
 
Risk, treasury and capital management
Capital management

Average attributed equity and attributed tangible equity

CHF billion
Wealth Management 

Wealth Management Americas 

Personal & Corporate Banking

Asset Management 

Investment Bank 

Corporate Center 

of which: CC – Services 

of which: Group items

of which: CC – Group ALM 

of which: CC – Non-core and Legacy Portfolio 

AAverage equity attributed to business divisions and Corporate Center 

Difference 

Total attributed equity
For the year ended

Attributed tangible equity1,2
For the year ended

331.12.17
  6.2

Prior framework

31.12.16
 3.5

31.12.15
 3.5

  6.6

  6.1

  1.7

  9.3

  22.9

  18.9

  17.2

  2.7

  1.3

  52.8

  0.0

 2.6

 4.1

 1.4

 7.7

 29.1

 22.8

 21.4

 4.3

 2.1

 48.2

 5.7

 2.5

 3.9

 1.6

 7.3

 25.8

 19.6

 18.2

 3.3

 2.9

 44.6

 7.8

331.12.17
  4.8

  3.0

  6.1

  0.3

  9.3

  22.9

  18.9

  17.2

  2.7

  1.3

  46.4

  0.0

AAverage equity attributable to shareholders 
11 Attributed tangible equity equals attributed equity less goodwill and intangible assets.    2 Attributed tangible equity is shown for the period for which Return on attributed tangible equity is available. This is a new 
measure introduced in 2017, accordingly no comparative period information is available.

552.8

446.4

53.9

52.4

Return on (attributed) equity and return on (attributed) tangible equity1

In %
Reported

Wealth Management 

Wealth Management Americas 

Personal & Corporate Banking

Asset Management 

Investment Bank 
UBS Group3

Adjusted4

Wealth Management 

Wealth Management Americas 

Personal & Corporate Banking

Asset Management 

Return on (attributed) equity 
For the year ended

Prior framework

Return on
(attributed) tangible equity2
For the year ended

31.12.17

31.12.16

31.12.15

31.12.17

 37.1

 18.3

 25.8

 34.0

 13.4

 2.0

 44.6

 20.1

 27.5

 30.9

 56.1

 43.4

 43.2

 32.3

 13.1

 5.9

 69.0

 48.5

 43.0

 39.4

 77.4

 29.0

 41.9

 36.5

 25.9

 11.8

 81.4

 33.7

 42.8

 38.1

 47.7

 41.6

 25.8

 184.6

 13.6

 2.4

 57.3

 45.4

 27.5

 167.7

Investment Bank 
UBS Group3
1 Return on attributed equity and return on attributed tangible equity shown for the business divisions. Return on equity attributable to shareholders and return on tangible equity shown for the UBS Group. Return 
on attributed equity and return on attributed tangible equity for Corporate Center are not shown, as they are not meaningful.     2 This is a new measure introduced in 2017, accordingly no comparative period 
information is available.     3 Returns for UBS Group are calculated on a post-tax basis, whereas the returns for the business divisions are calculated on a pre-tax basis.     4 Adjusted results are non-GAAP financial 
measures as defined by SEC regulations.

 16.0

 16.3

 31.3

 11.8

 19.6

 3.4

 4.0

 7.8

200 

UBS shares

UBS Group AG shares

Audited  |  As  of  31  December  2017,  IFRS  equity  attributable  to 
shareholders  amounted  to  CHF 51,214  million,  represented  by 
3,853,096,603  shares 
increased  by 
issued.  Shares 
2,330,214  shares  in  2017  due  to  the  issuance  of  shares  out  of 
conditional  share  capital  upon  exercise  of  employee  share 
options.

issued 

UBS Group share information

Shares issued

Treasury shares

Shares outstanding
Basic earnings per share (CHF)1

Diluted earnings per share (CHF)1

Equity attributable to shareholders (CHF million)

Less: goodwill and intangible assets (CHF million)

Tangible equity attributable to shareholders (CHF million)

Total book value per share (CHF)

Tangible book value per share (CHF)

Share price (CHF)

Each  share  has  a  par  value  of  CHF 0.10  and  entitles  the 
holder to one vote at the UBS Group AG shareholders’ meeting, 
if entered into the share register as having the right to vote, and 
also  a  proportionate  share  of  distributed  dividends.  As  the 
Articles  of  Association  of  UBS  Group  AG  indicate,  there  are  no 
for 
other  classes  of  shares  and  no  preferential 
shareholders. (cid:3)

rights 

→ Refer to the “Corporate governance” section of this report for 

more information on UBS shares

As of or for the year ended

331.12.17

31.12.16

% change from

31.12.16

  3,853,096,603

  132,301,550

  3,720,795,053

 3,850,766,389

 138,441,772

 3,712,324,617

  0.28

  0.27

  51,214

  6,398

  44,816

  13.76

  12.04

  17.94

 0.86

 0.84

 53,621

 6,556

 47,065

 14.44

 12.68

 15.95

 0

 (4)

 0

 (67)

 (68)

 (4)

 (2)

 (5)

 (5)

 (5)

 12

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Market capitalization (CHF million)2
11 Refer to “Note 9 Earnings per share (EPS) and shares outstanding” in the “Consolidated financial statements” section of this report for more information.     2 Market capitalization is calculated as total shares 
issued multiplied by the share price at the end of the period.

  69,125

 61,420

 13

201 

 
 
 
 
Risk, treasury and capital management
Capital management

Holding of UBS Group AG shares

Group  Treasury  holds  UBS  Group  AG  shares  to  hedge  future 
share  delivery  obligations  related  to  employee  share-based 
compensation awards. In addition, the Investment Bank holds a 
limited number of UBS Group AG shares, primarily in its capacity 
as  a  market-maker  in  UBS  Group  AG  shares  and  related 
derivatives  and  to  hedge  certain 
issued  structured  debt 
instruments.  As  of  31  December  2017,  we  held  a  total  of 
132,301,550 treasury shares (31 December 2016: 138,441,772), 
or 3.4% (31 December 2016: 3.6%) of shares issued. 

Share  delivery  obligations  related  to  employee  share-based 
compensation  awards 
totaled  166  million  shares  as  of 
31 December  2017  (31  December  2016:  166  million).  Share 

delivery  obligations  are  calculated  on  the  basis  of  unvested 
notional  share  awards,  options  and  stock  appreciation  rights, 
taking applicable performance conditions into account. Treasury 
shares  held  are  delivered  to  employees  at  exercise  or  vesting. 
However,  share  delivery  obligations  related  to  certain  options 
and  stock  appreciation  rights  can  also  be  satisfied  by  shares 
issued out of conditional capital. As of 31 December 2017, the 
number  of  UBS  Group  AG  shares  that  could  have  been  issued 
out  of  conditional  capital  for  this  purpose  was  128  million 
(31 December 2016: 130 million). 

The table below outlines the market purchases of UBS Group 
AG shares by Group Treasury. It does not include the activities of 
the Investment Bank.

Treasury share purchases1

Month of purchase

January 2017

February 2017

March 2017

April 2017

May 2017

June 2017

July 2017

August 2017

September 2017

October 2017

November 2017

December 2017

Treasury shares purchased

Number of shares

Average price in CHF

Number of shares (cumulative)

Average price in CHF

 34,000,000

 15.99

 34,000,000

 34,000,000

 34,000,000

 34,000,000

 34,000,000

 34,000,000

 34,000,000

 34,000,000

 34,000,000

 34,000,000

 15.99

 15.99

 15.99

 15.99

 15.99

 15.99

 15.99

 15.99

 15.99

 15.99

11 This table excludes purchases for the purpose of hedging derivatives linked to UBS Group AG shares and for market-making in UBS Group AG shares. The table also excludes UBS Group AG shares purchased by 
pension and retirement benefit funds for UBS employees, which are managed by a board of UBS management and employee representatives in accordance with Swiss law. UBS’s pension and other post-employment 
benefit funds purchased 904,558 UBS Group AG shares during the year and held 16,370,040 UBS Group AG shares as of 31 December 2017.

For the year ended

31.12.17

31.12.16

31.12.15

 3,084,804

 3,761,294

 2,870,766

 12,290

 146,902

 585

 14,808

 160,887

 638

 11,437

 102,069

 405

Trading volumes

1,000 shares

SIX Swiss Exchange total 

SIX Swiss Exchange daily average

New York Stock Exchange total

New York Stock Exchange daily average

Source: Reuters

202 

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Listing of UBS Group AG shares

UBS Group AG shares are listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (SIX). 
They are also listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) as 
global  registered  shares.  As  such,  they  can  be  traded  and 
transferred  across  applicable  borders  without  the  need  for 
conversion,  with  identical  shares  traded  on  different  stock 
exchanges in different currencies.

During 2017, the average daily trading volume of UBS Group 
AG  shares  was  12.3  million  shares  on  the  SIX  and  0.6  million 
shares  on  the  NYSE.  The  SIX  is  expected  to  remain  the  main 
venue for determining the movement in our share price due to 
the high volume traded on this exchange.

During  the  hours  in  which  both  the  SIX  and  the  NYSE  are 
simultaneously  open  for  trading  (generally  3:30  p.m.  to  5:30 
p.m.  Central  European  Time),  price  differences  between  these 
exchanges  are  likely  to  be  arbitraged  away  by  professional 
market-makers.  Accordingly,  the  share  price  will  typically  be 
similar  between  the  two  exchanges  when  considering  the 
prevailing US dollar / Swiss franc exchange rate. When the SIX is 
closed  for  trading,  globally  traded  volumes  will  typically  be 
lower.  However,  the  specialist  firm  making  a  market  in  UBS 
Group AG shares on the NYSE is required to facilitate sufficient 
liquidity  and  maintain  an  orderly  market  in  UBS  Group  AG 
shares throughout normal NYSE trading hours.

Ticker symbols UBS Group AG

Security identification codes

TTrading exchange

SIX Swiss Exchange

New York Stock Exchange

SSIX/NYSE

UBSG

UBS

BBloomberg

UBSG SW

UBS UN

RReuters

UBSG.S

UBS.N

ISIN

Valoren

CUSIP

CCH0244767585

224 476 758

CCINS H42097 10 7

Stock exchange prices1

SIX Swiss Exchange

New York Stock Exchange

High (CHF)

Low (CHF)

Period end (CHF)

High (USD)

Low (USD)

Period end (USD)

2018

February

January

2017

Fourth quarter 2017

December

November

October

Third quarter 2017

September

August

July

Second quarter 2017

First quarter 2017

2016

Fourth quarter 2016

Third quarter 2016

Second quarter 2016

First quarter 2016

2015

2014

2013

 19.20

 19.77

 18.24

 18.24

 18.24

 17.18

 17.60

 17.42

 16.60

 17.11

 17.42

 17.49

 17.49

 19.32

 17.73

 14.53

 16.85

 19.32

 22.57

 19.10

 19.60

 17.09

 18.04

 15.11

 16.46

 16.78

 16.47

 16.46

 15.36

 15.36

 15.57

 16.32

 15.13

 15.11

 11.58

 12.97

 11.58

 12.24

 13.51

 13.58

 13.95

 14.09

 18.07

 18.90

 17.94

 17.94

 17.94

 16.99

 16.98

 16.55

 16.55

 15.80

 16.82

 16.24

 16.03

 15.95

 15.95

 13.23

 12.57

 15.49

 19.52

 17.09

 16.92

 20.69

 20.89

 18.47

 18.47

 18.47

 17.39

 17.47

 18.31

 17.15

 17.66

 18.31

 17.71

 17.26

 19.14

 17.44

 14.88

 17.37

 19.14

 23.19

 21.50

 21.61

 18.15

 18.45

 15.11

 16.80

 16.97

 16.80

 16.89

 16.08

 16.08

 16.37

 17.15

 15.11

 15.24

 11.94

 13.22

 11.94

 12.46

 14.01

 16.02

 15.04

 15.09

1 Based on the share price of UBS AG until 27 November 2014 and of UBS Group AG from 28 November 2014 onward.

 18.97

 20.32

 18.39

 18.39

 18.39

 17.18

 17.01

 17.15

 17.15

 16.44

 17.43

 16.98

 15.95

 15.67

 15.67

 13.62

 12.96

 16.02

 19.37

 17.05

 19.25

203 

 
 
 
 
Corporate 
governance, 
responsibility 
and 
compensation

Management report

Audited information according to the Swiss law and applicable regulatory 
requirements and guidance

Disclosures  provided  are  in  line  with  the  requirements  of  article  663c  para.  1  and  3  of  the  Swiss  Code  of  Obligations 
(supplementary  disclosures  for  companies  whose  shares  are  listed  on  a  stock  exchange:  shareholdings)  and  the  Ordinance 
against  Excessive  Compensation  in  Listed  Stock  Corporations  (tables  containing  such  information  are  marked  as  “Audited” 
throughout this section), as well as other applicable regulations and guidance.

Information assured according to the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI)

Content  of  the  sections  “UBS  and  Society”  and  “Our  employees”  has  been  reviewed  by  Ernst  &  Young  Ltd  (EY)  against  the 
Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Sustainability Reporting Guidelines. This content has been prepared in accordance with the GRI 
Standards: Comprehensive option as evidenced in the EY assurance report at  www.ubs.com/gri. The limited assurance by EY 
also covered other relevant text and data in the UBS GRI Document.

Corporate governance, responsibility and compensation
Corporate governance

Corporate governance

UBS  Group  AG  is  subject  to,  and  compliant  with,  all  relevant 
Swiss  legal  and  regulatory  requirements  regarding  corporate 
governance,  including  the  SIX  Swiss  Exchange’s  Directive  on 
Information  Relating  to  Corporate  Governance,  as  well  as  the 
standards  established  in  the  Swiss  Code  of  Best  Practice  for 
Corporate  Governance,  including  the  appendix  on  executive 
compensation.

In  addition,  as  a  foreign  company  with  shares  listed  on  the 
New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), UBS Group AG complies with 
all relevant corporate governance standards applicable to foreign 
private issuers.

The Organization Regulations of UBS Group AG, adopted by 
the Board of Directors (BoD) based on article 716b of the Swiss 
Code  of  Obligations  and  articles  25  and  27  of  the  Articles  of 
Association  of  UBS  Group  AG  (AoA),  constitute  our  primary 
corporate governance guidelines. 

To  the  extent  practicable,  the  governance  structures  of  UBS 
Group  AG  and  UBS  AG  are  aligned.  UBS  AG  complies  with  all 
relevant  Swiss 
legal  and  regulatory  corporate  governance 
requirements.  As  a  foreign  private  issuer  with  debt  securities 
listed  on  the  NYSE,  UBS  AG  also  complies  with  the  relevant 
NYSE  corporate  governance  standards.  The  discussion  in  this 
section  refers  to  both  UBS  Group  AG  and  UBS  AG,  unless 
specifically  noted  otherwise  or  unless  the  information  discussed 
is  relevant  only  to  companies  with  listed  shares  and  therefore 
only  applicable  to  UBS  Group  AG.  This  is  in  line  with  US 
Securities  and  Exchange  Commission  regulations  and  NYSE 
listing standards.

→ Refer to the Articles of Association of UBS Group AG and of UBS 

AG, and the Organization Regulations of UBS Group AG at 

www.ubs.com/governance for more information 

206 

Differences from corporate governance standards relevant 
to US-listed companies

to 

the  NYSE 

According 
listing  standards  on  corporate 
governance,  foreign  private  issuers  are  required  to  disclose  any 
significant  ways  in  which  their  corporate  governance  practices 
differ  from  those  that  have  to  be  followed  by  domestic 
companies.  These  differences  are  discussed  in  the  following 
paragraphs.

Responsibility of the Audit Committee with regard to 
independent auditors
Our  Audit  Committee  is  responsible  for  the  compensation, 
retention and oversight of the independent auditors. It assesses 
the  performance  and  qualification  of  the  external  auditors  and 
submits its proposal for appointment, reappointment or removal 
of the independent auditors to the full BoD. As required by the 
Swiss Code of Obligations, the BoD then submits its proposal to 
the  shareholders  for  their  vote  at  the  Annual  General  Meeting 
(AGM).  Under  NYSE  standards,  the  Audit  Committee  is  also 
responsible for the appointment of the independent auditors.

Discussion of risk assessment and risk management policies by 
the Risk Committee
In  accordance  with  the  respective  Organization  Regulations  of 
UBS Group AG and UBS AG, the Risk Committee instead of the 
Audit  Committee  oversees  our  risk  principles  and  risk  capacity 
on  behalf  of  the  BoD.  The  Risk  Committee  is  responsible  for 
monitoring  our  adherence  to  those  risk  principles  and  for 
monitoring  whether  business  divisions  and  control  units 
maintain appropriate systems of risk management and control.

Supervision of the internal audit function
The Chairman of the BoD (Chairman) and the Audit Committee 
share the supervisory responsibility and authority with respect to 
the  internal  audit  function.  Under  NYSE  standards,  only  the 
Audit Committee supervises the internal audit function.

it 

the 

the  other 

responsibility  of 

Responsibility of the Compensation Committee for performance 
evaluations of senior management of UBS Group AG
Under  NYSE  standards, 
the 
is 
Compensation  Committee  to  evaluate  senior  management 
performance  and  determine  and  approve,  as  a  committee  or 
its 
together  with 
compensation.  In  line  with  Swiss  law,  our  Compensation 
Committee,  together  with  the  BoD,  proposes  for  shareholder 
approval  at  the  AGM  the  maximum  aggregate  amount  of 
compensation for the BoD, the maximum aggregate amount of 
fixed compensation for the Group Executive Board (GEB) and the 
aggregate  amount  of  variable  compensation  for  the  GEB.  The 
shareholders  elect 
the  Compensation 
the  members  of 
Committee at the AGM.

independent  directors, 

Proxy statement reports of the Audit Committee and the 
Compensation Committee
NYSE  listing  standards  would  require  the  aforementioned 
committees  to  submit  their  reports  directly  to  shareholders. 
However,  under  Swiss  law,  all  our  reports  addressed  to 
the  aforementioned 
shareholders, 
committees, are provided and approved by the BoD, which has 
ultimate responsibility to the shareholders.

including 

those 

from 

Shareholders’ votes on equity compensation plans
While  the  NYSE  standards  would  require  shareholder  approval 
for  the  establishment  of  and  material  revisions  to  all  equity 
compensation  plans,  Swiss  law  authorizes  the  BoD  to  approve 
compensation plans. Swiss companies determine the nature and 
components  of  capital  in  their  articles  of  association,  and  each 
increase  in  capital  requires  shareholder  approval.  This  means 
if  equity-based 
that  shareholder  approval 
compensation  plans 
in  capital.  No 
shareholder  approval  is  required  if  shares  for  such  plans  are 
purchased in the market.

is  mandatory 
increase 

require  an 

→ Refer to “Board of Directors” in this section for more 
information on the Board of Directors’ committees

→ Refer to “Capital structure” in this section for more information 

on UBS Group AG’s capital

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207 

 
 
 
 
 
Corporate governance, responsibility and compensation
Corporate governance

Group structure and shareholders

Operational Group structure

Listed and non-listed companies belonging to the Group

As of 31 December 2017, the operational structure of the Group 
comprised  the  business  divisions  Wealth  Management,  Wealth 
Management  Americas,  Personal  &  Corporate  Banking,  Asset 
Management,  and  the  Investment  Bank,  as  well  as  Corporate 
Center with its units Corporate Center – Services (comprising the 
Group  functions  Group  Chief  Operating  Officer  area,  Group 
Finance,  Group  Human  Resources,  Group  Risk  Control,  Group 
General  Counsel  area,  Group  Regulatory  &  Governance, 
Communications  &  Branding  and  UBS  and  Society),  Corporate 
Center – Group Asset and Liability Management and Corporate 
Center  –  Non-core  and  Legacy  Portfolio.  Effective  1  February 
2018, Wealth Management and Wealth Management Americas 
were  combined  into  a  unified  business  division  called  Global 
Wealth Management.

The Group includes a number of consolidated entities, of which 
only UBS Group AG has its shares listed.

UBS  Group  AG’s  registered  office  is  at  Bahnhofstrasse  45, 
CH-8001  Zurich,  Switzerland.  The  shares  of  UBS  Group  AG  are 
listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (ISIN: CH0244767585) and on 
the NYSE (CUSIP: H42097107).

→ Refer to “UBS shares” in the “Capital management” section 

from page 201 of this report for information on UBS Group AG’s 

market capitalization and shares held by Group entities

→ Refer to “Note 28 Interests in subsidiaries and other entities” in 
the “Consolidated financial statements” section from page 436 

of this report for more information on the significant 

subsidiaries of the Group

→ Refer to the sections under “Financial and operating 

Significant shareholders

performance” from page 57 and to “Note 2 Segment reporting” 

in the “Consolidated financial statements” section from page 

348 of this report for more information

→ Refer to the “Our evolution” section from page 12 of this report 

for more information

Under the Swiss Federal Act on Financial Market Infrastructures 
and Market Conduct in Securities and Derivatives Trading of 19 
June 2015 (FMIA), anyone holding shares in a company listed in 
Switzerland, or holding derivative rights related to shares of such 
a  company,  must  notify  the  company  and  the  SIX  Swiss 
Exchange (SIX) if the holding reaches, falls below or exceeds one 
of  the  following  thresholds:  3,  5,  10,  15,  20,  25,  331⁄3,  50,  or 
662⁄3% of voting rights, regardless of whether or not such rights 
may be exercised. The detailed disclosure requirements and the 
methodology  for  calculating  the  thresholds  are  defined  in  the 
Swiss  Financial  Market  Supervisory  Authority  Ordinance  on 
Financial  Market  Infrastructure  (FMIO-FINMA).  In  particular,  the 
FMIO-FINMA  sets  forth  that  nominee  companies  that  cannot 
autonomously  decide  how  voting  rights  are  exercised  are  not 
obligated  to  notify  the  company  and  the  SIX  if  they  reach, 
exceed or fall below the threshold percentages.

In  addition,  pursuant  to  the  Swiss  Code  of  Obligations,  we 
must  disclose  in  the  notes  to  our  financial  statements  the 
identity of any shareholder with a holding of more than 5% of 
the total share capital of UBS Group AG.

208 

According to the FMIA disclosure notifications filed with UBS 
Group  AG  and  the  SIX,  the  following  entities  held  more  than 
3%  of  the  total  share  capital  of  UBS  Group  AG  as  of 
31 December  2017:  BlackRock  Inc.,  New  York,  disclosed  a 
holding of 5.01% of the total share capital of UBS Group AG on 
29 December  2017;  MFS  Investment  Management,  Boston, 
disclosed a holding of 3.05% on 10 February 2016; and Norges 
Bank,  Oslo,  the  central  bank  of  Norway,  disclosed  a  holding  of 
3.30% on 10 December 2014. With the exception of BlackRock 
Inc.,  New  York,  with  a  disclosed  holding  of  5.02%  of  the  total 
share  capital  of  UBS  Group  AG  on  5  March  2018,  the  above 
disclosures have not been subsequently superseded and no new 
disclosures of significant shareholdings have been notified since 
31 December 2017. 

In  accordance  with  the  FMIA,  the  aforementioned  holdings 
are calculated in relation to the total share capital of UBS Group 
AG  reflected  in  its  Articles  of  Association  at  the  time  of  the 
respective disclosure notification. 

Shareholders  who  notified  a  significant  shareholding  in 
accordance  with  the  aforementioned  requirements  may  or  may 
not  be  recorded  in  the  UBS  share  register,  and  therefore  they 
may  not  necessarily  appear  in  the  table  below.  Information  on 
disclosures  under  the  FMIA  is  available  at  www.six-exchange-
regulation.com/en/home/publications/significant-
shareholders.html. 

The  shareholders  (acting  in  their  own  name  or  in  their 
capacity  as  nominees  for  other  investors  or  beneficial  owners) 
listed  in  the  table  below  were  registered  in  the  UBS  share 
register with 3% or more of the total share capital of UBS Group 
AG as of 31 December 2017.

Cross-shareholdings

UBS  Group  AG  has  no  cross-shareholdings  in  excess  of  a 
reciprocal ownership of 5% of capital or voting rights with any 
other company.

Audited |
Shareholders registered in the UBS share register with 3% or more of the total share capital

% of share capital

Chase Nominees Ltd., London

DTC (Cede & Co.), New York1

Nortrust Nominees Ltd., London

11 DTC (Cede & Co.), New York, “The Depository Trust Company,” is a US securities clearing organization.

331.12.17

31.12.16

31.12.15

  11.16

  6.64

  4.11

 9.43

 6.62

 3.88

 9.14

 6.14

 3.60

(cid:3)

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209 

 
 
 
 
Corporate governance, responsibility and compensation
Corporate governance

Capital structure

Issued ordinary share capital

At  year-end  2017,  UBS  Group  AG  had  3,853,096,603  issued 
shares  with  a  par  value  of  CHF 0.10  each,  leading  to  a  share 
capital of CHF 385,309,660.30. 

Under  Swiss  company  law,  shareholders  must  approve  in  a 
shareholders’ meeting any increase in the total number of shares 

that  may  arise  from  an  ordinary  share  capital  increase  or  the 
creation  of  conditional  or  authorized  capital.  In  2017,  our 
shareholders were not asked to approve any capital increase. 

Share capital increased during the year by 2,330,214 shares, 
as  shares  were  issued  out  of  existing  conditional  capital  due  to 
the exercise of employee options.

Issued share capital of UBS Group AG

AAs of 31 December 2016

Issue of shares out of conditional capital due to employee options exercised in 2017

AAs of 31 December 2017

SShare capital in CHF

NNumber of shares

Par value in CHF

  385,076,639

 233,021

  385,309,660

  3,850,766,389

 2,330,214

  3,853,096,603

  0.10

 0.10

  0.10

Distribution of UBS shares 

As of 31 December 2017

Number of shares registered

1–100

101–1,000

1,001–10,000

10,001–100,000

100,001–1,000,000

1,000,001–5,000,000

5,000,001–38,530,966 (1%)

1–2%

2–3%

3–4%

4–5%

Over 5%

Total registered

Unregistered3

Total shares issued

Shareholders registered

Shares registered

Number

% of shares issued

Number

 26,007

 123,604

 73,920

 6,438

 524

 83

 30

 2

 1

 0

 1

 21 

 230,612

%

 11.3

 53.6

 32.1

 2.8

 0.2

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0

 1,460,688

 58,321,655

 208,480,350

 151,912,554

 154,010,127

 172,747,303

 349,217,167

 109,797,617

 88,559,109

 0

 158,270,547

 685,945,874

 100.0

 2,138,722,9912 

 1,714,373,612

 3,853,096,603

 0.0

 1.5

 5.4

 3.9

 4.0

 4.5

 9.1

 2.8

 2.3

 0.0

 4.1

 17.8

 55.5

 44.5

 100.0

1 On 31 December 2017, Chase Nominees Ltd., London, entered as a trustee / nominee, was registered with 11.16% of all UBS shares issued. However, according to the provisions of UBS Group AG, voting rights 
of trustees / nominees are limited to a maximum of 5% of all UBS shares issued. The US securities clearing organization DTC (Cede & Co.), New York, was registered with 6.64% of all UBS shares issued and is not 
subject  to  this  5%  voting  limit  as  a  securities  clearing  organization.     2  Of  the  total  shares  registered,  410,395,903  shares  did  not  carry  voting  rights.     3  Shares  not  entered  in  the  UBS  share  register  as  of 
31 December 2017.

210 

Conditional share capital

At  year-end  2017,  the  following  conditional  share  capital  was 
available to UBS Group AG’s BoD:
– a  maximum  of  CHF 38,000,000  represented  by  up  to 
380,000,000 fully paid registered shares with a nominal value 
of  CHF 0.10  each,  to  be  issued  through  the  voluntary  or 
mandatory  exercise  of  conversion  rights  and  /  or  warrants 
granted  in  connection  with  the  issuance  of  bonds  or  similar 
financial  instruments  on  national  or  international  capital 
markets.  This  conditional  capital  allowance  was  approved  at 
the  Extraordinary  General  Meeting  (EGM)  held  on  26 
November  2014.  The  BoD  has  not  made  use  of  such 
allowance.

issued 

– a  maximum  of  CHF 12,766,462.20 

represented  by 
127,664,622  fully  paid  registered  shares  with  a  par  value  of 
CHF 0.10  each,  to  be  issued  upon  exercise  of  employee 
options 
the 
management  and  of  the  BoD  of  UBS  Group  AG  and  its 
subsidiaries. This conditional capital allowance was approved 
by the shareholders at the same EGM in 2014. 
→ Refer to article 4a of the Articles of Association of UBS Group 
AG for more information on the terms and conditions of the 

to  employees  and  members  of 

issue of shares out of existing conditional capital. The Articles 

of Association are available at www.ubs.com/governance

Conditional capital of UBS Group AG

AAs of 31 December 2017
Employee equity participation plans

Conversion rights / warrants granted in connection with bonds

TTotal

MMaximum number of shares to 
be issued
 127,664,622

Year approved by Extraor-
dinary General Meeting
2014

 380,000,000

  507,664,622

2014

%% of shares issued
 3.31

 9.86

  13.18

Authorized share capital

Ownership

UBS  Group  AG  had  no  authorized  capital  available  on 
31 December 2017.

Changes in capital

to  shareholders  amounted 

In  accordance  with  International  Financial  Reporting  Standards, 
to 
Group  equity  attributable 
CHF 51.2  billion  as  of  31  December  2017  (2016:  CHF 53.6 
billion;  and  2015:  CHF 55.3  billion).  UBS  Group  AG 
shareholders’  equity  was  represented  by  3,853,096,603  issued 
shares  as  of  31  December  2017  (2016:  3,850,766,389  shares; 
and 2015: 3,849,731,535 shares).

→ Refer to “Statement of changes in equity” in the “Consolidated 
financial statements” section from page 318 of this report, and 

our annual reports 2016 and 2015 available under “Annual 

reporting” at www.ubs.com/investors, for more information on 

changes in shareholders’ equity over the last three years

Ownership of UBS Group AG shares is widely spread. The tables in 
this  section  provide  information  about  the  distribution  of  UBS 
Group  AG  shareholders  by  category  and  geographic  location.  This 
information relates only to shareholders registered in the UBS share 
register and cannot be assumed to be representative of UBS Group 
AG’s  entire  investor  base  or  the  actual  beneficial  ownership.  Only 
shareholders  registered  in  the  share  register  as  “shareholders  with 
voting rights” are entitled to exercise voting rights.

→ Refer to “Shareholders’ participation rights” in this section for 

more information

As  of  31  December  2017,  1,728,327,088  UBS  Group  AG 
shares carried voting rights, 410,395,903 shares were entered in the 
share register without voting rights, and 1,714,373,612 shares were 
not registered in the UBS share register. All shares were fully paid up 
and  eligible  for  dividends.  There  are  no  preferential  rights  for 
shareholders,  and  no  other  classes  of  shares  are  issued  by  UBS 
Group AG.

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211 

 
 
 
 
Corporate governance, responsibility and compensation
Corporate governance

Shareholders, legal entities and nominees: type and geographical distribution

AAs of 31 December 2017

Individual shareholders

Legal entities

Nominees, fiduciaries

Total registered shares

Unregistered shares

TTotal

AAmericas

of which: USA

AAsia Pacific

EEurope, Middle East and Africa

of which: Germany

of which: UK

of which: rest of Europe

of which: Middle East and Africa

SSwitzerland

Total registered shares

Unregistered shares

TTotal

SShareholders registered

Number

 225,511

 4,855

 246

%

 97.8

 2.1

 0.1

  230,612

  100.0

IIndividual shareholders

LLegal entities

NNominees

TTotal

Number

  5,779

 5,118

  5,127

  12,196

 4,175

 4,386

 3,415

 220

%

  2.5

 2.2

  2.2

  5.3

 1.8

 1.9

 1.5

 0.1

Number

  171

 95

  124

  256

 27

 10

 214

 5

  202,409

  87.8

  4,304

%

  0.1

 0.0

  0.1

  0.1

 0.0

 0.0

 0.1

 0.0

  1.9

Number

  111

 105

  22

  72

 6

 6

 59

 1

  41

%

  0.0

 0.0

  0.0

  0.0

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0

  0.0

Number

  6,061

 5,318

  5,273

  12,524

 4,208

 4,402

 3,688

 226

%

  2.6

 2.3

  2.3

  5.4

 1.8

 1.9

 1.6

 0.1

  206,754

  89.7

  225,511

  97.8

  4,855

  2.1

  246

  0.1

  230,612

  100.0

At  year-end  2017,  UBS  owned  132,301,551  UBS  Group  AG 
registered shares, which corresponded to 3.43% of the total share 
capital of UBS Group AG. At the same time, we had acquisition and 
disposal positions relating to 148,166,748 and 198,285,873 voting 
rights  of  UBS  Group  AG,  corresponding  to  3.85%  and  5.15%  of 
the  total  voting  rights  of  UBS  Group  AG,  respectively.  Of  the 
disposal  positions,  4.93%  consisted  of  voting  rights  on  shares 
deliverable 
in  respect  of  employee  awards.  The  calculation 
methodology for the acquisition and disposal positions is based on 
the  FMIO-FINMA,  which  sets  forth  that  all  future  potential  share 
delivery  obligations,  irrespective  of  the  contingent  nature  of  the 
delivery, must be taken into account.

Employee share ownership

Employee share ownership is encouraged and enabled in a variety 
of ways. One example is our Equity Plus Plan. This is a voluntary plan 
that  provides  eligible  employees  with  the  opportunity  to  purchase 
UBS Group AG shares at market value and receive, at no additional 
cost,  one  notional  UBS  Group  AG  share  for  every  three  shares 
purchased. If the shares purchased are held for three years and the 
employee remains in employment, the notional shares vest. Another 
example  is  the  Equity  Ownership  Plan  (EOP).  This  is  a  mandatory 
deferral plan for all employees with total compensation greater than 
CHF  300,000.  These  employees  receive  at  least  60%  of  their 
deferred performance award under the EOP in notional shares. The 
plan includes provisions that allow the firm to reduce or fully forfeit 
the  unvested  deferred  portion  of  the  granted  EOP  award  if  an 
employee  commits  certain  harmful  acts,  and  in  most  cases  trigger 

forfeiture  where  employment  has  been  terminated.  To  encourage 
our employees to develop and manage the business in a way that 
delivers  sustainable  returns,  EOP  awards  granted  to  GEB  members 
and  other  senior  employees  will  only  vest  if  both  Group  and 
business division performance conditions are met.

shares  outstanding 

As  of  31  December  2017,  current  UBS  employees  held  an 
estimated  6%  of  UBS 
(including 
approximately  4%  in  unvested  /  blocked  actual  and  notional 
shares  from  our  compensation  programs).  These  figures  are 
based  on  known  shareholding  information  from  employee 
participation  plans,  personal  holdings  with  UBS  and  selected 
individual  retirement  plans.  At  the  end  of  2017,  an  estimated 
36% of all employees held UBS shares with the firm’s employee 
participation plan platform.

→ Refer to the “Compensation” section from page 258 of this 

report for more information

Shares and participation certificates

UBS Group AG has a single class of shares, which are registered 
shares in the form of uncertificated securities (in the sense of the 
Swiss  Code  of  Obligations)  and  intermediary-held  securities  (in 
the sense of the Swiss Federal Act on Intermediated Securities of 
3  October  2008,  as  amended).  Each  registered  share  has  a  par 
value of CHF 0.10 and carries one vote subject to the restrictions 
set  out  under  “Transferability,  voting  rights  and  nominee 
registration” on the following page.

We have no participation certificates outstanding.

212 

IIndividual shareholders

Number of shares

  10,525,257

 8,905,338

  21,763,450

  38,509,849

 12,491,164

 16,644,427

 8,740,699

 633,559

  345,179,084

 415,977,640

 0

  415,977,640

%

  0.3

 0.2

  0.6

  1.0

 0.3

 0.4

 0.2

 0.0

  9.0

 10.8

  10.8

LLegal entities

Number of shares

  77,542,826

 64,017,846

  69,848,519

  24,878,365

 579,599

 2,161,855

 21,917,846

 219,065

  417,528,445

 589,798,155

 0

%

  2.0

 1.7

  1.8

  0.6

 0.0

 0.1

 0.6

 0.0

  10.8

 15.3

NNominees

Number of shares

  354,052,813

 353,756,503

  9,117,835

  748,615,167

 16,296,379

 646,433,414

 85,875,374

 10,000

  21,161,381

 1,132,947,196

 0

  589,798,155

  15.3

  1,132,947,196

%

  9.2

 9.2

  0.2

  19.4

 0.4

 16.8

 2.2

 0.0

  0.5

 29.4

  29.4

SShares registered

Number

 415,977,640

 589,798,155

 1,132,947,196

 2,138,722,991

 1,714,373,612

  3,853,096,603

TTotal

Number of shares

  442,120,896

 426,679,687

  100,729,804

  812,003,381

 29,367,142

 665,239,696

 116,533,919

 862,624

  783,868,910

 2,138,722,991

 1,714,373,612

  3,853,096,603

%

 10.8

 15.3

 29.4

 55.5

 44.5

  100.0

%

  11.5

 11.1

  2.6

  21.1

 0.8

 17.3

 3.0

 0.0

  20.3

 55.5

 44.5

  100.0

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Our shares are listed on the NYSE as global registered shares. 
As  such,  they  can  be  traded  and  transferred  across  applicable 
borders,  without  the  need  for  conversion,  with  identical  shares 
traded on different stock exchanges in different currencies.

beneficial owners holding 0.3% or more of all issued UBS Group 
AG shares. An exception to the 5% voting limit rule is in place 
for  securities  clearing  organizations,  such  as  The  Depository 
Trust Company in New York.

→ Refer to “UBS shares” in the “Capital management” section from 

→ Refer to “Shareholders’ participation rights” in this section for 

page 201 of this report for more information

more information

Distributions to shareholders

Convertible bonds and options

The decision to pay a dividend and the amount of any dividend 
depend  on  a  variety  of  factors,  including  our  profits  and  cash 
flow  generation  and  the  maintenance  of  our  targeted  capital 
ratios.

At  the  AGM  2018,  UBS’s  BoD  intends  to  propose  to 
shareholders a dividend of CHF 0.65 per share to be paid out of 
the capital contribution reserve, subject to shareholder approval. 
In  addition,  the  BoD  has  approved  a  share  repurchase  program 
of up to CHF 2 billion over the next three years, of which up to 
CHF 550 million may be purchased in 2018.

Transferability, voting rights and nominee registration

limitations  on  the 
We  do  not  apply  any  restrictions  or 
transferability of shares. Voting rights may be exercised without 
any restrictions by shareholders entered into the share register if 
they  expressly  render  a  declaration  of  beneficial  ownership 
according to the provisions of the Articles of Association.

We  have  special  provisions  for  the  registration  of  fiduciaries 
and nominees. Fiduciaries and nominees are entered in the share 
register with voting rights up to a total of 5% of all issued UBS 
Group  AG  shares  if  they  agree  to  disclose,  upon  our  request, 

As  of  31  December  2017,  there  were  no  contingent  capital 
securities  or  convertible  bonds  outstanding  requiring  the 
issuance of new shares.

→ Refer to the “Capital management” section from page 183 of 
this report for more information on our outstanding capital 

instruments

As  of  31  December  2017,  there  were  41,096,583  employee 
options outstanding, including stock appreciation rights. Options 
and  stock  appreciation  rights  equivalent  to  11,761,722  shares 
were in the money and exercisable. Option-based compensation 
plans are sourced by either purchasing UBS Group AG shares in 
the  market  or  issuing  new  shares  out  of  conditional  capital.  As 
mentioned  above,  as  of  31  December  2017,  127,664,622 
unissued  shares  in  conditional  share  capital  were  available  for 
this purpose. 

→ Refer to “Conditional share capital” in this section for more 

information 

→ Refer to “Note 27 Employee benefits: variable compensation” in 
the “Consolidated financial statements” section from page 428 

of this report for more information on outstanding options and 

stock appreciation rights

213 

 
 
 
 
 
Corporate governance, responsibility and compensation
Corporate governance

Shareholders’ participation rights

We  are  committed  to  shareholder  participation  in  our  decision-
making  process.  Around  230,000  shareholders  are  directly 
registered  in  the  UBS  share  register  and  some  140,000  US 
shareholders are registered via nominee companies. 

Registered  shareholders  are  personally  invited  to  the  general 
meetings of shareholders. Together with the invitation materials 
to  the  general  meeting,  they  will  receive  a  one-time  password 
and  a  QR  code  to  log  in  to  our  new  online  voting  platform, 
where  they  can  enter  their  voting  instructions  or  order  an 
admission card for the general meeting.

Shareholders  who  decide  not  to  receive  the  comprehensive 
invitation  materials  are  informed  of  the  upcoming  general 
meeting by a short letter containing a one-time password, a QR 
code  and  a  reference  to  www.ubs.com/agm,  where  all 
information for the upcoming general meeting is available. 

Relations with shareholders

All  shareholders  registered  with  voting  rights  are  entitled  to 
participate  in  general  meetings  of  shareholders.  If  they  do  not 
wish to attend in person, they may issue instructions to support, 
reject or abstain for each individual item on the meeting agenda, 
either  by  giving  instructions  to  an  independent  proxy  in 
accordance with article 15 of the Articles of Association (AoA) or 
by  appointing  another  registered  shareholder  of  their  choice  to 
vote  on  their  behalf.  Alternatively,  registered  shareholders  may 
issue  their  voting 
independent  proxy 
instructions  to  the 
electronically  through  our  online  voting  platform.  Nominee 
companies  normally  submit  the  proxy  material  to  the  beneficial 
owners  and  forward  the  collected  votes  to  the  independent 
proxy.

→ Refer to article 15 of the Articles of Association of UBS Group 
AG for more information on the issuing of instructions to 

independent voting right representatives. The Articles of 

Association are available at www.ubs.com/governance

We regularly inform all our shareholders about our activities and 
performance and other developments. 

Statutory quorums

→ Refer to “Information policy” in this section for more 

information

The  annual  general  meeting  of  shareholders  (AGM)  offers 
shareholders the opportunity to raise any questions to the Board 
of Directors (BoD) and Group Executive Board, as well as to our 
internal and external auditors.

Voting rights, restrictions and representation

We  place  no  restrictions  on  share  ownership  and  voting  rights. 
However, pursuant to general principles formulated by the BoD, 
nominee  companies  and  trustees,  who  normally  represent  a 
large  number  of  individual  shareholders  and  may  hold  an 
unlimited  number  of  shares,  have  voting  rights  limited  to  a 
maximum of 5% of all issued UBS Group AG shares in order to 
avoid the risk of unknown shareholders with large stakes being 
entered  in  the  share  register.  Securities  clearing  organizations, 
such  as  The  Depository  Trust  Company  in  New  York,  are  not 
subject to this 5% voting limit.

Shareholders can exercise their voting rights conferred by the 
shares only if they are registered in our share register with voting 
rights.  To  register,  shareholders  must  confirm  that  they  have 
acquired UBS Group AG shares in their own name and for their 
own  account.  Nominee  companies  and  trustees  are  required  to 
sign an agreement confirming their willingness to disclose, upon 
our  request,  individual  beneficial  owners  holding  more  than 
0.3% of all issued UBS Group AG shares.

Motions, including the election and re-election of BoD members 
and  the  election  of  the  auditors,  are  decided  at  a  general 
meeting  of  shareholders  by  an  absolute  majority  of  the  votes 
cast,  excluding  blank  and  invalid  ballots.  For  the  approval  of 
certain  specific  issues,  the  Swiss  Code  of  Obligations  requires  a 
positive vote from a two-thirds majority of the votes represented 
at  a  general  meeting  of  shareholders,  and  from  the  absolute 
majority of the par value of shares represented at the meeting. 
Such issues include the creation of shares with privileged voting 
rights,  the  introduction  of  restrictions  on  the  transferability  of 
registered  shares,  conditional  and  authorized  capital  increases, 
and restrictions or exclusions of shareholders’ preemptive rights. 
The  AoA  also  require  a  two-thirds  majority  of  votes 
represented  for  approval  of  any  change  to  their  provisions 
regarding the number of BoD members, any decision to remove 
one-quarter or more of the BoD members, and any modification 
to the provision establishing this qualified quorum.

Votes  and  elections  are  normally  conducted  electronically  to 
ascertain  the  exact  number  of  votes  cast.  Voting  by  a  show  of 
hands  remains  possible  if  a  clear  majority  is  predictable. 
Shareholders representing at least 3% of the votes represented 
may request that a vote or election be carried out electronically 
or  by  written  ballot.  In  order  to  allow  shareholders  to  clearly 
express  their  views  on  all  individual  topics,  each  item  on  the 
agenda is put to a vote separately and BoD members are elected 
on a person-by-person basis.

214 

Convocation of general meetings of shareholders

Registrations in the share register

The  AGM  must  be  held  within  six  months  of  the  close  of  the 
financial  year  (31  December)  and  normally  takes  place  in  early 
May. 

A  personal  invitation  including  a  detailed  agenda  and 
explanation of each motion is made available to every registered 
shareholder  at  least  20  days  ahead  of  the  scheduled  general 
meeting.  The  meeting  agenda  is  also  published  in  the  Swiss 
Official Gazette of Commerce as well as at www.ubs.com/agm.

Extraordinary  General  Meetings  may  be  convened  whenever 
the  BoD  or  the  auditors  consider  it  necessary.  Shareholders 
individually  or  jointly  representing  at  least  10%  of  the  share 
capital may at any time, including during an AGM, ask in writing 
for an Extraordinary General Meeting to be convened to address 
a specific issue they put forward.

Placing of items on the agenda

Pursuant  to  our  AoA,  shareholders 
jointly 
representing  shares  with  an  aggregate  minimum  par  value  of 
CHF 62,500  may  submit  proposals  for  matters  to  be  placed  on 
the  agenda  for  consideration  at  the  next  general  meeting  of 
shareholders.

individually  or 

At  the  beginning  of  February  of  each  year,  the  invitation  to 
submit such proposals is published in the Swiss Official Gazette 
of Commerce and at www.ubs.com/agm. Requests for items to 
be placed on the agenda must include the actual motions to be 
put  forward,  together  with  a  short  explanation.  Such  requests 
must  be  submitted  to  the  BoD  50  days  before  the  general 
meeting  of  shareholders,  including  a  statement  from  the 
depository  bank  confirming  the  number  of  shares  held  by  the 
requesting  shareholder  and  that  these  shares  are  blocked  from 
sale  until  the  end  of  the  general  meeting  of  shareholders.  The 
BoD formulates opinions on the proposals, which are published 
together with the motions.

The  share  register  of  UBS  Group  AG  is  an  internal,  non-public 
register  subject  to  statutory  confidentiality,  secrecy,  privacy  and 
data  protection  regulations,  which  are  imposed  on  UBS  Group 
AG  to  protect  shareholders  registered  therein.  In  general,  third 
parties  and  shareholders  have  no  inspection  rights  with  regard 
to data related to other shareholders. Disclosure of private data 
is  permitted  only  in  specific  and  limited  instances.  In  line  with 
the  Swiss  Federal  Act  on  Data  Protection,  the  disclosure  of 
private  data  is  only  allowed  with  the  consent  of  the  registered 
shareholder and in cases where there is an overriding private or 
public  interest  or  if  explicitly  provided  by  Swiss  law.  The  law 
contains  specific  reporting  duties,  such  as  in  relation  to 
significant  shareholders  (refer  to  the  “Significant  shareholders” 
section of this report for more information). Disclosure may also 
be required or requested by a court of a competent jurisdiction, 
by any regulatory body that regulates the conduct of UBS Group 
AG or by other statutory provisions.

The general rules for entry into our Swiss share register with 
voting  rights  as  described  in  article  5  of  our  AoA  also  apply 
before  general  meetings  of  shareholders.  The  same  rules  apply 
to our US transfer agent that operates the US share register for 
all  UBS  Group  AG  shares  in  a  custodian  account  in  the  US.  In 
order  to  determine  the  voting  rights  of  each  shareholder,  our 
share  register  generally  closes  two  business  days  before  a 
shareholder  meeting.  Our  independent  proxy  agent  processes 
voting instructions from shareholders with voting rights as long 
as  technically  possible,  generally  also  until  two  business  days 
before  a  shareholder  meeting.  Such  technical  closure  of  our 
share  register  only  facilitates  the  determination  of  the  actual 
issued  a  voting 
voting  rights  of  every  shareholder  that 
instruction.  Irrespective  of  the  technical  closure,  shares  that  are 
registered  in  our  share  register  are  never  immobilized  and  are 
freely  tradable  at  any  time  –  irrespective  of  any  issued  voting 
instructions.

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215 

 
 
 
 
 
Corporate governance, responsibility and compensation
Corporate governance

Board of Directors

The  Board  of  Directors  (BoD)  of  UBS  Group  AG,  under  the 
leadership  of  the  Chairman  of  the  BoD  (Chairman),  consists  of 
six to 12 members as per our Articles of Association (AoA). 

laws, 

The  BoD  decides  on  the  strategy  of  the  Group  upon 
recommendation  by  the  Group  Chief  Executive  Officer  (Group 
CEO) and is responsible for the overall direction, supervision and 
control  of  the  Group  and  its  management,  as  well  as  for 
supervising  compliance  with  applicable 
rules  and 
regulations.  The  BoD  exercises  oversight  over  UBS  Group  AG 
and  its  subsidiaries  and  is  responsible  for  establishing  a  clear 
Group  governance  framework  to  provide  effective  steering  and 
supervision of the Group, taking into account the material risks 
to  which  UBS  Group  AG  and  its  subsidiaries  are  exposed.  The 
BoD has ultimate responsibility for the success of the Group and 
for delivering sustainable shareholder value within a framework 
of  prudent  and  effective  controls.  It  also  approves  all  financial 
statements  for  issue  and  appoints  and  removes  all  Group 
Executive Board (GEB) members. 

The  BoD  of  UBS  AG,  under  the  leadership  of  the  Chairman, 
decides  on  the  strategy  of  UBS  AG  upon  recommendation  by 
the  President  of  the  Executive  Board  and  exercises  the  ultimate 
supervision  on  management.  Its  ultimate  responsibility  for  the 
success of UBS AG is exercised subject to the parameters set by 
the Group.

Members of the Board of Directors

At  the  AGM  on  4  May  2017,  Michel  Demaré,  David  Sidwell, 
Reto  Francioni,  Ann F.  Godbehere,  William G.  Parrett,  Isabelle 
Romy,  Robert W.  Scully,  Beatrice  Weder di Mauro  and  Dieter 
Wemmer  were  re-elected  as  members  of  the  BoD,  and  Julie G. 
Richardson  was  elected  for  her  first  term.  At  the  same  time, 
Axel A.  Weber  was  re-elected  Chairman  of  the  Board  of 
Directors, and Ann F. Godbehere, Michel Demaré, Reto Francioni 
and  William G.  Parrett  were  elected  as  members  of  the 

Compensation  Committee.  Additionally,  ADB  Altorfer  Duss  & 
Beilstein  AG  was  elected  independent  proxy  agent.  Following 
their  election,  the  BoD  appointed  Michel  Demaré  as  Vice 
Chairman  and  David  Sidwell  as  Senior  Independent  Director  of 
UBS Group AG.

On  8  December  2017,  the  BoD  announced  that  Jeremy 
Anderson, former Chairman of KPMG’s Global Financial Services 
Practice, would be nominated for election to the UBS Group AG 
and UBS AG BoD at the forthcoming annual general meetings. 

Article  31  of  our  AoA  limits  the  number  of  mandates  that 
members  of  the  BoD  may  hold  outside  the  UBS  Group  to  four 
board  memberships  in  listed  companies  and  five  additional 
mandates in non-listed companies. Mandates in companies that 
are  controlled  by  us  or  that  control  us  are  not  subject  to  this 
limitation.  In  addition,  members  of  the  BoD  may  hold  no  more 
than  10  mandates  at  UBS’s  request  and  10  mandates  in 
associations,  charitable  organizations,  foundations,  trusts,  and 
employee  welfare  foundations.  On  31  December  2017,  no 
member  of  the  BoD  reached  the  thresholds  described  in  article 
31 of our AoA. 

The  following  biographies  provide  information  on  the  BoD 
members  and  the  Group  Company  Secretary.  In  addition  to 
information  on  mandates,  the  biographies  include  information 
on  memberships  or  other  activities  or  functions,  as  required  by 
the SIX Swiss Exchange Corporate Governance Directive.

 No member of the BoD carries out operational management 
tasks within UBS and all members of the BoD are therefore non-
executive members.

All  members  of  UBS  Group  AG’s  BoD  are  also  members  of 
UBS AG’s BoD, and committee membership is the same for both 
entities. The Senior Independent Director function relates only to 
UBS Group AG. 

In  2017,  UBS  AG’s  BoD  had  two  committees:  the  Audit 

Committee and the Risk Committee.

216 

 
Axel A. Weber

German, born 1957

Michel Demaré

David Sidwell

Swiss and Belgian, born 1956

American (US) and British, born 1953

Functions at UBS Group AG
Chairman of the Board of Directors / Chairperson of the 
Corporate Culture and Responsibility Committee / 
Chairperson of the Governance and Nominating Committee

Functions at UBS Group AG
Independent Vice Chairman / member of the Audit 
Committee / member of the Compensation Committee / 
member of the Governance and Nominating Committee

Functions at UBS Group AG
Senior Independent Director / Chairperson of the Risk 
Committee / member of the Governance and Nominating 
Committee

Professional history and education
David Sidwell was elected to the BoD of UBS AG at the 2008 
AGM  and  of  UBS  Group  AG  in  November  2014.  In  April 
2010, he was appointed Senior Independent Director for the 
first  time.  He  has  chaired  the  Risk  Committee  since  2008 
and has been a member of the Governance and Nominating 
Committee  since  2011.  Mr.  Sidwell  was  Executive  Vice 
President  and  CFO  of  Morgan  Stanley  between  2004  and 
2007.  Before  joining  Morgan  Stanley,  he  worked  for 
JPMorgan Chase & Co., where, in his 20 years of service, he 
held  a  number  of  different  positions,  including  controller 
and, from 2000 to 2004, CFO of the Investment Bank. Prior 
to  this,  he  was  with  Price  Waterhouse  in  both  London  and 
New York. Mr. Sidwell graduated from Cambridge University 
and qualified as a chartered accountant with the Institute of 
Chartered Accountants in England and Wales.

Other activities and functions
– Senior advisor at Oliver Wyman, New York
– Board member of Chubb Limited
– Board member of GAVI Alliance
– Chairman of the Board of Village Care, New York

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Professional history and education
Axel A. Weber was elected to the Board of Directors (BoD) of 
UBS  AG  at  the  2012  AGM  and  of  UBS  Group  AG  in 
November 2014. He is Chairman of the BoD of both UBS AG 
and  UBS  Group  AG.  He  has  chaired  the  Governance  and 
Nominating Committee since 2012 and became Chairperson 
of  the  Corporate  Culture  and  Responsibility  Committee  in 
2013. Mr. Weber was president of the German Bundesbank 
between 2004 and 2011, during which time he also served 
as  a  member  of  the  Governing  Council  of  the  European 
Central  Bank,  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Directors  of  the 
Bank for International Settlements, German governor of the 
International  Monetary  Fund,  and  as  a  member  of  the  G7 
and G20 Ministers and Governors. He was a member of the 
steering committees of the European Systemic Risk Board in 
2011 and the Financial Stability Board from 2010 to 2011. 
From 2002 to 2004, Mr. Weber served as a member of the 
German  Council  of  Economic  Experts.  His  academic  career 
encompasses  professorships 
international  economics, 
monetary economics and economic theory at the universities 
of  Cologne,  Frankfurt  am  Main,  Bonn  and  Chicago.  Mr. 
Weber  holds  a  master’s  degree  in  economics  from  the 
University  of  Constance  and  a  PhD  in  economics  from  the 
University of Siegen, where he also received his habilitation. 
He  holds  honorary  doctorates  from  the  universities  of 
Duisburg-Essen and Constance.

in 

Other activities and functions
– Board member of the Swiss Bankers Association
– Trustees Board member of Avenir Suisse
– Advisory Board member of the “Beirat Zukunft 

Finanzplatz”

– Board member of the Swiss Finance Council
– Chairman of the Board of the Institute of International 

Finance

– Board member of the International Monetary Conference
– Member of the European Financial Services Round Table
– Member of the European Banking Group
– Member of the International Advisory Panel, Monetary 

Authority of Singapore

– Member of the Group of Thirty, Washington, DC
– Chairman of the Board of Trustees of DIW Berlin 
– Advisory Board member of the Department of Economics, 

University of Zurich

– Member of the Trilateral Commission

Professional history and education
Michel  Demaré  was  elected  to  the  BoD  of  UBS  AG  at  the 
2009  AGM  and  of  UBS  Group  AG  in  November  2014.  In 
April  2010,  he  was  appointed  independent  Vice  Chairman 
for  the  first  time.  He  has  been  a  member  of  the  Audit 
Committee since 2009 and the Governance and Nominating 
Committee  since  2010.  He  became  a  member  of  the 
Compensation Committee in 2013. Mr. Demaré joined ABB 
in 2005 as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and as a member of 
the Group Executive Committee. He stepped down from his 
function  in  ABB  in  January  2013.  Between  February  and 
August  2008,  he  acted  as  the  interim  CEO  of  ABB.  From 
September  2008  to  March  2011,  he  combined  his  role  as 
CFO  with  that  of  President  of  Global  Markets.  Mr.  Demaré 
joined  ABB  from  Baxter  International  Inc.,  where  he  was 
CFO  Europe  from  2002  to  2005.  Prior  to  this,  he  spent  18 
years  at  the  Dow  Chemical  Company,  holding  various 
treasury and risk management positions in Belgium, France, 
the  US  and  Switzerland.  Between  1997  and  2002,  Mr. 
Demaré  was  CFO  of  the  Global  Polyolefins  and  Elastomers 
in  the 
division.  He  began  his  career  as  an  officer 
multinational  banking  division  of  Continental 
Illinois 
National  Bank  of  Chicago,  and  was  based  in  Antwerp.  Mr. 
Demaré  graduated  with  an  MBA  from  the  Katholieke 
Universiteit Leuven, Belgium, and holds a degree in applied 
economics  from  the  Université  Catholique  de  Louvain, 
Belgium.

Other activities and functions
– Board member of Vodafone Group Plc (as of 1 February 

2018)

– Vice Chairman of the Board of Syngenta (until end of 

December 2017)

– Board member of Louis-Dreyfus Commodities Holdings BV
– Vice Chairman of the Supervisory Board of IMD, Lausanne
– Chairman of the Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable 

Agriculture (until end of December 2017)

– Advisory Board member of the Department of Banking and 

Finance, University of Zurich

217 

 
 
 
 
Corporate governance, responsibility and compensation
Corporate governance

Reto Francioni

Swiss, born 1955

Ann F. Godbehere

William G. Parrett

British and Canadian, born 1955

American (US), born 1945

Functions at UBS Group AG
Member of the Compensation Committee / member of the 
Corporate Culture and Responsibility Committee / member 
of the Risk Committee

Functions at UBS Group AG
Chairperson of the Compensation Committee / member of 
the Audit Committee

Functions at UBS Group AG
Chairperson of the Audit Committee / member of the 
Compensation Committee / member of the Corporate 
Culture and Responsibility Committee

Professional history and education
Reto  Francioni  was  elected  to  the  BoD  of  UBS  AG  at  the 
2013  AGM  and  of  UBS  Group  AG  in  November  2014.  He 
has  been  a  member  of  the  Corporate  Culture  and 
Responsibility  Committee  since  2013,  the  Compensation 
Committee since 2014 and the Risk Committee since 2015. 
He  was  CEO  of  Deutsche  Börse  AG  from  2005  to  2015. 
Since  2006,  he  has  been  a  professor  of  applied  capital 
markets  theory  at  the  University  of  Basel.  From  2002  to 
2005,  he  was  Chairman  of  the  Supervisory  Board  and 
President  of  the  SWX  Group,  Zurich.  Mr.  Francioni  was  co-
CEO  and  Spokesman  for  the  Board  of  Directors  of  Consors 
AG,  Nuremberg,  from  2000  to  2002.  Between  1993  and 
2000,  he  held  various  management  positions  at  Deutsche 
Börse AG, including that of Deputy CEO from 1999 to 2000. 
From  1992  to  1993,  he  served  in  the  corporate  finance 
division of Hoffmann-La Roche, Basel. Prior to this, he was 
on the executive board of Association Tripartite Bourses for 
several years. From 1985 to 1988, he worked for the former 
Credit Suisse, holding positions in the equity sales and legal 
departments.  He  started  his  professional  career  in  1981  in 
the  commerce  division  of  Union  Bank  of  Switzerland.  Mr. 
Francioni completed his studies in law in 1981 and his PhD 
in 1987 at the University of Zurich.

Other activities and functions
– Board member of Coca-Cola HBC AG
– Chairman of the Board of Swiss International Air Lines AG
– Board member of Francioni AG
– Board member of MedTech Innovation Partners AG

Professional history and education
Ann F. Godbehere was elected to the BoD of UBS AG at the 
2009  AGM  and  of  UBS  Group  AG  in  November  2014.  She 
has  chaired  the  Compensation  Committee  since  2011  and 
has been a member of the Audit Committee since 2009. Ms. 
Godbehere  was  appointed  CFO  and  Executive  Director  of 
Northern  Rock  in  February  2008,  serving  in  these  roles 
during  the  initial  phase  of  the  business’s  public  ownership 
until the end of January 2009. Prior to this role, she served 
as  CFO  of  Swiss  Re  Group  from  2003  to  2007.  Ms. 
Godbehere  was  CFO  of  its  Property  &  Casualty  division  in 
Zurich for two years. Prior to this, she served as CFO of the 
Life & Health division in London for three years. From 1997 
to 1998, she was CEO of Swiss Re Life & Health Canada and 
head of IT for Swiss Re in North America. Between 1996 and 
1997, she was CFO of Swiss Re Life & Health North America. 
Ms.  Godbehere  is  a  certified  general  accountant  and  was 
made  a  fellow  of  the  Chartered  Professional  Accountant 
Association  in  2014  and  fellow  of  the  Certified  General 
Accountant Association of Canada in 2003.

Other activities and functions
– Board member of Rio Tinto plc (chairman of the audit 

committee)

Professional history and education
William G. Parrett was elected to the BoD of UBS AG at the 
October  2008  Extraordinary  General  Meeting  and  of  UBS 
Group  AG  in  November  2014.  He  has  chaired  the  Audit 
Committee since 2009, has been a member of the Corporate 
Culture  and  Responsibility  Committee  since  2012  and  the 
Compensation Committee since 2015. Mr. Parrett served his 
entire  executive  career  with  Deloitte  Touche  Tohmatsu.  He 
was  CEO  from  2003  until  his  retirement  in  2007.  Between 
1999  and  2003,  he  was  a  Managing  Partner  of  Deloitte  & 
Touche  USA  LLP  and  served  on  Deloitte’s  Global  Executive 
Committee  between  1999  and  2007.  Mr.  Parrett  founded 
Deloitte’s  US  National  Financial  Services  Industry  Group  in 
1995  and  its  Global  Financial  Services  Industry  Group  in 
1997, both of which he led as Chairman. In his 40 years of 
experience in professional services, Mr. Parrett served public, 
private,  governmental  and  state-owned  clients  worldwide. 
Mr.  Parrett  has  a  bachelor’s  degree  in  accounting  from  St. 
Francis  College,  New  York,  and  is  a  certified  public 
accountant (New York).

Other activities and functions
– Chairman of the Board of UBS Americas Holding LLC (as of 

– Board member of Rio Tinto Limited (chairman of the audit 

30 January 2018)

committee)

– Board member of the Eastman Kodak Company (chairman 

– Board member of British American Tobacco plc

of the audit and finance committee)

– Board member of the Blackstone Group LP (chairman of 

the audit committee and chairman of the conflicts 
committee)

– Board member of Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (chairman 

of the audit committee)

– Chairman of the Board of Conduent Inc.
– Member of the Carnegie Hall Board of Trustees
– Past Chairman of the Board of the United States Council 

for International Business

– Past Chairman of United Way Worldwide

218 

 
 
Julie G. Richardson

Isabelle Romy

American (US), born 1963

Swiss, born 1965

Function at UBS Group AG
Member of the Risk Committee

Functions at UBS Group AG
Member of the Audit Committee / member of the 
Governance and Nominating Committee

Robert W. Scully

American (US), born 1950

Function at UBS Group AG
Member of the Risk Committee

in  equity 

specializing 

investments 

Professional history and education
Julie G. Richardson was elected to the BoD of UBS AG and 
UBS Group AG at the 2017 AGM. She has been a member 
of  the  Risk  Committee  since  2017.  Ms.  Richardson  was  a 
Partner  and  Head  of  the  New  York  Office  of  Providence 
Equity  Partners  from  2003  to  2012,  a  global  private  equity 
firm 
in  media, 
communications, education and information companies. She 
acted as a senior advisor to the partnership until 2014. From 
1998  to  2003,  Ms.  Richardson  served  as  Vice  Chairman  of 
JPMorgan  Chase  &  Co.’s  Investment  Banking  division  and 
Head  of 
its  Global  Telecommunications,  Media  and 
Technology group. She started her career with Merrill Lynch 
in 1986, where she worked until 1998, in her last position 
as  Managing  Director  Media  and  Communications 
Investment  Banking.  Ms.  Richardson  graduated  with  a 
bachelor’s  degree  in  business  administration  from  the 
University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Other activities and functions
– Board member of The Hartford Financial Services Group, 

Inc. (chairman of the audit committee)

– Board member of Yext (chairman of the audit committee) 
– Board member of Arconic Inc. (until February 2018)
– Board member of Vereit, Inc. (chairman of the 

compensation committee)

Professional history and education
Isabelle  Romy  was  elected  to  the  BoD  of  UBS  AG  at  the 
2012  AGM  and  of  UBS  Group  AG  in  November  2014.  She 
has  been  a  member  of  the  Audit  Committee  and  the 
Governance  and  Nominating  Committee  since  2012.  Ms. 
Romy is a partner at Froriep Legal AG, a large Swiss business 
law firm. From 1995 to 2012, she worked for another major 
Swiss  law  firm  based  in  Zurich,  where  she  was  a  partner 
from 2003 to 2012. Her legal practice includes litigation and 
arbitration  in  cross-border  cases.  Ms.  Romy  has  been  an 
associate  professor  at  the  University  of  Fribourg  and  at  the 
Federal  Institute  of  Technology  in  Lausanne  (EPFL)  since 
1996.  Between  2003  and  2008,  she  served  as  a  deputy 
judge  at  the  Swiss  Federal  Supreme  Court.  From  1999  to 
2006,  she  was  a  member  of  the  Ethics  Commission  at  the 
EPFL.  Ms.  Romy  earned  her  PhD  in  law  (Dr.  iur.)  at  the 
University  of  Lausanne  in  1990  and  has  been  a  qualified 
attorney-at-law admitted to the bar since 1991. From 1992 
to  1994,  she  was  a  visiting  scholar  at  Boalt  Hall  School  of 
Law,  University  of  California,  Berkeley,  and  completed  her 
professorial thesis at the University of Fribourg in 1996.

Professional history and education
Robert W. Scully was elected to the BoD of UBS AG and UBS 
Group AG at the 2016 AGM. He has been a member of the 
Risk Committee since 2016. Mr. Scully served as a Member 
of the Office of the Chairman of Morgan Stanley from 2007 
to  2009  and  was  its  Co-President  responsible  for  Asset 
Management,  Discover  Credit  Cards  from  2006  to  2007. 
Prior  to  assuming  the  position  of  Co-President,  he  was 
Chairman  of  Global  Capital  Markets  from  2004  to  2006, 
Vice  Chairman  of  Investment  Banking  from  1999  to  2006, 
and Managing Director from 1996 to 2009. Mr. Scully was 
Managing Director at Lehman Brothers from 1993 to 1996, 
having worked for Scully Brothers Foss & Wight from 1989 
to 1993 as Managing Director and for Salomon Brothers in 
Investment  Banking  and  Capital  Markets  from  1980  to 
1989,  where  he  became  a  Managing  Director  in  1984.  He 
began  his  career  in  the  banking  industry  with  Chase 
Manhattan Bank in 1972 and then worked as an investment 
banker for Blyth Eastman Dillon & Co. from 1977 to 1980. 
Mr.  Scully  graduated  in  1972  with  a  bachelor’s  degree  in 
psychology  from  Princeton  University  and  holds  an  MBA 
from Harvard University.

Other activities and functions
– Board member of Froriep Legal AG
– Vice Chairman of the Sanction Commission of SIX Swiss 

Exchange

– Member of the Fundraising Committee of the Swiss 

Other activities and functions
– Board member of Chubb Limited
– Board member of Zoetis, Inc.
– Board member of KKR & Co. LP
– Board member of the Dean’s Advisors of Harvard Business 

National Committee for UNICEF

School

– Supervisory Board member of the CAS program Financial 
Regulation of the University of Bern and University of 
Geneva

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219 

 
 
 
 
 
 
Corporate governance, responsibility and compensation
Corporate governance

Beatrice Weder di Mauro

Dieter Wemmer

Markus Baumann

Swiss and Italian, born 1965

Swiss and German, born 1957

Swiss, born 1963

Functions at UBS Group AG
Member of the Audit Committee / member of the Corporate 
Culture and Responsibility Committee

Function at UBS Group AG
Member of the Risk Committee

Function at UBS Group AG 
Group Company Secretary 

Professional history and education
Markus Baumann was appointed Group Company Secretary 
of UBS Group AG and Company Secretary of UBS AG by the 
Board  of  Directors  as  of  January  2017.  He  has  been  with 
UBS  for  over  35  years  and  has  held  a  broad  range  of 
leadership roles across the Group in Switzerland, the US and 
Japan, including Chief of Staff to the Chairman of the Board 
of Directors since 2015 and Chief Operating Officer of Group 
Internal Audit from 2006 to 2015. Before this, he worked as 
Chief  Operating  Officer  EMEA  for  UBS  Asset  Management. 
Earlier in his career, Mr. Baumann worked in Japan for four 
years  as  Corporate  Planning  Officer  and  assistant  to  the 
CEO.  He  joined  UBS  in  1979  as  a  banking  apprentice, 
covering  the  full  range  of  universal  banking  activities.  Mr. 
Baumann holds an MBA from INSEAD Fontainebleau and a 
Swiss Federal Diploma as a Business Analyst.

Professional history and education
Dieter Wemmer was elected to the BoD of UBS AG and UBS 
Group AG at the 2016 AGM. He has been a member of the 
Risk  Committee  since  2016.  Mr.  Wemmer  was  Chief 
Financial Officer (CFO) of Allianz SE from 2013 to 2017. He 
joined  Allianz  SE  in  2012  as  a  member  of  the  Board  of 
Management,  responsible  for  the  insurance  business  in 
France, Benelux, Italy, Greece and Turkey and for the Center 
of Competence “Global Property & Casualty.” He was CFO 
of Zurich Insurance Group (Zurich) from 2007 to 2011. From 
2010  to  2011,  he  was  Zurich’s  Regional  Chairman  of 
Europe.  Prior  to  this,  Mr.  Wemmer  was  CEO  of  the  Europe 
General  Insurance  business  and  member  of  Zurich’s  Group 
Executive  Committee  from  2004  to  2007.  He  held  various 
other  management  positions  in  the  Zurich  Group  such  as 
Chief  Operating  Officer  of  the  Europe  General  Insurance 
business  from  2003  to  2004,  Head  of  Mergers  and 
Acquisitions  from  1999  to  2003  and  Head  of  Financial 
Controlling from 1997 to 1999. He began his career in the 
insurance  industry  within  the  Zurich  Group  in  1986  in 
Cologne  after  graduating  from  the  University  of  Cologne 
with  a  master’s  degree  and  acquiring  his  doctorate  in 
mathematics in 1985.

Other activities and functions
– Member of the CFO Forum
– Member of the Systemic Risk Working Group of the ECB 

and the BIS

– Member of the Berlin Center of Corporate Governance

Professional history and education
Beatrice Weder di Mauro was elected to the BoD of UBS AG 
at the 2012 AGM and of UBS Group AG in November 2014. 
She has been a member of the Audit Committee since 2012 
and  became  a  member  of  the  Corporate  Culture  and 
Responsibility  Committee  in  2017.  She  was  member  of  the 
Risk  Committee  from  2013  to  May  2017.  She  has  been  a 
professor  of  economics,  economic  policy  and  international 
macroeconomics  at  the  Johannes  Gutenberg  University  of 
Mainz since 2001. Currently she is a distinguished fellow at 
INSEAD  in  Singapore.  Ms.  Weder  di  Mauro  has  served  as 
non-executive  director  on  the  boards  of  globally  leading 
companies 
finance,  pharmaceuticals, 
technology  and  insurance.  Ms.  Weder  di  Mauro  was  a 
member  of  the  German  Council  of  Economic  Experts  from 
2004  to  2012.  In  2010,  she  was  a  resident  scholar  at  the 
International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Washington, DC, and, 
in  2006,  a  visiting  scholar  at  the  National  Bureau  of 
Economic  Research,  Cambridge,  MA.  She  was  an  associate 
professor  of  economics  at  the  University  of  Basel  between 
1998 and 2001 and a research fellow at the United Nations 
University in Tokyo from 1997 to 1998. Prior to this, she was 
an economist at the IMF in Washington, DC. Ms. Weder di 
Mauro  earned  her  PhD  in  economics  at  the  University  of 
Basel in 1993 and received her habilitation there in 1999.

in  development 

Other activities and functions
– Supervisory Board member of Robert Bosch GmbH
– Board member of Bombardier Inc.
– Member of the ETH Zurich Foundation Board of Trustees
– Economic Advisory Board member of Fraport AG
– Advisory Board member of Deloitte Germany
– Deputy Chairman of the University Council of the 

University of Mainz

220 

 
 
Elections and terms of office

Shareholders elect each member of the BoD individually, as well 
as  the  Chairman  and  the  members  of  the  Compensation 
Committee, every year based on proposals from the BoD. 

As set out in the Organization Regulations, BoD members are 
normally  expected  to  serve  for  a  minimum  of  three  years.  No 
BoD member may serve for more than 12 consecutive terms of 
office.  In  exceptional  circumstances,  the  BoD  may  extend  this 
limit.  In  accordance  with  the  Swiss  Code  of  Best  Practice  for 
Corporate Governance, we seek appropriate diversity among the 
members  of  the  BoD,  including  gender  diversity,  as  well  as 
appropriate professional backgrounds and experience.

→ Refer to “Skills, expertise and training of the Board of 

Directors” in this section for more information

Organizational principles and structure

Following  each  AGM,  the  BoD  meets  to  appoint  one  or  more 
Vice  Chairmen,  a  Senior 
Independent  Director,  the  BoD 
committee  members  other  than  the  Compensation  Committee 
members,  who  are  elected  by  the  shareholders,  and  their 
respective Chairpersons. At the same meeting, the BoD appoints 
a  Group  Company  Secretary,  who  acts  as  secretary  to  the  BoD 
and its committees.

According to the Articles of Association and the Organization 
Regulations, the BoD meets as often as business requires, but it 
must  meet  at  least  six  times  a  year.  During  2017,  a  total  of  23 
BoD  meetings  and  calls  were  held,  14  of  which  were  attended 
by  GEB  members.  Average  participation  in  BoD  meetings  and 
calls was 99%. In addition to the BoD meetings attended by the 
GEB,  the  Group  CEO  partly  attended  the  meetings  of  the  BoD 
without GEB participation. The average duration of the meetings 
and calls was 175 minutes. In 2017, the frequency and length of 

meetings  were  the  same  for  UBS  Group  AG  and  UBS  AG. 
Additionally,  for  UBS  Group  AG  six  ad  hoc  meetings  and  calls 
were held, two of which were without the GEB. 

At every BoD meeting, each committee chairperson provides 
the  BoD  with  an  update  on  current  activities  of  his  or  her 
committee as well as important committee issues. 

At least once a year, the BoD reviews its own performance as 
well as the performance of each of its committees. This review is 
based  on  an  assessment  of  the  BoD  under  the  auspices  of  the 
Governance  and  Nominating  Committee,  as  well  as  on  a  self-
assessment  of  the  BoD  committees.  The  last  self-assessment 
determined  that  the  BoD  and  its  committees  are  functioning 
effectively  and  efficiently.  The  self-assessment  of  the  BoD 
committees for 2017 will be concluded in spring 2018. At least 
every  three  years,  the  BoD  assessments  include  an  appraisal  by 
an external expert. The latest, concerning 2015, was completed 
in  spring  2016  and  concluded  that  the  BoD  was  operating 
effectively.

The committees listed on the following pages assist the BoD 
in the performance of its responsibilities. These committees and 
their  charters  are  described  in  the  Organization  Regulations, 
published  at  www.ubs.com/governance.  Each  committee  meets 
as  often  as  its  business  requires,  but  at  least  four  times  a  year 
each  for  the  Audit  Committee,  the  Risk  Committee  and  the 
Compensation  Committee,  and  twice  a  year  each  for  the 
Corporate  Culture  and  Responsibility  Committee  and  the 
Governance  and  Nominating  Committee.  Topics  of  common 
interest or affecting more than one committee are discussed at 
joint  committee  meetings.  The  Audit  Committee  and  Risk 
Committee  hold  at  least  four  joint  meetings  a  year.  The 
Compensation Committee and Risk Committee periodically hold 
joint  meetings.  During  2017,  a  total  of  six  joint  committee 
meetings  were  held  for  UBS  Group  AG  (five  joint  committee 
meetings were held for UBS AG). 

Board of Directors

Members on 
31 December 2017

Meeting attendance 
without GEB2

Meeting and call 
attendance with GEB3

Key responsibilities include:

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Axel A. Weber, Chairman

Michel Demaré

David Sidwell 

Reto Francioni

Ann F. Godbehere

William G. Parrett

Julie G. Richardson1

Isabelle Romy

Robert W. Scully

Beatrice Weder di Mauro

Dieter Wemmer

9/9

9/9

9/9

9/9

9/9

9/9

7/7

9/9

9/9

9/9

8/9

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

89%

14/14

14/14

14/14

14/14

14/14

14/14

11/11

14/14

14/14

14/14

13/14

100%

100% The BoD has ultimate responsibility for the(cid:124)success of the Group and for delivering sustain-
able shareholder value within a  framework of prudent and effective controls. It decides on 
the Group’s strategic aims and(cid:124)the necessary financial and human resources upon recommen-
dation of the Group CEO and sets the Group’s values and  standards to ensure that its 
obligations to its shareholders and other stakeholders are met.

100%

Refer to the Organization Regulations of UBS Group AG at www.ubs.com/governance 
for more information

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

93%

1 Julie G. Richardson was elected to the BoD at the AGM 2017.    2 Additionally, four unscheduled calls and meetings took place in 2017.    3 Additionally, two unscheduled meetings took place in 2017.

221 

 
 
 
 
Corporate governance, responsibility and compensation
Corporate governance

Audit Committee
The Audit Committee consists of five BoD members as indicated 
in the table below, all of whom were determined by the BoD to 
be  fully  independent.  As  a  group,  members  of  the  Audit 
Committee  must  have  the  necessary  qualifications  and  skills  to 
perform  all  of  their  duties  and  together  must  possess  financial 
literacy and experience in banking and risk management.

The  Audit  Committee  itself  does  not  perform  audits  but 
monitors  the  work  of  the  external  auditors,  Ernst  &  Young  Ltd 
(EY),  who  in  turn  are  responsible  for  auditing  UBS  Group  AG’s 
and  UBS  AG’s  consolidated  and  standalone  annual  financial 
statements and for reviewing the quarterly financial statements.

Together with the external auditors and Group Internal Audit, 
the  Audit  Committee  in  particular  reviews  the  annual  financial 
statements  of  UBS  Group  AG  and  UBS  AG  as  well  as  the 
consolidated  annual  and  quarterly  financial  statements  and  the 
consolidated  annual  report  of  UBS  Group  AG  and  UBS  AG,  as 
proposed  by  management,  in  order  to  recommend  approval  to 
the  BoD  or  propose  any  adjustments  the  Audit  Committee 
considers appropriate.

the 

expertise, 

qualifications, 

Periodically,  and  at  least  annually,  the  Audit  Committee 
assesses 
effectiveness, 
independence  and  performance  of  the  external  auditors  and 
their lead audit partner, in order to support the BoD in reaching 
a  decision  in  relation  to  the  appointment  or  dismissal  of  the 
external  auditors  and  to  the  rotation  of  the  lead  audit  partner. 
The  BoD  then  submits  these  proposals  to  the  shareholders  for 
approval at the AGM.

During  2017,  the  Audit  Committee  held  eight  committee 
meetings  and  11  calls  with  an  average  participation  rate  of 
98%. On average the duration of each of the meetings and calls 
was  approximately  115  minutes.  In  2017,  for  both  UBS  Group 
AG and UBS AG, the frequency and length of meetings were the 

same.  All  meetings  and  calls  of  the  Audit  Committee  were 
attended  by  the  Group  Chief  Financial  Officer  and  the  Group 
Controller  and  Chief  Accounting  Officer  and  some  of  the 
meetings  were  attended  by  the  Group  CEO.  Occasionally,  the 
committee invited external subject matter experts to present on 
selected  topics.  The  committee  met  once  with  FINMA.  In 
addition, the chair of the committee met once with FINMA and 
on a periodic basis with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York 
(FRBNY).

All  Audit  Committee  members  have  accounting  or  related 
financial  management  expertise  and,  in  compliance  with  the 
rules  established  pursuant  to  the  US  Sarbanes-Oxley  Act  of 
2002,  at  least  one  member  qualifies  as  a  financial  expert.  The 
New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) listing standards on corporate 
governance  set  more  stringent  independence  requirements  for 
members  of  audit  committees  than  for  the  other  members  of 
the BoD. Each of the five members of the Audit Committee is an 
external  BoD  member  who,  in  addition  to  satisfying  our 
independence criteria, does not receive, directly or indirectly, any 
consulting,  advisory  or  compensatory  fees  from  UBS  Group  AG 
other  than  in  his  or  her  capacity  as  a  BoD  member,  does  not 
hold, directly or indirectly, UBS Group AG shares in excess of 5% 
of the outstanding capital and (except as noted below) does not 
serve  on  the  audit  committees  of  more  than  two  other  public 
companies. The NYSE listing standards on corporate governance 
allow  for  an  exemption  for  audit  committee  members  to  serve 
on  more  than  three  audit  committees  of  public  companies, 
such 
provided 
simultaneous  service  does  not  impair  the  member’s  ability  to 
effectively  serve  on  each  committee  and  to  fulfill  his  or  her 
obligations.  Considering  the  credentials  of  William  G.  Parrett, 
the BoD has granted him such an exemption.

that  all  BoD  members  determine 

that 

Audit Committee

Members on 
31 December 2017

Meeting and 
call attendance

Key responsibilities include:

William G. Parrett (chair)

Michel Demaré

Ann F. Godbehere

Isabelle Romy

Beatrice Weder di Mauro 

19/19

18/19

19/19

18/19

17/19

100% The function of the Audit Committee is to serve as an independent and objective body with oversight of: 

95%

100%

95%

89%

(i) UBS Group AG’s and the Group’s accounting policies, financial reporting and disclosure controls and procedures; 
(ii) the quality, adequacy and scope of external audit; 
(iii) UBS Group AG’s and the Group’s compliance with financial reporting requirements; 
(iv) the executives’ approach to internal controls with respect to the production and integrity of the financial statements 
and disclosure of the financial performance; and 
(v) the performance of Group Internal Audit in conjunction with the Chairman. 
The executives are responsible for the preparation, presentation and integrity of the financial statements. External 
 auditors are responsible for auditing UBS Group AG’s and the Group’s annual financial statements and for reviewing 
the quarterly financial statements.  

Refer to the Organization Regulations of UBS Group AG at www.ubs.com/governance for more information

222 

Compensation Committee
The Compensation Committee consists of four independent BoD 
members as indicated in the table below. In addition to the key 
responsibilities  indicated  in  the  same  table,  the  Compensation 
Committee  reviews  the  compensation  disclosures  included  in 
this report.

During  2017,  the  Compensation  Committee  held  seven 
meetings  and  two  calls  with  a  participation  rate  of  100%.  On 
average  the  duration  of  each  of  the  meetings  and  calls  was 
approximately  100  minutes.  The  meetings  were  held  in  the 
presence  of  the  Chairman,  the  Group  CEO  and  generally 
external  advisors.  The  chair  of  the  committee  met  with 
regulators as appropriate.

→ Refer to “Our compensation governance framework” and “Total 
Reward Principles” in the “Compensation” section from pages 

278 and 260, respectively, of this report for more information 

on the Compensation Committee’s decision-making procedures

Corporate Culture and Responsibility Committee
As  of  31  December  2017,  the  Corporate  Culture  and 
Responsibility  Committee  consisted  of  the  Chairman  and  three 
independent  BoD  members  as  listed  in  the  table.  The  Group 
CEO and the Head UBS and Society are permanent guests of the 
Corporate  Culture  and  Responsibility  Committee,  while  senior 
regional  representatives  (chairmen  or  Presidents)  attend  two  of 
the  meetings  as  guests.  During  2017,  six  meetings  were  held 
with  a  participation  rate  of  100%.  On  average  the  duration  of 
each of the meetings was approximately 70 minutes.

→ Refer to the “UBS and Society” section from page 238 of this 

report for more information

Compensation Committee

Members on 
31 December 2017

Meeting and 
call attendance

Key responsibilities include:

Ann F. Godbehere (chair)

Michel Demaré

Reto Francioni

William G. Parrett

9/9

9/9

9/9

9/9

100% The Compensation Committee is responsible for:

100%

100%

100%

(i) supporting the BoD in its duties to set guidelines on compensation and benefits,
(ii) approving the total compensation for the Chairman and the non-independent BoD members,
(iii) establishing, together with the Chairman, financial and non-financial performance  targets for the Group CEO and 
reviewing, upon the recommendation from the Group CEO, financial and non-financial performance targets for the other 
GEB members,
(iv) evaluating, in consultation with the Chairman, the performance of the Group CEO in meeting agreed targets, as well 
as informing the BoD of the individual performance assessments of the GEB members,   
(v) proposing, together with the Chairman, total individual compensation for the independent BoD members and Group 
CEO for approval by the BoD and 
(vi) proposing to the BoD for approval, upon recommendation from the Group CEO, the total individual compensation 
for GEB members. 

Refer to the Organization Regulations of UBS Group AG at www.ubs.com/governance for more information

Corporate Culture and Responsibility Committee

Members on 
31 December 2017

Axel A. Weber (chair)

Reto Francioni

William G. Parrett

Beatrice Weder di Mauro1

Meeting attendance

Key responsibilities include:

6/6 

6/6

6/6

4/4

100%

100% The Corporate Culture and Responsibility Committee supports the BoD in its duties to safeguard and advance the 
Group’s reputation for responsible and sustainable conduct. Its function is forward-looking in that it monitors and 
 reviews societal trends and transformational developments and assesses their potential relevance for the Group. 
In undertaking this assessment, it reviews stakeholder concerns and expectations pertaining to the societal performance 
of UBS and to the development of its corporate culture. The Corporate Culture and Responsibility Committee’s function 
also encompasses the monitoring of the current state and implementation of the programs and initiatives within the 
Group pertaining to corporate culture and corporate responsibility. 

100%

100%

1 Following the AGM in May, Beatrice Weder di Mauro became a member of the Corporate Culture and Responsibility Committee and was no longer a member of the Risk Committee.

Refer to the Organization Regulations of UBS Group AG at www.ubs.com/governance for more information

223 

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Corporate governance, responsibility and compensation
Corporate governance

Governance and Nominating Committee
As  of  31  December  2017,  the  Governance  and  Nominating 
Committee  consisted  of  the  Chairman  and  three  independent 
members as listed in the table. During 2017, seven meetings and 
one  call  were  held  with  a  participation  rate  of  100%.  On 
average  the  duration  of  each  of  the  meetings  and  the  call  was 
approximately 50 minutes. All meetings of the Governance and 
Nominating Committee were attended by the Group CEO.

Risk Committee
As  of  31  December  2017,  the  Risk  Committee  comprised  five 
independent  BoD  members  as  listed  in  the  table.  During  2017, 
the  Risk  Committee  held  nine  committee  meetings  and  three 
calls with a participation rate of 100%. On average the duration 
of  each  of  the  meetings  and  calls  was  approximately  225 
minutes.  In  2017,  the  frequency  and  length  of  meetings  were 
the  same  for  both  UBS  Group  AG  and  UBS  AG.  Usually,  the 
Group  CEO,  the  Group  CFO,  the  Group  CRO  and  the  Group 
General Counsel attend the meetings and calls. Occasionally, the 
committee invited external subject matter experts to present on 
selected  topics.  The  committee  met  once  with  the  FRBNY  and 
once  with  FINMA.  The  chair  met  once  each  with  the  FCA,  the 
PRA, FINMA and the FRBNY.

Governance and Nominating Committee

Special Committee 
The Special Committee is an ad hoc committee with a standing 
composition and is called and held on an ad hoc basis.

The Special Committee is composed of four independent BoD 
members  and  focuses  on  internal  and  regulatory  investigations. 
Usually, the Group CEO and the Group General Counsel attend 
the meetings. Occasionally, the committee invited external legal 
counsel to present on selected topics. As of 31 December 2017, 
David  Sidwell  chaired  the  Special  Committee  with  Michel 
Demaré,  William  G.  Parrett  and  Isabelle  Romy  as  additional 
members.  During  2017,  two  committee  meetings  were  held 
with  an  average  participation  rate  of  88%.  On  average  the 
duration of each of the meetings was 60 minutes. In 2017, the 
frequency and length of meetings were the same for both UBS 
Group AG and UBS AG.

Meeting and 
call attendance

Key responsibilities include:

8/8

8/8

8/8

8/8

100% The function of the Governance and Nominating Committee is to support the BoD in fulfilling its duty to establish best 

100%

100%

100%

practices in corporate governance across the Group, to conduct a BoD assessment (self- or external assessment), to 
 establish and maintain a process for appointing new BoD members and GEB members (in the latter case, upon proposal 
of the Group CEO) and to manage the succession planning of all GEB members. 

Refer to the Organization Regulations of UBS Group AG at www.ubs.com/governance for more information

Members on 
31 December 2017

Axel A. Weber (chair)

Michel Demaré

Isabelle Romy 

David Sidwell

Risk Committee

Members on 
31 December 2017

Meeting and 
call attendance 

Key responsibilities include:

David Sidwell (chair)

Reto Francioni

Julie G. Richardson1

Robert W. Scully 

Beatrice Weder di Mauro2

Dieter Wemmer 

12/12

12/12

9/9

12/12

3/3

12/12

100% The function of the Risk Committee is to oversee and support the BoD in fulfilling its duty to supervise and set an 

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

 appropriate risk management and control framework in the areas of: 
(i) risk management and control, including credit, market, country, legal, compliance, operational and conduct risks; 
(ii) treasury and capital management, including funding, liquidity and equity attribution; and 
(iii) balance sheet management. 
The Risk Committee considers the potential effects of the aforementioned risks on the Group’s reputation. For these 
purposes, the Risk Committee will receive all relevant information from the GEB and has the authority to meet with 
regulators / third parties in consultation with the Group CEO.

Refer to the Organization Regulations of UBS Group AG at www.ubs.com/governance for more information

1 Julie G. Richardson was elected to the BoD at the AGM 2017.    2 Following the 2017 AGM in May, Beatrice Weder di Mauro became a member of the Corporate Culture and Responsibility Committee and was no 
longer a member of the Risk Committee.

224 

 
Roles and responsibilities of the Chairman of the Board of 
Directors

Axel A. Weber serves as a full-time Chairman of the BoD, in line 
with his employment contract.

communication  with 

The  Chairman  coordinates  tasks  within  the  BoD,  calls  BoD 
meetings  and  sets  their  agendas.  He  presides  over  all  general 
meetings  of  shareholders  and  works  with  the  committee 
chairpersons  to  coordinate  the  work  of  all  BoD  committees. 
Together  with  the  Group  CEO,  the  Chairman  is  responsible  for 
effective 
shareholders  and  other 
stakeholders,  including  government  officials,  regulators  and 
public  organizations.  This  is  in  addition  to  establishing  and 
maintaining  a  close  working  relationship  with  the  Group  CEO 
and  other  GEB  members,  and  providing  advice  and  support 
when  appropriate,  including  continuing  to  support  the  firm’s 
cultural  change  as  a  key  priority  on  the  basis  of  our  Pillars, 
Principles and Behaviors.

→  Refer to the “Our employees” section from page 252 of this 
report for more information on our Pillars, Principles and 

Behaviors

In  2017,  the  Chairman  met  on  a  regular  basis  with  core 
supervisory authorities, including FINMA and the Swiss National 
Bank,  in  Switzerland,  the  FRBNY  and  the  Office  of  the 
Comptroller of the Currency in the US, and the PRA and the FCA 
in 
important  supervisory 
authorities,  in  regions  such  as  Asia  Pacific,  EMEA  and  the  US, 
were scheduled on an ad hoc or needs-driven basis.

the  UK.  Meetings  with  other 

Roles and responsibilities of the Vice Chairmen and the 
Senior Independent Director 

The  BoD  appoints  one  or  more  Vice  Chairmen  and  a  Senior 
Independent  Director.  If  the  BoD  appoints  more  than  one  Vice 
Chairman,  one  of  them  must  be  independent.  Both  the  Vice 
Chairman  and  the  Senior  Independent  Director  support  the 
Chairman with his responsibilities and authorities and provide him 
advice.  They  facilitate  Group-wide,  in  conjunction  with  the 
Chairman and the Governance and Nominating Committee, good 
corporate governance, balanced leadership and control within the 
Group,  the  Board  and  the  committees.  Michel  Demaré  has  been 
appointed  as  Vice  Chairman,  and  David  Sidwell  has  been 
appointed  as  Senior  Independent  Director.  The  Vice  Chairman  is 
required to lead and has led meetings of the BoD in the temporary 
absence  of  the  Chairman.  Together  with  the  Governance  and 
Nominating Committee, he is tasked with the ongoing monitoring 
and  the  annual  evaluation  of  the  Chairman.  Furthermore,  he 

represents  UBS  on  behalf  of  the  Chairman  in  meetings  with 
internal or external stakeholders. The Senior Independent Director 
enables and supports communication and the flow of information 
among  the  independent  BoD  members.  At  least  twice  a  year,  he 
organizes and leads a meeting of the independent BoD members 
In  2017,  two 
without  the  participation  of  the  Chairman. 
independent BoD meetings were held for UBS Group AG and UBS 
AG  with  a  participation  of  100%  and  an  average  duration  of 
approximately 140 minutes. The Senior Independent Director also 
relays  to  the  Chairman  any  issues  or  concerns  raised  by  the 
independent  BoD  members  and  acts  as  a  point  of  contact  for 
shareholders  and  stakeholders  seeking  discussions  with  an 
independent BoD member. 

Important business connections of independent members of 
the Board of Directors

As a global financial services provider and a major Swiss bank, we 
enter  into  business  relationships  with  many  large  companies, 
including some in which our BoD members assume management 
or 
independent  board  responsibilities.  The  Governance  and 
Nominating  Committee  determines  in  each  instance  whether  the 
nature  of  the  Group’s  business  relationship  with  such  a  company 
might  compromise  our  BoD  members’  capacity  to  express 
independent judgment.

Our Organization Regulations require three-quarters of the UBS 
Group  AG  BoD  members  and  one-third  at  UBS  AG  to  be 
independent.  For  this  purpose,  independence  is  determined  in 
accordance  with  the  FINMA  Circular  2017  /  1  “Corporate 
governance – banks,” the New York Stock Exchange rules, and the 
rules  and  regulations  of  other  securities  exchanges  on  which  the 
UBS  Group  AG  shares  are  listed,  if  any,  applying  the  strictest 
standard.

In  2017,  our  BoD  met  the  standards  of  the  Organization 
Regulations  for  the  percentage  of  directors  that  are  considered 
independent  under  the  criteria  described  above.  Due  to  our 
Chairman’s  full-time  employment  by  UBS  Group  AG,  he  is  not 
considered  independent.  No  other  BoD  member  has  a  significant 
business connection to UBS or any of its subsidiaries. 

All  relationships  and  transactions  with  UBS  Group  AG’s 
independent  BoD  members  are  conducted  in  the  ordinary  course 
of business and are on the same terms as those prevailing at the 
time  for  comparable  transactions  with  non-affiliated  persons.  All 
relationships  and  transactions  with  BoD  members’  associated 
companies are conducted at arm’s length.

→ Refer to “Note 32 Related parties” in the “Consolidated financial 

statements” section from page 448 of this report for more 

information

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225 

 
 
 
 
Corporate governance, responsibility and compensation
Corporate governance

Checks and balances: Board of Directors and Group 
Executive Board

We operate under a strict dual board structure, as mandated by 
Swiss  banking  law.  The  separation  of  responsibilities  between 
the  BoD  and  the  GEB  is  clearly  defined  in  the  Organization 
Regulations. The BoD decides on the strategy of the Group upon 
recommendations  by  the  Group  CEO  and  exercises  ultimate 
supervision over management, whereas the GEB, headed by the 
Group  CEO,  has  executive  management  responsibility.  The 
functions of Chairman of the BoD and Group CEO are assigned 
to  two  different  people,  leading  to  a  separation  of  power.  This 
structure  establishes  checks  and  balances  and  preserves  the 
institutional  independence  of  the  BoD  from  the  day-to-day 
management of the Group, for which responsibility is delegated 
to the GEB under the leadership of the Group CEO. No member 
of one board may simultaneously be a member of the other.

Supervision and control of the GEB remain with the BoD. The 
authorities  and  responsibilities  of  the  two  bodies  are  governed 
by the Articles of Association and the Organization Regulations, 
including  the  latter  document’s  “Annex  B  –  Key  approval 
authorities.”

Skills, expertise and training of the Board of Directors

The  BoD  is  composed  of  members  with  a  broad  spectrum  of 
skills, educational backgrounds, experience and expertise from a 
range  of  sectors  that  reflect  the  nature  and  scope  of  the  firm’s 
business.  With  a  view  to  recruiting  needs,  the  Governance  and 
Nominating Committee uses a skills / experience matrix as a tool 
to  identify  any  gaps  in  the  competencies  considered  most 
relevant  to  the  BoD,  taking  into  consideration  the  bank’s 
business exposure, risk profile, strategy and geographic reach.

We  asked  our  Board  members  to  rate  their  four  strongest 

competencies out of the following 12 categories: 
– banking  (wealth  management,  asset  management,  personal 

and corporate banking)

– investment banking, capital markets 
– insurance 
– finance, audit, accounting 

– risk management 
– human resources management, including compensation
– legal, compliance 
– technology, cyber security
– regulatory experience, central bank 
– corporate responsibility and sustainability
– experience as chief executive officer or chairman
– executive board leadership experience (e.g., as chief financial 

officer, chief risk officer or chief operating officer)

The  Governance  and  Nominating  Committee  reviews  these 
categories  and  ratings  annually  to  confirm  that  the  BoD 
continues  to  possess  the  most  relevant  experience  and 
competencies to perform BoD duties. 

For 2017, competencies in all 12 categories were represented 
in our BoD. Particularly strong levels of experience and expertise 
existed in the areas of:
– finance, audit, accounting
– risk management 
– financial services 

Furthermore, 8 of the 11 BoD members have held or currently 
hold  chairman,  CEO  or  other  executive  board-level  leadership 
positions.

Moreover,  education  remained  an  important  priority  for  our 
BoD  members.  In  addition  to  a  comprehensive  induction 
program for new BoD members, continuous training and topical 
deep dives are part of the BoD agenda. 

→ Refer to “Risk governance” in the “Risk management and 

control” section from page 117 of this report for information on 

our risk governance framework

Terms of office

Geographic diversity1

Gender

Experience and competencies2

3 < 3 years
4 3–6 years
2 7–9 years
2 > 9 years

46% Switzerland
18% Europe
36% USA

64% male
36% female

Financial services:

a

b

c

8

Finance, audit and risk management:

d

e

15

Technical and functional know-how:

f

g

h

i

j

12

Leadership:

k

l

8

a) banking (personal and corporate, wealth and asset management) – 
b) investment banking, capital markets – c) insurance – d) finance, audit, accounting – 
e) risk management – f) HR management – g) legal, compliance – h) technology, cyber security – 
i) regulatory experience, central bank – j) corporate responsibility and sustainability – 
k) CEO/chairman – l) executive board leadership (e.g., CFO, CRO or COO)

1 In the case of two nationalities the domicile is counted.     2 The bars represent the main strengths of the BoD, up to a maximum of four competencies per member.

226 

Information and control instruments vis-à-vis the Group 
Executive Board

The BoD is kept informed of the activities of the GEB in various 
ways,  including  minutes  of  GEB  meetings,  which  are  made 
available  to  the  BoD.  The  Group  CEO  and  other  GEB  members 
also  regularly  update  the  BoD  on  important  issues  at  BoD 
meetings. The BoD receives a monthly performance update. This 
report highlights and discusses financial results, capital, funding, 
liquidity,  risk,  regulatory  and  legal  developments,  as  well  as 
performance against plan and forecasts for the remainder of the 
year.

At  BoD  meetings,  BoD  members  may  request  from  BoD  or 
GEB  members  any  information  about  matters  concerning  the 
Group that they require to fulfill their duties. Outside meetings, 
BoD members may request information from other BoD and GEB 
members.  Such  requests  must  be  addressed  –  routed  through 
the Group Company Secretary – to the Chairman. 

The  BoD 

is  supported 

in  discharging 

its  governance 
responsibilities  by  our  internal  audit  function,  which,  among 
other  things,  assesses  the  reliability  of  financial  and  operational 
information  and  the  effectiveness  of  processes  for  compliance 
with legal, regulatory and statutory requirements.

The Head of Group Internal Audit (GIA) reports directly to the 
Chairman.  In  addition,  the  internal  audit  organization  has  a 

functional reporting line to the Audit Committee in line with its 
responsibilities as set forth in our Organization Regulations. The 
Audit  Committee  annually  assesses  and  approves 
the 
appropriateness  of  GIA’s  annual  audit  plan  and  annual  audit 
objectives,  and  monitors  GIA’s  discharge  of  its  annual  audit 
objectives, including being informed of the results of the annual 
audit  plan  and  the  status  of  the  annual  audit  objectives.  The 
Audit Committee is in regular contact with the Head of GIA. GIA 
issues  quarterly  reports  that  provide  a  broad  overview  of 
significant  audit  results  and  key  issues,  control  themes  and 
trends  based  on 
individual  audit  results,  continuous  risk 
assessment and issue assurance results. The reports are provided 
to the Chairman of the BoD, members of the Audit and the Risk 
Committees,  the  GEB  and  other  stakeholders.  Further,  GIA 
issues  an  annual  activity  report  providing  an  assessment  of  its 
activities, processes, audit plan and resourcing requirements and 
other important developments affecting GIA. The activity report 
is  provided  to  the  Chairman  of  the  BoD  and  to  the  Audit 
Committee,  and  is  an  element  for  their  assessment  of  GIA’s 
effectiveness. 

→ Refer to “Group Internal Audit” in this section for more 

information

→ Refer to “Internal risk reporting” in the “Risk management and 
control” section on page 122 of this report for information on 

reporting to the BoD

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227 

 
 
 
 
 
Corporate governance, responsibility and compensation
Corporate governance

Group Executive Board

The Board of Directors (BoD) delegates the management of the 
business to the Group Executive Board (GEB). 

Members of the Group Executive Board

On 14 December 2017, we announced the following changes to 
the  GEB.  Martin  Blessing  was  appointed  President  Wealth 
Management,  Axel  P.  Lehmann  as  President  Personal  & 
Corporate  Banking  and  President  UBS  Switzerland  and  Sabine 
Keller-Busse as Group Chief Operating Officer. The Group Chief 
Operating  Officer  area  was  expanded  to  include  the  Group 
Human Resources function. Jürg Zeltner stepped down from the 
GEB at year-end. The changes were made effective on 1 January 
2018. 

On 22 January 2018, we announced the creation of a unified 
Global  Wealth  Management  division.  Martin  Blessing,  President 
Wealth Management, and Tom Naratil, President UBS Americas 
and  Wealth  Management  Americas,  were  appointed  co-
Presidents  of  Global  Wealth  Management  as  of  1  February 
2018.

The  biographies  on  the  following  pages  provide  information 
about  the  GEB  members  in  office  on  31  December  2017.  In 
addition  to  information  on  mandates,  the  biographies  include 
memberships and other activities or functions, as required by the 
SIX Swiss Exchange Corporate Governance Directive. 

In line with Swiss law, article 36 of UBS Group AG’s Articles 
of  Association  (AoA)  limits  the  number  of  mandates  that 
members  of  the  GEB  may  hold  outside  the  UBS  Group  to  one 
board  membership  in  a  listed  company  and  five  additional 
mandates in non-listed companies. Mandates in companies that 
are controlled by UBS or that control UBS are not subject to this 
limitation.  In  addition,  GEB  members  may  not  hold  more  than 
10 mandates at a time at the request of the company and eight 
mandates in associations, charitable organizations, foundations, 
trusts  and  employee  welfare  foundations.  On  31  December 
2017,  no  member  of  the  GEB  reached  the  aforementioned 
thresholds. 

At  UBS  AG,  management  of  the  business  is  also  delegated, 
and  the  Executive  Board,  under  the  leadership  of  its  President, 
has  executive  management  responsibility  for  UBS  AG  and  its 
business. All members of the GEB are also members of UBS AG’s 
Executive Board, with the exception of Mr. Lehmann. Similar to 
the  Group  ALCO,  UBS  AG’s  Asset  and  Liability  Management 
Committee is responsible for promoting the usage of UBS AG’s 
financial  resources  in  line  with  UBS  AG’s  and  the  Group’s 
strategy and regulatory requirements. 

Currently,  no  specific  diversity  policy  is  required,  or  applied, 
with  respect  to  the  composition  of  the  GEB  and  UBS  AG’s 
Executive Board. 

Responsibilities, authorities and organizational principles 
of the Group Executive Board

Under the leadership of the Group CEO, the GEB has executive 
management responsibility for the steering of the Group and its 
business.  It  assumes  overall  responsibility  for  developing  the 
Group  and  business  division  strategies  and  the  implementation 
of  approved  strategies.  The  GEB  constitutes  itself  as  the  risk 
council  of  the  Group.  In  this  function,  the  GEB  has  overall 
responsibility 
the 
implementation  of  risk  management  and  control  principles,  as 
well as for managing the risk profile of the Group as a whole, as 
determined  by  the  BoD  and  the  Risk  Committee.  In  2017,  the 
GEB  held  17  meetings  and  two  GEB  offsite  meetings.  In  2017, 
the frequency of meetings for both UBS Group AG and UBS AG 
was the same.

establishing 

supervising 

and 

for 

→ Refer to the Organization Regulations of UBS Group AG at 
www.ubs.com/governance for more information on the 

authorities of the Group Executive Board

Responsibilities and authorities of the Group Asset and 
Liability Management Committee

The  Group  Asset  and  Liability  Management  Committee  (Group 
ALCO), established by the GEB, is responsible for supporting the 
GEB  in  its  responsibility  to  promote  the  usage  of  the  Group’s 
assets and liabilities in line with the Group’s strategy, regulatory 
commitments  and  the  interests  of  shareholders  and  other 
stakeholders.  Group  ALCO  proposes  the  framework  for  capital 
management,  capital  allocation,  funding  and  liquidity  risk  and 
proposes  limits  and  targets  for  the  Group  to  the  BoD  for 
approval.  It  oversees  the  balance  sheet  management  of  the 
its  business  divisions  and  Corporate  Center.  The 
Group, 
Organization  Regulations  additionally  specify  which  powers  of 
the GEB are delegated to the Group ALCO. In 2017, the Group 
ALCO held 10 meetings for UBS Group AG and UBS AG. 

Management contracts

We  have  not  entered  into  management  contracts  with  any 
companies or natural persons that do not belong to the Group.

228 

 
Sergio P. Ermotti

Martin Blessing

Christian Bluhm

Swiss, born 1960

German, born 1963

German, born 1969

Function at UBS Group AG
Group Chief Executive Officer

Professional history and education
Sergio P. Ermotti has been Group Chief Executive Officer of 
UBS Group AG since November 2014, having held the same 
position at UBS AG since November 2011 and on an interim 
basis between September and November 2011. Mr. Ermotti 
became  a  member  of  the  GEB  in  April  2011  and  was 
Chairman  and  CEO  of  UBS  Group  Europe,  Middle  East  and 
Africa from April to November 2011. From 2007 to 2010, he 
was  Group  Deputy  Chief  Executive  Officer  at  UniCredit, 
Milan, and was responsible for the strategic business areas 
of Corporate and Investment Banking, and Private Banking. 
He  joined  UniCredit  in  2005  as  Head  of  Markets  & 
Investment  Banking  Division.  Between  2001  and  2003,  he 
worked at Merrill Lynch, serving as co-Head of Global Equity 
Markets  and  as  a  member  of  the  Executive  Management 
Committee  for  Global  Markets  &  Investment  Banking.  He 
began his career with Merrill Lynch in 1987 and held various 
positions  within  equity  derivatives  and  capital  markets.  Mr. 
Ermotti is a Swiss-certified banking expert and is a graduate 
of  the  Advanced  Management  Programme  at  Oxford 
University.

Other activities and functions
– Board member of UBS Switzerland AG
– Chairman of the Board of Directors of UBS Business 

Solutions AG

– Chairman of the UBS Optimus Foundation Board
– Chairman of the Fondazione Ermotti, Lugano
– Chairman and President of the Board of the Swiss-

American Chamber of Commerce

Function at UBS Group AG
President Personal & Corporate Banking and President UBS 
Switzerland until 31 December 2017, as of 1 January 2018 
President Wealth Management and as of 1 February 2018 
co-President Global Wealth Management

Professional history and education
Martin  Blessing  was  appointed  co-President  of  Global 
Wealth  Management  of  UBS  Group  AG  and  UBS  AG  as  of 
February  2018.  Prior  to  this,  he  was  President  Wealth 
Management  effective  January  2018.  He  held  the  positions 
of President Personal & Corporate Banking of UBS Group AG 
and  President  UBS  Switzerland  as  well  as  President  of  the 
Executive  Board  of  UBS  Switzerland  AG  from  September 
2016 to December 2017. He became a member of the GEB 
in  September  2016.  Before  joining  UBS,  he  worked  for  15 
years  for  Commerzbank  AG,  from  2008  to  April  2016  as 
Chief  Executive  Officer.  Before,  he  held  various  senior 
management positions; from 2004 to 2008, he was Head of 
Corporate Banking and from 2006 onward also responsible 
for  IT  &  Operations.  From  2001  to  2004,  he  was  Head  of 
Private Clients. Before joining Commerzbank, from 2000 to 
2001  he  was  Chief  Executive  Officer  of  Advance  Bank,  a 
subsidiary  of  Dresdner  Bank  AG.  From  1997  to  2000,  he 
acted  as  Dresdner  Bank’s  joint  Head  Private  Clients.  From 
1989 to 1996, he worked for McKinsey & Company, the last 
two  years  as  Partner.  Martin  Blessing  holds  an  MBA  from 
the  University  of  Chicago  and  in  1987  graduated  from  the 
University  of  St.  Gallen  with  a  degree 
in  business 
administration. 

Other activities and functions
– Executive Board member of Baden-Baden Entrepreneur 

Function at UBS Group AG
Group Chief Risk Officer

Professional history and education
Christian  Bluhm  became  a  member  of  the  GEB  and  was 
appointed  Group  Chief  Risk  Officer  of  UBS  Group  AG  and 
UBS  AG  in  January  2016.  He  joined  UBS  from  FMS 
Wertmanagement, where he had been Chief Risk & Financial 
Officer  since  2010  and  Spokesman  of  the  Executive  Board 
from  2012  to  2015.  From  2004  to  2009,  he  worked  for 
Credit Suisse, where he was Managing Director responsible 
for  Credit  Risk  Management  in  Switzerland  and  Private 
Banking worldwide. Mr. Bluhm was Head of Credit Portfolio 
Management  until  2008  and  then  Head  of  Credit  Risk 
Management  Analytics  &  Instruments  after  the  financial 
crisis  in  2008.  From  2001  to  2004,  he  worked  for 
Hypovereinsbank 
in  Group  Credit  Portfolio 
Management, heading a team that specialized in Structured 
Finance  Analytics.  Before  starting  his  banking  career  with 
Deutsche  Bank  in  Credit  Risk  Management  in  1999,  he 
worked  as  a  postdoctoral  fellow  at  Cornell  University  in 
Ithaca  and  as  a  scientific  assistant  at  the  University  of 
Greifswald.  Mr.  Bluhm  holds  a  degree  in  mathematics  and 
informatics  from  the  University  of  Erlangen-Nuremberg  and 
received  his  PhD  in  mathematics  in  1996  from  the  same 
university.

in  Munich 

Other activities and functions
– Board member of UBS Business Solutions AG
– Board member of UBS Switzerland AG

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– Board member of the Fondazione Lugano per il Polo 

Talks

Culturale, Lugano

– Board member of the Global Apprenticeship Network
– Member of the Institut International d’Etudes Bancaires
– Member of the Saïd Business School Global Leadership 

Council, University of Oxford

229 

 
 
 
 
Corporate governance, responsibility and compensation
Corporate governance

Markus U. Diethelm

Kirt Gardner

Sabine Keller-Busse

Swiss, born 1957

American (US), born 1959

Swiss and German, born 1965

Function at UBS Group AG
Group General Counsel

Function at UBS Group AG
Group Chief Financial Officer

Professional history and education
Kirt  Gardner  became  a  member  of  the  GEB  and  was 
appointed  Group  Chief  Financial  Officer  of  UBS  Group  AG 
and  UBS  AG  in  January  2016.  He  was  CFO  Wealth 
Management  from  2013  to  2015.  Prior  to  this,  he  held  a 
number  of  leadership  positions  at  Citigroup,  including  CFO 
and  Head  of  Strategy  within  Global  Transaction  Services 
from  2010  to  2013,  Head  of  Strategy,  Planning  and  Risk 
Strategy  for  the  Corporate  and  Institutional  Division  from 
2006  to  2010  and  Head  of  Global  Strategy  and  Cost 
Management  for  the  Consumer  Bank  from  2004  to  2006. 
Prior to this, he held the position of Global Head of Financial 
Services  Strategy  for  BearingPoint,  for  which  he  worked  in 
Asia  and  New  York  for  four  years.  From  1994  to  2000,  he 
was Managing Director with Barents Group, working in the 
US,  Asia,  Latin  America  and  Europe.  Mr.  Gardner  holds  a 
bachelor’s  degree  in  economics  from  Williams  College,  a 
master’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania and an 
MBA in finance from Wharton School.

Other activities and functions
– Board member of UBS Business Solutions AG

Professional history and education
Markus  U.  Diethelm  has  been  Group  General  Counsel  of 
UBS Group AG since November 2014, having held the same 
position at UBS AG since September 2008, when he became 
a  member  of  the  GEB.  He  was  Executive  Board  member  of 
UBS Business Solutions AG from 2015 to 2016. From 1998 
to 2008, he served as Group Chief Legal Officer at Swiss Re, 
and  he  was  appointed  to  the  company’s  Group  Executive 
Board in 2007. Prior to this, he was with Los Angeles-based 
law firm Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher and focused on corporate 
matters,  securities  transactions,  litigation  and  regulatory 
investigations  while  working  out  of  the  firm’s  Brussels  and 
Paris offices. From 1989 to 1992, he practiced at Shearman 
&  Sterling  in  New  York,  specializing  in  mergers  and 
acquisitions.  In  1988,  he  worked  at  Paul,  Weiss,  Rifkind, 
Wharton & Garrison in New York. After starting his career in 
1983  with  Bär  &  Karrer,  he  served  as  a  law  clerk  at  the 
District  Court  of  Uster  in  Switzerland  from  1984  to  1985. 
Mr.  Diethelm  holds  a  law  degree  from  the  University  of 
Zurich and a master’s degree and a PhD from Stanford Law 
School. Mr. Diethelm is a qualified attorney-at-law admitted 
to the bar in Zurich, Geneva and in New York State.

Other activities and functions
– Board member of UBS Business Solutions AG
– Chairman of the Swiss-American Chamber of Commerce’s 

legal committee

– Chairman of the Swiss Advisory Council of the American 

Swiss Foundation

– Member of the Foundation Council of the UBS 
International Center of Economics in Society

– Member of the Professional Ethics Commission of the 

Association of Swiss Corporate Lawyers

– Member of the Supervisory Board of the Fonds de Dotation 

LUMA / Arles

Function at UBS Group AG
Group Head Human Resources until 31 December 2017,
Group Chief Operating Officer as of 1 January 2018 

Professional history and education
Sabine  Keller-Busse  was  appointed  Group  Chief  Operating 
Officer of UBS Group AG and UBS AG and President of the 
Executive Board of UBS Business Solutions AG as of January 
2018.  Ms.  Keller-Busse  was  Group  Head  Human  Resources 
from  August  2014  to  December  2017.  She  became  a 
member of the GEB in January 2016. Having joined UBS in 
2010, she served as Chief Operating Officer UBS Switzerland 
until  2014.  Prior  to  this,  she  led  Credit  Suisse’s  Private 
Clients  Region  Zurich  division  for  two  years.  From  1995  to 
2008,  Ms.  Keller-Busse  worked  for  McKinsey  &  Company, 
where  she  had  been  Partner  since  2001.  Ms.  Keller-Busse 
holds a master’s degree in business administration from the 
University  of  St.  Gallen  and  received  a  PhD  in  business 
administration from the same university.

Other activities and functions
– Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors of SIX Group 

(Chairman of the nomination & compensation committee)

– Foundation Board member of the UBS Pension Fund
– Foundation Board member of the University Hospital 

Zurich

230 

Ulrich Körner

Axel P. Lehmann

Swiss and German, born 1962

Swiss, born 1959

Tom Naratil

American (US), born 1961

Functions at UBS Group AG
President Asset Management and President UBS Europe, 
Middle East and Africa

Professional history and education
Ulrich Körner has been President Asset Management of UBS 
Group  AG  (formerly  CEO  Global  Asset  Management)  since 
November 2014, having held the same position at UBS AG 
since  January  2014.  He  became  a  member  of  the  GEB  in 
April  2009  and  was  Group  Chief  Operating  Officer  from 
2009 to 2013. In addition, he was appointed President UBS 
Europe, Middle East and Africa (formerly CEO of UBS Group 
Europe, Middle East and Africa) in December 2011. In 1998, 
Mr. Körner joined Credit Suisse. He served as a member of 
the Credit Suisse Group Executive Board from 2003 to 2008, 
holding  various  management  positions,  including  CFO  and 
Chief  Operating  Officer.  From  2006  to  2008,  he  was 
responsible for the entire Swiss client business as CEO Credit 
Suisse  Switzerland.  Mr.  Körner  received  a  PhD  in  business 
administration  from  the  University  of  St.  Gallen  and  served 
for several years as an auditor at Price Waterhouse and as a 
management consultant at McKinsey & Company.

Other activities and functions
– Member of the Supervisory Board of UBS Europe SE
– Chairman of the Foundation Board of the UBS Pension 

Fund

– Chairman of the Widder Hotel AG, Zurich
– Member of the UBS Optimus Foundation Board
– Vice President of the Board of Lyceum Alpinum Zuoz
– Member of the Financial Service Chapter Board of the 

Swiss-American Chamber of Commerce

– Advisory Board member of the Department of Banking and 

Finance at the University of Zurich

– Member of the business advisory council of the Laureus 

Foundation Switzerland

Functions at UBS Group AG
Group Chief Operating Officer until 31 December 2017, as 
of 1 January 2018 President Personal & Corporate Banking 
and President UBS Switzerland 

Professional history and education
Axel  P.  Lehmann  was  appointed  President  Personal  & 
Corporate  Banking  of  UBS  Group  AG  and  President  UBS 
Switzerland as of January 2018, in addition to taking over as 
President of the Executive Board of UBS Switzerland AG. He 
became  a  member  of  the  GEB  and  was  appointed  Group 
Chief  Operating  Officer  of  UBS  Group  AG  and  UBS  AG  in 
January 2016. He was a member of the BoD of UBS AG from 
2009 to 2015 and of UBS Group AG from 2014 to 2015 and 
was  a  member  of  both  the  Risk  Committee  and  the 
Governance  and  Nominating  Committee.  Mr.  Lehmann 
became  a  member  of  Zurich  Insurance  Group’s  (Zurich) 
Group  Executive  Committee 
in  2002,  holding  various 
management positions, including CEO for the European and 
North America businesses. From 2008 to 2015, he was Chief 
Risk  Officer  with  additional  responsibilities  for  Group  IT, 
Regional  Chairman  for  Europe,  Middle  East  and  Africa  as 
well  as  Chairman  for  Farmers  Group  Inc.  In  2001,  he  was 
appointed  CEO  for  Northern,  Central  and  Eastern  Europe 
and  Zurich  Group  Germany,  having  served  as  a  member  of 
the  company’s  Group  Management  Board  since  2000  with 
responsibility 
for  group-wide  business  development 
functions.  In  1996,  he  joined  Zurich  as  a  member  of  the 
Executive  Committee  Switzerland,  and  previously,  he  was 
head of corporate planning and controlling at SwissLife, Vice 
President  of  the  Institute  of  Insurance  Economics  and  a 
visiting  professor  at  Bocconi  University  in  Milan.  Mr. 
Lehmann  holds  a  PhD  and  a  master’s  degree  in  business 
administration  and  economics  from  the  University  of  St. 
Gallen. He is also a graduate of the Advanced Management 
Program of the Wharton School.

Functions at UBS Group AG
President Wealth Management Americas and President UBS 
Americas until 31 January 2018 and as of 1 February 2018 
co-President Global Wealth Management and President UBS 
Americas

Professional history and education
Tom  Naratil  became  co-President  of  Global  Wealth 
Management  of  UBS  Group  AG  and  UBS  AG  in  February 
2018.  In  January  2018,  he  became  CEO  of  UBS  Americas 
Holding  LLC.  He  was  appointed  President  UBS  Americas  of 
UBS Group AG and UBS AG in January 2016. He previously 
served  as  President  Wealth  Management  Americas  from 
2016  to  2018.  He  became  a  member  of  the  GEB  in  June 
2011  and  was  Group  CFO  of  UBS  AG  from  2011  to  2015. 
He held the same position for UBS Group AG from 2014 to 
2015. In addition to the role of Group CFO, he was Group 
Chief  Operating  Officer  from  2014  to  2015.  He  was 
President  of  the  Executive  Board  of  UBS  Business  Solutions 
AG from 2015 to March 2016. He served as CFO and Chief 
Risk  Officer  of  Wealth  Management  Americas  from  2009 
until his appointment as Group CFO in 2011. Before 2009, 
he  held  various  senior  management  positions  within  UBS, 
including  heading  the  Auction  Rate  Securities  Solutions 
Group  during  the  financial  crisis  in  2008.  He  was  named 
Global Head of Marketing, Segment & Client Development in 
2007,  Global  Head  of  Market  Strategy  &  Development  in 
2005, and Director of Banking and Transactional Solutions, 
Wealth Management USA, in 2002. During this time, he was 
a  member  of  the  Group  Managing  Board.  He  joined  Paine 
Webber Incorporated in 1983 and after the merger with UBS 
became  Director  of  the  Investment  Products  Group.  Mr. 
Naratil  holds  an  MBA  in  economics  from  New  York 
University  and  a  Bachelor  of  Arts  in  history  from  Yale 
University.

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Other activities and functions
– Board member of UBS Business Solutions AG
– Co-Chair of the Global Future Council of the Future of 

Financial and Monetary Systems of WEF

Other activities and functions
– Board member of UBS Americas Holding LLC
– Board member of the American Swiss Foundation
– Board member of the Clearing House Supervisory Board
– Member of the Board of Consultors for the College of 

– Adjunct professor and Chairman of the Board of the 

Nursing at Villanova University

Institute of Insurance Economics at the University of St. 
Gallen

– Member of the HSG Advisory Board of the University of St. 

Gallen

– Member of the Swiss-American Chamber of Commerce 

Chapter Doing Business in USA

231 

 
 
 
 
Corporate governance, responsibility and compensation
Corporate governance

Andrea Orcel

Italian, born 1963

Kathryn Shih

British, born 1958

Jürg Zeltner

Swiss, born 1967

Function at UBS Group AG
President Investment Bank

Function at UBS Group AG
President UBS Asia Pacific 

Function at UBS Group AG
President Wealth Management until 31 December 2017

Professional history and education
Andrea  Orcel  has  been  President  Investment  Bank  of  UBS 
Group AG (formerly CEO Investment Bank) since November 
2014,  having  held  the  same  position  for  UBS  AG  since 
November  2012.  He  became  a  member  of  the  GEB  in  July 
2012 and was co-CEO of the Investment Bank from July to 
November 2012. In January 2016, he was appointed Senior 
Officer  Outside  of  Australia  for  UBS  Australia  Branch,  and 
since December 2014, he has additionally held the position 
as  Chief  Executive  for  UBS  Limited  and  UBS  AG  London 
Branch. He joined UBS from Bank of America Merrill Lynch, 
where  he  had  been  Executive  Chairman  Investment  Bank 
since 2009, President of Emerging Markets (excluding Asia) 
since 2010 and CEO of European Card Services since 2011. 
Prior to the acquisition of Merrill Lynch by Bank of America, 
Mr.  Orcel  was  a  member  of  Merrill  Lynch’s  global 
management  committee  and  Head  of  Global  Origination, 
which  combined  Investment  Banking  and  Capital  Markets. 
He  held  a  number  of  other  leadership  positions,  including 
President  of  Global  Markets  &  Investment  Banking  for 
Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and Head of EMEA 
Origination beginning in 2004. Between 2003 and 2007, he 
led the Global Financial Institutions Group, of which he had 
been  part  since  joining  Merrill  Lynch  in  1992.  Prior  to  this, 
he  worked  at  Goldman  Sachs  and  the  Boston  Consulting 
Group. Mr. Orcel holds an MBA from INSEAD and a degree 
in  economics  and  commerce,  summa  cum  laude,  from  the 
University of Rome. 

Professional history and education
Kathryn  Shih  became  a  member  of  the  GEB  and  was 
appointed President UBS Asia Pacific of UBS Group AG and 
UBS  AG  in  January  2016.  She  has  been  Head  Wealth 
Management Asia Pacific since 2002. She was CEO of UBS 
Hong  Kong  from  2003  to  2008.  Prior  to  this,  she  held 
various  leadership  positions  in  Wealth  Management  Asia 
Pacific. She has been with the firm for over 30 years, since 
joining  Swiss  Bank  Corporation  in  1987  as  a  client  advisor 
and  then  serving  as  Head  Private  Banking  from  1994  to 
1998.  In  the  1980s,  Ms.  Shih  worked  for  Citibank  in  the 
Consumer  Services  Group  and  as  an  executive  trainee  with 
PCI Capital Asia Ltd. She was conferred as a Certified Private 
Wealth  Professional  by  the  Private  Wealth  Management 
Association, Hong Kong, in 2015 and as a Certified Financial 
Planner from the Institute of Financial Planners, Hong Kong, 
in 2001 and completed the Advanced Executive Program at 
Northwestern University in 1999. Ms. Shih holds a bachelor 
of  arts  degree  from  Indiana  University  in  the  US  and  a 
master’s  degree  in  business  management  from  the  Asian 
Institute of Management in the Philippines.

Other activities and functions
– Board member of Kenford International Ltd.
– Board member of Shih Co Charitable Foundation Ltd.
– Member of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council 

(Financial Services Advisory Committee)

Professional history and education
Jürg  Zeltner  became  President  of  Wealth  Management  of 
UBS Group AG (formerly CEO of UBS Wealth Management) 
in  November  2014,  having  held  the  same  position  for  UBS 
AG since January 2012. He became a member of the GEB in 
February 2009, and until January 2012, he served as co-CEO 
of  UBS  Wealth  Management  &  Swiss  Bank.  He  stepped 
down  from  the  GEB  and  his  role  of  President  Wealth 
Management  at  the  end  of  December  2017.  In  November 
2007,  he  was  appointed  as  Head  of  Wealth  Management 
North, East & Central Europe. From 2005 to 2007, he was 
CEO  of  UBS  Deutschland,  Frankfurt,  and,  prior  to  this,  he 
held  various  management  positions  in  the  former  Wealth 
Management division of UBS. Between 1987 and 1998, he 
was with Swiss Bank Corporation in various roles within the 
Private  and  Corporate  Client  division  in  Berne,  New  York 
and  Zurich.  Mr.  Zeltner  holds  a  diploma  in  business 
administration  from  the  College  of  Higher  Vocational 
Education  in  Berne  and  is  a  graduate  of  the  Advanced 
Management Program at Harvard Business School.

Other activities and functions
– Board member of the German-Swiss Chamber of 

Commerce

– Member of the IMD Foundation Board, Lausanne

Other activities and functions
– Board member of UBS Limited
– Board member of UBS Americas Holding LLC

232 

Change of control and defense measures

We  refrain  from  restrictions  regarding  change  of  control  and 
defense  measures  that  would  hinder  developments  initiated  in, 
or supported by, the financial markets. We also do not have any 
specific defenses in place to prevent hostile takeovers.

Duty to make an offer

According  to  the  Swiss  Financial  Market  Infrastructure  Act,  an 
investor who has acquired more than 331⁄3% of all voting rights 
of  a  company  listed  in  Switzerland  (directly,  indirectly  or  in 
concert with third parties), whether they are exercisable or not, 
is  required  to  submit  a  takeover  offer  for  all  listed  shares 
outstanding.  We  have  not  elected  to  change  or  opt  out  of  this 
rule.

Clauses on change of control

Neither  the  employment  agreement  with  the  Chairman  of  the 
BoD  nor  any  employment  contracts  with  the  GEB  members  or 
employees  holding  key  functions  within  the  company  (Group 
Managing Directors) contain change of control clauses.

All  employment  contracts  with  GEB  members  stipulate  a 
notice  period  of  six  months.  During  the  notice  period,  GEB 
members  are  entitled  to  their  salaries  and  the  continuation  of 
existing  employment  benefits  and  may  be  eligible  to  be 
considered for a discretionary performance award based on their 
contribution during the time worked.

In  case  of  a  change  of  control,  we  may,  at  our  discretion, 
accelerate  the  vesting  of  and  /  or  relax  applicable  forfeiture 
provisions of employees’ awards, and defer lapse date of options 
or stock appreciation rights. 

→ Refer to the “Compensation” section of this report from page 

258 for more information

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233 

 
 
 
 
 
Corporate governance, responsibility and compensation
Corporate governance

Auditors 

Audit  is  an  integral  part  of  corporate  governance.  While 
safeguarding  their  independence,  the  external  auditors  closely 
coordinate  their  work  with  Group  Internal  Audit.  The  Audit 
Committee,  and  ultimately  the  Board  of  Directors  (BoD), 
supervises the effectiveness of audit work.

→→ Refer to “Board of Directors” in this section for more 

information on the Audit Committee

External independent auditors

At the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of shareholders in 2017, 
Ernst & Young Ltd (EY) were re-elected as auditors for the Group 
for  a  one-year  term  of  office.  EY  assume  virtually  all  auditing 
functions according to laws, regulatory requests and the Articles 
of Association. Since 2015, Marie-Laure Delarue has been the EY 
lead  partner  in  charge  of  the  Group  financial  audit  and  her 
incumbency  is  limited  to  five  years.  Since  2016,  Ira  S.  Fitlin  has 
been  the  co-signing  partner  for  the  financial  statement  audit, 
with  an  incumbency  limit  of  seven  years.  Patrick  Schwaller  has 
been the Lead Auditor to the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory 
Authority (FINMA) since 2015, with an incumbency limited to six 
years  due  to  prior  audit  service  to  UBS  in  another  role.  Marc 
Ryser has been the co-signing partner for the FINMA audit since 
2012, with an incumbency limit of seven years. 

During  2017,  the  Audit  Committee  held  eight  meetings  and 
one  call  with  the  external  auditors.  The  Audit  Committee 
assesses  the  performance,  effectiveness  and  independence  of 
the  external  auditors  on  an  annual  basis.  The  assessment  is 
based  on  interviews  with  senior  management  as  well  as  survey 

Fees paid to external independent auditors

feedback from stakeholders across the bank. Assessment criteria 
include quality of service delivery, quality and competence of the 
audit team, value added as part of the audit, insightfulness and 
the  overall  relationship  with  EY.  Based  on  its  own  analysis  and 
the  assessment  results,  the  Audit  Committee  concluded  that 
EY’s audit has been effective. 

Special auditor for capital increase
At  the  AGM  on  7  May  2015,  BDO  AG  were  reappointed  as 
special  auditors  for  a  three-year  term  of  office.  The  special 
auditors  provide  audit  opinions  in  connection  with  capital 
increases independently from the auditors.

Fees paid to external independent auditors
The fees (including expenses) paid to EY are set forth in the table 
below.  In  addition,  EY  received  CHF 28.9  million  in  2017 
(CHF 26.0  million  in  2016)  for  services  performed  on  behalf  of 
our  investment  funds,  many  of  which  have  independent  fund 
boards or trustees.

Audit  work  includes  all  services  necessary  to  perform  the 
audit  for  the  Group  in  accordance  with  applicable  laws  and 
generally  accepted  auditing  standards,  as  well  as  other 
assurance  services  that  conventionally  only  the  auditor  can 
provide.  These  include  statutory  and  regulatory  audits,  attest 
services and the review of documents to be filed with regulatory 
bodies.  The  additional  services  classified  as  audit  in  2017 
included  several  engagements  for  which  EY  were  mandated  at 
the request of FINMA.

UBS  Group  AG  and  its  subsidiaries  (including  UBS  AG)  paid  the  following  fees  (including  expenses)  to  its  external  independent 
auditors.

CHF thousand

Audit

Global audit fees

Additional services classified as audit (services required by law or statute, including work of a non-recurring nature mandated by regulators)

Total audit

Non-audit

Audit-related fees

of which: assurance and attest services

of which: control and performance reports

of which: consultation concerning financial accounting and reporting standards

Tax fees

All other fees

Total non-audit

1 Of the total audit and non-audit fees of CHF 80,935 thousand for UBS Group AG consolidated, CHF 61,021 thousand relates to UBS AG consolidated.

31.12.17

31.12.16

 52,487

 12,962
 65,4491 

 12,037

 6,371

 5,034

 632

 1,542

 1,906
 15,4861 

 49,585

 9,214

 58,799

 7,685

 2,893

 4,177

 615

 1,747

 1,051

 10,484

234 

→

Audit-related  work  comprises  assurance  and  related  services 
that  are  traditionally  performed  by  the  auditor,  such  as  attest 
services  related  to  financial  reporting,  internal  control  reviews, 
performance  standard  reviews  and  consultation  concerning 
financial accounting and reporting standards.

Tax work involves services performed by professional staff in 
includes  tax  compliance  and  tax 

EY’s  tax  division  and 
consultation with respect to our own affairs.

“Other”  services  are  permitted  services,  which 

include 

technical IT security control reviews and assessments.

Preapproval procedures
To ensure EY’s independence, all services provided by EY have to 
be preapproved by the Audit Committee. A preapproval may be 
granted either for a specific mandate or in the form of a blanket 
preapproval  authorizing  a  limited  and  well-defined  type  and 
amount of services.

The Audit Committee has delegated preapproval authority to 
its  Chairperson,  and  the  Group  Chief  Financial  Officer  (Group 
CFO) and Group Controller and Chief Accounting Officer submit 
all proposals for services by EY to the Chairperson of the Audit 
Committee for approval, unless there is a blanket preapproval in 
place.  At  each  quarterly  meeting,  the  Audit  Committee  is 
informed  of  the  approvals  granted  by  its  Chairperson  and  of 
services authorized under blanket preapprovals.

Group Internal Audit

Group  Internal  Audit  (GIA)  performs  the  internal  auditing 
function for the Group, and in 2017 operated with an approved 
headcount  of  390  full-time  equivalent  employees.  It  is  an 
independent  and  objective  function  that  supports  the  Group  in 
achieving  its  strategic,  operational,  financial  and  compliance 
objectives,  and 
its  governance 
responsibilities. 

in  discharging 

the  BoD 

GIA  independently,  objectively  and  systematically  assesses 

the:
– effectiveness of processes to define strategy and risk appetite 

as well as the overall adherence to the approved strategy

– effectiveness of governance processes 
– effectiveness of risk management, including whether risks are 

appropriately identified and managed 

– effectiveness of internal controls, specifically whether they are 

commensurate with the risks taken

– soundness of the risk and control culture

– effectiveness  and  sustainability  of  remediation  activities, 

originating from any source

– reliability  and 

integrity  of 

financial  and  operational 
information,  i.e.,  whether  activities  are  properly,  accurately 
and  completely  recorded,  and  the  quality  of  underlying  data 
and models, and

– effectiveness  of  processes  to  comply  with  legal,  regulatory 
and  statutory  requirements  (such  as  the  provisions  of  the 
Articles  of  Association),  as  well  as  with  internal  policies 
(including  the  Organization  Regulations)  and  contracts,  i.e., 
assessing  whether  such  requirements  are  met,  and  the 
adequacy of processes to sustainably meet them

Audit  reports  that  include  significant  issues  are  provided  to 
the  Group  CEO,  relevant  GEB  members  and  other  responsible 
management.  The  Chairman,  Audit  Committee  and  Risk 
Committee  of  the  BoD  are  also  regularly  informed  of  such 
issues. 

In  addition,  GIA  assures  whether  issues  with  moderate  to 
significant  impact  have  been  successfully  remediated.  This 
responsibility applies to issues identified by all sources: business 
management  (first  line  of  defense),  control  functions  (second 
line of defense), GIA (third line of defense), external auditors and 
regulators.  GIA  also  cooperates  closely  with  risk  control 
functions  and 
legal  advisors  on 
investigations into major control issues.

internal  and  external 

To  maximize  GIA’s  independence  from  management,  the 
Head  of  GIA  reports  to  the  Chairman  of  the  BoD  and  to  the 
Audit  Committee,  which  assesses  annually  whether  GIA  has 
sufficient  resources  to  perform  its  function,  as  well  as  its 
independence  and  performance.  In  the  Audit  Committee’s 
assessment,  GIA  is  sufficiently  resourced  to  fulfill  its  mandate 
and  complete  its  auditing  objectives.  GIA’s  role,  position, 
responsibilities and accountability are set out in our Organization 
Regulations and the Charter for Group Internal Audit, published 
at  www.ubs.com/governance.  The  latter  also  applies  to  UBS 
AG’s  internal  audit  function.  GIA  has  unrestricted  access  to  all 
accounts, books, records, systems, premises and personnel, and 
must be provided with all information and data that it needs to 
fulfill its auditing duties. The Audit Committee may order special 
audits to be conducted, and other BoD members, committees or 
the Group CEO may request such audits in consultation with the 
Audit Committee. 

GIA enhances the efficiency of its work through coordination 

and close cooperation with the external auditors.

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235 

 
 
 
 
 
Corporate governance, responsibility and compensation
Corporate governance

Information policy

We  provide  regular  information  to  our  shareholders  and  to  the 
financial community.

Financial disclosure principles 

We  fully  support  transparency  and  consistent  and  informative 
disclosure. We aim to communicate our strategy and results in a 
manner  that  allows  stakeholders  to  gain  a  good  understanding 
of  how  our  Group  works,  what  our  growth  prospects  are  and 
the  risks  our  businesses  and  our  strategy  entail.  We  assess 
feedback  from  analysts  and  investors  on  a  regular  basis  and, 
where  appropriate,  reflect  this  in  our  disclosures.  To  continue 
achieving  these  goals,  we  apply  the  following  principles  in  our 
financial reporting and disclosure:
– Transparency  that  enhances  the  understanding  of  economic 

drivers and builds trust and credibility

– Consistency  within  each  reporting  period  and  between 

reporting periods

– Simplicity  that  allows  readers  to  gain  a  good  understanding 

of the performance of our businesses

– Relevance  by  focusing  not  only  on  what  is  required  by 
regulation  or  statute  but  also  on  what  is  relevant  to  our 
stakeholders and

– Best practice that leads to improved standards

Consistent  with  our  financial  reporting  and  disclosure 
principles, we continue to benchmark disclosures in our financial 
reports  against  recommendations  issued  by  the  Enhanced 
Disclosure  Task  Force  in  2012.  We  regard  the  improvement  of 
our disclosures as an ongoing commitment.

Financial reports for UBS Group AG will be published as 
follows

First quarter 2018
Second quarter 2018
Third quarter 2018

23 April 2018
24 July 2018
23 October 2018

The Annual General Meeting of shareholders of UBS 
Group AG will take place as follows

2018
2019

3 May 2018
2 May 2019

→ Refer to the corporate calendar at www.ubs.com/investors for 

future financial report publication and other key dates, 

including UBS AG’s financial report publication dates

We  meet  with  institutional  investors  worldwide  throughout 
the  year  and  regularly  hold  results  presentations,  attend  and 
present  at  investor  conferences  and,  from  time  to  time,  host 
investor  days.  When  appropriate,  investor  meetings  are  hosted 
by senior management and are always attended by members of 
our Investor Relations team. We use various technologies such as 
webcasting, audio links and cross-location videoconferencing to 
widen  our  audience  and  maintain  contact  with  shareholders 
globally.

We  make  our  publications  available  to  all  shareholders 
simultaneously  to  provide  them  with  equal  access  to  our 
financial information.

Shareholders may opt to receive a physical copy of our annual 
report or our annual review, which reflects on specific initiatives 
and achievements of the Group and provides an overview of the 
Group’s  activities  during  the  year  as  well  as  key  financial 
information.  Shareholders  can  also  request  UBS  Group  AG’s 
quarterly  financial  reports,  or  download  all  our  financial 
publications electronically at www.ubs.com/investors. 

→ Refer to www.ubs.com/investors for a complete set of 

published reporting documents and under “Events & 

presentations” for a selection of senior management industry 

conference presentations

→ Refer to the “Information sources” section on page 480 of this 

report for more information

→ Refer to “Corporate information” and “Contacts” in the 
introductory part of this report for more information

236 

Financial reporting policies

We  report  our  Group’s  results  at  the  end  of  every  quarter, 
including  a  breakdown  of  results  by  business  division  and 
disclosures  or  key  developments  relating  to  risk  management 
and  control,  capital,  liquidity  and  funding  management.  Each 
quarter, we publish quarterly financial reports for UBS Group AG 
on the same day as the earnings releases.

UBS  Group  AG’s  and  UBS  AG’s  consolidated  financial 
statements  are  prepared  in  accordance  with  International 
Financial  Reporting  Standards  as  issued  by  the  International 
Accounting Standards Board. 

→ Refer to “Note 1 Summary of significant accounting policies” in 
the “Consolidated financial statements” section from page 325 

of this report for more information on the basis of accounting

We  are  committed  to  maintaining  the  transparency  of  our 
reported  results  and  to  permit  analysts  and  investors  to  make 
meaningful  comparisons  with  prior  periods.  If  there  is  a  major 
reorganization  of  our  business  divisions  or  if  changes  to 
accounting  standards  or  interpretations  lead  to  a  material 
change  in  the  Group’s  reported  results,  our  results  are  restated 
for  previous  periods  as  required  by  applicable  accounting 
standards. These restatements show how our results would have 
been  reported  on  the  new  basis  and  provide  clear  explanations 
of all relevant changes.

US disclosure requirements
As  a  foreign  private  issuer,  we  must  file  reports  and  other 
information,  including  certain  financial  reports,  with  the  US 
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) under the US federal 
securities  laws.  We  file  an  annual  report  on  Form  20-F  and 
furnish  our  quarterly  financial  reports  and  other  material 
information under cover of Form 6-K to the SEC. These reports 
are  available  at  www.ubs.com/investors  and  on  the  SEC’s 
website at www.sec.gov.

An  evaluation  was  carried  out  under  the  supervision  of 
management,  including  the  Group  CEO,  Group  CFO  and  the 
Group  Controller  and  Chief  Accounting  Officer,  on  the 
effectiveness  of  our  disclosure  controls  and  procedures  (as 
defined in Rule 13a–15e) under the US Securities Exchange Act 
of  1934.  Based  on  that  evaluation,  the  Group  CEO  and  Group 
CFO concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were 
effective as of 31 December 2017. No significant changes have 
been made to our internal controls or to other factors that could 
significantly affect these controls subsequent to the date of their 
evaluation.

→ Refer to the “Consolidated financial statements” section from 

page 303 of this report for more information

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237 

→

 
 
 
 
 
Corporate governance, responsibility and compensation
UBS and Society

UBS and Society

UBS  is  committed  to  creating  long-term  positive  impact  for  our 
clients, employees, investors and society. In doing so, we aim to 
continually improve our efficiency and effectiveness in protecting 
the  environment,  respecting  human  rights  and  ensuring 
responsible behavior in all aspects of our operations. 

We  want  to  be  the  financial  provider  of  choice  for  clients 
wishing  to  drive  capital  toward  investments  that  support  the 
achievement  of 
(UN)  Sustainable 
the  United  Nations’ 
Development  Goals  (SDGs)  and  the  transition  to  a  low-carbon 
economy.  Our  cross-divisional  organization  UBS  and  Society 
focuses our firm on this direction.

UBS  and  Society  covers  our  activities  and  capabilities  related 
to  sustainable 
investing,  philanthropy,  environmental  and 
human rights policies governing client and supplier relationships, 
our environmental footprint and community investment.

We  intend  to  make  sustainable  performance  the  standard 
across  our  firm  and  part  of  every  client  conversation.  We  work 
with a long-term focus on providing appropriate returns to all of 
our  stakeholders  in  a  responsible  manner.  To  underline  our 
commitment to UBS and Society, we provide transparent targets 
and  report  on  progress  made  against  them  wherever  possible. 
To this end, we assess our progress against the following aims.

We aim to be

A leader in sustainable investing (SI) for private and institutional clients
as demonstrated by size of SI assets under management (AuM) and goals, for which UBS:

– Has set ambitious internal targets to increase AuM for core SI products and mandates
– Has set a target of USD 5 billion of client assets invested into new impact investments by the end of 2021

A recognized innovator and thought leader in philanthropy
as shown by key stakeholder – employees, clients and society – engagement, and work to support positive social impact, for which UBS:

– Aims to achieve 40% of employees volunteering by the end of 2020, of which 40% of volunteer hours will be skills based 
– Combines expertise with capital and networks to increase social impact, as the partner of choice for philanthropists
– Pioneers new ways to bring substantial funding to the SDGs

An industry leader in sustainability
by retaining favorable positions in key environmental, social and governance (ESG) ratings and driving optimization in areas that are important to ESG 
investors, wherein UBS:

– Supports the transition to a low-carbon economy as laid out in our climate change strategy

238 

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(cid:114)(cid:2)(cid:47)(cid:67)(cid:75)(cid:80)(cid:85)(cid:86)(cid:84)(cid:71)(cid:67)(cid:79)(cid:75)(cid:80)(cid:73)(cid:2)(cid:85)(cid:87)(cid:85)(cid:86)(cid:67)(cid:75)(cid:80)(cid:67)(cid:68)(cid:78)(cid:71)(cid:2)

(cid:82)(cid:71)(cid:84)(cid:72)(cid:81)(cid:84)(cid:79)(cid:67)(cid:80)(cid:69)(cid:71)

(cid:57)(cid:71)(cid:2)(cid:82)(cid:84)(cid:81)(cid:88)(cid:75)(cid:70)(cid:71)(cid:2)(cid:86)(cid:67)(cid:75)(cid:78)(cid:81)(cid:84)(cid:15)(cid:79)(cid:67)(cid:70)(cid:71)(cid:2)(cid:67)(cid:70)(cid:88)(cid:75)(cid:69)(cid:71)(cid:2)(cid:75)(cid:80)(cid:2)
(cid:67)(cid:78)(cid:78)(cid:2)(cid:85)(cid:86)(cid:67)(cid:73)(cid:71)(cid:85)(cid:2)(cid:81)(cid:72)(cid:2)(cid:86)(cid:74)(cid:71)(cid:2)(cid:82)(cid:74)(cid:75)(cid:78)(cid:67)(cid:80)(cid:86)(cid:74)(cid:84)(cid:81)(cid:82)(cid:91)(cid:2)
(cid:78)(cid:75)(cid:72)(cid:71)(cid:2)(cid:69)(cid:91)(cid:69)(cid:78)(cid:71)(cid:2)(cid:67)(cid:80)(cid:70)(cid:2)(cid:81)(cid:87)(cid:84)(cid:2)(cid:73)(cid:78)(cid:81)(cid:68)(cid:67)(cid:78)(cid:2)(cid:80)(cid:71)(cid:86)(cid:89)(cid:81)(cid:84)(cid:77)(cid:2)
(cid:87)(cid:84)(cid:2)(cid:73)(cid:78)(cid:81)(cid:68)(cid:67)(cid:78)(cid:2)(cid:80)(cid:71)
(cid:85)(cid:87)(cid:82)(cid:82)(cid:81)(cid:84)(cid:86)(cid:85)(cid:2)(cid:69)(cid:78)(cid:75)(cid:71)(cid:80)(cid:86)(cid:85)(cid:2)(cid:86)(cid:81)(cid:2)(cid:67)(cid:69)(cid:74)(cid:75)(cid:71)(cid:88)(cid:71)(cid:2)(cid:86)(cid:74)(cid:71)(cid:75)(cid:84)(cid:2)
(cid:85)(cid:2)(cid:86)(cid:81)(cid:2)(cid:67)(cid:69)(cid:74)(cid:75)(cid:71)(cid:88)(cid:71)
(cid:81)(cid:67)(cid:78)(cid:85)(cid:16)
(cid:82)(cid:74)(cid:75)(cid:78)(cid:67)(cid:80)(cid:86)(cid:74)(cid:84)(cid:81)(cid:82)(cid:75)(cid:69)(cid:2)(cid:73)(cid:81)(cid:67)(cid:78)(cid:85)(cid:16)

(cid:114)(cid:2)(cid:50)(cid:74)(cid:75)(cid:78)(cid:67)(cid:80)(cid:86)(cid:74)(cid:84)(cid:81)(cid:82)(cid:91)(cid:2)(cid:67)(cid:70)(cid:88)(cid:75)(cid:85)(cid:81)(cid:84)(cid:91)
(cid:67)(cid:70)(cid:88)(cid:75)(cid:85)(cid:81)(cid:84)(cid:91)
(cid:114)(cid:2)(cid:55)(cid:36)(cid:53)(cid:2)(cid:49)(cid:82)(cid:86)(cid:75)(cid:79)(cid:87)(cid:85)(cid:2)(cid:40)(cid:81)(cid:87)(cid:80)(cid:70)(cid:67)(cid:86)(cid:75)(cid:81)(cid:80)

(cid:57)(cid:71)(cid:2)(cid:82)(cid:84)(cid:81)(cid:88)(cid:75)(cid:70)(cid:71)(cid:2)(cid:86)(cid:67)(cid:84)(cid:73)(cid:71)(cid:86)(cid:71)(cid:70)(cid:2)(cid:386)(cid:80)(cid:67)(cid:80)(cid:69)(cid:75)(cid:67)(cid:78)(cid:2)(cid:85)(cid:87)(cid:82)(cid:82)(cid:81)(cid:84)(cid:86)(cid:2)
(cid:67)(cid:80)(cid:70)(cid:2)(cid:71)(cid:79)(cid:82)(cid:78)(cid:81)(cid:91)(cid:71)(cid:71)(cid:2)(cid:88)(cid:81)(cid:78)(cid:87)(cid:80)(cid:86)(cid:71)(cid:71)(cid:84)(cid:75)(cid:80)(cid:73)(cid:2)(cid:75)(cid:80)(cid:2)(cid:81)(cid:87)(cid:84)(cid:2)(cid:78)(cid:81)(cid:69)(cid:67)(cid:78)(cid:2)
(cid:69)(cid:81)(cid:79)(cid:79)(cid:87)(cid:80)(cid:75)(cid:86)(cid:75)(cid:71)(cid:85)(cid:14)(cid:2)(cid:72)(cid:81)(cid:69)(cid:87)(cid:85)(cid:71)(cid:70)(cid:2)(cid:81)(cid:80)(cid:2)(cid:71)(cid:70)(cid:87)(cid:69)(cid:67)(cid:86)(cid:75)(cid:81)(cid:80)(cid:2)(cid:67)(cid:80)(cid:70)(cid:2)
(cid:71)(cid:80)(cid:86)(cid:84)(cid:71)(cid:82)(cid:84)(cid:71)(cid:80)(cid:71)(cid:87)(cid:84)(cid:85)(cid:74)(cid:75)(cid:82)(cid:16)

(cid:114)(cid:2)(cid:37)(cid:81)(cid:79)(cid:79)(cid:87)(cid:80)(cid:75)(cid:86)(cid:91)(cid:2)(cid:67)(cid:72)(cid:72)(cid:67)(cid:75)(cid:84)(cid:85)

UBS and Society’s goals are implemented in three ways: how 
we  do  business,  how  we  support  clients  and  how  we  support 
communities. 

corporate  culture.  The  CCRC  also  monitors  and  reviews  societal 
trends  and  other  developments  on  a  forward-looking  basis  and 
assesses their potential relevance to the Group.

→ Refer to “Download center” at www.ubs.com/ubsandsociety 

for further documents pertinent to sustainability at UBS

→ Refer to “Annual reporting” at www.ubs.com/investors for the 

UBS 2017 Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Document containing 

key sustainability information

How we do business

Strong,  well-understood  principles  and  policies  are 
the 
foundation  for  empowering  our  employees  to  operate  in  a 
manner  that  meets  the  expectations  of  our  stakeholders.  We 
also recognize that we have a role to play in leading debates on 
important  societal  topics  and  in  collaborating  with  other  firms 
and  industry  bodies  to  set  high  standards  in  and  beyond  our 
industry. 

Governance 
Our Board of Directors’ (BoD) Corporate Culture and Responsibility 
Committee (CCRC) approves UBS and Society’s overall strategy and 
monitors  the  current  state  and  implementation  of  the  Group’s 
programs  and  initiatives  pertaining  to  corporate  culture  and 
corporate  responsibility. 
It  also  regularly  reviews  stakeholder 
expectations  and  concerns  about  UBS’s  societal  performance  and 

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The Group Chief Executive Officer (Group CEO) proposes the 
UBS  and  Society  strategy  and  annual  objectives  to  the  CCRC, 
supervises  their  execution  and  informs  the  Group  Executive 
Board (GEB) and CCRC, as appropriate. Reporting to the Group 
CEO, 
is  UBS’s  senior-level 
representative  for  sustainability  issues.  The  Group  CEO  and  the 
Head UBS and Society are permanent guests of the CCRC.

the  Head  UBS  and  Society 

Chaired  by  the  Head  UBS  and  Society,  the  UBS  and  Society 
Operating  Committee  is  responsible  for  the  execution  of  UBS 
and Society strategy across divisions and regions. Chaired by the 
Group Chief Risk Officer, the Global Environmental & Social Risk 
Committee  defines  an  environmental  and  social  risk  (ESR) 
framework  and  independent  controls  that  align  UBS’s  ESR 
appetite with that of UBS and Society. The business divisions are 
responsible 
for  and 
executing the UBS and Society annual objectives in their division 
as  they  relate  to  client  relationships,  product  development, 
investment management, distribution and risk management. 
→→ Refer to “Board of Directors” in the “Corporate governance” 

for  developing,  providing 

resources 

section of this report for more information 

→ Refer to the Organization Regulations of UBS Group AG at 

www.ubs.com/governance for the charter of the CCRC

239 

 
 
 
 
Corporate governance, responsibility and compensation
UBS and Society

Key principles and policies 
The principles and standards set out in our Code of Conduct and 
Ethics  (Code)  apply  to  all  aspects  of  our  business  and  the  way 
we engage with our stakeholders. The Code supports a culture 
where  ethical  and  responsible  behavior  is  part  of  our  everyday 
operations.  All  employees  have  to  confirm  annually  that  they 
have  read  the  Code  and  other  associated  key  documents  and 
policies. In 2017, we continued our educational program about 
the  Code,  including  a  mandatory  conduct  and  culture  training 
module. 

The  CCRC  oversees  the  annual  review  of  the  Code  by  the 
GEB and the BoD. Following the 2016 / 2017 review, the current 
Code was published in mid-2017.

→  Refer to the Code of Conduct and Ethics of UBS at 

www.ubs.com/code for more information

The  Code  incorporates  key  components  of  UBS  and  Society, 
notably  managing  environmental  and  social  risks,  investing 
sustainably  and  contributing  to  the  well-being  of  our  local 
communities  to  promote  our  goal  of  generating  long-term, 
sustainable and measurable benefits for our clients, shareholders 
and communities.

The  scope,  principles,  responsibilities  and  structure  of  UBS 
and  Society  are  set  out  in  more  detail  within  our  UBS  and 
Society constitutional document. 

Stakeholder relations and employee engagement
The activities we describe in this section are designed to identify 
the key points at which UBS is able to exert a positive impact on 
society  and  the  environment.  Our  regular  engagement  with  a 
wide  range  of  stakeholders  and  many  significant  external 
organizations  and  initiatives,  supports  us  in  this  important 
process.

Every  year,  we  conduct  a  materiality  assessment,  as  defined 
by  the  guidelines  of  the  Global  Reporting  Initiative  (GRI),  the 
most  widely  used  sustainability  reporting  framework,  to  collate 
stakeholder  views  on  key  topics  pertaining  to  our  firm’s 
financial,  economic,  social  and  environmental  performance.  In 
2017,  the  assessment  was  supported  by  a  major  online  survey, 
which was completed by nearly 1,600 stakeholders (with clients 
making up nearly half of this amount). The results are captured 
in a GRI-based materiality matrix that covers 26 topics, the top-
rated being client protection, combating financial crime, conduct 
and  culture,  financial  stability  and  resilience,  and  digital 
innovation and cyber security.

For the first time, we also included a question on the SDGs in 
the survey. The SDGs are a set of 17 non-legally binding goals, 
which  aim  to  end  poverty,  protect  the  planet,  and  ensure 
prosperity  for  all  by  2030,  as  part  of  a  global  sustainable 
development agenda. Stakeholders were asked which SDGs UBS 
should contribute most to, and the most frequent response was 
quality education, followed by climate action.
in 
Awareness  and  expertise  play  an 
implementing  our  goals.  UBS  promotes 
its  employees’ 
understanding  of  the  goals  and  actions  of  UBS  and  Society 
through a wide range of training and awareness-raising activities 
and  performance  management.  For  example,  in  2017,  our 
program on sustainable investing was delivered to around 3,500 
employees  in  our  wealth  management  businesses.  In  addition, 
employee  volunteering  activities  across  all  regions  help  raise 
awareness of UBS and Society and our sustainability goals. 

important 

role 

→→ Refer to the “Our employees” section of this report for more 

information on our firm’s culture and employees

Advancing sustainability in the financial sector – UBS’s key activities in 2017

Initiative

Focus topic 

Role / activity of UBS

Key outcome of initiative in 2017

Financial Stability Board  (FSB) Task 
Force on  Climate-related Financial 
Disclosures (TCFD)

Climate change

Member of TCFD and feedback provider 
Commitment to review and align UBS 
disclosure with TCFD recommendations

Recommendations to companies to 
disclose the impacts of climate change on 
their activities and strategy

Alliance of CEO Climate Leaders

Climate change

UN Environment Programme Finance 
Initiative (UNEP FI)

Climate change

Joint statement by our CEO and the alliance 
members to urge G20 governments to act on 
the recommendations of the TCFD 

Continued support for the TCFD 
recommendations

Collaborates in developing approaches to 
help banks disclose their exposures to 
climate-related risks and opportunities, as 
envisioned by the TCFD

Scenario analysis and stress testing 
approach under development

240 

 
Advancing sustainability in the financial sector – UBS’s key activities in 2017 (continued)

Initiative

Focus topic 

Role / activity of UBS

Key outcome of initiative in 2017

Swiss Energy and Climate Summit

Climate change

Premium partner

Key annual Swiss SME event on climate 
and energy topics

Natural Capital Finance Alliance 

Natural capital

Project partner to pilot test drought scenarios 
in bank portfolios
Member of technical advisory panel of the 
Advancing Environmental Management 
Project

Drought stress testing tool and report 
developed
Database and multi-regional input-output 
analysis to assess natural capital 
dependencies

G20 Green Finance Study  Group 
(GFSG)

Green finance

Presented stress testing approach at GFSG 
workshop in Beijing

Swiss Sustainable Finance (SSF)

Sustainable finance

Member of SSF board

Synthesis report, as well as background 
papers on various topics, presented and 
acknowledged at G20 leaders’ summit in 
Hamburg

Major events and projects to promote 
sustainable finance in Switzerland

Association for Environmental 
Management and Sustainability in 
Financial Institutes (VfU)

Sustainable finance

Member of VfU board
Host and co-organizer of annual VfU / UNEP 
FI flagship roundtable 

Major events and projects to advance 
sustainable finance in Germany, Austria 
and Switzerland

Sustainability Accounting Standards 
Board (SASB)

Sustainable finance

UBS Asset Management represented on 
SASB Institutional Advisory Group and 
participated in various committees on metrics 

First reports by group of US public 
companies issued in accordance with SASB

→

Thun Group of Banks

Human rights

Convener of Group

International Capital Market 
Association (ICMA)

Green and social 
bonds

Member of ICMA and on ICMA board 

Paper on the implications of UN Guiding 
Principles 13b and 17 and stakeholder 
event to discuss the paper

Guidance for the governance of the Green 
Bond Principles and Social Bond Principles

Organisation for Economic  Co-
operation and  Development (OECD)

Due diligence

Member of advisory group of OECD 
Responsible Business Conduct (RBC) project

Publication of the OECD RBC guidance for 
institutional investors 

Policy Outlook (POLO)  platform

Sustainability 
regulation

Co-convener of platform

Platform’s second annual roundtable 
(convened by UBS)

WWF Banking on World  Heritage 
Sites

UNESCO (natural) 
world heritage sites

Participant in WWF-organized workshops and 
speaker on launch event panel

Reporting paper (includes UBS best 
practice case study) 

Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil 
(RSPO)

Natural capital / 
palm oil

Member of RSPO financial institutions task 
force and on RSPO complaints panel
Panel speaker at RSPO EU Roundtable 2017 
and the RSPO Roundtable (RT 15 in 
Indonesia)

Review of the updated RSPO Principles and 
Criteria

Banking Environment Initiative (BEI) 
Soft Commodities Compact

Soft commodities

Member of BEI Soft Commodities Compact 
implementation group

Bi-monthly meetings 

241 

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Corporate governance, responsibility and compensation
UBS and Society

Environmental and social risk assessments

CCases referred for assessment1

bby region

Americas

Asia Pacific

Europe, Middle East and Africa

Switzerland

bby business division

Wealth Management

Wealth Management Americas

Personal & Corporate Banking

Asset Management

Investment Bank

Corporate Center2

For the year ended

331.12.17

  2,170

31.12.16

 2,671

31.12.15

 2,192

% change from

31.12.16

 (19)

  305

  604

  253

 395

 556

 341

 295

 520

 257

  1,008

 1,379

 1,120

  485

  22

  795

  7

  852

  9

 429

 20

 1,226

 2

 971

 23

 396

 20

 980

 0

 776

 20

 (23)

 9

 (26)

 (27)

 13

 10

 (35)

 250

 (12)

 (61)

11 Transactions and client onboarding requests referred to the environmental and social risk function.    2 Relates to procurement / sourcing of products and services.

Management of environmental and social risks 
We  apply  an  ESR  framework  to  identify  and  manage  potential 
adverse  impacts  on  the  environment  and  to  human  rights,  as 
well  as  the  associated  environmental  and  social  risks  to  which 
our  clients’  and  our  own  assets  are  exposed.  UBS’s 
comprehensive  ESR  standards  are  aligned  with  the  principles 
expressed  in  the  UBS  and  Society  constitutional  document, 
govern  client  and  supplier  relationships,  and  are  enforced  firm-
wide.

We  have  set  ESR  standards 

in  product  development, 
investments,  financing  and  for  supply  chain  management 
decisions. As part of our due diligence process we engage with 
clients  and  suppliers  to  better  understand  their  processes  and 
policies  and  to  explore  how  any  environmental  and  social  risks 
may  be  mitigated.  We  avoid  transactions,  products,  services, 
activities  or  suppliers  if  they  are  associated  with  material 
environmental and social risks that cannot be properly assessed 
or mitigated. 

Our  ESR  standards  include  the  description  of  controversial 
activities  and  other  areas  of  concern  we  will  not  engage  in,  or 
we  will  only  engage  in  under  stringent  criteria,  as  outlined 
below. In 2017, we introduced new guidelines for companies in 
the  fishing  industry  and  require  them  to  demonstrate  that  they 
are not involved in illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.

Our  standard  risk,  compliance  and  operations  processes 
involve  procedures  and  tools  for  identifying,  assessing  and 
monitoring  environmental  and  social  risks.  These  include  client 
onboarding,  transaction  due  diligence,  product  development 
and investment decision processes, own operations, supply chain 
management and portfolio reviews.

These  processes  are  geared  toward 

identifying  clients, 
transactions  or  suppliers  potentially  in  breach  of  our  standards, 
or  otherwise  subject  to  significant  environmental  and  human 
rights  controversies.  We  use  advanced  data  analytics  on 
companies  associated  with  such  risks,  integrated  into  our  web-
based compliance tool, before we enter into a client or supplier 
relationship or transaction. This significantly enhances our ability 
to identify potential risk. In 2017, 2,170 referrals were assessed 
by  our  ESR  unit,  of  which  80  were  rejected  or  not  further 
pursued,  395  were  approved  with  qualifications  and  18  were 
pending.  Measures  to  optimize  the  control  framework  led  to  a 
19% year-on-year decline in such referrals.

We will not do business if 
associated with severe 
environmental or social damage to 
or through the use of:

– UNESCO world heritage sites
– Wetlands, endangered species
– High conservation value forests, 
illegal logging and use of fire

– Child labor, forced labor, 
indigenous peoples’ rights

We will only do business under 
stringent criteria in the following 
areas:

– Soft commodities: palm oil, soy, 

timber, fish and seafood

– Power generation: 

coal-fired power plants, large 
dams, nuclear power

– Extractives: hydraulic fracturing, 
oil sands, arctic drilling, coal 
mining, precious metals, 
diamonds

242 

Climate change

In 2017, the Financial Stability Board’s 
(FSB) Task Force on Climate-related 
Financial Disclosures (TCFD) published its 
recommendations to help investors better 
price climate-related risks and to support 
a smooth transition to a low-carbon 
economy. The recommendations are 
applicable to all sectors and cover an 
organization’s governance, strategy and 
risk management, as well as metrics and 
targets related to climate change risks 
and opportunities. UBS, along with 230 
other organizations worldwide, affirmed 
its commitment to support the voluntary 
recommendations. We plan to further 
align our disclosure within the five-year 
pathway outlined by the TCFD and 
collaborate within the industry to close 
gaps. 

Governance
Our climate change strategy is overseen 
by the CCRC as part of the UBS and 
Society governance. This oversight role of 
the CCRC has been embedded in the 
Organization Regulations of UBS Group 
AG since March 2018. Within the 
parameters set by the CCRC, climate-
related opportunities are overseen by the 
UBS and Society Operating Committee 
and climate change risks by the Global 
ESR Committee. The CCRC regularly and 
critically reviews the assessments and 
steps taken by these management bodies 
toward executing the climate change 
strategy.

Strategy
We believe the transition to a low-carbon 
economy is vital and we are focused on 
supporting our clients in preparing for 
success in an increasingly carbon-
constrained world. As a leading global 
financial services provider, we do this in 
four different ways: 
– We seek to protect our assets from 

climate change risks by limiting our risk 
appetite for carbon-related assets and 
by estimating our firm’s vulnerability to 
climate change risks using scenario-
based stress testing approaches and 
other forward-looking portfolio 
analyses. So far, no material risk on our 

balance sheet has been identified.
– We support our clients’ efforts to 

assess, manage and protect themselves 
from climate-related risks by offering 
innovative products and services in 
investment, financing and research. 
We have developed several products 
that allow clients to identify the 
weighted carbon intensity of their 
investments and / or to align them 
with the Paris Agreement. 

– We mobilize private and institutional 
capital toward investments that 
facilitate climate change mitigation 
and adaptation and we support the 
transition to a low-carbon economy as 
a corporate advisor and / or with our 
lending capacity. 

– We continue to reduce our greenhouse 
gas (GHG) emissions and increase the 
firm’s share in renewable energy.

Risk management

Protecting our own assets: 
We have limited our risk appetite for 
carbon-related assets, for example, in the 
areas of coal mining and coal-fired power 
plants, as well as forestry and agriculture. 
In order to manage our own, and our 
clients’, risk derived from both the 
physical and transition risks associated 
with climate change, we have performed 
both top-down balance sheet stress 
testing and targeted, bottom-up analysis 
of specific sector exposures. In doing so, 
we identified challenges ranging from the 
suitability of climate scenarios for banking 
risk modeling to data availability. To 
address these challenges, we have 
committed to work toward alignment and 
knowledge-sharing within the industry. 
Sixteen banks, including UBS, and the UN 
Environment Programme Finance Initiative 
(UNEP FI) have partnered to 
collaboratively develop analytical tools 
that will help banks disclose their 
exposures to climate-related risks and 
opportunities, as envisioned by the TCFD.

Protecting our clients’ assets: 
We offer innovative products and 

services, including, for example, 
capabilities in Asset Management for 
equity portfolio managers to examine the 
carbon 
footprint of their portfolios, the launch of 
an innovative Climate-Aware rules-based 
fund and an engagement strategy around 
climate-related topics. We also offer our 
research capacity on climate change 
issues to our clients.

Mobilizing private and institutional 
capital: 
We mobilize capital to support 
environmental and social issues, including 
the transition to a low-carbon economy. 
For example, Wealth Management aims 
to include a sustainable investing 
optionality in its mandate offerings for 
private clients and we have committed to 
join other major institutions in an initiative 
to create an investing and philanthropic 
platform focused on addressing funding 
gaps for the SDGs. Asset Management 
established a comprehensive approach to 
environmental and social factors and to 
corporate governance across investment 
disciplines. The Investment Bank provides 
capital-raising and strategic advisory 
services globally to companies offering 
products that make a positive 
contribution to climate change mitigation 
and adaptation, including those in the 
solar, wind, hydro, energy efficiency, 
waste and biofuels, and transport sectors. 
We also strive to be the preferred 
strategic financial partner for transactions 
relating to Switzerland’s Energy Strategy 
2050.

Reducing our direct climate change 
impact: 
We set quantitative targets and continue 
to reduce UBS’s Group-wide GHG 
emissions and increase our share in 
renewable energy in line with our 
commitment to RE100, a global initiative 
that encourages multinational companies 
to make a commitment to using 100% 
renewable power by 2020. This will 
reduce the firm’s GHG footprint by 75% 
by 2020 compared with 2004 levels. 

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243 

 
 
 
 
Corporate governance, responsibility and compensation
UBS and Society

Climate-related metrics 2017

Protecting our own assets

Financial impact from climate-related 
risks and opportunities

Carbon-related assets

No significant financial risk on our balance sheet identified in past stress tests. A group of 16 banks, including 
UBS, and UNEP FI have partnered to refine methodologies for risk and opportunities
 CHF 6.5 billion, or 2.8% of total net credit exposure1

Products and services supporting a 
lower-carbon economy

Protecting our clients’ assets and mobilizing private and institutional capital

CHF 72 billion, or 2.3% of UBS clients’ total invested assets2

Total deal value in equity or debt capital market services related to climate change mitigation and adaptation: 
CHF 43.3 billion, and CHF 5.4 billion in financial advisory services
Four strategic transactions in support of Switzerland’s Energy Strategy 2050

Support of 82% of climate-related shareholder resolutions3

Reducing our own climate change impact

Greenhouse gas emissions

GHG footprint4: 148 kilotons CO2e
Target to reduce our GHG footprint by 75%, by 2020 (based on 2004 levels)

Weighted carbon intensity of the Climate Aware equities strategy: 117.45 t CO2e per million of USD revenue 
(44% lower than its benchmark, the FTSE Developed World Index)

1 As of 31 December 2017. Total net credit exposure across Personal & Corporate Banking and the Investment Bank, includes traded and banking products, net of allowances, provisions and hedges. As recommended by the TCFD, 
carbon-related assets are defined as assets tied to the energy and utilities sectors Global Industry Classification Standard. Non-carbon-related assets, such as renewables, water utilities and nuclear power, are excluded. For grid 
utilities, the national grid mix is applied.   2   Invested assets of products such as sustainably managed properties and infrastructure, and renewable energy companies.   3 Of the proposals we supported, all were voted against the 
recommendation provided by the issuer.   4 GHG footprint equals gross GHG emissions minus GHG reductions from renewable energy and GHG offsets (gross GHG emissions include: direct GHG emissions by UBS; indirect GHG 
emissions associated with the generation of imported / purchased electricity (grid average emission factor), heat or steam and other indirect GHG emissions associated with business travel, paper consumption and waste disposal). 
A breakdown of our GHG emissions (scope 1, 2, 3) is available in our GRI Document at www.ubs.com/ubsandsociety.

Legend: CO2e = equivalent CO2 emissions

In-house environmental management 
We  manage  our  environmental  program 
through  an 
environmental management system, in accordance with the ISO 
14001  standard,  while  our  environmental  indicators  (energy, 
travel  and  paper)  and  GHG  emissions  data  is  externally  verified 
on  the  basis  of  ISO  14064  standards.  In  addition,  in  2017  we 
received  our  first  ISO  50001  certification  (energy  management) 
for European locations.

Our  environmental  program  encompasses  investments  in 
sustainable  real  estate  and  efficient  information  technology, 
energy  and  water  efficiency,  paper  and  waste  reduction  and 
recycling,  the  use  of  environmentally  friendly  products,  such  as 
renewable  energy  or  recycled  paper,  and  business  travel  and 
employee commuting reduction. 

In 2017, we further reduced UBS’s GHG emissions by 11%, 
or  10%  per  full-time  employee,  year  on  year.  We  recorded  a 
total  reduction  of  59%  from  baseline  year  2004.  We  reduced 
our  energy  consumption  5%  compared  with  2016  and  19% 
compared  with  2012.  Of  UBS’s  worldwide  electricity 
consumption, 56% was sourced from renewable energy. 

Responsible supply chain management
We  aim  to  reduce  negative  environmental  and  social  effects  of 
the  goods  and  services  UBS  purchases,  and  we  engage  with 
suppliers  to  promote  responsible  practices.  Our  responsible 
supply chain management (RSCM) principles embed UBS’s ethics 
and values in our interactions with our suppliers, contractors and 
service  partners.  We  apply  an  RSCM  framework  to  identify, 
assess and monitor supplier practices with regard to human and 
labor  rights,  the  environment,  health  and  safety,  and  anti-
corruption  principles.  In  2017,  remediation  measures  were 
requested  for  23%  of  suppliers  of  newly  sourced  goods  and 
services with potentially high impact to improve their adherence 
to UBS’s RSCM standards.

244 

1 

2  

4

3

Sustainability ratings and recognitions1 

Ratings and recognitions

Scope

UBS result

Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI)

Environmental, social and governance (ESG) 
performance 

Industry group leader 
Index member of DJSI World and DJSI Europe

CDP

Sustainalytics

MSCI

Oekom

FTSE4Good Index

Euromoney Private Banking Global 
Award 2017

Euromoney Private Banking Global 
Award 2017

The Banker Investment Banking Awards 
2017

Climate change

ESG performance 

ESG performance 

ESG performance 

ESG performance 

Philanthropic advice

SRI / Social impact investing

Climate A List

Leader score within our industry
97th percentile ranking 

A rating
Top three among primary peer group2

Corporate responsibility prime status

Index member 

Winner

Winner

Corporate social responsibility (CSR)

Winner – Most innovative investment bank for CSR

The Banker Global Private Banking 
Awards 2017

Philanthropy services globally

Winner – Best private bank for philanthropy services 
globally

GRESB Real Estate, Debt and 
Infrastructure assessments 

Sustainability performance of real asset portfolios 
worldwide

Submitted 22 funds across all three GRESB assessments
Ten funds (with total AuM of over CHF 33.1 billion) 
awarded five-star ratings, with seven funds ranking first in 
their respective peer groups 

Principles for Responsible Investing 
Assessment Report 2017

Property and infrastructure

Received A+ grades

Pensions and Investments World Pension 
Summit 2017

Innovation and investment awards

UK National Employment Savings Trust (NEST) awarded 
for UBS Climate Aware

European Fund Launch of the Year 
award

Received for UBS Climate Aware

Bloomberg New Energy Finance

Renewable energy and cleantech financing

Ranked third in league table on public markets

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Lord Mayor’s Dragon Awards (UK)

Community investment

Corporate Engagement Awards (UK) 

Community investment

National CSR Awards (UK)

Community investment

Winner – Accelerator Award 2017 for social 
entrepreneurship program

Gold winner – Best community involvement during a CSR 
program

Runner-up in the Best Partnership in the Community 
category

Commonwealth CSR Award (Taiwan)

Community investment

Winner

1 All information provided is as of 31 December 2017.  2 As defined in the UBS Compensation Report 2017.

245 

 
 
 
 
Corporate governance, responsibility and compensation
UBS and Society

Ratings and recognitions
In  2017,  UBS  continued  to  gain  industry  recognition  for  its 
commitment  to  improving  performance  under  ESG  criteria  and 
for  its  efforts  in  offering  clients  world-class  expertise  and 
sustainable  products.  In  2017,  our  firm  also  maintained  its 
leadership  position  in  the  Diversified  Financial  Services  and 
Capital  Markets  industry  group  of  the  DJSI,  the  most  widely 
recognized  sustainability  rating,  for  the  third  year  running.  The 
DJSI evaluates companies’ sustainability practices and recognizes 
the  best  performers.  The  RobecoSAM  Industry  Group  Leader 
Report  notes  that  UBS  continues  to  lead  in  its  industry  on 
sustainability  efforts,  which  are  directed  through  UBS  and 
Society.  It  highlights  the  large  choice  of  sustainable  investment 
solutions  UBS  offers  to  its  clients,  such  as  impact  funds,  long-
term  theme  funds,  renewable  energy  and  cleantech  financing, 
green  bonds,  eco-mortgages  and  energy  check-ups  for  small 
and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

Other  major  achievements  include  MSCI  ESG  Research 
upgrading UBS to an A rating, Sustainalytics ranking UBS as an 
industry leader and CDP awarding UBS a position on the Climate 
A List. 

How we support our clients 

We strive to systematically incorporate the economic impacts of 
ESG issues into the products and services we provide to clients. 
We  support  corporate  and  institutional  clients  who  want  to 
generate  positive  environment  and  social  impact  using  our 
corporate  advisory  expertise  or  by  directing  capital  through  our 
lending  or 
investment  capacity.  We  assist  private  and 
institutional  clients  in  their  desire  to  invest  in  accordance  with 
their  own  social  and  environmental  objectives  and  we  are 
proactive  in  discussing  these  issues  with  them.  As  a  preferred 
partner for global philanthropists, we work toward achieving the 
UN’s ambitious SDGs. Our experts and in-house foundation offer 
clients  unique  access  to  social  and  financial  innovation  and 
philanthropic  advice,  as  well  as  tailored  program  design,  co-
funding and co-development opportunities. 

Sustainable investments 
As  of  31  December  2017,  sustainable  investments  increased  to 
over  CHF 1.1  trillion,  representing  nearly  35%  of  our  total 
invested assets, compared with CHF 976 billion as of the end of 
2016.  Major  increases  in  relative  terms  were  observed  for  our 
investments in the integration and third-party categories, which 
increased  95%  and  43%,  respectively,  compared  with  2016. 
More  details  can  be  found  in  the  “Sustainable  investments” 
table further below.

246 

Key sustainable investing products and services in 2017 (select)1 

Product / service

The Rise Fund

Business division 

Key features 

Wealth Management 
(WM), Wealth 
Management 
Americas (WMA)

– USD 325 million raised 
– Invests in seven sectors – education, financial services, health care, infrastructure, 

energy, food and agriculture, and IT – with a dual mandate: generating competitive 
financial returns and measurable positive societal outcomes

Rethink Impact Fund

WMA

OrbiMed Asia Partners III 

WM

UBS Long Term Themes Equity Fund
UBS Long Term Themes Portfolio SMA

WM, Asset 
Management (AM)

Climate Aware 

UBS Clean Energy Infrastructure 
Switzerland 2

Global Impact Fund

US Sustainable Equity Fund

SI-focused UBS Manage solutions

AM

AM

AM

AM

WM

– USD 75 million raised
– Direct-access social impact private equity fund that invests in early- to growth-stage, 
high-impact companies, primarily in the United States. The fund focuses on four 
themes: health care, economic opportunity, environmental sustainability, and 
education

– USD 85 million raised
– Growth investments in health care companies in China and India, focusing on 

biopharmaceuticals, medical technology and health care services

– USD 1.5 billion held in Long Term Themes Fund and mandates 
– Invests in companies that are solution providers for challenges such as water  scarcity, 
emerging market infrastructure and health care, waste management and recycling 

– Innovative rules-based equities strategy to address carbon risk in portfolios

– Launched in September 2017, with capital commitments of CHF 200 million as of the 

end of 2017

– Solution for institutional investors seeking an exposure to the renewable energy and 

energy infrastructure space with focus in Switzerland 

– Exposure to global equity markets in stocks with material exposure to impact 

categories like climate change or health that are also sustainable stocks, i.e., those 
selected based on strong ESG analysis and traditional valuation discipline

– Combines price-to-intrinsic value investment philosophy with careful consideration of 

companies’ sustainability profiles

– Several investment mandate solutions investing in instruments with a high 

sustainability rating (to the extent possible)

– Launched for market France

ESG Portfolio Analyzer

WMA

– Provides transparency and analysis of ESG topics in client portfolios

UBS Sustainability Analytics

WM, Personal & 
Corporate Banking 
(P&C)

– Enables clients to achieve full transparency by screening their portfolio for potentially 

harmful industry exposure and, if appropriate, to make exclusions to protect it 
against reputational risks

Philanthropy Advisory

WM, WMA

– A total of approximately 370 ultra high net worth individuals or philanthropists 

UBS Optimus Foundation

CC

attended UBS Philanthropy Forums in the Americas, Asia and Switzerland

– Advisory services for over 400 clients

– CHF 59.5 million raised in donations / CHF 58.5 million grants to partners approved
– Pioneering Educate Girls Development Impact Bond (DIB): on track to meet its 

enrollment and education targets 

– World’s first large-scale DIB launched (Maternal and Newborn DIB)

Social Investment Toolkit

WM

– Guide for social entrepreneurs with eight modules ranging from impact story to 

creating an investor pitch (developed with Ashoka)

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Corporate governance, responsibility and compensation
UBS and Society

Key sustainable investing products and services in 2017 (select)1 (continued)

Product / service

Business division  Key features 

Program-related investment

WM, CC (UBS 
Optimus 
Foundation, 
Community 
Affairs)

– Investments in the form of a loan, enabling donors to regain the initial investment plus 

a rate of return and allowing philanthropic capital to be recycled

– Loans for the UBS UK Donor-Advised Foundation and UBS Optimus Foundation UK 
successfully completed with two charities. Product offering being made available to 
clients

UBS Unique ETF

WM

– Invests in companies based on 19 equality standards, including gender balance, equal 

compensation and work–life-balance, policies, transparency and accountability

– Donation of 5% of management fee to a portfolio of SDG5-related projects managed 

by the UBS Optimus Foundation

Voting (on behalf of clients)

AM

– Provided instructions (based on AM’s corporate governance principles) to vote on 

Green and sustainable bonds

Investment Bank 
(IB)

100,069 separate resolutions at 9,877 company meetings

– Seven green and sustainable bond transactions supported

LGBT Career Equality and Military Veterans 
indices

IB, WMA

– Companies selected include leaders in giving opportunities and support to veterans and 

have top scores in the Human Rights Campaign Corporate Equality Index 

Global Sustainability Leaders index

IB, WMA

– Companies selected include leaders with regard to the UN Global Compact principles

Renewable energy and cleantech financing

IB

– Participation in significant renewables and cleantech deals globally, for both established 

utilities clients and innovative growth stage companies

2
Energy check-up for SMEs

P&C

– UBS SME efficiency bonus for energy reduction plan with overall energy savings of 

78,590 MWh / a, equivalent to the annual energy consumption of approximately  4,000 
single-family homes

PPrreeffeerrrreedd  ssttrraatteeggiicc  ppaarrttnneerr  ffoorr   advisory and 
financing transactions related to 
Switzerland’s  Energy Strategy 2050

P&C

– Supports energy utilities in raising capital on international capital markets to  progress 

their quest for renewable energy

– Four strategic transactions executed for Switzerland’s Energy Strategy 2050

1 All information provided is as of 31 December 2017.     2 Information provided is as of 31 December 2016.

in 

this  area.  Within 

Impact and TPG’s The Rise Fund), thereby establishing UBS as a 
key  player 
listed  markets,  Asset 
Management’s  long-term  themes  strategy  was  launched,  and  a 
number  of  new  third-party  solutions  were  added  to  strengthen 
the platform. A variety of educational initiatives were rolled out, 
as  raising  awareness  among  financial  advisors  remains  a  critical 
focus to support the growth of the SI business.

regularly 

Our  global  CIO 

translates  key  societal  and 
environmental  concerns  into  investment  themes  as  part  of  its 
Longer  Term  Investments  series  and  global  Research-based 
Advice. In 2017, some notable examples of this were the World 
Economic Forum 2017 white paper on mobilizing private wealth 
for public good, the development of the first 100% sustainable 
investing cross-asset portfolio, gender lens wealth, business with 
impact  or  the  social  innovator  toolkit,  a  guide  for  social 
entrepreneurs.

Wealth  Management  aims  to  systematically  include  an  SI 
optionality  in  its  mandate  offerings  and  to  provide  clients  with 
impact 
fund 
investing  products  and  sustainable  mutual 
InvestingTM 
solutions.  Enhanced  UBS  Manage  Sustainable 
offerings with 100% (excluding liquidity) sustainable and impact 
investments went live in early January 2018. These offerings are 
based on our global Chief Investment Office’s (CIO) UBS House 
View.  In  2017,  it  further  expanded  its  SI  optionality  to  core 
affluent  and  high  net  worth  clients  by  launching  a  dedicated 
offering  for  French  clients.  Wealth  Management  also  arranges 
platforms, roundtables and networking events for our clients to 
exchange ideas and gather know-how.

Wealth  Management  Americas  expects  to  see  considerable 
growth  in  SI  assets.  A  key  focus  for  Wealth  Management 
Americas is the expansion of its solutions platform. In 2017, two 
impact  investment  deals  were  successfully  closed  (Rethink 

248 

1 

2 

Asset Management is committed to integrating sustainability 
into  its  entire  investment  approach.  We  are  convinced  that 
sustainable  and  impact  investing  can  add  value  to  portfolios 
within  the  same  risk  /  return  profile.  Investment  strategies 
customized to address particular sustainability objectives, such as 
reducing  carbon  risk  or  tilting  a  portfolio  toward  specific 
environmental, social or governance factors, in combination with 
traditional financial and risk / return expectations are increasingly 
popular.  Over  the 
last  decade,  Asset  Management  has 
developed  capabilities  to  provide  customized  solutions  to  meet 
the  specific  goals  and  needs  of  individual  investors.  It  offers  a 
wide  range  of  SI  strategies  across  various  asset  classes, 
integrating  sustainability  and  impact  into  its  entire  mainstream 
offerings,  including  in  active  equities,  fixed  income,  hedge 
funds,  infrastructure  and  private  equity,  real  estate  and  passive 
strategies. 

The  Investment  Bank  provides  capital-raising  and  strategic 
advisory  services  globally  to  companies  offering  products  that 
make  a  positive  contribution  to  climate  change  mitigation  and 
adaptation,  including  those  in  the  solar,  wind,  hydro,  energy 
efficiency,  waste  and  biofuels,  and  transport  sectors.  In  2017, 
the  total  deal  value  in  equity  or  debt  capital  market  services 
relating to these areas was CHF 43.3 billion, and CHF 5.4 billion 
in financial advisory services.

Personal  &  Corporate  Banking  clients  have  access  to 
appropriate and relevant products from Asset Management and 
Wealth  Management  that  follow  our  Group-wide  approach  to 
SI.  We  also  support  Swiss  SMEs  in  their  energy-saving  efforts 
and  transition  to  a  low-carbon  economy.  SMEs  benefit  from 
initiatives such as energy check-ups or leasing bonuses (financial 
contributions toward enhancing environmental performance) for 
utility vehicles and production machines.

Having  the  financial  expertise,  networks  and  access  to  the 
capital required to build or support innovative financial products, 
we  remain  committed  to  introducing  and  funding  innovative 
financial  solutions.  Examples  include:  The  Rise  Fund,  a  major 
private  equity  impact  investment  vehicle,  and  the  substantial 
funds raised for OrbiMed.

As  of  31  December  2017,  we  also  held  green  bonds  in  the 
amount  of  CHF 565  million  in  our  high-quality  liquid  assets 
portfolios under the management of Corporate Center – Group 
Asset and Liability Management.

→  Refer to www.ubs.com/sustainableinvesting for more 

information

Sustainable investments1

CHF billion, except where indicated

CCore SI products and mandates

Integration3

Integration / RPI4

Impact investing5

Exclusionary screening6

Third-party7

NNorms-based screening8

TTotal sustainable investments 

UUBS total invested assets

SI proportion of total invested assets (%)

GRI2

FS11

FS11

FS11

FS11

FS11

FS11

FS11

FS11

FS11

For the year ended

% change from

331.12.17

31.12.16

31.12.15

31.12.16

  176.4

 145.4

 138.5

  10.8

  61.6

  3.2

  91.2

  9.6

  927.5

  1,103.9

  3,179

  34.7

 5.5

 54.6

 2.5

 76.1

 6.7

 830.4

 975.8

 2,821

 34.6

 3.4

 49.1

 0.8

 79.2

 6.1

 795.1

 933.5

 2,689

 34.7

 21

 95

 13

 28

 20

 43

 12

 13

 13

11 All figures are based on the level of knowledge as of January 2018.     2 FS stands for the performance indicators defined in the Global 
Reporting  Initiative  Financial  Services  Sector  Supplement.     3  Applies  to  the  active  selection  of  companies,  focusing  on  how  a  company’s 
strategies, processes and products impact its financial success, the environment and society. This includes best-in-class, thematic investments 
or the systematic and explicit inclusion of environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors into traditional financial analysis.    4 UBS Asset 
Management Responsible Property Investment (RPI) strategy.     5 Impact investments are targeted investments with a financial return and a 
clear social and / or environmental return objective.     6 Includes customized screening services (single or multiple exclusion criteria).     7 SI 
products  from  third-party  providers  applying  either  integration,  impact  investing  and  /  or  exclusionary  approach.     8  Reporting  scope 
expanded in 2015 to include all actively managed discretionary segregated mandates. Duplication with other SI categories was subtracted to 
avoid double counting.

Sustainable investing is an approach that seeks to 
incorporate environmental, social and / or governance 
considerations into investment decisions. SI strategies 
seek to achieve one or several of the following objec-
tives: achieve a positive environmental or social impact, 
align investments with an investor’s personal values or 
improve portfolio risk and return characteristics.

Core SI includes all SI products that involve a strict 
and diligent asset selection process including exclusions 
and / or different types of positive selection such as 
best-in-class, thematic or ESG integration and impact 
investing.

Norms-based screening includes all assets that are 
subject to restrictions under UBS policy on the prohibi-
tion of investments in companies related to anti-person-
nel mines and cluster munitions (includes all actively 
managed discretionary segregated mandates and all 
actively managed retail and institutional funds).

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249 

 
 
 
 
 
Corporate governance, responsibility and compensation
UBS and Society

Philanthropy 
Building  on  our  award-winning  track  record  and  13  years  of 
experience, we have a global team of in-house experts in place 
who  specialize  in  all  areas  of  philanthropy  and  strategic 
charitable  giving.  We  support  clients  as  they  develop  their  own 
philanthropic  approach,  from  offering  objective,  independent 
and  tailored  advice,  to  providing  them  with  the  opportunity  to 
attend  dedicated  events  and  access  a  global  network  of  like-
minded  individuals  with  whom  to  collaborate  and  share  their 
ideas and knowledge.

→→ Refer to www.ubs.com/philanthropy for more information

UBS Optimus Foundation 
The UBS Optimus Foundation is an award-winning grant-making 
foundation  that  helps  our  clients  use  their  wealth  to  drive 
positive  and  sustainable  social  change  for  children.  The 
foundation  connects  clients  with  inspiring  entrepreneurs,  new 
technologies  and  proven  models  that  help  improve  the  lives  of 
children in a variety of ways. It selects and continuously monitors 
programs  that 
improve  children’s  health,  education  and 
protection  and  that  have  the  potential  to  be  transformative, 
scalable  and  sustainable.  As  UBS  covers  all  of  the  Foundation’s 
administrative costs, it guarantees that 100% of all donations go 
to the support programs. In 2017, the Foundation’s work helped 
improve the well-being of 2.1 million children globally. 

Effective  philanthropy  is  about  more  than  simply  funding 
existing  programs.  It  is  also  about  long-term  thinking.  That  is 
why  the  Foundation  also  supports  partners  in  building  their 
capacities,  enabling  them  to  reach  more  children  more 
effectively  and  efficiently,  funds  research  to  better  understand 
the  issues  that  prevent  children  from  thriving,  and  undertakes 
advocacy  efforts  with  partners  to  promote  wider  adoption  and 
scaling of the most promising programs.

→ Refer to www.ubs.com/optimus for more information

How we support our communities

At  UBS,  we  recognize  that  our  long-term  success  depends  on 
the health and prosperity of the communities of which we are a 
part.  Our  approach  is  to  build  sustainable  and  successful 
partnerships with non-profit organizations and social enterprises 
to help our contributions have a lasting impact. Our Community 
Affairs  programs  seek  to  overcome  disadvantage  through  long-
term  investment  in  education  and  entrepreneurship  in  the 
communities within which we operate. 

We  provide  focused  financial  and  human  support,  including 
through the use of skills-based employee volunteering programs 
and client participation where appropriate. Our employees are at 
the  heart  of  the  program  delivery  and  act  as  role  models  for 
young  people  and  as  mentors  for  social  entrepreneurs.  UBS 
provides  employees  with  up  to  two  days  of  paid  leave  for 
volunteering annually.

250 

We  play  a  role  in  the  stewardship  of  a  healthy  social  and 
financial  future  for  our  communities,  working  in  partnership 
with  clients,  as  well  as  the  public  and  philanthropic  sectors. 
Examples include:
– Promoting  and  strengthening  the  vocational  education 
system  and  providing  access  also  to  disadvantaged  youth. 
Within  SwissSkills,  a  new  public-private  partnership,  UBS 
volunteers  delivered  meaningful  advice  at  job  fairs  across 
Switzerland.

– UBS 

Investment 

Japan’s  Rural 

the  Community  & 
Environment  (RICE)  project,  with  over  7,000  primary  school 
children  having 
received  environmental  education  and 
undertaken biodiversity research.

in 

– Partnering  with  the  Bridge  Academy  secondary  school  in 
London,  a  national  exemplar  of  business  partnership  in 
education  driving  social  mobility  through  excellent  and 
inclusive education, rooted in the local community.

– Project  Entrepreneur,  an  initiative  to  increase  the  number  of 
female-founded high-growth companies in the US, with over 
1,500 women entrepreneurs trained, and currently expanding 
to  include  more  accelerator  participants  and  additional 
resources  and  startup  services  for  venture  competition 
applicants and alumni. 

Since  2014,  our  impact  reporting  has  incorporated  the 
London  Benchmarking  Group’s  standard  model.  UBS  operates 
according  to  a  global  framework  to  deliver  community  and 
business impacts, through a regionally devolved model, allowing 
for effective evaluation, while aligning programs to address local 
community  issues  and  meet  local  business  priorities.  We  are 
continuing  to  enhance  and  develop  this  framework,  which, 
together  with  global  coordination  of  reporting,  allows  us  to 
effectively evaluate and focus our programs. In 2017, UBS made 
direct  cash  contributions  totaling  CHF 39  million,  including 
support through its affiliated foundations in Switzerland and the 
UBS  Anniversary  Education  Initiative.  Over  89%  of  UBS’s 
Community Affairs grants were made in the areas of education 
and entrepreneurship. 31% of our employees volunteered in our 
communities  compared  with  30%  in  2016.  Additionally,  UBS 
contributed  a  total  of  CHF 5.5  million  to  the  UBS  Optimus 
Foundation.

Our  Community  Affairs  program  benefited  126,279  young 
people and entrepreneurs across all of the regions in which we 
operate.

UBS Global Visionaries
In  2017,  we  merged  the  best  of  our  Social  Innovators  program 
into  the  UBS  Global  Visionaries  program  to  strengthen  our 
support  for  social  entrepreneurs.  The  program  aims  to  support 
social  entrepreneurs  who  are  shaping  our  future  and  connect 
them  to  our  employees,  partners  and  clients  to  jointly  change 
the society we live in. 

→

UBS and Society key performance indicators in 2017

How we do business

2004

2,170

new business or client cases referred to environmental and social risk unit

80
rejected

1,677 
approved

395 
approved with 
qualifi cations

•••

18
pending

Remediation measures 

requested for 23% 

of(cid:124)suppliers of newly sourced 
goods and(cid:124)services with 
potentially high impacts

How we support 
our clients

How we support 
our communities

59% 
reduction of UBS 
GHG emissions

2017

75% 
reduction 
target

2020

 126,279  

benefi ciaries reached 
globally, from 134 
community partners

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 CHF 44.5 million 

direct cash contributions, 
including support through its 
affi liated foundations in 
Switzerland and the UBS 
Anniversary Education 
Initiative, and funds to the 
UBS Optimus Foundation.

 3,179 UBS total invested assets

(in CHF billion)

1,104 = 35% Total sustainable investments

927 Norms-based screening

20,140

employees volunteered

 168,226 

hours on community projects

176 Core SI products and mandates

UBS Optimus Foundation

CHF 59.5 million raised in donations 
CHF 58.5 million grants to partners approved
2.1million children reached

251 

 
 
 
 
Corporate governance, responsibility and compensation
Our employees

Our employees

Overarching aims and objectives

Build engagement and strengthen our  corporate culture

– Invest in large-scale culture programs across the organization
– Measure, foster and recognize culture-building behaviors

Remain an  employer of choice for people at all career stages

– Maintain attractiveness to external talent and a highly motivated workforce
– Focus on internal mobility and provide long-term career prospects

Strengthen our  diverse and inclusive workplace

– Aspiration to increase the ratio of women in management roles to one-third
– Support activities focused on increasing the inclusiveness of our culture

Effectively ddevelop, manage and retain our talent

– Provide a wide range of learning opportunities to meet the needs of employees at all levels
– Prepare current and future leaders for enhanced responsibilities and leadership excellence

Our employees’ skills, experience and commitment are key to 
delivering on our business strategy. Our human resource (HR) 
strategy therefore seeks to hire, develop and engage talented 
employees at all levels who have the diverse backgrounds and 
capabilities to advise our clients, develop new products, manage 
risk and adapt to evolving regulations. We invest in our 
employees and promote initiatives that build engagement and a 
cohesive, collaborative culture.

Building our culture

then,  we  have 

Having a strong culture is vital to our sustained success. In 2013, 
we  introduced  the  three  keys  to  success  –  our  Pillars,  Principles 
and Behaviors. They help us achieve our vision and execute our 
strategy,  shaping  how  we  work  together  and  influencing 
everything  we  do.  Since 
focused  on 
strengthening our culture and embedding our core values more 
deeply into the identity of the firm. In 2017, we continued with 
our  firm-wide  culture-building  program,  working  closely  with 
senior managers from all divisions, functions and regions. A key 
initiative  remains  our  very  successful  Group  Franchise  Awards 
(GFA)  program,  which  we  implemented  in  2016  to  recognize 
culture-building  behavior.  The  GFA  program  allows  us  to  track 
cross-business  collaboration  and  develop  ideas  for  simplifying 
our  processes.  The  program  has  maintained  strong  momentum 
in terms of both the number and the quality of submissions from 
across the entire firm.

Attracting and recruiting talent

A  positive,  cohesive  culture  is  both  advanced  and  sustained 
through individuals who share our vision and core values. 

We source such employees through a variety of channels. Our 
first  priority  is  to  consider  current  employees  for  open  roles. 
Internal mobility builds connections across the firm and enables 
employees  at  all  levels  to  leverage  existing  skills  and  develop 
new  ones.  In  2017,  we  introduced  a  new,  in-house-built  tool 
that  matches  employee  career  preferences  with  open  roles  and 
helps identify high-quality internal candidates. Having long-term 
career  prospects  with  us  is  an  important  driver  of  career 
satisfaction for existing employees and it attracts external talent.

Our three keys to success

Our Pillars are the foundation 
for everything we do.
Capital strength
Effi ciency and effectiveness
Risk management

Our Principles are what we 
stand for as a fi rm.
Client focus
Excellence
Sustainable performance

Our Behaviors are what we 
stand for individually.
 Integrity
Collaboration
Challenge

252 

Externally,  we  source  candidates  directly  and  through 
employee referrals, job boards, social media, advertisements and 
external  recruitment  agencies.  In  2017,  we  launched  our 
employer  value  proposition  (EVP)  globally,  which  explains  what 
we stand for as an employer and what differentiates us. Our EVP 
is aligned with our corporate strategy, the three keys to success 
and  our  brand.  As  an  employer  of  choice,  we  received  more 
than  730,000  applications  in  2017  and  hired  a  total  of  9,881 
external candidates at all career stages.

Throughout  2017,  we  continued  to  hire  employees  and  see 
growth  in  our  Business  Solutions  Centers  (BSCs)  in  the  US, 
Switzerland, India, China and Poland. All UBS Corporate Center 
functions are represented in our BSCs; this co-location of teams 
enhances  collaboration  and  efficiencies.  At  year-end,  offshore 

and  nearshore  employees  accounted  for  approximately  21%  of 
our global Corporate Center workforce. 

Hiring  and  training  entry  level  talent  is  a  priority  for  all 
business  divisions.  In  2017,  we  hired  394  new  university 
graduates  into  our  graduate  talent  programs,  as  well  as  578 
In  Switzerland,  we  hired  294 
interns  for  various  roles. 
apprentices for business and IT roles, and 171 trainees into our 
bank entry programs for high school graduates.

→ Refer to www.ubs.com/careers for more information and to 

follow our careers blog

→ Refer to www.ubs.com/awards for more information on UBS’s 

rankings as an employer

Top-employer honors in 2017 

Switzerland’s Most Attractive Employers (Universum): ranked second by business students 
Global Ideal Employers, Global Female Ideal Employers (eFinancialCareers): top 10 
Bloomberg Financial Services Gender-Equality Index member  
Ideal Employers (eFinancialCareers): Asia top 5; Europe top 10; North America top 20 

– World’s Most Attractive Employers (Universum): global top 50
–
–
–
–
– Working Mother 100 Best Companies (Working Mother, US)
–
–

Best Places to Work for LGBT Equality (Human Rights Campaign, US) 
The Times Top 100 Graduate Employers (The Times, UK)

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253 

 
 
 
 
Corporate governance, responsibility and compensation
Our employees

Diversity and inclusion 
Workforce  diversity  is  a  business  imperative  for  us.  In  our 
experience,  teams  with  diversity  in  gender,  race,  age,  ethnicity, 
education,  background,  disability,  sexual  orientation  and  other 
aspects  better  understand  and  relate  to  our  equally  diverse 
clients’  needs.  Likewise,  diversity  of  thought,  opinion  and 
experience helps us make better decisions and drives innovation, 
while an inclusive work environment attracts high-quality people 
and makes the firm a better place to work. Our HR policies and 
procedures  underscore  our  commitment  to  a  diverse  and 
inclusive workplace, with equal opportunities for all employees.

We  are  committed  to  hiring,  retaining  and  promoting  more 
women across the firm. In 2017, we continued to build on our 
aspiration to increase the ratio of women in management roles 
to  one-third.  We  embedded  management  accountability  at  all 
levels  for  supporting  this  goal  and  continued  to  develop  and 
refine career support, HR processes and technology solutions to 
help  us  better  retain  women  at  all  career  stages.  In  order  to 
better  understand  and  address  the  motivations  of  voluntary 
senior leavers, we undertook a landmark global attrition study in 
mid-2017, surveying nearly 2,000 former employees. Results are 
being  examined  at  a  divisional  level  and  actions  are  being 
defined. 

The  UBS  Career  Comeback  Program  is  an  initiative  we 
launched in Switzerland and the US in 2016 and extended to the 
UK  in  2017.  The  program  supports  professionals  who  wish  to 
return  to  corporate  jobs  after  a  career  break  and  features  on-
the-job  experience,  classroom  learning  and  mentoring.  The 
program  has  proven  successful:  so  far,  Career  Comeback  has 
given 65 women and two men the opportunity to relaunch their 
careers. 

In  addition  to  our  strategic  initiatives,  every  year  we  support 
numerous activities in each business division and region focused 
on increasing the inclusiveness of our culture through coaching 
and  education,  for  example,  to  raise  awareness  of  and  reduce 
unconscious  bias.  Integral  to  this  effort  are  our  employee 
networks,  which  regularly  host  events  on  gender,  culture,  life 
stage,  sexual  orientation  and  other  topics.  In  2017,  we 
sponsored  43  employee  networks  globally,  with  more  than 
17,000 members. 

→ Refer to www.ubs.com/diversity for more information

331.12.17

  20,770

  19,944

  8,959

  11,097

  5,274

  5,662

  161

  20,427

  61,253

As of

31.12.16

 20,522

 19,695

 7,539

 10,746

 5,206

 5,373

 167

 20,581

 59,387

31.12.15

 20,816

 19,897

 7,539

 10,505

 5,373

 4,957

 176

 21,238

 60,099

% change from

31.12.16

 1

 1

 19

 3

 1

 5

 (4)

 (1)

 3

Personnel by region

Full-time equivalents

Americas 

of which: USA

Asia Pacific 

Europe, Middle East and Africa 

of which: UK 

of which: rest of Europe 

of which: Middle East and Africa 

Switzerland 

TTotal 

254 

(cid:41)(cid:71)(cid:80)(cid:70)(cid:71)(cid:84)(cid:2)(cid:70)(cid:75)(cid:85)(cid:86)(cid:84)(cid:75)(cid:68)(cid:87)(cid:86)(cid:75)(cid:81)(cid:80)(cid:2)(cid:68)(cid:91)(cid:2)(cid:73)(cid:71)(cid:81)(cid:73)(cid:84)(cid:67)(cid:82)(cid:74)(cid:75)(cid:69)(cid:67)(cid:78)(cid:2)(cid:84)(cid:71)(cid:73)(cid:75)(cid:81)(cid:80)(cid:19)(cid:124)(cid:2)
(cid:36)(cid:91)(cid:2)(cid:74)(cid:71)(cid:67)(cid:70)(cid:69)(cid:81)(cid:87)(cid:80)(cid:86)(cid:14)(cid:2)(cid:67)(cid:85)(cid:2)(cid:81)(cid:72)(cid:2)(cid:21)(cid:19)(cid:16)(cid:19)(cid:20)(cid:16)(cid:19)(cid:25)

(cid:2)
(cid:20)(cid:22)(cid:14)(cid:18)(cid:18)(cid:18)

(cid:19)(cid:26)(cid:14)(cid:18)(cid:18)(cid:18)

(cid:19)(cid:20)(cid:14)(cid:18)(cid:18)(cid:18)

(cid:2)(cid:2)(cid:24)(cid:14)(cid:18)(cid:18)(cid:18)

(cid:2)(cid:2)(cid:2)(cid:2)(cid:2)(cid:2)(cid:2)(cid:2)(cid:18)

(cid:54)(cid:81)(cid:86)(cid:67)(cid:78)(cid:28)(cid:2)

(cid:20)(cid:19)(cid:14)(cid:18)(cid:21)(cid:20)(cid:2)

(cid:27)(cid:14)(cid:18)(cid:22)(cid:23)(cid:2)

(cid:19)(cid:19)(cid:14)(cid:22)(cid:21)(cid:22)(cid:2)

(cid:20)(cid:19)(cid:14)(cid:18)(cid:22)(cid:25)

(cid:25)(cid:14)(cid:27)(cid:25)(cid:18)

(cid:19)(cid:21)(cid:14)(cid:18)(cid:24)(cid:20)

(cid:22)(cid:14)(cid:20)(cid:18)(cid:25)

(cid:22)(cid:14)(cid:26)(cid:21)(cid:26)

(cid:22)(cid:14)(cid:23)(cid:25)(cid:20)

(cid:24)(cid:14)(cid:26)(cid:24)(cid:20)

(cid:25)(cid:14)(cid:24)(cid:22)(cid:26)

(cid:19)(cid:21)(cid:14)(cid:21)(cid:27)(cid:27)

(cid:35)(cid:79)(cid:71)(cid:84)(cid:75)(cid:69)(cid:67)(cid:85)

(cid:35)(cid:85)(cid:75)(cid:67)(cid:2)(cid:50)(cid:67)(cid:69)(cid:75)(cid:386)(cid:69)

(cid:39)(cid:87)(cid:84)(cid:81)(cid:82)(cid:71)(cid:14)
(cid:47)(cid:75)(cid:70)(cid:70)(cid:78)(cid:71)(cid:2)(cid:39)(cid:67)(cid:85)(cid:86)
(cid:67)(cid:80)(cid:70)(cid:2)(cid:35)(cid:72)(cid:84)(cid:75)(cid:69)(cid:67)

(cid:53)(cid:89)(cid:75)(cid:86)(cid:92)(cid:71)(cid:84)(cid:78)(cid:67)(cid:80)(cid:70)

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(cid:40)(cid:71)(cid:79)(cid:67)(cid:78)(cid:71)

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(cid:81)(cid:80)(cid:78)(cid:91)(cid:11)(cid:16)(cid:2)(cid:46)(cid:81)(cid:81)(cid:77)(cid:75)(cid:80)(cid:73)(cid:2)(cid:67)(cid:86)(cid:2)(cid:85)(cid:87)(cid:68)(cid:84)(cid:71)(cid:73)(cid:75)(cid:81)(cid:80)(cid:67)(cid:78)(cid:2)(cid:70)(cid:67)(cid:86)(cid:67)(cid:14)(cid:2)(cid:86)(cid:74)(cid:71)(cid:2)(cid:35)(cid:79)(cid:71)(cid:84)(cid:75)(cid:69)(cid:67)(cid:85)(cid:2)(cid:69)(cid:81)(cid:80)(cid:85)(cid:75)(cid:85)(cid:86)(cid:85)(cid:2)(cid:81)(cid:72)(cid:2)(cid:86)(cid:74)(cid:71)(cid:2)(cid:55)(cid:53)(cid:2)(cid:67)(cid:86)(cid:2)(cid:20)(cid:18)(cid:14)(cid:19)(cid:26)(cid:22)(cid:2)(cid:67)(cid:80)(cid:70)(cid:2)(cid:86)(cid:74)(cid:71)(cid:2)(cid:84)(cid:71)(cid:85)(cid:86)(cid:2)(cid:81)(cid:72)(cid:2)(cid:86)(cid:74)(cid:71)(cid:2)(cid:35)(cid:79)(cid:71)(cid:84)(cid:75)(cid:69)(cid:67)(cid:85)(cid:2)(cid:67)(cid:86)(cid:2)(cid:26)(cid:22)(cid:26)(cid:16)(cid:2)
(cid:39)(cid:47)(cid:39)(cid:35)(cid:2)(cid:69)(cid:81)(cid:80)(cid:85)(cid:75)(cid:85)(cid:86)(cid:85)(cid:2)(cid:81)(cid:72)(cid:2)(cid:86)(cid:74)(cid:71)(cid:2)(cid:55)(cid:45)(cid:2)(cid:67)(cid:86)(cid:2)(cid:23)(cid:14)(cid:22)(cid:21)(cid:25)(cid:14)(cid:2)(cid:86)(cid:74)(cid:71)(cid:2)(cid:84)(cid:71)(cid:85)(cid:86)(cid:2)(cid:81)(cid:72)(cid:2)(cid:39)(cid:87)(cid:84)(cid:81)(cid:82)(cid:71)(cid:2)(cid:67)(cid:86)(cid:2)(cid:23)(cid:14)(cid:26)(cid:20)(cid:20)(cid:2)(cid:67)(cid:80)(cid:70)(cid:2)(cid:47)(cid:75)(cid:70)(cid:70)(cid:78)(cid:71)(cid:2)(cid:39)(cid:67)(cid:85)(cid:86)(cid:2)(cid:67)(cid:80)(cid:70)(cid:2)(cid:35)(cid:72)(cid:84)(cid:75)(cid:69)(cid:67)(cid:2)(cid:67)(cid:86)(cid:2)(cid:19)(cid:25)(cid:23)(cid:16)(cid:2)(cid:54)(cid:74)(cid:75)(cid:85)(cid:2)(cid:67)(cid:69)(cid:69)(cid:81)(cid:87)(cid:80)(cid:86)(cid:85)(cid:2)
(cid:72)(cid:81)(cid:84)(cid:2)(cid:86)(cid:74)(cid:71)(cid:2)(cid:86)(cid:81)(cid:86)(cid:67)(cid:78)(cid:2)(cid:55)(cid:36)(cid:53)(cid:2)(cid:71)(cid:79)(cid:82)(cid:78)(cid:81)(cid:91)(cid:71)(cid:71)(cid:2)(cid:80)(cid:87)(cid:79)(cid:68)(cid:71)(cid:84)(cid:2)(cid:81)(cid:72)(cid:2)(cid:24)(cid:20)(cid:14)(cid:23)(cid:23)(cid:26)(cid:2)(cid:67)(cid:85)(cid:2)(cid:81)(cid:72)(cid:2)(cid:21)(cid:19)(cid:2)(cid:38)(cid:71)(cid:69)(cid:71)(cid:79)(cid:68)(cid:71)(cid:84)(cid:2)(cid:20)(cid:18)(cid:19)(cid:25)(cid:14)(cid:2)(cid:89)(cid:74)(cid:75)(cid:69)(cid:74)(cid:2)(cid:71)(cid:90)(cid:69)(cid:78)(cid:87)(cid:70)(cid:71)(cid:85)(cid:2)(cid:85)(cid:86)(cid:67)(cid:72)(cid:72)(cid:2)(cid:72)(cid:84)(cid:81)(cid:79)(cid:2)(cid:55)(cid:36)(cid:53)(cid:2)(cid:37)(cid:67)(cid:84)(cid:70)(cid:2)
(cid:37)(cid:71)(cid:80)(cid:86)(cid:71)(cid:84)(cid:14)(cid:2)(cid:42)(cid:81)(cid:86)(cid:71)(cid:78)(cid:2)(cid:53)(cid:71)(cid:71)(cid:82)(cid:67)(cid:84)(cid:77)(cid:2)(cid:54)(cid:74)(cid:87)(cid:80)(cid:14)(cid:2)(cid:57)(cid:81)(cid:78)(cid:72)(cid:85)(cid:68)(cid:71)(cid:84)(cid:73)(cid:2)(cid:67)(cid:80)(cid:70)(cid:2)(cid:86)(cid:74)(cid:71)(cid:2)(cid:57)(cid:75)(cid:70)(cid:70)(cid:71)(cid:84)(cid:2)(cid:42)(cid:81)(cid:86)(cid:71)(cid:78)(cid:16)

Developing and managing our workforce 

We  expect  our  leaders  to  be  champions  for  our  strategy  and 
culture  as  well  as  effective  managers  and  advocates  for  their 
employees.  We  develop  current  and  future  leaders  through  a 
leadership  program  suite  that  spans  from  first-level 
line 
managers  to  senior  leadership  levels.  Programs  like  our  Senior 
Leadership  Experience  for  our  most  senior  executives  and  the 
Senior  Leadership  Program  for  managing  directors  help  define 
our  expectations  for  leadership  excellence,  build  confidence  in 
our  strategy  and  increase  commitment  to  the  firm’s  three  keys 
to success. 

A skilled workforce to execute our business strategy is crucial 
to  our  success.  We  provide 
learning  and  development 
opportunities to all our employees to support them in enhancing 
their  knowledge  and  skills  at  all  ages  and  career  stages.  For 
example,  we  offer  development  programs,  business  education 
and  role-specific  training.  Furthermore,  as  one  of  the  top 

UBS University

educators  of  entry  level  talent  in  Switzerland,  we  train  more 
than  1,800  young  people  each  year,  including  apprentices, 
interns  and  high  school  and  university  graduates.  In  2017,  our  
permanent  employees  participated  in  approximately  765,500 
development  activities, 
training  on 
compliance,  business  and  other  topics.  This  was  an  average  of 
12.2 training sessions, or 2.3 training days, per employee. 

including  mandatory 

Our  key  talent  programs  prepare  high-potential  employees 
for  line  management  or  senior  leadership  roles.  Training  for 
in  Wealth 
client-facing  staff 
Management  degree  program  and  a  rigorous  training  program 
for aspiring financial advisors in the US. 

included  a  Master 

in  2017 

All  employees  and  managers  are  also  asked  to  consider 
development  activities  and  career  planning  in  regular,  two-way 
discussions. At UBS, development includes experience, exposure 
and  education.  Line  managers  are  expected  to  actively  support 
both development and internal mobility, as they are key factors 
for professional growth, engagement and retention.

Managing performance
Effective  people  management  is  key  to  sustaining  a  high-
performing  organization.  Our  annual  performance  reviews 
assess  both  performance  and  behavior.  Measuring  what  was 
achieved  and  how  those  results  were  achieved  underscores  the 
importance  of  the  firm’s  Behaviors  for  individual  and  Group 
success, and both ratings are considered in development, reward 
and promotion decisions.

Rewarding performance
Our  compensation  philosophy  is  to  align  the  interests  of  our 
employees  with  those  of  our  clients  and  investors,  building  on 
our three keys to success – our Pillars, Principles and Behaviors. 
Our Total Reward Principles establish a framework that balances 
sustainable performance and prudent risk-taking with a focus on 
conduct and sound risk management practices. 

→ Refer to the “Compensation” section of this report for more 

information

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Knowledge is what sets us apart and 
keeps us flexible and competitive, as a 
firm and as individuals. Learning plays a 
crucial role and that is why at UBS we 
create an environment where employees 
can grow and develop. At the center is 

our new corporate university – UBS 
University, a one-stop shop for all learning 
and development at UBS. Its offering 
ranges from online and in-person training 
to help all employees and line managers 
develop their professional skills, to highly 

specialized training and certification 
programs for specific business areas and 
support for continuous, lifelong learning. 
In total, we offer more than 2,400 
e-learning and classroom-based trainings. 

255 

 
 
 
 
Corporate governance, responsibility and compensation
Our employees

Gender distribution by employee category1

By headcount, as of 31.12.17

Male

Female

Total

Officers (Director and 
above)

Officers (other officers)

Employees

TTotal

Number

 17,986

 5,651

 23,637

%

 76

 24

 100

Number

 13,046

 8,716

 21,762

%

 60

 40

 100

Number

 7,129

 10,030

 17,159

%

 42

 58

 100

NNumber

  38,161

  24,397

  62,558

%%

  61

  39

  100

11 Calculated on the basis that a person (working full time or part time) is considered one headcount (in this table only). This accounts for the total UBS employee number of 62,558 as of 31 December 2017, which 
excludes staff from UBS Card Center, Hotel Seepark Thun, Wolfsberg and the Widder Hotel.

2016, we have regularly surveyed all our permanent employees 
to  capture  their  feedback  on  how  we  are  doing  as  a  firm.  In 
2017,  we  conducted  two  surveys,  in  which  74%  and  80%  of 
eligible  employees,  respectively,  participated.  In  both  surveys,  a 
significant majority of respondents agreed that they are proud to 
work  at  UBS  and  would  recommend  the  firm  to  family  and 
friends. They think the firm has a positive work environment and 
the  learning  and  career  opportunities  offered  are  continuously 
improving  for  employees  at  all  levels.  Our  ongoing  ambition 
remains  to  have  a  highly  motivated  workforce  that  models 
integrity,  collaboration  and  challenge  in  their  daily  work.  We 
also  want  to  be  the  clear  employer  of  choice  in  the  financial 
services  industry.  Our  goal  is  to  maintain  overall  engagement 
ratings in the top quartile. 

Grievances and whistleblowing protection 
We  are  committed  to  maintaining  high  legal,  regulatory  and 
ethical  standards.  We  have  long-standing  procedures  in  every 
region  to  help  us  resolve  employee  grievances,  and  employees 
are strongly encouraged to speak with their line manager or HR 
about  any  concerns.  Our  global  whistleblowing  policy  and 
procedures  offer  multiple  channels  for  staff  to  raise  concerns, 
either openly or anonymously, about any suspected breaches of 
laws,  regulations,  rules  or  other  legal  requirements,  or  of  our 
Code, policies or professional standards. 

→ Refer to the “Risk management and control” section of this 

report for more information

Employee representation 
As a responsible employer, we maintain an open dialog with our 
formal  employee  representation  groups,  all  of  which  are  in 
Europe.  The  UBS  Employee  Forum  for  Europe  represents  16 
countries and considers pan-European issues that may affect our 
performance,  operations  or  prospects.  Similar  regional  and 
country  level  groups  discuss  topics  such  as  business  transfers, 
pensions,  workplace  conditions,  health  and  safety,  and 
redundancies. Collectively, these groups represent approximately 
50% of our global workforce. 

Our responsibilities

We  aim  to  be  a  high-quality  employer,  with  our  values 
embedded in all of our people management practices. We offer 
competitive  benefits  to  all  employees  that  include  insurance, 
pension, retirement and personal leave. These benefits often go 
beyond legal requirements or market practice, and we regularly 
review  them  to  confirm  that  they  meet  our  employees’  needs. 
For example, in 2017 we enhanced our Family Care Leave policy 
in the US and Puerto Rico to offer employees four paid weeks of 
leave  per  year  to  care  for  a  relative  with  a  serious  health 
condition.  We  also  increased  our  paternity  leave  options  in 
Switzerland  in  2017.  In  addition  to  the  current  10-day  paid 
leave,  new  fathers  can  either  take  up  to  four  weeks  of  unpaid 
leave or reduce their workload to 80% for up to six months. At 
UBS,  all  new  parents  can  take  paid  time  off  after  the  birth  or 
adoption  of  a  child.  Our  parental  leave  policies  meet  the  legal 
standards  in  all  locations  and  exceed  them  in  most.  We  also 
arrangements, 
support 
including 
telecommuting,  part-time 
job  sharing  and  partial 
retirement. 

working 

flexible 

roles, 

A  wide  range  of  resources  are  available  to  help  employees 
navigate  work-life  issues  and  personal  challenges.  For  example, 
assistance  programs 
region  offer  support  and 
counseling  for  challenges  such  as  illness,  conflict,  bereavement, 
psychological  health  and  elderly  care.  In  addition,  we  have 
redeployment  and  outplacement  programs  in  every  region,  as 
well as clear policies and processes for handling redundancies. 

in  every 

Our Code of Conduct and Ethics (Code) is the basis for all HR 
policies, guidelines and procedures. It includes a commitment to 
the health and safety of employees and external staff.

→ Refer to www.ubs.com/healthandsafety for more information

Employees have a voice in shaping our culture

We want our employees to be engaged and to share their views 
on  the  status  quo  and  our  culture.  We  also  want  to  give  them 
the  opportunity  to  have  an  impact  on  the  firm’s  future.  Since 

256 

Our workforce at a glance 1

 34% 

in the Americas

34% 

in Switzerland

7,970

13,062

7,648

13,399

More than 50%
in Switzerland have 
worked here 
 10+ years

4,572

6,862

18%

in EMEA

 14%

in Asia Pacifi c

4,207

4,838

Total employees (FTE)

 61,253

1,866 more than a year ago (FTE) 
62,558 employees (by headcount) 2

Offi ce locations in 

 51 

countries worldwide

Citizens of 134   countries

More than  150 

languages spoken

Our workforce 
has employees 
of all ages

19% under 30 years old
 59% 30 – 50 years old

22% over 50 years old

41is the average age  9 is the average years of service

 61%

are men 
(38,161)

 39% 

are women 
(24,397)

1Calculated as of 31.12.17 on a headcount basis of 62,558 unless specifi ed to be on a full-time equivalent (FTE) basis, where we include proportionate numbers of part-time employees.
2 Employees only. In addition, 32,140 external staff (by headcount) were active at the end of 2017 and 2,774 FTEs were employed through third parties on short-term contracts to fi ll positions 
on an interim basis.

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257 

 
 
 
 
Advisory vote

Corporate governance, responsibility and compensation 
Compensation

Compensation

Dear shareholders,

The Board of Directors and I wish to 
thank you for your support at last year’s 
Annual General Meeting and for sharing 
your views on our compensation practices 
over the course of the past year.

Throughout 2017, the BoD 
Compensation Committee continued to 
oversee the compensation framework and 
ensure that reward balances performance 
with prudent risk-taking while also 
creating alignment with our shareholders 
and other stakeholders. I am pleased to 
present our Compensation Report for 
2017, which provides further information 
about our compensation philosophy and 
approach.

2017 performance
We delivered excellent financial results, 
maintained our strong capital positon and 
achieved our net cost reduction target in 
2017.

Our adjusted1 profit before tax increased 
16% to CHF 6.2 billion. Net profit 
attributable to shareholders was CHF 1.1 
billion, compared with CHF 3.2 billion in 
2016, as it reflected a CHF 2.9 billion net 
write-down of deferred tax assets (DTAs). 
The enactment of the US Tax Cuts and 
Jobs Act in the fourth quarter of 2017 
reduced the tax rate from 35% to 21%, 
thereby reducing the value of previously 
recognized US DTAs.

Excluding the DTA write-down, net profit 
attributable to shareholders would have 
increased by 22% year over year. The 
DTA write-down had no impact on our 
ability to return capital to shareholders 
and had a negligible impact on fully 
applied CET1 capital.

The Group Executive Board (GEB) 
performance award pool, including the 
Group CEO, was CHF 74.2 million, an 
increase of 3.1%. As a percentage of the 
adjusted Group profit before tax, the GEB 
performance award pool was 1.2%, well 
below the cap of 2.5%.

2017 compensation philosophy and 
framework
Our compensation philosophy aligns the 
interests of our investors, clients and 
employees. Our approach to 
compensation has remained largely 
unchanged since we introduced our 
current Total Reward framework in 2012. 
The consistency of our approach 
continues to strengthen our culture of 
sustainable performance, accountability 
and appropriate risk-taking. In addition, it 
provides clarity in compensation 
discussions with our employees as well as 
with our shareholders.

Our variable compensation includes 
significant mandatory deferral for 
employees, thus creating alignment 
between our employees’ and 
stakeholders’ interests and reinforcing 
that compensation is appropriately linked 
to longer-term sustainable performance. 
We believe UBS has one of the most 
rigorous deferral regimes in the industry 
with a deferral period over five years, or 
longer for certain regulated employees.

We maintained a strong capital position 
with a fully applied CET1 capital ratio of 
13.8% and an improved CET1 leverage 
ratio of 3.7% while maintaining our post-
stress CET1 capital ratio above the 10% 
objective. The BoD intends to propose a 
dividend of CHF 0.65 per share, an 
increase of 8% compared with 2016. In 
addition, UBS will initiate a share 
repurchase program of up to CHF 2 
billion over three years, commencing with 
up to CHF 550 million in 2018.

2017 performance award pool and 
expenses
Based on the 2017 Group and business 
division results, the total performance 
award management pool was CHF 3.1 
billion, an increase of 6% compared with 
the prior year. The Compensation 
Committee considers a range of financial 
factors, including risk-adjusted profit and 
capital strength, as well as affordability, 
risk profile and a focus on returns to 
shareholders, when determining the 
performance award pool. Revaluations of 
DTAs do not reflect the underlying 
performance of the business and are not 
within management’s control; therefore 
consistent with prior years (when their 
impact has been positive), they have not 
affected the funding of the performance 
award pool.

1 Please refer to “Group performance” in the “Financial and operating performance” section of this report for more information on adjusted results.

258 

Following the Compensation Committee’s 
review of our principles and framework, 
enhancements were made to further align 
our approach with our long-term strategy 
and shareholder and client interests, as 
well as to remain competitive and comply 
with regulatory requirements. For 
example, to remain competitive, we have 
raised the cap for immediate cash 
performance awards to CHF 2 million. 
With regard to share ownership 
requirements, we substantially increased 
the requirements for the Group CEO 
(1,000,000 shares) and for the other GEB 
members (500,000 shares). 

Culture and behaviors 
We remain focused on further 
strengthening our culture to foster and 
sustain our competitive position. We 
continue to emphasize behaviors as part 
of our culture, and we reward not only 
what results were achieved but also how 
they were achieved. 

We recognize and encourage positive 
behavior and culture carriers through our 
Group Franchise Awards (GFA) program, 
which fosters conduct that exemplifies 
our Behaviors. The GFA program aims to 
incentivize the collaboration and 
cooperation between employees as well 
as to recognize employees’ ideas and 
suggestions on how to improve processes 
and efficiency.

Further, we continue to operate a robust 
Incidents & Consequences process that 
includes reflecting disciplinary actions and 
control incidents in deliberations for 
promotions and performance awards. 
This includes a multi-year review of 
incidents to consider behaviors over a 
longer time horizon.

Our disciplinary approach for violations of 
our Code of Conduct and Ethics and the 
incorporation of conduct risk in our 
operational risk framework demonstrate 
our commitment to treat each other as 
well as our clients and counterparties 
appropriately and to act with integrity in 
the financial markets. 

We consider pay fairness an integral part 
of our compensation philosophy and we 
maintain practices designed to achieve 
appropriate pay across diverse groups, 
including gender. 

Annual General Meeting 2018
The BoD and the Compensation 
Committee appreciate the opportunity to 
engage with many of our shareholders on 
compensation matters.

At the Annual General Meeting (AGM) 
2018 on 3 May 2018, we will seek your 
support on the following compensation-
related items:

Ann F. Godbehere
Chair of the Compensation
Committee of the Board of 
Directors

–

–

–

–

the maximum aggregate amount of
compensation for the BoD for the
period from AGM 2018 to AGM 2019
the maximum aggregate amount of
fixed compensation for the GEB for
2019
the aggregate amount of variable
compensation for the GEB for 2017
shareholder endorsement in an
advisory vote for the Compensation
Report

Ann F. Godbehere
Chair of the Compensation Committee of 
the Board of Directors

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259 

1 

 
 
 
 
Advisory vote

Corporate governance, responsibility and compensation 
Compensation

2017 compensation philosophy

Total Reward Principles 

Our  compensation  philosophy  is  to  align  the  interests  of  our 
employees  with  those  of  our  clients  and  investors,  building  on 
our three keys to success – our Pillars, Principles and Behaviors. 
Our Total Reward Principles establish a framework that balances 
sustainable performance and prudent risk-taking with a focus on 
conduct and sound risk management practices. 

Our  compensation  structure  is  aligned  with  our  strategic 
priorities.  It  therefore  links  the  interests  of  our  employees  with 

those  of  our  stakeholders  and  encourages  our  employees  to 
focus  on  our  clients,  create  sustainable  value  and  achieve  the 
highest  standards  of  performance.  Moreover,  we  reward 
behavior  that  helps  build  and  protect  the  firm’s  reputation  – 
specifically  integrity,  collaboration  and  challenge.  We  strive  for 
excellence  and  sustainable  performance  in  everything  we  do. 
Compensation  for  each  employee  is  based  on  individual,  team, 
business division and Group performance, within the context of 
the markets in which we operate.

Our Total Reward Principles

Our Total Reward Principles apply to all employees globally. They may vary in certain locations due to local laws and regulations. The 
table below provides a summary of our Total Reward Principles. 

Attract and engage a diverse, talented workforce

We provide employees with pay that is appropriately balanced between fixed and variable elements, competitive in the 
market and paid out over an appropriate period 

Foster effective individual performance management and 
communication

Thorough evaluation of individual performance and adherence to our Behaviors, combined with effective 
communication, ensures there is a direct connection between achievement of business objectives and compensation 
across the firm

Align reward with sustainable performance

We embrace a culture of integration and collaboration within the firm. Our approach to compensation fosters 
engagement among employees and serves to align their long-term interests with those of clients and stakeholders

Support appropriate and controlled risk-taking

Compensation is structured such that employees behave in a manner consistent with the firm’s risk framework and 
tolerance, thereby protecting our capital and reputation, and enhancing the quality of our financial results, in line with 
what our stakeholders expect from us

260 

Our Total Reward approach

At UBS we have a holistic approach to compensation. Our Total 
Reward  approach  consists  of  fixed  compensation  (base  salary 
and  role-based  allowances,  if  applicable),  performance  awards 
(immediate  cash  performance  award  and  for  employees  with 
total  compensation  exceeding  CHF 
/  USD 300,000  Equity 
Ownership Plan and Deferred Contingent Capital Plan), pension 
contribution  and  benefits.  Performance  awards,  where 
applicable,  are  determined  based  on  a  number  of  factors, 
individual 
including  Group,  business  division, 
performance,  and  awarded 
local 
employment conditions and at the discretion of the firm.

team  and 
line  with  applicable 

in 

Our Total Reward is structured to support sustainable results. 
A substantial portion of our performance award is deferred and 
vests over a period of five years, or longer for certain regulated 
employees.  This  deferral  regime  aligns  employee  and  investor 
interests,  and  supports  our  capital  base  and  the  creation  of 
sustainable shareholder value.

Performance award

(cid:54)(cid:81)(cid:86)(cid:67)(cid:78)(cid:2)(cid:52)(cid:71)(cid:89)(cid:67)(cid:84)(cid:70)

(cid:54)(cid:81)(cid:86)(cid:67)(cid:78)(cid:2)(cid:69)(cid:81)(cid:79)(cid:82)(cid:71)(cid:80)(cid:85)(cid:67)(cid:86)(cid:75)(cid:81)(cid:80)

(cid:50)(cid:71)(cid:84)(cid:72)(cid:81)(cid:84)(cid:79)(cid:67)(cid:80)(cid:69)(cid:71)(cid:2)(cid:67)(cid:89)(cid:67)(cid:84)(cid:70)

(cid:38)(cid:71)(cid:72)(cid:71)(cid:84)(cid:84)(cid:71)(cid:70)(cid:2)(cid:37)(cid:81)(cid:80)(cid:86)(cid:75)(cid:80)(cid:73)(cid:71)(cid:80)(cid:86)(cid:2)
(cid:37)(cid:67)(cid:82)(cid:75)(cid:86)(cid:67)(cid:78)(cid:2)(cid:50)(cid:78)(cid:67)(cid:80)(cid:2)

(cid:39)(cid:83)(cid:87)(cid:75)(cid:86)(cid:91)(cid:2)(cid:49)(cid:89)(cid:80)(cid:71)(cid:84)(cid:85)(cid:74)(cid:75)(cid:82)(cid:2)(cid:50)(cid:78)(cid:67)(cid:80)

(cid:43)(cid:79)(cid:79)(cid:71)(cid:70)(cid:75)(cid:67)(cid:86)(cid:71)(cid:2)(cid:69)(cid:67)(cid:85)(cid:74)

(cid:50)(cid:71)(cid:80)(cid:85)(cid:75)(cid:81)(cid:80)(cid:2)
(cid:67)(cid:80)(cid:70)(cid:2)
(cid:68)(cid:71)(cid:80)(cid:71)(cid:386)(cid:86)(cid:85)

(cid:79)
(cid:84)
(cid:71)
(cid:86)
(cid:15)
(cid:84)
(cid:71)
(cid:73)
(cid:80)
(cid:81)
(cid:46)

(cid:79)
(cid:84)
(cid:71)
(cid:86)
(cid:15)
(cid:84)
(cid:71)
(cid:86)
(cid:84)
(cid:81)
(cid:74)
(cid:53)

(cid:36)(cid:67)(cid:85)(cid:71)(cid:2)(cid:85)(cid:67)(cid:78)(cid:67)(cid:84)(cid:91)(cid:17)
(cid:386)(cid:90)(cid:71)(cid:70)(cid:2)(cid:69)(cid:81)(cid:79)(cid:82)(cid:71)(cid:80)(cid:85)(cid:67)(cid:86)(cid:75)(cid:81)(cid:80)

Illustrative overview

The performance award process consists of pool funding determination, allocation and delivery and, if applicable, deferral to align 
reward  with  sustainable  performance  as  outlined  in  the  chart  below.  This  process  also  includes  additional  specific  pay-for-
performance safeguards for our Group Executive Board (GEB) members. 

Performance award

Pool funding determination

Allocation

Deliver and defer

Performance award pool is determined by 
considering risk-adjusted and sustainable 
performance, including:

Performance awards are allocated to employees 
based on Group, business division, team and 
individual performance recognizing what was 
achieved and how it was achieved, including:

Performance awards are delivered through 
a deferral to align employee interests with investor 
interests:

–  Overall performance including quality of earnings and 

capital strength
– Returns to investors
– Risk profile and adjustments
– Progress on strategic initiatives
– Affordability
– Market competitiveness / position

– Client focus
– Financial results and capital management
– Risk management
– People and talent development
– Principles and Behaviors

–  Substantial amounts of performance awards are deferred 
– At least 50% deferred for Key Risk Takers
–  Long-term deferral of up to five years, or longer for certain 

regulated employees

– Shareholder- and debt holder-aligned vehicles
– No leverage in compensation plans

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Additional GEB pay-for-performance safeguards:

–  Cap on individual performance awards and total 

–  Allocations based on a performance assessment 

GEB performance award pool

 considering quantitative and qualitative measures that 
includes Group / business division and / or region per-
formance including our Pillars,  Principles and Behaviors

–  Performance assessment includes evaluation by 

a control function

– At least 80% of awards are at risk of forfeiture
– Cap on immediate cash performance award
– Share ownership requirements
– Six-month notice period in employment contracts
– No hedging strategies allowed
– Binding votes on aggregate GEB compensation
– Advisory vote on the Compensation Report

261 

 
 
 
 
Advisory vote

Corporate governance, responsibility and compensation 
Compensation

2017 performance and compensation funding

Our performance in 2017

We  delivered  excellent  2017  financial  results.  Adjusted1  profit 
before tax increased 16% to CHF 6.2 billion and reported profit 
before  tax  increased  29%  to  CHF 5.3  billion,  reflecting  higher 
operating  income  and  a  reduction  in  operating  expenses.  We 
also achieved our CHF 2.1 billion net cost reduction target while 
investing for growth. 

Net  profit  attributable  to  UBS  Group  AG  shareholders  was 
CHF 1.1  billion,  and  included  a  CHF 2.9  billion  net  write-down 
of deferred tax assets (DTAs) following the enactment of the US 
Tax  Cuts  and  Jobs  Act  in  the  fourth  quarter  of  2017,  which 
reduced the federal corporate tax rate from 35% to 21%. This 
resulted primarily in a reduction of the potential future value of 
previously  recognized  US  tax  losses.  Excluding  this  net  DTA 
write-down,  net  profit  attributable  to  shareholders  would  have 
increased 22% to CHF 3.9 billion. Our 2017 adjusted return on 
1 
tangible equity excluding DTAs was 13.8%.

Our  capital  position  remained  strong.  As  of  31  December 
2017, our fully applied common equity tier 1 (CET1) capital ratio 
remained  stable  at  13.8%  and  our  fully  applied  CET1  leverage 
ratio  improved  from  3.5%  to  3.7%.  We  increased  our  fully 
applied  total  loss-absorbing  capacity  by  CHF 9.1  billion  to 
CHF 78.3 billion. 

For the financial year 2017, the Board of Directors intends to 
propose a dividend of CHF 0.65 per share, an increase of 8% on 
the prior year. We will also initiate a share repurchase program 
of  up  to  CHF 2  billion  over  the  next  three  years,  commencing 
with up to CHF 550 million in 2018. 

11 Please refer to “Group performance” in the “Financial and operating performance” section of this report for more information on adjusted results.

Adjusted profit before tax
CHF million

Adjusted return on tangible equity 
excluding DTAs1  
in %

Total loss-absorbing capacity
CHF billion

16%

250 bps

13%

8,000

4,000

    0

20.0

6,194

5,341

13.8

10.0

11.3

    0

69.2

78.3

80

40

    0

2016

2017

2016

2017

2016

2017

1 Calculated as adjusted net profit / loss attributable to shareholders excluding deferred tax expense / benefit, such as the net write-down due to the US Tax Cuts and Jobs Act enacted in the fourth quarter of 2017, 
divided by average tangible equity attributable to shareholders excluding any DTAs that do not qualify as fully applied CET1 capital.

1 

262 

Our  Wealth  Management  business  reported  adjusted  profit 
before tax of CHF 2.8 billion, an increase of 15% compared with 
2016,  driven  by  increases  in  all  income  lines  coupled  with 
effective  cost  control.  Net  new  money  was  CHF 51.1  billion, 
reflecting an annual growth rate of 5.2%.

Wealth  Management  Americas  reported  adjusted  profit 
before tax of USD 1.3 billion, an increase of 8% compared with 
2016. Operating income increased mainly on higher net interest 
and  recurring  net  fee  income.  Operating  expenses  increased 
mainly  due  to  higher  financial  advisor  compensation  reflecting 
changes announced in 2016 to our compensation model. Strong 
inflows  from  same  store  advisors  were  more  than  offset  by 
lower  net  recruiting,  consistent  with  changes  in  the  operating 
model, resulting in net new money outflows of USD 7.2 billion.

Personal & Corporate Banking reported adjusted profit before 
tax  of  CHF 1.7  billion,  a  decrease  of  4%  compared  with  2016, 
mostly due to lower net interest income reflecting the negative 
rate  environment  in  Switzerland  and  higher  funding  costs,  as 
well  as  higher  expenses  related  to  strategic  and  regulatory 
initiatives.  Net  new  business  volume  growth  for  personal 
banking was a record 4%.

Our  Asset  Management  business  reported  adjusted  profit 
before tax of CHF 525 million, a decrease of 5% compared with 
2016,  primarily  reflecting  lower  operating  income.  Invested 
assets  reached  a  nine-year  high  of  CHF 776  billion.  Net  new 
money inflows excluding money market flows totaled CHF 48.1 
billion for the year. 

Adjusted  profit  before  tax  in  the  Investment  Bank  remained 
broadly unchanged at CHF 1.5 billion. Lower revenues in Foreign 
Exchange, Rates and Credit, mainly resulting from reduced client 
activity  due  to  continued  low  market  volatility,  were  broadly 
offset  by  increased  revenue  in  Equity  Capital  Markets  and  in 
Equity  Derivatives.  The  adjusted  return  on  attributed  equity  for 
the Investment Bank was 16%.

Corporate  Center  reported  an  adjusted  loss  before  tax  of 
CHF 1.6  billion  compared  with  CHF 2.1  billion  in  2016,  mainly 
reflecting reduced expenses. 

→ Refer to “Group performance” in the “Financial and operating 
performance” section of this report for more information

1 

1 

1 

1 

Performance award pool funding

Our  performance  award  pool  funding  framework  is  based  on 
business  performance,  which 
is  measured  across  multiple 
dimensions as outlined below. 

Contribution to create a sustainable shareholder value

Market 
position
and trends

Overall 
performance

Create 
sustainable
shareholder
 value

Returns to 
investors

Affordability

(cid:52)(cid:75)(cid:85)(cid:77)(cid:2)(cid:82)(cid:84)(cid:81)(cid:386)(cid:78)(cid:71)

Strategic 
initiatives

We  assess  Group  and  business  division  performance, 
including achievement against a set of performance targets, and 
we also consider performance relative to industry peers, general 
market  competitiveness  and  progress  against  our  strategic 
objectives,  including  capital  growth  as  well  as  risk-weighted 
assets and cost efficiency. We look at the firm’s risk profile and 
culture,  the  extent  to  which  operational  risks  and  audit  issues 
have  been  identified  and  resolved,  and  the  success  of  risk 
reduction initiatives. 

Our 

compensation  philosophy 

focuses  on  balancing 
performance  with  prudent  risk-taking  and  retaining  talented 
employees. To achieve this, as performance increases, we reduce 
our  overall  performance  award  funding  percentage.  In  years  of 
strong  performance,  this  prevents  excessive  compensation, 
increased  proportion  of  profit  before 
resulting 
performance  award  being  available 
to 
shareholders  or  growing  the  Group’s  capital.  In  years  where 
the  performance  award  pool  will 
performance  declines, 
generally decrease, however funding rates may increase.

for  distribution 

in  an 

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263 

 
 
 
 
Advisory vote

Corporate governance, responsibility and compensation 
Compensation

The performance award pool funding process starts with the 
accrual of a percentage of each business division’s risk-adjusted 
profit before performance award. In determining the final pool, 
we also consider progress on our strategic objectives, quality of 
earnings,  affordability, 
investors  and  market 
competitiveness.  Business  division  performance  is  adjusted  for 
items  that  do  not  represent  underlying  performance  (for 
example gains or losses on the sale of a property or a business). 
The  Compensation  Committee  may  exclude  further  items, 

returns 

to 

including litigation and regulatory costs arising from matters that 
predate current management.

→ Refer to “Group performance” in the “Financial and operating 
performance” section of this report for more information on 

adjusted results 

An  illustrative  overview  with  more  details  on  the  process  is 

presented in the chart below.

Performance award pool funding process – illustrative overview 

Financial 
performance

1

Risk adjustment

Quantitative and qualitative adjustments

Consultation of 
Group CEO with 
the business 
division Presidents

Compensation 
Committee / BoD 
governance and 
decision

Adjusted 
business division 
financial 
performance

2

Risk-adjusted 
business 
division 
performance 
award pool

3

4

5

Business 
division 
KPIs

Qualitative, 
risk and 
regulatory 
assessment

Relative 
performance 
vs peers

Market 
position 
and trends

Recommended 
performance 
award pools

Final 
performance 
award pool

1

2

3

4

5

Adjusted business division  
financial performance

The starting point for the funding process is the adjusted business division financial performance excluding items that are not reflective of the 
underlying performance

Risk-adjusted business 
division performance 
award pool

Predetermined business  division-specific funding rates are applied to risk-adjusted performance. In addition, credit risk, market risk and 
 operational risk (including conduct) are taken into account

Business division KPIs

Each division is assessed based on specific KPIs (e.g., net new money growth rate, return on attributed equity)

Qualitative, risk and 
regulatory assessment

Qualitative assessment (e.g., quality of earnings, industry awards), assessment of regulatory compliance and risk  assessment (such as legal, 
compliance,  reputational and operational risk) support alignment to our Total Reward Principles

Relative performance 
vs peers

Performance is also assessed relative to our peers

Market position 
and trends

Market intelligence based on external advisors helps assess the competitiveness of our pay levels and compensation structure. 
It also provides a prospective view of market trends in terms of absolute compensation levels, compensation framework and industry practice

Recommended 
per formance award pools

The business division performance award pool determination process, based on quantitative and qualitative assessments, results in a recommen-
dation from the Group CEO  (after consultation with the business division Presidents) to the Compensation Committee for consideration

Final performance 
award pool

The Compensation Committee considers the recommen dation in the context of our overall performance, capital strength, risk profile, affordability, 
returns to investors, progress on strategic initiatives, market competitiveness / position, as well as business and geographic trends. The committee 
verifies it is in line with our strategy embodied in our Total Reward Principles to create sustainable shareholder value and may alter the recom-
mendations of the Group CEO (upward or downward, including recommending a zero award) before making its fi nal recommendation to the BoD

264 

2017 performance award pool and expenses

Performance award pool and expenses

The  performance  award  pool,  which  includes  performance-
based  variable  awards  for  2017,  was  CHF 3.1  billion,  reflecting 
an  increase  of  6%  compared  with  2016.  Consistent  with  prior 
years,  where  the  impact  of  deferred  tax  assets  (DTA)  was 
positive,  the  funding  of  the  performance  award  pool  was  not 
affected  as  DTAs  do  not  reflect  the  underlying  business 
performance and are not within management’s control.

Performance  award  expenses  for  2017  increased  by  4%  to 
CHF 3.1  billion.  This  increase  reflects  the  change  in  the 
performance  award  pool  for  2017,  partially  offset  by  lower 
expenses related to the amortization of awards from prior years. 
The “Performance award pool and expenses” chart on this page 
compares the performance award pool with performance award 
expenses. 

→ Refer to the “Our deferred variable compensation plans for 

2017” section of this report for more information

CHF billion

2.9

(0.7)

Awards for 
performance 
year deferred 
to future 
periods2 
(including 
accounting 
adjustments)

6%1

3.0

0.8

Amortization 
of prior-year 
awards

2.2

Award
expenses for 
performance 
year

3.1

0.7

2.4

Amortization 
of prior-year 
awards

Award
expenses for 
performance 
year

3.1

(0.7)

Awards for 
performance 
year deferred 
to future 
periods2 
(including 
accounting 
adjustments)

Performance 
award pool

2016

Performance 
award expenses

Performance 
award pool

2017

Performance 
award expenses

4%

1 Excluding employer-paid taxes and social security.    2 Estimate. The actual amount to be expensed in future 
periods may vary, e.g., due to forfeitures.

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265 

 
 
 
 
Advisory vote

Corporate governance, responsibility and compensation 
Compensation

2017 compensation for the Group CEO and the other GEB 
members

Base salary, role-based allowance, pensions and benefits

Performance assessment

Annual performance awards for the Group CEO and other GEB 
members  are  based  on  the  GEB  compensation  determination 
process  as  illustrated  on  the  next  page  and,  in  aggregate, 
subject to shareholder approval at the AGM. 

We assess the GEB members’ performance against a number 
of quantitative and qualitative key performance indicators (KPIs). 
The  quantitative  measures  for  the  Group  CEO  are  based  on 
overall  Group  performance.  For  other  GEB  members,  they  are 
based on both Group performance and the performance of the 
relevant  business  division  and  /  or  region;  for  those  who  lead 
Group  functions,  they  are  assessed  on  the  performance  of  the 
Group  and  the  function  they  oversee.  These  quantitative 
measures  together  with  qualitative  measures 
(Pillars  and 
Principles)  account  for  65%  of  the  assessment.  Behaviors 
account  for  35%  of  the  assessment.  The  “Overview  of  the 
quantitative and qualitative performance assessment measures” 
table  in  this  section  outlines  the  measures  on  which  the 
performance assessment is based. 

The  weighting  between  Group,  business  division,  regional 
and functional KPIs varies depending on a GEB member’s role. A 
significant weight is given to Group KPIs for all GEB members.

The  performance  assessment 

is  the  starting  point  for 
determining  a  GEB  member’s  annual  performance  award.  This 
approach  is  not  mechanical,  as  the  Compensation  Committee 
can  exercise  its  judgment  with  respect  to  the  performance 
achieved  relative  to  the  prior  year,  the  strategic  plan, 
competitors, and considers the Group CEO’s recommendation. 

The  Compensation  Committee’s  recommendations  are  then 
reviewed and must be approved by the BoD. The Compensation 
Committee,  and  then  the  full  BoD,  follow  a  similar  process  in 
setting  the  compensation  for  the  Group  CEO,  except  that  the 
Group CEO gives no recommendation on his own award.

 The  total  amount  of  the  awards  for  the  Group  CEO  and 
other  GEB  members  may  not  exceed  2.5%  of  adjusted  Group 
profit  before  tax.  Additionally,  variable  compensation  for 
individual  GEB  members  and  the  Group  CEO  may  not  exceed 
the specified individual compensation caps, as described later in 
this section.

The  final  aggregate  performance  award  for  the  GEB, 
including  the  Group  CEO,  for  a  financial  year  is  subject  to 
shareholder  approval  at  the  following  AGM.  The  individual 
variable performance awards for each GEB member will only be 
confirmed upon shareholder approval at the AGM.

Each Group Executive Board (GEB) member receives a fixed base 
is  reviewed  annually  by  the  Compensation 
salary,  which 
Committee.  The  Group  CEO’s  annual  base  salary  for  2017  was 
CHF 2.5  million  and  has  remained  unchanged  since  his 
appointment in 2011. The other GEB members received a salary 
of CHF 1.5 million (or local currency equivalent), also unchanged 
since 2011. 

One GEB member is considered a Material Risk Taker (MRT) in 
the  UK  and  is  in  a  UK  Senior  Management  Function  (SMF). 
Therefore, he receives a role-based allowance in addition to his 
base  salary.  This  allowance  reflects  the  market  value  of  this 
specific  role  and  is  only  paid  while  the  GEB  member  is 
considered an MRT. It consists of a cash portion and a blocked 
UBS share award, which is granted annually. Such an allowance 
represents  a  shift  in  the  compensation  mix  between  fixed  and 
variable  compensation  and  not  an 
total 
compensation.

increase 

in 

Pension  contributions  and  benefits  for  GEB  members  are  in 
line  with  local  practices  for  other  employees.  No  enhanced  or 
supplementary pension contributions are made for the GEB.

At  the  Annual  General  Meeting  (AGM),  shareholders  are 
asked  to  approve  the  maximum  aggregate  amount  of  fixed 
compensation  for  the  members  of  the  GEB  for  the  following 
financial year. 

→ Refer to the “Our compensation for employees other than GEB 
members” section of this report for more information on MRTs 

and SMFs

→ Refer to the “Our compensation governance framework” 

section of this report for more information on the shareholders’ 

vote on the GEB compensation

266 

Overview of the GEB compensation determination process 

The  compensation  for  the  Group  CEO  and  the  other  GEB  members  is  governed  by  a  rigorous  process  under  Compensation 
Committee and BoD oversight. The illustration below shows how compensation for all GEB members is determined. 

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(cid:85)(cid:86)(cid:84)(cid:67)(cid:86)(cid:71)(cid:73)(cid:75)(cid:69)(cid:2)(cid:82)(cid:78)(cid:67)(cid:80)

(cid:54)(cid:74)(cid:71)(cid:2)(cid:83)(cid:87)(cid:67)(cid:78)(cid:75)(cid:86)(cid:67)(cid:86)(cid:75)(cid:88)(cid:71)(cid:2)(cid:79)(cid:71)(cid:67)(cid:85)(cid:87)(cid:84)(cid:71)(cid:85)(cid:2)(cid:84)(cid:71)(cid:78)(cid:67)(cid:86)(cid:71)(cid:2)(cid:86)(cid:81)(cid:2)(cid:81)(cid:87)(cid:84)(cid:2)(cid:50)(cid:75)(cid:78)(cid:78)(cid:67)(cid:84)(cid:85)(cid:14)(cid:2)
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(cid:85)(cid:87)(cid:68)(cid:76)(cid:71)(cid:69)(cid:86)(cid:2)(cid:86)(cid:81)(cid:2)(cid:85)(cid:74)(cid:67)(cid:84)(cid:71)(cid:74)(cid:81)(cid:78)(cid:70)(cid:71)(cid:84)(cid:2)(cid:67)(cid:82)(cid:82)(cid:84)(cid:81)(cid:88)(cid:67)(cid:78)

(cid:2)

(cid:85)
(cid:85)
(cid:71)
(cid:69)
(cid:81)
(cid:84)
(cid:82)
(cid:73)
(cid:80)
(cid:75)
(cid:77)
(cid:67)
(cid:79)
(cid:15)
(cid:80)
(cid:81)
(cid:75)
(cid:85)
(cid:75)
(cid:69)
(cid:71)
(cid:38)

(cid:71)
(cid:71)
(cid:86)
(cid:86)
(cid:75)

(cid:79)
(cid:79)
(cid:81)
(cid:37)
(cid:2)
(cid:80)
(cid:81)
(cid:75)
(cid:86)
(cid:67)
(cid:85)
(cid:80)
(cid:71)
(cid:82)
(cid:79)
(cid:81)
(cid:37)

(cid:2)

(cid:70)
(cid:80)
(cid:67)
(cid:2)
(cid:38)
(cid:81)
(cid:36)
(cid:2)
(cid:71)
(cid:74)
(cid:86)
(cid:2)
(cid:72)
(cid:81)
(cid:2)
(cid:71)
(cid:78)
(cid:81)
(cid:52)

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267 

 
 
 
 
Advisory vote

Corporate governance, responsibility and compensation 
Compensation

Overview of the quantitative and qualitative performance assessment measures 

The  table  below  presents  the  quantitative  and  qualitative  measures  for  performance  assessment  of  the  Group  CEO  and  GEB 
members.

Quantitative measures

Group

A range of fi nancial metrics including adjusted Group return on tangible equity, adjusted Group profi t before tax, CET 1 targets

Business division, regional and / or functional 
KPIs (if applicable)¹

Business division and / or regional KPIs vary but may include: net new money growth rate, adjusted divisional / regional profi t 
before tax, adjusted cost / income ratio, net new business volume growth rate, net interest margin, adjusted RoAE, Basel III 
RWA and LRD expectations

Qualitative measures

Specifi c functional KPIs for Corporate Center GEB members

Pillars

Capital strength

Establishes and maintains capital. Generates effi ciencies and deploys our capital more effi ciently and effectively 

Effi ciency and effectiveness

Contributes to the development and execution of our strategy and success across all business lines, functions and regions. 
Considers market conditions, relative performance and other factors    

Risk management

Reinforces risk management through an effective control framework. Captures the degree to which risks are self-identifi ed and 
focuses on the individual’s success to comply with all the various regulatory frameworks. Helps shape the fi rm’s relationship 
with regulators through ongoing dialog

Principles

Client focus

Increases client satisfaction and maintains high levels of satisfaction over the long term. This includes promoting collaboration 
across business divisions and fostering the delivery of the whole fi rm to our clients

Excellence 

Human Capital Management – develops successors for the most senior positions, facilitates talent mobility within the fi rm 
and promotes a diverse and inclusive workforce

Sustainable performance

Brand and Reputation – protects the Group’s reputation and reinforces full compliance with our standards and principles

Product and Service Quality – strives for excellence in the products and services we offer to our clients

Culture – takes a personal role in making Principles and Behaviors front and center of the business requirements. Furthermore, 
this measure evaluates the individual’s ability to reinforce a culture of accountability and responsibility, demonstrating our 
commitment to be a responsible corporate citizen and to act with integrity in all our interactions with stakeholders

Behaviors

Integrity

Is responsible and accountable for what they say and do; cares about clients, investors, and colleagues; acts as a role model

Collaboration

Places the interests of clients and the fi rm before their own and those of their business; works across the fi rm; 
respects and values diverse perspectives

Challenge

Encourages self and others to constructively challenge the status quo; learns from mistakes and experiences

1 Both regional and functional KPIs may include qualitative measures.

268 

Benchmarking against peers

When  recommending  performance  awards  for  the  Group  CEO 
and  the  other  GEB  members,  the  Compensation  Committee 
reviews  the  respective  total  compensation  for  each  role  against 
the  broader  market  as  well  as  a  group  of  peer  companies 
selected  for  the  comparability  of  their  size,  business  mix, 
geographic  presence  and  the  extent  to  which  they  compete 
against  us  for  talent.  The  Compensation  Committee  also 
levels  and 
considers  our  peers’  strategies,  practices,  pay 
regulatory  environment.  Overall,  the  total  compensation  for  a 
GEB member’s specific role considers the compensation paid by 
our primary peer group for a comparable role and performance.

The  Compensation  Committee  periodically  reviews  and 
approves  the  primary  peer  group  for  executive  compensation. 
For  2017,  the  primary  peer  group  remained  unchanged  and 
consisted of: 

Bank of America

Credit Suisse

Julius Baer

Deutsche Bank

Morgan Stanley

The  DCCP  contributes  to  the  Group’s  total  loss-absorbing 
capacity,  and  the  awards  granted  to  GEB  members  are  subject 
to  a  common  equity  tier  1  capital  ratio  write-down  trigger  of 
10%, which is higher than the trigger for other employees and 
holders of similar debt issued by the UBS Group. Moreover, GEB 
members forfeit 20% of the granted DCCP award for each year 
with  an  adjusted  Group  loss  before  tax  during  the  vesting 
period. This means that 100% of the award is subject to risk of 
forfeiture. 

For  the  GEB  member  whose  role  is  considered  an  SMF, 
additional  provisions  apply  that  are  described  in  the  paragraph 
“UK Senior Managers and Certification Regime”. 
The  Compensation  Committee  has 

that 
performance  conditions  for  all  GEB  members’  awards  due  to 
vest in March 2018 have been satisfied and thus the awards will 
vest in full.

confirmed 

→ Refer to the “Our deferred variable compensation plans for 

2017” section of this report for more information

→ Refer to the “Our compensation for employees other than GEB 
members” section of this report for more information on MRTs 

and SMFs

Goldman Sachs

Standard Chartered

→ Refer to “Vesting of outstanding awards granted in prior years 

Barclays

BlackRock

BNP Paribas

Citigroup

HSBC

JPMorgan Chase

This group is broadened for the purposes of business division 
benchmarking  and  for  the  review  of  specific  roles,  as 
appropriate. 

2017 deferred performance awards

For each GEB member, at least 80% of the performance award 
is  deferred,  while  a  maximum  of  20%  can  be  paid  out  in  the 
form  of  immediate  cash,  which  is  capped  to  defer  a  higher 
portion and thus further aligns GEB members’ and shareholders’ 
interests.  To  remain  competitive,  we  have  revised  the  cash  cap 
to  CHF  /  USD 2  million  (or  local  currency  equivalent)  without 
impacting  the  overall  pay  levels  for  all  relevant  employees 
including GEB members. Any amount above this cap is granted 
in  notional  shares  under  the  Equity  Ownership  Plan  (EOP). 
Further we have increased the share ownership requirements for 
GEB members as explained later in this section. 

For  the  performance  year  2017,  a  minimum  of  50%  of  the 
overall  performance  award  is  granted  under  the  EOP,  which 
vests  in  three  equal  installments  in  years  3  to  5,  provided  that 
performance conditions are met. 

The  remaining  30%  of  the  overall  performance  award  is 
granted  under  the  Deferred  Contingent  Capital  Plan  (DCCP). 
Under the DCCP, GEB members are awarded notional additional 
tier 1 (AT1) capital instruments that vest after five years. 

subject to performance conditions” in the “Supplemental 

information” section of this report for more information

Share ownership requirements: aligning GEB members’ 
interests with those of our shareholders

To  further  strengthen  the  alignment  of  our  GEB  members’ 
interests  with  those  of  our  shareholders,  we  have  substantially 
increased  our  share  ownership  requirements.  The  revised  policy 
requires  the  Group  CEO  to  hold  a  minimum  of  1,000,000  UBS 
shares  (up  from  500,000)  and  other  GEB  members  to  hold  a 
minimum  of  500,000  UBS  shares  (up  from  350,000).  GEB 
members must build up their minimum shareholding within five 
years  from  their  appointment  and  retain  it  throughout  their 
tenure. The total number of UBS shares held by a GEB member 
consists of any vested or unvested shares and any privately held 
shares.  GEB  members  may  not  sell  any  UBS  shares  before  they 
reach  the  aforementioned  minimum  ownership  thresholds.  At 
the  end  of  2017,  the  GEB  members  met  these  increased  share 
ownership  requirements,  except  for  those  appointed  during 
2016,  who  need  to  build  up  and  meet  the  required  share 
ownership level by 2021.

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269 

 
 
 
 
Advisory vote

Corporate governance, responsibility and compensation 
Compensation

Caps on the GEB performance award pool

Employment contracts

The  size  of  the  GEB  performance  award  pool  may  not  exceed 
2.5% of the adjusted Group profit before tax. This links overall 
GEB compensation to the firm’s profitability.

For 2017, the Group’s adjusted profit before tax was CHF 6.2 
billion and the total GEB performance award pool was CHF 74.2 
million (CHF 71.9 million in 2016). The performance award pool 
as a percentage of adjusted Group profit before tax was 1.2%, 
which is well below the cap of 2.5%.

In  line  with  the  individual  compensation  caps  introduced  in 
2013 on the proportion of fixed pay to variable pay for all GEB 
members, the Group CEO’s performance award is capped at five 
times his fixed compensation. Performance awards of other GEB 
members are capped at seven times their fixed compensation (or 
two times for the GEB member who is also an MRT). For 2017, 
performance  awards  for  GEB  members  and  the  Group  CEO 
were, on average, 3.5 times their fixed compensation (excluding 
benefits and contributions to retirement benefit plans).

The employment contracts of the GEB members do not include 
severance terms, sometimes referred to as golden parachutes, or 
supplementary  pension  plan  contributions.  All  employment 
contracts for GEB members are subject to a notice period of six 
months.  A  GEB  member  leaving  the  firm  before  the  end  of  a 
performance  year  may  be  considered  for  a  performance  award 
based on their contribution during that performance year and in 
line with the approach described in this report. Such awards are 
subject to approval of the BoD, which may decide not to grant 
any awards.

270 

2017 compensation framework for GEB members

Up to 20% of the annual performance award is paid in the form of immediate cash and at least 80% will be deferred over a period 
of five years1, with at least 50% granted under the EOP and the remaining 30% under the DCCP. The chart below is an illustrative 
example. 

Payout of performance award¹

Key features

Pay for performance and safeguards

30%

Notional additional tier 1 (AT1) capital instruments

30% of the performance award is granted under the 
Deferred Contingent Capital Plan (DCCP). The award 
vests after five years, subject to write-down if a trigger or 
viabi lity event occurs. The award is subject to 20% 
forfeiture for each financial year if UBS does not achieve an 
adjusted Group profit before tax

Notional interest payments will be made annually, where 
regulation permits, subject to review and confirmation 
by the firm

The award is subject to continued employment and 
harmful acts provisions

Notional shares

16%

At least 50% of the performance award is granted under 
the Equity Ownership Plan (EOP). The award vests in equal 
installments after years 3, 4 and 5, subject to both Group 
and business division performance. Up to 100% of the 
installment due to vest may be forfeited

Dividend equivalents, where regulation permits, are subject 
to the same terms as the underlying EOP award

17%

The award is subject to continued employment and 
harmful acts provisions

17%

Up to 20% of the performance award is paid out in cash2 
immediately, subject to a cash cap of CHF / USD 2 million. 
Any amount above the cash cap is granted under the EOP

Our compensation framework is designed to pay for 
performance. A performance award is based on the 
individual’s performance assessment against a number of 
quantitative and qualitative measures

At least 80% of the performance award is at risk 
of forfeiture

Compensation plan forfeiture provisions enable the fi rm to 
reduce the unvested deferred portion if the compensation 
plans’ relevant performance conditions are not met

Our compensation framework contains a number of features 
supporting appropriate risk management with safeguards 
to discourage inappropriate risk-taking:
–  potential realized pay cannot exceed the award granted 

(other than for market movements and returns); no upward 
leverage, such as multiplier factors. The final deferred 
 payout can be forfeited up to 100% in cases where perfor-
mance conditions are not met or harmful acts provisions 
apply

–  a balanced mix of shorter-term and longer-term 
performance awards with a focus on deferral

–  a cap on the total GEB performance award pool of 2.5% 

of adjusted Group profit before tax

–  individual caps on the proportion of fixed to variable pay 

for the Group CEO and other GEB members 

–  six-month notice period included in the employment con-

tracts 

–  an evaluation of each GEB member’s risk control 

effectiveness and adherence to risk-related policies 
and guidelines as part of their individual qualitative 
assessment

–  provisions that enable the firm to trigger forfeiture of 
some, or all, of the unvested deferred performance 
award if an employee commits certain harmful acts or if 
the employment is terminated for cause

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DCCP

30%

EOP

at 
least
50%

20%

Cash

up to
20%

Base
salary3

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

2023

Share
retention

1,000,000 UBS shares for the Group CEO
500,000 UBS shares for other GEB members

GEB members are required to hold a certain number 
of UBS shares as long as they are in office. 
This holding has to be built up within a maximum of 
five years from the date of their appointment to the GEB

1 Senior Management Functions have extended deferral periods, with the deferred performance awards vesting in equal installments between years 3 and 7.     2 UK Material Risk Takers receive 50% in form of 
1
blocked shares.    3 May include role-based allowances that have been made in line with market practice in response to regulatory requirements. 

2

3

271 

 
 
 
 
Advisory vote

Corporate governance, responsibility and compensation 
Compensation

2017 compensation for the Group Chief Executive Officer

The  performance  award  for  the  Group  CEO,  Sergio  Ermotti,  is 
based  on  the  achievement  of  both  quantitative  and  qualitative 
performance  targets  as  described  earlier  in  this  section.  These 
targets were set to reflect the strategic priorities determined by 
the  Chairman  and  the  BoD,  including  risk-adjusted  profitability, 
capital  position  and  adjusted  return  on  tangible  equity,  as  well 
as  a  range  of  qualitative  measures  to  assess  the  quality  and 
sustainability  of  the  performance.  Quantitative  and  qualitative 
measures  account  for  65%  of  Mr.  Ermotti’s  performance 
assessment  while  the  remaining  35%  is  based  on  behavioral 
measures.  The  table  on  the  following  page  summarizes  the 
metrics used to assess Mr. Ermotti’s performance as Group CEO 
for 2017.

The  BoD  recognized  that  under  Mr.  Ermotti’s  continuing 
strong leadership, the Group delivered excellent financial results, 
maintained its strong capital position and successfully concluded 
the  CHF  2.1  billion  net  cost  reduction  program.  Overall 
performance  exceeded  plan  despite 
significant  market 
headwinds, including low market volatility, negative interest rate 
environment and high funding costs.

Adjusted1  profit  before  tax  increased  by  16%  to  CHF  6.2 
billion and net profit attributable to UBS Group AG shareholders 
was CHF 1.1 billion, including a CHF 2.9 billion net write-down 
of deferred tax assets (DTAs) following the enactment of the US 
Tax Cuts and Jobs Act in the fourth quarter of 2017. Excluding 
this  DTA  write-down,  net  profit  attributable  to  shareholders 
would have increased by 22% to CHF 3.9 billion. UBS’s adjusted 
return  on  tangible  equity  for  2017  was  13.8%  excluding  the 
effects of deferred tax expense / benefit and DTAs.

The  BoD  also  considered  Mr.  Ermotti’s  focus  on  maintaining 
UBS’s  capital  position  with  a  fully  applied  CET1  capital  ratio  of 
13.8%,  above  our  13%  target,  and  an  improved  fully  applied 
CET1  leverage  ratio  of  3.7%,  ahead  of  the  Swiss  systemically 
relevant bank fully-applied requirement of 3.5% as of 1 January 
2020.  Further,  he  also  maintained  our  post-stress  CET1  capital 
ratio  above  the  10%  objective,  and  optimized  capital  usage  by 
business  divisions  and  legal  entities.  Under  Mr.  Ermotti’s 
stewardship,  the  Group 
loss-absorbing 
increased 
capacity to CHF 78.3 billion.

its  total 

The  BoD  also  acknowledged  Mr.  Ermotti’s 

strong 
performance  relative  to  qualitative  goals  in  2017,  including 
overseeing  the  delivery  of  significant  cost  savings  while  at  the 
same  time  the  bank  is  investing  in  technology  and  innovative 
platforms  to  drive  growth  in  the  future  and  differentiate  our 
business in the digital age. 

Mr.  Ermotti  continued  to  promote  talent  development  and 
effectively  led  initiatives  which  have  improved  internal  and 
particularly  cross  divisional  mobility.  He  continued  to  improve 
diversity  at  senior  levels  toward  our  long  term  aspiration  to 
increase the ratio of women in management roles to one-third. 
In  addition,  Mr.  Ermotti  continues  to  successfully  drive  the 
organization  to  be  client-centric  and  focus  on  increased  client 
satisfaction. Aligned with this priority, he demonstrated a strong 
personal commitment and engagement to deliver innovative and 
high quality client services and products.

The BoD recognizes Mr. Ermotti’s clear tone from the top in 
setting  and  demanding  the  highest  standards  with  respect  to 
both a strong risk culture and behaviors. Sustained progress has 
been  achieved  in  further  anchoring  our  culture  and  behavior 
program  across 
firm,  and  Mr.  Ermotti  successfully 
spearheaded  initiatives  to  promote  cross-business  engagement 
and  collaboration,  and  support  a  culture  where  constructive 
challenge is embraced and encouraged.

the 

Reflecting  his  achievements  in  2017,  the  BoD  approved  the 
proposal by the Compensation Committee to grant Mr. Ermotti 
a  performance  award  of  CHF  11.4  million,  bringing  his  total 
compensation for the year (excluding benefits and contributions 
to  his  retirement  benefit  plan)  to  CHF  13.9  million.  The 
performance award is subject to shareholder approval as part of 
the  aggregate  GEB  2017  variable  compensation  and  will  be 
delivered with 52% deferred in EOP over years 3 to 5 and 30% 
in  DCCP  after  5  years,  subject  to  the  achievement  of  certain 
performance  and  other  forfeiture  conditions.  The  remaining 
18% (CHF 2 million) will be delivered in immediate cash.

→ Refer to the “Our deferred variable compensation plans for 

2017” section of this report for more information

11 Please refer to “Group performance” in the “Financial and operating performance” section of this report for more information on adjusted results.

272 

Performance assessment for the Group CEO

The  chart  below  illustrates  the  2017  assessment  of  the  Group  CEO  performance.  For  additional  details  on  the  assessment,  please 
refer to the description on the previous page.

Weightings Quantitative measures

2016 results

2017 results

Assessment Vs Plan

100%

Adjusted Group profi t before tax

CHF 5,341 million

CHF 6,194 million

Adjusted Group return on 
tangible equity excluding DTAs1

Capital management
CET1 capital ratio, fully applied
CET1 leverage ratio, fully applied
Post-stress CET1 ratio, fully applied²

11.3%

13.8%
3.53%
>10%

Qualitative measures

Achievements

13.8%

13.8%
3.69%
>10%

65%

Pillars
Capital Strength
Efficiency and Effectiveness
Risk Management

Principles
Client Focus
Excellence
Sustainable Performance

Overall performance met expectations, given:
 – Maintained strong capital position and achieved capital ratios while optimizing usage by business divisions and  

legal entities

 – Performance exceeded plan despite significant market headwinds, including low market volatility, negative interest rate 

environment and high funding costs

 – Delivery of significant cost savings while at the same time the bank is investing in technology and innovative platforms 

to drive growth in the future and differentiate its business in the digital age

Overall performance exceeded expectations, given:
 – Promoted talent development and led initiatives to improve internal and cross divisional mobility
 – Continued to improve diversity at senior levels
 – Successfully drives the organization to be client-centric and focus on increased client satisfaction, strong personal 

 commitment and engagement to deliver innovative and high quality client services and products

35%

Behaviors
Integrity
Collaboration
Challenge

Overall performance exceeded expectations, given clear tone from the top and:
 – Set and demanded the highest standards with respect to both a strong risk culture and behaviors
 – Sustained progress in further anchoring the culture and behavior program across the firm
 – Spearheaded initiatives to further promote cross-business engagement and collaboration, and support a culture 

where constructive challenge is embraced and encouraged

1 Calculated as adjusted net profit / loss attributable to shareholders excluding deferred tax expense / benefit, such as the net write-down due to the US Tax Cuts and Jobs Act enacted in the fourth quarter of 2017, 
divided by average tangible equity attributable to shareholders excluding any DTAs that do not qualify as fully applied CET1 capital.    2 CET1 post-stress objective is to maintain ratio above 10%.

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273 

1 

 
 
 
 
Advisory vote

Corporate governance, responsibility and compensation 
Compensation

Total compensation for GEB members for the performance 
year 2017 

The GEB performance awards are subject to approval by the BoD 
based  on  the  assessment  of  quantitative  and  qualitative 
performance measures and, in aggregate, subject to shareholder 
approval.  The  aggregate  performance  award  pool  for  the  GEB 

was  CHF 74.2  million  for  2017,  an  increase  of  3.1%  compared 
with the prior year. This increase of 3.1% compares with a 16% 
increase  in  adjusted  profit  before  tax  and  a  6%  increase  in  the 
overall performance award pool of the firm.

At  the  AGM  2018,  shareholders  will  vote  on  the  aggregate 

2017 total variable compensation for the GEB.

Audited |
Total compensation for GEB members

CHF, except where indicated 1

Name, function
Sergio P. Ermotti, Group CEO 
(highest-paid)
Sergio P. Ermotti, Group CEO 
(highest-paid)
Aggregate of all GEB 
members9,10,11

FFor the 
year

Base salary2

Contribution
to retirement
benefit plans3

Benefits4

TTotal fixed 
compensation

Immediate 
cash5

Annual
performance
award under
EOP6

Annual
performance
award under
DCCP7

TTotal
variable
compensa-
tion

TTotal fixed
and vari-
able com-
pensation8

22017

 2,500,000

 261,181

 41,261

  2,802,442

 2,000,000

 5,980,000

 3,420,000

  11,400,000

  14,202,442

22016

 2,500,000

 261,181

 42,577

  2,803,758

 1,000,000

 6,630,000

 3,270,000

  10,900,000

  13,703,758

22017

21,459,305

 2,439,414

 1,842,848

  25,741,566

 14,550,000

 37,355,000

 22,245,000

  74,150,000

  99,891,566

22016

21,601,925

 2,387,649

 1,977,703

  25,967,277

 11,289,350

 39,040,650

 21,570,000

  71,900,000

  97,867,277

11 Local currencies have been translated into Swiss francs at the exchange rates stated in “Note 34 Currency translation rates” in the “Consolidated financial statements” section of this report, or at the performance 
award currency exchange rate.    2 Includes role-based allowances that have been made in line with market practice in response to the EU Capital Requirements Directive of 2013 (CRD IV).    3 Includes the portion 
related to the employer’s contribution to the statutory pension scheme.     4 All benefits are valued at market price.     5 In accordance with the remuneration section of the UK Prudential Regulation Rulebook, the 
immediate cash includes blocked shares for one GEB member.    6 For EOP awards for the performance year 2017, the number of shares has been determined by dividing the amount by CHF 17.999 or USD 19.234, 
the average closing price of UBS shares over the last ten trading days in February 2018. For EOP awards for the performance year 2016, the number of shares was determined by dividing the amount by CHF 15.75 
or USD 15.67, the average closing price of UBS shares over the last ten trading days in February 2017. Starting with performance year 2017, the GEB member who is also an MRT is no longer permitted to receive 
dividend payments on EOP awards. Accordingly the number of shares for this GEB member was determined by dividing the amount by the share price used for other EOP awards, adjusted for the expected dividend 
yield over the vesting period, which represents the fair value of the non-dividend bearing awards.     7 The amounts reflect the amount of the notional additional tier 1 (AT1) capital instrument excluding future 
notional interest. For DCCP awards for the performance year 2017, the notional interest rate is set at 5.85% for awards denominated in US dollars and 2.30% for awards denominated in Swiss francs. For DCCP 
awards for the performance year 2016, the notional interest rate is set at 5.95% for awards denominated in US dollars and 2.55% for awards denominated in Swiss francs. Starting with performance year 2017, the 
GEB member who is also an MRT is no longer permitted to receive interest payments on DCCP awards. Accordingly the amounts reflect the fair value of the granted non-interest bearing awards.    8 Excludes the 
portion related to the legally required employer’s social security contributions for 2017 and 2016, which are estimated at grant at CHF 5,181,559 and CHF 5,131,867, respectively, of which CHF 893,257 and CHF 
856,796,  respectively,  for  the  highest-paid  GEB  member.  The  legally  required  employees’  social  security  contributions  are  included  in  the  amounts  shown  in  the  table  above,  as  appropriate.     9  Twelve  GEB 
members were in office on 31 December 2017 and on 31 December 2016.     10 2016 includes compensation for Lukas Gähwiler for eight months in office as a GEB member.     11 Excludes salaries and employer’s 
contribution paid for 2016 to the statutory pension scheme and benefits as part of the employment contract during the notice period of CHF 1,753,997 for two GEB members who stepped down on 31 December 
2015. No such payments were made in 2017.      

Fixed and variable compensation for GEB members1

CHF million, except where indicated

Total for the year ended 2017
%

Amount

Not deferred

Amount

Total compensation

Amount3

Number of beneficiaries

Fixed compensation3,4

Cash-based

Equity-based

Variable compensation

Immediate cash5

Equity Ownership Plan (EOP)6

 96

 12

 21

 20

 2

 74

 15

 37

 100

 22

 21

 2

 78

 15

 39

 36

 21

 20

 2

 15

 15

 0

%

 38

 100

 20

Deferred2

Amount

 60

 0

 0

 0

 60

 0

 37

%

 62

 0

 80

(cid:3)

Total for the 
year ended 
2016
Amount

 94

 13

 22

 20

 2

 72

 11

 39

Deferred Contingent Capital Plan (DCCP)6
1 The figures relate to all GEB members in office in 2017.      2 Based on the specific plan vesting and reflecting the total award value at grant, which may differ from the accounting expenses.    3 Excludes benefits 
and employer’s contribution to retirement benefit plans.     4 Includes base salary and role-based allowances, rounded to the nearest million.     5 Includes allocation of vested but blocked shares, in line with the 
remuneration section of the UK Prudential Regulation Authority Rulebook.    6 For the GEB member who is also an MRT, the awards starting with performance year 2017 are no longer permitted to include dividend 
and interest payments. Accordingly the amounts reflect for EOP the fair value of the non-dividend bearing awards and for DCCP the fair value of the granted non-interest bearing awards. 

 22

 23

 22

 22

 0

274 

2017 compensation for the Board of Directors

Chairman of the BoD

Independent BoD members

Under the leadership of the Chairman, Axel A. Weber, the Board 
of Directors (BoD) determines, among other things, the strategy 
for  the  Group  based  on  recommendations  by  the  Group  CEO, 
exercises ultimate supervision over management and appoints all 
Group Executive Board (GEB) members.

communication  with 

The  Chairman  presides  over  all  general  meetings  of 
shareholders  and  the  BoD,  and  works  with  the  committee 
chairpersons  to  coordinate  the  work  of  all  BoD  committees. 
Together  with  the  Group  CEO,  the  Chairman  is  responsible  for 
effective 
shareholders  and  other 
stakeholders,  including  government  officials,  regulators  and 
public  organizations.  This  is  in  addition  to  establishing  and 
maintaining  a  close  working  relationship  with  the  Group  CEO 
and  other  GEB  members,  and  providing  advice  and  support 
when  appropriate,  as  well  as  continuing  to  strengthen  and 
promote  our  culture  through  the  three  keys  to  success  –  our 
Pillars, Principles and Behaviors. 

The  Chairman’s  total  compensation  is  contractually  fixed  at 
CHF 5.7  million,  excluding  benefits  and  pension 
fund 
contributions.  His  total  compensation  for  2017,  which  is 
unchanged  from  last  year,  consisted  of  a  cash  payment  of 
CHF 3.5  million  and  a  share  component  of  CHF 2.2  million 
delivered  in  122,229  UBS  shares  at  CHF 17.999  per  share.  The 
shares are blocked from distribution for four years. Accordingly, 
his 
fund 
contributions for his service as Chairman for the full year 2017, 
was CHF 6,033,565.

including  benefits  and  pension 

reward, 

total 

→ Refer to “Board of Directors” in the “Corporate governance” 

section of this report for more information on the 

responsibilities of the Chairman

The  share  component  aligns  the  Chairman’s  pay  with  the 
Group’s  long-term  performance.  The  Chairman’s  employment 
terms  or 
agreement  does  not  provide 
supplementary  contributions  to  pension  plans.  Benefits  for  the 
Chairman are in line with local practices for UBS employees. The 
Compensation 
Chairman’s 
compensation  annually,  taking 
into  consideration  fee  or 
compensation levels for comparable roles outside the firm. 

Committee 

severance 

approves 

the 

for 

All BoD members except the Chairman are deemed independent 
directors  and  receive  a  fixed  base  fee  of  CHF 325,000  per 
annum. In addition to the base fee, independent BoD members 
receive  committee  retainers  for  their  services  on  the  firm’s 
various board committees. The Senior Independent Director and 
the Vice Chairman of the BoD each receive an additional retainer 
of  CHF 250,000.  Independent  BoD  members  must  use  a 
minimum of 50% of their fees to purchase UBS shares that are 
blocked  for  four  years.  They  may  elect  to  use  up  to  100%  of 
their  fees  to  purchase  blocked  UBS  shares.  In  all  cases,  the 
number of shares that independent BoD members are entitled to 
purchase is calculated at a discount of 15% below the average 
closing  price  over  the  last  10  trading  days  in  February. 
Independent BoD members do not receive performance awards, 
severance payments or benefits. The chart on the following page 
provides details and additional information on the remuneration 
framework for independent BoD members.

Base fees, committee retainers and any other payments to be 
received by independent BoD members are subject to an annual 
review  based  on  a  proposal  submitted  by  the  Chairman  of  the 
BoD  to  the  Compensation  Committee,  which  in  turn  submits  a 
recommendation to the BoD for approval. The BoD proposes at 
each  Annual  General  Meeting  (AGM)  for  shareholder  approval 
the  aggregate  amount  of  BoD 
including 
compensation  of  the  Chairman,  which  applies  until  the 
subsequent AGM.

remuneration, 

The  “Remuneration  details  and  additional  information  for 
independent  BoD  members”  table  shows  the  remuneration  for 
each independent BoD member for the period from AGM 2017 
to  AGM  2018.  The  fixed  base  fees  are  unchanged  from  the 
2016 / 17 period. 

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275 

 
 
 
 
Advisory vote

Corporate governance, responsibility and compensation 
Compensation

2017 / 2018 remuneration framework for independent BoD members

CHF, except where indicated

Fees include retainers for committee chair or membership and / or specific roles that are paid per annum. At least 50% of the total 
amounts must be used to purchase shares that are blocked for four years. 

Fixed base fee

Senior Independent Director retainer

Vice Chairman retainer

Audit Committee

Compensation Committee

Governance and Nominating Committee

Corporate Culture and Responsibility Committee

Risk Committee

325,000

250,000

250,000

Chair

   Member

300,000

200,000

300,000

100,000

100,000

50,000

400,000

200,000

Pay mix 1

Blocked
shares

Cash

50%

Delivery

50%

1 Independent BoD members can elect to use 100% of their remuneration to purchase blocked UBS shares. UBS blocked shares are granted with a price discount of 15% and are blocked for four years.

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

Audited |
Total payments to BoD members

CHF, except where indicated
Aggregate of all BoD members

For the year 

2017

2016

Total1

 13,133,565

 13,219,569

1 Includes social security contributions paid by the BoD members but excludes the portion related to the legally required social security contributions paid by UBS, which for 2017 is estimated at grant at CHF 
664,074 and for 2016 at CHF 662,740.

(cid:3)

Audited |
Compensation details and additional information for non-independent BoD members

CHF, except where indicated

Name, function1
Axel A. Weber, Chairman

For the year 
2017

2016

Base salary
 3,500,000

 3,500,000

Annual share 
award2
 2,200,000

 2,200,000

Contributions
to retirement
benefit plans4
 261,181

 261,181

Benefits3
 72,384

 108,388

Total5
 6,033,565

  6,069,569

1 Axel A. Weber was the only non-independent member in office on 31 December 2017 and on 31 December 2016, respectively.     2 These shares are blocked for four years.     3 Benefits are all valued at market 
price.     4 Includes the portion related to UBS’s contribution to the statutory pension scheme.     5 Excludes the portion related to the legally required social security contributions paid by UBS, which for 2017 is 
estimated at grant at CHF 367,999 and for 2016 at CHF 368,695. The legally required social security contributions paid by the non-independent BoD members are included in the amounts shown in this table, as 
appropriate.

(cid:3)

276 

Audited |
Remuneration details and additional information for independent BoD members
CHF, except where indicated

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M

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M

M

M

M

M

M

M

Name, function1
Michel Demaré,
Vice Chairman

David Sidwell, Senior 
Independent Director

Reto Francioni,
member

Ann F. Godbehere, 
member

William G. Parrett, 
member

Julie G. Richardson, 
member

Isabelle Romy,
member

Robert W. Scully, 
member

Beatrice Weder di 
Mauro, member

Dieter Wemmer,
member

Joseph Yam,
former member

TTotal 2017/2018

Additional 
payments2
 250,000

 250,000

 250,000

 250,000

FFor the period 
AGM to AGM
22017/2018

Base fee
 325,000

Committee 
retainer(s)
 400,000

22016/2017

 325,000

22017/2018

 325,000

22016/2017
22017/2018

22016/2017
22017/2018

22016/2017
22017/2018

22016/2017
22017/2018

22016/2017
22017/2018

22016/2017
22017/2018

22016/2017
22017/2018

 325,000
 325,000

 325,000
 325,000

 325,000
 325,000

 325,000
 325,000

–
 325,000

 325,000
 325,000

 325,000
 325,000

22016/2017

 325,000

22017/2018

 325,000

22016/2017
22017/2018

 215,000
–

22016/2017

 325,000

 400,000

 500,000

 500,000
 350,000

 350,000
 500,000

 500,000
 450,000

 450,000
 200,000

–
 300,000

 300,000
 200,000

 200,000
 250,000

 400,000

 200,000

 160,000
–

 250,000

Share
percentage4
 50

Number of 
shares5,6
 31,864

 50

 50

 50
 50

 50
 50

 50
 50

 50
 50

–
 50

 50
 50

 100
 50

 50

 50

 50
–

 50

 36,407

 35,133

 40,141
 22,060

 25,205
 26,962

 30,806
 25,328

 28,939
 17,157

–
 20,426

 23,338
 17,157

 29,917
 18,792

 27,072

 17,157

 14,002
–

 21,471

TTotal3
  975,000

  975,000

  1,075,000

  1,075,000
  675,000

  675,000
  825,000

  825,000
  775,000

  775,000
  525,000

––
  625,000

  625,000
  525,000

  525,000
  575,000

  725,000

  525,000

  375,000
––

  575,000

  7,100,000

TTotal 2016/2017
Legend: C = Chairperson of the respective Committee, M = Member of the respective Committee
11 Ten independent BoD members were in office on 31 December 2017. Julie G. Richardson was elected and Joseph Yam stepped down at the AGM on 4 May 2017. Ten independent BoD members were in office on 
31  December  2016.  On  Dieter  Wemmer’s  request,  his  remuneration  had  been  reduced  to  account  for  his  meeting  attendance  as  he  faced  a  number  of  scheduling  conflicts  in  2016.     2  These  payments  are 
associated with the Vice Chairman or the Senior Independent Director function.    3 Excludes UBS’s portion related to the legally required social security contributions, which for the period from the AGM 2017 to the 
AGM 2018 is estimated at grant at CHF 296,075 and which for the period from the AGM 2016 to the AGM 2017 was estimated at grant at CHF 294,045. The legally required social security contributions paid by 
the independent BoD members are included in the amounts shown in this table, as appropriate.     4 Fees are paid 50% in cash and 50% in blocked UBS shares. However, independent BoD members may elect to 
have 100% of their remuneration paid in blocked UBS shares.     5 For 2017, UBS shares, valued at CHF 17.999 (average closing price of UBS shares at the SIX Swiss Exchange over the last 10 trading days of 
February 2018), were granted with a price discount of 15%. These shares are blocked for four years. For 2016, UBS shares, valued at CHF 15.75 (average closing price of UBS shares at the SIX Swiss Exchange over 
the last 10 trading days of February 2017), were granted with a price discount of 15%. These shares are blocked for four years.     6 Number of shares is reduced in case of the 100% election to deduct legally 
required contributions. All remuneration payments are, where applicable, subject to social security contributions and / or withholding tax.

  7,150,000

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277 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Advisory vote

Corporate governance, responsibility and compensation 
Compensation

Our compensation governance framework

Chairman of the BoD and the Group CEO attended all meetings 
and calls. The Chairman of the BoD and the Group CEO were not 
present  during  discussions  related  to  their  own  compensation  or 
performance  evaluations.  The  Chairperson  of  the  Compensation 
Committee may also invite other executives to join the meeting in 
an  advisory  capacity.  No  individual  whose  compensation  is 
reviewed  is  allowed  to  attend  meetings  during  which  specific 
decisions are made about their compensation. Such decisions are 
subject to approval of the Compensation Committee and the BoD.
After  the  meetings,  the  Chairperson  of  the  Compensation 
Committee  reports  to  the  BoD  on  the  activities  of  the 
Compensation Committee and the matters discussed. In addition, 
where necessary, the Chairperson submits proposals for approval 
by  the  full  BoD.  The  minutes  of  Compensation  Committee 
meetings are sent to all members of the BoD. 

On  31  December  2017,  the  Compensation  Committee 
members  were  Ann  F.  Godbehere,  who  chairs  the  committee, 
Michel Demaré, Reto Francioni and William G. Parrett. 

External advisors

The  Compensation  Committee  may  retain  external  advisors  to 
support it in fulfilling its duties. In 2017, HCM International Ltd. 
provided  independent  advice  on  compensation  matters.  HCM 
International  Ltd.  holds  no  other  mandates  with  UBS.  The 
compensation  consulting  firm  Willis  Towers  Watson  provided 
the  Compensation  Committee  with  data  on  market  trends  and 
to  GEB  and  BoD 
benchmarks, 
compensation.  Various  subsidiaries  of  Willis  Towers  Watson 
provide  similar  data  to  Human  Resources 
in  relation  to 
compensation  for  employees  below  the  BoD  and  GEB  level. 
Willis  Towers  Watson  holds  no  other  compensation-related 
mandates with UBS.

including 

relation 

in 

The Risk Committee’s role in compensation

The Risk Committee, a committee of the BoD, works closely with 
the Compensation Committee to reinforce that our approach to 
compensation reflects proper risk management and control. The 
Risk  Committee 
risk 
management  and  risk  control  principles  and  receives  regular 
briefings on how risk is factored into the compensation process. 
in 
It  also  monitors  Group  Risk  Control’s 
compensation  and 
the 
compensation process. 

risk-related  aspects  of 

sets  appropriate 

supervises  and 

involvement 

reviews 

→ Refer to www.ubs.com/governance for more information 

Board of Directors and Compensation Committee

The  Board  of  Directors  (BoD)  is  ultimately  responsible  for 
approving and overseeing the compensation strategy proposed by 
the  Compensation  Committee,  which  determines  compensation-
related matters in line with the principles set forth in the Articles 
of Association. 

As  determined  in  the  Articles  of  Association  and  the  firm’s 
Organization  Regulations, 
the  Compensation  Committee 
supports the BoD in its duties to set guidelines on compensation 
and benefits, to approve certain compensation and to scrutinize 
executive compensation. It is responsible for the governance and 
oversight  of  our  compensation  process  and  practices,  including 
considering  the  alignment  between  pay  and  performance  and 
that our compensation system does not encourage inappropriate 
risk-taking.  Our  Compensation  Committee  consists  of  four 
independent  BoD  members  who  are  elected  annually  by  the 
shareholders at the Annual General Meeting (AGM).

Among  other  responsibilities,  the  Compensation  Committee, 

on behalf of the BoD:
– reviews our Total Reward Principles
– reviews  and  approves  the  design  of  the  compensation

framework

– reviews  performance  award  funding  throughout  the  year  and
proposes  the  final  performance  award  pool  to  the  BoD  for
approval

– together  with  the  Group  CEO,  reviews  performance  targets
and  performance  assessments  and  proposes  base  salaries  and
annual  performance  awards  for  the  other  Group  Executive
Board  (GEB)  members  to  the  BoD,  which  approves  the  total
compensation of each GEB member

– together  with 

the  Chairman  of 

the  BoD,  establishes
performance targets, evaluates performance and proposes the
compensation for the Group CEO to the BoD

– approves the total compensation for the Chairman of the BoD
– together  with  the  Chairman,  proposes  the  total  individual
compensation  for  independent  BoD  members  for  approval  by
the BoD

– together  with  the  BoD,  proposes  the  maximum  aggregate
amounts of compensation for the BoD and for the GEB, to be
submitted for approval by shareholders at the AGM

– reviews  the  compensation  report  and  approves  any  material

public disclosures on compensation matters

The Compensation Committee meets at least four times a year. 
In 2017, the Compensation Committee held seven meetings and 
two  conference  calls.  All  meetings  were  fully  attended.  The 

278 

Compensation Committee 2017 / 2018 key activities and timeline

This table provides an overview of the Compensation Committee’s key scheduled activities from AGM 2017 to AGM 2018.

Strategy, policy and governance

Revised Total Reward Principles

Three year strategic plan on variable compensation

Compensation disclosure and stakeholder communication matters

AGM reward-related items

Compensation Committee governance

Annual compensation review

Accruals and full-year forecast of the performance award pool funding

Performance targets and performance assessment of the Group CEO and GEB members

Group CEO and GEB members' salaries and individual performance awards

Update on market practice, trends and peer group matters
Pay for performance, including governance on certain higher-paid employees, and
non-standard compensation arrangements
Board of Directors remuneration

Compensation framework

Compensation framework and deferred compensation matters

Risk and regulatory
Risk management in the compensation approach and joint meeting with 
BoD Risk Committee
Regulatory activities impacting employees and engagement with regulators

June

(cid:3)
(cid:3)

(cid:3)
(cid:3)

(cid:3)

July

(cid:3)

(cid:3)

(cid:3)

(cid:3)
(cid:3)

(cid:3)

Sept

Oct

Nov

Dec

Jan

Feb

(cid:3)
(cid:3)

(cid:3)

(cid:3)
(cid:3)

(cid:3)

(cid:3)

(cid:3)
(cid:3)
(cid:3)

(cid:3)
(cid:3)

(cid:3)

(cid:3)
(cid:3)
(cid:3)

(cid:3)
(cid:3)

(cid:3)
(cid:3)

(cid:3)

(cid:3)

(cid:3)

(cid:3)

(cid:3)

(cid:3)

(cid:3)

(cid:3)

(cid:3)

(cid:3)
(cid:3)

Compensation governance 

The table below provides an overview of compensation governance by specific role. 

Recipients

Compensation recommendations developed by

Approved by

Chairman of the BoD

Chairperson of the Compensation Committee

Compensation Committee1

Independent BoD members 
(remuneration system and fees)

Compensation Committee and Chairman of the BoD

BoD1

Group CEO

Compensation Committee and Chairman of the BoD

Other GEB members

Compensation Committee and Group CEO

BoD1

BoD1

Key Risk Takers (KRTs) / 
(senior) employees

Respective GEB member together with functional 
management team

Individual compensation for KRTs and senior 
employees: Group CEO

Performance award pool for all employees: BoD

1 Aggregate compensation for the GEB and aggregate remuneration for the BoD are subject to shareholder approval.

Communicated by

Compensation Committee

Chairman of the BoD

Chairman of the BoD

Group CEO

Line manager

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279 

 
 
 
 
Advisory vote

Corporate governance, responsibility and compensation 
Compensation

Shareholder engagement and say-on-pay votes at the AGM

Approved compensation 

UBS is committed to an ongoing dialog with our shareholders to 
ascertain  their  perspectives  on  developments  and  trends  in 
compensation  and  corporate  governance  matters.  In  line  with 
the  Swiss  Ordinance  against  Excessive  Compensation  in  Listed 
Stock  Corporations,  we  seek  binding  shareholder  approval  for 
the aggregate compensation for the GEB and for the BoD. The 
BoD  believes 
fixed 
that  prospective  approval 
remuneration for the BoD and the GEB provides the firm and its 
governing  bodies  with  the  certainty  necessary  to  operate 
effectively.  Furthermore,  retrospective  approval  for  the  GEB’s 
variable compensation awards aligns total compensation for the 
GEB  to  performance  and  contribution  and  to  developments  in 
the  market  place  and  across  peers.  The  combination  of  the 
binding  votes  on  compensation  and  the  advisory  vote  on  the 
compensation  framework  reflects  our  commitment  to  our 
shareholders having their say on pay.

the 

for 

For  the  performance  year  2017,  shareholders  approved  at  the 
AGM  2016  a  maximum  aggregate  fixed  compensation  amount 
of CHF 28,500,000 for the members of the GEB, including base 
salaries,  role-based  allowances  in  response  to  the  EU  Capital 
Requirements  Directive 
IV),  estimated  standard 
contribution  to  retirement  benefit  plans,  other  benefits  and  a 
buffer.  The  aggregate  fixed  compensation  paid  in  2017  to  the 
GEB members did not exceed the approved amount for 2017. 
→ Refer to “Total compensation for GEB members” in the “2017 
compensation for the Group CEO and other GEB members” 

(CRD 

IV 

section of this report 

→ Refer to “Provisions of the Articles of Association related to 

compensation” in the “Supplemental information” section of 

this report for more information

Say on pay – compensation-related votes at the AGM 2017

AGM 2017 say-on-pay voting schemes

Binding vote on GEB variable compensation

Proposal on the aggregate amount of variable 
compensation for the GEB for the past 
performance year

Shareholders approved 
CHF 71,900,000 for the financial year 
20161, 2, 3

88.9%

CHF 71,900,000

AGM 2017 actual shareholder votes

Vote “for”

Compensation granted

Binding vote on GEB fixed compensation

Proposal on the maximum amount of fixed 
compensation for the GEB for the following 
financial year

Shareholders approved 
CHF 31,500,000 for the financial year 
2018

91.4%

To be disclosed in the 
Compensation Report 
2018

Binding vote on BoD remuneration

Advisory vote on compensation report

Proposal on the maximum aggregate amount of 
remuneration for the BoD for the period from 
AGM to AGM. This ensures that the term of 
office and the compensation period are aligned

Proposal on the prior-year compensation report, 
which provides valuable shareholder feedback 
on compensation practice in relation to UBS’s 
compensation framework, governance and policy

Shareholders approved 
CHF 14,000,000 for the period from 
the AGM 2017 to the AGM 20181,2

89.1%

CHF 13,133,565

Shareholders approved the UBS Group 
AG Compensation Report 2016 in an 
advisory vote

88.4%

1 Local currencies are translated into Swiss francs at the exchange rates stated in “Note 34 Currency translation rates” in the “Consolidated financial statements” section of the Annual Report 2016.   2 Excludes the 
portion related to the legally required employer’s social security contributions.   3 Twelve GEB members were in office on 31 December 2016. 

280 

Our compensation for employees other than GEB members

Base salary

Employees’  fixed  compensation  reflects  their  level  of  skill,  role 
and  experience,  as  well  as 
local  market  practice.  Fixed 
compensation  generally  consists  of  a  base  salary  and,  if 
applicable, a role-based allowance. Base salaries are usually paid 
monthly or fortnightly. We offer our employees competitive base 
salaries which vary between functions and locations. Since 2011, 
salary increases have been limited. Salary increases will continue 
to be granted to employees who were promoted, have scarce or 
in-demand skill sets, delivered a very strong performance or took 
on increased responsibilities. 

Overall, we focus on total compensation. For example, 2017 
performance  award  pools  take  into  account  salary  increases 
granted  earlier  in  the  year.  We  will  continue  to  review  salaries 
and  performance  awards  in  light  of  market  developments, 
affordability,  our  performance  and  our  commitment  to  deliver 
sustainable  returns  to  our  shareholders.  UBS  is  committed  to 
ensuring  women  and  men  are  paid  equitably,  and  we  have 
robust  practices  in  place  intended  to  ensure  compensation  and 
career opportunities reflect our commitment. 

In  addition  to  a  base  salary  and  as  part  of  fixed 
compensation,  some  regulated  employees  may  receive  a  role-
based  allowance  as  described  in  the  “Material  Risk  Takers” 
section  of  this  report.  Such  allowance  represents  a  shift  in  the 
compensation  mix  between  fixed  and  variable  compensation 
and not an increase in total compensation.

Pensions, benefits, and employee share purchase program

We  offer  certain  benefits  to  our  employees  such  as  health 
insurance  and  retirement  benefits.  These  benefits  may  vary 
depending  on  the  employee’s  location  and  are  intended  to  be 
competitive in each of the markets in which we operate. Pension 
contributions  and  pension  plans  also  vary  across  locations  and 
countries  in  accordance  with  local  requirements  and  market 
practice.  However,  pension  plan  rules  in  any  one  location  are 
generally the same for all employees, including management.

The Equity Plus Plan is our employee share purchase program. 
It  allows  employees  below  the  rank  of  managing  director  to 
apply up to 30% of their base salary and / or up to 35% of their 
performance  award  (up  to  CHF  /  USD 20,000  annually)  for  the 
purchase of UBS shares. Eligible employees may buy UBS shares 
at market price and receive one matching share for every three 
shares  purchased  through  the  program.  The  matching  shares 
vest  after  a  maximum  of  three  years,  provided  the  employee 
remains employed with the firm and has retained the purchased 
shares throughout the holding period.

→ Refer to “Note 26 Pension and other post-employment benefit 

plans” in the “Consolidated financial statements” section of this 

report for more information 

Performance award

Most  of  our  employees  are  eligible  for  an  annual  performance 
award.  The  level  of  the  award,  where  applicable,  depends  on 
the firm’s overall performance, the employee’s business division 
performance,  as  well  as  individual  performance  and  behavior, 
reflecting  their  overall  contribution  to  the  firm’s  results.  To  link 
pay  with  performance,  the  key  performance  indicators  (KPIs) 
used  to  measure  our  progress  in  executing  our  strategy  are 
taken into account when determining the size of each business 
division’s performance award pool. The KPIs also serve as a basis 
for setting specific performance conditions for vesting of certain 
deferred compensation plan grants.

In  addition  to  the  firm’s  Principles  around  client  focus, 
excellence  and  sustainable  performance,  on  an  individual  level, 
Behaviors  related  to  integrity,  collaboration  and  challenge  are 
part  of  the  performance  management  approach.  Therefore, 
when  assessing  performance,  we  take  into  account  not  only 
what was achieved, but also how those results were achieved.

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281 

1 

2

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Advisory vote

Corporate governance, responsibility and compensation 
Compensation

Benchmarking

Because  of  the  diversity  of  our  businesses,  our  choice  of 
benchmark companies focuses on the comparability of business 
division,  location  and  scope  of  role.  For  certain  businesses  or 
roles,  we  may  take  into  account  practices  at  other  major 
international  banks,  other  large  Swiss  private  banks,  private 
equity firms, hedge funds and non-financial firms. Furthermore, 
we  also  benchmark  employee  compensation  internally  for 
comparable  roles  within  and  across  business  divisions  and 
locations. 

Deferral of performance awards

long-term 

To reinforce our culture and our approach to manage risk and to 
emphasize  the  importance  we  place  on  the  sustainability  of 
results, we deliver our variable compensation through a deferral 
rather  than  a 
incentive  plan.  This  aligns  our 
employees’  and  stakeholders’  interests  and  appropriately  links 
compensation  to 
longer-term  sustainable  performance.  A 
portion  of  performance  awards  above  a  total  compensation  of 
CHF  /  USD 300,000  is  deferred  in  UBS  notional  shares  and  /  or 
UBS  notional  instruments  over  a  period  of  five  years,  or  longer 
for certain regulated employees. 

We  regularly  review  our  principles  and  compensation 
framework to remain competitive and aligned with stakeholders. 
For 2017, we made no changes to our overall framework, e.g., 
EOP  and  DCCP  terms  and  conditions;  however,  our  deferral 
rates  for  all  employees  have  been  refined  to  better  align  with 
market practice.

The deferred amount increases at higher marginal rates in line 
with  the  value  of  the  performance  award.  The  portion  of  the 
performance  award  paid  out  in  immediate  cash  is  capped.  To 
remain  competitive,  we  have  revised  the  cap  to  CHF  /  USD 2 
million (or the equivalent in other currencies) without impacting 
the  overall  pay  levels.  Amounts  in  excess  of  the  cash  cap  are 
deferred  in  notional  shares  under  the  Equity  Ownership  Plan 
(EOP).  The  effective  deferral  rate  therefore  depends  on  the 
amount  of  the  performance  award  and  the  amount  of  total 
compensation.

Of  the  deferred  annual  performance  award,  at  least  60%  is 
deferred in UBS notional shares under the EOP and up to 40% is 
deferred in notional instruments under the Deferred Contingent 
Capital  Plan  (DCCP).  Asset  Management  employees  receive  at 
least  75%  of  their  deferred  performance  awards  in  notional 
funds  under  the  EOP  and  up  to  25%  under  the  DCCP.  The 
average  deferral  period  for  deferred  performance  awards  for 
employees below Group Executive Board (GEB) level is 3.5 years.

The  potential  realized  pay  cannot  exceed  the  award  granted 
other  than  for  market  movements  and  returns  of  the 
instruments. Therefore, our compensation plans have no upward 
leverage,  such  as  multiplier  factors,  and  consequently  do  not 
encourage  excessive  risk-taking.  We  believe  UBS  has  a  deferral 
regime with one of the longest vesting periods in the industry.
→ Refer to the “Our deferred variable compensation plans for 

2017” section of this report for more information 

→ Refer to “Note 27 Employee benefits: variable compensation” in 
the “Consolidated financial statements” section of this report 

for more information

282 

Other variable compensation components

To support hiring and retention, particularly at senior levels, we 
may  offer  certain  other  compensation  components.  These 
include:
– Replacement  payments 

for
deferred awards forfeited as a result of joining the firm. Such
payments  are  industry  practice  and  are  often  necessary  to
attract  senior  candidates,  who  generally  have  a  significant
portion  of  their  awards  deferred  at  their  current  employer,
where continued employment is required to avoid forfeiture.
– Retention  payments  made  to  key  employees  to  induce  them

to  compensate  employees 

to stay, particularly during critical periods for the firm.

– On a very limited basis, guarantees may be required to attract
individuals  with  certain  skills  and  experience.  These  awards
are fixed incentives subject to our standard deferral rules and
are limited to the first full year of employment.

– Award  grants  to  employees  hired  late  in  the  year  to  replace
performance  awards  that  they  would  have  earned  at  their
previous  employers,  but  have  foregone  by  joining  the  firm.
These awards are structured with the same level of deferral as
for  employees  at  a  similar  level  at  UBS.  In  exceptional  cases,
candidates  may  be  offered  a  sign-on  award  to  increase  the
chances of them accepting our offer.

These other variable compensation components are subject to 
a  comprehensive  governance  process.  Authorization  and 
responsibility  may  go  up  to  the  Board  of  Directors  (BoD) 
Compensation Committee, depending on the amount or type of 
such payments. 

Employees  who  are  made  redundant  may  receive  severance 
payments. Our severance terms comply with the applicable local 
laws  (legally  obligated  severance).  In  certain  locations,  we  may 
provide  severance  packages  that  are  negotiated  with  our  local 
social  partners  and  may  go  beyond  the  applicable  minimum 
legal  requirements  (standard  severance).  Such  payments  are 
governed by location-specific severance policies. In addition, we 
may  make  severance  payments  that  exceed  legally  obligated  or 
standard  severance  payments  (supplemental  severance)  where 
we  believe  that  they  are  aligned  with  market  practice  and 
appropriate  under  the  circumstances.  No  severance  payments 
are made to members of the GEB.

Sign-on payments, replacement payments, guarantees and severance payments

CHF million, except where indicated
TTotal sign-on payments1

of which: Key Risk Takers 2
TTotal replacement payments3
of which: Key Risk Takers 2

TTotal guarantees3

of which: Key Risk Takers 2

TTotal severance payments1,4

TTotal 2017

oof which: expenses 
recognized in 2017 5

of which: expenses 
to be recognized in 
2018 and later

TTotal 2016

NNumber of beneficiaries

  34

  25
  96

  52
  37

  20
  222

  15

  8
  17

  11
  17

  7
  222

 19

 17
 79

 41
 20

 13
 0

 43

 19
 65

 26
 13

 0
 271

22017

  149

  15
  278

  27
  39

  9
  2,205

2016

 145

 10
 221

 14
 17

 0
 2,637

of which: Key Risk Takers

 17
11 GEB members are not eligible for sign-on or severance payments.     2 Expenses for Key Risk Takers are full-year amounts for individuals in office on 31 December 2017. Key Risk Takers include employees with a 
total compensation exceeding CHF / USD 2.5 million (Highly-Paid Employees).    3 No GEB member received replacement payments or guarantees for 2017 or 2016    4 Severance payments include legally obligated 
and standard severance.    5 Expenses before post-vesting transfer restrictions.

  2

  6

  2

 0

 4

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283 

 
 
 
 
Advisory vote

Corporate governance, responsibility and compensation 
Compensation

Compensation for financial advisors in Wealth 
Management Americas

In  line  with  market  practice  for  US  wealth  management 
businesses,  the  compensation  for  financial  advisors  in  Wealth 
Management  Americas  is  comprised  of  production  payout  and 
deferred  compensation  awards.  Production  payout,  paid 
monthly,  is  primarily  based  on  compensable  revenue.  Financial 
advisors  may  also  qualify  for  deferred  compensation  awards, 
which  vest  over  various  time  periods  of  up  to  10  years.  The 
awards are based on strategic performance measures, including 
production,  length  of  service  with  the  firm  and  net  new 
business.  Production  payout  rates  and  deferred  compensation 
awards  may  be  reduced  for,  among  other  things,  errors, 
negligence or carelessness, or a failure to comply with the firm’s 
rules,  standards,  practices  and  policies  or  applicable  laws  and 
regulations.

Key Risk Takers

firm’s  resources  and  /  or  exert  significant  influence  over  its  risk 
profile.  This  includes  employees  who  work  in  front-office  roles, 
logistics and control functions. Identifying KRTs is part of our risk 
control  framework  and  an  important  element  in  ensuring  we 
incentivize  only  appropriate 
risk-taking.  For  2017,  719 
employees  were  classified  as  KRTs,  including  all  12  GEB 
members.  This  group  also  includes  all  employees  with  a  total 
compensation  exceeding  CHF  /  USD 2.5  million  (Highly  Paid 
Employees)  who  may  not  have  been  identified  as  KRTs  during 
the performance year. 

The performance of employees identified as KRTs during the 

performance year is evaluated by the control functions. 

In  line  with  regulatory  requirements,  KRTs’  performance 
awards are subject to a mandatory deferral rate of at least 50%, 
regardless  of  whether  the  deferral  threshold  has  been  met.  A 
KRT’s deferred compensation award will only vest if the relevant 
Group  and  /  or  business  division  performance  conditions  are 
met. Like for all other employees, the deferred portion of KRTs’ 
compensation is also subject to forfeiture or reduction if the KRT 
commits harmful acts. 

Key  Risk  Takers  (KRTs)  are  globally  defined  as  those  employees 
who,  by  the  nature  of  their  roles,  have  been  determined  to 
materially  set,  commit  or  control  significant  amounts  of  the 

Group  Managing  Directors  (GMDs)  receive  part  of  their 
annual  performance  award  under  the  DCCP  and  EOP  with  the 
same vesting conditions as for KRTs.

Fixed and variable compensation for Key Risk Takers1

CHF million, except where indicated

AAmount

%%

AAmount

TTotal for the year ended 2017

NNot deferred

TTotal compensation

Amount4

Number of beneficiaries

FFixed compensation4,5

Cash-based

Equity-based

VVariable compensation

Immediate cash6

Equity Ownership Plan (EOP)7

  1,324

  100

  707

  435

  408

  27

  889

  371

  319

  33

  31

  2

  67

  28

  24

  806

  435

  408

  27

  371

  371

  0

%%

  61

  100

  42

DDeferred2

AAmount

  519

  0

  0

  0

  519

  0

  319

%%

  39

  0

  58

Total for the 
year ended 
20163
Amount

 1,138

 649

 386

 357

 29

 752

 233

 322

Deferred Contingent Capital Plan (DCCP)7
11 Includes employees with a total compensation exceeding CHF / USD 2.5 million (Highly Paid Employees), excluding GEB members who were in office on 31 December 2017.     2 Based on the specific plan vesting 
and reflects the total value at grant which may differ from the accounting expenses.    3 2016 figures as reported in our Annual Report 2016.    4 Excludes benefits and employer's contribution to retirement benefits 
plan.     5 Includes base salary and role-based allowances.    6 Includes allocation of vested but blocked shares, in line with UK Prudential Regulation Authority remuneration code.    7 Starting with performance year 
2017 KRTs who are also MRTs, are no longer permitted to receive dividend and interest payments. Accordingly the amounts reflect for EOP the fair value of the non-dividend bearing awards and for DCCP the fair 
value of the granted non-interest bearing awards.

  199

  199

 197

  15

  0

284 

Material Risk Takers

UK Senior Managers and Certification Regime

For entities that are regulated in the EU, we identify individuals 
who are deemed to be Material Risk Takers (MRTs) based on the 
respective EU Commission Regulation, the Capital Requirements 
Directive  (CRD)  and  the  guidelines  on  sound  remuneration 
policies  issued  by  the  European  Banking  Authority  (EBA).  This 
group consists of senior management, risk takers, selected staff 
in  control  or  support  functions  and  certain  employees  whose 
total compensation is above a specified threshold. For 2017, UBS 
identified  a  group  of  623  MRTs  in  the  UK  and  59  MRTs  across 
our other EU entities.

Variable compensation awarded to MRTs is subject to specific 
requirements from local regulators based on the EBA guidelines 
such  as  a  maximum  variable  to  fixed  compensation  ratio. 
Further,  generally  50%  of  their  upfront  performance  award  is 
delivered in UBS shares that vest immediately but are blocked for 
12 months, as well as minimum deferral requirements between 
40% and 60%. 

Any  notional  shares  granted  to  MRTs  under  the  EOP  and 
notional DCCP awards for their performance in 2017 are subject 
to a six-month blocking period post vesting and do not pay out 
dividends or interest.

Since  2015,  performance  awards  granted  to  UK  MRTs  have 
been subject to clawback provisions for a period of up to seven 
years  from  the  date  of  grant.  In  line  with  the  EBA  guidelines, 
clawback  has  also  been  introduced  from  2018  in  other  EU 
jurisdictions as applicable. Under these provisions, the firm may 
claim repayment of both the immediate and the vested deferred 
element  of  any  performance  award  if  an  individual  is  found  to 
have  contributed  substantially  to  significant  financial  losses  for 
the  Group,  a  material  downward  restatement  of  disclosed 
results, or engaged in misconduct and/or failed to take expected 
actions  that  contributed  to  significant  harm  to  the  Group’s 
reputation.

In  line  with  market  practice,  MRTs  may  receive  a  role-based 
allowance  in  addition  to  their  base  salary.  This  role-based 
allowance reflects the market value of a specific role and is fixed, 
non-forfeitable  compensation.  Unlike  salary,  a 
role-based 
allowance  is  paid  only  as  long  as  the  employee  is  in  a  specific 
role.  Importantly,  the  role-based  allowance  represents  a  shift  in 
the compensation mix between fixed and variable compensation 
and not an increase in total compensation. Similar to 2016, the 
2017  role-based  allowances  consisted  of  an  immediate  cash 
portion and, where applicable, a blocked UBS share award. 

The Senior Managers and Certification Regime (SMCR) of the UK 
PRA  and  FCA 
specified 
that 
responsibilities, performing certain significant functions and / or 
those  in  certain  other  identified  categories  be  designated  as 
Senior Management Functions (SMFs). 

individuals  with 

requires 

SMFs  are  subject  to  specific  compensation  requirements, 
including  longer  deferral  as  well  as  longer  blocking  and 
clawback  periods.  The  deferral  period  for  SMFs  is  seven  years, 
with  the  deferred  performance  awards  vesting 
in  equal 
installments  between  years  3  and  7.  Additionally,  these  awards 
are  subject  to  a  12-month  blocking  period  post  vesting.  The 
clawback  policy  for  SMFs  permits  clawback  for  up  to  10  years 
from  the  date  of  performance  award  grants  (applicable  if  an 
individual  is  subject  to  an  investigation  at  the  end  of  the  initial 
seven-year  clawback  period).  All  SMFs  are  also  identified  as 
MRTs and as such subject to the same prohibitions on dividend 
and interest payments.

Control functions and Group Internal Audit

the  performance  of 

these  businesses,  but  on 

Our  control  functions,  Risk  Control  (including  Compliance), 
Finance and Legal, must be independent in order to monitor risk 
effectively.  Therefore,  we  determine 
their  compensation 
independently  from  the  revenue  producers  that  they  oversee, 
supervise or support. Their performance award pool is not based 
the 
on 
performance of the Group as a whole. In addition, we consider 
other  factors,  such  as  how  effectively  the  function  has 
performed,  and  our  market  position.  Decisions  on  individual 
compensation  for  the  senior  managers  of  the  control  functions 
are  made  by  the  function  heads  and  approved  by  the  Group 
CEO. Decisions on individual compensation for the members of 
Group  Internal  Audit  (GIA)  are  made  by  the  Head  of  GIA  and 
approved  by  the  Chairman  of  the  BoD.  Upon  proposal  by  the 
Chairman, total compensation for the Head of GIA is approved 
by the Compensation Committee in consultation with the Audit 
Committee. 

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285 

 
 
 
 
Advisory vote

Corporate governance, responsibility and compensation 
Compensation

Our deferred variable compensation plans for 2017

Deferred compensation

Deferred  compensation  is  delivered  through  two  plans:  (i)  the 
Equity  Ownership  Plan  (EOP),  which  primarily  aligns  employee 
interest  with  those  of  our  shareholders,  and  (ii)  the  Deferred 
Contingent Capital Plan (DCCP), which aligns employee interest 
with the interests of bondholders. 

The  average  deferral  period  is  4.4  years  for  Group  Executive 
Board  (GEB)  members  and  3.5  years  for  employees  below  GEB 
level.  To  further  promote  sustainable  performance  our  deferred 
compensation  components  include  malus  conditions.  Malus 
conditions  enable  the  firm  to  forfeit  unvested  deferred  awards 

Overview of our deferred variable compensation plans

under certain circumstances, including performance and harmful 
acts  provisions.  Additionally,  deferred  awards  granted  to  our 
most senior employees and to Highly Paid Employees (employees 
with a total compensation exceeding CHF / USD 2.5 million) are 
subject  to  performance  conditions.  Under  the  EOP  and  DCCP, 
employees who are not Material Risk Takers (MRTs) may receive 
annual  dividend  equivalents  /  notional  interest  payments.  EBA 
guidelines,  starting  with  performance  year  2017,  no  longer 
permit  MRTs  to  receive  dividend  or  interest  payments  on 
instruments awarded as deferred variable remuneration.

Benefi ciaries

GEB members, Key Risk Takers and all employees with total compen-
sation greater than CHF / USD 300,000

GEB members, Key Risk Takers and all employees with total compen-
sation greater than CHF / USD 300,000

Equity Ownership Plan

Deferred Contingent Capital Plan

Deferral mix1
(between EOP and DCCP)

Vesting schedule1

Share price

Forfeiture  clauses

Harmful acts

Performance  conditions

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GEB members: at least 62.5%
Asset Management employees: at least 75%
All other employees: at least 60%

GEB members: up to 37.5%
Asset Management employees: up to 25%
All other employees: up to 40%

GEB members: vests in three installments after years 3, 4 and 5
Asset Management employees: vests in three installments after years 
2, 3 and 5
All other employees: vests in equal installments after years 2 and 3

GEB members and all other employees: vests in full after 5 years

√

√

√

√

√

GEB members, GMDs, Key Risk Takers (including Highly Paid Employ-
ees) and SMFs: number of UBS shares delivered at vesting depends 
on the achievement of both Group and respective business division 
 performance conditions2

Depends on whether a trigger event or viability event has  occurred 
and, for GEB members, also on profi tability

Profi tability  as funding driver

√

√

Instrument

UBS notional shares 3 (eligible for dividend equivalents4)

Notional instruments and interest4

1 Senior Management Functions have extended deferral periods, with the deferred performance awards vesting in equal installments between years 3 and 7.    2 Includes Asset Management employees who are Group 
1 
Managing  Directors  (GMDs)  or  Key  Risk  Takers  (including  Highly  Paid  Employees).     3  Notional  funds  for  Asset  Management  employees.    4  Material  Risk  Takers  are  ineligible  for  dividends,  including  dividend 
3 
equivalents and interest, including notional interest on their unvested performance awards.

2 

4

286 

 
 
Equity Ownership Plan

total 

compensation  greater 

The Equity Ownership Plan (EOP) is a mandatory deferral plan for 
all  employees  with 
than 
CHF / USD 300,000.  These  employees  receive  at  least  60%  of 
their  deferred  performance  award  under  the  EOP  in  notional 
shares,  which  are  eligible  for  dividend  equivalents  where 
regulation permits. For performance year 2017, we granted EOP 
awards to 5,127 employees.

The plan includes provisions that allow the firm to reduce or 
fully  forfeit  the  unvested  deferred  portion  of  the  granted  EOP 
award if an employee commits certain harmful acts, and in most 
cases trigger forfeiture where employment has been terminated.
EOP awards granted to Asset Management employees have a 
different  vesting  schedule  and  deferral  mix,  as  shown  in  the 
table  “Overview  of  our  deferred  variable  compensation  plans” 
on  the  previous  page,  and  are  granted  as  cash-settled  notional 
funds.  This  aligns  Asset  Management  employee  compensation 
more closely with industry standards.

(GMDs),  Key  Risk  Takers 

EOP  awards  granted  to  GEB  members,  Group  Managing 
Directors 
(including  Highly  Paid 
Employees)  and  Senior  Management  Functions  (SMFs)  will  only 
vest if both Group and business division performance conditions 
are  met.  The  Group  performance  is  measured  based  on  the 
average  adjusted  return  on  tangible  equity  (RoTE)  over  the 
performance  period.  Our  assessment  for  vesting  purposes 
excludes the effect of deferred tax assets (DTAs) as these are not 
reflective  of  the  underlying  performance  of  the  Group,  do  not 
impact  our  ability  to  return  capital  to  shareholders  and  are  not 
within  management  control.  Further,  the  recognition  of  DTAs 
which were positive in the past, has never had an impact on the 
performance  award  vesting.  Business  division  performance  is 
measured  on  the  basis  of  the  business  division’s  average 
adjusted  return  on  attributed  equity  (RoAE).  For  Corporate 
Center  employees,  it  is  measured  on  the  basis  of  the  average 
operating businesses RoAE. 

1 

1 

3 

3 

2 

2 

4

4

The  primary  measure  to  determine  vesting  of  EOP  awards  is 
the average adjusted RoTE. If the average adjusted RoTE is equal 
to  or  above  the  performance  threshold  of  8%,  the  EOP  award 
will  vest  in  full,  provided  that  the  relevant  business  division 
performance  condition  has  also  been  met.  If  the  average 
adjusted  RoTE  is  0%  or  negative,  the  installment  will  be  fully 
forfeited 
individual 
regardless  of  any  business  division’s 
performance. If the average adjusted RoTE is between 0% and 
8%,  the  award  will  vest  on  a  linear  basis  at  0–100%,  again 
provided  that  the  relevant  business  division  performance 
condition is met. 

If 

The secondary measure to determine vesting of EOP awards is 
business  division  RoAE. 
the  business  division  RoAE 
performance  threshold  (refer  to  the  table  on  the  next  page)  is 
in  accordance  with  the 
met,  the  EOP  award  will  vest 
achievement of the primary measure. However, if the RoAE falls 
below the minimum threshold but is above 0%, the award will 
be partly forfeited. The extent of the forfeiture depends on how 
far  the  actual  RoAE  falls  below  the  performance  threshold  for 
that business division and can be up to 40% of the award that 
would otherwise vest based on the average adjusted RoTE. If the 
actual  RoAE  for  a  business  division  is  0%  or  negative,  the 
installment  will  be  fully  forfeited  for  that  business  division.  The 
Compensation Committee determines whether the performance 
conditions have been met.

By linking the vesting of EOP awards with minimum return on 
equity  performance  over  a  multi-year  time  horizon,  we 
encourage  our  employees  to  develop  and  manage  the  business 
in  a  way  that  delivers  sustainable  returns.  The  adjusted  RoTE 
threshold  of  8%  promotes  sustainable  performance  by  keeping 
variable compensation of earlier years at a prudently established 
level of risk.

→ Refer to the “Supplemental information” section of this report 

for more information on vesting of outstanding awards granted 

in prior years subject to performance conditions

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287 

 
 
 
 
Advisory vote

Corporate governance, responsibility and compensation 
Compensation

Illustrative example for EOP performance conditions

The  final  amount  due  to  vest  under  the  EOP  will  depend,  in  a 
first step, on the degree to which the adjusted RoTE is achieved. 
In  a  second  step,  the  business  division  RoAE  performance 
thresholds  have  to  be  satisfied.  The  award  may  forfeit  up  to 
100% based on the adjusted RoTE performance. The remaining 
award  is  further  subject  to  100%  forfeiture  if  the  business 
division  RoAE  is  0%  or  negative,  or  up  to  40%  if  the  business 
division  RoAE  is  between  0%  and  the  business  division 
performance threshold. 

Example:

– EOP award granted: CHF 90,000 in equity
– EOP  award  at  vesting  date:  CHF 100,000  in  equity  due  to

market movements and returns (+11%)

– Adjusted  RoTE  threshold:  8%;  three-year  average  Group

performance: 4%

– Business  division  RoAE  threshold:  20%;  three-year  average

business division performance: 10%

Market movements 
and returns

10k

(50k)

90k

90k

(10k)

Maximum 
amount

Forfeited 
amount

Maximum 
forfeiture 
amount: 
100%

50% (–50k) 
reduction 
due to 
adjusted 
RoTE 

50k

40k

20% (–10k) 
reduction due 
to divisional 
RoAE

Amount in 
equity at 
grant date

Amount in 
equity at 
vesting date

Amount vesting
based on Group 
performance

Final amount 
vesting based on 
business division 
performance, 
delivered in equity

Performance conditions for EOP awards granted in February 2018

As  part  of  the  strategic  planning  process,  the  Compensation 
Committee  annually  sets  the  adjusted  RoTE  threshold  and  each 
business division’s RoAE performance threshold for the following 
calendar  year.  The  performance  thresholds  are  set  taking  into 
consideration  past  performance  as  well  as  the  forward-looking 
three-year  strategic  plan  and  any  changes  in  the  attributed 

equity framework. Once set, the performance thresholds remain 
in  place  for  all  EOP  performance  vesting  installments  for  that 
particular  award  year.  For  GEB  members,  the  award  vests  in 
equal  installments  after  years  3,  4  and  5.  For  GMDs,  KRTs 
including  Highly  Paid  Employees,  the  award  vests  in  equal 
installments after years 2 and 3. 

GEB / SMF1

GMDs, Key Risk Takers (including Highly Paid Employees)

 Vesting after

3 years (installment 1)

4 years (installment 2)

5 years (installment 3)

2 years (installment 1)

3 years (installment 2)

Applicable performance period

2018, 2019 and 2020

2019, 2020 and 2021

2020, 2021 and 2022

2018 and 2019

2018, 2019 and 2020

1 Senior Management Functions have extended deferral period, with the deferred performance awards vesting in equal installments between years 3 and 7 (including DCCP).

Group RoTE performance threshold

Average adjusted Group RoTE

Business division RoAE performance thresholds

Global Wealth Management

Personal & Corporate Banking

Asset Management

Investment Bank
Corporate Center1
1 For Corporate Center employees, average operating businesses RoAE performance threshold.

288 

≥8%

≥25%

≥15%

≥25%

≥10%

≥15%

Deferred Contingent Capital Plan 

The  Deferred  Contingent  Capital  Plan  (DCCP)  is  a  mandatory 
deferral  plan  for  all  employees  with  total  compensation  greater 
than CHF / USD 300,000. These employees receive up to 40% of 
their  deferred  performance  award  under  the  DCCP,  with  the 
exception  of  Asset  Management  employees,  who  receive  up  to 
25%,  and  GEB  members,  who  receive  up  to  37.5%.  For 
performance  year  2017,  we  granted  DCCP  awards  to  5,100 
employees.

Employees  are  awarded  notional  additional  tier  1  (AT1) 
capital instruments, which can be settled in the form of either a 
cash  payment  or  a  perpetual,  marketable  AT1  capital 
instrument,  at  the  discretion  of  the  firm.  Prior  to  grant, 
employees can elect to have their DCCP awards denominated in 
either Swiss francs or US dollars. 

DCCP  awards  vest  in  full  after  five  years  and  up  to  seven 
years for SMFs, unless there is a trigger event. They are written 
down  if  the  Group’s  common  equity  tier  1  (CET1)  capital  ratio 
falls below 10% for GEB members and below 7% for all other 
employees.  Awards  are  also  forfeited  if  a  viability  event  occurs, 
that  is,  if  FINMA  notifies  the  firm  in  writing  that  the  DCCP 
awards  must  be  written  down  to  prevent  an  insolvency, 
bankruptcy  or  failure  of  UBS,  or  if  the  firm  receives  a 
commitment  of  extraordinary  support  from  the  public  sector 
that  is  necessary  to  prevent  such  an  event.  As  an  additional 
performance  condition,  GEB  members  forfeit  20%  of  their 

award for each loss-making year during the vesting period. Like 
the  EOP,  the  DCCP  also  has  provisions  that  allow  the  firm  to 
apply malus on some, or all, of the unvested deferred portion of 
a granted award if an employee commits certain harmful acts, or 
in  most  cases  trigger  forfeiture  where  employment  has  been 
terminated. 

Under  the  DCCP,  employees  who  are  not  MRTs  may  receive 
discretionary  annual  notional  interest  payments.  The  notional 
interest  rate  for  grants  in  2018  was  2.30%  for  awards 
for  awards 
denominated 
denominated in US dollars. These interest rates are based on the 
current market rates for similar AT1 capital instruments. Notional 
interest  will  be  paid  out  annually,  subject  to  review  and 
confirmation by the Group. 

francs  and  5.85% 

in  Swiss 

Over  the  last  five  years,  CHF 2,106  million  of  DCCP  was 
issued, contributing to the Group’s total loss-absorbing capacity. 
Therefore,  DCCP  awards  not  only  support  competitive  pay,  but 
also  provide  a  loss  absorption  buffer  that  protects  the  firm’s 
capital position. The following table illustrates the impact of the 
DCCP on our AT1 and tier 2 capital as well as on our total loss-
absorbing capacity ratio.

→ Refer to the “Supplemental information” section of this report 

for more information on performance award- and personnel-

related expenses 

→ Refer to the “Our compensation for employees other than GEB 
members” section of this report for more information on longer 

vesting and claw-back periods for MRTs and SMFs

Impact of the Deferred Contingent Capital Plan on our loss-absorbing capacity1
CHF million, except where indicated

DDeferred Contingent Capital Plan (DCCP)

331.12.17

  2,106

  1,670

31.12.16

 2,271

 1,380

31.12.15

 1,903

 991

of which: high-trigger loss-absorbing additional tier 1 capital
of which: high-trigger loss-absorbing tier 2 capital 2

 912
DCCP contribution to the total loss-absorbing capacity ratio (%)3
 0.9
11 Refer to “Bondholder information” at www.ubs.com/investors for more information on the capital instruments of UBS Group AG and of UBS AG both on a consolidated and a standalone basis.     2 DCCP awards 
granted for the performance years 2012 and 2013. Swiss SRB framework including transitional arrangements (phase-in) as of 31 December 2017 and as of 31 December 2016. Based on the former Swiss SRB 
framework for 31 December 2015. DCCP instruments qualifying as tier 2 capital are eligible for regulatory capital purposes until 30 December of the year prior to maturity.     3 Impact as of 31 December 2015 was 
calculated for the former Swiss SRB total capital ratio.

  435
  0.9

 891
 1.0

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289 

 
 
 
 
Advisory vote

Corporate governance, responsibility and compensation 
Compensation

Supplemental information

Performance awards granted for the 2017 performance year

The “Variable compensation” table below shows the amount of 
variable  compensation  awarded 
the 
the  number  of 
performance  year  2017, 

together  with 

to  employees 

for 

beneficiaries  for  each  type  of  award  granted.  In  the  case  of 
deferred awards, the final amount paid to an employee depends 
on  performance  conditions  and  consideration  of  relevant 
forfeiture provisions. The deferred share award amount is based 
on the market value of these awards on the date of grant.

Variable compensation1

CHF million, except where indicated

Non-deferred cash

Deferred compensation awards

of which: Equity Ownership Plan

of which: Deferred Contingent Capital Plan

of which: Asset Management EOP

Expenses recognized 
in the IFRS income 
statement

22017

2016

  2,047

 1,817

  392

  235

  132

  25

 373

 214

 133

 26

TTotal variable compensation – performance award pool

  2,439

 2,191

Expenses deferred to
future periods4
22017

2016

  0

  590

  323

  241

  27

  590

 0

 671

 372

 266

 34

 671

Adjustments4
22017

2016

  0

  65

 0

 54

  65 5 

 54 5 

 0

 0

  0

  0

  65

Total

22017

2016

Number of beneficiaries
2016

22017

  2,047

 1,817

  45,664

 47,581

  1,048

 1,098

  623

  373

  51

 639

 399

 60

  4,922

  4,483

  4,891

  439

 4,818

 4,388

 4,785

 428

 54

  3,095

 2,916

  45,671

 47,603

 266

  191

  148

Variable compensation – other2
Wealth Management Americas: Financial advisor 
compensation3
TTotal variable compensation including WMA FA 
compensation
11 Expenses under “Variable compensation – other” and “Wealth Management Americas: Financial advisor compensation” are not part of UBS’s performance award pool.     2 Comprised of replacement payments, 
forfeiture credits, severance payments, retention plan payments and interest expense related to the Deferred Contingent Capital Plan.    3 Financial advisor compensation consists of grid-based compensation based 
directly on compensable revenues generated by financial advisors and supplemental compensation calculated based on financial advisor productivity, firm tenure and other variables. It also includes expenses related 
to compensation commitments with financial advisors entered into at the time of recruitment that are subject to vesting requirements.    4 Estimate. The actual amount to be expensed in future periods may vary, 
e.g., due to forfeitures.   5 Represents estimated post-vesting transfer restriction and forfeiture discounts.   6 Included in expenses deferred to future periods is an amount of CHF 78 million (2016: CHF 98 million) in 
interest expense related to the Deferred Contingent Capital Plan. As the amount recognized as performance award represents the present value of the award at the date it is granted to the employee, this interest 
amount is adjusted out in the analysis.

  6,822

  3,025

  1,294

  5,613

  3,538

  6,895

 7,025

 2,695

 5,152

 3,499

 1,637

 6,745

((78)6 

(98)6 

  (12)

 (44)

  513

  262

 804

 162

 330

  0

 0

290 

Performance award expenses in the 2017 performance year

Amortization of deferred compensation

Performance  award  expenses  include  all  immediate  expenses 
related to 2017 compensation awards and expenses deferred to 
2017  related  to  awards  made  in  prior  years.  The  chart 
“Amortization of deferred compensation” shows the amount at 
the  end  of  2017  of  unrecognized  awards  to  be  amortized  in 
subsequent  years.  This  was  CHF 1.3  billion  as  of  31  December 
2017 and CHF 1.6 billion as of 31 December 2016. 

The  “GEB  and  KRTs  deferred  compensation”  table  on  the 
next  page  shows  the  current  economic  value  of  unvested 
outstanding  deferred  variable  compensation  awards  subject  to 
ex-post adjustments. For share-based plans, the economic value 
is determined based on the closing share price on 29 December 
2017.  For  notional  funds,  it  is  determined  using  the  latest 
available  market  price  for  the  underlying  funds  at  year-end 
2017, and for deferred cash plans, it is determined based on the 
outstanding amount of cash owed to award recipients. 

The “GEB and KRTs ex-post explicit and implicit adjustments 
to  deferred  compensation  in  2017”  table  on  the  next  page 
shows  the  value  of  actual  ex-post  explicit  and 
implicit 
adjustments  to  outstanding  deferred  compensation  in  the 
financial  year  2017.  Ex-post  adjustments  occur  after  an  award 
has  been  granted.  Ex-post  explicit  adjustments  occur  when  we 
adjust  compensation  by  forfeiting  deferred  awards.  Ex-post 
implicit  adjustments  are  unrelated  to  any  action  taken  by  the 
firm and occur as a result of share price movements that impact 
the  value  of  an  award.  The  total  value  of  ex-post  explicit 
adjustments  made  to  UBS  shares  in  2017,  based  on  the 
approximately  7.7  million  shares  forfeited  during  2017,  is  a 
reduction of CHF 138.5 million. The size of implicit adjustments 
is  mainly  due  to  an  increase  in  the  share  price.  However,  the 
share  price  as  of  year-end  means  that  many  of  the  options 
previously granted remain out of the money. Hence, the majority 
of  outstanding  option  awards  had  no  intrinsic  value  at  the  end 
of 2017.

→ Refer to “Note 27 Employee benefits: variable compensation” in 
the “Consolidated financial statements” section of this report 

for more information

CHF billion

(19%)

(18%)

(0.7)

0.6

(0.5)

1.6

(0.2)

1.3

Amortized

Forfeited
and other 
adjustments

31.12.16
Unrecognized 
awards to be 
amortized, 
including awards
granted in
1Q17 for the
performance
year 2016

Expected 
amortization
of prior-year
awards in 2018

Annual 
awards 
granted,
including 
awards  
granted in 
1Q18 for the 
performance 
year 2017

31.12.17
Unrecognized 
awards to be 
amortized,
including awards
granted in
1Q18 for the
performance
year 2017

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291 

 
 
 
 
Advisory vote

Corporate governance, responsibility and compensation 
Compensation

GEB and KRTs deferred compensation1,2

CHF million, except where indicated
GGEB
Deferred Contingent Capital Plan6
Equity Ownership Plan (including notional 
funds, if applicable)6
Discontinued deferred compensation plans5
KKRTs

RRelating to awards 
for 2017

Relating to 
awards for prior 
years3

  22

  37
  0

 79

 139
 0

Total

 101

 176
 0

of which: exposed to
ex-post explicit and / or
implicit adjustments

Total deferred
compensation
year-end 2016

Total amount of 
deferred remuneration 
paid out in 20174

 100%

 100%

 100%

 81

 138
 2

 0

 18
 2

 919

  199

Deferred Contingent Capital Plan
Equity Ownership Plan (including notional 
funds) 6
Discontinued deferred compensation plans6
TTotal GEB and KRTs
11 Based on specific plan vesting and reflecting the economic value of the outstanding awards, which may differ from the accounting expenses. Year to year reconciliations would also need to consider the impacts of 
additional items including off-cycle awards, FX movements, population changes, and dividend equivalent reinvestments     2 Refer to “Note 27 Employee benefits: variable compensation” in the “Consolidated 
financial statements” section of this report for more information.    3 Takes into account the ex-post implicit adjustments, given the share price movements since grant.    4 Valued at distribution price and FX rate for 
all awards distributed in 2017.    5 Senior Executive Equity Ownership Plan (SEEOP) and Incentive Performance Plan (IPP).    6 Starting with performance year 2017, GEB and KRT members who are also MRTs, are no 
longer permitted to receive dividend and interested payments. Accordingly the amounts reflect for EOP the fair value of the non-dividend bearing awards and for DCCP the fair value of the granted non-interest 
bearing awards. 

 1,496
 0

 1,372
 2

 1,177
 0

 310
 2

  319
  0

 100%

 100%

 100%

 2,599

 2,892

 2,314

 1,003

 1,119

  578

 332

 0

GEB and KRTs ex-post explicit and implicit adjustments to deferred compensation in 2017

CHF million
GEB

Deferred Contingent Capital Plan

Equity Ownership Plan (including notional funds, if applicable)

Discontinued deferred compensation plans

KRTs

Deferred Contingent Capital Plan

Equity Ownership Plan (including notional funds) 

Discontinued deferred compensation plans

Ex-post explicit adjustments1

31.12.17

31.12.16

Ex-post implicit adjustments
to unvested awards2
31.12.17

31.12.16

 0

 0

 0

 (7)

 (6)

 0

 0

 0

 0

 (3)

 (5)

 0

 0

 25

 0

 0

 209

 0

 0

 4

 0

 0

 42

 0

Total GEB and KRTs
1 Ex-post explicit adjustments are calculated as units forfeited during the year, valued at the share price on 31 December 2017 (CHF 17.94) and 31 December 2016 (CHF 15.95) for UBS shares. For the notional 
funds awarded to Asset Management employees under the EOP, this represents the forfeiture credits recognized in 2017 and 2016. For the DCCP, the fair value at grant of the forfeited awards during the year is 
reflected.    2 Ex-post implicit adjustments for UBS shares are calculated based on the difference between the weighted average grant date fair value and the share price at year-end. The amount for notional funds is 
calculated using the mark-to-market change during 2017 and 2016.

 (13)

 234

 (8)

 46

292 

Total personnel expenses for 2017

As  of  31  December  2017,  there  were  61,253  employees  (on  a 
full-time  equivalent  basis).  The  “Personnel  expenses”  table 
below shows our total personnel expenses for 2017. It includes 
salaries,  pension  contributions  and  other  personnel  costs,  social 
security  contributions  and  variable  compensation.  Variable 
compensation  includes  cash  performance  awards  paid  in  2018 
for  the  2017  performance  year,  the  amortization  of  unvested 
deferred  awards  granted  in  previous  years  and  the  cost  of 
deferred  awards  granted  to  employees  who  are  eligible  for 
retirement in the context of the compensation framework at the 
date of grant.

The  performance  award  pool 

the  value  of 
performance  awards  granted  relating  to  the  2017  performance 
year, including awards that are paid out immediately and those 
that  are  deferred.  To  determine  our  variable  compensation 
expenses,  the  following  adjustments  are  required  in  order  to 

reflects 

reconcile  the  performance  award  pool  to  the  expenses 
recognized  in  the  Group’s  financial  statements  prepared  in 
accordance  with  International  Financial  Reporting  Standards 
(IFRS):
– reduction for the unrecognized future amortization (including
accounting  adjustments)  of  unvested  deferred  awards
granted in 2018 for the performance year 2017

– addition  for  the  2017  amortization  of  unvested  deferred

awards granted in prior years

As a large part of compensation consists of deferred awards, 
the  amortization  of  unvested  deferred  awards  granted  in  prior 
years forms a significant part of the IFRS expenses in both 2016 
and 2017.

→ Refer to “Note 6 Personnel expenses” and “Note 27 Employee 

benefits: variable compensation” in the “Consolidated financial 

statements” section of this report for more information

Personnel expenses

CHF million
SSalaries1

Non-deferred cash

Deferred compensation awards

of which: Equity Ownership Plan

of which: Deferred Contingent Capital Plan

of which: Asset Management EOP

of which: Other performance awards

TTotal variable compensation – performance awards2

of which: guarantees for new hires

Replacement payments3

Forfeiture credits

Severance payments4

Retention plan and other payments

Deferred Contingent Capital Plan: interest expense
TTotal variable compensation – other2

CContractors

SSocial security

PPension and other post-employment benefit plans5

WWealth Management Americas: financial advisor compensation2,6

RRelated to the 
performance year 2017
  6,037

  2,047

  392

  235

  132

  25

  0

  2,439

  17

  13

  0

  111

  25

  0

  148

  451

  755

  710

  3,025

Expenses recognized in the IFRS income statement

RRelated to prior 
performance years 

  0

  (25)

  676

  337

  304

  31

  4

  651

  19

  58

  (105)

  0

  37

  109

  99

  0

  43

  0

  962

TTotal expenses 
recognized in 
2017
  6,037

Total expenses 
recognized in 
2016
 6,230

Total expenses 
recognized in 
2015
 6,282

  2,022

  1,068

  572

  437

  55

  4

 1,775

 1,197

 699

 428

 65

 6

 1,980

 1,230

 722

 429

 67

 12

  3,090

 2,972

 3,210

  36

  71

  (105)

  111

  62

  109

  248

  451

  798

  710

 30

 86

 (73)

 217

 74

 113

 418

 420

 747

 670

  3,986

 3,697

 38

 76

 (86)

 157

 117

 81

 346

 365

 820

 808
 3,552

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TTotal personnel expenses7
11 Includes role-based allowances.     2 Refer to “Note 27 Employee benefits: variable compensation” in the “Consolidated financial statements” section of this report for more information.     3 Payments made to 
compensate employees for deferred awards forfeited as a result of joining UBS. Includes the expenses recognized in the financial year (mainly the amortization of the award).     4 Includes legally obligated and 
standard severance payments.    5 Refer to “Note 26 Pension and other post-employment benefit plans” in the “Consolidated financial statements” section of this report for more information.     6 Consists of grid-
based  compensation  based  directly  on  compensable  revenues  generated  by  financial  advisors  and  supplemental  compensation  calculated  based  on  financial  advisor  productivity,  firm  tenure,  assets  and  other 
variables. It also includes expenses related to compensation commitments with financial advisors entered into at the time of recruitment that are subject to vesting requirements.     7 Includes net restructuring 
expenses of CHF 534 million, CHF 751 million and CHF 460 million for the years ended 31 December 2017, 31 December 2016 and 31 December 2015, respectively. Refer to “Note 30 Changes in organization and 
disposals” in the “Consolidated financial statements” section of this report for more information.

  14,110

  15,889

 15,720

 15,981

  1,780

  546

  570

 565

 600

  25

293 

 
 
 
 
Advisory vote

Corporate governance, responsibility and compensation 
Compensation

Vesting of outstanding awards granted in prior years subject to performance conditions

The tables below show the extent to which the performance conditions for awards granted in prior years have been met and the 
percentage of the awards that vest in 2018.

Equity Ownership Plan (EOP) 2012 / 2013, EOP 2013 / 2014, 
EOP 2014 / 2015 and EOP 2015 / 2016

Performance conditions

Performance achieved

Adjusted return on tangible equity1 and divisional return on 
attributed equity

The Group and divisional performance conditions have been satisfied. For the EOP 
2012 / 2013, the third and final installment for the Group Executive Board (GEB) 
members vests in full. For the EOP 2013 / 2014, the second installment for the 
GEB members and the second installment for all other employees covered under 
the plan vest in full. For the EOP 2014 / 2015, the first installment for the GEB 
members and the second installment for all other employees covered under the 
plan vest in full. For the EOP 2015 / 2016, the first installment for all other 
employees covered under the plan vests in full

% of installment vesting

100%

1 The assessment for vesting purposes excludes the effect of deferred tax assets (DTAs). Further, DTAs, when positive, have never had an impact on the performance award vesting.  

Deferred Contingent Capital Plan (DCCP) 2012 / 2013

Performance conditions

Performance achieved

% of installment vesting

Common equity tier 1 (CET1) capital ratio, viability event and 
additionally for GEB, Group adjusted profit before tax

The performance conditions have been satisfied. The DCCP 2012 / 2013 vests in 
full 

100%

Discontinued deferred compensation plans

The table below lists discontinued compensation plans that had outstanding balances as of 31 December 2017. The firm has not 
granted any options since 2009. The strike price for stock options awarded under prior compensation plans has not been reset.

→ Refer to “Note 27 Employee benefits: variable compensation” in the “Consolidated financial statements” section of this report for more 

Eligible employees

Instrument

Performance conditions

Vesting period and other 
conditions

Status as of March 
2018

Expired (some 
options / SARs 
remain exercisable)

Expired (some 
options remain 
exercisable)

Vests in full three years 
after grant, subject to 
continued employment, 
non-solicitation of clients 
and employees and non- 
disclosure of proprietary 
information

Vests in full three years 
after grant, subject to 
continued employment, 
non-solicitation of clients 
and employees and non- 
disclosure of proprietary 
information

information

Plan

Key Employee Stock Appreciation 
Rights Plan (KESAP) and Key 
Employee Stock Option Plan (KESOP)

Years 
granted

2002–2009

Selected employees 
(approximately 
17,000 employees 
between 2002 and 
2009)

Share-settled 
stock 
appreciation 
rights (SARs) or 
stock options

None

Senior Executive Stock Option Plan 
(SESOP)

2002–2009

Stock options

None

GEB members and 
members of the 
Group Managing 
Board

294 

1

List of tables

Share and option ownership / entitlements of GEB members

Total of all vested and unvested shares of GEB members

Number of shares of BoD members

Total of all blocked and unblocked shares of BoD members

Vested and unvested options of GEB members

Loans granted to GEB members

Loans granted to BoD members

Compensation paid to former BoD and GEB members

Page

296

297

298

298

299

300

300

300

295 

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Corporate governance, responsibility and compensation 
Compensation

Audited |
Share and option ownership / entitlements of GEB members1

Name, function
Sergio P. Ermotti, Group Chief Executive Officer

Martin Blessing, Co-President Global Wealth Management

Christian Bluhm, Group Chief Risk Officer

Markus U. Diethelm, Group General Counsel

Kirt Gardner, Group Chief Financial Officer

Sabine Keller-Busse, Group Chief Operating Officer

Ulrich Körner, President Asset Management and
President UBS EMEA

Axel P. Lehmann, President Personal & Corporate Banking 
and President UBS Switzerland

Tom Naratil, Co-President Global Wealth Management and 
President UBS Americas

Andrea Orcel, President Investment Bank

Kathryn Shih, President UBS Asia Pacific

Jürg Zeltner, former President Wealth Management

TTotal

oon
31 December
22017

Number of
unvested
shares / at risk2
 1,632,464

Number of
vested shares
 460,377

TTotal number of 
shares
  2,092,841

Potentially
conferred
voting
rights in %
 0.121

Potentially
conferred
voting
rights in %4
 0.000

NNumber of 
options3
  0

22016
22017

22016

22017

22016
22017

22016
22017

22016

22017

22016
22017

22016
22017

22016
22017

22016
22017

22016
22017

22016
22017

22016

22017

22016

 1,365,537
 65,761

 265,515
 0

  1,631,052
  65,761

 0

 131,520

 0
 589,659

 538,520
 264,718

 142,646

 244,676

 200,272
 881,979

 797,165
 156,180

 0
 1,047,311

 838,193
 1,328,113

 1,203,535
 581,546

 567,777
 976,001

 881,976

 0

 0

 0
 194,000

 154,820
 61,652

 38,581

 176,602

 120,897
 95,597

 95,597
 277,978

 277,978
 422,298

 352,634
 251,439

 184,220
 0

 0
 1,075

 1,075

 7,899,928

 1,941,018

 6,535,621

 1,514,211

  0

  131,520

  0
  783,659

  693,340
  326,370

  181,227

  421,278

  321,169
  977,576

  892,762
  434,158

  277,978
  1,469,609

  1,190,827
  1,579,552

  1,387,755
  581,546

  567,777
  977,076

  883,051

  9,840,946

  8,049,832

 0.097
 0.004

 0.000

 0.008

 0.000
 0.045

 0.041
 0.019

 0.011

 0.024

 0.019
 0.057

 0.053
 0.025

 0.017
 0.085

 0.071
 0.091

 0.083
 0.034

 0.034
 0.057

 0.053

 0.569

 0.479

  0
  0

  0

  0

  0
  0

  0
  0

  0

  0

  0
  0

  0
  0

  0
  281,640

  412,917
  0

  0
  74,599

  143,869
  42,628

  64,164

  398,867

  620,950

 0.000
 0.000

 0.000

 0.000

 0.000
 0.000

 0.000
 0.000

 0.000

 0.000

 0.000
 0.000

 0.000
 0.000

 0.000
 0.016

 0.025
 0.000

 0.000
 0.004

 0.009
 0.002

 0.004

 0.023

 0.037

11 Includes all vested and unvested shares and options of GEB members, including those held by related parties.     2 Includes shares granted under variable compensation plans with forfeiture provisions. The actual 
number of shares vesting in the future will be calculated under the terms of the plans. Refer to the “Our deferred variable compensation plans for 2017” section of this report for more information on the plans.  
3 Refer to “Note 27 Employee benefits: variable compensation” in the “Consolidated financial statements” section of this report for more information.    4 No conversion rights outstanding.

(cid:3)

296 

Audited |
Total of all vested and unvested shares of GEB members1,2

SShares on 31 December 2017

  9,840,946

 1,941,018

 1,796,694

 1,825,372

 1,992,458

 1,465,516

 819,888

TTotal of which: vested

of which: vesting

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

SShares on 31 December 2016

  8,049,833

 1,514,211

 1,267,603

 1,750,024

 1,762,463

 1,132,150

 623,381

11 Includes shares held by related parties.     2 Includes shares granted under variable compensation plans with forfeiture provisions. The actual number of shares vesting in the future will be calculated under the 
terms of the plans. Refer to the “Our deferred variable compensation plans for 2017” section of this report for more information.

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

(cid:3)

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Advisory vote

Corporate governance, responsibility and compensation 
Compensation

Audited |
Number of shares of BoD members1
Name, function
Axel A. Weber, Chairman

Michel Demaré, Vice Chairman

David Sidwell, Senior Independent Director

Reto Francioni, member

Ann F. Godbehere, member

William G. Parrett, member

Julie G. Richardson, member2

Isabelle Romy, member

Robert W. Scully, member

Beatrice Weder di Mauro, member

Dieter Wemmer, member

Joseph Yam, former member2

TTotal

oon 31 December
22017

NNumber of shares held
  642,100

Voting rights in %
 0.037

22016
22017

22016
22017

22016
22017

22016
22017

22016
22017

22016
22017

22016
22017

22016
22017

22016
22017

22016
22017

22016
22017

22016

22017

  635,751
  290,694

  254,287
  154,672

  205,540
  76,772

  51,567
  232,263

  201,457
  106,916

  104,385
  0

––
  94,376

  91,038
  29,917

  0
  126,809

  99,737
  14,002

  0
––

  109,938

  1,768,521

 0.038
 0.017

 0.015
 0.009

 0.012
 0.004

 0.003
 0.013

 0.012
 0.006

 0.006
–

–
 0.005

 0.005
 0.002

 0.000
 0.007

 0.006
 0.001

 0.000
–

 0.007

 0.102

 0.104
11 Includes blocked and unblocked shares held by BoD members, including those held by related parties. No options were granted in 2017 and 2016.     2 Julie G. Richardson was newly elected and Joseph Yam 
stepped down from the BoD at the AGM on 4 May 2017. 

  1,753,700

22016

Audited |
Total of all blocked and unblocked shares of BoD members1

Total

of which:
unblocked

of which: blocked until

2018

2019

2020

2021

Shares on 31 December 2017

 1,768,521

 294,924

 366,821

 347,106

 364,161

 395,509

Shares on 31 December 2016

1 Includes shares held by related parties.    

 1,753,700

 276,602

 337,751

 385,005

 367,597

 386,745

2017

2018

2019

2020

(cid:3)

(cid:3)

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Audited |
Vested and unvested options of GEB members1

oon 31 December

TTotal
number of
options2

Number of
options3

Year of
grant

Vesting
date

Expiry
date

TTom Naratil, Co-President Global Wealth Management and President UBS Americas

22017

22016

KKathryn Shih, President UBS Asia Pacific

22017

22016

  281,640

  412,917

  74,599

  143,869

JJürg Zeltner, former President Wealth Management

22017

22016

  42,628

  64,164

 181,640

 100,000

 131,277

 181,640

 100,000

 74,599

 69,270

 74,599

 42,628

 7,105

 7,105

 7,103

 223

 42,628

2008

2009

2007

2008

2009

2008

2007

2008

2008

2007

2007

2007

2007

2008

01.03.2011

01.03.2012

01.03.2010

01.03.2011

01.03.2012

01.03.2011

01.03.2010

01.03.2011

01.03.2011

01.03.2008

01.03.2009

01.03.2010

02.03.2009

01.03.2011

28.02.2018

27.02.2019

28.02.2017

28.02.2018

27.02.2019

28.02.2018

28.02.2017

28.02.2018

28.02.2018

28.02.2017

28.02.2017

28.02.2017

02.03.2017

28.02.2018

Strike
price

CHF 35.66

CHF 11.35

CHF 73.67

CHF 35.66

CHF 11.35

CHF 35.66

CHF 73.67

CHF 35.66

CHF 35.66

CHF 67.00

CHF 67.00

CHF 67.00

CHF 67.08

CHF 35.66

11 Includes all options held by GEB members, including those held by related parties.     2 No conversion rights outstanding.     3 Refer to “Note 27 Employee benefits: variable compensation” in the “Consolidated 
financial statements” section of this report for more information. 

(cid:3)

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299 

 
 
 
 
Advisory vote

Corporate governance, responsibility and compensation 
Compensation

Audited |
Loans granted to GEB members1

In line with article 38 of the Articles of Association of UBS Group 
AG,  Group  Executive  Board  (GEB)  members  may  be  granted 
loans. Such loans are made in the ordinary course of business on 
substantially  the  same  terms  as  those  granted  to  other 
employees,  including  interest  rates  and  collateral,  and  neither 

CHF, except where indicated 2

Name, function

Ulrich Körner, President Asset Management and President UBS EMEA (highest loan in 2017)

Ulrich Körner, President Asset Management and President UBS EMEA (highest loan in 2016)
Aggregate of all GEB members4

involve  more  than  the  normal  risk  of  collectability  nor  contain 
any other unfavorable features for the firm. The total amount of 
such loans must not exceed CHF 20 million per GEB member.

on 31 December

Loans3

2017

22016

2017

2016

 8,240,000

 8,286,193

 37,442,914

 37,137,347

1 No loans have been granted to related parties of the GEB members at conditions not customary in the market.     2 Local currencies are translated into Swiss francs at the exchange rates stated in “Note 34 
Currency translation rates” in the “Consolidated financial statements” section of this report.    3 All loans granted are secured loans.    4 Excludes unused uncommitted credit facilities of CHF 4,952,596 in 2017 that 
had been granted to two GEB members, and of CHF 2,430,050 in 2016 that had been granted to one GEB member.

(cid:3)

Audited |
Loans granted to BoD members1

In line with article 33 of the Articles of Association of UBS Group 
AG, loans to independent Board of Directors (BoD) members are 
made  in  the  ordinary  course  of  business  at  general  market 
conditions.  The  Chairman  as  a  non-independent  member  may 
be  granted  loans  in  the  ordinary  course  of  business  on 

substantially  the  same  terms  as  those  granted  to  employees, 
including  interest  rates  and  collateral,  neither  involving  more 
than  the  normal  risk  of  collectability  nor  containing  any  other 
unfavorable  features  for  the  firm.  The  total  amount  of  such 
loans must not exceed CHF 20 million per BoD member.

CHF, except where indicated 2

Aggregate of all BoD members

on 31 December

2017

2016

Loans3,4,5

 3,524,370

 3,653,370

1 No loans have been granted to related parties of the BoD members at conditions not customary in the market.     2 Local currencies are translated into Swiss francs at the exchange rates stated in “Note 34 
Currency translation rates” in the “Consolidated financial statements” section of this report.    3 All loans granted are secured loans.    4 CHF 600,000 for Reto Francioni and CHF 2,924,370 for William G. Parrett in 
2017 and CHF 600,000 for Reto Francioni and CHF 3,053,370 for William G. Parrett in 2016.    5 Excludes an unused uncommitted credit facility of CHF 243,698 that had been granted to one BoD member in 2017 
and CHF 254,448 in 2016.

Audited |
Compensation paid to former BoD and GEB members1
CHF, except where indicated 2

Former BoD members

Aggregate of all former GEB members3

Aggregate of all former BoD and GEB members

For the year

Compensation

Benefits

2017

2016

2017

2016

2017

2016

 0

 0

 336,789

 0

 336,789

 0

 0

 0

 44,636

 44,381

 44,636

 44,381

(cid:3)

TTotal

 0

  0

 381,425

  44,381

 381,425

  44,381

1 Compensation or remuneration that is related to the former members’ activity on the BoD or GEB or that is not at market conditions.     2 Local currencies are translated into Swiss francs at the exchange rates 
stated in “Note 34 Currency translation rates” in the “Consolidated financial statements” section of this report.     3 Includes payments in 2017 to two former GEB members and a payment in 2016 to one former 
GEB member.

(cid:3)

300 

Provisions of the Articles of Association related to compensation

Under the say-on-pay provisions in 
Switzerland, shareholders of Swiss-listed 
companies have significant influence over 
board and management compensation. 
At UBS, this is achieved by means of an 
annual binding say-on-pay vote in 
accordance with the following Articles of 
Association provisions related to 
compensation:

Say on pay: In line with article 43 of the 
Articles of Association of UBS Group AG, 
the Annual General Meeting (AGM) shall 
approve the proposals of the BoD in 
relation to the maximum aggregate 
amount of compensation of the BoD for 
the period until the next AGM, the 
maximum aggregate amount of fixed 
compensation of the GEB for the 
following financial year and the 
aggregate amount of variable 
compensation of the GEB for the 
preceding financial year. The BoD may 
submit for approval deviating or 

additional proposals. In the event the 
AGM does not approve a proposal, the 
BoD shall determine, taking into account 
all relevant factors, an aggregate amount 
or partial amounts for subsequent 
approval by shareholders.

Principles of compensation: In line with 
articles 45 and 46 of the Articles of 
Association of UBS Group AG, 
compensation of the BoD comprises a 
base remuneration and may comprise 
other compensation elements and 
benefits. Compensation of the GEB 
consists of fixed and variable 
compensation elements. Variable 
compensation elements depend on 
quantitative and qualitative performance 
measures as determined by the BoD. 
Remuneration of the BoD and 
compensation of the GEB may be paid or 
granted in the form of cash, shares, 
financial instruments or units, in kind or in 
the form of benefits. The BoD determines 

the key features such as grant, vesting, 
exercise and forfeiture conditions and 
applicable harmful acts provisions.

Additional amount for GEB members 
hired after the vote on the aggregate 
amount of compensation by the AGM: In 
line with article 46 of the Articles of 
Association of UBS Group AG, for the 
compensation of GEB members who will 
be appointed after the approval for 
compensation by the AGM, and to the 
extent that the aggregate amount of 
compensation as approved does not 
suffice, an amount of up to 40% of the 
average of total annual compensation 
paid or granted to the GEB during the 
previous three years is available without 
further approval by the AGM.

→ Refer to www.ubs.com/governance for 

more information

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Advisory vote

Corporate governance, responsibility and compensation 
Compensation

Ernst & Young Ltd
Aeschengraben 9
P.O. Box
CH-4002 Basel

Phone
Fax
www.ey.com/ch

+41 58 286 86 86
+41 58 286 86 00

To the General Meeting of 
UBS Group AG, Zurich

Basel, 8 March 2018

Report of the statutory auditor on the remuneration report

We  have  audited  the  compensation  report  dated  8 March  2018  of  UBS  Group  AG  for  the  year  ended
31 December 2017. The audit was limited to the information according to articles 14 – 16 of the Ordinance 
against  Excessive  Compensation  in  Stock  Exchange  Listed  Companies  (Ordinance)  contained  in  the 
following tables labeled “audited” of the compensation report: Total compensation for GEB members, Total 
payments  to  BoD  members, Compensation  details  and  additional  information  for  non-independent  BoD 
members, Remuneration details and additional information for independent BoD members, Loans granted to 
GEB members, Loans granted to BoD members and Compensation paid to former BoD and GEB members.

Board of Directors’ responsibility
The Board of Directors is responsible for the  preparation and overall fair  presentation of the compensation
report  in  accordance  with  Swiss  law  and  the  Ordinance.  The  Board  of  Directors  is  also  responsible  for 
designing the compensation system and defining individual compensation packages.

Auditor’s responsibility
Our  responsibility  is  to  express  an  opinion  on  the compensation report.  We  conducted  our  audit  in 
accordance  with  Swiss  Auditing  Standards.  Those  standards  require  that  we  comply  with  ethical 
requirements  and  plan  and  perform  the  audit  to  obtain  reasonable  assurance about  whether  the 
compensation report complies with Swiss law and articles 14 – 16 of the Ordinance.

An  audit  involves  performing  procedures  to  obtain  audit  evidence  on  the  disclosures  made  in  the 
compensation report with regard to compensation, loans and credits in accordance with articles 14 – 16 of 
the Ordinance. The procedures selected depend on the auditor’s judgment, including the assessment of the 
risks  of  material  misstatements  in  the  compensation report,  whether  due  to  fraud  or  error.  This  audit  also
includes  evaluating  the  reasonableness  of  the  methods  applied to  value  components  of  compensation,  as
well as assessing the overall presentation of the compensation report. 

We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our 
opinion.

Opinion
In our opinion, the compensation report for the year ended 31 December 2017 of UBS Group AG complies
with Swiss law and articles 14 – 16 of the Ordinance.

Ernst & Young Ltd

Marie-Laure Delarue
Licensed audit expert
(Auditor in charge)

Bruno Patusi
Licensed audit expert

302 

Consolidated 
financial 
statements

304 

Table of contents

306 Management’s report on internal control over financial 

307

308

309

reporting
Report of the independent registered public accounting 
firm on internal control over financial reporting
Report of the independent registered public accounting 
firm on the consolidated financial statements
Statutory auditor’s report on the audit of the 
consolidated financial statements

314 UBS Group AG consolidated financial statements

314

314

315

317

318

323

Primary financial statements
Income statement
Statement of comprehensive income
Balance sheet
Statement of changes in equity
Statement of cash flows

325 Notes to the UBS Group AG consolidated financial 

statements
1

Summary of significant accounting policies
Segment reporting

Income statement notes
3

Net interest and trading income
Net fee and commission income
Other income
Personnel expenses
General and administrative expenses
Income taxes
Earnings per share (EPS) and shares outstanding

325

348

353

353

354

354

355

355

356

360

2

4

5

6

7

8

9

Balance sheet notes: assets 
10

Due from banks and loans (held at amortized cost)
Allowances and provisions for credit losses
Derivative instruments and hedge accounting
Financial assets available for sale and held to 
maturity
Property, equipment and software
Goodwill and intangible assets
Other assets

Balance sheet notes: liabilities
17

Due to banks and customers
Financial liabilities designated at fair value
Debt issued held at amortized cost
Provisions and contingent liabilities
Other liabilities

385 Additional information
385

22

23

Fair value measurement
Restricted and transferred financial assets
Offsetting financial assets and financial liabilities

24
25 Measurement categories, credit risk and maturity 

analysis of financial instruments
Pension and other post-employment benefit plans
Employee benefits: variable compensation
Interests in subsidiaries and other entities
Business combinations
Changes in organization and disposals
Operating leases and finance leases
Related parties
Invested assets and net new money
Currency translation rates
Events after the reporting period

35
36 Main differences between IFRS and Swiss GAAP

361

361

361

362

369

369

370

372

373

373

373

374

376

384

403

406

408

413

428

436

444

445

447

448

451

452

452

453

11

12

13

14

15

16

18

19

20

21

26

27

28

29

30

31

32

33

34

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Management’s assessment of internal control over financial 
reporting as of 31 December 2017
UBS  management  has  assessed  the  effectiveness  of  UBS’s 
internal control over financial reporting as of 31 December 2017 
based on the criteria set forth by the Committee of Sponsoring 
Organizations  of  the  Treadway  Commission  (COSO)  in  Internal 
Control  –  Integrated  Framework  (2013  Framework).  Based  on 
this assessment, management believes that, as of 31 December 
2017,  UBS’s  internal  control  over  financial  reporting  was 
effective.

The  effectiveness  of  UBS’s  internal  control  over  financial 
reporting as of 31 December 2017 has been audited by Ernst & 
Young Ltd, UBS’s independent registered public accounting firm, 
as stated in their report appearing on page 307, which expresses 
an  unqualified  opinion  on  the  effectiveness  of  UBS’s  internal 
control over financial reporting as of 31 December 2017.

Reports of the statutory auditor / independent registered 
public accounting firm

The accompanying reports of the independent registered public 
accounting  firm  on  the  consolidated  financial  statements  (refer 
to page 308) and internal control over financial reporting (refer 
to  page  307)  of  UBS  Group  AG  are  included  in  our  filing  on  9 
March  2018  with  the  Securities  and  Exchange  Commission  on 
Form 20-F pursuant to US reporting obligations.

The  accompanying  statutory  auditor’s  report  on  the  audit  of 
the consolidated financial statements (refer to pages 309 to 313) 
of UBS Group AG, in addition to the abovementioned reports, is 
included  in  our  Annual  Report  2017  available  on  our  website 
and  filed  on  9  March  2018  with  all  other  relevant  non-US 
exchanges.

Management’s report on internal control over financial 
reporting

Management’s responsibility for internal control over financial 
reporting
The  Board  of  Directors  and  management  of  UBS  Group  AG 
(UBS) are responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate 
internal  control  over  financial  reporting.  UBS’s  internal  control 
over  financial  reporting  is  designed  to  provide  reasonable 
assurance  regarding  the  preparation  and  fair  presentation  of 
published financial statements in accordance with IFRS as issued 
by the IASB.

UBS’s  internal  control  over  financial  reporting  includes  those 

policies and procedures that:
– pertain  to  the  maintenance  of  records  that,  in  reasonable 
transactions  and 
fairly 

reflect 

detail,  accurately  and 
dispositions of assets;

– provide  reasonable  assurance  that  transactions  are  recorded 
as  necessary  to  permit  preparation  and  fair  presentation  of 
financial  statements,  and  that  receipts  and  expenditures  of 
the  company  are  being  made  only  in  accordance  with 
authorizations of UBS management; and

– provide  reasonable  assurance  regarding  prevention  or  timely 
detection  of  unauthorized  acquisition,  use  or  disposition  of 
the company’s assets that could have a material effect on the 
financial statements.

Because  of  its  inherent  limitations,  internal  control  over 
financial  reporting  may  not  prevent  or  detect  misstatements. 
Also,  projections  of  any  evaluation  of  effectiveness  to  future 
periods  are  subject  to  the  risk  that  controls  may  become 
inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree 
of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.

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Ernst & Young Ltd
Aeschengraben 9
P.O. Box
CH-4002 Basel

Phone +41 58 286 86 86
Fax
+41 58 286 86 00
www.ey.com/ch

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

To the Shareholders and the Board of Directors of UBS Group AG

Opinion on Internal Control over Financial Reporting
We have audited UBS Group AG and subsidiaries’ internal control over financial reporting as of 31 December 2017, 
based  on  criteria  established  in  Internal  Control—Integrated  Framework  issued  by  the  Committee  of  Sponsoring 
Organizations  of  the  Treadway  Commission  (2013  Framework)  (the  COSO  criteria).  In  our  opinion,  UBS  Group  AG 
and  subsidiaries  maintained,  in  all  material  respects,  effective  internal  control  over  financial  reporting  as  of  31 
December 2017, based on the COSO criteria.

We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United 
States) (PCAOB), the consolidated balance sheets of UBS Group AG and subsidiaries as of 31 December, 2017 and 
2016, and the related consolidated income statements, statements of comprehensive income, changes in equity and 
cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended 31 December 2017, and the related notes and our report 
dated 8 March 2018 expresses an unqualified opinion thereon.

Basis for Opinion
UBS Group AG’s management is responsible for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting, and for 
its  assessment  of  the  effectiveness  of  internal  control  over  financial  reporting  included  in  the  accompanying 
Management’s Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the 
UBS  Group  AG’s  internal  control  over  financial  reporting  based  on  our  audit. We  are  a  public  accounting  firm 
registered with the PCAOB and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the 
U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and 
the PCAOB.

We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and 
perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether effective internal control over financial reporting was 
maintained  in  all  material  respects.  Our  audit  included  obtaining  an  understanding  of  internal  control  over  financial 
reporting,  assessing  the  risk  that  a  material  weakness  exists,  testing  and  evaluating  the  design  and  operating 
effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk, and performing such other procedures as we considered 
necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.

Definition and Limitations of Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
A company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding 
the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with 
generally accepted accounting principles. A company’s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies 
and procedures that (1) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect 
the  transactions  and  dispositions  of  the  assets  of  the  company;  (2)  provide  reasonable  assurance  that  transactions 
are  recorded  as  necessary  to  permit  preparation  of  financial  statements  in  accordance  with  generally  accepted 
accounting  principles,  and  that  receipts  and  expenditures  of  the  company  are  being  made  only  in  accordance  with 
authorizations  of  management  and  directors  of  the  company;  and  (3)  provide  reasonable  assurance  regarding 
prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company’s assets that could have 
a material effect on the financial statements.

its 

inherent 

Because  of 
financial  reporting  may  not  prevent  or  detect 
misstatements. Also,  projections  of  any  evaluation  of  effectiveness  to  future  periods  are  subject  to  the  risk  that 
controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies 
or procedures may deteriorate.

internal  control  over 

limitations, 

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Ernst & Young Ltd
Basel, 8 March 2018

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Ernst & Young Ltd
Aeschengraben 9
P.O. Box
CH-4002 Basel

Phone
Fax
www.ey.com/ch

+41 58 286 86 86
+41 58 286 86 00

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

To the Shareholders and the Board of Directors of UBS Group AG

Opinion on the Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of UBS Group AG and subsidiaries (the 
Company)  as  of  31  December  2017 and  2016,  and  the  related  consolidated  income  statements, 
statements of comprehensive income, changes in equity and cash flows, for each of the three years in the 
period  ended  31  December  2017,  and  the  related  notes  (collectively  referred  to  as  the  “financial 
statements”).
In our  opinion,  the  financial  statements  present  fairly,  in  all  material  respects,  the 
consolidated  financial  position  of  the  UBS  Group  AG and  subsidiaries as  of  December  31,  2017  and 
2016, and the consolidated results of their operations and their cash flows for each of the three years in 
the period ended December 31, 2017, in conformity with International Financial Reporting Standards, as 
issued by the International Accounting Standards Board.

We  also  have  audited,  in  accordance  with  the  standards  of  the  Public  Company  Accounting  Oversight 
Board  (United  States)  (“PCAOB”),  UBS  Group  AG  and  subsidiaries’  internal  control  over  financial 
reporting as of 31 December 2017, based on criteria established in Internal Control-Integrated Framework 
issued  by  the  Committee  of  Sponsoring  Organizations  of  the  Treadway  Commission  (2013  framework), 
and our report dated 8 March 2018, expressed an unqualified opinion thereon.

Basis for Opinion
These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s Board of Directors. Our responsibility 
is  to  express  an  opinion  on  the  Company‘s  financial  statements  based  on  our  audits.  We  are  a  public 
accounting  firm  registered  with  the  PCAOB and  are  required  to  be  independent  with  respect  to  the 
Company in accordance  with the US federal securities laws and the  applicable rules and regulations of 
the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB. 

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that 
we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are 
free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. Our audits included performing procedures 
to  assess  the  risks  of  material  misstatement  of  the  financial  statements,  whether  due  to  error  or  fraud, 
and  performing  procedures  that  respond  to  those  risks.  Such  procedures  include  examining,  on  a  test 
basis,  evidence  regarding  the  amounts  and  disclosures  in  the  financial  statements.  Our  audits  also 
included  evaluating  the  accounting  principles  used  and  significant  estimates  made  by  management,  as 
well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audits provide 
a reasonable basis for our opinion. 

Ernst & Young Ltd

We have served as the Company‘s auditor since 1998.

Basel, 8 March 2018

1 

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Ernst & Young Ltd 
Aeschengraben 9 
P.O. Box 
CH-4002 Basel 

Phone: 
Fax: 
www.ey.com/ch 

+41 58 286 86 86 
+41 58 286 86 00 

To the General Meeting of  
UBS Group AG, Zurich 

Basel, 8 March 2018 

Statutory auditor’s report on the audit of the consolidated financial 
statements 

 Opinion 
We  have  audited  the  consolidated  financial  statements  of  UBS  Group  AG  and  its  subsidiaries  (the  Group), 
which comprise the consolidated balance sheets as of 31 December 2017 and  2016, and the consolidated 
income statements, statements of comprehensive income, changes in equity and cash flows for each of the 
three  years  in  the  period  ended  31  December  2017,  and  notes  to  the  consolidated  financial  statements, 
including a summary of significant accounting policies in note 1. 

In  our  opinion,  the  accompanying  consolidated  financial  statements  give  a  true  and  fair  view  of  the 
consolidated financial position of the Group as at 31 December 2017 and 2016, and the consolidated results 
of  its  operations  and  its  cash  flows  for  each  of  the  three  years  in  the  period  ended  31  December  2017  in
accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and comply with Swiss law. 

 Basis for opinion 
We conducted our audit in accordance with Swiss law, International Standards on Auditing (ISAs) and Swiss 
Auditing  Standards.  Our  responsibilities  under  those  provisions  and  standards  are  further  described  in  the 
Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the consolidated financial statements section of our report. 

We are independent of the Group in accordance with the provisions of Swiss law and the requirements of the 
Swiss  audit  profession,  as  well  as  the  IESBA  Code  of  Ethics  for  Professional  Accountants,  and  we  have 
fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. 

We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our 
opinion. 

 Key audit matters 
Key audit matters are those matters that, in our professional judgment, were of most significance in our audit 
of the consolidated financial statements of the current period. These matters were addressed in the context 
of our audit of the consolidated financial statements as a whole, and in forming our opinion thereon, and we 
do not provide a separate opinion on these matters. For each matter below, our description of how our audit 
addressed the matter is provided in that context. 

We  have  fulfilled  the  responsibilities  described  in  the  Auditor’s  responsibilities  for  the  audit  of  the 
consolidated financial statements section of our report, including in relation to these matters. Accordingly, our 
audit included the performance of procedures designed to respond to our assessment of the risks of material 
misstatement  of  the  consolidated  financial  statements.  The  results  of  our  audit  procedures,  including  the 
procedures  performed  to  address  the  matters  below,  provide  the  basis  for  our  audit  opinion  on  the 
accompanying consolidated financial statements. 

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Page 2 

Deferred tax asset valuation 

Area of focus  We  focused  on  this  area  because  there  is  significant  judgment  exercised  when 
determining the valuation of Deferred Tax Assets (“DTAs”) given the significant amount of 
tax  net  operating  loss  carryforwards  (net  operating  losses  or  “NOLs”)  the  Group  has 
available  and  the  impact  of  the  Tax  Cuts  and  Jobs  Act  (“TCJA”)  in  the  United  States. 
DTAs can be recognized to the extent it is probable they will be utilized to offset taxable 
profits  within  the  loss  carryforward  period  or  be  used  against  deductible  temporary 
differences. The estimate of future taxable income is based on the strategic plan which is 
then  allocated  to  the  tax-paying  entities  in  the  various  jurisdictions.  The  recognition  of 
deferred  tax  assets  is  therefore  sensitive  to  changes  in  the  strategic  plan  as  well  as  to 
assumptions made in the allocation of future taxable income. 

See note 8 to the financial statements. 

Our audit 
response 

We  obtained  an  understanding  of  the  TCJA.  We  evaluated  the  design  and  tested  the 
operational effectiveness of the Group’s key controls over accounting for the impact of the 
TCJA.  We  assessed  the  impact  that  the  reduction  in  the  federal  corporate  rate  had  on 
deferred taxes and the Group’s disclosures in note 8. 

We  obtained  an  understanding,  evaluated  the  design  and  tested  the  operational 
effectiveness of the Group’s key controls over the recognition and measurement of DTAs 
and the assumptions used in estimating the Group’s future taxable income.  

We  assessed  the  completeness  and  accuracy  of  the  data  used  for  the  estimations  of 
future taxable income. This included auditing of computations of the models applied to the 
recognition process for DTAs and testing the control framework around the models.  

We  involved  EY  specialists  to  assess  the  key  economic  assumptions  embedded  in  the 
strategic  plan.  We  compared  key  inputs  used  by  the  Group  to  forecast  future  taxable 
income  to  externally  available  data,  the  Group’s  historical  data  and  performance  and 
assessed the sensitivity of the outcomes to reasonably possible changes in assumptions. 

We assessed the completeness and accuracy of the data used in the determination of the 
legal  entity  allocation,  the  assumptions  applied  by  the  Group,  and  the  accuracy  of  the 
computation of the legal entity allocations.  

We also assessed whether the Group’s disclosure regarding the application of judgment 
in  estimating  recognized  and  unrecognized  DTAs  appropriately  reflects  the  Group’s 
deferred tax position (within note 8). 

310 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Page 3 

Legal provision & contingencies 

Area of focus

We  focused  on  this  area  because  the  Group  operates  in  a  legal  and  regulatory 
environment  that  is  exposed  to  significant  litigation  and  similar  risks  arising  from 
disputes and regulatory proceedings. Such matters are subject to many uncertainties 
and the outcome may be difficult to predict. These uncertainties inherently affect the 
amount  and  timing  of  potential  outflows  with  respect  to  the  provisions  which  have 
been  established  and  other  contingent  liabilities.  Overall,  the  legal  provision 
represents the Group’s best estimate for existing legal matters that have a probable 
and estimable impact on the Group’s financial position.  

See note 20 to the financial statements.  

Our audit response  We  obtained  an  understanding,  evaluated  the  design  and  tested  the  operational 
effectiveness of the Group’s key controls over the legal provision and contingencies 
process. 

We  assessed  the  methodologies  on  which  the  provision  amounts  are  based, 
recalculated  the  provisions,  and  tested  the  completeness  and  accuracy  of  the 
underlying  information.  We  read  the  legal  analyses  supporting  the  judgmental 
aspects impacted by legal interpretations. We obtained correspondence directly from 
external  legal  counsel  to  corroborate  the  information  provided  by  the  Group  and 
followed up directly with external counsel as deemed necessary.

We also assessed the Group’s provisions and contingent liabilities disclosure (within 
note 20). 

IT Controls relevant to financial reporting 

Area of focus

We focused on this area because the Group is  highly dependent  on  its IT systems 
for business processes and financial reporting. The Group continues to invest in its 
IT  systems  to  meet  client  needs  and  business  requirements  including  the 
effectiveness of its logical access and change management IT controls.    

Our audit response 

In assessing the reliability of electronic data processing, we included specialized IT 
auditors  as  part  of  our  audit  team.  Our  audit  procedures  focused  on  the  IT 
infrastructure  and  applications  relevant  to  financial  reporting  including  evaluation  of 
the design and testing of the operating effectiveness of key IT general controls and 
IT automated controls.  

Our  audit  procedures  related  to  logical  access  included  testing  of  user  access 
management, privileged user access, periodic access right recertifications and user 
authentication controls. 

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Valuation of complex or illiquid trading portfolio assets and liabilities, financial assets and liabilities 
and derivative financial instruments held at fair value 

Area of focus 

We focused on this area because of the complexity and judgments and assumptions 
over the fair valuation of financial assets and liabilities with significant unobservable 
inputs.  

We  have  continued  to  focus  on  market  developments  in  fair  value  methodologies 
and  specifically  on  the  Group’s  higher  estimation  uncertainty  (“HEU”)  products, 
Credit Valuation Adjustment (“CVA”) / and Funding Valuation Adjustment (“FVA”). 

See note 22 to the financial statements.  

Our audit response  We  obtained  an  understanding,  evaluated  the  design  and  tested  the  operating 
effectiveness  of  the  key  controls  over  the  financial  instrument  valuation  processes, 
including controls over market data inputs into valuation models, model governance, 
and valuation adjustments.  

We  tested  a  sample  of  the  valuation  models  and  the  inputs  used  in  those  models, 
using a variety of techniques, including comparing inputs to available market data. 

We selected a sample of positions and  independently determined estimated values 
and compared the values to the Group’s recorded values.  

In  addition,  we  evaluated  the  methodology  and  inputs  used  by  the  Group  in 
determining funding and credit fair value adjustments on uncollateralized derivatives 
and fair value option liabilities.  

We also assessed the Group’s disclosure (within note 22). 

Other information in the annual report 
The Board of Directors is responsible for the other information in the Annual Report. The other information 
comprises  all  information  included  in  the  Annual  Report,  but  does  not  include  the  consolidated  financial 
statements, the unconsolidated financial statements of UBS Group AG , the compensation report (pages 274
–277 and page 300), disclosures denoted with an audited “signpost”, and our auditor’s report thereon. 

Our opinions on the consolidated financial statements, the standalone financial statements of UBS Group AG 
and the compensation report do not cover the other information in the annual report and we do not express 
any form of assurance conclusion thereon other than the disclosures denoted with an audited “signpost”. 

In connection  with our  audit of the consolidated financial statements, our responsibility  is to read the other 
information  in  the  Annual  Report  and,  in  doing  so,  consider  whether  the  other information  is  materially 
inconsistent with the consolidated financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the audit, or otherwise 
appears  to  be  materially  misstated.  If,  based  on  the  work  we  have  performed,  we  conclude  that  there  is  a 
material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact. We have nothing to report 
in this regard. 

312 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Responsibility of the Board of Directors for the consolidated financial statements 
The Board of Directors is responsible for the preparation of the consolidated financial statements that give a 
true and fair view in accordance with IFRS and the provisions of Swiss law, and for such internal control as 
the  Board  of  Directors  determines  is  necessary  to  enable  the  preparation  of  consolidated  financial 
statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error. 

In  preparing  the  consolidated  financial  statements,  the  Board  of  Directors  is  responsible  for assessing  the 
Group’s  ability  to  continue  as  a  going  concern,  disclosing,  as  applicable,  matters  related  to  going  concern 
and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the Board of Directors either intends to liquidate the 
Group or to cease operations, or has no realistic alternative but to do so. 

Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the consolidated financial statements 
Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the consolidated financial statements as a 
whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor’s report that 
includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not a guarantee that an audit 
conducted  in  accordance  with  Swiss  law,  ISAs,  and  Swiss  Auditing  Standards  and  will  always  detect  a 
material  misstatement  when  it  exists.  Misstatements  can  arise  from  fraud  or  error  and  are  considered 
material  if,  individually  or  in  the  aggregate,  they  could  reasonably  be  expected  to  influence  the  economic 
decisions of users taken on the basis of these consolidated financial statements. 

A further description of our responsibilities for the audit of the consolidated financial statements is located at 
the  website  of  EXPERTsuisse:  http://www.expertsuisse.ch/en/audit-report-for-public-companies.  This 
description forms part of our auditor’s report. 

Report on other legal and regulatory requirements 
In  accordance  with  article  728a  paragraph  1  item  3  CO  and  the  Swiss  Auditing  Standard  890,  we  confirm 
that an internal control system exists, which has been designed for the preparation of consolidated financial 
statements in accordance with the instructions of the Board of Directors. 

We recommend that the consolidated financial statements submitted to you be approved. 

Ernst & Young Ltd 

Marie-Laure Delarue 
Licensed Audit Expert 
(Auditor in Charge) 

 Ira S.Fitlin 
 Certified Public Accountant (U.S.) 

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Consolidated financial statements

UBS Group AG consolidated financial 
statements

Primary financial statements

Note

 3

 3

 3

 11

 4

 3

 5

 6

 7

 14

 15

 8

 9

 9

For the year ended

331.12.17

  14,193

  (7,665)

  6,528

  (128)

  6,400

  17,186

  4,972

  509

  29,067

  15,889

  6,808

  1,033

  70

  23,800

  5,268

  4,139

  1,128

  76

  1,053

31.12.16

 13,787

 (7,373)

 6,413

 (37)

 6,376

 16,397

 4,948

 599

 28,320

 15,720

 7,434

 985

 91

 24,230

 4,090

 805

 3,286

 82

 3,204

31.12.15

 13,177

 (6,445)

 6,732

 (117)

 6,615

 17,140

 5,742

 1,107

 30,605

 15,981

 8,107

 920

 107

 25,116

 5,489

 (898)

 6,386

 183

 6,203

  0.28

  0.27

 0.86

 0.84

 1.68

 1.64

Audited |
Income statement

CHF million, except per share data

Interest income

Interest expense

Net interest income

Credit loss (expense) / recovery

Net interest income after credit loss expense

Net fee and commission income

Net trading income

Other income

Total operating income

Personnel expenses

General and administrative expenses

Depreciation and impairment of property, equipment and software

Amortization and impairment of intangible assets

Total operating expenses

Operating profit / (loss) before tax

Tax expense / (benefit) 

Net profit / (loss)

Net profit / (loss) attributable to non-controlling interests

NNet profit / (loss) attributable to shareholders

Earnings per share (CHF)

Basic

Diluted

314 

Statement of comprehensive income

CHF million

Comprehensive income attributable to shareholders

NNet profit / (loss)

OOther comprehensive income that may be reclassified to the income statement

FForeign currency translation

Foreign currency translation movements, before tax

Foreign exchange amounts reclassified to the income statement from equity

Income tax relating to foreign currency translation movements

Subtotal foreign currency translation, net of tax

FFinancial assets available for sale

Net unrealized gains / (losses) on financial assets available for sale, before tax

Impairment charges reclassified to the income statement from equity

Realized gains reclassified to the income statement from equity

Realized losses reclassified to the income statement from equity

Income tax relating to net unrealized gains / (losses) on financial assets available for sale

Subtotal financial assets available for sale, net of tax

CCash flow hedges

Effective portion of changes in fair value of derivative instruments designated as cash flow hedges, before tax

Net realized (gains) / losses reclassified to the income statement from equity

Income tax relating to cash flow hedges

Subtotal cash flow hedges, net of tax

OOther comprehensive income that will not be reclassified to the income statement

DDefined benefit plans

Gains / (losses) on defined benefit plans, before tax

Income tax relating to defined benefit plans

Subtotal defined benefit plans, net of tax

OOwn credit on financial liabilities designated at fair value

Gains / (losses) from own credit on financial liabilities designated at fair value, before tax

Income tax relating to own credit on financial liabilities designated at fair value

Subtotal own credit on financial liabilities designated at fair value, net of tax

TTotal other comprehensive income that will not be reclassified to the income statement, net of tax

TTotal other comprehensive income

TTotal comprehensive income attributable to shareholders

Table continues on the next page.

TTotal other comprehensive income that may be reclassified to the income statement, net of tax

  (1,237)

For the year ended

331.12.17

31.12.16

31.12.15

  1,053

 3,204

 6,203

  (748)

  21

  196

  (530)

  99

  15

  (206)

  14

  (7)

  (86)

  45

  (826)

  160

  (621)

  277

  11

  288

  (312)

  (1)

  (313)

  (25)

 251

 126

 (84)

 292

 240

 5

 (372)

 25

 28

 (73)

 246

 (1,082)

 170

 (666)

 (447)

 (876)

 52

 (824)

 (120)

 5

 (115)

 (939)

  (1,263)

  (210)

 (1,386)

 1,817

 (140)

 (90)

 (2)

 (231)

 175

 1

 (292)

 44

 8

 (63)

 544

 (1,182)

 128

 (509)

 (804)

 316

 (18)

 298

 298

 (506)

 5,698

315 

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Consolidated financial statements

Statement of comprehensive income (continued)

Table continued from previous page.

CHF million

For the year ended

31.12.17

31.12.16

31.12.15

Comprehensive income attributable to non-controlling interests

Net profit / (loss)

 76

 82

 183

Other comprehensive income that may be reclassified to the income statement

Other comprehensive income that may be reclassified to the income statement, before tax

Income tax relating to other comprehensive income that may be reclassified to the income statement

Total other comprehensive income that may be reclassified to the income statement, net of tax

Other comprehensive income that will not be reclassified to the income statement

Foreign currency translation movements, before tax

Income tax relating to foreign currency translation movements

Subtotal foreign currency translation, net of tax

Gains / (losses) on defined benefit plans, before tax

Income tax relating to defined benefit plans

Subtotal defined benefit plans, net of tax

Total other comprehensive income that will not be reclassified to the income statement, net of tax

Total other comprehensive income

Total comprehensive income attributable to non-controlling interests

Total comprehensive income 

Net profit / (loss)

Other comprehensive income 

of which: other comprehensive income that may be reclassified to the income statement

of which: other comprehensive income that will not be reclassified to the income statement

Total comprehensive income 

 0

 0

 0

 352

 0

 352

 0

 0

 0

 352

 352

 428

 0

 0

 0

 271

 0

 271

 0

 0

 0

 271

 271

 352

 (12)

 2

 (10)

 (95)

 0

 (95)

 6

 (1)

 5

 (90)

 (99)

 83

 1,128

 (911)

 (1,237)

 326

 218

 3,286

 (1,116)

 (447)

 (669)

 2,170

 6,386

 (605)

 (814)

 208

 5,781

316 

Balance sheet

CHF million

Assets

Cash and balances with central banks

Due from banks

Cash collateral on securities borrowed

Reverse repurchase agreements

Trading portfolio assets

of which: assets pledged as collateral that may be sold or repledged by counterparties

Positive replacement values

Cash collateral receivables on derivative instruments

Loans

Financial assets designated at fair value

Financial assets available for sale

Financial assets held to maturity

Investments in associates

Property, equipment and software

Goodwill and intangible assets

Deferred tax assets

Other assets

TTotal assets

Liabilities

Due to banks

Cash collateral on securities lent

Repurchase agreements

Trading portfolio liabilities

Negative replacement values

Cash collateral payables on derivative instruments

Due to customers

Financial liabilities designated at fair value

Debt issued

Provisions

Other liabilities

TTotal liabilities

Equity

Share capital

Share premium

Treasury shares

Retained earnings

Other comprehensive income recognized directly in equity, net of tax

EEquity attributable to shareholders

Equity attributable to non-controlling interests

TTotal equity

TTotal liabilities and equity

Note

331.12.17

31.12.16

10, 11

 24

 24

 22

 23

12, 22, 24

 24

10, 11

22, 24, 25

13, 22

 13

 28

 14

 15

 8

 16

 17

 24

 24

 22

12, 22, 24

 24

 17

18, 22, 24

 19

 20

8, 21

  87,775

  13,739

  12,393

  77,240

  130,707

  35,363

  118,227

  23,434

  319,568

  58,933

  8,665

  9,166

  1,018

  8,829

  6,398

  9,844

  29,706

  915,642

  7,533

  1,789

  15,255

  30,463

  116,133

  30,247

  408,999

  54,202

  139,551

  3,133

  57,064

  864,371

  385

  25,942

  (2,133)

  32,752

  (5,732)

  51,214

  57

  51,271

  915,642

 107,767

 13,156

 15,111

 66,246

 96,575

 30,260

 158,411

 26,664

 306,325

 65,353

 15,676

 9,289

 963

 8,331

 6,556

 13,155

 25,436

 935,016

 10,645

 2,818

 6,612

 22,824

 153,810

 35,472

 423,672

 55,017

 103,649

 4,174

 62,020

 880,714

 385

 28,254

 (2,249)

 31,725

 (4,494)

 53,621

 682

 54,302

 935,016

317 

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Consolidated financial statements

Statement of changes in equity

CHF million
BBalance as of 1 January 2015

Issuance of share capital

Acquisition of treasury shares 

Delivery of treasury shares under share-based compensation plans

Other disposal of treasury shares

Premium on shares issued and warrants exercised

Share-based compensation expensed in the income statement

Tax (expense) / benefit

Dividends

Equity classified as obligation to purchase own shares

Preferred notes

New consolidations / (deconsolidations) and other increases / (decreases)

Total comprehensive income for the year

of which: net profit / (loss)

of which: other comprehensive income (OCI) that may be reclassified to the income statement, net of tax

of which: OCI that will not be reclassified to the income statement, net of tax – defined benefit plans

of which: OCI that will not be reclassified to the income statement, net of tax – foreign currency translation

Changes to legal structure / reorganization: increase in UBS Group AG’s ownership interest in UBS AG

BBalance as of 31 December 2015

Issuance of share capital

Acquisition of treasury shares 

Delivery of treasury shares under share-based compensation plans

Other disposal of treasury shares

Premium on shares issued and warrants exercised

Share-based compensation expensed in the income statement

Tax (expense) / benefit

Dividends

Equity classified as obligation to purchase own shares

Preferred notes

New consolidations / (deconsolidations) and other increases / (decreases)

Total comprehensive income for the year

of which: net profit / (loss)

of which: other comprehensive income (OCI) that may be reclassified to the income statement, net of tax

of which: OCI that will not be reclassified to the income statement, net of tax – defined benefit plans

of which: OCI that will not be reclassified to the income statement, net of tax – own credit

of which: OCI that will not be reclassified to the income statement, net of tax – foreign currency translation

Share 
premium
  32,590

Treasury 
shares
  (1,393)

Retained
earnings
  22,134

Share
capital
  372

 0

 (1,538)3 

 797

 4783 

 (596)

 1

 33

 858

 9

 (2,760)2 

 1

 1,029

  31,164

 (37)

  (1,693)

 13

  385

 0

 (1,401)3 

 796

 493 

 (682)

 (2)

 5

 861

 28

 (3,164)2 

 43

 6,502

 6,203

 298

 868

  29,504

 (44)

 2,265

 3,204

 (824)

 (115)

BBalance as of 31 December 2016

  385

  28,254

  (2,249)

  31,725

318 

Other comprehensive 
income recognized 
directly in equity, 
net of tax1
  (3,093)

of which: 
foreign currency 
translation
 (5,406)

of which: 
financial assets
available for sale
 228

of which: 
cash flow 
hedges
 2,084

Non-controlling 
interests
  3,760

Total equity
attributable to 
shareholders
  50,608

 0

 (1,538)

 200

 479

 33

 858

 9

Total equity
  54,368

 0

 (1,538)

 200

 479

 33

 858

 9

 (2,760)

 (124)

 (2,884)

 (804)

 (804)

 (150)

  (4,047)

 (231)

 (231)

 (220)

 (5,857)

 (63)

 (63)

 7

 172

 (509)

 (509)

 63

 1,638

 (447)

 (447)

 292

 292

 (73)

 (73)

 (666)

 (666)

  (4,494)

 (5,564)

 98

 972

 1

 0

 0

 5,698

 6,203

 (804)

 298

 0

 1,724

  55,313

 0

 (1,401)

 115

 46

 5

 861

 28

 (3,164)

 0

 0

 (1)

 1,817

 3,204

 (447)

 (824)

 (115)

 0

  53,621

 0

 83

 183

 (10)

 5

 (95)

 (1,724)

  1,995

 (83)

 (1,583)

 0

 352

 82

 271

  682

 1

 0

 0

 5,781

 6,386

 (814)

 304

 (95)

 0

  57,308

 0

 (1,401)

 115

 46

 5

 861

 28

 (3,246)

 0

 (1,583)

 0

 2,170

 3,286

 (447)

 (824)

 (115)

 271

  54,302

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Consolidated financial statements

Statement of changes in equity (continued)

CHF million
BBalance as of 31 December 2016

Issuance of share capital

Acquisition of treasury shares 

Delivery of treasury shares under share-based compensation plans

Other disposal of treasury shares

Premium on shares issued and warrants exercised

Share-based compensation expensed in the income statement

Tax (expense) / benefit

Dividends

Equity classified as obligation to purchase own shares

Preferred notes

New consolidations / (deconsolidations) and other increases / (decreases)

Total comprehensive income for the year

of which: net profit / (loss)

of which: other comprehensive income (OCI) that may be reclassified to the income statement, net of tax

of which: OCI that will not be reclassified to the income statement, net of tax – defined benefit plans

of which: OCI that will not be reclassified to the income statement, net of tax – own credit

of which: OCI that will not be reclassified to the income statement, net of tax – foreign currency translation

Share 
premium
  28,254

Treasury 
shares
  (2,249)

Retained
earnings
  31,725

Share
capital
  385

  0

  (908)3 

  960

  643 

  (845)

  1

  19

  721

  21

  (2,229)2 

  0

  1,027

  1,053

  288

  (313)

BBalance as of 31 December 2017

  385

  25,942

  (2,133)

  32,752

11 Excludes defined benefit plans and own credit that are recorded directly in retained earnings.     2 Reflects the payment of an ordinary cash dividend of CHF 0.60 (2016: CHF 0.60 ordinary cash dividend and CHF 
0.25 special cash dividend; 2015: CHF 0.50 ordinary cash dividend and CHF 0.25 special cash dividend) per dividend-bearing share out of the capital contribution reserve.     3 Includes treasury shares acquired and 
disposed of by the Investment Bank in its capacity as a market-maker in UBS shares and related derivatives and to hedge certain issued structured debt instruments. These acquisitions and disposals are reported 
based on the sum of the net monthly movements.

320 

Other comprehensive 
income recognized 
directly in equity, 
net of tax1
  (4,494)

of which: 
foreign currency 
translation
 (5,564)

of which: 
financial assets
available for sale
 98

of which: 
cash flow 
hedges
 972

Total equity
attributable to 
shareholders
  53,621

Non-controlling 
interests
  682

Total equity
  54,302

  0

  (908)

  114

  65

  19

  721

  21

  (2,229)

  0

  0

  0

  (210)

  1,053

  (1,237)

  288

  (313)

  0

  51,214

  0

  (908)

  114

  65

  19

  721

  21

  (2,306)

  0

  (993)

  18

  218

  1,128

  (1,237)

  288

  (313)

  352

  51,271

  (77)

  (993)

  17

  428

  76

  352

  57

  (1,237)

  (1,237)

  (530)

  (530)

  (86)

  (86)

  (621)

  (621)

  (5,732)

  (6,095)

  12

  351

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Consolidated financial statements

UBS Group AG shares issued and treasury shares held

Number of shares

Shares issued

Balance at the beginning of the year

Issuance of shares

BBalance at the end of the year

Treasury shares

Balance at the beginning of the year

Acquisitions

Disposals

BBalance at the end of the year

Conditional share capital

As  of  31  December  2017,  127,664,622  additional  UBS  Group 
AG shares could have been issued to fund UBS’s employee share 
option programs.

Additional  conditional  capital  up  to  a  maximum  number  of 
380,000,000  UBS  Group  AG  shares  was  available  as  of  31 
December  2017  for  conversion  rights  and  warrants  granted  in 
connection  with  the  issuance  of  bonds  or  similar  financial 
instruments.

For the year ended

331.12.17

31.12.16

  3,850,766,389

 3,849,731,535

  2,330,214

 1,034,854

  3,853,096,603

 3,850,766,389

  138,441,772

  54,828,640

  (60,968,862)

  132,301,550

 98,706,275

 90,448,847

 (50,713,350)

 138,441,772

322 

Statement of cash flows

CHF million

Cash flow from / (used in) operating activities

Net profit / (loss)

NNon-cash items included in net profit and other adjustments:

Depreciation and impairment of property, equipment and software

Amortization and impairment of intangible assets

Credit loss expense / (recovery)

Share of net profits of associates / joint ventures and impairment of associates

Deferred tax expense / (benefit)

Net loss / (gain) from investing activities

Net loss / (gain) from financing activities

Other net adjustments

NNet change in operating assets and liabilities:

Due from / to banks

Cash collateral on securities borrowed and reverse repurchase agreements

Cash collateral on securities lent and repurchase agreements

Trading portfolio and replacement values

Financial assets designated at fair value

Cash collateral on derivative instruments

Loans

Due to customers

Other assets, provisions and other liabilities

Income taxes paid, net of refunds

NNet cash flow from / (used in) operating activities

Cash flow from / (used in) investing activities

Purchase of subsidiaries, associates and intangible assets

Disposal of subsidiaries, associates and intangible assets1

Purchase of property, equipment and software

Disposal of property, equipment and software

Purchase of financial assets available for sale

Disposal and redemption of financial assets available for sale

Net (purchase) / redemption of financial assets held to maturity

NNet cash flow from / (used in) investing activities

Table continues on the next page.

For the year ended

331.12.17

31.12.16

31.12.15

  1,128

 3,286

 6,386

  1,033

  70

  128

  (68)

  3,264

  (203)

  2,132

  (513)

  (3,184)

  (7,654)

  7,432

  (21,847)

  7,268

  (2,479)

  (14,224)

  (12,700)

  (9,477)

  (1,015)

  (50,911)

  (102)

  336

  (1,593)

  68

  (8,448)

  14,917

  (77)

  5,100

 985

 91

 37

 (106)

 (7)

 (1,176)

 9,647

 (267)

 (1,180)

 7,933

 (6,637)

 6,054

 (60,650)

 (4,169)

 3,658

 33,572

 (6,874)

 (656)

 (16,457)

 (26)

 93

 (1,777)

 209

 (7,271)

 54,097

 (8,996)

 36,328

 920

 107

 117

 (169)

 (1,613)

 (934)

 (1,451)

 3,686

 1,763

 (2,712)

 (2,909)

 6,830

 (1,325)

 3,285

 1,386

 (18,404)

 8,696

 (551)

 3,109

 (13)

 477

 (1,841)

 542

 (101,189)

 93,584

 (8,441)

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Consolidated financial statements

Statement of cash flows (continued)

Table continued from previous page.

CHF million

Cash flow from / (used in) financing activities

Net short-term debt issued / (repaid)

Net movements in treasury shares and own equity derivative activity

Distributions paid on UBS shares

Issuance of long-term debt, including financial liabilities designated at fair value

Repayment of long-term debt, including financial liabilities designated at fair value

Net changes in non-controlling interests and preferred notes

NNet cash flow from / (used in) financing activities

Total cash flow

CCash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the year

Net cash flow from / (used in) operating, investing and financing activities

Effects of exchange rate differences on cash and cash equivalents
CCash and cash equivalents at the end of the year2

of which: cash and balances with central banks

of which: due from banks

of which: money market paper 3

Additional information

Net cash flow from / (used in) operating activities includes:

Interest received in cash

Interest paid in cash

For the year ended

331.12.17

31.12.16

31.12.15

  24,141

  (730)

  (2,229)

  49,506

  (43,299)

  (781)

  26,608

  121,138

  (19,203)

  265

  102,200

  87,700

  12,452

  2,049

 5,440

 (1,248)

 (3,164)

 33,256

 (33,885)

 (1,371)

 (972)

 103,044

 18,900

 (806)

 121,138

 107,715

 11,959

 1,465

 (6,404)

 (845)

 (2,760)

 47,790

 (44,221)

 (156)

 (6,595)

 116,715

 (11,928)

 (1,742)

 103,044

 91,306

 10,814

 924

  12,445

  6,568

 12,228

 6,129

 11,144

 5,270

Dividends on equity investments, investment funds and associates received in cash4
11 Includes dividends received from associates.     2 CHF 2,434 million, CHF 2,662 million and CHF 3,963 million of cash and cash equivalents (mainly reflected in Due from banks) were restricted as of 31 December 
2017, 31 December 2016 and 31 December 2015, respectively. Refer to Note 23 for more information.     3 Money market paper is included in the balance sheet under Trading portfolio assets (31 December 2017: 
CHF  131  million,  31  December  2016:  CHF  75  million,  31  December  2015:  CHF  795  million),  Financial  assets  available  for  sale  (31  December  2017:  CHF  23  million,  31  December  2016:  CHF  430  million, 
31 December 2015: CHF 129 million) and Financial assets designated at fair value (31 December 2017: CHF 1,894 million, 31 December 2016: CHF 959 million, 31 December 2015: CHF 0 million).     4 Includes 
dividends received from associates (2017: CHF 51 million, 2016: CHF 50 million, 2015: CHF 114 million) reported within Cash flow from / (used in) investing activities.

  1,790

 1,595

 2,120

Changes in liabilities arising from financing activities

CHF million
Balance as of 1 January 2017

Cash flows

Non-cash changes

of which: foreign currency translation

of which: fair value changes

of which: other

Balance as of 31 December 2017

Debt issued
 103,649

of which: 
short-term
 26,178

of which: 
long-term
 77,472

 35,903

 24,141

 11,762

 (1)

 422

 634

 634

 (635)

 (211)

Financial liabilities 
designated at fair 
value
 55,017

 (5,556)

 4,740

 593

 4,147

Total
 158,666

 30,348

 4,739

 1,016

 4,147

 (424) 1 

 0

 (424) 1 

 0

 (424)

 139,551

 50,953

 88,599

 54,202

 193,753

1 Includes the effect of fair value hedges on long-term debt issued. Refer to Note 1a item k and Note 19 for more information.

324 

 
Notes to the UBS Group AG consolidated financial statements

Note 1  Summary of significant accounting policies

a) Significant accounting policies

This Note describes the significant accounting policies applied in 
the  preparation  of  the  consolidated  financial  statements  (the 
“Financial  Statements”)  of  UBS  Group  AG  and  its  subsidiaries 
(“UBS”  or  the  “Group”).  On  8  March  2018,  the  Financial 
Statements were authorized for issue by the Board of Directors.

Basis of accounting
The Financial Statements have been prepared in accordance with 
International  Financial  Reporting  Standards  (IFRS),  as  issued  by 
the  International  Accounting  Standards  Board  (IASB),  and  are 
presented  in  Swiss  francs  (CHF),  which  is  also  the  functional 
currency of UBS Group AG and of UBS AG’s Head Office and its 
Swiss-based operations. 

Disclosures  provided  in  the  “Risk,  treasury  and  capital 
management” section of this report that are marked as audited 
form  an  integral  part  of  the  Financial  Statements.  These 
disclosures  relate  to  requirements  under  IFRS  7,  Financial 
Instruments:  Disclosures  and  IAS  1,  Presentation  of  Financial 
Statements and are not repeated in this section. 

The  accounting  policies  described  in  this  Note  have  been 
applied  consistently  in  all  years  presented  unless  otherwise 
stated in Note 1b.

Critical accounting estimates and judgments 
Preparation  of  these  Financial  Statements  under  IFRS  requires 
management  to  apply  judgment  and  make  estimates  and 
assumptions  that  affect  reported  amounts  of  assets,  liabilities, 
income  and  expenses  and  disclosure  of  contingent  assets  and 
liabilities,  and  may  involve  significant  uncertainty  at  the  time 
they  are  made.  Such  estimates  and  assumptions  are  based  on 
the  best  available  information.  UBS  regularly  reassesses  the 
estimates  and  assumptions,  which  encompass  historical 
experience,  expectations  of  the  future  and  other  pertinent 
factors,  to  determine  their  continuing  relevance  based  on 
current conditions and it updates them as necessary. Changes in 
those estimates and assumptions may have a significant impact 

on  the  Financial  Statements.  Further,  actual  results  may  differ 
significantly  from  UBS’s  estimates,  which  could  result 
in 
significant  loss  to  the  Group,  beyond  what  it  anticipated  or 
provided for. 

The following areas contain estimation uncertainty or require 
critical  judgment  and  have  a  significant  effect  on  the  amounts 
recognized in the Financial Statements: 
– fair value of financial instruments (refer to item 3f in this Note 

and to Note 22)

– allowances and provisions for credit losses (refer to item 3g in 

this Note and to Note 11) 

– pension  and  other  post-employment  benefit  plans  (refer  to 

item 7 in this Note and to Note 26) 

– income taxes (refer to item 8 in this Note and to Note 8) 
– goodwill (refer to item 11 in this Note and to Note 15)
– provisions  and  contingent  liabilities  (refer  to  item  12  in  this 

Note and to Note 20)

– consolidation  of  structured  entities  (refer  to  item  1  in  this 

Note and to Note 28).

1) Consolidation

a. Consolidation principles
The  Financial  Statements  comprise  the  financial  statements  of 
the  parent  company  (UBS  Group  AG)  and  its  subsidiaries, 
presented  as  a  single  economic  entity,  whereby  intercompany 
transactions  and  balances  have  been  eliminated.  UBS 
consolidates  all  entities  that  it  controls,  including  controlled 
structured entities (SEs), which is the case when it has (i) power 
over  the  relevant  activities  of  the  entity,  (ii)  exposure  to  an 
entity‘s  variable  returns  and  (iii)  the  ability  to  use  its  power  to 
affect its own returns.

Where  an  entity  is  governed  by  voting  rights,  control  is 
generally  indicated  by  a  direct  shareholding  of  more  than  one-
half of the voting rights.

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Consolidated financial statements

Note 1  Summary of significant accounting policies (continued)

The classes of SEs with which UBS is involved include:

– Securitization  structured  entities  are  established  to  issue 
securities to investors that are backed by assets held by the SE 
and  whereby  (i)  significant  credit  risk  associated  with  the 
securitized  exposures  has  been  transferred  to  third  parties 
and (ii) there is more than one risk position or tranche issued 
by  the  securitization  vehicle  in  line  with  the  Basel  III 
securitization  entities  are 
securitization  definition.  All 
classified as SEs. 

– Client 

investment 

structured  entities  are  established 
predominantly  for  clients  to  invest  in  specific  assets  or  risk 
exposures  through  purchasing  notes  issued  by  the  SE, 
predominantly  on  a  fixed-term  basis.  The  SE  may  source 
assets via a transfer from UBS or through an external market 
transaction.  In  some  cases,  UBS  may  enter  into  derivatives 
with  the  SE  to  either  align  the  cash  flows  of  the  entity  with 
the  investor’s  intended  investment  objective  or  to  introduce 
other  desired  risk  exposures.  In  certain  cases,  UBS  may  have 
interests in a third-party-sponsored SE to hedge specific risks 
or participate in asset-backed financing.

– Investment 

fund  structured  entities  have  a  collective 
investment  objective,  are  managed  by  an 
investment 
manager  and  are  either  passively  managed,  so  that  any 
decision  making  does  not  have  a  substantive  effect  on 
variability,  or  are  actively  managed  and  investors  or  their 
governing  bodies  do  not  have  substantive  voting  or  similar 
rights. UBS creates and sponsors a large number of funds in 
which it may have an interest through the receipt of variable 
management  fees  and  /  or  a  direct  investment.  In  addition, 
UBS  has  interests  in  a  number  of  funds  created  and 
sponsored  by  third  parties,  including  exchange-traded  funds 
and hedge funds, to hedge issued structured products.

When UBS does not consolidate an SE, but has an interest in 
an  SE  or  has  sponsored  an  SE,  disclosures  are  provided  on  the 
nature of these interests and sponsorship activities. 

Critical accounting estimates and judgments 
Each  individual  entity  is  assessed  for  consolidation  in  line  with 
the  aforementioned  consolidation  principles.  The  assessment  of 
control  can  be  complex  and  requires  the  use  of  significant 
judgment.  As  the  nature  and  extent  of  UBS’s  involvement  are 
unique  to  each  entity,  there  is  no  uniform  consolidation 
outcome  by  entity.  Certain  entities  within  a  class  may  be 
consolidated while others may not. 

→ Refer to Note 28 for more information

the  entity, 

rights  held 

In other cases, the assessment of control is more complex and 
requires greater use of judgment. Where UBS has an interest in 
an  entity  that  absorbs  variability,  UBS  considers  whether  it  has 
power  over  the  relevant  activities  of  the  entity  that  allows  it  to 
affect  the  variability  of  its  returns.  Consideration  is  given  to  all 
facts  and  circumstances  to  determine  whether  the  Group  has 
power  over  another  entity;  that  is,  the  current  ability  to  direct 
the  relevant  activities  of  an  entity  when  decisions  about  those 
activities  need  to  be  made.  Factors  such  as  the  purpose  and 
design  of 
through  contractual 
arrangements, such as call rights, put rights or liquidation rights, 
as  well  as  potential  decision-making  rights  are  all  considered  in 
this  assessment.  Where  the  Group  has  power  over  the  relevant 
activities,  a  further  assessment  is  made  to  determine  whether, 
through that power, it has the ability to affect its own returns by 
assessing whether power is held in a principal or agent capacity. 
Consideration  is  given  to  (i)  the  scope  of  decision-making 
authority,  (ii)  rights  held  by  other  parties,  including  removal  or 
other  participating  rights,  and  (iii)  exposure  to  variability, 
including  remuneration,  relative  to  total  variability  of  the  entity 
as well as whether that exposure is different from that of other 
investors. If, after review of these factors, UBS concludes that it 
can  exercise  its  power  to  affect  its  own  returns,  the  entity  is 
consolidated.

Subsidiaries,  including  SEs,  are  consolidated  from  the  date 
when control is obtained and are deconsolidated from the date 
when control ceases. Control, or the lack thereof, is reassessed if 
facts and circumstances indicate that there is a change to one or 
more  of  the  elements  required  to  establish  that  control  is 
present.

→ Refer to Note 28 for more information

b. Structured entities
UBS  sponsors  the  formation  of  SEs  and  interacts  with  non-
sponsored SEs for a variety of reasons, including allowing clients 
to  obtain  or  be  exposed  to  particular  risk  profiles,  to  provide 
funding or to sell or purchase credit risk. An SE is an entity that 
has  been  designed  so  that  voting  or  similar  rights  are  not  the 
dominant  factor  in  deciding  who  controls  the  entity.  Such 
entities generally have a narrow and well-defined objective and 
include  those  historically  referred  to  as  special  purpose  entities, 
as  well  as  some  investment  funds.  UBS  assesses  whether  an 
entity is an SE by considering the nature of the activities of the 
entity  as  well  as  the  substance  of  voting  or  similar  rights 
afforded  to  other  parties,  including  investors  and  independent 
boards  or  directors.  UBS  considers  rights  such  as  the  ability  to 
liquidate the entity or remove the decision maker to be similar to 
voting  rights  when  the  holder  has  the  substantive  ability  to 
exercise such rights without cause. In the absence of such rights 
or  in  cases  where  the  existence  of  such  rights  cannot  be  fully 
established, the entity is considered to be an SE. 

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Note 1  Summary of significant accounting policies (continued)

UBS’s 

internal 

2) Segment reporting
As  of  31  December  2017,  UBS‘s  businesses  were  organized 
globally  into  five  business  divisions:  Wealth  Management, 
Wealth  Management  Americas,  Personal  &  Corporate  Banking, 
Asset Management and the Investment Bank, all of which were 
supported  by  Corporate  Center.  The  five  business  divisions 
qualify  as  reportable  segments  for  the  purpose  of  segment 
reporting  and,  together  with  Corporate  Center,  reflect  the 
management  structure  of  the  Group.  Corporate  Center  –  Non-
core and Legacy Portfolio is managed and reported as a separate 
reportable 
segment  within  Corporate  Center.  Financial 
information  about  the  five  business  divisions  and  Corporate 
Center  (with  its  units:  Services,  Group  Asset  and  Liability 
Management  (Group  ALM),  Non-core  and  Legacy  Portfolio)  is 
presented  separately  in  internal  management  reports  to  the 
Group Executive Board, which is considered the “chief operating 
decision maker” pursuant to IFRS 8, Operating Segments. 
accounting 

include 
management  accounting  policies  and  service  level  agreements, 
determine  the  revenues  and  expenses  directly  attributable  to 
each  reportable  segment.  Transactions  between  the  reportable 
segments  are  carried  out  at  internally  agreed  rates  and  are 
reflected  in  the  operating  results  of  the  reportable  segments. 
Revenue-sharing agreements are used to allocate external client 
revenues  to  reportable  segments  where  several  reportable 
segments are involved in the value creation chain. Commissions 
are  credited  to  the  reportable  segments  based  on  the 
corresponding  client  relationship.  Total  intersegment  revenues 
for the Group are immaterial, as the majority of the revenues are 
allocated  across  the  segments  by  means  of  revenue-sharing 
agreements.  Net  interest  income  is  generally  allocated  to  the 
reportable  segments  based  on  their  balance  sheet  positions. 
Interest  income  earned  from  managing  UBS’s  consolidated 
equity is allocated to the reportable segments based on average 
attributed  equity.  Assets  and 
liabilities  of  the  reportable 
segments  are  funded  through  and  invested  with  Corporate 
Center – Group ALM, and the net interest margin is reflected in 
the results of each reportable segment.

policies,  which 

Segment  assets  are  based  on  a  third-party  view  and  do  not 
include intercompany balances. This view is in line with internal 
reporting to the Group Executive Board. Certain assets managed 
centrally by Corporate Center – Services and Corporate Center – 
Group  ALM  may  be  allocated  to  other  segments  on  a  basis 
different  to  that  on  which  the  corresponding  costs  or  revenues 
are  allocated.  For  example,  certain  assets  that  are  reported  in 
Corporate Center – Services or Corporate Center – Group ALM 
may  be  retained  on  the  balance  sheet  of  these  components  of 
Corporate  Center  notwithstanding  that  the  costs  or  revenues 

associated  with  these  assets  may  be  entirely  or  partly  allocated 
to  the  segments.  Similarly,  certain  assets  are  reported  in  the 
business divisions, whereas the corresponding costs or revenues 
are  entirely  or  partly  allocated  to  Corporate  Center  –  Services 
and Corporate Center – Group ALM.

Non-current  assets  disclosed  for  segment  reporting  purposes 
represent  assets  that  are  expected  to  be  recovered  more  than 
twelve  months  after  the  reporting  date,  excluding  financial 
instruments, deferred tax assets, post-employment benefits and 
rights arising under insurance contracts.

→ Refer to Notes 1c and 2 for more information

3) Financial instruments

a. Recognition
UBS recognizes financial instruments when it becomes a party to 
the  contractual  provisions  of  the  instrument.  UBS  applies 
settlement  date  accounting  to  all  regular  way  purchases  and 
sales of financial instruments. 

In  transactions  in  which  UBS  acts  as  a  transferee,  to  the 
extent that the transfer of a financial asset does not qualify for 
derecognition  by  the  transferor,  UBS  does  not  recognize  the 
transferred asset as its asset.

UBS  also  acts  in  a  fiduciary  capacity,  which  results  in  the 
holding  or  placing  of  assets  on  behalf  of  individuals,  trusts, 
retirement  benefit  plans  and  other  institutions.  Unless  the 
recognition criteria are satisfied, these assets are not recognized 
on  UBS’s  balance  sheet.  Consequently,  the  related  income  is 
excluded from these Financial Statements. 

Client  cash  balances  associated  with  derivatives  clearing  and 
execution  services  are  not  recognized  on  the  balance  sheet  if, 
through  contractual  agreement,  regulation  or  practice,  the 
Group neither obtains benefits from nor controls the client cash 
balances.

b. Classification, measurement and presentation
Upon initial recognition, UBS records financial instruments at fair 
value  plus,  for  financial  instruments  not  measured  at  fair  value 
through  profit  or  loss,  directly  attributable  transaction  costs. 
After initial recognition, UBS classifies, measures and presents its 
financial  assets  and  liabilities  in  accordance  with  IAS  39, 
Instruments:  Recognition  and  Measurement  as 
Financial 
described in the following table.

→ Refer to Note 25a for an overview of financial assets and 

liabilities by IAS 39 category 

→ Refer to the balance sheet for references to Notes that provide 

information on the composition of individual financial asset and 

liability categories

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Consolidated financial statements

Note 1  Summary of significant accounting policies (continued)

Financial assets 
classification

Held for trading

Significant items included

Measurement and presentation

All derivatives with a positive replacement value, except those that are 
designated and effective hedging instruments.

Measured at fair value with changes recognized in profit or loss.

Changes in fair value, initial transaction costs and gains and losses realized 
on disposal or redemption are recognized in Net trading income, except 
interest and dividend income on instruments other than derivatives (refer to 
item 3c in this Note), interest on derivatives designated as hedging 
instruments in certain types of hedge accounting relationships and forward 
points on certain short duration foreign exchange contracts, which are 
reported in Net interest income. 

Derivative assets are generally presented as Positive replacement values. 

Bifurcated embedded derivatives are measured at fair value, but presented 
on the same balance sheet line as the host contract measured at amortized 
cost. 

The presentation of fair value changes on derivatives that are designated 
and effective hedging instruments differs depending on the type of hedge 
relationship (refer to item 3k in this Note for more information).

Financial assets held for trading (other than derivatives) are presented as 
Trading portfolio assets.

Financial assets designated at fair value through profit or loss are 
presented as Financial assets designated at fair value.

Measured at amortized cost using the effective interest rate method less 
allowances for credit losses (refer to items 3c and 3g in this Note).

Upfront fees and direct costs relating to loan origination, refinancing or 
restructuring as well as to loan commitments are deferred and amortized 
over the life of the loan using the effective interest rate method.

Loans and receivables are presented on the balance sheet primarily as Cash 
and balances with central banks, Due from banks, Loans, Cash collateral 
on securities borrowed, Reverse repurchase agreements and Cash collateral 
receivables on derivative instruments.

Amounts arising from exchange-traded derivatives (ETD) and certain over-
the-counter (OTC) derivatives cleared through central clearing 
counterparties that are either considered to be daily settled or qualify for 
netting (refer to items 3d and 3j in this Note) are presented within Cash 
collateral receivables on derivative instruments.

Any other financial asset acquired principally for the purpose of selling or 
repurchasing in the near term, or part of a portfolio of identified financial 
instruments that are managed together and for which there is evidence of 
a recent actual pattern of short-term profit taking. Included in this category 
are debt instruments (including those in the form of securities, money 
market paper and traded corporate and bank loans), equity instruments, 
and assets held under unit-linked investment contracts.

Designated at fair value 
through profit or loss 

A financial asset may be designated at fair value through profit or loss only 
upon initial recognition and this designation is irrevocable.

The fair value option can be applied only if one of the following criteria is 
met:
–

the financial instrument is a hybrid instrument that includes a 
substantive embedded derivative;
the financial instrument is part of a portfolio that is risk managed on a 
fair value basis and reported to senior management on that basis; or
the application of the fair value option eliminates or significantly 
reduces an accounting mismatch that would otherwise arise.

–

–

UBS designated at fair value through profit or loss the following financial 
assets:
– Certain structured loans, reverse repurchase and securities borrowing 

–

agreements that are managed on a fair value basis. 
Loans that are hedged predominantly with credit derivatives. These 
instruments are designated at fair value to eliminate an accounting 
mismatch.

– Certain debt securities held as high-quality liquid assets (HQLA) and 
managed by Corporate Center – Group ALM on a fair value basis. 

– Assets held to hedge delivery obligations related to cash-settled 

employee compensation plans. These assets are designated at fair 
value in order to eliminate an accounting mismatch that would 
otherwise arise due to the liability being measured on a fair value 
basis.

Non-derivative financial assets with fixed or determinable payments that 
are not quoted in an active market and are not assets for which the Group 
may not recover substantially all of its initial net investment for reasons 
other than credit deterioration. This classification includes:
–
–
–
–

cash and balances with central banks
cash collateral receivables on derivative instruments
residential and commercial mortgages
secured loans, including reverse repurchase agreements, receivables 
under stock borrowing and Lombard loans, and unsecured loans 
certain securities held within Corporate Center – Non-core and Legacy 
Portfolio
trade and lease receivables.

–

–

Loans and receivables 
(amortized cost)

328 

Note 1  Summary of significant accounting policies (continued)

Financial assets 
classification

Available for sale 

Significant items included

Measurement and presentation

Financial assets classified as available for sale are non-derivative financial 
assets that are not classified as held for trading, designated at fair value 
through profit or loss, or loans and receivables. This classification mainly 
includes debt securities held as HQLA and managed by Corporate Center – 
Group ALM, certain asset-backed securities managed by Corporate Center 
– Group ALM, as well as investment fund holdings and strategic and 
commercial equity investments.

Measured at fair value with unrealized gains and losses reported in Other 
comprehensive income, net of applicable income taxes, until such 
investments are sold, collected or otherwise disposed of, or until any such 
investment is determined to be impaired (refer to item 3i in this Note). 
Upon disposal, any accumulated balances in Other comprehensive income 
are reclassified to the income statement and reported within Other income.

Interest and dividend income are recognized in the income statement in 
accordance with item 3c in this Note. Refer to item 13 in this Note for 
information on the treatment of foreign exchange translation gains and 
losses.

Held to maturity

Non-derivative financial assets with fixed or determinable payments and 
fixed maturities for which UBS has the positive intention and ability to hold 
to maturity. 
This classification mainly includes debt securities held as HQLA and 
managed by Corporate Center – Group ALM.

Measured at amortized cost using the effective interest rate method less 
allowances for credit losses (refer to items 3c and 3g in this Note).

Significant items included

Measurement and presentation

Financial liabilities 
classification

Held for trading

Designated at fair value 
through profit or loss 

– Obligations to deliver financial instruments, such as debt and equity 
instruments, that UBS has sold to third parties, but does not own 
(short positions).

– All derivatives with a negative replacement value, except those that 

are designated and effective hedging instruments.

UBS designated at fair value through profit or loss the following financial 
liabilities:
–

Issued hybrid debt instruments that primarily include equity-linked, 
credit-linked and rates-linked bonds or notes.
Issued debt instruments managed on a fair value basis.
Loan commitments that are hedged predominantly with credit 
derivatives and hence eliminate an accounting mismatch.

–
–

Amortized cost

This classification includes:
– Demand and time deposits, retail savings / deposits, cash collateral on 
securities lent, non-structured fixed-rate bonds, subordinated debt, 
certificates of deposit, covered bonds.

– Cash collateral payables on derivative instruments.

Measurement of trading liabilities follows the same principles as for held 
for trading assets, and measurement of liabilities designated at fair value 
through profit or loss follows the same principles as for assets designated 
at fair value through profit or loss.

Presented as Trading portfolio liabilities and Financial liabilities designated 
at fair value, respectively.

Derivative liabilities are generally presented as Negative replacement 
values.

Bifurcated embedded derivatives are measured at fair value, but are 
presented on the same balance sheet line as the host contract measured at 
amortized cost.

Derivatives that are designated and effective hedging instruments are also 
measured at fair value. The presentation of fair value changes differs 
depending on the type of hedge relationship (refer to item 3k in this Note 
for more information).

Amounts due under unit-linked investment contracts are presented as 
Other liabilities.

Measured at amortized cost using the effective interest rate method.

Amortized cost liabilities are presented on the balance sheet primarily as 
Due to banks, Due to customers, Cash collateral on securities lent, 
Repurchase agreements, Cash collateral payables on derivative instruments 
and Debt issued. 

Amounts arising from ETD and certain OTC derivatives cleared through 
central clearing counterparties that are either considered to be daily settled 
or qualify for netting (refer to items 3d and 3j of this Note ) are presented 
within Cash collateral payables on derivative instruments.

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Consolidated financial statements

Note 1  Summary of significant accounting policies (continued)

A financial asset is considered to have been transferred when 
UBS (i) transfers the contractual rights to receive the cash flows 
of  the  financial  asset  or  (ii)  retains  the  contractual  rights  to 
receive  the  cash  flows  of  that  asset,  but  assumes  a  contractual 
obligation to pay the cash flows to one or more entities.

Where  financial  assets  have  been  pledged  as  collateral  or  in 
similar  arrangements,  they  are  considered  to  have  been 
transferred if the counterparty has received the contractual right 
to  the  cash  flows  of  the  pledged  assets,  as  may  be  evidenced, 
for  example,  by  the  counterparty’s  right  to  sell  or  repledge  the 
assets.  Where  the  counterparty  to  the  pledged  financial  assets 
has  not  received  the  contractual  right  to  the  cash  flows,  UBS 
does  not  consider  this  to  be  a  transfer  for  the  purposes  of 
derecognition. 

the 

retained, 

transferred 

UBS  enters  into  certain  transactions  where  it  transfers 
financial assets recognized on its balance sheet but retains either 
all  or  a  portion  of  the  risks  and  rewards  of  the  transferred 
financial assets. If all or substantially all of the risks and rewards 
are 
financial  assets  are  not 
derecognized  from  the  balance  sheet;  for  example,  securities 
lending  and  repurchase  transactions  or  where  financial  assets 
are sold to a third party with a total return swap resulting in UBS 
retaining  all  or  substantially  all  of  the  risks  and  rewards  of  the 
transferred assets. These types of transactions are accounted for 
as secured financing transactions as described in item 3e of this 
Note. 

In transactions where substantially all of the risks and rewards 
of  ownership  of  a  financial  asset  are  neither  retained  nor 
transferred,  UBS  derecognizes  the  financial  asset  if  control  over 
the asset is surrendered, and the rights and obligations retained 
following  the  transfer  are  recognized  separately  as  assets  and 
liabilities,  respectively.  In  transfers  where  control  over  the 
financial asset is retained, UBS continues to recognize the asset 
to  the  extent  of  its  continuing  involvement,  determined  by  the 
extent  to  which  it  is  exposed  to  changes  in  the  value  of  the 
transferred asset following the transfer. 

Certain over-the-counter (OTC) derivative contracts and most 
exchange-traded  futures  and  options  contracts  cleared  through 
central clearing counterparties are considered to be settled on a 
daily basis through the daily margining process, as the payment 
or  receipt  of  the  variation  margin  represents  legal  or  economic 
settlement  of  a  derivative  contract,  which 
in 
the  associated  positive  and  negative 
derecognition  of 
replacement values.

results 

→ Refer to Note 24 for more information 

interest 

c. Interest income and expense
Interest  income  or  expense  is  determined  by  reference  to  a 
financial  instrument‘s  amortized-cost  basis  calculated  using  the 
effective interest rate (EIR) method. UBS also uses this method to 
determine  the 
income  and  expense  for  financial 
instruments 
(excluding  derivatives)  measured  at  fair  value 
through  profit  or  loss.  Interest  income  or  expense  on  financial 
instruments  measured  at  amortized  cost,  debt  instruments 
measured  at  fair  value  through  profit  or  loss  and  available-for-
sale financial assets are presented within Net interest income. In 
addition,  Net  interest  income  includes  the  interest  income  and 
expense  on  derivatives  designated  as  hedging  instruments  in 
effective hedge relationships and forward points on certain short 
duration foreign exchange contracts.

Upfront fees, including loan commitment fees where a loan is 
expected  to  be  issued,  and  direct  costs  are  included  within  the 
initial  measurement  of  a  financial  instrument  measured  at 
amortized  cost  or  classified  as  available  for  sale.  Such  fees  and 
costs  are  therefore  recognized  over  the  expected  life  of  the 
instrument as part of its EIR.

Fees related to loan commitments where no loan is expected 
to  be  issued,  as  well  as  loan  syndication  fees  where  UBS  does 
not  retain  a  portion  of  the  syndicated  loan  or  where  UBS  does 
retain  a  portion  of  the  syndicated  loan  at  the  same  effective 
yield  for  comparable  risk  as  other  participants,  are  included  in 
Net fee and commission income. 

Interest  income  on  financial  assets,  excluding  derivatives,  is 
included  in  Interest  income  when  positive  and  in  Interest 
expense  when  negative,  because  negative  interest  income 
arising  on  a  financial  asset  does  not  meet  the  definition  of 
revenue.  Similarly, 
liabilities, 
excluding  derivatives,  is  included  in  Interest  expense,  except 
when interest rates are negative, in which case it is included in 
Interest  income.  Dividend  income  on  all  financial  assets  is 
included in Interest income.

interest  expense  on  financial 

→ Refer to item 3k in this Note and Note 3 for more information 

d. Derecognition 

Financial assets
UBS  derecognizes  a  financial  asset,  or  a  portion  of  a  financial 
asset,  from  its  balance  sheet  where  the  contractual  rights  to 
cash  flows  from  the  asset  have  expired,  or  have  been 
transferred,  usually  by  sale,  thus  exposing  the  purchaser  to 
either  substantially  all  the  risks  and  rewards  of  the  asset  or  a 
significant  part  of  the  risks  and  rewards  combined  with  a 
practical ability to sell or pledge the asset.

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Note 1  Summary of significant accounting policies (continued)

Financial liabilities
UBS  derecognizes  a  financial  liability  from  its  balance  sheet 
when it is extinguished, that is, when the obligation specified in 
the  contract  is  discharged,  canceled  or  has  expired.  When  an 
existing  financial  liability  is  exchanged  for  a  new  one  from  the 
same lender on substantially different terms, or the terms of an 
existing liability are substantially modified, such an exchange or 
modification results in derecognition of the original liability and 
the  recognition  of  a  new  liability  with  any  difference  in  the 
respective  carrying  amounts  being  recognized  in  the  income 
statement. 

e. Securities borrowing / lending and repurchase / reverse 
repurchase transactions
/  reverse 
Securities  borrowing 
into  on  a 
repurchase  transactions  are  generally  entered 
collateralized  basis.  In  such  transactions,  UBS  typically  borrows 
or lends equity and debt securities in exchange for securities or 
cash collateral. 

lending  and  repurchase 

/ 

These  transactions  are  treated  as  collateralized  financing 
transactions  where  the  securities  transferred  /  received  are  not 
derecognized  or  recognized  on  balance  sheet.  Securities 
transferred  /  received  with  the  right  to  resell  or  repledge  are 
disclosed separately.

In  reverse  repurchase  and  securities  borrowing  agreements, 
the  cash  delivered 
is  derecognized  and  a  corresponding 
receivable, including accrued interest, is recorded in the balance 
sheet  lines  Reverse  repurchase  agreements  and  Cash  collateral 
on securities borrowed, respectively, representing UBS’s right to 
receive  the  cash.  Similarly,  in  repurchase  and  securities  lending 
agreements, 
recognized  and  a 
received 
corresponding obligation, including accrued interest, is recorded 
in  the  balance  sheet  lines  Repurchase  agreements  and  Cash 
collateral on securities lent, respectively. Additionally, the sale of 
securities  that  is  settled  by  delivering  securities  received  in 
reverse  repurchase  or  securities  borrowing  transactions  triggers 
the recognition of a trading liability.

cash 

the 

is 

Repurchase  and  reverse  repurchase  transactions  with  the 
same  counterparty,  maturity,  currency  and  central  securities 
depository (CSD) are generally presented net, subject to meeting 
the netting requirements described in item 3j of this Note.

→ Refer to Notes 23 and 24 for more information 

f. Fair value of financial instruments
UBS accounts for a significant portion of its assets and liabilities 
at  fair  value.  Fair  value  is  the  price  on  the  measurement  date 
that  would  be  received  for  the  sale  of  an  asset  or  paid  to 
transfer  a  liability  in  an  orderly  transaction  between  market 
participants in the principal market, or in the most advantageous 
market in the absence of a principal market. 

All 

financial 

fair  value  are 
instruments  measured  at 
categorized into one of three fair value hierarchy levels. Level 1 
financial  instruments  are  those  for  which  fair  values  can  be 
derived  from  quoted  prices  in  active  markets.  Level  2  financial 
instruments  are  those  for  which  fair  values  must  be  derived 
using valuation techniques for which all significant inputs are, or 
are  based  on,  observable  market  data.  Level  3  financial 
instruments  are  those  for  which  fair  values  can  only  be  derived 
on the basis of valuation techniques for which significant inputs 
are not based on observable market data.

Critical accounting estimates and judgments 
The  use  of  valuation  techniques,  modeling  assumptions  and 
estimates  of  unobservable  market  inputs  require  significant 
judgment and could affect the amount of gain or loss recorded 
for  a  particular  position.  Valuation  techniques  that  rely  more 
heavily  on  unobservable  inputs  require  a  higher  level  of 
judgment  to  calculate  a  fair  value  than  those  entirely  based  on 
observable inputs. 

Valuation  techniques,  including  models,  that  are  used  to 
determine fair values are periodically reviewed and validated by 
qualified  personnel,  independent  of  those  who  created  them. 
Models  are  calibrated  to  ensure  that  outputs  reflect  observable 
market  data,  to  the  extent  possible.  Also,  models  prioritize  the 
use  of  observable  inputs,  when  available,  over  unobservable 
inputs.  Judgment  is  required  in  selecting  appropriate  models  as 
well  as  inputs  for  which  observable  data  is  less  readily  or  not 
available. 

UBS‘s valuation techniques may not fully reflect all the factors 
instruments  held. 
relevant  to  the  fair  value  of  financial 
Valuations  are  therefore  adjusted,  where  appropriate,  to  allow 
for  additional  factors,  including  credit  risk,  model  risk  and 
liquidity risk.

UBS‘s governance framework over fair value measurement is 

described in Note 22b. 

The  level  of  subjectivity  and  the  degree  of  management 
judgment  involved  in  the  development  of  estimates  and  the 
selection  of  assumptions  are  more  significant  for  instruments 
valued  using  specialized  and  sophisticated  models  and  where 
some or all of the parameter inputs are less observable (Level 3 
instruments)  and  may  require  adjustment  to  reflect  factors  that 
market participants would consider in estimating fair value, such 
as  close-out  costs,  credit  exposure,  model-driven  valuation 
uncertainty,  funding  costs  and  benefits,  trading  restrictions  and 
other  factors,  which  are  presented  in  Note  22d.  The  Group 
provides  a  sensitivity  analysis  of  the  estimated  effects  arising 
from  changing  significant  unobservable  inputs  in  Level  3 
financial 
reasonably  possible  alternative 
assumptions within Note 22g. 

instruments 

to 

→ Refer to Note 22 for more information

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Consolidated financial statements

Note 1  Summary of significant accounting policies (continued)

applying  the  original  effective  interest  rate  to  the  impaired 
carrying value of the loan.

All  impaired  loans  are  reviewed  and  analyzed  at  least 
annually. Any subsequent changes to the amounts and timing of 
the  expected  future  cash  flows  compared  with  prior  estimates 
result  in  a  change  in  the  allowance  for  credit  losses  and  are 
charged  or  credited  to  Credit  loss  expense  /  recovery.  An 
allowance  for  impairment  is  reversed  only  when  the  credit 
quality has improved to such an extent that there is reasonable 
assurance  of  timely  collection  of  principal  and  interest  in 
accordance  with 
the 
instrument, or the equivalent value thereof. A write-off is made 
when  all  or  part  of  a  financial  asset  is  deemed  uncollectible  or 
forgiven. Write-offs reduce the principal amount of a claim and 
are  charged  against  previously  established  allowances  for  credit 
losses.  Recoveries,  in  part  or  in  full,  of  amounts  previously 
written off are credited to Credit loss expense / recovery.

the  original  contractual 

terms  of 

Collective allowances and provisions
Collective allowances and provisions are calculated for portfolios 
with  similar  credit  risk  characteristics,  taking  into  account 
historical 
loss  experience  and  current  conditions.  The 
methodology  and  assumptions  used  are  reviewed  regularly  to 
reduce  any  differences  between  estimated  and  actual  loss 
experience.  For  all  of  its  portfolios,  UBS  also  assesses  whether 
there have been any unforeseen developments that might result 
in  impairments  that  are  not  immediately  observable  at  a 
counterparty  level.  To  determine  whether  an  event-driven 
collective  allowance  for  credit  losses  is  required,  UBS  considers 
global economic drivers to assess the most vulnerable countries 
and  industries.  As  the  allowance  cannot  be  allocated  to 
individual loans, the loans are not considered to be impaired and 
interest  is  accrued  on  each  loan  according  to  its  contractual 
terms. If objective evidence becomes available that indicates that 
an  individual  financial  asset  is  impaired,  it  is  removed  from  the 
group of financial assets assessed for impairment on a collective 
basis and is assessed separately as counterparty-specific.

g. Allowances and provisions for credit losses 
A  claim  is  impaired  and  an  allowance  or  provision  for  credit 
losses is recognized when objective evidence demonstrates that 
a  loss  event  has  occurred  after  the  initial  recognition  and  that 
the  loss  event  has  an  impact  on  the  future  cash  flows  that  can 
be  reliably  estimated  (incurred  loss  approach).  UBS  considers  a 
claim  to  be  impaired  if  it  will  be  unable  to  collect  all  amounts 
due  on  it  based  on  the  original  contractual  terms  due  to  credit 
deterioration of the issuer or counterparty. A claim can be a loan 
or  receivable  carried  at  amortized  cost,  or  a  commitment,  such 
as a letter of credit, a guarantee or a similar instrument. 

An allowance for credit losses is reported as a decrease in the 
carrying value of a financial asset. For an off-balance sheet item, 
such as a commitment, a provision for credit loss is reported in 
Provisions.  Changes  to  allowances  and  provisions  for  credit 
losses are recognized in Credit loss expense / recovery.

→ Refer to Notes 10 and 11 for more information

Critical accounting estimates and judgments 
Allowances and provisions for credit losses are evaluated at both 
a counterparty-specific level and collectively. Judgment is used in 
making  assumptions  about 
timing  and  amount  of 
impairment losses.

the 

Counterparty-specific allowances and provisions
Loans  are  evaluated  individually  for  impairment  if  objective 
evidence indicates that a loan may be impaired. Individual credit 
exposures  are  evaluated  on  the  basis  of  the  borrower’s  overall 
financial condition, resources and payment record, the prospects 
of  support  from  contractual  guarantors  and,  where  applicable, 
the  realizable  value  of  any  collateral.  The  impairment  loss  for  a 
loan is the excess of the carrying value of the financial asset over 
the  estimated  recoverable  amount.  The  estimated  recoverable 
amount is the present value, calculated using the loan’s original 
effective  interest  rate,  of  expected  future  cash  flows,  including 
amounts that may result from restructuring or the liquidation of 
collateral. If a loan has a variable interest rate, the discount rate 
for  calculating  the  recoverable  amount  is  the  current  effective 
interest  rate.  Upon  impairment,  interest  income  is  accrued  by 

332 

Note 1  Summary of significant accounting policies (continued)

h. Restructured loans
A renegotiated or restructured loan is a loan for which the terms 
have  been  modified  or  for  which  additional  collateral  has  been 
requested that was not contemplated in the original contract.

Typical key features of terms and conditions granted through 
restructuring  to  avoid  default  include  special  interest  rates, 
postponement  of  interest  or  principal  payments,  debt  /  equity 
repayments, 
the 
swaps,  modification  of 
subordination  or  amendment  of  loan  maturity.  There  is  no 
change in the EIR following a renegotiation.

schedule  of 

in  Other  comprehensive 

there  is  additional  objective  evidence  of  impairment.  After  the 
recognition  of  an  impairment  on  a  financial  asset  classified  as 
available for sale, increases in the fair value of equity instruments 
are  reported 
income.  For  debt 
instruments,  such  increases  in  the  fair  value,  up  to  amortized 
cost in the transaction currency, are recognized in Other income, 
provided  that  the  fair  value  increase  is  related  to  an  event 
occurring  after  the  impairment  loss  was  recorded.  Increases  in 
excess  of  that  amount  are  reported  in  Other  comprehensive 
income. 

→

If a loan is restructured with preferential conditions (i.e., new 
or  modified  terms  and  conditions  are  agreed  upon  that  do  not 
meet  the  normal  market  criteria  for  the  quality  of  the  obligor 
and the type of loan), it is classified as defaulted. It will remain 
so  until  the  loan  is  collected,  written  off  or  non-preferential 
the  preferential 
conditions  are  granted 
conditions.

supersede 

that 

Concessions granted where there is no evidence of financial 
difficulty,  or  where  any  changes  to  terms  and  conditions  are 
within UBS‘s usual risk appetite, are not deemed restructured.

A  restructuring  of  a  loan  could  lead  to  a  fundamental 
change  in  the  terms,  resulting  in  the  original  loan  being 
derecognized and a new loan being recognized.

taken 

to  date  against 

If  a  loan  is  derecognized  in  these  circumstances,  the  new 
loan  is  measured  at  fair  value  at  initial  recognition.  Any 
is 
allowance 
derecognized  and 
loan. 
is  not  attributed 
Consequently,  the  new  loan  is  assessed  for  impairment  on  an 
individual basis. If the loan is not impaired, the loan is included 
within the general collective loan assessment for the purpose of 
measuring credit losses.

the  original 

the  new 

loan 

to 

i. Impairment of financial assets classified as available for sale
At each balance sheet date, UBS assesses whether indicators of 
impairment  are  present.  Available-for-sale  debt  instruments  are 
impaired  when  there  is  objective  evidence,  using  the  same 
criteria  described  in  item  3g,  that,  as  a  result  of  one  or  more 
events that occurred after the initial recognition of the asset, the 
estimated future cash flows have decreased. 

Objective evidence that there has been an impairment of an 
available-for-sale equity instrument is a significant or prolonged 
decline  in  the  fair  value  of  the  asset.  UBS  uses  a  rebuttable 
presumption that such instruments are impaired where there has 
been a decline in fair value of more than 20% below its original 
cost or fair value has been below original cost for more than six 
months. 

To the extent a financial asset classified as available for sale is 
determined  to  be 
impaired,  the  related  cumulative  net 
unrealized  loss  previously  recognized  in  Other  comprehensive 
income  is  reclassified  to  the  income  statement  within  Other 
income.  For  equity  instruments,  any  further  loss  is  recognized 
directly in the income statement, whereas for debt instruments, 
any  further  loss  is  recognized  in  the  income  statement  only  if 

j. Netting
UBS nets financial assets and liabilities on its balance sheet if (i) it 
has the unconditional and legally enforceable right to set off the 
recognized amounts, both in the normal course of business and 
in the event of default, bankruptcy or insolvency of UBS and its 
counterparties, and (ii) intends either to settle on a net basis or 
to realize the asset and settle the liability simultaneously. Netted 
positions 
for  example,  certain  derivatives  and 
repurchase  and  reverse  repurchase  transactions  with  various 
counterparties, exchanges and clearing houses.

include, 

to 

the 

realize 

they  may  be 

the  asset  and  settle 

In  assessing  whether  UBS  intends  to  either  settle  on  a  net 
basis,  or 
liability 
simultaneously,  emphasis  is  placed  on  the  effectiveness  of 
operational settlement mechanics  in  eliminating substantially all 
credit  and  liquidity  exposure  between  the  counterparties.  This 
condition  precludes  offsetting  on  the  balance  sheet  for 
substantial amounts of UBS’s financial assets and liabilities, even 
though 
to  enforceable  netting 
subject 
arrangements.  For  OTC  derivative  contracts,  balance  sheet 
offsetting is generally only permitted in circumstances in which a 
market  settlement  mechanism  exists  via  an  exchange  or  central 
clearing 
that  effectively  accomplishes  net 
settlement  through  a  daily  exchange  of  collateral  via  a  cash 
margining  process.  For  repurchase  arrangements  and  securities 
financing 
transactions,  balance  sheet  offsetting  may  be 
permitted  only  to  the  extent  that  the  settlement  mechanism 
eliminates, or results in insignificant, credit and liquidity risk, and 
processes  the  receivables  and  payables  in  a  single  settlement 
process or cycle.

counterparty 

→ Refer to Note 24 for more information 

k. Hedge accounting
The  Group  uses  derivative  and  non-derivative  instruments  to 
manage  exposures  to  interest  rate  and  foreign  currency  risks, 
including  exposures  arising  from  forecast  transactions.  Qualifying 
instruments  may  be  designated  as  hedging  instruments  in  (i) 
hedges of the change in fair value of recognized assets or liabilities 
(fair value hedges), (ii) hedges of the variability in future cash flows 
attributable  to  a  recognized  asset  or  liability  or  highly  probable 
forecast  transactions  (cash  flow  hedges)  or  (iii)  hedges  of  a  net 
investment in a foreign operation (net investment hedges).

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Note 1  Summary of significant accounting policies (continued)

At  the  time  a  financial  instrument  is  designated  in  a  hedge 
relationship, UBS formally documents the relationship between the 
hedging  instrument(s)  and  hedged  item(s),  including  the  risk 
management  objectives  and  strategy  in  undertaking  the  hedge 
transaction  and  the  methods  that  will  be  used  to  assess  the 
effectiveness  of  the  hedging  relationship.  Accordingly,  UBS 
assesses,  both  at  the  inception  of  the  hedge  and  on  an  ongoing 
basis, whether the hedging instruments, primarily derivatives, have 
been  “highly  effective”  in  offsetting  changes  in  the  fair  value  or 
cash flows associated with the designated risk of the hedged items. 
A  hedge  is  considered  highly  effective  if  the  following  criteria  are 
met: (i) at inception of the hedge and throughout its life, the hedge 
is expected to be highly effective in achieving offsetting changes in 
fair  value  or  cash  flows  attributable  to  the  hedged  risk  and  (ii) 
actual results of the hedge are within a range of 80–125%. In the 
case of hedging forecast transactions, the transaction must have a 
high  probability  of  occurring  and  must  present  an  exposure  to 
variations  in  cash  flows  that  could  ultimately  affect  the  reported 
net  profit  or  loss.  UBS  discontinues  hedge  accounting  when  (i)  it 
determines that a hedging instrument is not, or has ceased to be, 
highly  effective  as  a  hedge,  (ii)  the  derivative  expires  or  is  sold, 
terminated  or  exercised,  (iii)  the  hedged  item  matures,  is  sold  or 
repaid  or  (iv)  forecast  transactions  are  no  longer  deemed  highly 
probable.  The  Group  may  also  discontinue  hedge  accounting 
voluntarily.

Hedge  ineffectiveness  represents  the  amount  by  which  the 
changes  in  the  fair  value  of  the  hedging  instrument  differ  from 
changes  in  the  fair  value  of  the  hedged  item  attributable  to  the 
hedged risk, or the amount by which changes in the present value 
of future cash flows of the hedging instrument exceed changes in 
the present value of expected cash flows of the hedged item. Such 
ineffectiveness is recorded in current period earnings in Net trading 
income.

Interest  from  derivatives  designated  as  hedging  instruments  in 
effective fair value hedge relationships is presented within Interest 
income  from  loans  and  deposits  and  Interest  expense  on  debt 
issued,  within  Net  interest  income.  Interest  from  derivatives 
designated  as  hedging  instruments  in  effective  cash  flow  hedge 
relationships that is reclassified from other comprehensive income 
when  the  hedged  transaction  affects  profit  or  loss  is  presented 
within Interest income from derivative instruments designated as 
cash flow hedges. 

→ Refer to Note 3 for more information

Fair value hedges
For qualifying fair value hedges, the change in the fair value of the 
hedging  instrument  is  recognized  in  the  income  statement  along 
with  the  change  in  the  fair  value  of  the  hedged  item  that  is 
attributable to the hedged risk. In fair value hedges of interest rate 
risk,  the  fair  value  change  of  the  hedged  item  attributable  to  the 
hedged risk is reflected as an adjustment to the carrying value of 

334 

item. 

If  the  hedge  accounting  relationship 

the  hedged 
is 
terminated for reasons other than the derecognition of the hedged 
item,  the  adjustment  to  the  carrying  value  is  amortized  to  the 
income  statement  over  the  remaining  term  to  maturity  of  the 
hedged  item  using  the  effective  interest  rate  method.  For  a 
portfolio  hedge  of  interest  rate  risk,  the  equivalent  change  in  fair 
value  is  reflected  within  Other  assets  or  Other  liabilities.  If  the 
portfolio  hedge  relationship  is  terminated  for  reasons  other  than 
the  derecognition  of  the  hedged  item,  the  amount  included  in 
Other  assets  or  Other  liabilities  is  amortized  to  the  income 
statement over the remaining term to maturity of the hedged items 
using the straight-line method.

Cash flow hedges
Fair  value  gains  or  losses  associated  with  the  effective  portion  of 
derivatives designated as cash flow hedges for cash flow repricing 
risk are recognized initially in Other comprehensive income within 
Equity. When the hedged forecast cash flows affect profit or loss, 
the  associated  gains  or  losses  on  the  hedging  derivatives  are 
reclassified from Equity to the income statement.

If  a  cash  flow  hedge  of  forecast  transactions  is  no  longer 
considered effective, or if the hedge relationship is terminated, the 
cumulative  gains  or  losses  on  the  hedging  derivatives  previously 
reported  in  Equity  remain  there  until  the  committed  or  forecast 
transactions  occur  and  affect  profit  or  loss.  If  the  forecast 
transactions are no longer expected to occur, the deferred gains or 
losses are reclassified immediately to the income statement.

Hedges of net investments in foreign operations
Hedges of net investments in foreign operations are accounted for 
similarly  to  cash  flow  hedges.  Gains  or  losses  on  the  hedging 
instrument  relating  to  the  effective  portion  of  the  hedge  are 
recognized  directly  in  Equity  (and  presented  in  the  statement  of 
changes in equity and statement of comprehensive income under 
Foreign  currency  translation),  while  any  gains  or  losses  relating  to 
the  ineffective  and  /  or  undesignated  portion  (for  example,  the 
interest  element  of  a  forward  contract)  are  recognized  in  the 
income statement. Upon disposal or partial disposal of the foreign 
operation,  the  cumulative  value  of  any  such  gains  or  losses 
recognized in Equity associated with the entity is reclassified to the 
income statement.

Economic hedges that do not qualify for hedge accounting
Derivative instruments that are transacted as economic hedges, but 
do not qualify for hedge accounting, are treated in the same way 
as  derivative  instruments  used  for  trading  purposes  (i.e.,  realized 
and  unrealized  gains  and  losses  are  recognized  in  Net  trading 
income),  except  for  the  forward  points  on  certain  short  duration 
foreign  exchange  contracts,  which  are  reported  in  Net  interest 
income.

→ Refer to Note 12 for more information

Note 1  Summary of significant accounting policies (continued)

instruments.  An  embedded  derivative 

l. Embedded derivatives
Derivatives  may  be  embedded  in  other  financial  instruments 
(host contracts). For example, they could be represented by the 
conversion feature embedded in a convertible bond. Such hybrid 
instruments  arise  predominantly  from  the  issuance  of  certain 
structured  debt 
is 
generally  required  to  be  separated  from  the  host  contract  and 
accounted for as a standalone derivative instrument at fair value 
through profit or loss if (i) the host contract is not carried at fair 
value  with  changes  in  fair  value  reported  in  the  income 
statement,  (ii)  the  economic  characteristics  and  risks  of  the 
embedded  derivative  are  not  closely  related  to  the  economic 
characteristics and risks of the host contract and (iii) the terms of 
the  embedded  derivative  would  meet  the  definition  of  a 
standalone  derivative,  were  they  contained  in  a  separate 
contract. 

Typically,  UBS  applies  the  fair  value  option  to  hybrid 
instruments (refer to item 3b in this Note for more information), 
in which case bifurcation of an embedded derivative component 
is not required.

m. Financial liabilities

Debt issued
Debt  issued  is  carried  at  amortized  cost,  including  contingent 
capital  instruments  that  contain  contractual  provisions  under 
which the principal amounts would be written down upon either 
a specified CET1 ratio breach or a determination by FINMA that 
a  viability  event  has  occurred.  Such  contractual  provisions  are 
not derivatives as the underlying is deemed to be a non-financial 
variable specific to a party to the contract. Where there is a legal 
bail-in mechanism for write-down or conversion into equity (as is 
the case, for instance, with senior unsecured debt issued by the 
Group  that  is  subject  to  write-down  or  conversion  under 
resolution  authority  granted  to  FINMA  under  Swiss  law),  such 
mechanism  does  not  form  part  of  the  contractual  terms  and, 
therefore,  also  does  not  affect  the  amortized  cost  accounting 
treatment  applied  to  these  instruments.  If  the  debt  were  to  be 
written  down  or  converted  into  equity  in  a  future  period,  this 
would  result  in  the  full  or  partial  derecognition  of  the  financial 
liabilities, with the difference between the carrying value of the 
debt written down or converted into equity and the fair value of 
any equity shares issued recognized in the income statement.

In  cases  where,  as  part  of  the  Group’s  risk  management 
activity, fair value hedge accounting is applied to fixed-rate debt 
instruments  carried  at  amortized  cost,  their  carrying  amount  is 
adjusted  for  changes  in  fair  value  related  to  the  hedged 
exposure.  Refer  to  item  3k  for  more  information  on  hedge 
accounting.

Debt  issued  and  subsequently  repurchased  in  relation  to 
market-making or other activities is treated as redeemed. A gain 
or  loss  on  redemption  (depending  on  whether  the  repurchase 
price  of  the  bond  is  lower  or  higher  than  its  carrying  value)  is 
recorded  in  Other  income.  A  subsequent  sale  of  own  bonds  in 
the market is treated as a reissuance of debt.

Financial liabilities designated at fair value
UBS  uses  the  fair  value  option  to  designate  certain  issued  debt 
instruments  as  financial  liabilities  designated  at  fair  value 
through  profit  or  loss,  on  the  basis  that  such  financial 
instruments include embedded derivatives and / or are managed 
on  a  fair  value  basis  (refer  to  item  3b  in  this  Note  for  more 
information).

n. Own credit
From  1  January  2016  onward,  changes  in  the  fair  value  of 
financial liabilities designated at fair value through profit or loss 
related  to  own  credit  are  recognized  in  Other  comprehensive 
income  directly  within  Retained  earnings  and  will  not  be 
reclassified to the income statement in future periods. 

o. Loan commitments
Loan  commitments  are  arrangements  under  which  clients  can 
borrow stipulated amounts under defined terms and conditions.

Loan commitments that can be canceled at any time by UBS 
at its discretion are neither recognized on the balance sheet nor 
included in off-balance sheet disclosures. 

Loan commitments that cannot be canceled by UBS once the 
commitments are communicated to the beneficiary or which are 
revocable only due to automatic cancelation upon deterioration 
in  a  borrower’s  creditworthiness  are  considered  irrevocable  and 
are classified as (i) derivative loan commitments measured at fair 
value through profit or loss, (ii) loan commitments designated at 
fair value through profit or loss or (iii) other loan commitments. 
Other loan commitments are not recorded on the balance sheet, 
but  a  provision  is  recognized  through  profit  or  loss  if  it  is 
probable that a loss has been incurred and a reliable estimate of 
the  amount  of  the  obligation  can  be  made.  Any  change  in  the 
liability relating to these other loan commitments is recorded in 
the income statement in Credit loss expense / recovery.

When a client draws on a commitment, the resulting loan is 
classified  as  a  (i)  trading  asset,  consistent  with  the  associated 
derivative loan commitment, (ii) financial asset designated at fair 
loan 
value 
commitment designated at fair value through profit or loss or as 
a (iii) loan, when the associated loan commitment is accounted 
for as other loan commitment.

loss,  consistent  with 

through  profit  or 

the 

p. Financial guarantee contracts
Financial  guarantee  contracts  are  contracts  that  require  the 
issuer  to  make  specified  payments  to  reimburse  the  holder  for 
an  incurred  loss  because  a  specified  debtor  fails  to  make 
payments when due in accordance with the terms of a specified 
debt instrument. UBS issues such financial guarantees to banks, 
financial  institutions  and  other  parties  on  behalf  of  clients  to 
secure loans, overdrafts and other banking facilities.

Certain  issued  financial  guarantees  that  are  managed  on  a 
fair value basis are designated at fair value through profit or loss.

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Note 1  Summary of significant accounting policies (continued)

Financial  guarantees  that  are  not  managed  on  a  fair  value 
basis  are  initially  recognized  in  the  financial  statements  at  fair 
value  and  are  subsequently  measured  at  the  higher  of  the 
amount initially recognized less cumulative amortization and, to 
the  extent  a  payment  under  the  guarantee  has  become 
probable,  the  present  value  of  the  expected  payment.  Any 
change  in  the  liability  relating  to  probable  expected  payments 
resulting from guarantees is recorded in the income statement in 
Credit loss expense / recovery.

4) Fee income
UBS earns fee income from a diverse range of services it provides 
to  its  clients.  Fee  income  can  be  divided  into  two  broad 
categories: (i) fees earned from services that are provided over a 
certain  period  of  time,  such  as  portfolio  management  and 
advisory  fees,  and  (ii)  fees  earned  from  providing  transaction-
type  services,  such  as  underwriting  fees,  corporate  finance  fees 
and brokerage fees. 

the  exception  of  performance-linked 

Fees  earned  from  services  that  are  provided  over  a  certain 
period  of  time  are  recognized  ratably  over  the  service  period, 
fee 
with 
components  with  specific  performance  criteria.  Such  fees  are 
recognized  when,  as  of  the  reporting  date,  the  performance 
benchmark  has  been  met  and  when  collectibility  is  reasonably 
assured. 

fees  or 

Fees  earned  from  providing  transaction-type  services  are 
recognized when the service has been completed and the fee is 
fixed or determinable, i.e., not subject to refund or adjustment.

Fee income generated from providing a service that does not 
result  in  the  recognition  of  a  financial  instrument  is  presented 
within Net fee and commission income. Fees generated from the 
acquisition,  issue  or  disposal  of  a  financial  instrument  are 
presented in the income statement in line with the balance sheet 
classification of that financial instrument.
→ Refer to Note 4 for more information 

5) Cash and cash equivalents
For the purposes of the statement of cash flows, cash and cash 
equivalents comprise balances with an original maturity of three 
months  or  less,  including  cash,  money  market  paper  and 
balances with central and other banks.

6) Share-based and other deferred compensation plans

Share-based compensation plans
UBS  has  established  share-based  compensation  plans  that  are 
settled  in  UBS‘s  equity  instruments  or  an  amount  that  is  based 
on  the  value  of  such  instruments.  These  awards  are  generally 
subject  to  conditions  that  require  employees  to  complete  a 
specified period of service and, for performance shares, to satisfy 
specified  performance  conditions.  Compensation  expense  is 
recognized, on a per tranche basis, over the service period based 
on  an  estimate  of  the  number  of  instruments  expected  to  vest 

336 

and  is  adjusted  to  reflect  actual  outcomes.  Where  the  service 
period  is  shortened,  for  example  in  the  case  of  employees 
restructuring  programs  or  mutually  agreed 
affected  by 
termination  provisions,  recognition  of  expense  is  accelerated  to 
the termination date. 

Where  no  future  service  is  required,  such  as  for  employees 
who  are  retirement-eligible  or  who  have  met  certain  age  and 
length-of-service criteria, the services are presumed to have been 
received  and  compensation  expense  is  recognized  immediately 
on,  or  prior  to,  the  date  of  grant.  Such  awards  may  remain 
forfeitable  until  the  legal  vesting  date  if  certain  non-vesting 
conditions  are  not  met.  For  equity-settled  awards,  forfeiture 
events  resulting  from  breach  of  a  non-vesting  condition  do  not 
result in an adjustment to expense.

instruments, 

Compensation  expense  is  measured  by  reference  to  the  fair 
value  of  the  equity  instruments  on  the  date  of  grant  adjusted, 
when  relevant,  to  take  into  account  the  terms  and  conditions 
inherent  in  the  award,  including  dividend  rights,  transfer 
restrictions  in  effect  beyond  the  vesting  date,  and  non-vesting 
conditions.  For  equity-settled 
is 
determined at the date of grant and is not remeasured unless its 
terms  are  modified  such  that  the  fair  value  immediately  after 
modification  exceeds  the  fair  value 
immediately  prior  to 
modification.  Any  increase  in  fair  value  resulting  from  a 
modification is recognized as compensation expense, either over 
the remaining service period or, for vested awards, immediately. 
For  cash-settled  awards,  fair  value  is  remeasured  at  each 
reporting  date  such  that  the  cumulative  expense  recognized 
equals the cash distributed. 

fair  value 

→ Refer to Note 27 for more information

Other compensation plans
UBS  has  established  deferred  compensation  plans  that  are 
settled  in  cash  or  financial  instruments  other  than  UBS  equity, 
the  amount  of  which  may  be  fixed  or  may  vary  based  on  the 
achievement of specified performance conditions or the value of 
specified underlying assets. Compensation expense is recognized 
over  the  period  that  the  employee  provides  services  to  become 
entitled to the award. Where the service period is shortened, for 
example  in  the  case  of  employees  affected  by  restructuring 
programs or mutually agreed termination provisions, recognition 
of  expense  is  accelerated  to  the  termination  date.  Where  no 
future  service  is  required,  such  as  for  employees  who  are 
retirement-eligible  or  who  have  met  certain  age  and  length-of-
service criteria, the services are presumed to have been received 
and  compensation  expense  is  recognized  immediately  on,  or 
prior to, the date of grant. The amount recognized is based on 
the present value of the amount expected to be paid under the 
plan  and  is  remeasured  at  each  reporting  date,  so  that  the 
cumulative expense recognized equals the cash or the fair value 
of respective financial instruments distributed.
→ Refer to Note 27 for more information 

Note 1  Summary of significant accounting policies (continued)

7) Pension and other post-employment benefit plans
UBS  sponsors  various  post-employment  benefit  plans  for  its 
employees  worldwide,  which  include  defined  benefit  and 
defined contribution pension plans, and other post-employment 
benefits  such  as  medical  and  life  insurance  benefits  that  are 
payable after the completion of employment.
→ Refer to Note 26 for more information 

Defined benefit pension plans
Defined benefit pension plans specify an amount of benefit that 
an employee will receive, which usually depends on one or more 
factors,  such  as  age,  years  of  service  and  compensation.  The 
defined  benefit  liability  recognized  in  the  balance  sheet  is  the 
present value of the defined benefit obligation less the fair value 
of  the  plan  assets  at  the  balance  sheet  date  with  changes 
resulting  from  remeasurements  recorded  immediately  in  Other 
comprehensive  income.  If  the  fair  value  of  the  plan  assets  is 
higher than the present value of the defined benefit obligation, 
the  recognition  of  the  resulting  net  defined  benefit  asset  is 
limited to the present value of economic benefits available in the 
in  future 
form  of  refunds  from  the  plan  or  reductions 
contributions  to  the  plan.  UBS  applies  the  projected  unit  credit 
method  to  determine  the  present  value  of  its  defined  benefit 
obligations,  the  related  current  service  cost  and,  where 
applicable,  past  service  cost.  The  projected  unit  credit  method 
sees each period of service as giving rise to an additional unit of 
benefit  entitlement  and  measures  each  unit  separately  to  build 
up the final obligation. These amounts, which take into account 
the specific features of each plan, including risk sharing between 
employee  and  employer,  are  calculated  periodically  by 
independent qualified actuaries.

Critical accounting estimates and judgments 
The  net  defined  benefit  liability  or  asset  at  the  balance  sheet 
date and the related personnel expense depend on the expected 
future  benefits  to  be  provided,  determined  using  a  number  of 
economic  and  demographic  assumptions.  A 
range  of 
assumptions  could  be  applied,  and  different  assumptions  could 
significantly  alter  the  defined  benefit  liability  or  asset  and 
pension  expense  recognized.  The  most  significant  assumptions 
include  life  expectancy,  the  discount  rate,  expected  salary 
increases,  pension  increases  and,  in  addition  for  the  Swiss  plan 
and one of the US defined benefit pension plans, interest credits 
on  retirement  savings  account  balances.  Life  expectancy  is 
determined  by  reference  to  published  mortality  tables.  The 
discount  rate  is  determined  by  reference  to  the  rates  of  return 
investments  of  appropriate 
on  high-quality 
currency and term at the measurement date. The assumption for 
salary  increases  reflects  the  long-term  expectations  for  salary 
growth and takes into account historical salary development by 
age groups, expected inflation and expected supply and demand 

fixed-income 

in the labor market. A sensitivity analysis for reasonable possible 
movements  in  each  significant  assumption  for  UBS‘s  post-
employment obligations is provided within Note 26. 

Defined contribution plans
A defined contribution plan is a pension plan under which UBS 
pays fixed contributions into a separate entity from which post-
employment  and  other  benefits  are  paid.  UBS  has  no  legal  or 
constructive  obligation  to  pay  further  contributions  if  the  plan 
does  not  hold  sufficient  assets  to  pay  employees  the  benefits 
relating  to  employee  service  in  the  current  and  prior  periods. 
UBS’s  contributions  are  expensed  when  the  employees  have 
rendered  services  in  exchange  for  such  contributions.  This  is 
generally  in  the  year  of  contribution.  Prepaid  contributions  are 
recognized  as  an  asset  to  the  extent  that  a  cash  refund  or  a 
reduction in future payments is available.

Other post-employment benefits
UBS  also  provides  post-employment  medical  insurance  benefits 
to  certain  retirees  in  the  US  and  the  UK.  The  expected  costs  of 
these  benefits  are  recognized  over  the  period  of  employment 
using  the  same  accounting  methodology  used  for  defined 
benefit pension plans.

8) Income taxes
UBS is subject to the income tax laws of Switzerland and those 
of  the  non-Swiss  jurisdictions  in  which  UBS  has  business 
operations. 

The  Group’s  provision  for  income  taxes  is  composed  of 
current and deferred taxes. Current income taxes represent taxes 
to  be  paid  or  refunded  for  the  current  period  or  previous 
periods. 

Deferred  taxes  are  recognized  for  temporary  differences 
between  the  carrying  amounts  and  tax  bases  of  assets  and 
liabilities  that  will  result  in  taxable  or  deductible  amounts  in 
future  periods  and  are  measured  using  the  applicable  tax  rates 
and laws that have been enacted or substantively enacted by the 
end  of  the  reporting  period  and  which  will  be  in  effect  when 
such differences are expected to reverse.

Deferred  tax  assets  arise  from  a  variety  of  sources,  the  most 
significant being: (i) tax losses that can be carried forward to be 
used against profits in future years and (ii) expenses recognized 
in  the  Group‘s  income  statement  that  are  not  deductible  until 
the  associated  cash  flows  occur.  Deferred  tax  assets  are 
recognized  only  to  the  extent  that  it  is  probable  that  sufficient 
taxable  profits  will  be  available  against  which  these  differences 
can be used. When an entity or tax group has a history of recent 
losses,  deferred  tax  assets  are  only  recognized  to  the  extent 
there  are  sufficient  taxable  temporary  differences  or  there  is 
convincing  other  evidence  that  sufficient  taxable  profit  will  be 
available against which the unused tax losses can be utilized.

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Consolidated financial statements

Note 1  Summary of significant accounting policies (continued)

Judgment  is  also  required  to  forecast  the  expected  outcome 
of uncertain tax positions that may require the interpretation of 
tax laws and the resolution of any income tax-related appeals or 
litigation that are incorporated into the estimate of income and 
deferred tax.

→ Refer to Note 8 for more information 

9) Investment in associates 
Entities  where  UBS  has  significant  influence  over  the  financial 
and operating policies of the entity, but does not have control, 
are  classified  as  investments  in  associates  and  accounted  for 
under  the  equity  method  of  accounting.  Typically,  UBS  has 
significant  influence  when  it  holds  or  has  the  ability  to  hold 
between  20%  and  50%  of  a  company’s  voting  rights. 
Investments in associates are initially recognized at cost, and the 
carrying  amount  is  increased  or  decreased  after  the  date  of 
acquisition  to  recognize  the  Group’s  share  of  the  investee’s 
comprehensive income and any impairment losses. 

The  net  investment  in  an  associate  is  impaired  if  there  is 
objective evidence of a loss event and the carrying value of the 
investment in the associate is below its recoverable amount.

→ Refer to Note 28 for more information 

for 

for 

indication 

10) Property, equipment and software
Property, equipment and software includes own-used properties, 
leasehold  improvements,  information  technology  hardware, 
externally  purchased  and  internally  generated  software,  as  well 
as  communication  and  other  similar  equipment.  Property, 
equipment  and  software  is  carried  at  cost  less  accumulated 
depreciation  and  impairment  losses  and  is  reviewed  at  each 
reporting  date 
impairment.  Software 
development  costs  are  capitalized  only  when  the  costs  can  be 
measured  reliably  and  it  is  probable  that  future  economic 
benefits  will  arise.  Depreciation  of  property,  equipment  and 
software  begins  when  they  are  available  for  use,  that  is,  when 
they are in the location and condition necessary for them to be 
capable  of  operating  in  the  manner  intended  by  management. 
Depreciation is calculated on a straight-line basis over an asset‘s 
estimated  useful  life.  The  estimated  useful  economic  lives  of 
UBS‘s property, equipment and software are: 
– properties, excluding land: ≤ 67 years
– IT hardware and communication equipment: ≤ 7 years
– other machines and equipment: ≤ 10 years
– software: ≤ 10 years
– leasehold  improvements:  shorter  of  the  lease  term  or  the 

economic life of asset (typically ≤ 20 years)
→ Refer to Note 14 for more information

tax 

Deferred 

liabilities  are 

temporary 
differences  between  the  carrying  amounts  of  assets  and 
liabilities  in  the  balance  sheet  that  reflect  the  expectation  that 
certain items will give rise to taxable income in future periods.

recognized 

for 

Deferred and current tax assets and liabilities are offset when 
(i)  they  arise  in  the  same  tax  reporting  group,  (ii)  they  relate  to 
the same tax authority, (iii) the legal right to offset exists and (iv) 
they are intended to be settled net or realized simultaneously.

Current  and  deferred  taxes  are  recognized  as  income  tax 
benefit  or  expense  in  the  income  statement  except  for  current 
and  deferred  taxes  recognized  (i)  upon  the  acquisition  of  a 
subsidiary,  (ii)  for  unrealized  gains  or  losses  on  financial 
instruments  that  are  classified  as  available  for  sale,  (iii)  for 
changes  in  fair  value  of  derivative  instruments  designated  as 
cash  flow  hedges,  (iv)  for  remeasurements  of  defined  benefit 
plans,  (v)  for  certain  foreign  currency  translations  of  foreign 
operations  and  (vi)  for  gains  and  losses  on  the  sale  of  treasury 
shares.  Amounts  relating  to  points  (ii),  (iii),  (iv)  and  (v)  are 
recognized in Other comprehensive income within Equity.

Critical accounting estimates and judgments 
Tax  laws  are  complex  and  judgment  and  interpretations  about 
the  application  of  such  laws  are  required  when  accounting  for 
income  taxes.  UBS  considers  the  performance  of  its  businesses 
and  the  accuracy  of  historical  forecasts  and  other  factors  in 
evaluating the recoverability of its deferred tax assets, including 
the  remaining  tax  loss  carry-forward  period,  and  its  assessment 
of expected future taxable profits in the forecast period used for 
recognizing deferred tax assets. Estimating future profitability is 
inherently  subjective  and  is  particularly  sensitive  to  future 
economic,  market  and  other  conditions,  which  are  difficult  to 
predict. 

The  level  of  deferred  tax  asset  recognition  is  influenced  by 
management’s assessment of UBS’s future profitability based on 
relevant  business  plan  forecasts.  Existing  assessments  are 
reviewed  and, 
reflect  changed 
circumstances. This review is conducted annually, in the second 
half of each year, but adjustments may be made at other times, 
if  required.  In  a  situation  where  recent  losses  have  been 
incurred, convincing evidence that there will be sufficient future 
profitability is required.

if  necessary, 

revised 

to 

If  profit  forecast  assumptions  in  future  periods  deviate  from 
the current outlook, the value of UBS’s deferred tax assets may 
be affected. Any increase or decrease in the carrying amount of 
deferred  tax  assets  would  primarily  be  recognized  through  the 
income statement but would not affect cash flows.

338 

Note 1  Summary of significant accounting policies (continued)

11) Goodwill and intangible assets
Goodwill represents the excess of the cost of an acquisition over the 
fair  value  of  the  Group‘s  share  of  net  identifiable  assets  of  the 
acquired  entity  at  the  date  of  the  acquisition.  Goodwill  is  not 
amortized,  but  at  the  end  of  each  reporting  period  or  when 
indicators  of  impairment  exist,  UBS  assesses  whether  there  is  any 
indication that goodwill is impaired. If such indicators exist, UBS is 
required to test the goodwill for impairment. Irrespective of whether 
there  is  any  indication  of  impairment,  UBS  tests  goodwill  for 
impairment  annually.  UBS  considers  the  segments,  as  reported  in 
Note 2a, as separate cash-generating units, since this is the level at 
which the performance of investments is reviewed and assessed by 
management. The impairment test is performed for each segment 
to  which  goodwill  is  allocated  by  comparing  the  recoverable 
amount,  based  on  its  value-in-use,  to  the  carrying  amount  of  the 
respective  segment.  An  impairment  charge  is  recognized  if  the 
carrying amount exceeds the recoverable amount. 

If the estimated earnings and other assumptions in future periods 
deviate from the current outlook, the value of UBS‘s goodwill may 
become impaired in the future, giving rise to losses in the income 
statement.  Recognition  of  any  impairment  of  goodwill  would 
reduce net profit and equity, but would not affect cash flows.

Intangible  assets  are  comprised  of  separately  identifiable 
intangible items arising from business combinations and certain 
purchased  trademarks  and  similar  items.  Intangible  assets  are 
recognized at cost. The cost of an intangible asset acquired in a 
business  combination  is  its  fair  value  at  the  date  of  acquisition. 
Intangible assets with a finite useful life are amortized using the 
straight-line  method  over  their  estimated  useful  life,  generally 
not exceeding 20 years. In rare cases, intangible assets can have 
an indefinite useful life, in which case they are not amortized. At 
each  reporting  date, 
intangible  assets  are  reviewed  for 
indications of impairment. If such indications exist, the intangible 
assets  are  analyzed  to  assess  whether  their  carrying  amount  is 
fully  recoverable.  An  impairment  loss  is  recognized  if  the 
carrying amount exceeds the recoverable amount.

Critical accounting estimates and judgments 
UBS‘s methodology for goodwill impairment testing is based on 
a model that is most sensitive to the following key assumptions: 
(i) forecasts of earnings available to shareholders in years one to 
three,  (ii)  changes  in  the  discount  rates  and  (iii)  changes  in  the 
long-term growth rate. Key assumptions used to determine the 
recoverable  amounts  of  each  segment  are  tested  for  sensitivity 
by applying a reasonably possible change to those assumptions. 
Refer  to  Note  15  for  the  discussion  of  how  the  reasonably 
possible changes in those key assumptions may affect the results 
delivered by UBS‘s model for goodwill impairment testing.

→ Refer to Notes 2 and 15 for more information

12) Provisions and contingent liabilities
Provisions  are  liabilities  of  uncertain  timing  or  amount,  and  are 
recognized when (i) UBS has a present obligation as a result of a 

past event, (ii) it is probable that an outflow of resources will be 
required  to  settle  the  obligation  and  (iii)  a  reliable  estimate  of 
the amount of the obligation can be made. 

The majority of UBS’s provisions relate to litigation, regulatory 
and similar matters, restructuring, employee benefits, real estate 
and loan commitments and guarantees. 

The Group recognizes provisions for litigation, regulatory and 
similar  matters  when,  in  the  opinion  of  management  after 
seeking legal advice, it is more likely than not that the Group has 
a  present  legal  or  constructive  obligation  as  a  result  of  past 
events,  it  is  probable  that  an  outflow  of  resources  will  be 
required,  and  the  amount  can  be  reliably  estimated.  Where 
these  factors  are  otherwise  satisfied,  a  provision  may  be 
established  for  claims  that  have  not  yet  been  asserted  against 
the  Group,  but  are  nevertheless  expected  to  be,  based  on  the 
Group’s experience with similar asserted claims.

Restructuring  provisions  are  recognized  when  a  detailed  and 
formal  restructuring  plan  has  been  approved  and  a  valid 
expectation has been raised that the restructuring will be carried 
out,  either 
the  plan  or 
through 
announcements to affected employees.

commencement  of 

for 

recognized 

Provisions  are 

the 
unavoidable costs of a contract exceed the benefits expected to 
be received under it (onerous lease contracts). For example, this 
may  occur  when  a  significant  portion  of  a  leased  property  is 
expected to be vacant for an extended period.

lease  contracts 

if 

Provisions  for  employee  benefits  are  recognized  mainly  in 

respect of service anniversaries and sabbatical leave.

Provisions  are  recognized  at  the  best  estimate  of  the 
consideration  required  to  settle  the  present  obligation  at  the 
balance  sheet  date.  Such  estimates  are  based  on  all  available 
information  and  are  revised  over  time  as  more  information 
becomes  available.  If  the  effect  of  the  time  value  of  money  is 
material,  provisions  are  discounted  and  measured  at  the  present 
value  of  the  expenditure  expected  to  settle  or  discharge  the 
obligation,  using  a  rate  that  reflects  the  current  market 
assessments  of  the  time  value  of  money  and  the  risks  specific  to 
the obligation. 

Provisions that are similar in nature are aggregated to form a 
class,  while  the  remaining  provisions,  including  those  of  less 
significant  amounts,  are  presented  under  Other  provisions. 
Provisions  are  presented  separately  on  the  balance  sheet  and, 
when  they  are  no  longer  considered  uncertain  in  timing  or 
amount, are reclassified to Other liabilities – Other.

When all conditions required to recognize a provision are not 
met, a contingent liability is disclosed, unless the likelihood of an 
outflow  of  resources  is  remote,  in  which  case  no  provision  is 
recognized  and  no  contingent  liability  is  reported.  Contingent 
liabilities  are  also  disclosed  for  possible  obligations  that  arise 
from  past  events  whose  existence  will  be  confirmed  only  by 
uncertain  future  events  not  wholly  within  the  control  of  UBS. 
Such disclosures are not made if it is not practicable to do so. 

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Note 1  Summary of significant accounting policies (continued)

Critical accounting estimates and judgments 
Recognition  of  provisions  often  involves  significant  judgment  in 
assessing  the  existence  of  an  obligation  that  results  from  past 
events  and  in  estimating  the  probability,  timing  and  amount  of 
any  outflows  of  resources.  This  is  particularly  the  case  for 
litigation,  regulatory  and  similar  matters,  which,  due  to  their 
nature, are subject to many uncertainties making their outcome 
difficult  to  predict.  Such  matters  may  involve  unique  fact 
patterns  or  novel  legal  theories,  proceedings  that  have  not  yet 
been  initiated  or  are  at  early  stages  of  adjudication,  or  as  to 
which  alleged  damages  have  not  been  quantified  by  the 
claimants.  Determining  whether  an  obligation  exists  as  a  result 
of  a  past  event  and  estimating  the  probability,  timing  and 
amount  of  any  potential  outflows  is  based  on  a  variety  of 
assumptions, variables, and known and unknown uncertainties.

The  amount  of  any  provision  recognized  is  sensitive  to  the 
assumptions  used  and  there  could  be  a  wide  range  of  possible 
outcomes for any particular matter.

Statistical  or  other  quantitative  analytical  tools  are  of  limited 
use  in  determining  whether  to  establish  or  determine  the 
amount  of  provisions  in  the  case  of  litigation,  regulatory  or 
similar  matters.  Furthermore,  information  currently  available  to 
management  may  be  incomplete  or  inaccurate,  increasing  the 
risk  of  erroneous  assumptions  with  regard  to  the  future 
development of such matters. Management regularly reviews all 
the available information regarding such matters, including legal 
advice,  which  is  a  significant  consideration,  to  assess  whether 
the recognition criteria for provisions have been satisfied and to 
determine the timing and amount of any potential outflows.

→ Refer to Note 20 for more information 

13) Foreign currency translation
Transactions  denominated  in  a  foreign  currency  are  translated 
into  the  functional  currency  of  the  reporting  entity  at  the  spot 
exchange  rate  on  the  date  of  the  transaction.  At  the  balance 
sheet  date,  all  monetary  assets  and  liabilities  denominated  in 
foreign currency are translated into the functional currency using 
the  closing  exchange  rate.  Non-monetary  items  measured  at 
historical cost are translated at the exchange rate on the date of 
the transaction. Foreign currency translation differences on non-
monetary  financial  assets  classified  as  available  for  sale  are 
generally  recorded  directly  in  Equity  until  the  asset  is  sold  or 
translation  differences  on 
becomes 
available-for-sale  monetary  financial  assets  are  reported  in  Net 
trading income on an amortized-cost basis, along with all other 
foreign currency translation differences on monetary assets and 
liabilities.

impaired.  However, 

Upon consolidation, assets and liabilities of foreign operations 
are  translated  into  Swiss  francs  (CHF),  UBS’s  presentation 
currency,  at  the  closing  exchange  rate  on  the  balance  sheet 
date,  and  income  and  expense  items  are  translated  at  the 
average  rate  for  the  period.  The  resulting  foreign  currency 
translation  differences  attributable 
shareholders  are 
recognized directly in Foreign currency translation within Equity, 
which  forms  part  of  Total  equity  attributable  to  shareholders, 
whereas the foreign currency translation differences attributable 
to non-controlling interests are shown within Equity attributable 
to non-controlling interests. 

to 

When a foreign operation is disposed or partially disposed of 
and UBS loses control over the foreign operation, the cumulative 
amount  of  foreign  currency  translation  differences  within  Total 
equity  attributable  to  shareholders  and  Equity  attributable  to 
non-controlling  interests  related  to  that  foreign  operation  is 
reclassified  to  the  income  statement  as  part  of  the  gain  or  loss 
on disposal. When UBS disposes of a portion of its interest in a 
subsidiary  that  includes  a  foreign  operation  but  retains  control, 
the  related  portion  of  the  cumulative  currency  translation 
balance  is  reclassified  to  Equity  attributable  to  non-controlling 
interests. 

→ Refer to Note 34 for more information

14) Equity, treasury shares and contracts on UBS Group AG 
shares

Non-controlling interests 
Net profit is split into Net profit attributable to shareholders and 
Net profit attributable to non-controlling interests (including net 
profit  attributable  to  preferred  noteholders,  if  any).  Similarly, 
Equity is split into Equity attributable to shareholders and Equity 
(including  equity 
interests 
attributable 
attributable to preferred noteholders, if any).

to  non-controlling 

UBS Group AG shares held (treasury shares)
UBS Group AG shares held by the Group are presented in Equity 
as  Treasury  shares  at  their  acquisition  cost  and  are  deducted 
from  Equity  until  they  are  canceled  or  reissued.  The  difference 
between  the  proceeds  from  sales  of  treasury  shares  and  their 
weighted  average  cost  (net  of  tax,  if  any)  is  reported  as  Share 
premium.

Net cash settlement contracts
Contracts  on  UBS  Group  AG  shares  that  require  net  cash 
settlement, or provide the counterparty or UBS with a settlement 
option that includes a choice of settling net in cash, are classified 
as  held  for  trading  derivatives,  with  changes  in  fair  value 
reported in the income statement as Net trading income.

340 

Note 1  Summary of significant accounting policies (continued)

15) Leasing
UBS  enters  into  lease  contracts,  or  contracts  that  include  lease 
components,  predominantly  of  premises  and  equipment,  and 
primarily as lessee. Leases that transfer substantially all the risks 
and  rewards,  but  not  necessarily  legal  title  in  the  underlying 
assets,  are  classified  as  finance  leases.  All  other  leases  are 
classified as operating leases. UBS is not a lessee in any material 
finance leases.

long-term 

include  non-cancelable 

Lease contracts classified as operating leases where UBS is the 
lessee 
leases  of  office 
buildings in most UBS locations. Operating lease rentals payable 
are  recognized  as  an  expense  on  a  straight-line  basis  over  the 
lease term, which commences with control of the physical use of 
the  property.  Lease  incentives  are  treated  as  a  reduction  of 
rental expense and are recognized on a consistent basis over the 
lease term.

Where UBS acts as lessor under a finance lease, a receivable is 
recognized in Loans at an amount equal to the present value of 
the  aggregate  of  the  minimum  lease  payments  plus  any 

unguaranteed residual value that UBS expects to recover at the 
end of the lease term. Initial direct costs are also included in the 
initial  measurement  of  the  lease  receivable.  Lease  payments 
received during the lease term are allocated to repayment of the 
outstanding receivable and interest income to reflect a constant 
periodic  rate  of  return  on  UBS’s  net  investment  using  the 
interest  rate  implicit  in  the  lease.  UBS  reviews  the  estimated 
unguaranteed  residual  value  annually,  and  if  the  estimated 
residual value to be realized is less than the amount assumed at 
lease inception, a loss is recognized for the expected shortfall. 

Certain  arrangements  do  not  take  the  legal  form  of  a  lease 
but  convey  a  right  to  use  an  asset  in  return  for  a  payment  or 
series  of  payments.  For  such  arrangements,  UBS  determines  at 
the inception of the arrangement whether the fulfillment of the 
arrangement  is  dependent  on  the  use  of  a  specific  asset  or 
assets, and if so, the arrangement is accounted for as a lease.

→ Refer to Notes 10 and 31 for more information 

b) Changes in accounting policies, comparability and other adjustments

Presentation of interest income and expense on derivatives 
designated as hedging instruments
Effective  1  January  2017,  UBS  refined  the  presentation  of 
interest  income  and  interest  expense  on  derivatives  designated 
as hedging instruments in effective hedge relationships to align 
the  presentation  with  interest  arising  from  designated  hedged 
items. As a result of this presentation change:
– Interest income from loans and deposits and Interest expense 
on  debt  issued  for  the  year  ended  31  December  2017  were 
each  CHF 530  million  lower,  with  no  change  to  Net  interest 
income.

– Interest  income  from  derivative  instruments  designated  as 
cash flow hedges, previously included within Interest income 
from  loans  and  deposits,  is  now  separately  disclosed  within 
Note 3. 

Prior-period information has not been restated, as the effect 

was not material.

→ Refer to Note 3 for more information

Amendments to IAS 7, Statement of Cash Flows
UBS adopted amendments to IAS 7, Statement of Cash Flows, in 
2017  and  now  separately  discloses  the  drivers  of  changes  in 
financial  liabilities  arising  from  financing  activities,  including 
changes  arising  from  cash  flows  and  non-cash  changes,  in  its 
statement of cash flows. 

→ Refer to the statement of cash flows for more information

→ Refer to the “Balance sheet, liquidity and funding 

management” section of this report for information on 

liabilities and funding management

Amendments to IAS 12, Income Taxes
In  2017,  UBS  adopted  amendments  to  IAS  12,  Income  Taxes, 
that  clarify  how  to  account  for  deferred  tax  assets  related  to 
debt instruments measured at fair value. The adoption of these 
amendments  did  not  have  a  material  impact  on  the  Group’s 
financial statements. 

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Consolidated financial statements

Note 1  Summary of significant accounting policies (continued)

c) International Financial Reporting Standards and Interpretations to be adopted in 2018 and later and other changes

IFRS  9  classification  and 

For  UBS,  the  most  significant 
measurement changes on transition are due to the following:
– financial assets that will no longer qualify for amortized cost 
accounting under IFRS 9 will be classified at fair value through 
profit  or  loss  because  their  cash  flow  characteristics  do  not 
satisfy  the  solely  payments  of  principal  and  interest  criteria 
(e.g.,  auction 
securities  and  certain  brokerage 
receivables);

rate 

– lending  arrangements  that  no  longer  qualify  for  amortized 
cost  accounting  under  IFRS  9  will  be  classified  at  fair  value 
through  profit  or  loss  because  the  business  model  within 
which they are managed does not have an objective to hold 
financial assets in order to collect the contractual cash flows 
(e.g., certain Investment Bank lending arrangements);

– equity instruments classified as available for sale under IAS 39 
will  be  classified  at  fair  value  through  profit  or  loss  under 
IFRS 9; and

– financial  liabilities  will  be  newly  designated  under  IFRS  9  at 
fair  value  through  profit  or  loss,  from  amortized  cost 
accounting,  to  align  with  conclusions  reached  for  associated 
financial  assets  that  will  be  measured  at  fair  value  through 
profit or loss (e.g., brokerage payables).

IFRS  9  classification  and  measurement  requirements  for 
financial  liabilities  are  unchanged  from  IAS  39,  except  that  any 
gain or loss arising on a financial liability designated at fair value 
through  profit  or  loss  that  is  attributable  to  changes  in  the 
issuer’s own credit risk (own credit) is presented in OCI and not 
recognized in the income statement. UBS early adopted the own 
credit presentation change from 1 January 2016.

Expected credit losses 
IFRS  9  introduces  an  approach  for  determining  impairment 
based on forward-looking expected credit losses (ECLs), which is 
intended  to  result  in  an  earlier  recognition  of  credit  losses 
compared  with  the  existing  incurred-loss  impairment  approach 
for  financial  instruments  in  IAS  39,  and  the  loss-provisioning 
approach for financial guarantees and loan commitments in IAS 
37, Provisions, Contingent Liabilities and Contingent Assets. The 
new  impairment  model  applies  to  financial  assets  measured  at 
amortized cost, debt instruments measured at fair value through 
OCI,  lease  receivables,  and  financial  guarantee  contracts  and 
loan  commitments  that  are  not  measured  at  fair  value  through 
profit or loss. 

Effective from 2018

integrated 

Changes in segment reporting
Effective  1  February  2018,  UBS 
its  Wealth 
Management  and  Wealth  Management  Americas  business 
divisions  into  a  single  Global  Wealth  Management  business 
division, which is managed on an integrated basis, with a single 
set  of  key  performance 
indicators,  performance  targets, 
operating plan and management structure. Consistent with this, 
the  operating  results  of  Global  Wealth  Management  will  be 
presented  and  assessed  on  an  integrated  basis  in  internal 
management  reports  to  the  Group  Executive  Board,  which  is 
considered  the  “chief  operating  decision  maker”  pursuant  to 
IFRS 8, Operating Segments. Consequently, beginning from the 
first quarter of 2018, Global Wealth Management qualifies as an 
operating and reportable segment for the purposes of segment 
reporting and will be presented alongside Personal & Corporate 
Banking,  Asset  Management,  the 
Investment  Bank,  and 
Corporate  Center  (with  its  units  Services,  Group  Asset  and 
Liability  Management  (Group  ALM)  and  Non-core  and  Legacy 
Portfolio). 

IFRS 9, Financial Instruments
IFRS  9,  Financial  Instruments  is  effective  from  1  January  2018 
and  will  be  applicable  from  UBS’s  first  quarter  2018  reporting. 
IFRS  9  reflects  the  classification  and  measurement,  impairment 
and  hedge  accounting  phases  of  the  IASB’s  project  to  replace 
IAS 39, Financial Instruments: Recognition and Measurement. In 
addition,  UBS  will  early  adopt  the  Amendment  to  IFRS  9, 
Prepayment  Features  with  Negative  Compensation,  issued  in 
October  2017,  which  allows  the  Group  to  continue  to  apply 
amortized  cost  accounting  to  Swiss  private  mortgages  and 
corporate  loans  that  provide  for  two-way  compensation  if  a 
prepayment occurs.

Classification and measurement
IFRS 9 requires all financial assets, except equity instruments, to 
be  classified  at  amortized  cost,  at  fair  value  through  other 
comprehensive  income  (OCI)  or  at  fair  value  through  profit  or 
loss,  based  on  the  business  model  for  managing  the  respective 
financial assets and their contractual cash flow characteristics. If 
a financial asset meets the criteria to be measured at amortized 
cost  or  at  fair  value  through  OCI,  it  can  be  designated  at  fair 
value  through  profit  or  loss  if  doing  so  would  significantly 
reduce or eliminate an accounting mismatch. Equity instruments 
that are not held for trading may be accounted for at fair value 
through  OCI,  with  no  subsequent  reclassification  of  realized 
statement  under  any 
gains  or 
to 
circumstances,  while  all  other  equity 
instruments  will  be 
accounted for at fair value through profit or loss. 

income 

losses 

the 

342 

Note 1  Summary of significant accounting policies (continued)

Expected credit losses will be recognized on the following basis:
– A maximum of 12-month ECLs are required to be recognized 
from initial recognition, reflecting the portion of lifetime cash 
shortfalls that will result if a default occurs in the 12 months 
after  the  reporting  date  (or  a  shorter  period  if  the  expected 
life  is  less),  weighted  by  the  risk  of  that  default  occurring. 
Respective instruments are referred to as instruments in stage 
1.

initial 

recognition, 

– Lifetime  ECLs  are  required  to  be  recognized  if  a  significant 
increase  in  credit  risk  (SICR)  is  detected  subsequent  to  the 
instrument’s 
lifetime  cash 
shortfalls that will result from all possible default events over 
the  expected  life  of  a  financial  instrument,  weighted  by  the 
risk  of  default  occurring.  Respective  instruments  are  referred 
to  as  instruments  in  stage  2.  Where  an  SICR  is  no  longer 
observed, the instrument will move back to stage 1.

reflecting 

– Lifetime  ECLs  are  always  recognized  for  credit-impaired 
financial  instruments,  referred  to  as  instruments  in  stage 3. 
The  IFRS  9  determination  of  whether  an  instrument  is  credit 
impaired will follow substantially the same principles used to 
determine  whether  an  instrument  is  impaired  under  IAS  39, 
i.e.,  is  based  on  the  occurrence  of  one  or  more  loss  events. 
However,  the  ECL  for  credit-impaired  financial  instruments 
under  IFRS  9  may  differ  mainly  due  to  additional  forward-
looking considerations required under IFRS 9. Credit-impaired 
exposures  may  include  positions  for  which  no  loss  has 
occurred  or  no  allowance  has  been  recognized,  for  example 
because they are expected to be fully recoverable through the 
collateral held. Instruments that are no longer credit impaired 
move back to stage 2 or stage 1.

– Changes  in  lifetime  ECLs  since  initial  recognition  are  also 
recognized  for  instruments  that  are  purchased  or  originated 
credit impaired.

The methodology applied will calculate an individual probability-
weighted  unbiased  ECL  in  line  with  the  complexity,  structure  and 
risk profile of relevant portfolios. The following principal factors will 
be  applied:  probability  of  default  (PD),  loss  given  default  (LGD), 
exposure  at  default  (EAD)  and  discounting  of  cash  flows  to  the 
reporting  date,  alongside  an  evaluation  of  a  range  of  possible 
outcomes, forecasts of future economic conditions and information 
on past events and current conditions.

PDs and LGDs used in the ECL calculation will be point in time 
(PIT)  based  and  consider  a  range  of  scenarios  (upside,  baseline, 
mild downside, downside) to capture material non-linearity and 
asymmetries,  and  scenario  weights  will  be  applied  to  reflect  a 
likelihood of their occurrence.

UBS will measure ECL over the maximum contractual period it 
is  exposed  to  credit  risk,  taking  into  account  contractual 
extension,  termination  and  prepayment  options.  For  certain 
credit  card  facilities  without  a  defined  contractual  end  date, 
which  are  callable  on  demand  and  where  the  drawn  and 

undrawn  portions  are  managed  as  one  unit,  the  period  over 
which  UBS  is  exposed  to  credit  risk  exceeds  the  contractual 
notice period and therefore this longer period is used within the 
ECL calculation.

Qualitative  and  quantitative  criteria  are  used  to  determine 
whether  the  credit  risk  on  a  particular 
instrument  has 
significantly increased from its initial recognition. UBS will assess 
changes  in  an  instrument’s  risk  of  default  primarily  based  on  a 
comparison  of  the  annualized  forward-looking  and  scenario-
weighted  lifetime  PIT-based  PDs  at  inception  of  the  instrument 
and  the  reporting  date.  Additional  qualitative  information  is 
considered,  including  internal  indicators  of  credit  risk  such  as 
days-past-due  information,  external  market  indicators  of  credit 
risk  and  general  economic  conditions,  to  detect  significant 
increases in credit risk.

IFRS  9  does  not  provide  an  explicit  definition  of  default.  For 
the purpose of measuring expected credit losses, UBS will apply 
a definition of default that is consistent with the definition used 
in capital calculations and by internal credit risk management. 

Overall, the level of credit losses is expected to increase under 
IFRS  9  alongside  additional  income  statement  volatility  due  to 
the  use  of  forward-looking  assumptions  and  the  application  of 
the SICR approach. 

Hedge accounting
IFRS  9  also  includes  an  optional  revised  hedge  accounting 
model,  which  further  aligns  the  accounting  treatment  with  the 
risk  management  practices.  As  permitted  by  the  standard,  UBS 
will  not  adopt 
IFRS  9  hedge  accounting 
International 
requirements  pending 
Accounting  Standards  Board’s  project  on  macro  hedge 
accounting strategies.

completion  of 

the  optional 

the 

However,  new  mandatory  hedge  accounting  disclosures  will 
be adopted on 1 January 2018 as required, providing additional 
information  on  UBS’s  hedging  strategies  by  hedged  risk  and 
hedge type.

Transition
In  line  with  transitional  provisions  in  IFRS  9,  UBS  will  recognize 
an estimated pre-tax transition impact of CHF 0.7 billion, as well 
as a tax credit of CHF 0.1 billion, resulting in a net reduction of 
CHF 0.6 billion in UBS’s IFRS consolidated equity. Approximately 
half  of  this  amount  is  attributable  to  the  classification  and 
measurement  changes,  arising  predominantly  from  the  change 
in  measurement  basis  of  certain  financial  assets  that  no  longer 
qualify  for  amortized  cost  accounting  due  to  their  cash  flow 
characteristics.  The  remainder  of  the  reduction  results  from 
recognizing  expected  credit  losses  on  all  in-scope  transactions, 
with  the  majority  of  the  impact  driven  by  the  private  and 
commercial  mortgage  portfolio 
in  Switzerland  within  the 
Group’s Personal & Corporate Banking division. As permitted by 
IFRS 9, UBS will not restate prior-period data.

343 

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Note 1  Summary of significant accounting policies (continued)

Presentation
Presentation  of  interest  income:  In  line  with  consequential 
amendments  to  IAS  1,  Presentation  of  Financial  Statements, 
from  1  January  2018,  UBS  will  present 
income 
calculated using the effective interest method on assets that are 
subsequently measured at amortized cost and debt instruments 
that  are  measured  at  fair  value  through  OCI  separately  in  the 
income statement.

interest 

IFRS  9,  alongside  consequential  changes  to 

Presentation  of  balance  sheet:  Effective  with  UBS’s  first  quarter 
2018  reporting,  UBS  will  make  a  series  of  presentational 
changes to the IFRS balance sheet reflecting the implementation 
of 
improve 
comparability with prior periods. The primary changes include:
– IAS 39-specific asset categories such as “Financial assets held 
to  maturity”  and  “Financial  assets  available  for  sale”  will  be 
superseded by the new categories “Financial assets measured 
at  amortized  cost”  and  “Financial  assets  measured  at  fair 
value through other comprehensive income (FVOCI).”

– A  new  category  “Financial  assets  at  fair  value  not  held  for 
trading”  will  be  created  to  accommodate  in  particular 
financial  assets  previously  designated  at  fair  value,  all  of 
which  are  to  be  mandatorily  classified  at  fair  value  through 
profit  or  loss  given  the  assets  are  managed  on  a  fair  value 
basis.

– Brokerage  receivables  and  Brokerage  payables  designated  at 
fair  value  will  be  presented  as  separate  line  items,  whereas 
they  are  presented  within  Other  assets  and  Other  liabilities, 
respectively, as of 31 December 2017.

– Other  assets  and  Other  liabilities  will  be  split  between 
measured  at  amortized  cost,  measured  at  fair  value  through 
profit or loss and other non-financial assets and liabilities.

– Cash  collateral  on 

securities  borrowed  and  Reverse 
repurchase  agreements  will  be  combined  into  a  single  line, 
“Receivables from securities financing transactions”. Similarly, 
Cash collateral on securities lent and Repurchase agreements 
will be combined into a single line, “Payables from securities 
financing transactions”.

– Financial  liabilities  designated  at  fair  value  will  be  split  into 
two lines, “Debt issued designated at fair value” and “Other 
financial liabilities designated at fair value”.

The table on the next page illustrates the new balance sheet 
presentation  of  assets  and  liabilities  in  comparison  with  our 
current  presentation.  The  presentation  of  the  components  of 
equity  will  not  change,  and  therefore  for  illustration  purposes 
total  liabilities  and  equity  are  presented  in  a  single  line  in  the 
table  on  the  next  page.  To  support  comparability,  we  will 
present  prior-period  information  for  periods  ending  before  1 
January  2018  in  this  revised  structure,  beginning  with  the  first 
quarter 2018 financial report. This table does not reflect any of 
the effects of adoption from the classification and measurement 
requirements  of  IFRS  9,  Financial  Instruments,  which  are  only 
applicable  for  the  periods  ending  after  1  January  2018.  As 
permitted by the standard, we will not restate prior periods for 
classification  and  measurement  or  ECL  changes  with  the 
adoption of IFRS 9.

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Note 1  Summary of significant accounting policies (continued)

2018 balance sheet presentation changes
CHF million

Assets
Cash and balances at central banks
Loans and advances to banks (formerly: Due from banks)
Receivables from securities financing transactions (new line)
Cash collateral on securities borrowed (newly included in Receivables from securities financing transactions)
Reverse repurchase agreements (newly included in Receivables from securities financing transactions)
Cash collateral receivables on derivative instruments
Loans and advances to customers (formerly: Loans)
Financial assets held to maturity (superseded)
Other financial assets measured at amortized cost (new line)
Total financial assets measured at amortized cost
Financial assets at fair value held for trading (formerly: Trading portfolio assets)

of which: assets pledged as collateral that may be sold or repledged by counterparties

Derivative financial instruments (formerly: Positive replacement values)
Brokerage receivables (new line, formerly included within Other assets)
Financial assets at fair value not held for trading (new line)
Financial assets designated at fair value
Total financial assets measured at fair value through profit or loss
Financial assets available for sale (superseded)
Financial assets measured at fair value through other comprehensive income (new line)1
Investments in associates
Property, equipment and software
Goodwill and intangible assets
Deferred tax assets
Other non-financial assets (new line)
Total non-financial assets
Other assets (superseded)
Total assets

Liabilities
Amounts due to banks
Payables from securities financing transactions (new line)
Cash collateral on securities lent (newly included in Payables from securities financing transactions)
Repurchase agreements (newly included in Payables from securities financing transactions)
Cash collateral payables on derivative instruments
Customer deposits (formerly: Due to customers)
Debt issued measured at amortized cost
Other financial liabilities measured at amortized cost (new line)
Total financial liabilities measured at amortized cost
Financial liabilities at fair value held for trading (formerly: Trading portfolio liabilities)
Derivative financial instruments (formerly: Negative replacement values)
Brokerage payables designated at fair value (new line, formerly included within Other liabilities)
Financial liabilities designated at fair value (superseded)
Debt issued designated at fair value (new line)
Other financial liabilities designated at fair value (new line)
Total financial liabilities measured at fair value through profit or loss
Provisions
Other non-financial liabilities (new line)
Total non-financial liabilities
Other liabilities (superseded)
Total liabilities
Total liabilities and equity
1 Consists of debt instruments.

31.12.17
Presentation in the
2017 financial statements 

31.12.17
Revised presentation
applicable beginning 2018

87,775
13,739

12,393
77,240
23,434
319,568
9,166

130,707
35,363
118,227
n/a

58,933

8,665

1,018
8,829
6,398
9,844

29,706
915,642

7,533

1,789
15,255
30,247
408,999
139,551

30,463
116,133
n/a
54,202

3,133

57,064
864,371
915,642

87,775
13,739
89,633

23,434
318,509

36,861
569,950
126,144
35,363
118,227
n/a
58,933

303,304

8,665
1,018
8,829
6,398
9,844
7,633
33,722

915,642

7,533
17,044

30,247
408,999
139,551
36,337
639,711
30,463
116,133
n/a

49,502
16,223
212,322
3,133
9,205
12,338

864,371
 915,642

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Note 1  Summary of significant accounting policies (continued)

Amendments to IFRS 2, Share-based Payment
In  June  2016,  the  IASB  issued  amendments  to  IFRS  2,  Share-
based Payment, which are mandatorily effective as of 1 January 
2018.  The  amendments  clarify  that  the  approach  used  to 
account for vesting and non-vesting conditions when measuring 
cash-settled  share-based  payments  is  consistent  with  that  used 
for  equity-settled  share-based  payments.  The  amendments  also 
clarify  the  classification  of  share-based  payments  settled  net  of 
withholding  tax  as  well  as  the  accounting  consequences 
resulting  from  a  modification  of  share-based  payments  from 
cash-settled 
these 
amendments  will  not  have  a  material  impact  on  the  Group’s 
financial statements.

to  equity-settled.  The  adoption  of 

IFRIC 

issued 

IFRIC 22, Foreign Currency Transactions and Advance 
Consideration
In  December  2016,  the  IFRS  Interpretations  Committee  of  the 
IASB 
Interpretation  22,  Foreign  Currency 
Transactions  and  Advance  Consideration  (IFRIC  22),  which 
clarifies that in circumstances when an advance consideration is 
received or paid before recognizing an associated asset, expense 
or income, the exchange rate to be used on initial recognition of 
the related asset, expense or income is the rate determined as of 
the  date  of  transaction  –  i.e.,  the  date  of  initial  recognition  of 
the  non-monetary  asset  or  non-monetary  liability  arising  from 
the receipt or payment of advance consideration. UBS is required 
to apply IFRIC 22 from 1 January 2018. The adoption of this IFRS 
Interpretation  will  not  have  a  material  impact  on  Group’s 
financial statements.

Effective from 2019 

IFRS 16, Leases
In January 2016, the IASB issued IFRS 16, Leases, which replaces 
IAS 17, Leases and is mandatorily effective as of 1 January 2019. 
The  standard  substantially  changes  how  lessees  must  account 
for operating lease commitments, requiring a lease liability with 
a  corresponding  right-of-use  asset  to  be  recognized  on  the 
balance  sheet,  compared  with  the  current  off-balance  sheet 
treatment  of  such  leases.  UBS  expects  to  report  an  increase  in 
assets and liabilities from adoption as of 1 January 2019 in line 
with its disclosure of undiscounted operating lease commitments 
as set out in Note 31.

IFRS 15, Revenue from Contracts with Customers
UBS will adopt IFRS 15, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, 
which  replaces  IAS  18,  Revenue  for  periods  beginning  on  1 
January  2018. 
IFRS  15  establishes  principles  for  revenue 
recognition  that  apply  to  all  contracts  with  customers  except 
those  relating  to  financial  instruments,  leases  and  insurance 
contracts  and  requires  an  entity  to  recognize  revenue  as 
performance obligations are satisfied. In particular, the standard 
now  specifies  that  variable  consideration  is  only  recognized  to 
the extent that it is highly probable that a significant reversal will 
not  occur  when  the  uncertainty  associated  with  the  variable 
consideration is subsequently resolved. 

IFRS  15  also  provides  guidance  on  when  revenues  and 
expenses  should  be  presented  on  a  gross  or  net  basis  and 
establishes  a  cohesive  set  of  disclosure  requirements  for 
information  on  the  nature,  amount,  timing  and  uncertainty  of 
revenue and cash flows from contracts with customers. 

UBS will adopt the standard on a modified retrospective basis 
that  does  not  require  comparatives  to  be  restated.  Instead,  the 
cumulative  effect  of  initially  applying  the  standard  will  be 
recognized as an adjustment to the opening balance of retained 
earnings. The transition adjustment will not be material. 

IFRS  15  will  result  in  a  deferral  of  some  performance-based 
fees  in  Asset  Management  and  research  revenues  in  the 
Investment  Bank.  However,  the  impact  on  Group’s  revenues  is 
not expected to be material. 

UBS will also present certain fee and commission income and 
expense on a gross basis, rather than net basis, if UBS is acting 
as  a  principal.  Fee  and  commission  income  will  be  reported  in 
the  income  statement  separately  from  Fee  and  commission 
expense. The supporting note disclosure for fee and commission 
income  will  be  enhanced  to  provide  more  information  on  the 
nature,  amount,  timing  and  uncertainty  of  revenues  and  cash 
flows from contracts with customers.

IAS 28, Investments in Associates and Joint Ventures
In  October  2017,  the  IASB  issued  an  amendment  to  IAS  28, 
Investments  in  Associates  and  Joint  Ventures  that  clarified  that 
IFRS 9 must be applied when accounting for long-term interests 
in  an  associate  or  joint  venture  to  which  the  equity  method  of 
accounting  is  not  applied.  The  amendment  is  mandatorily 
effective for accounting periods beginning on or after 1 January 
2019.  However,  UBS  will  early  adopt  this  amendment  from 
1 January 2018 to align with the mandatory application date of 
IFRS  9,  and  expects  that  it  will  have  no  material  impact  on  the 
Group’s financial statements.

346 

Note 1  Summary of significant accounting policies (continued)

IASB 

IFRIC 

IFRIC 23, Uncertainty over Income Tax Treatments
In  June  2017,  the 
Interpretation  23, 
issued 
Uncertainty  over  Income  Tax  Treatments  (IFRIC  23),  which 
addresses  how  uncertain  tax  positions  should  be  accounted  for 
under  IFRS.  Under  this  interpretation,  IFRIC  23  requires  that, 
where  acceptance  of  the  tax  treatment  by  the  relevant  tax 
authority  is  considered  probable,  it  should  be  assumed  as  an 
accounting  recognition  matter  that  treatment  of  the  item  will 
ultimately  be  accepted.  Therefore,  no  tax  provision  would  be 
required  in  such  cases.  However,  if  acceptance  of  the  tax 
treatment  is  not  considered  probable,  the  entity  is  required  to 
(i.e.,  a 
reflect  that  uncertainty  using  an  expected  value 
probability-weighted approach) or the single most likely amount.
IFRIC  23 
is  mandatorily  effective  for  accounting  periods 
beginning on or after 1 January 2019 and any resulting change 
to the tax provisions should be recognized in retained earnings. 
UBS 
impact  of  this 
interpretation,  which  is  not  expected  to  have  a  material  effect 
on the Group’s financial statements.

in  the  process  of  assessing  the 

is 

Amendments to IAS 19, Employee Benefits 
In  February  2018,  the  IASB  issued  amendments  to  IAS  19, 
Employee  Benefits,  which  address  the  accounting  when  a  plan 
amendment,  curtailment  or  settlement  occurs  during  the 
reporting  period.  The  amendments  require  entities  to  use  the 
updated  actuarial  assumption  to  determine  current  service  cost 
and  net  interest  for  the  remainder  of  the  annual  reporting 
period after such an event. The amendments also clarify how the 
requirements for accounting for a plan amendment, curtailment 
or  settlement  affect  the  asset  ceiling  requirements.  The 
amendments  are  effective  prospectively  for  plan  amendments, 
curtailments  or  settlements  that  occur  on  or  after  1  January 
2019, with earlier application permitted. UBS does not intend to 
early adopt this amendment.

Annual Improvements to IFRS Standards 2015–2017 Cycle 
In  December  2017,  the  IASB  issued  Annual  Improvements  to 
IFRS Standards 2015–2017 Cycle, which resulted in amendments 
to  IFRS  3,  Business  Combinations,  IFRS  11,  Joint  Arrangements, 
IAS 12,  Income  Taxes  and  IAS  23,  Borrowing  Costs.  The 
amendments  are  mandatorily  effective  as  of  1  January  2019. 
UBS  expects  that  the  adoption  of  these  amendments  will  not 
have a material impact on the Group’s financial statements.

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Consolidated financial statements

Note 2a  Segment reporting

The operational structure of the Group as of 31 December 2017 
was  comprised  of  Corporate  Center  and  five  business  divisions: 
Wealth  Management,  Wealth  Management  Americas,  Personal 
&  Corporate  Banking,  Asset  Management  and  the  Investment 
Bank.

Wealth Management
Wealth  Management  provides  comprehensive  advice  and 
tailored  financial  services  to  wealthy  private  clients  around  the 
world, except those served by Wealth Management Americas. Its 
clients benefit from the full spectrum of resources that UBS as a 
global  firm  can  offer,  including  banking  and  lending  solutions, 
wealth  planning, 
investment  management  solutions  and 
corporate 
finance  advice.  Wealth  Management’s  guided 
architecture  model  gives  clients  access  to  a  wide  range  of 
products  from  the  world’s  leading  third-party  institutions  that 
complement its own products.

Wealth Management Americas
Wealth  Management  Americas  provides  advice-based  solutions 
through  financial  advisors  who  deliver  a  fully  integrated  set  of 
products and services specifically designed to address the needs 
of their clients. Its business is primarily domestic US but includes 
Canada and international clients booked in the US. 

Personal & Corporate Banking
Personal & Corporate Banking provides comprehensive financial 
products  and  services  to  private,  corporate  and  institutional 
clients  in  Switzerland  and  is  among  the  leading  players  in  the 
private  and  corporate  loan  market  in  Switzerland,  with  a  well-
collateralized and conservatively managed lending portfolio. 

Its  business  is  central  to  UBS’s  universal  bank  delivery  model 
in  Switzerland.  Personal  &  Corporate  Banking  works  with  the 
wealth  management,  investment  bank  and  asset  management 
businesses to help clients receive the best products and solutions 
for  their  specific  financial  needs.  Personal  &  Corporate  Banking 
is  also  an  important  source  of  growth  for  the  other  business 
divisions  in  Switzerland  through  client  referrals.  In  addition, 
Personal  &  Corporate  Banking  manages  a  substantial  part  of 
UBS’s Swiss infrastructure and banking products platform, both 
of which are leveraged across the Group. 

is  a 

Asset Management
Asset  Management 
large-scale  and  diversified  asset 
manager,  with  an  onshore  presence  in  23  countries.  It  offers 
investment  capabilities  and  investment  styles  across  all  major 
traditional  and  alternative  asset  classes,  as  well  as  platform 
solutions  and  advisory  support,  to 
institutions,  wholesale 
intermediaries  and  wealth  management  clients  around  the 
world.

Investment Bank
The  Investment  Bank  provides  investment  advice,  financial 
solutions  and  capital  market  access  in  over  35  countries,  with 
principal offices in all major financial centers. It serves corporate, 
institutional  and  wealth  management  clients  across  the  globe 
and  partners  with  UBS’s  wealth  management,  personal  and 
corporate banking and asset management businesses.

The  business  division  is  organized  into  Corporate  Client 
Solutions  and  Investor  Client  Services  and  also  includes  UBS 
Securities Research. 

Corporate Center
Corporate  Center  provides  services  to  the  Group  through  the 
reporting  units  Corporate  Center  –  Services  and  Group  Asset 
and  Liability  Management  (Group  ALM).  Corporate  Center  also 
includes the Non-core and Legacy Portfolio unit.

Services  consists  of  the  Group  Chief  Operating  Officer  area 
(Group  Corporate  Services,  Group  Human  Resources,  Group 
Operations,  Group  Sourcing  and  Group  Technology),  Group 
Finance  (excluding  Group  ALM),  Group  Legal,  Group  Risk 
Control, Group Communications & Branding, Group Regulatory 
& Governance, and UBS and Society.

Group  ALM  manages  the  structural  risks  of  UBS’s  balance 
sheet, including interest rate risk in the banking book, currency 
risk  and  collateral  risk,  as  well  as  the  risks  associated  with  the 
Group’s  liquidity  and  funding  portfolios.  Group  ALM  also  seeks 
to  optimize  the  Group’s  financial  performance  by  matching 
assets  and  liabilities  within  the  context  of  the  Group’s  liquidity, 
funding  and  capital  targets  and  constraints.  Group  ALM  serves 
all  business  divisions  and  other  Corporate  Center  units  through 
three  main  risk  management  areas,  and  its  risk  management  is 
fully integrated into the Group’s risk governance framework.

Non-core and Legacy Portfolio manages legacy positions from 
businesses exited by the Investment Bank, and is overseen by a 
committee chaired by the Group Chief Risk Officer.

348 

Note 2a  Segment reporting (continued)

Wealth
Management

Wealth
Management
Americas

Personal & 
Corporate 
Banking

Asset
Management

Investment 
Bank

Corporate Center

UBS 

Services Group ALM

Non-core 
and Legacy 
Portfolio

CHF million

For the year ended 31 December 2017

Net interest income 

Non-interest income 

Allocations from CC ­ Group ALM
Income1

Credit loss (expense) / recovery 

Total operating income 

Personnel expenses 

General and administrative expenses 

Services (to) / from CC and other BDs

of which: services from CC ­ Services

Depreciation and impairment of property, 
equipment and software

Amortization and impairment of intangible 
assets2
Total operating expenses3

Operating profit / (loss) before tax

Tax expense / (benefit) 

Net profit / (loss)

Additional Information

Total assets

 2,088

 5,285

 256

 7,629

 (4)

 7,625

 2,354

 594

 2,372

 2,294

 1,561

 6,676

 115

 8,353

 (4)

 8,349

 5,173

 644

 1,282

 1,262

 1,916

 1,772

 181

 3,869

 (19)

 3,850

 836

 290

 1,133

 1,227

 (32)

 2,058

 18

 2,044

 0

 2,044

 716

 231

 514

 551

 1,194

 6,891

 (344)

 7,740

 (90)

 7,651

 2,949

 662

 2,769

 2,676

 (348)

 75

 120

 (153)

 0

 (153)

 3,785

 4,247

 (8,281)

 (8,345)

 3

 2

 13

 1

 10

 1,004

 7
 5,330

 2,295

 41
 7,141

 1,208

 0
 2,272

 1,578

 3
 1,466

 578

 12
 6,402

 1,249

 7
 762

 (914)

 126

 (137)

 (264)

 (276)

 0

 (276)

 34

 26

 (13)

 142

 0

 0
 47

 (322)

 23

 48

 (83)

 (11)

 (11)

 (22)

 43

 114

 224

 194

 6,528

 22,667

 0

 29,195

 (128)

 29,067

 15,889

 6,808

 0

 0

 0

 1,033

 0
 381

 (403)

 70
 23,800

 5,268

 4,139

 1,128

 123,003

 67,071

 135,556

 14,269

 262,931

 20,875

 245,737

 46,200

 915,642

Additions to non-current assets

 89

 27

 15

 1

 3

 1,573

 0

 0

 1,707

1  Impairments  of  financial  assets  available  for  sale  for  the  year  ended  31  December  2017  totaled  CHF  15  million,  of  which  CHF  13  million  was  recorded  in  Asset  Management.    2  Refer  to  Note  15  for  more 
information.    3 Refer to Note 30 for information on restructuring expenses.    

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Consolidated financial statements

Note 2a  Segment reporting (continued)

Wealth
Management

Wealth
Management
Americas

Personal & 
Corporate 
Banking

Asset
Management

Investment 
Bank

Corporate Center

UBS 

Services Group ALM

Non-core 
and Legacy 
Portfolio

 1,932

 4,975

 389

 7,296

 (5)

 7,291

 2,349

 640

 2,348

 2,256

 1,347

 6,320

 118

 7,785

 (3)

 7,782

 4,819

 570

 1,235

 1,221

 1,892

 1,768

 332

 3,990

 (6)

 3,984

 845

 285

 1,080

 1,186

 (33)

 1,957

 7

 1,931

 0

 1,931

 727

 241

 506

 530

 1,006

 6,953

 (260)

 7,699

 (11)

 7,688

 3,082

 805

 2,765

 2,675

 (322)

 183

 36

 (102)

 0

 (102)

 3,801

 4,145

 (8,164)

 (8,204)

 2

 2

 15

 1

 21

 944

 4
 5,343

 1,948

 50
 6,675

 1,107

 0
 2,224

 1,760

 4
 1,479

 452

 12
 6,684

 1,004

 21
 747

 (849)

 589

 (295)

 (512)

 (219)

 0

 (219)

 31

 17

 (49)

 110

 0

 0
 (1)

 3

 84

 (110)

 (23)

 (13)

 (36)

 66

 732

 280

 225

 6,413

 21,944

 0

 28,357

 (37)

 28,320

 15,720

 7,434

 0

 0

 0

 985

 0
 1,078

 (218)

 (1,114)

 91
 24,230

 4,090

 805

 3,286

CHF million

For the year ended 31 December 2016

Net interest income 

Non-interest income 

Allocations from CC ­ Group ALM
Income1

Credit loss (expense) / recovery 

Total operating income 

Personnel expenses 

General and administrative expenses 

Services (to) / from CC and other BDs

of which: services from CC ­ Services

Depreciation and impairment of property, 
equipment and software

Amortization and impairment of intangible 
assets2
Total operating expenses3

Operating profit / (loss) before tax

Tax expense / (benefit) 

Net profit / (loss)

Additional Information

Total assets

 115,539

 65,882

 139,912

 12,028

 242,302

 23,669

 267,200

 68,485

 935,016

Additions to non-current assets

 26

 4

 23

 1

 3

 1,759

 0

 0

 1,816

1  Impairments  of  financial  assets  available  for  sale  for  the  year  ended  31  December  2016  totaled  CHF  5  million,  of  which  CHF  3  million  was  recorded  in  Asset  Management.    2  Refer  to  Note  15  for  more 
information.    3 Refer to Note 30 for information on restructuring expenses.

350 

Note 2a  Segment reporting (continued)

Wealth
Management

Wealth
Management
Americas

Personal & 
Corporate 
Banking

Asset
Management

Investment 
Bank

Corporate Center

UBS 

Services Group ALM

Non-core 
and Legacy 
Portfolio

CHF million

For the year ended 31 December 2015

Net interest income 

Non-interest income 

Allocations from CC ­ Group ALM
Income1 

Credit loss (expense) / recovery 

Total operating income 

Personnel expenses 

General and administrative expenses 

Services (to) / from CC and other BDs

of which: services from CC ­ Services

Depreciation and impairment of property, 
equipment and software

Amortization and impairment of intangible 
assets2 
Total operating expenses3 

Operating profit / (loss) before tax

Tax expense / (benefit) 

Net profit / (loss)

Additional Information

Total assets

 1,825

 5,859

 471

 8,155

 0

 8,155

 2,532

 637

 2,289

 2,209

 1,067

 6,213

 104

 7,384

 (4)

 7,381

 4,579

 822

 1,209

 1,193

 1,890

 1,603

 421

 3,913

 (37)

 3,877

 873

 264

 1,077

 1,180

 (34)

 2,077

 15

 2,057

 0

 2,057

 729

 232

 502

 523

 1,573

 7,526

 (211)

 8,889

 (68)

 8,821

 3,220

 841

 2,817

 2,731

 (340)

 435

 145

 241

 0

 241

 3,903

 4,483

 (8,215)

 (8,245)

 5

 3

 17

 2

 26

 868

 3
 5,465

 2,689

 51
 6,663

 718

 0
 2,231

 1,646

 8
 1,474

 584

 24
 6,929

 1,892

 21
 1,059

 (818)

 730

 378

 (832)

 277

 0

 277

 30

 22

 (57)

 96

 0

 0
 (5)

 21

 (101)

 (114)

 (195)

 (8)

 (203)

 116

 806

 379

 313

 6,732

 23,990

 0

 30,722

 (117)

 30,605

 15,981

 8,107

 0

 0

 0

 920

 0
 1,301

 282

 (1,503)

 107
 25,116

 5,489

 (898)

 6,386

 119,850

 60,993

 141,164

 12,874

 253,486

 22,566

 237,517

 94,369

 942,819

Additions to non-current assets

 6

 4

 14

 1

 18

 1,851

 0

 1

 1,895

1 Impairments of financial assets available for sale for the year ended 31 December 2015 totaled CHF 1 million, all in Wealth Management.     2 Refer to Note 15 for more information.     3 Refer to Note 30 for 
information on restructuring expenses. 

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Consolidated financial statements

Note 2b  Segment reporting by geographic location

The  operating  regions  shown  in  the  table  below  correspond  to 
the regional management structure of the Group. The allocation 
of  operating  income  to  these  regions  reflects,  and  is  consistent 
with,  the  basis  on  which  the  business  is  managed  and  its 
performance is evaluated. These allocations involve assumptions 
and  judgments  that  management  considers  to  be  reasonable, 
and  may  be  refined  to  reflect  changes 
in  estimates  or 
management  structure.  The  main  principles  of  the  allocation 
methodology  are  that  client  revenues  are  attributed  to  the 

domicile  of  the  client  and  trading  and  portfolio  management 
revenues  are  attributed  to  the  country  where  the  risk  is 
managed.  This  revenue  attribution  is  consistent  with  the 
mandate  of  the  regional  Presidents.  Certain  revenues,  such  as 
those  related  to  Corporate  Center  –  Non-core  and  Legacy 
Portfolio,  are  managed  at  a  Group  level.  These  revenues  are 
included in the Global line.

The geographic analysis of non-current assets is based on the 

location of the entity in which the assets are recorded.

For the year ended 31 December 2017

Americas

of which: USA

Asia Pacific

Europe, Middle East and Africa

Switzerland

Global

Total

For the year ended 31 December 2016

Americas

of which: USA

Asia Pacific

Europe, Middle East and Africa

Switzerland

Global

Total

For the year ended 31 December 2015

Americas

of which: USA

Asia Pacific

Europe, Middle East and Africa

Switzerland

Global

Total

Total operating income

Total non-current assets

CHF billion

Share %

CHF billion

Share % 

 12.0

 11.4

 4.7

 6.0

 6.9

 (0.4)

 29.1

 41

 39

 16

 21

 24

 (1)

 100

 7.2

 6.7

 0.8

 1.9

 6.4

 0.0

 16.2

 44

 41

 5

 12

 40

 0

 100

Total operating income1

Total non-current assets

CHF billion

Share %

CHF billion

Share % 

 11.5

 11.0

 4.2

 6.1

 6.9

 (0.5)

 28.3

 41

 39

 15

 22

 24

 (2)

 100

 7.4

 7.0

 0.7

 1.8

 6.0

 0.0

 15.9

 47

 44

 4

 11

 38

 0

 100

Total operating income1

Total non-current assets

CHF billion

Share %

CHF billion

Share % 

 11.2

 10.5

 5.1

 6.8

 7.2

 0.4

 30.6

 37

 34

 17

 22

 24

 1

 100

 7.1

 6.7

 0.5

 1.7

 5.9

 0.0

 15.2

 47

 44

 3

 11

 39

 0

 100

1 The geographical allocation of Total operating income has been restated to reflect a refinement in the allocation methodology.

352 

Income statement notes

Note 3  Net interest and trading income

CHF million

Net interest and trading income1
Net interest income

of which: Wealth Management
of which: Wealth Management Americas
of which: Personal & Corporate Banking 
of which: Asset Management

Net trading income

of which: Wealth Management
of which: Wealth Management Americas
of which: Personal & Corporate Banking 
of which: Asset Management
Total net interest and trading income

of which: Investment Bank

of which: Corporate Client Solutions
of which: Investor Client Services

of which: Corporate Center 

of which: Services
of which: Group ALM

of which: own credit on financial liabilities designated at fair value

of which: Non-core and Legacy Portfolio

Net interest income
Interest income
Interest income from loans and deposits2,3,4
Interest income from securities financing transactions5
Interest income from trading portfolio6
Interest income from financial assets and liabilities designated at fair value
Interest income from financial assets available for sale and held to maturity6
Interest income from derivative instruments designated as cash flow hedges2
Total
Interest expense
Interest expense on loans and deposits7
Interest expense on securities financing transactions8
Interest expense on trading portfolio9
Interest expense on financial assets and liabilities designated at fair value
Interest expense on debt issued2
Total
Net interest income

For the year ended
31.12.16

31.12.17

 6,528
 2,344
 1,679
 2,086
 (14)

 4,972
 694
 332
 376
 (10)

 11,499
 4,282
 1,065
 3,217
 (270)
 (42)
 (157)

 6,413
 2,331
 1,467
 2,199
 (24)

 4,948
 667
 372
 333
 (5)

 11,361
 4,277
 822
 3,455
 (256)
 (89)
 (104)

 (71)

 (62)

31.12.15

 6,732
 2,326
 1,174
 2,270
 (17)

 5,742
 708
 362
 343
 12
 12,474
 5,186
 1,001
 4,185
 110
 (3)
 426
 553
 (313)

 8,625
 896
 3,071
 194
 391

 8,461
 1,542
 2,565
 548
 260
 818
 14,193

 1,375
 1,444
 1,506
 864
 2,478
 7,665
 6,528

 9,570
 1,136
 2,465
 361
 253

 13,787

 13,177

 826
 1,233
 1,614
 841
 2,858
 7,373
 6,413

 476
 976
 1,670
 730
 2,592
 6,445
 6,732

Net trading income
Investment Bank Corporate Client Solutions
Investment Bank Investor Client Services
Other business divisions and Corporate Center
Net trading income

of which: net gains / (losses) from financial assets designated at fair value
of which: net gains / (losses) from financial liabilities designated at fair value 10

 321
 3,494
 1,928
 5,742
 (127)
 3,701
1 Net interest and trading income presented for business divisions and Corporate Center units includes allocations from Corporate Center – Group ALM.      2 Effective 1 January 2017, the presentation of interest 
income and interest expense on derivatives designated as hedging instruments in effective hedge relationships was refined. Refer to Note 1b for more information.     3 Includes interest income on impaired loans 
and advances of CHF 12 million for 2017, CHF 21 million for 2016 and CHF 16 million for 2015.    4 Consists of interest income from balances with central banks, amounts due from banks and loans, and negative 
interest on amounts due to banks and customers.     5 Includes interest income on securities borrowed and reverse repurchase agreements and negative interest, including fees, on securities lent and repurchase 
agreements.     6 Includes dividend income.     7 Consists of interest expense on amounts due to banks and customers, and negative interest on balances with central banks, amounts due from banks and loans.  
8 Includes interest expense on securities lent and repurchase agreements and negative interest, including fees, on securities borrowed and reverse repurchase agreements.     9 Includes expense related to dividend 
payment obligations on trading liabilities.     10 Excludes fair value changes of hedges related to financial liabilities designated at fair value and foreign currency translation effects arising from translating foreign 
currency transactions into the respective functional currency, both of which are reported within Net trading income.

 597
 2,812
 1,562
 4,972
 2,574
 (3,920)

 188
 3,332
 1,428
 4,948
 (191)
 (1,362)

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Note 4  Net fee and commission income

CHF million

Underwriting fees

of which: equity underwriting fees

of which: debt underwriting fees

M&A and corporate finance fees

Brokerage fees

Investment fund fees

Portfolio management and advisory fees

Other

Total fee and commission income

Brokerage fees paid

Other

Total fee and commission expense

Net fee and commission income

of which: net brokerage fees

Note 5  Other income

CHF million

Associates, joint ventures and subsidiaries

Net gains / (losses) from disposals of subsidiaries1

Share of net profits of associates and joint ventures

Impairment charges related to associates 

Total

Financial assets available for sale

Net gains / (losses) from disposals

Impairment charges

Total

Net income from properties (excluding net gains / (losses) from disposals)3

Net gains / (losses) from disposals of properties held for sale

Net gains / (losses) from disposals of loans and receivables

Other

Total other income

For the year ended

31.12.16

 946

 516

 431

 733

 3,541

 3,155

 8,035

 1,747

 18,157

 757

 1,003

 1,760

 16,397

 2,784

31.12.17

 1,295

 837

 458

 683

 3,440

 3,219

 8,542

 1,812

 18,991

 660

 1,144

 1,804

 17,186

 2,779

31.12.15

 1,246

 836

 410

 737

 3,930

 3,567

 7,858

 1,678

 19,016

 869

 1,007

 1,876

 17,140

 3,060

For the year ended

31.12.17

31.12.16

31.12.15

 372

 75

 (7)

 105

 193

 (15)

 178

 24

 0

 15

 1892

 509

 (150)

 106

 (44)

 346

 (5)

 342

 25

 125

 (3)

 154

 599

 264

 169

 433

 252

 (1)

 251

 28

 378

 26

 (9)

 1,107

1 Includes foreign exchange gains / (losses) reclassified from Other comprehensive income related to disposed foreign subsidiaries and branches.     2 Net gains / (losses) from disposals of subsidiaries and Other 
include a net gain on sale of subsidiaries and businesses of CHF 153 million in Asset Management. Refer to Note 30 for more information.     3 Includes net rent received from third parties and net operating 
expenses.

354 

 
Note 6  Personnel expenses

CHF million
Salaries1

Variable compensation – performance awards2

of which: guarantees for new hires

Variable compensation – other2

of which: replacement payments 3

of which: forfeiture credits

of which: severance payments 4

of which: retention plan and other payments 5

Wealth Management Americas: Financial advisor compensation2,6

Contractors

Social security

Pension and other post-employment benefit plans7

Other personnel expenses

For the year ended

31.12.17

31.12.16

31.12.15

 6,037

 3,090

 36

 248

 71

 (105)

 111

 171

 6,230

 2,972

 30

 418

 86

 (73)

 217

 188

 6,282

 3,210

 38

 346

 76

 (86)

 157

 198

 3,986

 3,697

 3,552

 451

 798

 710

 570

 420

 747

 670

 565

 365

 820

 808

 600

Total personnel expenses8
1 Includes role-based allowances.     2 Refer to Note 27 for more information.     3 Replacement payments are payments made to compensate employees for deferred awards forfeited as a result of joining UBS.  
4 Includes  legally  obligated  and  standard  severance  payments.     5  Includes  interest  expense  related  to  Deferred  Contingent  Capital  Plan  awards.     6  Financial  advisor  compensation  consists  of  grid-based 
compensation based directly on compensable revenues generated by financial advisors and supplemental compensation calculated based on financial advisor productivity, firm tenure, assets and other variables. It 
also includes expenses related to compensation commitments with financial advisors entered into at the time of recruitment that are subject to vesting requirements.     7 Refer to Note 26 for more information.  
8 Includes net restructuring expenses of CHF 534 million, CHF 751 million and CHF 460 million for the years ended 31 December 2017, 31 December 2016 and 31 December 2015, respectively. Refer to Note 30 for 
more information.

 15,889

 15,981

 15,720

Note 7  General and administrative expenses

CHF million

Occupancy

Rent and maintenance of IT and other equipment

Communication and market data services

Administration1

Marketing and public relations

Travel and entertainment

Professional fees

Outsourcing of IT and other services 

Provisions for litigation, regulatory and similar matters2

Other

For the year ended

31.12.17

31.12.16

31.12.15

 890

 560

 610

 600

 411

 416

 1,202

 1,566

 420

 132

 935

 511

 626

 713

 467

 423

 1,234

 1,637

 795

 93

 930

 510

 611

 718

 486

 460

 1,354

 1,743

 1,087

 208

Total general and administrative expenses3
1 Administration costs include net expenses related to the UK bank levy of CHF 17 million, CHF 123 million and CHF 166 million for the years ended 31 December 2017, 31 December 2016 and 31 December 2015, 
respectively. 2017 included a CHF 82 million credit related to prior years.    2 Reflects the net increase in provisions for litigation, regulatory and similar matters recognized in the income statement. Refer to Note 20 
for  more  information.  Also  includes  recoveries  from  third  parties  of  CHF  53  million,  CHF  13  million  and  CHF  10  million  for  the  years  ended  31  December  2017,  31  December  2016  and  31  December  2015, 
respectively.    3 Includes net restructuring expenses of CHF 627 million, CHF 695 million and CHF 761 million for the years ended 31 December 2017, 31 December 2016 and 31 December 2015, respectively. Refer 
to Note 30 for more information.

 6,808

 7,434

 8,107

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Consolidated financial statements

Note 8  Income taxes

CHF million

Tax expense / (benefit)

Swiss

Current

Deferred

Non-Swiss

Current

Deferred

Total income tax expense / (benefit) recognized in the income statement

Income tax recognized in the income statement

An income tax expense of CHF 4,139 million was recognized for 
the  Group  in  2017,  which  included  a  net  Swiss  tax  expense  of 
CHF 485 million and a net non-Swiss tax expense of CHF 3,654 
million.

The  Swiss  tax  expense  included  a  current  tax  expense  of 
CHF 448  million  related  to  taxable  profits  earned  by  Swiss 
subsidiaries, against which no losses were available to offset. In 
addition,  it  included  a  deferred  tax  expense  of  CHF 37  million, 
which  reflected  a  net  decrease  in  deferred  tax  assets  (DTAs) 
previously  recognized  in  relation  to  tax  losses  carried  forward 
and temporary differences.

CHF million

Operating profit / (loss) before tax

of which: Swiss

of which: non-Swiss

Income taxes at Swiss tax rate of 21%

Increase / (decrease) resulting from:

Non-Swiss tax rates differing from Swiss tax rate

Tax effects of losses not recognized

Previously unrecognized tax losses now utilized

Non-taxable and lower taxed income

Non-deductible expenses and additional taxable income

Adjustments related to prior years – current tax

Adjustments related to prior years – deferred tax

Change in deferred tax valuation allowances

Adjustments to deferred tax balances arising from changes in tax rates

Other items

Income tax expense / (benefit)

356 

For the year ended

31.12.17

31.12.16

31.12.15

 448

 37

 427

 3,227

 4,139

 459

 635

 353

 (642)

 805

 239

 330

 476

 (1,943)

 (898)

The non-Swiss tax expense included a current tax expense of 
CHF 427  million  related  to  taxable  profits  earned  by  non-Swiss 
subsidiaries  and  branches,  against  which  no 
losses  were 
available to offset. In addition, it included a deferred tax expense 
of  CHF 3,227  million,  which  reflected  a  net  decrease  in  DTAs 
previously  recognized  in  relation  to  tax  losses  carried  forward 
and temporary differences and mainly related to the write-down 
of US DTAs resulting from the reduction in the federal corporate 
tax rate to 21% from 35% after the enactment of the Tax Cuts 
and Jobs Act (TCJA) during the fourth quarter of 2017.

UBS  considers  the  performance  of  its  businesses  and  the 
accuracy  of  historical  forecasts  and  other  factors  in  evaluating 
the  recoverability  of  its  DTAs,  including  the  remaining  tax  loss 
carry-forward  period,  and  its  assessment  of  expected  future 
taxable profits in the forecast period used for recognizing DTAs. 
Estimating  future  profitability  is  inherently  subjective  and  is 
particularly  sensitive  to  future  economic,  market  and  other 
conditions, which are difficult to predict.

For the year ended

31.12.17

31.12.16

31.12.15

 5,268

 2,057

 3,211

 1,106

 211

 168

 (358)

 (301)

 591

 (13)

 4

 (161)

 2,824

 67

 4,139

 4,090

 2,629

 1,461

 859

 74

 185

 (39)

 (353)

 950

 22

 2

 (986)

 19

 72

 805

 5,489

 3,753

 1,736

 1,153

 (73)

 107

 (107)

 (297)

 541

 29

 (48)

 (2,419)

 190

 27

 (898)

Note 8  Income taxes (continued)

The tax expense of CHF 4,139 million for 2017 was higher than 
the  tax  expense  of  CHF 805  million  in  2016,  mainly  as  2017 
included  a  net  write-down  of  DTAs  of  CHF 2,865  million 
resulting  from  the  aforementioned  reduction  in  the  US  federal 
corporate tax rate.

The  components  of  operating  profit  before  tax,  and  the 
differences  between  income  tax  expense  reflected  in  the 
financial statements and the amounts calculated at the Swiss tax 
rate,  are  provided  in  the  table  on  the  previous  page  and 
explained below.

Non-Swiss tax rates differing from Swiss tax rate
To  the  extent  that  Group  profits  or  losses  arise  outside 
Switzerland,  the  applicable  local  tax  rate  may  differ  from  the 
Swiss  tax  rate.  This  item  reflects,  for  such  profits  or  losses,  an 
adjustment  from  the  tax  expense  /  benefit  that  would  arise  at 
the Swiss tax rate and the tax expense / benefit that would arise 
at the applicable local tax rate. If an entity generates a profit, a 
tax  expense  arises  where  the  local  tax  rate  is  in  excess  of  the 
Swiss tax rate and a tax benefit arises where the local tax rate is 
below the Swiss tax rate. Conversely, if an entity incurs a loss, a 
tax  benefit  arises  where  the  local  tax  rate  is  in  excess  of  the 
Swiss tax rate and a tax expense arises where the local tax rate is 
less than the Swiss tax rate.

Tax effects of losses not recognized
This  item  relates  to  tax  losses  of  entities  arising  in  the  year, 
which are not recognized as DTAs. Consequently, no tax benefit 
arises  in  relation  to  those  losses.  Therefore,  the  tax  benefit 
calculated  by  applying  the  local  tax  rate  to  those  losses  as 
described above is reversed.

Previously unrecognized tax losses now utilized
This item relates to taxable profits of the year, which are offset 
by  tax  losses  of  previous  years,  for  which  no  DTAs  were 
previously  recorded.  Consequently,  no  current  tax  or  deferred 
tax expense arises in relation to those taxable profits. Therefore, 
the  tax  expense  calculated  by  applying  the  local  rate  on  those 
profits is reversed.

Non-taxable and lower taxed income
This  item  relates  to  profits  for  the  year,  which  are  either 
permanently  not  taxable  or  are  taxable,  but  at  a  lower  rate  of 
tax  than  the  local  tax  rate.  It  also  includes  any  permanent 
deductions made for tax purposes, which are not reflected in the 
accounts.

Non-deductible expenses and additional taxable income
This item mainly relates to income for the year, which is imputed 
for tax purposes for an entity, but is not included in its operating 
profit.  In  addition,  it  includes  expenses  for  the  year  that  are 
permanently non-deductible.

Adjustments related to prior years – current tax
This item relates to adjustments to current tax expense for prior 
years, for example, if the tax payable for a year agreed with the 
tax authorities is expected to differ from the amount previously 
reflected in the financial statements.

Adjustments related to prior years – deferred tax
This  item  relates  to  adjustments  to  deferred  tax  positions 
recognized in prior years, for example, if a tax loss for a year is 
fully recognized and the amount of the tax loss agreed with the 
tax authorities is expected to differ from the amount previously 
recognized as DTAs in the accounts.

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Consolidated financial statements

Note 8  Income taxes (continued)

Change in deferred tax valuation allowances
This  item  includes  revaluations  of  DTAs  previously  recognized 
resulting from reassessments of expected future taxable profits. 
It also includes changes in temporary differences in the year, for 
which  deferred  tax  is  not  recognized.  The  amount  in  the  year 
mainly relates to the upward revaluation of DTAs.

Adjustments to deferred tax balances arising from changes in tax 
rates
This  item  relates  to  remeasurements  of  DTAs  and  liabilities 
recognized due to changes in tax rates. These have the effect of 
changing  the  future  tax  saving  that  is  expected  from  tax  losses 
or deductible tax differences and therefore the amount of DTAs 
recognized  or,  alternatively,  changing  the  tax  cost  of  additional 
taxable 
temporary  differences  and 
therefore the deferred tax liability. This item primarily relates to 
the  net  write-down  of  DTAs  following  a  reduction  in  the  US 
federal  corporate  tax  rate  to  21%  from  35%  after  the 
enactment of the TCJA during the fourth quarter of 2017.

income 

taxable 

from 

– a  net  tax  benefit  of  CHF 359  million  recognized  in  other 
comprehensive income (OCI), which included a tax benefit of 
CHF 160 million related to cash flow hedges (2016: benefit of 
CHF 170  million),  a  tax  expense  of  CHF 7  million  related  to 
financial assets classified as available for sale (2016: benefit of 
CHF 28  million),  a  tax  benefit  of  CHF 196  million  related  to 
foreign  currency  translation  gains  and  losses  (2016:  expense 
of CHF 84 million), a tax benefit of CHF 11 million related to 
defined benefit plans (2016: benefit of CHF 52 million) and a 
tax expense of CHF 1 million (2016: benefit of CHF 5 million) 
related to own credit

– a tax benefit of CHF 21 million recognized in share premium 

(2016: benefit of CHF 28 million)

– the  effects  of  exchange  rate  changes  on  tax  assets  and 
liabilities  denominated  in  currencies  other  than  Swiss  francs, 
which are included in foreign currency translation movements 
in OCI.

Deferred tax assets and liabilities

Other items
Other  items  include  other  differences  between  profits  or  losses 
at the local tax rate and the actual local tax expense or benefit, 
including  increases  in  provisions  for  uncertain  positions  in 
relation to the current year and other items.

Income tax recognized directly in equity

Certain  tax  expenses  and  benefits  were  recognized  directly  in 
equity, which included the following items:

The Group has DTAs related to tax loss carry-forwards and other 
items  as  shown  in  the  table  below.  As  of  31 December  2017, 
DTAs  of  CHF 1,231  million  (31  December  2016:  CHF 1,689 
million) were recognized by entities that incurred losses in either 
the  current  or  preceding  year  based  on  projections  of  future 
taxable profits. The valuation allowance reflects DTAs that were 
not  recognized  because  it  was  not  considered  probable  that 
future  taxable  profits  will  be  available  to  utilize  the  related  tax 
loss carry-forwards and deductible temporary differences.

CHF million

Deferred tax assets1
Tax loss carry-forwards

Temporary differences

of which: related to compensation and benefits

of which: related to trading assets

of which: related to investments in subsidiaries and goodwill

of which: other

Total deferred tax assets

Deferred tax liabilities

Goodwill and intangible assets

Other

Total deferred tax liabilities

1 Less deferred tax liabilities as applicable.

31.12.17

Valuation
allowance
 (11,191)

 (975)

 (222)

 (58)

 0

 (695)

Gross
 16,934

 5,077

 1,136

 473

 2,374

 1,095

 22,011

 (12,166)

Recognized
 5,743

 4,102

 914

 414

 2,374

 400

 9,844

 18

 34

 53

31.12.16

Valuation
allowance
 (16,430)

 (1,388)

 (208)

 (118)

 0

 (1,062)

 (17,818)

Gross
 24,627

 6,346

 1,420

 935

 2,059

 1,932

 30,973

Recognized
 8,197

 4,958

 1,211

 817

 2,059

 870

 13,155

 24

 20

 44

358 

Note 8  Income taxes (continued)

As of 31 December 2017, tax loss carry-forwards totaling CHF 46,232 million (31 December 2016: CHF 49,478 million), which are 
not recognized as DTAs, were available to be offset against future taxable profits. These tax losses expire as outlined in the  table 
below.

Unrecognized tax loss carry-forwards

CHF million

Within 1 year

From 2 to 5 years

From 6 to 10 years

From 11 to 20 years

No expiry

Total

31.12.17

31.12.16

 167

 103

 3,185

 26,015

 16,762

 46,232

 0

 66

 910

 32,603

 15,899

 49,478

In  general,  Swiss  tax  losses  can  be  carried  forward  for  seven 
years,  US  federal  tax  losses  incurred  before  31  December  2017 
for  20  years  and  US  federal  tax 
incurred  after 
31 December  2017  and  also  UK  and  Jersey  tax  losses  for  an 
unlimited period.

losses 

The Group recognizes deferred tax liabilities on undistributed 
earnings of subsidiaries, except to the extent that those earnings 
are  indefinitely  invested.  As  of  31  December  2017,  no  such 
earnings were considered indefinitely invested.

The  Financial  Statements  have  been  prepared  on  the  basis 
that  UBS  Limited  is  able  to  offset  part  of  its  taxable  profits 
against  losses  transferred  from  UBS  AG.  During  2016,  the  UK 
tax  authorities  indicated  that  they  do  not  agree  with  this  tax 
return filing position, but the authorities have now advised UBS 
that  they  accept  that  a  transfer  can  occur  and  have  also 
accepted  UBS’s  proposed  methods  to  calculate  the  amount  of 
losses  to  be  transferred  as  adopted  on  the  tax  return  filing 
position.

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Consolidated financial statements

Note 9  Earnings per share (EPS) and shares outstanding

Basic earnings (CHF million)

Net profit / (loss) attributable to shareholders

Diluted earnings (CHF million)

Net profit / (loss) attributable to shareholders

Less: (profit) / loss on own equity derivative contracts

Net profit / (loss) attributable to shareholders for diluted EPS

Weighted average shares outstanding

Weighted average shares outstanding for basic EPS

As of or for the year ended

31.12.17

31.12.16

31.12.15

 1,053

 3,204

 6,203

 1,053

 0

 1,053

 3,204

 0

 3,204

 6,203

 0

 6,203

 3,716,174,261

 3,719,764,322

 3,690,375,879

Effect of dilutive potential shares resulting from notional shares, in-the-money options and warrants outstanding

 120,540,272

 104,244,665

 90,898,386

Weighted average shares outstanding for diluted EPS

 3,836,714,533

 3,824,008,987

 3,781,274,265

Earnings per share (CHF)

Basic

Diluted 

Shares outstanding

Shares issued

Treasury shares

Shares outstanding

 0.28

 0.27

 0.86

 0.84

 1.68

 1.64

 3,853,096,603

 3,850,766,389

 3,849,731,535

 132,301,550

 138,441,772

 98,706,275

 3,720,795,053

 3,712,324,617

 3,751,025,260

The table below outlines the potential shares which could dilute basic earnings per share in the future, but were not dilutive for the 
periods presented.

Number of shares

31.12.17

31.12.16

31.12.15

Potentially dilutive instruments

Employee share-based compensation awards

Other equity derivative contracts

Total

 24,124,341

 9,122,496

 33,246,837

 46,981,698

 8,419,122

 55,400,820

 67,766,835

 6,061,848

 73,828,683

360 

Balance sheet notes: assets

Note 10  Due from banks and loans (held at amortized cost)

CHF million

By type of exposure

Due from banks, gross

Allowance for credit losses

Due from banks, net

Loans, gross

Residential mortgages

Commercial mortgages

Lombard loans

Other loans1

Finance lease receivables2

Securities

Subtotal

Allowance for credit losses

Loans, net

Total due from banks and loans, net3
1 Includes corporate loans.    2 Refer to Note 31 for more information.    3 Refer to Note 25b for more information on collateral and credit enhancements. 

31.12.17

31.12.16

 13,741

 13,159

 (3)

 (3)

 13,739

 13,156

 144,431

 18,717

 115,059

 38,837

 1,069

 2,113

 142,197

 19,765

 104,999

 36,481

 986

 2,494

 320,225

 306,921

 (658)

 319,568

 333,306

 (596)

 306,325

 319,481

Note 11  Allowances and provisions for credit losses

CHF million

By movement
Balance at the beginning of the year

Write-offs / usage of provisions

Recoveries

Increase / (decrease) recognized in the income statement

Foreign currency translation 

Other

Balance at the end of the year

Specific
allowances
 587

Collective 
allowances
 12

Total 
allowances – 
due from banks 
and loans
 599

 (115)

 19

 145

 (7)

 19

 648

 (2)

 1

 3

 0

 0

 13

 (117)

 19

 148

 (7)

 19

 661

Allowances – 
other assets
 0

Provisions1
 54

Total 
31.12.17
 653

 0

 0

 0

 0

 18

 19

 0

 0

 (21)

 0

 0

 33

 (117)

 20

 128

 (7)

 37

 713

Total 
31.12.16
 727

 (145)

 22

 37

 0

 12

 653

1 Represents provisions for loan commitments and guarantees. Refer to Note 20 for more information. Refer to the “Treasury management” section of this report for the maximum irrevocable amount of loan 
commitments and guarantees.    

By balance sheet line
Due from banks 

Loans

Other assets

Provisions

Balance at the end of the year

1 Represents provisions for loan commitments and guarantees.

Specific
allowances
 3

 645

 648

Collective 
allowances
 0

 13

 13

Total 
allowances
 3

 658

 661

Allowances – 
other assets

Provisions1

 19

 19

 33

 33

Total 
31.12.17
 3

Total 
31.12.16
 3

 658

 19

 33

 713

 596

 0

 54

 653

361 

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Consolidated financial statements

Note 12  Derivative instruments and hedge accounting

Derivatives: overview

A  derivative  is  a  financial  instrument  for  which  the  value  is 
derived  from  one  or  more  variables  (underlyings).  Underlyings 
may  be  indices,  foreign  currency  exchange  or  interest  rates,  or 
the  value  of  shares,  commodities,  bonds  or  other  financial 
instruments.  A  derivative  commonly  requires  little  or  no  initial 
net investment by either counterparty to the trade.

The  majority  of  derivative  contracts  are  negotiated  with 
respect  to  notional  amounts,  tenor,  price  and  settlement 
mechanisms, as is customary with other financial instruments.

the 

Over-the-counter (OTC) derivative contracts are usually traded 
under  a  standardized  International  Swaps  and  Derivatives 
Association  (ISDA)  master  agreement  between  UBS  and  its 
counterparties. Terms are negotiated directly with counterparties 
and 
settlement 
mechanisms  prescribed  by  ISDA.  Recent  rules,  introduced  by 
regulators in various jurisdictions, require or will soon require the 
payment and collection of initial and variation margin on certain 
OTC  derivative  contracts,  which  may  have  a  bearing  on  their 
price and other relevant terms.

industry-standard 

contracts  have 

The  industry  continues  to  promote  the  use  of  central 
counterparties  (CCPs)  to  clear  OTC  trades.  The  trend  toward 
CCP  clearing  and  settlement  will  generally  facilitate  the 
reduction of systemic credit exposures.

Other  derivative  contracts  are  standardized  in  terms  of  their 
amounts  and  settlement  dates,  and  are  bought  and  sold  on 
regulated  exchanges.  These  are  commonly  referred  to  as 
exchange-traded derivatives (ETD) contracts. Exchanges offer the 
benefits of pricing transparency, standardized daily settlement of 
changes in value and consequently reduced credit risk.

For  presentation  purposes,  the  Group’s  derivative  contracts 
are subject to IFRS netting provisions. Derivative instruments are 
measured  at  fair  value  and  generally  classified  as  Positive 
replacement  values  and  Negative  replacement  values  on  the 
balance sheet. However, ETD that are economically settled on a 
daily basis and OTC derivatives that are either legally settled or in 
substance  net  settled  on  a  daily  basis  are  classified  as  Cash 
collateral receivables on derivative instruments or Cash collateral 
payables on derivative instruments. Changes in the replacement 
values of derivatives are recorded in Net trading income, except 
for interest on derivatives designated as hedging instruments in 
effective  hedge  accounting  relationships  and  forward  points  on 
certain  short  duration  foreign  exchange  contracts  that  are 
recorded in Net interest income.

→ Refer to Note 1a items 3j and 3k for more information
→ Refer to Note 24 for more information on the values of positive 
and negative replacement values after consideration of netting 

potential allowed under enforceable netting arrangements 

362 

The  Group  uses  various  derivative  instruments  for  both 
trading  and  hedging  purposes.  Derivative  product  types  as  well 
as valuation principles and techniques applied by the Group are 
described in Note 22. Positive replacement values represent the 
estimated  amount  the  Group  would  receive  if  the  derivative 
contract  were  sold  on  the  balance  sheet  date.  Negative 
replacement  values  indicate  the  estimated  amount  the  Group 
would pay to transfer its obligations in respect of the underlying 
contract  were  it  required  or  entitled  to  do  so  on  the  balance 
sheet date.

Derivatives  embedded  in  other  financial  instruments  are  not 
included  in  the  “Derivative  instruments”  table  within  this  Note. 
Bifurcated  embedded  derivatives  are  presented  on  the  same 
balance  sheet  line  as  the  host  contract.  In  cases  where  UBS 
applies the fair value option to hybrid instruments, bifurcation of 
an embedded derivative component is not required and as such 
in  the  “Derivative 
this  component 
instruments” table.

is  also  not 

included 

→ Refer to Notes 18 and 22 for more information

Risks of derivative instruments

Derivative instruments are transacted in many trading portfolios, 
which  generally  include  several  types  of  instruments,  not  just 
derivatives.  The  market  risk  of  derivatives  is  predominantly 
managed and controlled as an integral part of the market risk of 
these  portfolios.  The  Group’s  approach  to  market  risk  is 
described  in  the  audited  portions  of  “Market  risk”  in  the  “Risk 
management and control” section of this report.

Derivative instruments are also transacted with many different 
counterparties, most of whom are also counterparties for other 
types  of  business.  The  credit  risk  of  derivatives  is  managed  and 
controlled  in  the  context  of  the  Group’s  overall  credit  exposure 
to  its  counterparties.  The  Group’s  approach  to  credit  risk  is 
described  in  the  audited  portions  of  “Credit  risk”  in  the  “Risk 
management  and  control”  section  of  this  report.  It  should  be 
noted that, although the positive replacement values shown on 
the  balance  sheet  can  be  an  important  component  of  the 
Group’s credit exposure, the positive replacement values related 
to a respective counterparty are rarely an adequate reflection of 
the Group’s credit exposure in its derivatives business with that 
counterparty.  This  is  generally  the  case  because,  on  the  one 
hand,  replacement  values  can  increase  over  time  (potential 
future  exposure),  while  on  the  other  hand,  exposure  may  be 
mitigated  by  entering  into  master  netting  agreements  and 
bilateral  collateral  arrangements.  Both  the  exposure  measures 
used internally by the Group to control credit risk and the capital 
requirements  imposed  by  regulators  reflect  these  additional 
factors.

→ Refer to Note 24 for more information on the values of positive 
and negative replacement values after consideration of netting 

potential allowed under enforceable netting arrangements 

Note 12  Derivative instruments and hedge accounting (continued)

Derivative instruments¹

CHF billion
Interest rate contracts

Over-the-counter (OTC) contracts

Forward contracts6

Swaps

Options

Exchange-traded contracts

Futures

Options

Agency transactions7

Total

Credit derivative contracts

Over-the-counter (OTC) contracts

Credit default swaps

Total return swaps

Options and warrants

Total

Foreign exchange contracts

Over-the-counter (OTC) contracts

Forward contracts

Interest and currency swaps 

Options

Exchange-traded contracts

Futures

Options

Agency transactions7

Total

Equity / index contracts

Over-the-counter (OTC) contracts

Forward contracts

Swaps

Options

Exchange-traded contracts

Futures

Options

Agency transactions7

Total

Table continues on the next page.

PRV2

 0.1

 35.4

 8.5

 0.0

 0.0

 44.0

 2.7

 0.2

 0.0

 2.8

 17.2

 23.8

 6.1

 0.0

 0.0

 47.1

 0.0

 3.4

 5.8

 6.9

 6.2

 22.2

Notional
values
related to
PRV3

 22.1

 539.2

 558.1

 22.7

31.12.17

NRV4

 0.3

 28.2

 9.8

 0.0

 0.0

Notional
values
related to
NRV3

 8.2

 453.7

 547.2

 34.4

Other notional 
values3,5

PRV2

 2,321.1

 7,530.2

 455.6

 155.4

 0.1

 45.2

 12.6

 0.0

 0.2

31.12.16

Notional
values
related to
PRV3

NRV4

Notional
values
related to
NRV3

 29.6

 599.3

 478.1

 0.1

 38.3

 13.9

 21.9

 552.6

 480.6

Other 
notional 
values3,5

 2,242.8

 7,064.2

 326.4

 96.2

 4.5

 45.4

 0.0

 0.2

 1,142.1

 38.4

 1,043.6

 10,462.2

 58.0

 1,152.4

 52.5

 1,059.6

 9,729.6

 85.2

 2.2

 4.3

 91.8

 681.4

 1,275.5

 427.0

 4.7

 3.0

 0.8

 0.0

 3.8

 17.8

 21.8

 5.8

 0.1

 0.0

 94.4

 3.9

 0.1

 98.3

 691.6

 1,098.4

 397.6

 5.6

 1.2

 1.2

 0.4

 3.7

 0.2

 0.0

 3.9

 21.8

 43.2

 11.1

 0.0

 0.0

 116.9

 3.3

 2.9

 123.1

 3.9

 0.9

 0.0

 4.8

 135.2

 4.3

 0.1

 139.6

 715.6

 1,220.8

 530.3

 19.0

 42.0

 11.0

 650.9

 1,115.0

 513.7

 6.1

 2.9

 0.1

 0.0

 6.0

 2,388.5

 45.5

 2,193.3

 0.4

 76.1

 2,469.6

 72.1

 2,285.6

 6.1

 0.0

 71.2

 76.6

 232.6

 0.0

 5.5

 8.2

 6.9

 6.1

 0.0

 100.4

 125.0

 261.2

 51.9

 31.0

 380.3

 26.7

 486.6

 82.9

 0.0

 3.6

 3.7

 3.8

 6.9

 18.0

 0.0

 76.5

 49.6

 142.5

 0.0

 4.8

 5.8

 4.6

 6.9

 0.0

 69.0

 92.8

 155.8

 33.0

 21.6

 268.6

 22.1

 317.6

 54.5

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Consolidated financial statements

Note 12  Derivative instruments and hedge accounting (continued)

Derivative instruments¹ (continued)

Table continued from the previous page.

Derivative instruments (continued)1

31.12.17

31.12.16

CHF billion
Commodity contracts
Over-the-counter (OTC) contracts

Forward contracts
Swaps
Options

Exchange-traded contracts

Futures
Forward contracts
Options
Agency transactions7

Notional
values
related to
PRV3

 2.9
 8.5
 11.3

 9.4
 1.0

NRV4

 0.1
 0.4
 0.1

 0.0
 0.1
 0.9
 1.6

PRV2

 0.1
 0.2
 0.3

 0.2
 0.0
 0.9
 1.7

Notional
values
related to
NRV3

Other notional 
values3,5

PRV2

Notional
values
related to
PRV3

 3.8
 12.8
 7.9

 7.9
 4.4

 8.2

 0.3

 0.3
 0.4
 0.5

 0.1
 0.0
 0.9
 2.3

Notional
values
related to
NRV3

Other 
notional 
values3,5

 2.7
 13.4
 9.9

 4.6
 5.3

 9.1

 0.0

NRV4

 0.1
 0.5
 0.2

 0.0
 0.1
 0.9
 2.0

 4.8
 10.9
 14.1

 5.9
 3.2

 0.1

 8.4

 0.1

 0.1

 33.1

 12.0

 36.9

Total 
Unsettled purchases of non-derivative 
financial instruments8
Unsettled sales of non-derivative financial 
instruments8
Total derivative instruments, based on IFRS 
netting9
 9,799.3
1 Bifurcated embedded derivatives are presented on the same balance sheet lines as their host contracts and are excluded from this table. The replacement values and related notional values of these derivatives 
were not material for the periods presented.     2 PRV: positive replacement value.     3 In cases where replacement values are presented on a net basis on the balance sheet, the respective notional values of the 
netted replacement values are still presented on a gross basis.    4 NRV: negative replacement value.    5 Other notional values relate to derivatives that are cleared through either a central clearing counterparty or an 
exchange. The fair value of these derivatives is presented on the balance sheet net of the corresponding cash margin under Cash collateral receivables on derivative instruments and Cash collateral payables on 
derivative instruments and was not material for the periods presented.    6 Negative replacement values as of 31 December 2017 include CHF 0.0 billion related to derivative loan commitments (31 December 2016: 
CHF 0.1 billion). No notional amounts related to these replacement values are included in the table. The maximum irrevocable amount related to these commitments was CHF 5.3 billion as of 31 December 2017 
(31 December 2016: CHF 14.3 billion).     7 Notional values of exchange-traded agency transactions and OTC-cleared transactions entered into on behalf of clients are not disclosed due to their significantly different 
risk profile.     8 Changes in the fair value of purchased and sold non-derivative financial instruments between trade date and settlement date are recognized as replacement values.     9 Refer to Note 24 for more 
information on netting arrangements.

 10,555.0

 4,062.6

 3,878.3

 3,859.6

 4,084.0

 118.2

 116.1

 153.8

 158.4

 10.9

 14.8

 13.0

 18.4

 39.0

 11.5

 35.9

 8.7

 0.1

 0.1

 9.7

 0.1

 0.2

 0.1

 9.1

The notional amount of a derivative is generally the quantity of 
the  underlying  instrument  on  which  the  derivative  contract  is 
based and is the reference against which changes in the value of 
the  derivative  are  measured.  Notional  values  in  themselves  are 
generally not a direct indication of the values that are exchanged 
between parties, and are therefore not a direct measure of risk 
or financial exposure but are viewed as an indication of the scale 
of the different types of derivatives entered into by the Group.

On a notional value basis, approximately 54% of OTC interest 
rate  contracts  held  as  of  31  December  2017  (31  December 
2016: 52%) mature within one year, 28% (31 December 2016: 
29%)  within  one  to  five  years  and  18%  (31  December  2016: 
19%)  after  five  years.  Notional  values  of  interest  rate  contracts 
cleared with a clearing house that qualify for IFRS balance sheet 
netting or are legally settled on a daily basis are presented under 
Other notional values and are categorized into maturity buckets 
on  the  basis  of  contractual  maturities  of  the  cleared  underlying 
derivative contracts.

Derivatives transacted for trading purposes

Most  of  the  Group’s  derivative  transactions  relate  to  sales  and 
trading  activities.  Sales  activities  include  the  structuring  and 
marketing of derivative products to customers to enable them to 
take,  transfer,  modify  or  reduce  current  or  expected  risks. 
Trading  activities  include  market-making  to  directly  support  the 
facilitation  and  execution  of  client  activity.  Market-making 
involves  quoting  bid  and  offer  prices  to  other  market 
participants with the intention of generating revenues based on 
spread and volume.

Credit derivatives
UBS  is  an  active  dealer  in  the  fixed  income  market,  including 
credit default swaps (CDS) and related products, with respect to 
a  large  number  of  issuers’  securities.  The  primary  objectives  of 
these activities are market-making, primarily on behalf of clients, 
and ongoing hedging of trading book exposures.

364 

Note 12  Derivative instruments and hedge accounting (continued)

Market-making  activity,  which  is  undertaken  within  the 
Investment  Bank,  consists  of  buying  and  selling  single-name 
CDS,  index  CDS,  loan  CDS  and  related  referenced  cash 
instruments  to  facilitate  client  trading  activity.  UBS  also  actively 
utilizes  CDS  to  economically  hedge  specific  counterparty  credit 
risks  in  its  accrual  and  traded  loan  portfolios  (including  off-
balance  sheet  loan  commitments)  with  the  aim  of  reducing 
concentrations in individual names, sectors or specific portfolios.

In  addition,  UBS  actively  utilizes  CDS  to  economically  hedge 
specific counterparty credit risks in its OTC derivative portfolios, 
including  financial  instruments  that  are  designated  at  fair  value 
through profit or loss.

The  tables  below  provide  more 

information  on  credit 
protection bought and sold, including replacement and notional 
value information by instrument type and counterparty type. The 
value  of  protection  bought  and  sold  is  not,  in  isolation,  a 
measure  of  UBS’s  credit  risk.  Counterparty  relationships  are 
viewed  in  terms  of  the  total  outstanding  credit  risk,  which 
relates  to  other  instruments  in  addition  to  CDS,  and  in 
connection with collateral arrangements in place. On a notional 
value basis, approximately 23% of credit protection bought and 
sold  as  of  31  December  2017  matures  within  one  year  (31 
December  2016:  29%),  approximately  65%  within  one  to  five 
years  (31  December  2016:  61%)  and  approximately  12%  after 
five years (31 December 2016: 10%).

Credit derivatives by type of instrument

CHF billion
Single-name credit default swaps

Multi-name index-linked credit default swaps

Multi-name other credit default swaps

Total rate of return swaps

Options and warrants

Total 31 December 2017

of which: credit derivatives related to economic hedges

of which: credit derivatives related to market-making

CHF billion
Single-name credit default swaps

Multi-name index-linked credit default swaps

Multi-name other credit default swaps

Total rate of return swaps

Options and warrants

Total 31 December 2016

of which: credit derivatives related to economic hedges

of which: credit derivatives related to market-making

Protection bought

Protection sold

PRV
 0.6

 0.2

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0

 0.8

 0.7

 0.0

PRV
 1.6

 0.2

 0.0

 0.1

 0.0

 2.0

 1.4

 0.5

NRV
 1.1

 0.9

 0.0

 0.8

 0.0

 2.9

 2.4

 0.5

Notional values
 61.3

 31.8

 0.1

 4.4

 4.3

 101.9

 81.5

 20.3

Protection bought

NRV
 1.3

 0.8

 0.0

 0.7

 0.0

 2.8

 2.4

 0.3

Notional values
 91.4

 38.4

 1.5

 5.5

 2.9

 139.7

 111.7

 28.0

PRV
 1.1

 0.9

 0.0

 0.1

 0.0

 2.0

 1.6

 0.5

PRV
 1.3

 0.5

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0

 1.9

 1.5

 0.4

NRV
 0.6

 0.2

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0

 0.9

 0.8

 0.0

Notional values
 55.7

 31.9

 0.0

 1.7

 0.1

 89.4

 70.5

 18.9

Protection sold

NRV
 1.4

 0.4

 0.0

 0.2

 0.0

 2.0

 1.5

 0.5

Notional values
 81.3

 38.3

 1.1

 2.1

 0.1

 122.9

 96.2

 26.7

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Consolidated financial statements

Note 12  Derivative instruments and hedge accounting (continued)

Credit derivatives by counterparty

CHF billion
Broker-dealers
Banks
Central clearing counterparties
Other
Total 31 December 2017

CHF billion
Broker-dealers

Banks

Central clearing counterparties

Other

Total 31 December 2016

Protection bought

Protection sold

PRV
 0.2
 0.3
 0.1
 0.3
 0.8

PRV
 0.4

 0.9

 0.3

 0.4

 2.0

NRV
 0.2
 0.7
 1.1
 0.9
 2.9

Notional values
 16.2
 37.0
 41.5
 7.2
 101.9

Protection bought

NRV
 0.2

 1.0

 0.9

 0.8

 2.8

Notional values
 20.9

 60.8

 47.2

 10.9

 139.7

PRV
 0.2
 0.5
 1.0
 0.3
 2.0

PRV
 0.2

 0.8

 0.8

 0.2

 1.9

NRV
 0.1
 0.4
 0.1
 0.2
 0.9

Notional values
 12.3
 31.6
 40.6
 4.9
 89.4

Protection sold

NRV
 0.3

 1.0

 0.4

 0.3

 2.0

Notional values
 16.1

 52.6

 47.1

 7.1

 122.9

UBS’s CDS trades are documented using industry standard forms 
of documentation or equivalent terms documented in a bespoke 
agreement.  The  agreements  that  govern  CDS  generally  do  not 
contain  recourse  provisions  that  would  enable  UBS  to  recover 
from third parties any amounts paid out by UBS.

The  types  of  credit  events  that  would  require  UBS  to  perform 
under a CDS contract are subject to agreement between the parties 
at the time of the transaction. However, nearly all transactions are 
traded  with  reference  to  credit  events  that  are  applicable  under 
certain market conventions based on the type of reference entity to 
which the transaction relates. Applicable credit events according to 
market conventions include bankruptcy, failure to pay, restructuring, 
obligation acceleration and repudiation / moratorium.

Contingent collateral features of derivative liabilities

Certain  derivative  instruments  contain  contingent  collateral  or 
termination features triggered upon a downgrade of the published 
credit ratings of the Group in the normal course of business. Based 
on UBS’s credit ratings as of 31  December  2017, CHF 0.1 billion, 
CHF 0.3  billion  and  CHF 1.2  billion  would  have  been  required  for 
contractual obligations related to OTC derivatives in the event of a 
one-notch, two-notch and three-notch reduction in long-term credit 
ratings, respectively. In evaluating UBS’s liquidity requirements, UBS 
considers  additional  collateral  or  termination  payments  that  would 
be  required  in  the  event  of  a  reduction  in  UBS’s  long-term  credit 
ratings, and a corresponding reduction in UBS’s short-term ratings.

Derivatives transacted for hedging purposes

The  Group  enters  into  derivative  transactions  for  the  purposes  of 
hedging risks inherent in assets, liabilities and forecast transactions. 
The accounting treatment of hedge transactions varies according to 
the  nature  of  the  instrument  hedged  and  whether  the  hedge 
qualifies as such for accounting purposes.

Derivative transactions that qualify and are designated as hedges 
for  accounting  purposes  are  described  under  the  corresponding 
headings  in  this  Note  (fair  value  hedges,  cash  flow  hedges  and 
hedges of net investments in foreign operations). 

The Group has also executed various hedging strategies utilizing 
derivatives for which hedge accounting has not been applied. These 
economic hedges include interest rate swaps and other interest rate 
derivatives  (e.g.,  futures)  for  day-to-day  economic  interest  rate  risk 
management  purposes.  In  addition,  the  Group  has  used  equity 
futures, options and, to a lesser extent, swaps in a variety of equity 
trading  strategies  to  offset  underlying  equity  and  equity  volatility 
exposure.  The  Group  has  also  entered  into  CDS  that  provide 
economic  hedges  for  credit  risk  exposures  (refer  to  “Credit 
derivatives”  in  this  Note).  The  Group’s  accounting  policies  for 
derivatives designated and accounted for as hedging instruments or 
economic  hedges  that  do  not  qualify  for  hedge  accounting  are 
described  in  Note  1a  item  3k,  where  terms  used  in  the  following 
sections are explained.

366 

Note 12  Derivative instruments and hedge accounting (continued)

Fair value hedges: interest rate risk related to debt instruments
The Group’s fair value hedges principally consist of interest rate 
swaps that are used to protect against changes in the fair value 
of fixed-rate debt instruments, such as non-structured fixed-rate 
to 
bonds,  covered  bonds  and  subordinated  debt,  due 

in  market 

movements 
interest  rates.  The  fair  values  of 
outstanding  interest  rate  derivatives  designated  as  fair  value 
hedges  were  assets  of  CHF 47  million  and  liabilities  of  CHF 2 
million  as  of  31  December  2017  and  assets  of  CHF 152  million 
and liabilities of CHF 1 million as of 31 December 2016.

Fair value hedges of interest rate risk

CHF million

Gains / (losses) on hedging instruments

Gains / (losses) on hedged items attributable to the hedged risk

Net gains / (losses) representing ineffective portions of fair value hedges 

For the year ended

31.12.17

31.12.16

31.12.15

 (20)

 1

 (19)

 140

 (144)

 (4)

 554

 (552)

 2

Fair value hedges: portfolio interest rate risk related to loans
The Group also applies fair value hedge accounting to mortgage 
loan  portfolio  interest  rate  risk.  The  change  in  fair  value  of  the 
hedged items is recorded separately from the hedged item and 
is  included  within  Other  assets  on  the  balance  sheet.  The  fair 

values  of  outstanding  interest  rate  derivatives  designated  for 
these hedges as of 31 December 2017 were liabilities of CHF 32 
million (31 December 2016: liabilities of CHF 44 million).

Fair value hedges of portfolio interest rate risk

CHF million

Gains / (losses) on hedging instruments

Gains / (losses) on hedged items attributable to the hedged risk

Net gains / (losses) representing ineffective portions of fair value hedges

For the year ended

31.12.17

31.12.16

31.12.15

 (11)

 4

 (7)

 (128)

 116

 (12)

 (176)

 147

 (29)

Cash flow hedges of forecast transactions
The Group is exposed to variability in future interest cash flows 
on non-trading financial assets and liabilities that bear interest at 
variable  rates  or  are  expected  to  be  refinanced  or  reinvested  in 
the  future.  The  amounts  and  timing  of  future  cash  flows, 
representing both principal and interest flows, are projected on 
the  basis  of  contractual  terms  and  other  relevant  factors, 
including estimates of prepayments and defaults. The aggregate 
principal  balances  and  interest  cash  flows  across  all  portfolios 
over time form the basis for identifying the non-trading interest 
rate risk of the Group, which is hedged with interest rate swaps, 
the  maximum  maturity  of  which  is  11  years.  The  table  on  the 
following  page  shows  forecast  principal  balances  on  which 
expected  interest  cash  flows  arise  as  of  31  December  2017. 
Amounts  shown  represent,  by  time  bucket,  average  assets  and 
liabilities  subject  to  forecast  cash  flows  designated  as  hedged 
items in cash flow hedge accounting relationships.

As  of  31  December  2017,  the  fair  values  of  outstanding 
derivatives  designated  as  cash  flow  hedges  of  forecast 
transactions  were  CHF 30  million  assets  and  CHF 2  million 
liabilities  (31  December  2016:  CHF 68  million  assets  and 
CHF 5 million liabilities). 

Other  comprehensive  income  from  cash  flow  hedges,  net  of 
tax was negative CHF 621 million, compared with negative CHF 
666 million in 2016 and negative CHF 509 million in 2015. This 
result  included  the  reclassification  of  a  pre-tax  net  gain  from 
Other  comprehensive  income  to  the  income  statement  of  CHF 
826  million  in  2017,  compared  with  a  pre-tax  net  gain  of 
CHF 1,082 million in 2016 and a pre-tax net gain of CHF 1,182 
million  in  2015,  partly  offset  by  a  pre-tax  net  fair  value  gain 
associated  with  the  effective  portion  of  derivative  instruments 
designated  as  cash  flow  hedges  recognized  in  comprehensive 
income of CHF 45 million in 2017, compared with a pre-tax net 
gain of CHF 246 million in 2016 and a pre-tax net gain of CHF 
544 million in 2015. 

As of 31 December 2017, the cumulative net gains associated 
with  the  effective  portion  of  derivative  instruments  designated 
as cash flow hedges reported in Equity were CHF 351 million (31 
December 2016: CHF 972 million).

In  2017,  a  gain  of  CHF 8  million  was  recognized  in  Net 
trading  income  due  to  hedge  ineffectiveness,  compared  with  a 
gain of CHF 11 million in 2016 and a gain of CHF 150 million in 
2015.

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Consolidated financial statements

Note 12  Derivative instruments and hedge accounting (continued)

Principal balances subject to cash flow forecasts

CHF billion

Assets

Liabilities

Net balance

Within 1 year

1–3 years

3–5 years

5–10 years

Over 10 years

 52

 3

 50

 74

 4

 70

 49

 2

 47

 49

 2

 47

 0

 0

 0

Hedges of net investments in foreign operations
The Group applies hedge accounting for certain net investments 
in  foreign  operations.  As  of  31  December  2017,  the  positive 
replacement  values  and  negative  replacement  values  of  foreign 
exchange  (FX)  derivatives  (mainly  FX  swaps)  designated  as 
hedging  instruments  in  net  investment  hedge  accounting 
relationships  were  CHF 78  million  and  CHF 130  million, 
respectively (31 December 2016: positive replacement values of 
CHF 122  million  and  negative  replacement  values  of  CHF 79 
million).  As  of  31  December  2017,  the  underlying  hedged 
structural  exposures  in  several  currencies  amounted  to  CHF 8.2 
billion (31 December 2016: CHF 7.5 billion).

Hedges  of  structural  FX  exposures  in  currencies  other  than 
the  US  dollar  may  be  comprised  of  two  jointly  designated 
derivatives  as  the  foreign  currency  risk  may  be  hedged  against 
the  US  dollar  first  and  then  converted  into  Swiss  francs,  the 
presentation  currency  of  the  Group,  as  part  of  a  separate  FX 
derivative  transaction.  The  aggregated  notional  amount  of 
designated  hedging  derivatives  as  of  31  December  2017  was 
CHF 13  billion  in  total  (31  December  2016:  CHF 12.5  billion), 
including  CHF 8.1  billion  notional  values  related  to  US  dollar 
versus  Swiss  franc  swaps  and  CHF 5.0  billion  notional  values 
related to derivatives hedging foreign currencies (other than the 
US  dollar)  versus  the  US  dollar.  The  effective  portion  of  gains 
and  losses  of  these  FX  swaps  is  transferred  directly  to  OCI  to 

offset foreign currency translation (FCT) gains and losses on the 
net  investments  in  foreign  branches  and  subsidiaries.  As  such, 
these FX swaps hedge the structural FX exposure resulting in the 
accumulation of FCT on the level of individual foreign branches 
and subsidiaries and hence on the total FCT OCI of the Group.

UBS  designates  certain  non-derivative  foreign  currency 
financial assets and liabilities of foreign branches or subsidiaries 
as  hedging  instruments  in  net  investment  hedge  accounting 
arrangements. The FX translation difference recorded in FCT OCI 
of  the  non-derivative  hedging  instrument  of  one  foreign  entity 
offsets  the  structural  FX  exposure  of  another  foreign  entity. 
Therefore,  the  aggregated  FCT  OCI  of  the  Group  is  unchanged 
from  this  hedge  designation.  As  of  31  December  2017,  the 
nominal  amount  of  non-derivative  financial  assets  and  liabilities 
designated  as  hedging  instruments  in  such  net  investment 
hedges  was  CHF 1.4  billion  and  CHF 1.4  billion,  respectively 
(31 December  2016:  CHF 1.5  billion  non-derivative  financial 
assets and CHF 1.5 billion non-derivative financial liabilities).

Ineffectiveness  of  hedges  of  net  investments  in  foreign 

operations was not material in 2017, 2016 and 2015.

Undiscounted cash flows
The  table  below  provides  undiscounted  cash  flow  information 
for  derivative  instruments  designated  in  hedge  accounting 
relationships. 

Derivatives designated in hedge accounting relationships (undiscounted cash flows)

CHF billion
Interest rate swaps1

FX swaps / forwards

Cash inflows

Cash outflows

Net cash flows

On demand 

Due within 
1 month

Due between 
1 and 3 months

Due between 
3 and 12 months

Due between 
1 and 5 years

Due after 
5 years

 0

 0

 0

 8

 8

 0

 4

 4

 0

 0

 0

 0

 0

 0

 0

 0

 0

 0

Total

 12

 12

 0

1 Undiscounted cash inflows and cash outflows of interest rate swaps as of 31 December 2017 were not material as the majority of interest rate swaps designated in hedge accounting relationships are legally 
settled on a daily basis.

368 

Note 13  Financial assets available for sale and held to maturity

a) Financial assets available for sale

CHF million

Financial assets available for sale by issuer type1
Debt instruments
Government and government agencies

of which: USA

Banks
Corporates and other
Total debt instruments
Equity instruments
Total financial assets available for sale
Unrealized gains – before tax
Unrealized (losses) – before tax
Net unrealized gains / (losses) – before tax
Net unrealized gains / (losses) – after tax
1 Refer to Note 22c for more information on product type and fair value hierarchy categorization.

b) Financial assets held to maturity

CHF million

Financial assets held to maturity by issuer type
Debt instruments
Government and government agencies

of which: USA
of which: Germany
of which: France

Banks
Total financial assets held to maturity

Note 14  Property, equipment and software

At historical cost less accumulated depreciation

31.12.17

31.12.16

 7,000
 6,569
 299
 821
 8,120
 546
 8,665
 216
 (105)
 111
 8

 11,650
 7,779
 1,845
 1,554
 15,048
 628
 15,676
 309
 (117)
 193
 96

31.12.17

31.12.16

 7,476
 4,833
 1,682
 669
 1,689
 9,166

 7,416
 4,688
 1,708
 867
 1,873
 9,289

CHF million
Historical cost
Balance at the beginning of the year
Additions
Disposals / write-offs1
Reclassifications
Foreign currency translation
Balance at the end of the year
Accumulated depreciation
Balance at the beginning of the year
Depreciation
Impairment2
Disposals / write-offs1
Reclassifications
Foreign currency translation
Balance at the end of the year

Own-used 
properties

Leasehold 
improvements

IT hardware and 
communication

Internally 
generated 
software

Purchased 
software

Other 
machines 
and 
equipment

Projects 
in progress

31.12.17

31.12.16

 7,732
 48
 (39)
 (15)
 (2)
 7,723

 4,300
 167
 (2)
 (39)
 (9)
 (2)
 4,414

 3,469
 21
 (295)
 136
 (41)
 3,291

 2,132
 199
 8
 (292)
 5
 (35)
 2,017

 1,521
 118
 (115)
 45
 4
 1,574

 1,027
 179
 4
 (112)
 (1)
 6
 1,103

 3,037
 1
 (87)
 1,220
 (12)
 4,159

 1,542
 347
 7
 (86)
 0
 (3)
 1,807

 408
 49
 (32)
 (5)
 1
 421

 233
 61
 1
 (32)
 0
 3
 266

 866
 14
 (53)
 27
 (14)
 840

 594
 61
 1
 (52)
 0
 (9)
 595

 1,125
 1,353
 0
 (1,455)
 0
 1,023

 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0

 18,159
 1,604
 (622)
 (46)6 
 (65)
 19,030

 9,828
 1,015
 18
 (614)
 (5)6 
 (40)
 10,201

 17,847
 1,788
 (1,104)
 (200)
 (172)
 18,159

 10,153
 959
 26
 (1,090)
 (146)
 (75)
 9,828

Net book value
Net book value at the beginning of the year
Net book value at the end of the year3,4
1 Includes write-offs of fully depreciated assets.     2 Impairment charges recorded in 2017 relate to assets for which the recoverable amount was determined based on value-in-use. Recoverable amounts for these 
impaired assets were not material as of 31 December 2017.     3 As of 31 December 2017, contractual commitments to purchase property in the future amounted to approximately CHF 0.3 billion (31 December 
2016: approximately CHF 0.3 billion).    4 Includes CHF 28 million related to leased assets, mainly IT hardware and communication.    5 Consists of CHF 791 million related to Internally generated software, CHF 197 
million related to Own-used properties and CHF 35 million related to Leasehold improvements.    6 Reflects reclassifications to Properties held for sale (CHF 40 million on a net basis) of properties sold in 2017.

 1,125
 1,0235 

 1,495
 2,352

 1,337
 1,274

 3,432
 3,309

 8,331
 8,829

 7,695
 8,331

 272
 245

 495
 471

 175
 155

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Consolidated financial statements

Note 15  Goodwill and intangible assets

Introduction

UBS  performs  an  impairment  test  on  its  goodwill  assets  on  an 
annual  basis  or  when  indicators  of  impairment  exist.  UBS 
considers  the  segments,  as  reported  in  Note  2a,  as  separate 
cash-generating units (CGUs). The impairment test is performed 
for  each  segment  to  which  goodwill  is  allocated  by  comparing 
the  recoverable  amount,  based  on  its  value-in-use,  with  the 
carrying  amount  of  the  respective  segment.  An  impairment 
charge  is  recognized  if  the  carrying  amount  exceeds  the 
recoverable  amount.  As  of  31  December  2017,  total  goodwill 
recognized  on  the  balance  sheet  was  CHF 6.2  billion,  of  which 
CHF 1.3  billion,  CHF 3.4  billion  and  CHF 1.4  billion  was  carried 
by  Wealth  Management,  Wealth  Management  Americas  and 
Asset  Management,  respectively.  Based  on  the  impairment 
testing  methodology  described  below,  UBS  concluded  that  the 
goodwill  balances  as  of  31  December  2017  allocated  to  these 
segments remain recoverable and thus were not impaired.

Methodology for goodwill impairment testing

The  recoverable  amounts  are  determined  using  a  discounted 
cash  flow  model,  which  has  been  adapted  to  use  inputs  that 
consider  features  of  the  banking  business  and  its  regulatory 
environment.  The  recoverable  amount  of  a  segment  is  the  sum 
of the discounted earnings attributable to shareholders from the 
first three forecast years and the terminal value, adjusted for the 
effect of the capital assumed to be needed over the next three 
years and to support the perpetual growth implied by the long-
term  growth  rate.  The  terminal  value,  which  covers  all  periods 
beyond the third year, is calculated on the basis of the forecast 
of third-year profit, the discount rate and the long-term growth 
rate, as well as the implied perpetual capital growth.

in 

is  described 

framework,  which 

The  carrying  amount  for  each  segment  is  determined  by 
reference  to  the  Group’s  equity  attribution  framework.  Within 
this 
the  “Capital 
management” section of this report, we attribute equity to the 
businesses  on  the  basis  of  their  risk-weighted  assets  and 
leverage ratio denominator, their goodwill and intangible assets 
as well as equity directly associated with activity that Group ALM 
manages  centrally  on  behalf  of  the  business  divisions.  The 
framework  is  primarily  used  for  purposes  of  measuring  the 
certain 
the  businesses  and 
performance  of 
management  assumptions.  Attributed  equity  equals  the  capital 
that  a  segment  requires  to  conduct  its  business  and  is 

includes 

considered  an  appropriate  starting  point  from  which  to 
determine  the  carrying  value  of  the  segments.  The  attributed 
equity  methodology  is  aligned  with  the  business  planning 
process,  the  inputs  from  which  are  used  in  calculating  the 
recoverable amounts of the respective CGU. 

→ Refer to the “Capital management” section of this report for 

more information on the equity attribution framework

Assumptions

linked  to  external  market 

Valuation  parameters  used  within  the  Group’s  impairment  test 
information,  where 
model  are 
applicable.  The  model  used  to  determine  the  recoverable 
amount  is  most  sensitive  to  changes  in  the  forecast  earnings 
available to shareholders in years one to three, to changes in the 
discount rates and to changes in the long-term growth rate. The 
applied  long-term  growth  rate  is  based  on  long-term  economic 
growth rates for different regions worldwide. Earnings available 
to  shareholders  are  estimated  on  the  basis  of  forecast  results, 
which are part of the business plan approved by the BoD.

The discount rates are determined by applying a capital asset 
pricing  model-based  approach,  as  well  as  considering 
quantitative  and  qualitative  inputs  from  both  internal  and 
external  analysts  and  the  view  of  management.  The  discount 
rates were unchanged between 2016 and 2017.

Key assumptions used to determine the recoverable amounts 
of  each  segment  are  tested  for  sensitivity  by  applying  a 
reasonably  possible  change  to  those  assumptions.  Forecast 
earnings  available  to  shareholders  were  changed  by  20%,  the 
discount  rates  were  changed  by  1.5  percentage  points  and  the 
long-term  growth  rates  were  changed  by  0.75  percentage 
points.  Under  all  scenarios,  reasonably  possible  changes  in  key 
assumptions  did  not  result  in  an  impairment  of  goodwill  or 
intangible  assets  that  would  be  material  to  the  consolidated 
financial statements or to the reported financial performance of 
any of the business divisions. 

If  the  estimated  earnings  and  other  assumptions  in  future 
periods deviate from the current outlook, the value of goodwill 
may  become  impaired  in  the  future,  giving  rise  to  losses  in  the 
income  statement.  Recognition  of  any  impairment  of  goodwill 
would reduce IFRS equity and net profit. It would not affect cash 
flows  and,  as  goodwill  is  required  to  be  deducted  from  capital 
under  the  Basel  III  capital  framework,  no  effect  would  be 
expected on the Group total capital ratios.

370 

Note 15  Goodwill and intangible assets (continued)

Discount and growth rates

In %
Wealth Management
Wealth Management Americas
Asset Management
Investment Bank

Discount rates

Growth rates

31.12.17
 9.0
 9.0
 9.0
 11.0

31.12.16
 9.0
 9.0
 9.0
 11.0

31.12.17
 1.7
 2.4
 2.4
 2.4

31.12.16
 1.7
 2.4
 2.4
 2.4

Goodwill

Intangible assets

Customer
relationships,
contractual
rights and other

 773

Total

Total

31.12.16

31.12.17

Infrastructure

 739
 64
 (34)

 6,311
 37
 (27)

CHF million
Historical cost
Balance at the beginning of the year
Additions
Disposals
Write-offs
Foreign currency translation
Balance at the end of the year
Accumulated amortization and impairment
Balance at the beginning of the year
Amortization
Impairment1
Disposals
Write-offs
Foreign currency translation
Balance at the end of the year
Net book value at the end of the year
1 Impairment charges recorded in 2017 and 2016 relate to assets for which the recoverable amount was determined based on value-in-use (recoverable amount of the impaired assets: CHF 0 million for 2017 and 
CHF 3 million for 2016).

 1,267
 70
 0
 (15)
 0
 (29)
 1,292
 215

 1,267
 70
 0
 (15)
 0
 (29)
 1,292
 6,398

 1,253
 91
 0
 (1)
 (75)
 (1)
 1,267
 6,556

 1,512
 64
 (34)
 0
 (35)
 1,507

 7,823
 101
 (61)
 0
 (174)
 7,689

 7,821
 24
 (3)
 (75)
 57
 7,823

 641
 32
 0
 (15)

 (3)
 655
 111

 (27)
 637
 104

 (139)
 6,182

 (2)
 766

 (33)
 741

 626
 37

 6,182

The table below presents goodwill and intangible assets by segment for the year ended 31 December 2017.

CHF million
Goodwill
Balance at the beginning of the year
Additions
Disposals
Foreign currency translation
Balance at the end of the year
Intangible assets
Balance at the beginning of the year
Additions / transfers
Disposals
Amortization
Impairment
Foreign currency translation
Balance at the end of the year

Wealth 
Management

Wealth 
Management 
Americas

Investment 
Bank

Asset 
Management

Corporate Center 
– Services

 1,303
 37
 (2)
 8
 1,346

 40
 47
 (19)
 (7)

 2
 63

 3,571

 36

 1,401

 (151)
 3,420

 152
 17

 (41)
 0
 (6)
 121

 (2)
 34

 41

 (12)

 (1)
 28

 (25)
 6
 1,382

 4

 (3)

 0
 1

 9

 (7)

 2

Total

 6,311
 37
 (27)
 (139)
 6,182

 245
 64
 (19)
 (70)
 0
 (5)
 215

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Note 15  Goodwill and intangible assets (continued)

The table below presents estimated, aggregated amortization expenses for intangible assets.

CHF million

Estimated, aggregated amortization expenses for:

Intangible assets

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

Thereafter

Not amortized due to indefinite useful life

Total

Note 16  Other assets

CHF million
Prime brokerage receivables1

Recruitment loans to financial advisors

Other loans to financial advisors

Bail deposit2

Accrued interest income

Accrued income – other

Prepaid expenses

Settlement and clearing accounts

VAT and other tax receivables

Properties and other non-current assets held for sale

Assets of disposal group held for sale3

Other 

Total other assets

 63

 49

 42

 11

 11

 35

 5

 215

31.12.16

 9,828

 3,087

 471

 1,213

 526

 818

 1,010

 516

 292

 111

 5,137

 2,427

 25,436

31.12.17

 19,080

 2,553

 565

 1,337

 577

 781

 1,013

 716

 359

 95

 0

 2,630

 29,706

1  Prime  brokerage  services  include  clearance,  settlement,  custody,  financing  and  portfolio  reporting  services  for  corporate  clients  trading  across  multiple  asset  classes.  Prime  brokerage  receivables  are  mainly 
comprised of margin lending receivables.    2 Refer to Note 20b item 1 for more information.    3 Refer to Note 30 for more information.

372 

 
Balance sheet notes: liabilities

Note 17  Due to banks and customers

CHF million

Due to banks

Due to customers

of which: demand deposits

of which: retail savings / deposits

of which: time deposits

of which: fiduciary deposits

Total due to banks and customers

Note 18  Financial liabilities designated at fair value

CHF million
Issued debt instruments
Equity-linked1

Rates-linked

Credit-linked

Fixed-rate

Other

Total issued debt instruments

of which: issued by UBS AG with original maturity greater than one year 2,3

Over-the-counter debt instruments
Equity-linked1

Other

Total over-the-counter debt instruments

of which: issued by UBS AG with original maturity greater than one year 2,4

Repurchase agreements
Loan commitments and guarantees5

Total 

31.12.17

 7,533

 408,999

 188,580

 161,828

 47,391

 11,200

31.12.16

 10,645

 423,672

 194,044

 170,729

 52,716

 6,184

 416,532

 434,317

31.12.17

31.12.16

 34,162

 5,811

 2,937

 3,921

 2,671

 49,502

 37,266

 1,350

 2,967

 4,317

 3,049
 375

 9

 29,831

 10,150

 4,101

 2,972

 2,875

 49,930

 36,347

 1,992

 2,671

 4,663

 4,210
 395

 29

 54,202

 55,017

of which: life-to-date own credit (gain) / loss

 (141)
1 Includes investment fund unit-linked instruments issued.    2 Issued by the legal entity UBS AG. Based on original contractual maturity without considering any early redemption features.    3 More than 99% of the 
balance as of 31 December 2017 was unsecured (31 December 2016: more than 99% of the balance was unsecured).     4 More than 40% of the balance as of 31 December 2017 was unsecured (31 December 
2016:  more  than  35%  of  the  balance  was  unsecured).     5  Loan  commitments  recognized  as  Financial  liabilities  designated  at  fair  value  until  drawn  and  recognized  as  Loans.  See  Note  1a  item  3o  for  more 
information.

 195

As  of  31  December  2017  and  31  December  2016,  the 
contractual redemption amount at maturity of financial liabilities 
designated at fair value through profit or loss was not materially 
different from the carrying value.

The  table  on  the  following  page  shows  the  residual 
contractual  maturity  of  the  carrying  value  of  financial  liabilities 
designated  at  fair  value,  split  between  fixed-rate  and  floating-
rate  instruments  based  on  the  contractual  terms,  and  does  not 
consider  any  early  redemption  features.  Interest  rate  ranges  for 

future  interest  payments  related  to  these  financial  liabilities 
designated at fair value have not been included in the table on 
the following page as a majority of these liabilities are structured 
products, and therefore the future interest payments are highly 
dependent upon the embedded derivative and prevailing market 
conditions at the time each interest payment is made.

→ Refer to Note 25d for maturity information on an undiscounted 

cash flow basis

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Consolidated financial statements

Note 18  Financial liabilities designated at fair value (continued)

Contractual maturity of carrying value

CHF million
UBS AG1

Non-subordinated debt

Fixed-rate

Floating-rate

Subtotal

Other subsidiaries2

Non-subordinated debt

Fixed-rate

Floating-rate

Subtotal

Total 

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

2023–2027

Thereafter

Total 
31.12.17

Total 
31.12.16

 3,339

 16,428

 19,767

 1,350

 5,660

 7,010

 872

 4,418

 5,290

 401

 1,297

 1,697

 571

 1,883

 2,455

 90

 330

 420

 797

 18

 816

 52

 194

 246

 74

 0

 74

 7

 48

 55

 511

 4,983

 5,494

 345

 27

 372

 3,610

 6,497

 10,107

 10,653

 41,167

 51,820

 9,505

 42,757

 52,262

 136

 263

 399

 1,502

 879

 2,382

 1,768

 987

 2,755

 20,187

 7,826

 5,536

 1,772

 2,510

 5,866

 10,506

 54,202

 55,017

1 Comprises instruments issued by the legal entity UBS AG.    2 Comprises instruments issued by subsidiaries of UBS AG.

Note 19  Debt issued held at amortized cost

CHF million

Certificates of deposit

Commercial paper

Other short-term debt
Short-term debt1

Senior fixed-rate bonds

of which: issued by UBS AG with original maturity greater than one year 2

Senior unsecured debt that contributes to total loss-absorbing capacity

Covered bonds

Subordinated debt

of which: high-trigger loss-absorbing additional tier 1 capital instruments

of which: low-trigger loss-absorbing additional tier 1 capital instruments

of which: low-trigger loss-absorbing tier 2 capital instruments

of which: non-Basel III-compliant tier 2 capital instruments

Debt issued through the central bond institutions of the Swiss regional or cantonal banks

Other long-term debt

of which: issued by UBS AG with original maturity greater than one year 2

Long-term debt3

31.12.17

 23,831

 23,532

 3,590

 50,953

 32,268

 32,256

 27,233

 4,112

 16,555

 5,187

 2,383

 8,286

 700

 8,345

 87

 66

31.12.16

 20,207

 1,653

 4,318

 26,178

 27,008

 26,850

 16,890

 5,836

 19,325

 5,429

 2,342

 10,429

 1,125

 8,302

 112

 94

 88,599

 77,472

Total debt issued held at amortized cost4
1 Debt with an original maturity of less than one year.     2 Issued by the legal entity UBS AG. Based on original contractual maturity without considering any early redemption features. 100% of the balance as of 
31 December 2017 was unsecured (31 December 2016: 100% of the balance was unsecured).    3 Debt with original maturity greater than or equal to one year. The classification of debt issued into short-term and 
long-term does not consider any early redemption features.    4 Net of bifurcated embedded derivatives, the fair value of which was not material for the periods presented.

 139,551

 103,649

The Group uses interest rate and foreign exchange derivatives to 
manage  the  risks  inherent  in  certain  debt  instruments  held  at 
amortized  cost.  In  certain  cases,  the  Group  applies  hedge 
accounting for interest rate risk as discussed in Note 1a item 3k 
and Note 12. As a result of applying hedge accounting, the life-

to-date adjustment to the carrying value of debt issued was an 
increase  of  CHF  34  million  as  of  31  December  2017  and  an 
increase of CHF 490 million as of 31 December 2016, reflecting 
changes in fair value due to interest rate movements.

374 

 
Note 19  Debt issued held at amortized cost (continued)

Subordinated  debt  consists  of  unsecured  debt  obligations 
that  are  contractually  subordinated  in  right  of  payment  to  all 
other  present  and  future  non-subordinated  obligations  of  the 
respective 
the  subordinated  debt 
instruments  outstanding  as  of  31  December  2017  pay  a  fixed 
rate of interest.

issuing  entity.  All  of 

The  table  below  shows  the  residual  contractual  maturity  of 
the  carrying  value  of  debt  issued,  split  between  fixed-rate  and 
floating-rate  based  on  the  contractual  terms,  and  does  not 
consider any early redemption features. The effects from interest 
rate  swaps,  which  are  used  to  hedge  various  fixed-rate  debt 
issuances  by  changing  the  repricing  characteristics  into  those 
similar to floating-rate debt, are also not considered in the table 
below.

→ Refer to Note 25d for maturity information on an undiscounted 

cash flow basis

Contractual maturity of carrying value

CHF million, except where indicated
UBS Group AG1

Subordinated debt

Fixed-rate

Interest rates (range in %)

Subtotal

UBS AG2

Non-subordinated debt

Fixed-rate

Interest rates (range in %)

Floating-rate

Subordinated debt

Fixed-rate

Interest rates (range in %)

Subtotal

Other subsidiaries3

Non-subordinated debt

Fixed-rate

Interest rates (range in %)

Floating-rate

Subtotal

Total 

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

2023-2027

Thereafter

Total 
31.12.17

Total 
31.12.16

 0

 0

 0

 0

 0

 0

 0

 0

 0

 0

 38,470

0–6.6

 21,158

 3,975

2.4–4.0

 4,818

 7,964

0–4.9

 3,926

 0

 0

 0

 4,107

0.1–1.4

 0

 0

 59,628

 8,793

 11,891

 4,107

 805

 747

0.4–3.8

0.6–2.9

 1

 806

 0

 746

 2,186

0.1–2.8

 293

 2,479

 60,434

 9,540

 14,370

 2,940

0.1–3.0

 976

 3,916

 8,022

 1,580

4.0–4.0

 0

 1,912

7.6–7.6

 3,492

 4,535

0.1–3.4

 2,535

 7,070

 10,562

 0

 0

 0

 0

 7,073

4.8–8.8

 7,073

 15,723

0.1–4.1

 2,162

 17,885

 24,958

 7,570

5.8–7.1

 7,570

 7,570

 7,771

 7,570

 7,771

 18

 56,115

 42,724

 1,223

 31,125

 15,937

 0

 8,985

 11,554

 1,241

 96,225

 70,215

 2,855

0.2–4.3

 0

 2,855

 11,666

 29,791

 23,843

 5,966

 35,756

 1,820

 25,663

 139,551

 103,649

1 Comprises debt issued by the legal entity UBS Group AG.    2 Comprises debt issued by the legal entity UBS AG.    3 Comprises debt issued by other direct subsidiaries of UBS Group AG and by subsidiaries of UBS 
AG.

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Consolidated financial statements

Note 20  Provisions and contingent liabilities

a) Provisions

CHF million
Balance at the beginning of the year

Additions from acquired companies

Increase in provisions recognized in the income statement

Release of provisions recognized in the income statement

Provisions used in conformity with designated purpose

Capitalized reinstatement costs

Reclassifications

Foreign currency translation / unwind of discount

Balance at the end of the year

Litigation, 
regulatory 
and similar 
matters2
 3,261

Operational 
risks1
 50

 0

 15

 (7)

 (13)

 0

 0

 (3)

 43

 0

 682

 (209)

 (1,230)

 0

 0

 (59)

 2,444

Loan com-
mitments 
and 
guarantees
 54

 0

 11

 (32)

 0

 0

 0

 0

Restruc-
turing
 498

 0

 220

 (80)

 (313)

 0

 0

 (2)

Real 
estate
 142

Employee 
benefits5
 77

 0

 3

 (2)

 (12)

 7

 0

 (5)

 0

 12

 (21)

 (1)

 0

 0

 1

Other
 91

 7

 45

 (20)

 (34)

 0

 0

 1

Total 
31.12.17
 4,174

Total 
31.12.16
 4,164

 7

 988

 (371)

 0

 1,433

 (288)

 (1,604)

 (1,152)

 7

 0

 (68)

 (2)

 10

 10

 3223 

 33

 1344 

 68

 89

 3,133

 4,174

1  Comprises  provisions  for  losses  resulting  from  security  risks  and  transaction  processing  risks.     2  Comprises  provisions  for  losses  resulting  from  legal,  liability  and  compliance  risks.     3  Primarily  consists  of 
personnel-related restructuring provisions of CHF 83 million as of 31 December 2017 (31 December 2016: CHF 150 million) and provisions for onerous lease contracts of CHF 235 million as of 31 December 2017 
(31 December 2016: CHF 348 million).     4 Consists of reinstatement costs for leasehold improvements of CHF 92 million as of 31 December 2017 (31 December 2016: CHF 87 million) and provisions for onerous 
lease contracts of CHF 41 million as of 31 December 2017 (31 December 2016: CHF 55 million).    5 Includes provisions for sabbatical and anniversary awards as well as provisions for severance that are not part of 
restructuring provisions.

lease 
Restructuring  provisions  primarily  relate  to  onerous 
contracts  and  severance  payments.  The  use  of  onerous  lease 
provisions  is  driven  by  the  maturities  of  the  underlying  lease 
contracts.  Severance-related  provisions  are  used  within  a  short 
time period, usually within six months, but potential changes in 
amount  may  be  triggered  when  natural  staff  attrition  reduces 

the number of people affected by a restructuring and therefore 
the estimated costs.

Information on provisions and contingent liabilities in respect 
of litigation, regulatory and similar matters, as a class, is included 
in  Note  20b.  There  are  no  material  contingent  liabilities 
associated with the other classes of provisions.

b) Litigation, regulatory and similar matters

The  Group  operates  in  a  legal  and  regulatory  environment  that 
exposes  it  to  significant  litigation  and  similar  risks  arising  from 
disputes and regulatory proceedings. As a result, UBS (which for 
purposes of this Note may refer to UBS Group AG and / or one 
or  more  of  its  subsidiaries,  as  applicable)  is  involved  in  various 
disputes  and  legal  proceedings,  including  litigation,  arbitration, 
and regulatory and criminal investigations.

Such  matters  are  subject  to  many  uncertainties,  and  the 
outcome  and  the  timing  of  resolution  are  often  difficult  to 
predict, particularly in the earlier stages of a case. There are also 
situations  where  the  Group  may  enter  into  a  settlement 
agreement.  This  may  occur  in  order  to  avoid  the  expense, 
management  distraction  or 
implications  of 
continuing to contest liability, even for those matters for which 
the  Group  believes  it  should  be  exonerated.  The  uncertainties 
inherent in all such matters affect the amount and timing of any 
potential  outflows  for  both  matters  with  respect  to  which 
provisions have been established and other contingent liabilities. 
The Group makes provisions for such matters brought against it 
when, in the opinion of management after seeking legal advice, 
it  is  more  likely  than  not  that  the  Group  has  a  present  legal  or 

reputational 

constructive  obligation  as  a  result  of  past  events,  it  is  probable 
that  an  outflow  of  resources  will  be  required,  and  the  amount 
can  be  reliably  estimated.  Where  these  factors  are  otherwise 
satisfied, a provision may be established for claims that have not 
yet  been  asserted  against  the  Group,  but  are  nevertheless 
expected  to  be,  based  on  the  Group’s  experience  with  similar 
asserted  claims.  If  any  of  those  conditions  is  not  met,  such 
matters  result  in  contingent  liabilities.  If  the  amount  of  an 
obligation  cannot  be  reliably  estimated,  a  liability  exists  that  is 
not  recognized  even  if  an  outflow  of  resources  is  probable. 
Accordingly,  no  provision  is  established  even  if  the  potential 
outflow  of  resources  with  respect  to  such  matters  could  be 
significant.

Specific litigation, regulatory and other matters are described 
below, including all such matters that management considers to 
be  material  and  others  that  management  believes  to  be  of 
significance  due  to  potential  financial,  reputational  and  other 
effects.  The  amount  of  damages  claimed,  the  size  of  a 
transaction or other information is provided where available and 
appropriate in order to assist users in considering the magnitude 
of potential exposures.

376 

Note 20  Provisions and contingent liabilities (continued)

to  confidentiality  obligations 

In  the  case  of  certain  matters  below,  we  state  that  we  have 
established a provision, and for the other matters, we make no 
such  statement.  When  we  make  this  statement  and  we  expect 
disclosure of the amount of a provision to prejudice seriously our 
position with other parties in the matter because it would reveal 
what  UBS  believes  to  be  the  probable  and  reliably  estimable 
outflow, we do not disclose that amount. In some cases we are 
that  preclude  such 
subject 
disclosure.  With  respect  to  the  matters  for  which  we  do  not 
state  whether  we  have  established  a  provision,  either  (a)  we 
have  not  established  a  provision,  in  which  case  the  matter  is 
treated as a contingent liability under the applicable accounting 
standard,  or  (b)  we  have  established  a  provision  but  expect 
disclosure  of  that  fact  to  prejudice  seriously  our  position  with 
other parties in the matter because it would reveal the fact that 
UBS believes an outflow of resources to be probable and reliably 
estimable.

With  respect  to  certain  litigation,  regulatory  and  similar 
matters for which we have established provisions, we are able to 
estimate  the  expected  timing  of  outflows.  However,  the 
aggregate  amount  of  the  expected  outflows  for  those  matters 
for which we are able to estimate expected timing is immaterial 
relative  to  our  current  and  expected  levels  of  liquidity  over  the 
relevant time periods.

The  aggregate  amount  provisioned  for  litigation,  regulatory 
and  similar  matters  as  a  class  is  disclosed  in  the  “Provisions” 
table  in  Note  20a  above.  It  is  not  practicable  to  provide  an 
aggregate  estimate  of  liability  for  our  litigation,  regulatory  and 
similar matters as a class of contingent liabilities. Doing so would 
require  us  to  provide  speculative  legal  assessments  as  to  claims 
and proceedings that involve unique fact patterns or novel legal 
theories, that have not yet been initiated or are at early stages of 
adjudication,  or  as  to  which  alleged  damages  have  not  been 
quantified  by  the  claimants.  Although  we  therefore  cannot 

provide a numerical estimate of the future losses that could arise 
from  litigation,  regulatory  and  similar  matters,  we  believe  that 
the  aggregate  amount  of  possible  future  losses  from  this  class 
that  are  more  than  remote  substantially  exceeds  the  level  of 
current provisions. Litigation, regulatory and similar matters may 
also  result  in  non-monetary  penalties  and  consequences.  For 
example,  the  Non-Prosecution  Agreement  (NPA)  described  in 
item  5  of  this  Note,  which  we  entered  into  with  the  US 
Department of Justice (DOJ), Criminal Division, Fraud Section in 
connection  with  our  submissions  of  benchmark  interest  rates, 
including,  among  others,  the  British  Bankers’  Association 
London  Interbank  Offered  Rate  (LIBOR),  was  terminated  by  the 
DOJ  based  on  its  determination  that  we  had  committed  a  US 
crime 
foreign  exchange  matters.  As  a 
consequence, UBS AG pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud 
for  conduct  in  the  LIBOR  matter,  paid  a  fine  and  is  subject  to 
probation  through  January  2020.  A  guilty  plea  to,  or  conviction 
of,  a  crime  could  have  material  consequences  for  UBS. 
Resolution  of  regulatory  proceedings  may  require  us  to  obtain 
waivers  of  regulatory  disqualifications  to  maintain  certain 
operations, may entitle regulatory authorities to limit, suspend or 
terminate  licenses  and  regulatory  authorizations,  and  may 
permit  financial  market  utilities  to  limit,  suspend  or  terminate 
our participation in such utilities. Failure to obtain such waivers, 
licenses, 
limitation,  suspension  or  termination  of 
or  any 
authorizations 
have  material 
consequences for UBS.

participations, 

relation 

could 

or 

to 

in 

The  risk  of  loss  associated  with  litigation,  regulatory  and 
similar  matters  is  a  component  of  operational  risk  for  purposes 
of determining our capital requirements. Information concerning 
our  capital  requirements  and  the  calculation  of  operational  risk 
for  this  purpose  is  included  in  the  “Capital  management” 
section of this report.

Provisions for litigation, regulatory and similar matters by business division and Corporate Center unit1

CHF million
Balance at the beginning of the year

Increase in provisions recognized in the income statement

Release of provisions recognized in the income statement

Provisions used in conformity with designated purpose

Foreign currency translation / unwind of discount

Balance at the end of the year

Wealth 
Manage-
ment
 292

Wealth 
Manage-
ment 
Americas
 425

 30

 (4)

 (135)

 24

 207

 158

 (12)

 (207)

 (17)

 348

Personal & 
Corporate 
Banking
 78

 Asset 
Manage-
ment
 5

Investment 
Bank
 616

CC –
Services
 259

CC –
Non-core
and Legacy
Portfolio
 1,585

CC –
Group 
ALM
 0

 3

 (1)

 (2)

 2

 79

 6

 (9)2

 (1)

 0

 1

 8

 (49)

 (216)

 (15)

 345

 248

 (6)

 (262)

 1

 240

 0

 0

 0

 0

 0

 229

 (129)

 (406)

 (55)

Total 
31.12.17
 3,261

Total 
31.12.16
 2,983

 682

 (209)

 (1,230)

 (59)

 856

 (48)

 (554)

 25

 1,224

 2,444

 3,261

1 Provisions, if any, for the matters described in this Note are recorded in Wealth Management (item 3), Wealth Management Americas (item 4), the Investment Bank (item 7) and Corporate Center – Non-core and 
Legacy Portfolio (item 2). Provisions, if any, for the matters described in items 1 and 6 of this Note are allocated between Wealth Management and Personal & Corporate Banking, and provisions, if any, for the 
matters described in this Note in item 5 are allocated between the Investment Bank, Corporate Center – Services and Corporate Center – Non-core and Legacy Portfolio.    2 In 2017, a release of CHF 5 million was 
recognized in Provisions for litigation, regulatory and similar matters, with a corresponding increase in Other provisions.

377 

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Consolidated financial statements

Note 20  Provisions and contingent liabilities (continued)

1. Inquiries regarding cross-border wealth management 
businesses 
Tax  and  regulatory  authorities  in  a  number  of  countries  have 
made  inquiries,  served  requests  for  information  or  examined 
employees located in their respective jurisdictions relating to the 
cross-border wealth management services provided by UBS and 
other financial institutions. It is possible that the implementation 
of  automatic  tax  information  exchange  and  other  measures 
relating to cross-border provision of financial services could give 
rise to further inquiries in the future. UBS has received disclosure 
orders  from  the  Swiss  Federal  Tax  Administration  (FTA)  to 
international 
transfer 
administrative assistance in tax matters. The requests concern a 
number  of  UBS  account  numbers  pertaining  to  current  and 
former clients and are based on data from 2006 and 2008. UBS 
the 
has 
administrative  assistance  proceedings  and  their  procedural 
rights, including the right to appeal. The requests are based on 
data  received  from  the  German  authorities,  who  seized  certain 
data  related  to  UBS  clients  booked  in  Switzerland  during  their 
investigations  and  have  apparently  shared  this  data  with  other 
European  countries.  UBS  expects  additional  countries  to  file 
similar requests. 

information  based  on  requests  for 

inform  affected  clients  about 

taken  steps 

to 

The Swiss Federal Administrative Court ruled in 2016 that in 
the  administrative  assistance  proceedings  related  to  a  French 
bulk request, UBS has the right to appeal all final FTA client data 
disclosure orders.

Since 2013, UBS (France) S.A. and UBS AG and certain former 
employees  have  been  under  investigation  in  France  for  alleged 
complicity  in  having  illicitly  solicited  clients  on  French  territory 
and  regarding  the  laundering  of  proceeds  of  tax  fraud  and  of 
banking  and  financial  solicitation  by  unauthorized  persons.  In 
connection  with  this  investigation,  the  investigating  judges 
ordered  UBS  AG  to  provide  bail  (“caution”)  of  EUR  1.1  billion 
and UBS (France) S.A. to post bail of EUR 40 million, which was 
reduced on appeal to EUR 10 million.

In  February  2016,  the  investigating  judges  notified  UBS  AG 
and  UBS  (France)  S.A.  that  they  have  closed  their  investigation. 
In  July  2016,  UBS  AG  and  UBS  (France)  S.A.  received  the 
National Financial Prosecutor’s recommendation (“réquisitoire”). 
In  March  2017,  the  investigating  judges  issued  the  trial  order 
(“ordonnance  de  renvoi”)  that  charges  UBS  AG  and  UBS 
(France)  S.A.,  as  well  as  various  former  employees,  with  illicit 
solicitation of clients on French territory and with participation in 
the laundering of the proceeds of tax fraud, and which transfers 
the  case  to  court.  The  trial  schedule  has  not  yet  been 
announced. In October 2017, the Investigation Chamber of the 
Court  of  Appeals  decided  that  UBS  (France)  S.A.  shall  not  be 
constituted as a civil party in the guilty plea proceedings against 
the former UBS (France) S.A. Head of Front Office. UBS (France) 
S.A.  has  appealed  this  decision  to  the  French  Supreme  Court 
(“Cour de cassation”).

378 

In 2016, UBS was notified by the Belgian investigating judge 
that  it  is  under  formal  investigation  (“inculpé”)  regarding  the 
laundering  of  proceeds  of  tax  fraud  and  of  banking,  financial 
solicitation by unauthorized persons and serious tax fraud.

(SEC),  which  are 

In 2015, UBS received inquiries from the US Attorney’s Office 
for the Eastern District of New York and from the US Securities 
and  Exchange  Commission 
investigating 
potential  sales  to  US  persons  of  bearer  bonds  and  other 
unregistered securities in possible violation of the Tax Equity and 
Fiscal  Responsibility  Act  of  1982  (TEFRA)  and  the  registration 
requirements of the US securities laws. UBS is cooperating with 
the  authorities  in  these  investigations.  In  2018,  UBS  was 
informed by the US Attorney’s Office and the SEC that they have 
closed their investigations and that they will not take any action.

UBS has, and reportedly numerous other financial institutions 
have,  received  inquiries  from  authorities  concerning  accounts 
relating to the Fédération Internationale de Football Association 
(FIFA)  and  other  constituent  soccer  associations  and  related 
persons and entities. UBS is cooperating with authorities in these 
inquiries.

Our balance sheet at 31 December 2017 reflected provisions 
with  respect  to  matters  described  in  this  item  1  in  an  amount 
that  UBS  believes  to  be  appropriate  under  the  applicable 
accounting standard. As in the case of other matters for which 
we have established provisions, the future outflow of resources 
in respect of such matters cannot be determined with certainty 
based  on  currently  available  information  and  accordingly  may 
ultimately prove to be substantially greater (or may be less) than 
the provision that we have recognized.

2. Claims related to sales of residential mortgage-backed 
securities and mortgages
From 2002 through 2007, prior to the crisis in the US residential 
loan market, UBS was a substantial issuer and underwriter of US 
residential  mortgage-backed  securities 
(RMBS)  and  was  a 
purchaser and seller of US residential mortgages. A subsidiary of 
UBS, UBS Real Estate Securities Inc. (UBS RESI), acquired pools of 
residential  mortgage  loans  from  originators  and  (through  an 
affiliate)  deposited  them  into  securitization  trusts.  In  this 
manner,  from  2004  through  2007,  UBS  RESI  sponsored 
approximately  USD 80  billion  in  RMBS,  based  on  the  original 
principal balances of the securities issued.

UBS RESI also sold pools of loans acquired from originators to 
third-party purchasers. These whole loan sales during the period 
2004  through  2007  totaled  approximately  USD 19  billion  in 
original principal balance.

UBS was not a significant originator of US residential loans. A 
branch  of  UBS  originated  approximately  USD 1.5  billion  in  US 
residential  mortgage  loans  during  the  period  in  which  it  was 
active from 2006 to 2008, and securitized less than half of these 
loans.

Note 20  Provisions and contingent liabilities (continued)

to 

related 

Lawsuits 

contractual 

representations  and 
warranties  concerning  mortgages  and  RMBS:  When  UBS  acted 
as  an  RMBS  sponsor  or  mortgage  seller,  it  generally  made 
certain  representations  relating  to  the  characteristics  of  the 
underlying  loans.  In  the  event  of  a  material  breach  of  these 
representations,  UBS  was  in  certain  circumstances  contractually 
obligated  to  repurchase  the  loans  to  which  the  representations 
related  or  to  indemnify  certain  parties  against  losses.  In  2012, 
certain  RMBS  trusts  filed  an  action  (Trustee  Suit)  in  the  US 
District  Court  for  the  Southern  District  of  New  York  (SDNY) 
seeking to enforce UBS RESI’s obligation to repurchase loans in 
the  collateral  pools  for  three  RMBS  securitizations  with  an 
original  principal  balance  of  approximately  USD 2  billion. 
Approximately 9,000 loans were at issue in a bench trial in the 
SDNY in 2016, following which the court issued an order ruling 
on numerous legal and factual issues and applying those rulings 
to  20  exemplar  loans.  The  court  further  ordered  that  a  lead 
master  be  appointed  to  apply  the  court’s  rulings  to  the  loans 
that  remain  at  issue  following  the  trial. In  October  2017,  UBS 
and certain holders of the RMBS in the Trustee Suit entered into 
an agreement under which UBS has agreed to pay an aggregate 
of  USD 543  million  into  the  relevant  RMBS  trusts,  plus  certain 
attorneys’ fees. A portion of these settlement costs will be borne 
by other parties that indemnified UBS. The agreement is subject 
to the trustee for the RMBS trusts becoming a party thereto by 9 
March 2018. The trustee for the RMBS trusts has evaluated the 
proposed settlement under the agreement between UBS and the 
RMBS holders and UBS has been in discussions with the trustee 
about  the  terms  on  which  it  would  become  a  party  to  a 
settlement. Giving effect to a settlement of the Trustee Suit, UBS 
considers  claims  relating  to  substantially  all  loan  repurchase 
demands  to  be  resolved,  and  believes  that  new  demands  to 
repurchase US residential mortgage loans are time-barred under 
a decision rendered by the New York Court of Appeals.

Mortgage-related regulatory matters: In 2014, UBS received a 
subpoena from the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District 
of  New  York  issued  pursuant  to  the  Financial  Institutions 
Reform, Recovery and Enforcement Act of 1989 (FIRREA), which 
seeks  documents  and  information  related  to  UBS’s  RMBS 
business from 2005 through 2007. In 2015, the Eastern District 
of  New  York  identified  a  number  of  transactions  that  are  the 
focus of their inquiry, and subsequently provided a revised list of 
transactions.  UBS  has  provided  information  in  response  to  this 
subpoena.  UBS  has  also  received  and  responded  to  subpoenas 

from  the  New  York  State  Attorney  General  (NYAG)  and  other 
state  attorneys  general  relating  to  UBS’s  RMBS  business.  In 
2017, the NYAG identified a number of transactions that are the 
focus of its inquiry. In addition, UBS responded to inquiries from 
both the Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief 
Program (SIGTARP) (who is working in conjunction with the US 
Attorney’s  Office  for  Connecticut  and  the  DOJ)  and  the  SEC 
relating  to  trading  practices  in  connection  with  purchases  and 
sales  of  mortgage-backed  securities  in  the  secondary  market 
from  2009  through  2014.  UBS 
is  cooperating  with  the 
authorities in these matters.

Our balance sheet at 31 December 2017 reflected a provision 
with  respect  to  matters  described  in  this  item  2  in  an  amount 
that  UBS  believes  to  be  appropriate  under  the  applicable 
accounting standard. As in the case of other matters for which 
we have established provisions, the future outflow of resources 
in  respect  of  this  matter  cannot  be  determined  with  certainty 
based  on  currently  available  information  and  accordingly  may 
ultimately prove to be substantially greater (or may be less) than 
the provision that we have recognized.

3. Madoff
In  relation  to  the  Bernard  L.  Madoff  Investment  Securities  LLC 
(BMIS) investment fraud, UBS AG, UBS (Luxembourg) S.A. (now 
UBS  Europe  SE,  Luxembourg  branch)  and  certain  other  UBS 
subsidiaries  have  been  subject  to  inquiries  by  a  number  of 
regulators,  including  the  Swiss  Financial  Market  Supervisory 
(FINMA)  and  the  Luxembourg  Commission  de 
Authority 
Surveillance  du  Secteur  Financier 
inquiries 
concerned two third-party funds established under Luxembourg 
law, substantially all assets of which were with BMIS, as well as 
certain  funds  established  in  offshore  jurisdictions  with  either 
direct  or  indirect  exposure  to  BMIS.  These  funds  faced  severe 
losses,  and  the  Luxembourg  funds  are  in  liquidation.  The 
documentation establishing both funds identifies UBS entities in 
various  roles,  including  custodian,  administrator,  manager, 
distributor  and  promoter,  and  indicates  that  UBS  employees 
serve as board members.

(CSSF).  Those 

In  2009  and  2010,  the  liquidators  of  the  two  Luxembourg 
funds  filed  claims  against  UBS  entities,  non-UBS  entities  and 
certain individuals, including current and former UBS employees, 
seeking  amounts  aggregating  approximately  EUR  2.1  billion, 
which includes amounts that the funds may be held liable to pay 
the trustee for the liquidation of BMIS (BMIS Trustee).

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Note 20  Provisions and contingent liabilities (continued)

A  large  number  of  alleged  beneficiaries  have  filed  claims 
against UBS entities (and non-UBS entities) for purported losses 
relating  to  the  Madoff  fraud.  The  majority  of  these  cases  have 
been  filed  in  Luxembourg,  where  decisions  that  the  claims  in 
eight  test  cases  were  inadmissible  have  been  affirmed  by  the 
Luxembourg  Court  of  Appeal,  and  the  Luxembourg  Supreme 
Court has dismissed a further appeal in one of the test cases. 

In the US, the BMIS Trustee filed claims against UBS entities, 
among others, in relation to the two Luxembourg funds and one 
of  the  offshore  funds.  The  total  amount  claimed  against  all 
defendants  in  these  actions  was  not  less  than  USD 2  billion.  In 
2014, the US Supreme Court rejected the BMIS Trustee’s motion 
for  leave  to  appeal  decisions  dismissing  all  claims  except  those 
for  the  recovery  of  fraudulent  conveyances  and  preference 
payments. 
In  2016,  the  Bankruptcy  Court  dismissed  the 
remaining  claims  against  the  UBS  entities.  The  BMIS  Trustee 
appealed.  In  2014,  several  claims,  including  a  purported  class 
action,  were  filed  in  the  US  by  BMIS  customers  against  UBS 
entities,  asserting  claims  similar  to  those  made  by  the  BMIS 
Trustee,  and  seeking  unspecified  damages.  These  claims  have 
either been voluntarily withdrawn or dismissed on the basis that 
the courts did not have jurisdiction to hear the claims against the 
UBS  entities.  In  2016,  the  plaintiff  in  one  of  those  claims 
appealed  the  dismissal.  In  February  2018,  the  United  States 
Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit affirmed the dismissal of 
the plaintiff’s claim.

4. Puerto Rico
Declines  since  2013  in  the  market  prices  of  Puerto  Rico 
municipal  bonds  and  of  closed-end  funds  (funds)  that  are  sole-
managed  and  co-managed  by  UBS  Trust  Company  of  Puerto 
Rico  and  distributed  by  UBS  Financial  Services  Incorporated  of 
Puerto Rico (UBS PR) have led to multiple regulatory inquiries, as 
well  as  customer  complaints  and  arbitrations  with  aggregate 
claimed  damages  of  USD 2.4  billion,  of  which  claims  with 
aggregate  claimed  damages  of  USD 1.4  billion  have  been 
resolved  through  settlements,  arbitration  or  withdrawal  of  the 
claim. The claims are filed by clients in Puerto Rico who own the 
funds  or  Puerto  Rico  municipal  bonds  and  /  or  who  used  their 
UBS  account  assets  as  collateral  for  UBS  non-purpose  loans; 
customer  complaint  and  arbitration  allegations  include  fraud, 
misrepresentation  and  unsuitability  of  the  funds  and  of  the 
loans. A shareholder derivative action was filed in 2014 against 
various UBS entities and current and certain former directors of 
the funds, alleging hundreds of millions of US dollars in losses in 
the  funds.  In  2015,  defendants’  motion  to  dismiss  was  denied. 

Defendants’  requests  for  permission  to  appeal  that  ruling  were 
denied by the Puerto Rico Court of Appeals and the Puerto Rico 
Supreme  Court.  In  2014,  a  federal  class  action  complaint  also 
was  filed  against  various  UBS  entities,  certain  members  of  UBS 
PR  senior  management  and  the  co-manager  of  certain  of  the 
funds,  seeking  damages  for  investor  losses  in  the  funds  during 
the  period  from  May  2008  through  May  2014.  In  2016, 
defendants’ motion to dismiss was granted in part and denied in 
part. In 2015, a class action was filed in Puerto Rico state court 
against UBS PR seeking equitable relief in the form of a stay of 
any effort by UBS PR to collect on non-purpose loans it acquired 
from  UBS  Bank  USA  in  December  2013  based  on  plaintiffs’ 
allegation  that  the  loans  are  not  valid.  The  trial  court  denied 
defendant’s  motion  for  summary  judgment  based  on  a  forum 
selection  clause  in  the  loan  agreements.  The  Puerto  Rico 
Supreme  Court  reversed  that  decision  and  remanded  the  case 
back  to  the  trial  court  for  reconsideration.  On  reconsideration 
the  trial  court  granted  defendant’s  motion  and  dismissed  the 
action. 

In  2014,  UBS  reached  a  settlement  with  the  Office  of  the 
Commissioner of Financial Institutions for the Commonwealth of 
Puerto  Rico  (OCFI)  in  connection  with  OCFI’s  examination  of 
UBS’s  operations  from  January  2006  through  September  2013, 
pursuant to which UBS is paying up to an aggregate of USD 7.7 
million in investor education contributions and restitution. 

In  2015,  the  SEC  and  the  Financial  Industry  Regulatory 
Authority  (FINRA)  announced  settlements  with  UBS  PR  of  their 
separate investigations stemming from the 2013 market events. 
Without admitting or denying the findings in either matter, UBS 
PR  agreed  in  the  SEC  settlement  to  pay  USD 15  million  and 
USD 18.5 million in the FINRA matter. We also understand that 
the  DOJ  is  conducting  a  criminal  inquiry  into  the  impermissible 
reinvestment of non-purpose loan proceeds. We are cooperating 
with the authorities in this inquiry.

In 2011, a purported derivative action was filed on behalf of 
the  Employee  Retirement  System  of  the  Commonwealth  of 
Puerto Rico (System) against over 40 defendants, including UBS 
PR,  which  was  named  in  connection  with  its  underwriting  and 
consulting  services.  Plaintiffs  alleged  that  defendants  violated 
their  purported  fiduciary  duties  and  contractual  obligations  in 
connection  with  the  issuance  and  underwriting  of  USD 3 billion 
of  bonds  by  the  System  in  2008  and  sought  damages  of  over 
USD 800  million.  In  2016,  the  court  granted  the  System’s 
request  to  join  the  action  as  a  plaintiff,  but  ordered  that 
plaintiffs  must  file  an  amended  complaint.  In  2017,  the  court 
denied defendants’ motion to dismiss the amended complaint.

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Note 20  Provisions and contingent liabilities (continued)

Beginning in 2012, two federal class action complaints, which 
were  subsequently  consolidated,  were  filed  against  various  UBS 
entities, certain closed-end funds and certain members of UBS PR 
senior  management,  seeking  damages  for  investor  losses  in  the 
funds during the period from January 2008 through May 2012. In 
2016, the court denied plaintiffs’ motion for class certification. In 
March 2017, the US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit denied 
plaintiffs’  petition  seeking  permission  to  bring  an  interlocutory 
appeal  challenging  the  denial  of  their  motion  for  class 
certification.

Beginning in 2015, certain agencies and public corporations of 
the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico (Commonwealth) defaulted on 
certain interest payments, in 2016, the Commonwealth defaulted 
on  payments  on  its  general  obligation  debt  (GO  Bonds),  and  in 
2017  the  Commonwealth  defaulted  on  payments  on  its  debt 
backed  by  the  Commonwealth’s  Sales  and  Use  Tax  (COFINA 
Bonds)  as  well  as  on  bonds  issued  by  the  Commonwealth’s 
Employee  Retirement  System  (ERS  Bonds).  The  funds  hold 
significant  amounts  of  both  COFINA  and  ERS  Bonds  and  the 
defaults  on  interest  payments  are  expected  to  adversely  affect 
dividends  from  the  funds.  Executive  orders  of  the  Governor  that 
have  diverted  funds  to  pay  for  essential  services  instead  of  debt 
payments and stayed any action to enforce creditors’ rights on the 
Puerto  Rico  bonds  continue  to  be  in  effect.  In  2016,  US  federal 
legislation  created  an  oversight  board  with  power  to  oversee 
Puerto  Rico’s  finances  and  to  restructure  its  debt.  The  oversight 
board  is  authorized  to  impose,  and  has  imposed,  a  stay  on 
exercise of creditors’ rights. In May and June 2017, the oversight 
board placed the GO, COFINA and ERS Bonds, among others, into 
a  bankruptcy-like  proceeding  under  the  supervision  of  a  Federal 
District  Judge  as  authorized  by  the  oversight  board’s  enabling 
statute.  These  events,  further  defaults,  any  further  legislative 
action  to  create  a  legal  means  of  restructuring  Commonwealth 
the 
obligations  or 
Commonwealth’s 
the 
Commonwealth’s obligations may increase the number of claims 
against UBS concerning Puerto Rico securities, as well as potential 
damages sought.

impose  additional  oversight  on 
restructuring  of 

finances,  or  any 

to 

Our  balance  sheet  at  31  December  2017  reflected  provisions 
with  respect  to  matters  described  in  this  item  4  in  amounts  that 
UBS  believes  to  be  appropriate  under  the  applicable  accounting 
standard.  As  in  the  case  of  other  matters  for  which  we  have 
established  provisions,  the  future  outflow  of  resources  in  respect 
of  such  matters  cannot  be  determined  with  certainty  based  on 
currently  available  information  and  accordingly  may  ultimately 
prove  to  be  substantially  greater  (or  may  be  less)  than  the 
provisions that we have recognized.

5. Foreign exchange, LIBOR and benchmark rates, and other 
trading practices
Foreign  exchange-related  regulatory  matters:  Following  an  initial 
media  report  in  2013  of  widespread  irregularities  in  the  foreign 
exchange  markets,  UBS  immediately  commenced  an  internal 
review  of  its  foreign  exchange  business,  which  includes  our 

precious  metals  and  related  structured  products  businesses. 
Numerous  authorities  commenced 
investigations  concerning 
possible  manipulation  of  foreign  exchange  markets  and  precious 
metals  prices.  In  2014  and  2015,  UBS  reached  settlements  with 
the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the US Commodity 
Futures  Trading  Commission  (CFTC)  in  connection  with  their 
foreign  exchange 
issued  an  order 
investigations,  FINMA 
concluding  its  formal  proceedings  relating  to  UBS’s  foreign 
exchange  and  precious  metals  businesses,  and  the  Board  of 
Governors  of  the  Federal  Reserve  System  (Federal  Reserve  Board) 
and the Connecticut Department of Banking issued a Cease and 
Desist Order and assessed monetary penalties against UBS AG. In 
addition, the DOJ’s Criminal Division (Criminal Division) terminated 
the 2012 Non-Prosecution Agreement (NPA) with UBS AG related 
to  UBS’s  submissions  of  benchmark  interest  rates  and  UBS  AG 
pleaded  guilty  to  one  count  of  wire  fraud,  paid  a  fine  and  is 
subject to probation through January 2020. In January 2018, UBS 
reached  a  settlement  with  the  CFTC  in  connection  with  the 
CFTC’s precious metals investigations. As part of that settlement, 
UBS  paid  a  USD 15  million  civil  monetary  penalty.  UBS  has 
ongoing  obligations  to  cooperate  with  these  authorities  and  to 
undertake  certain  remediation.  UBS  has  also  been  granted 
conditional  immunity  by  the  Antitrust  Division  of  the  DOJ 
(Antitrust  Division)  and  by  authorities  in  other  jurisdictions  in 
connection  with  potential  competition  law  violations  relating  to 
foreign  exchange  and  precious  metals  businesses.  Refer  to  Note 
20b  in  the  “Consolidated  financial  statements”  section  of  the 
Annual  Report  2016  for  more  information  on  regulatory  actions 
related  to  foreign  exchange  and  precious  metals  and  grants  of 
conditional immunity or leniency. Investigations relating to foreign 
exchange  and  precious  metals  matters  by  certain  authorities 
remain ongoing notwithstanding these resolutions.

Foreign  exchange-related  civil  litigation:  Putative  class  actions 
have  been  filed  since  2013  in  US  federal  courts  and  in  other 
jurisdictions  against  UBS  and  other  banks  on  behalf  of  putative 
classes  of  persons  who  engaged  in  foreign  currency  transactions 
with  any  of  the  defendant  banks.  They  allege  collusion  by  the 
defendants  and  assert  claims  under  the  antitrust  laws  and  for 
unjust enrichment. In 2015, additional putative class actions were 
filed in federal court in New York against UBS and other banks on 
behalf of a putative class of persons who entered into or held any 
foreign  exchange  futures  contracts  and  options  on  foreign 
exchange  futures  contracts  since  2003.  The  complaints  assert 
claims  under  the  Commodity  Exchange  Act  (CEA)  and  the  US 
antitrust  laws.  In  2015,  a  consolidated  complaint  was  filed  on 
behalf  of  both  putative  classes  of  persons  covered  by  the  US 
federal court class actions described above. UBS has entered into a 
settlement  agreement  that  would  resolve  all  of  these  US  federal 
court  class  actions.  The  agreement,  which  has  been  preliminarily 
approved  by  the  court  and  is  subject  to  final  court  approval, 
requires,  among  other  things,  that  UBS  pay  an  aggregate  of 
USD 141  million  and  provide  cooperation  to  the  settlement 
classes. 

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Note 20  Provisions and contingent liabilities (continued)

A putative class action has been filed in federal court in New 
York  against  UBS  and  other  banks  on  behalf  of  participants, 
beneficiaries and named fiduciaries of plans qualified under the 
Employee  Retirement  Income  Security  Act  of  1974  (ERISA)  for 
whom  a  defendant  bank  provided  foreign  currency  exchange 
transactional  services,  exercised  discretionary  authority  or 
discretionary  control  over  management  of  such  ERISA  plan,  or 
authorized  or  permitted  the  execution  of  any  foreign  currency 
exchange transactional services involving such plan’s assets. The 
complaint  asserts  claims  under  ERISA.  The  parties  filed  a 
stipulation to dismiss the case with prejudice. The plaintiffs have 
appealed  the  dismissal.  The  appeals  court  heard  oral  argument 
in June 2017.

In  2015,  a  putative  class  action  was  filed  in  federal  court 
against UBS and numerous other banks on behalf of a putative 
class of persons and businesses in the US who directly purchased 
foreign  currency  from  the  defendants  and  their  co-conspirators 
for  their  own  end  use.  That  action  was  transferred  to  federal 
court in New York. In March 2017, the court granted UBS’s (and 
the other banks’) motions to dismiss the complaint. The plaintiffs 
filed an amended complaint in August 2017.

In  2016,  a  putative  class  action  was  filed  in  federal  court  in 
New York against UBS and numerous other banks on behalf of a 
putative  class  of  persons  and  entities  who  had  indirectly 
purchased  foreign  exchange  instruments  from  a  defendant  or 
co-conspirator  in  the  US.  The  complaint  asserts  claims  under 
federal  and  state  antitrust  laws.  In  response  to  defendants’ 
motion to dismiss, plaintiffs agreed to dismiss their complaint. In 
April  and  June  2017,  two  new  putative  class  actions  were  filed 
in  federal  court  in  New  York  against  UBS  and  numerous  other 
banks  on  behalf  of  different  proposed  classes  of  indirect 
purchasers  of  currency,  and  a  consolidated  complaint  was  filed 
in June 2017.

In  2015,  UBS  was  added  to  putative  class  actions  pending 
against  other  banks  in  federal  court  in  New  York  and  other 
jurisdictions  on  behalf  of  putative  classes  of  persons  who  had 
bought  or  sold  physical  precious  metals  and  various  precious 
metal products and derivatives. The complaints in these lawsuits 
assert  claims  under  the  antitrust  laws  and  the  CEA,  and  other 
claims. In 2016, the court in New York granted UBS’s motions to 
dismiss  the  putative  class  actions  relating  to  gold  and  silver. 
Plaintiffs in those cases sought to amend their complaints to add 
new  allegations  about  UBS,  which  the  court  granted.  The 
plaintiffs  filed  amended  complaints  in  June  2017.  In  March 
2017,  the  court  in  New  York  granted  UBS’s  motion  to  dismiss 
the platinum and palladium action. In May 2017, plaintiffs in the 
platinum and palladium action filed an amended complaint that 
did not allege claims against UBS.

LIBOR  and  other  benchmark-related  regulatory  matters: 
Numerous  government  agencies,  including  the  SEC,  the  CFTC, 
the  DOJ,  the  FCA,  the  UK  Serious  Fraud  Office  (SFO),  the 
Monetary  Authority  of  Singapore  (MAS),  the  Hong  Kong 
Monetary  Authority  (HKMA),  FINMA,  various  state  attorneys 
general  in  the  US  and  competition  authorities  in  various 
jurisdictions,  have  conducted  or  are  continuing  to  conduct 
investigations  regarding  potential  improper  attempts  by  UBS, 
among others, to manipulate LIBOR and other benchmark rates 
at  certain  times.  In  2012,  UBS  reached  settlements  relating  to 
benchmark  interest  rates  with  the  FSA,  the  CFTC  and  the 
Criminal  Division  of  the  DOJ,  and  FINMA  issued  an  order  in  its 
proceedings with respect to UBS relating to benchmark interest 
rates.  In  addition,  UBS  entered  into  settlements  with  the 
European  Commission  (EC)  and  with  the  Swiss  Competition 
Commission  (WEKO)  regarding  its  investigation  of  bid-ask 
spreads  in  connection  with  Swiss  franc  interest  rate  derivatives. 
UBS  has  ongoing  obligations  to  cooperate  with  the  authorities 
with  whom  we  have  reached  resolutions  and  to  undertake 
certain  remediation  with  respect  to  benchmark  interest  rate 
submissions.  UBS  has  been  granted  conditional  leniency  or 
conditional  immunity  from  authorities  in  certain  jurisdictions, 
including  the  Antitrust  Division  of  the  DOJ  and  WEKO,  in 
connection  with  potential  antitrust  or  competition  law  violations 
related  to  certain  rates.  However,  UBS  has  not  reached  a  final 
settlement with WEKO as the Secretariat of WEKO has asserted 
that UBS does not qualify for full immunity. Refer to Note 20b in 
the  “Consolidated  financial  statements”  section  of  the  Annual 
Report 2016 for more information on regulatory actions relating 
to  benchmark  rates  and  grants  of  conditional  immunity  or 
leniency. 
Investigations  by  certain  governmental  authorities 
remain ongoing notwithstanding these resolutions.

in  certain 

LIBOR and other benchmark-related civil litigation: A number of 
putative class actions and other actions are pending in the federal 
courts  in  New  York  against  UBS  and  numerous  other  banks  on 
behalf  of  parties  who  transacted 
interest  rate 
benchmark-based derivatives. Also pending in the US and in other 
jurisdictions are actions asserting losses related to various products 
whose interest rates were linked to LIBOR and other benchmarks, 
including adjustable rate mortgages, preferred and debt securities, 
bonds  pledged  as  collateral, 
loans,  depository  accounts, 
investments  and  other  interest-bearing  instruments.  All  of  the 
complaints allege manipulation, through various means, of various 
benchmark  interest  rates,  including  USD LIBOR,  Euroyen  TIBOR, 
Yen LIBOR, EURIBOR, CHF LIBOR, GBP LIBOR, USD and SGD SIBOR 
and SOR, Australian BBSW and USD ISDAFIX, and seek unspecified 
compensatory and other damages under varying legal theories. 

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Note 20  Provisions and contingent liabilities (continued)

In 2013, the US district court in the USD LIBOR action dismissed 
the  federal  antitrust  and  racketeering  claims  of  certain  USD  LIBOR 
plaintiffs and a portion of their claims brought under the CEA and 
state  common  law.  Certain  plaintiffs  appealed  the  decision  to  the 
Second  Circuit,  which,  in  2016,  vacated  the  district  court’s  ruling 
finding  no  antitrust  injury  and  remanded  the  case  back  to  the 
district court for a further determination on whether plaintiffs have 
antitrust  standing.  In  December  2016,  the  district  court  again 
dismissed  plaintiffs’  antitrust  claims,  this  time  for  lack  of  personal 
jurisdiction  over  UBS  and  other  foreign  banks.  Certain  plaintiffs 
appealed that decision to the Second Circuit in 2017. In 2018, the 
district court denied certain plaintiffs' motions for class certification. 
In 2014, the court in one of the Euroyen TIBOR lawsuits dismissed 
certain of the plaintiff’s claims, including federal antitrust claims. In 
2015,  the  same  court  dismissed  plaintiff’s  federal  racketeering 
claims  and  affirmed  its  previous  dismissal  of  plaintiff’s  antitrust 
claims.  In  2017,  the  court  also  dismissed  the  other  Yen  LIBOR  / 
Euroyen TIBOR action in its entirety on standing grounds, as did the 
court  in  the  CHF  LIBOR  action.  Also  in  2017,  the  courts  in  the 
EURIBOR and the SIBOR and SOR lawsuits dismissed the cases as to 
UBS  and  certain  other  foreign  defendants  for  lack  of  personal 
jurisdiction. Plaintiffs in the CHF LIBOR and SIBOR and SOR actions 
have filed amended complaints following the dismissals, which UBS 
and  other  defendants  have  moved  to  dismiss.  UBS  and  other 
defendants  in  other  lawsuits  have  also  moved  to  dismiss  the  GBP 
LIBOR and Australian BBSW actions. In 2016, UBS entered into an 
agreement with representatives of a class of bondholders to settle 
their  USD  LIBOR  class  action.  The  agreement  has  received 
preliminary  court  approval  and  remains  subject  to  final  approval. 
Since 2014, putative class actions have been filed in federal court in 
New  York  and  New  Jersey  against  UBS  and  other  financial 
institutions,  among  others,  on  behalf  of  parties  who  entered  into 
interest rate derivative transactions linked to ISDAFIX. The court has 
given preliminary approval of a settlement agreement under which 
UBS would pay USD 14 million to settle the case in its entirety.

Government bonds: Putative class actions have been filed in US 
federal  courts  against  UBS  and  other  banks  on  behalf  of  persons 
who  participated  in  markets  for  US  Treasury  securities  since  2007. 
The complaints generally allege that the banks colluded with respect 
to, and manipulated prices of, US Treasury securities sold at auction. 
They  assert  claims  under  the  antitrust  laws  and  the  CEA  and  for 
unjust enrichment. The cases have been consolidated in the SDNY, 
and  a  consolidated  complaint  was  filed  in  November  2017. 
Following  filing  of  these  complaints,  UBS  and  reportedly  other 
banks are responding to investigations and requests for information 
from various authorities regarding US Treasury securities and other 
government bond trading practices. As a result of its review to date, 
UBS has taken appropriate action.

With  respect  to  additional  matters  and 

jurisdictions  not 
encompassed by the settlements and orders referred to above, our 
balance  sheet  at  31  December  2017  reflected  a  provision  in  an 

amount  that  UBS  believes  to  be  appropriate  under  the  applicable 
accounting standard. As in the case of other matters for which we 
have  established  provisions,  the  future  outflow  of  resources  in 
respect of such matters cannot be determined with certainty based 
on  currently  available  information  and  accordingly  may  ultimately 
prove to be substantially greater (or may be less) than the provision 
that we have recognized.

6. Swiss retrocessions
The Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland ruled in 2012, in a test 
case against UBS, that distribution fees paid to a firm for distributing 
third-party  and  intra-group  investment  funds  and  structured 
products  must  be  disclosed  and  surrendered  to  clients  who  have 
entered  into  a  discretionary  mandate  agreement  with  the  firm, 
absent a valid waiver.

FINMA  has  issued  a  supervisory  note  to  all  Swiss  banks  in 
response to the Supreme Court decision. UBS has met the FINMA 
requirements and has notified all potentially affected clients.

The Supreme Court decision has resulted, and may continue to 
result,  in  a  number  of  client  requests  for  UBS  to  disclose  and 
potentially surrender retrocessions. Client requests are assessed on a 
case-by-case  basis.  Considerations  taken 
into  account  when 
assessing these cases include, among other things, the existence of 
a  discretionary  mandate  and  whether  or  not 
the  client 
documentation contained a valid waiver with respect to distribution 
fees.

Our  balance  sheet  at  31  December  2017  reflected  a  provision 
with respect to matters described in this item 6 in an amount that 
UBS  believes  to  be  appropriate  under  the  applicable  accounting 
standard. The ultimate exposure will depend on client requests and 
the resolution thereof, factors that are difficult to predict and assess. 
Hence,  as  in  the  case  of  other  matters  for  which  we  have 
established provisions, the future outflow of resources in respect of 
such  matters  cannot  be  determined  with  certainty  based  on 
currently available information and accordingly may ultimately prove 
to be substantially greater (or may be less) than the provision that 
we have recognized.

7. Investigation of UBS’s role in initial public offerings in Hong Kong
The Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) has been 
conducting  investigations  into  UBS’s  role  as  a  sponsor  of  certain 
initial public offerings listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. The 
SFC  has  previously  indicated  that  it  intended  to  take  enforcement 
action  against  UBS  and  certain  employees  in  relation  to  certain  of 
these offerings. In March 2018, the SFC issued a decision notice in 
relation  to  one  of  the  offerings  under  investigation.  The  notice 
provides  for  a  fine  of  HKD  119  million  and  a  suspension  of  UBS 
Securities Hong Kong Limited’s ability to act as a sponsor for Hong 
Kong  listed  initial  public  offerings  for  18  months.  UBS  intends  to 
appeal the decision. 

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Consolidated financial statements

Note 21  Other liabilities

CHF million
Prime brokerage payables1

Amounts due under unit-linked investment contracts

Compensation-related liabilities

of which: accrued expenses

of which: Deferred Contingent Capital Plan

of which: other deferred compensation plans

of which: net defined benefit pension and post-employment liabilities 2

Third-party interest in consolidated investment funds

Settlement and clearing accounts

Current and deferred tax liabilities3

VAT and other tax payables

Deferred income

Accrued interest expenses

Other accrued expenses

Liabilities of disposal group held for sale4

Other

Total other liabilities

31.12.17

 29,646

 11,523

 7,674

 2,670

 1,993

 2,086

 925

 254

 1,395

 912

 415

 150

 1,513

 2,444

 0

 1,138

 57,064

31.12.16

 31,973

 9,286

 7,421

 2,423

 1,625

 2,107

 1,266

 701

 1,012

 949

 503

 168

 1,553

 2,448

 5,213

 793

 62,020

1 Prime brokerage services include clearance, settlement, custody, financing and portfolio reporting services for corporate clients trading across multiple asset classes. Prime brokerage payables are mainly comprised 
of client securities financing and deposits.    2 Refer to Note 26 for more information.    3 Refer to Note 8 for more information.    4 Refer to Note 30 for more information.

384 

Additional information

Note 22  Fair value measurement

This Note provides fair value measurement information for both 
financial  and  non-financial  instruments  and  is  structured  as 
follows:
a) Valuation principles
b) Valuation governance
c) Fair value hierarchy
d) Valuation adjustments

e)  Transfers between Level 1 and Level 2 
f)
g) Level 3 instruments: sensitivity to changes in unobservable 

Level 3 instruments: valuation techniques and inputs

input assumptions

h) Level 3 instruments: movements during the period
Financial instruments not measured at fair value
i)

a) Valuation principles

Fair value is defined as the price that would be received for the 
sale  of  an  asset  or  paid  to  transfer  a  liability  in  an  orderly 
transaction between market participants in the principal market 
(or  most  advantageous  market,  in  the  absence  of  a  principal 
market)  as  of  the  measurement  date.  In  measuring  fair  value, 
the  Group  uses  various  valuation  approaches  and  applies  a 
hierarchy  for  prices  and  inputs  that  maximizes  the  use  of 
observable market data, if available.

All  financial  and  non-financial  assets  and  liabilities  measured 
or  disclosed  at  fair  value  are  categorized  into  one  of  three  fair 
value  hierarchy  levels.  In  certain  cases,  the  inputs  used  to 
measure  fair  value  may  fall  within  different  levels  of  the  fair 
value  hierarchy.  For  disclosure  purposes,  the  level  in  the 
hierarchy within which the instrument is classified in its entirety 
is  based  on  the  lowest  level  input  that  is  significant  to  the 
position’s fair value measurement:
– Level  1  –  quoted  prices  (unadjusted)  in  active  markets  for 

identical assets and liabilities;

– Level 2 – valuation techniques for which all significant inputs 

are, or are based on, observable market data; or

– Level 3 – valuation techniques for which significant inputs are 

not based on observable market data.

If available, fair values are determined using quoted prices in 
active markets for identical assets or liabilities. An active market 
is  one  in  which  transactions  for  the  asset  or  liability  take  place 
with sufficient frequency and volume to provide pricing data on 
an  ongoing  basis.  Assets  and  liabilities  that  are  quoted  and 
traded  in  an  active  market  are  valued  at  the  currently  quoted 
price multiplied by the number of units of the instrument held.

Where the market for a financial instrument or non-financial 
asset  or  liability  is  not  active,  fair  value  is  established  using  a 
valuation 
including  pricing  models.  Valuation 
techniques  involve  the  use  of  estimates,  the  extent  of  which 
depends on the complexity of the instrument and the availability 

technique, 

of  market-based  data.  Valuation  adjustments  may  be  made  to 
allow for additional factors, including model, liquidity, credit and 
funding  risks,  which  are  not  explicitly  captured  within  the 
valuation 
technique,  but  which  would  nevertheless  be 
considered by market participants when establishing a price. The 
limitations  inherent  in  a  particular  valuation  technique  are 
considered  in  the  determination  of  an  asset  or  liability’s 
classification within the fair value hierarchy.

Many cash instruments and over-the-counter (OTC) derivative 
contracts have bid and offer prices that can be observed in the 
marketplace.  Bid  prices  reflect  the  highest  price  that  a  party  is 
willing  to  pay  for  an  asset.  Offer  prices  represent  the  lowest 
price  that  a  party  is  willing  to  accept  for  an  asset.  In  general, 
long positions are measured at a bid price and short positions at 
an  offer  price,  reflecting  the  prices  at  which  the  instruments 
could be transferred under normal market conditions. Offsetting 
positions  in  the  same  financial  instrument  are  marked  at  the 
mid-price within the bid-offer spread.

Generally, the unit of account for a financial instrument is the 
individual instrument, and UBS applies valuation adjustments at 
an  individual  instrument  level,  consistent  with  that  unit  of 
account.  However,  if  certain  conditions  are  met,  UBS  may 
estimate  the  fair  value  of  a  portfolio  of  financial  assets  and 
liabilities  with  substantially  similar  and  offsetting  risk  exposures 
on the basis of the net open risks.

For  transactions  where  the  valuation  technique  used  to 
measure fair value requires significant inputs that are not based 
on  observable  market  data,  the  financial  instrument  is  initially 
recognized  at  the  transaction  price.  This  initial  recognition 
amount  may  differ  from  the  fair  value  obtained  using  the 
valuation  technique.  Any  such  difference  is  deferred  and  not 
recognized in the income statement and referred to as deferred 
day-1 profit or loss.

→ Refer to Note 22d for more information 

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Note 22  Fair value measurement (continued)

b) Valuation governance

UBS’s fair value measurement and model governance framework 
includes  numerous  controls  and  other  procedural  safeguards 
that  are  intended  to  maximize  the  quality  of  fair  value 
measurements  reported 
in  the  financial  statements.  New 
products  and  valuation  techniques  must  be  reviewed  and 
approved  by  key  stakeholders  from  risk  and  finance  control 
functions.  Responsibility  for  the  ongoing  measurement  of 
financial and non-financial instruments at fair value resides with 
the  business  divisions. 
their  valuation 
responsibilities,  the  businesses  are  required  to  consider  the 
availability  and  quality  of  external  market  data  and  to  provide 
justification and rationale for their fair value estimates.

In  carrying  out 

Fair value estimates are validated by risk and finance control 
functions,  which  are  independent  of  the  business  divisions. 
Independent  price  verification  is  performed  by  Finance  through 
benchmarking  the  business  divisions’  fair  value  estimates  with 
observable  market  prices  and  other  independent  sources. 
Controls  and  a  governance  framework  are  in  place  and  are 
intended  to  ensure  the  quality  of  third-party  pricing  sources 
where used. For instruments where valuation models are used to 
determine  fair  value,  independent  valuation  and  model  control 
groups  within  Finance  and  Risk  Control  evaluate  UBS’s  models 
on  a  regular  basis,  including  valuation  and  model  input 
parameters  as  well  as  pricing.  As  a  result  of  the  valuation 
controls  employed,  valuation  adjustments  may  be  made  to  the 
business  divisions’  estimates  of  fair  value  to  align  with 
independent market data and the relevant accounting standard.

→ Refer to Note 22d for more information 

386 

Note 22  Fair value measurement (continued)

c) Fair value hierarchy

The table below provides the fair value hierarchy classification of 
financial and non-financial assets and liabilities measured at fair 
value. The narrative that follows describes the different product 
types,  valuation  techniques  used  in  measuring  their  fair  value, 

including significant valuation inputs and assumptions used, and 
the  factors  determining  their  classification  within  the  fair  value 
hierarchy.

Determination of fair values from quoted market prices or valuation techniques1

CHF million

Assets measured at fair value on a recurring basis

31.12.17

31.12.16

Level 1

Level 2

Level 3

Total

Level 1

Level 2

Level 3

Total

Financial assets held for trading2

 108,962

 15,211

 1,972

 126,144

 76,044

 14,292

 1,689

 92,025

of which:
Government bills / bonds
Corporate and municipal bonds
Loans
Investment fund units
Asset-backed securities
Equity instruments
Financial assets for unit-linked investment contracts

Positive replacement values

of which:
Interest rate contracts
Credit derivative contracts
Foreign exchange contracts
Equity / index contracts
Commodity contracts

Financial assets designated at fair value

of which:
Government bills / bonds
Corporate and municipal bonds
Loans (including structured loans)
Structured reverse repurchase and securities
borrowing agreements
Other

Financial assets available for sale

of which:
Government bills / bonds
Corporate and municipal bonds
Investment fund units
Asset-backed securities
Equity instruments

Non-financial assets
Precious metals and other physical commodities

Assets measured at fair value on a non-recurring basis
Other assets3
Total assets measured at fair value

 11,935
 37
 0
 7,223
 0
 79,274
 10,492

 918
 7,974
 3,346
 1,839
 194
 186
 755

 0  12,854  10,500  1,319
 58  6,638
 0  1,356
 6,114  3,521
 470
 397
 591

 8,563
 552
 3,847
 501
 9,632
 571
 174
 0
 368
 105  79,565  50,913
 8,459
 69  11,316

 0  11,820
 591  7,287
 681  2,037
 63  9,698
 215
 685
 65  51,375
 74  9,123

 458

 116,221

 1,549

 118,227

 434  155,428

 2,549  158,411

 1  43,913
 2,266
 0
 207  46,748
 16  21,541
 1,727
 0

 135  44,049
 2,816
 550
 189  47,143
 675  22,232
 1,727

 0

 8  57,703
 278  57,988
 0  2,562  1,313  3,875
 222  76,092
 729  18,003
 8  2,277

 263  75,607
 1  17,274
 0  2,269

 23,032

 34,481

 1,419

 58,933

 39,641

 23,632

 2,079

 65,353

 22,062

 3,900
 765  20,702
 9,385

 0

 0  43,799
 0  25,961  39,439  4,361
 15  16,860
 0  21,467
 0  16,875
 0  2,043  1,195  3,238
 758  10,143

 0
 205

 118
 377

 173
 489

 291
 1,071

 0
 187

 40
 329

 644
 240

 684
 756

 3,000

 5,157

 507

 8,665

 6,299

 8,891

 486

 15,676

 2,733
 121
 0
 0
 146

 133
 1,060
 70
 3,880
 16

 0
 9
 115
 0
 384

 2,866
 1,189
 185
 3,880
 546

 5,444

 450
 646  4,939
 0
 51
 0  3,381
 71

 204

 0  5,894
 12  5,596
 177
 126
 0  3,381
 611

 336

 4,563

 0

 0

 4,563

 4,583

 0

 0

 4,583

 0
 140,015

 54
 171,125

 42
 5,489

 95
 316,629

 5,060

 131
 132,062  202,377

 56

 5,248
 6,860  341,298

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Note 22  Fair value measurement (continued)

Determination of fair values from quoted market prices or valuation techniques (continued)1

CHF million

Liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis

Trading portfolio liabilities

of which:
Government bills / bonds
Corporate and municipal bonds
Investment fund units
Equity instruments

Negative replacement values

of which:
Interest rate contracts
Credit derivative contracts
Foreign exchange contracts
Equity / index contracts
Commodity contracts

31.12.17

31.12.16

Level 1

Level 2

Level 3

Total

Level 1

Level 2

Level 3

Total

 26,037

 4,309

 117

 30,463

 18,807

 3,898

 119

 22,824

 5,153
 50
 541
 20,293

 256
 3,453
 263
 336

 5,409
 0
 3,538
 35
 16
 820
 66  20,695

 5,573

 648
 12  2,927
 91
 484
 227
 12,738

 0  6,221
 37  2,976
 20
 595
 62  13,026

 398

 112,928

 2,807

 116,133

 539  149,255

 4,016  153,810

 5  38,196
 3,196
 0
 213  45,150
 42  24,803
 1,561
 0

 186  38,387
 601
 3,797
 122  45,485
 1,896  26,741
 1,562

 1

 274  71,668

 12  51,990
 475  52,476
 0  3,269  1,538  4,807
 148  72,089
 1  20,254  1,854  22,109
 1  2,041
 0  2,040

Financial liabilities designated at fair value

 0

 41,376

 12,826

 54,202

 2

 44,007

 11,008

 55,017

of which:
Issued debt instruments
Over-the-counter debt instruments
Structured repurchase agreements
Loan commitments and guarantees

Other liabilities – amounts due under unit-linked
investment contracts

 0  38,617  10,885  49,502
 4,315
 0
 376
 0
 9
 0

 1,930
 4
 7

 2,385
 372
 2

 0  40,242  9,688  49,930
 2  3,611  1,050  4,663
 395
 0
 29
 0

 266
 5

 130
 25

 0

 11,523

 0

 11,523

 0

 9,286

 0

 9,286

Liabilities measured at fair value on a non-recurring basis
 5,213
Other liabilities3
 15,143  246,150
Total liabilities measured at fair value
1  Bifurcated  embedded  derivatives  are  presented  on  the  same  balance  sheet  lines  as  their  host  contracts  and  are  excluded  from  this  table.  The  fair  value  of  these  derivatives  was  not  material  for  the  periods 
presented.    2 Financial assets held for trading exclude precious metals and other physical commodities.    3 Other assets and other liabilities primarily consist of assets held for sale as well as assets and liabilities of 
a disposal group held for sale, which are measured at the lower of their net carrying amount or fair value less costs to sell.

 5,213
 19,347  211,660

 1
 212,323

 1
 170,138

 0
 15,750

 0
 26,435

 0

 0

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Note 22  Fair value measurement (continued)

Valuation techniques 

Valuation  techniques  are  used  to  value  positions  for  which  a 
market price is not available from market sources. This includes 
certain less liquid debt and equity instruments, certain exchange-
traded  derivatives  and  all  derivatives  transacted  in  the  OTC 
market.  UBS  uses  widely  recognized  valuation  techniques  for 
determining  the  fair  value  of  financial  and  non-financial 
instruments  that  are  not  actively  traded  and  quoted.  The  most 
frequently applied valuation techniques include discounted value 
of  expected  cash  flows,  relative  value  and  option  pricing 
methodologies.

Discounted  value  of  expected  cash  flows  is  a  valuation 
technique  that  measures  fair  value  using  estimated  expected 
future  cash  flows  from  assets  or  liabilities  and  then  discounts 
these  cash  flows  using  a  discount  rate  or  discount  margin  that 
reflects  the  credit  and  /  or  funding  spreads  required  by  the 
market  for  instruments  with  similar  risk  and  liquidity  profiles  to 
produce a present value. When using such valuation techniques, 
expected  future  cash  flows  are  estimated  using  an  observed  or 
implied  market  price  for  the  future  cash  flows  or  by  using 
industry  standard  cash  flow  projection  models.  The  discount 
factors  within  the  calculation  are  generated  using  industry 
standard yield curve modeling techniques and models.

Relative value models measure fair value based on the market 
prices  of  equivalent  or  comparable  assets  or  liabilities,  making 
adjustments  for  differences  between  the  characteristics  of  the 
observed instrument and the instrument being valued.

Option pricing models incorporate assumptions regarding the 
behavior of future price movements of an underlying referenced 
asset  or  assets  to  generate  a  probability-weighted  future 
expected  payoff  for  the  option.  The  resulting  probability-
weighted  expected  payoff  is  then  discounted  using  discount 
factors  generated  from  industry  standard  yield  curve  modeling 
techniques  and  models.  The  option  pricing  model  may  be 
implemented  using  a  closed-form  analytical  formula  or  other 
mathematical  techniques  (e.g.,  binomial  tree  or  Monte  Carlo 
simulation).

Where available, valuation techniques use market-observable 
assumptions and inputs. If such data is not available, inputs may 
be derived by reference to similar assets in active markets, from 
recent  prices  for  comparable  transactions  or  from  other 
observable  market  data.  In  such  cases,  the  inputs  selected  are 
based  on  historical  experience  and  practice  for  similar  or 
analogous  instruments,  derivation  of  input  levels  based  on 
similar  products  with  observable  price  levels  and  knowledge  of 
current market conditions and valuation approaches.

For more complex instruments and instruments not traded in 
an  active  market,  fair  values  may  be  estimated  using  a 
combination  of  observed  transaction  prices,  consensus  pricing 
services  and  relevant  quotes.  Consideration  is  given  to  the 
nature  of  the  quotes 
indicative  or  firm)  and  the 
relationship  of  recently  evidenced  market  activity  to  the  prices 

(e.g., 

provided  by  consensus  pricing  services.  UBS  also  uses  internally 
developed  models,  which  are  typically  based  on  valuation 
methods  and  techniques  recognized  as  standard  within  the 
industry.

Assumptions and inputs used in valuation techniques include 
benchmark interest rate curves, credit and funding spreads used 
in  estimating  discount  rates,  bond  and  equity  prices,  equity 
index  prices,  foreign  exchange  rates,  levels  of  market  volatility 
and  correlation.  Refer  to  Note  22f  for  more  information.  The 
discount curves used by the Group incorporate the funding and 
credit  characteristics  of  the  instruments  to  which  they  are 
applied.

Financial instruments excluding derivatives: product 
description, valuation and classification in the fair value 
hierarchy

Government bills and bonds
Product  description:  government  bills  and  bonds  include  fixed-
rate,  floating-rate  and  inflation-linked  bills  and  bonds  issued  by 
sovereign governments.

Valuation: these instruments are generally valued using prices 
obtained  directly  from  the  market.  Instruments  that  cannot  be 
priced  directly  using  active-market  data  are  valued  using 
discounted  cash  flow  valuation  techniques  that  incorporate 
market data for similar government instruments. 

Fair value hierarchy: government bills and bonds are generally 
traded in active markets with prices that can be obtained directly 
from  these  markets,  resulting  in  classification  as  Level  1,  while 
the remaining positions are classified as Level 2.

Corporate and municipal bonds
Product  description:  corporate  bonds  include  senior,  junior  and 
subordinated debt issued by corporate entities. Municipal bonds 
are 
local  governments.  While  most 
instruments  are  standard  fixed-  or  floating-rate  securities,  some 
may have more complex coupon or embedded option features. 

issued  by  state  and 

Valuation:  corporate  and  municipal  bonds  are  generally 
valued  using  prices  obtained  directly  from  the  market  for  the 
security, or similar securities, adjusted for seniority, maturity and 
liquidity.  When  prices  are  not  available,  instruments  are  valued 
using  discounted  cash  flow  valuation  techniques  incorporating 
the credit spread of the issuer or similar issuers. For convertible 
bonds where no directly comparable price is available, issuances 
may be priced using a convertible bond model.

Fair  value  hierarchy:  corporate  and  municipal  bonds  are 
generally classified as Level 1 or Level 2 depending on the depth 
of trading activity behind price sources. Level 3 instruments have 
no  suitable  pricing  information  available  and  also  cannot  be 
referenced  to  other  securities  issued  by  the  same  issuer. 
Therefore, such instruments are measured based on price levels 
for similar issuers adjusted for relative tenor and issuer quality.

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Consolidated financial statements

Note 22  Fair value measurement (continued)

Traded loans and loans designated at fair value
Product  description:  these  instruments  include  fixed-rate  loans, 
corporate loans, recently originated commercial real estate loans 
and contingent lending transactions. 

Valuation:  loans  are  valued  directly  using  market  prices  that 
reflect  recent  transactions  or  quoted  dealer  prices  where 
available.  Where  no  market  price  data  is  available,  loans  are 
valued  using  relative  value  benchmarking  using  pricing  derived 
from  debt  instruments  in  comparable  entities  or  different 
products  in  the  same  entity,  or  by  using  a  credit  default  swap 
valuation  technique,  which  requires  inputs  for  credit  spreads, 
credit  recovery  rates  and  interest  rates.  Recently  originated 
commercial real estate loans are measured using a securitization 
approach  based  on  rating  agency  guidelines.  The  valuation  of 
the  contingent  lending  transactions  is  dependent  on  actuarial 
mortality  levels  and  actuarial  life  insurance  policy  lapse  rates. 
Mortality  and  lapse  rate  assumptions  are  based  on  external 
actuarial  estimations  for 
large  homogeneous  pools,  and 
contingencies are derived from a range relative to the actuarially 
expected amount.

Fair value hierarchy: instruments with suitably deep and liquid 
pricing information are classified as Level 2, while any positions 
requiring the use of valuation techniques, or for which the price 
sources have insufficient trading depth, are classified as Level 3.

Investment fund units
Product  description:  investment  fund  units  are  pools  of  assets, 
generally  equity  instruments  and  bonds,  broken  down  to 
redeemable units.
Valuation: 

fund  units  are  predominantly 
exchange-traded,  with  readily  available  quoted  prices  in  liquid 
markets.  Where  market  prices  are  not  available,  fair  value  may 
be  measured  using  net  asset  values  (NAV),  taking  into  account 
any restrictions imposed upon redemption. 

investment 

Fair  value  hierarchy:  listed  units  are  classified  as  Level  1, 
provided  there  is  sufficient  trading  activity  to  justify  active-
market  classification,  while  other  positions  are  classified  as 
Level 2. Positions for which NAV is not available or that are not 
redeemable  at  the  measurement  date  or  shortly  thereafter  are 
classified as Level 3.

Asset-backed securities (ABS)
Product  description:  ABS  include  residential  mortgage-backed 
securities 
(RMBS),  commercial  mortgage-backed  securities 
(CMBS),  other  asset-backed  securities  (ABS)  and  collateralized 
debt  obligations  (CDO)  and  are  instruments  generally  issued 
through  the  process  of  securitization  of  underlying  interest-
bearing assets. 

flows  incorporating  price  data  for  instruments  or  indices  with 
similar  risk  profiles.  Inputs  to  discounted  expected  cash  flow 
techniques  include  asset  prepayment  rates,  discount  margin  or 
discount  yields,  asset  default  rates  and  asset  loss  on  default 
severity. 

Fair  value  hierarchy:  RMBS,  CMBS  and  ABS  are  generally 
classified  as  Level  2.  However, 
inputs  are 
unobservable, or if market or fundamental data is not available, 
they are classified as Level 3.

if  significant 

Equity instruments
Product  description:  equity  instruments  include  stocks  and 
shares, private equity positions and units held in hedge funds.

Valuation: listed equity instruments are generally valued using 
prices  obtained  directly  from  the  market.  Unlisted  equity 
holdings,  including  private  equity  positions,  are  initially  marked 
at  their  transaction  price  and  are  revalued  when  reliable 
evidence  of  price  movement  becomes  available  or  when  the 
position  is  deemed  to  be  impaired.  Fair  value  for  units  held  in 
hedge funds is measured based on their published NAV, taking 
into account any restrictions imposed upon redemption.

Fair  value  hierarchy:  the  majority  of  equity  securities  are 
actively  traded  on  public  stock  exchanges  where  quoted  prices 
are  readily  and  regularly  available,  resulting 
in  Level  1 
classification. Units held in hedge funds are classified as Level 2, 
except for positions for which published NAV is not available or 
that  are  not  redeemable  at  the  measurement  date  or  shortly 
thereafter, in which case such positions are classified as Level 3.

Financial assets for unit-linked investment contracts
Product  description:  unit-linked  investment  contracts  allow 
investors to invest in a pool of assets through issued investment 
units. 

Valuation: the majority of assets are listed on exchanges and 

fair values are determined using quoted prices.

Fair  value  hierarchy:  most  assets  are  classified  as  Level  1  if 
actively  traded,  or  Level  2  if  trading  is  not  active.  However, 
instruments  for  which  prices  are  not  readily  available  are 
classified as Level 3.

Structured (reverse) repurchase agreements 
Product  description:  structured  (reverse)  repurchase  agreements 
are  securities  purchased  under  resale  agreements  and  securities 
sold under repurchase agreements.

Valuation:  these  instruments  are  valued  using  discounted 
expected  cash  flow  techniques.  The  discount  rate  applied  is 
based  on  funding  curves  that  are  specific  to  the  collateral 
eligibility terms for the contract in question. 

Valuation:  for  liquid  securities,  the  valuation  process  will  use 
trade  and  price  data,  updated  for  movements  in  market  levels 
between  the  time  of  trading  and  the  time  of  valuation.  Less 
liquid instruments are measured using discounted expected cash 

Fair  value  hierarchy:  collateral  terms  for  these  positions  are 
often not standard and therefore funding spread levels used for 
valuation  purposes  cannot  be  observed  in  the  market.  As  a 
result, these positions are classified as Level 2 and Level 3.

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Note 22  Fair value measurement (continued)

Valuation: 

Financial liabilities designated at fair value
Product  description:  debt  instruments,  primarily  comprised  of 
equity-,  rates-  and  credit-linked  issued  notes,  which  are  held  at 
fair  value  under  the  fair  value  option.  These  instruments  are 
tailored  specifically  to  the  holder’s  risk  or  investment  appetite 
with structured coupons or payoffs. 
the 

the  valuation 
approaches  for  these  instruments  are  closely  aligned  with  the 
equivalent  derivatives  business  and  the  underlying  risk,  and  the 
valuation  techniques  used  for  this  component  are  the  same  as 
the relevant valuation techniques described below. For example, 
equity-linked  notes  should  be  referenced  to  equity  /  index 
contracts and credit-linked notes should be referenced to credit 
derivative contacts.

risk  management  and 

Fair  value  hierarchy:  observability  is  closely  aligned  with  the 

equivalent derivatives business and the underlying risk.

→ Refer to Note 18 for more information on financial liabilities 

designated at fair value

→ Refer to Note 22d for more information on own credit 

adjustments related to financial liabilities designated at fair 

value

Amounts due under unit-linked investment contracts
Product description: the financial liability represents the amounts 
due to unit holders. 

Valuation: the fair values of investment contract liabilities are 
determined  by  reference  to  the  fair  value  of  the  corresponding 
assets. 

Fair value hierarchy: the liabilities themselves are not actively 
traded,  but  are  mainly  referenced  to  instruments  that  are 
actively traded and are therefore classified as Level 2.

Derivative instruments: product description, valuation and 
classification in the fair value hierarchy

The  curves  used  for  discounting  expected  cash  flows  in  the 
valuation  of  collateralized  derivatives  reflect  the  funding  terms 
associated  with  the  relevant  collateral  arrangement  for  the 
instrument  being  valued.  These  collateral  arrangements  differ 
across  counterparties  with  respect  to  the  eligible  currency  and 
interest  terms  of  the  collateral.  The  majority  of  collateralized 
derivatives are measured using a discount curve that is based on 
funding  rates  derived  from  overnight  interest  in  the  cheapest 
eligible  currency  for  the  respective  counterparty  collateral 
agreement.

Uncollateralized  and  partially  collateralized  derivatives  are 
discounted using the LIBOR (or equivalent) curve for the currency 
of  the  instrument.  As  described  in  Note  22d,  the  fair  value  of 
uncollateralized  and  partially  collateralized  derivatives  is  then 
adjusted  by  CVA,  DVA  and  FVA  as  applicable,  to  reflect  an 
estimation  of  the  effect  of  counterparty  credit  risk,  UBS’s  own 
credit risk and funding costs and benefits.

Interest rate contracts
Product description: interest rate swap contracts include interest 
rate  swaps,  basis  swaps,  cross-currency  swaps,  inflation  swaps 
and  interest  rate  forwards,  often  referred  to  as  forward-rate 
agreements  (FRA).  Interest  rate  option  contracts  include  caps 
and  floors,  swaptions,  swaps  with  complex  payoff  profiles  and 
other more complex interest rate options.

Valuation: 

interest  rate  swap  contracts  are  valued  by 
estimating future interest cash flows and discounting those cash 
flows using a rate that reflects the appropriate funding rate for 
the  position  being  measured.  The  yield  curves  used  to  estimate 
future  index  levels  and  discount  rates  are  generated  using 
market  standard  yield  curve  models  using 
interest  rates 
associated  with  current  market  activity.  The  key  inputs  to  the 
models  are  interest  rate  swap  rates,  FRA  rates,  short-term 
interest  rate  futures  prices,  basis  swap  spreads  and  inflation 
swap  rates.  Interest  rate  option  contracts  are  valued  using 
various  market  standard  option  models,  using  inputs  that 
include interest rate yield curves, inflation curves, volatilities and 
correlations.  The  volatility  and  correlation  inputs  within  the 
models are implied from market data based on market-observed 
prices  for  standard  option  instruments  trading  within  the 
market. Option models used to value more exotic products have 
a number of model parameter inputs that require calibration to 
enable the exotic model to price standard option instruments to 
the  price  levels  observed  in  the  market.  When  the  maturity  of 
the  interest  rate  swap  or  option  contract  exceeds  the  term  for 
which  standard  market  quotes  are  observable  for  a  significant 
input parameter, the contracts are valued by extrapolation from 
the  last  observable  point  using  standard  assumptions  or  by 
reference to another observable comparable input parameter to 
represent a suitable proxy for that portion of the term.

Fair  value  hierarchy:  the  majority  of  interest  rate  swaps  are 
classified as Level 2 as the standard market contracts that form 
the  inputs  for  yield  curve  models  are  generally  traded  in  active 
and observable markets. Options are generally treated as Level 2 
as  the  calibration  process  enables  the  model  output  to  be 
validated  to  active-market  levels.  Models  calibrated  in  this  way 
are then used to revalue the portfolio of both standard options 
as well as more exotic products. In most cases, there are active 
and  observable  markets  for  the  standard  market  instruments 
that  form  the  inputs  for  yield  curve  models  as  well  as  the 
financial instruments from which volatility and correlation inputs 
are  derived.  Exotic  options  for  which  appropriate  volatility  or 
correlation  input  levels  cannot  be  implied  from  observable 
market data are classified as Level 3. Interest rate swap or option 
contracts  are  classified  as  Level  3  when  the  term  exceeds 
standard market observable quotes.

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Consolidated financial statements

Note 22  Fair value measurement (continued)

Credit derivative contracts
Product  description:  a  credit  derivative  is  a  financial  instrument 
that  transfers  credit  risk  related  to  a  single  underlying  entity,  a 
portfolio  of  underlying  entities  or  a  pool  of  securitized 
referenced  assets.  Credit  derivative  products  include  credit 
default swaps (CDS) on single names, indices, bespoke portfolios 
and securitized products, plus first to default swaps and certain 
total return swaps (TRS).

Valuation: credit derivative contracts are valued using industry 
standard  models  based  primarily  on  market  credit  spreads, 
upfront  pricing  points  and  implied  recovery  rates.  Where  a 
derivative credit spread is not directly available, it may be derived 
from  the  price  of  the  reference  cash  bond.  Correlation  is  an 
additional  input  for  certain  portfolio  credit  derivatives.  Asset-
backed  credit  derivatives  are  valued  using  a  similar  valuation 
technique  to  the  underlying  security  with  an  adjustment  to 
reflect the funding differences between cash and synthetic form. 
Inputs  include  prepayment  rates,  default  rates,  loss  severity, 
discount margin / rate.

Fair  value  hierarchy  classification:  single  entity  and  portfolio 
credit  derivative  contracts  are  classified  as  Level  2  when  credit 
spreads,  recovery  rates  and  correlations  are  determined  from 
actively  traded  observable  market  data.  Where  the  underlying 
reference  name(s)  are  not  actively  traded  and  the  correlation 
tranche 
cannot  be  directly  mapped 
instruments,  these  contracts  are  classified  as  Level  3.  Asset-
backed  credit  derivatives  follow  the  characteristics  of  the 
underlying  security  and  are  therefore  distributed  across  Level  2 
and Level 3.

to  actively 

traded 

Foreign exchange contracts
Product description: this includes open spot and forward foreign 
exchange  (FX)  contracts  and  OTC  FX  option  contracts.  OTC  FX 
option  contracts  include  standard  call  and  put  options,  options 
with  multiple  exercise  dates,  path-dependent  options,  options 
with  averaging  features,  options  with  discontinuous  payoff 
characteristics, options on a number of underlying FX rates and 
contracts,  which  have  a 
FX  option 
multi-dimensional 
dependency on multiple FX pairs.

Valuation:  open  spot  FX  contracts  are  valued  using  the  FX 
spot  rate  observed  in  the  market.  Forward  FX  contracts  are 
valued using the FX spot rate adjusted for forward pricing points 
observed  from  standard  market-based  sources.  OTC  FX  option 
contracts  are  valued  using  market  standard  option  valuation 
models.  The  models  used  for  shorter-dated  options  (i.e., 
maturities  of  five  years  or  less)  tend  to  be  different  than  those 
used  for  longer-dated  options  because  the  models  needed  for 
longer-dated  OTC  FX  contracts  require  additional  consideration 
of  interest  rate  and  FX  rate  interdependency.  Inputs  to  the 
option  valuation  models  include  spot  FX  rates,  FX  forward 

392 

points,  FX  volatilities,  interest  rate  yield  curves,  interest  rate 
volatilities  and  correlations.  The 
inputs  for  volatility  and 
correlation are implied through the calibration of observed prices 
for  standard  option  contracts  trading  within  the  market.  The 
valuation  for  multi-dimensional  FX  options  uses  a  multi-local 
volatility model, which is calibrated to the observed FX volatilities 
for all relevant FX pairs.

Fair  value  hierarchy:  the  markets  for  both  FX  spot  and  FX 
forward  pricing  points  are  both  actively  traded  and  observable 
and  therefore  such  FX  contracts  are  generally  classified  as 
Level 2. A significant proportion of OTC FX option contracts are 
classified  as  Level  2  as  inputs  are  derived  mostly  from  standard 
market  contracts  traded  in  active  and  observable  markets.  OTC 
FX  option  contracts  classified  as  Level  3 
include  multi-
dimensional  FX  options  and  long-dated  FX  exotic  option 
contracts where there is no active market from which to derive 
volatility  or  correlation  inputs.  The  inputs  used  to  value  these 
OTC FX option contracts are calculated using consensus pricing 
services  without  an  underlying  principal  market,  historical  asset 
prices or by extrapolation.

Equity / index contracts
Product  description:  equity  /  index  contracts  are  equity  forward 
contracts  and  equity  option  contracts.  Equity  option  contracts 
include market standard single or basket stock or index call and 
put  options  as  well  as  equity  option  contracts  with  more 
complex features.

Valuation:  equity  forward  contracts  have  a  single  stock  or 
index underlying and are valued using market standard models. 
The  key  inputs  to  the  models  are  stock  prices,  estimated 
dividend rates and equity funding rates (which are implied from 
prices  of  forward  contracts  observed  in  the  market).  Estimated 
cash  flows  are  then  discounted  using  market  standard 
discounted  cash  flow  models  using  a  rate  that  reflects  the 
appropriate funding rate for that portion of the portfolio. When 
no market data is available for the instrument maturity, they are 
valued  by  extrapolation  of  available  data,  use  of  historical 
dividend data, or use of data for a related equity. Equity option 
contracts are valued using market standard models that estimate 
the  equity  forward  level  as  described  for  equity  forward 
contracts  and  incorporate  inputs  for  stock  volatility  and  for 
correlation  between  stocks  within  a  basket.  The  probability-
weighted  expected  option  payoff  generated  is  then  discounted 
using market standard discounted cash flow models using a rate 
that reflects the appropriate funding rate for that portion of the 
portfolio.  When  volatility,  forward  or  correlation  inputs  are  not 
available,  they  are  valued  using  extrapolation  of  available  data, 
historical dividend, correlation or volatility data, or the equivalent 
data for a related equity.

Note 22  Fair value measurement (continued)

Fair value hierarchy: as inputs are derived mostly from standard 
market  contracts  traded  in  active  and  observable  markets,  a 
significant  proportion  of  equity  forward  contracts  are  classified 
as  Level  2.  Equity  option  positions  for  which  inputs  are  derived 
from standard market contracts traded in active and observable 
markets are also classified as Level 2. Level 3 positions are those 
for  which  volatility,  forward  or  correlation  inputs  are  not 
observable.

Commodity contracts
Product  description:  commodity  derivative  contracts  include 
forward,  swap  and  option  contracts  on  individual  commodities 
and on commodity indices. 

Valuation:  commodity  forward  and  swap  contracts  are 
measured  using  market  standard  models  that  use  market 

forward  levels  on  standard  instruments.  Commodity  option 
contracts  are  measured  using  market  standard  option  models 
that  estimate  the  commodity  forward  level  as  described  for 
commodity forward and swap contracts, incorporating inputs for 
the  volatility  of  the  underlying  index  or  commodity.  For 
commodity  options  on  baskets  of  commodities  or  bespoke 
commodity  indices,  the  valuation  technique  also  incorporates 
inputs  for  the  correlation  between  different  commodities  or 
commodity indices.

Fair  value  hierarchy:  individual  commodity  contracts  are 
typically classified as Level 2 because active forward and volatility 
market data is available.

→ Refer to Note 12 for more information on derivative 

instruments

d) Valuation adjustments

The  output  of  a  valuation  technique  is  always  an  estimate  of  a 
fair value that cannot be measured with complete certainty. As a 
result,  valuations  are  adjusted,  where  appropriate  and  when 
such  factors  would  be  considered  by  market  participants  in 
estimating  fair  value,  to  reflect  close-out  costs,  credit  exposure, 
model-driven  valuation  uncertainty,  funding  costs  and  benefits, 
trading restrictions and other factors. Valuation adjustments are 
an  important  component  of  fair  value  for  assets  and  liabilities 
that are measured using valuation techniques. Such adjustments 
are  applied  to  reflect  uncertainties  within  the  fair  value 
identified  model 
measurement  process,  to  adjust  for  an 
simplification  or  to  incorporate  an  aspect  of  fair  value  that 
requires  an  overall  portfolio  assessment  rather  than  an 
evaluation based on an individual instrument level characteristic.

Day-1 reserves
For  new  transactions  where  the  valuation  technique  used  to 
measure fair value requires significant inputs that are not based 
on  observable  market  data,  the  financial  instrument  is  initially 

recognized  at  the  transaction  price.  The  transaction  price  may 
differ  from  the  fair  value  obtained  using  a  valuation  technique, 
initially 
where  any  such  difference 
recognized  in  the  income  statement.  These  day-1  profit  or  loss 
reserves  are 
reflected,  where  appropriate,  as  valuation 
adjustments.

is  deferred  and  not 

The  table  below  summarizes  the  changes  in  deferred  day-1 

profit or loss reserves during the respective period. 

Deferred  day-1  profit  or  loss  related  to  financial  instruments 
other than financial assets available for sale is released into Net 
trading  income  when  pricing  of  equivalent  products  or  the 
underlying  parameters  become  observable  or  when 
the 
transaction is closed out.

Deferred  day-1  profit  or  loss  related  to  financial  assets 
available  for  sale  is  released  into  Other  comprehensive  income 
the  underlying 
when  pricing  of  equivalent  products  or 
parameters  become  observable  and  is  released  into  Other 
income when the assets are sold.

Deferred day-1 profit or loss

CHF million

Balance at the beginning of the year

Profit / (loss) deferred on new transactions

(Profit) / loss recognized in the income statement

(Profit) / loss recognized in other comprehensive income

Foreign currency translation

Balance at the end of the year

For the year ended

31.12.17

31.12.16

31.12.15

 371

 242

 (274)

 (10)

 329

 421

 254

 (290)

 (23)

 9

 371

 480

 268

 (321)

 (6)

 421

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credit  recognized  in  Other  comprehensive  income  will  not  be 
reclassified 
future  periods. 
income  statement 
Comparative period information was not restated.

the 

to 

in 

Own  credit  is  estimated  using  an  own  credit  adjustment 
(OCA)  curve,  which  incorporates  observable  market  data, 
including market-observed secondary prices for UBS senior debt, 
UBS credit default swap (CDS) spreads and senior debt curves of 
peers.  The  table  below  summarizes  the  effects  of  own  credit 
adjustments  related  to  financial  liabilities  designated  at  fair 
value. The change in unrealized own credit for the period ended 
consists  of  changes  in  fair  value  that  are  attributable  to  the 
change in UBS’s credit spreads, as well as the effect of changes 
in  fair  values  attributable  to  factors  other  than  credit  spreads, 
such  as  redemptions,  effects  from  time  decay  and  changes  in 
interest  and  other  market  rates.  Realized  own  credit 
is 
recognized  when  an  instrument  with  an  associated  unrealized 
own  credit  adjustment  is  repurchased  prior  to  the  contractual 
maturity  date.  Life-to-date  amounts  reflect  the  cumulative 
unrealized change since initial recognition.

→ Refer to Note 18 for more information on financial liabilities 

designated at fair value

For the year ended

Included in
Other comprehensive income

31.12.17

31.12.16

Included in Net 
trading income
31.12.15

 21

 (333)

 (312)

 18

 (138)

 (120)

As of 

 553

31.12.17

31.12.16

31.12.15

 (195)

 141

 287

Consolidated financial statements

Note 22  Fair value measurement (continued)

Own credit 
In  addition  to  considering  the  valuation  of  the  derivative  risk 
component, the valuation of financial liabilities designated at fair 
value also requires consideration of the funded component and 
specifically  the  own  credit  component  of  fair  value.  Own  credit 
risk  is  reflected  in  the  valuation  of  UBS’s  fair  value  option 
liabilities  where  this  component  is  considered  relevant  for 
valuation  purposes  by  UBS’s  counterparties  and  other  market 
participants.  However,  own  credit  risk  is  not  reflected  in  the 
valuation  of  UBS’s  liabilities  that  are  fully  collateralized  or  for 
other obligations for which it is established market practice not 
to include an own credit component.

in  the  fair  value  of  financial 

The own credit presentation requirements of IFRS 9, Financial 
Instruments, were adopted as of 1 January 2016. From this date 
onward,  changes 
liabilities 
designated  at  fair  value  through  profit  or  loss  related  to  own 
credit  have  been  recognized  in  Other  comprehensive  income 
directly within Retained earnings. As the Group does not hedge 
changes in own credit arising on financial liabilities designated at 
fair  value,  presenting  own  credit  within  Other  comprehensive 
income  does  not  create  or  increase  an  accounting  mismatch  in 
the  income  statement.  The  unrealized  and  any  realized  own 

Own credit adjustments on financial liabilities designated at fair value

CHF million

Recognized during the year:

Realized gain / (loss) 

Unrealized gain / (loss) 

Total gain / (loss), before tax

CHF million

Recognized on the balance sheet as of the end of the year:

Unrealized life-to-date gain / (loss) 

394 

Note 22  Fair value measurement (continued)

inherent 

Credit valuation adjustments
In order to measure the fair value of OTC derivative instruments, 
including  funded  derivative  instruments  that  are  classified  as 
Financial  assets  designated  at  fair  value,  credit  valuation 
adjustments (CVA) are necessary to reflect the credit risk of the 
counterparty 
instruments.  This  amount 
represents  the  estimated  fair  value  of  protection  required  to 
hedge the counterparty credit risk of such instruments. A CVA is 
determined  for  each  counterparty,  considering  all  exposures  to 
that  counterparty,  and  is  dependent  on  the  expected  future 
value  of  exposures,  default  probabilities  and  recovery  rates, 
applicable collateral or netting arrangements, break clauses and 
other contractual factors.

in  these 

Funding valuation adjustments
Funding  valuation  adjustments  (FVA)  reflect  the  costs  and 
benefits of funding associated with uncollateralized and partially 
collateralized  derivative  receivables  and  payables  and  are 
calculated  as  the  valuation  effect  from  moving  the  discounting 
of the uncollateralized derivative cash flows from LIBOR to OCA 
using the CVA framework. 

An  FVA  is  also  applied  to  collateralized  derivative  assets  in 

cases where the collateral cannot be sold or repledged.

Debit valuation adjustments
A  debit  valuation  adjustment  (DVA)  is  estimated  to  incorporate 
own  credit  in  the  valuation  of  derivatives,  effectively  consistent 
is  determined  for  each 
with  the  CVA  framework.  DVA 

Valuation adjustments on financial instruments

Life-to-date gain / (loss), CHF million
Credit valuation adjustments1

Funding valuation adjustments

Debit valuation adjustments

Other valuation adjustments

of which: liquidity

of which: model uncertainty

1 Amounts do not include reserves against defaulted counterparties.

e) Transfers between Level 1 and Level 2

counterparty,  considering  all  exposures  with  that  counterparty 
and taking into account collateral netting agreements, expected 
future  mark-to-market  movements  and  UBS’s  credit  default 
spreads. 

Other valuation adjustments
Instruments  that  are  measured  as  part  of  a  portfolio  of 
combined  long  and  short  positions  are  valued  at  mid-market 
levels  to  ensure  consistent  valuation  of  the  long-  and  short-
component  risks.  A  liquidity  valuation  adjustment  is  then  made 
to the overall net long or short exposure to move the fair value 
to bid or offer as appropriate, reflecting current levels of market 
liquidity.  The  bid-offer  spreads  used  in  the  calculation  of  this 
valuation adjustment are obtained from market transactions and 
other relevant sources and are updated periodically.

Uncertainties  associated  with  the  use  of  model-based 
valuations  are  incorporated  into  the  measurement  of  fair  value 
through  the  use  of  model  reserves.  These  reserves  reflect  the 
amounts  that  the  Group  estimates  should  be  deducted  from 
valuations  produced  directly  by  models 
incorporate 
uncertainties in the relevant modeling assumptions, in the model 
and  market  inputs  used,  or  in  the  calibration  of  the  model 
output  to  adjust  for  known  model  deficiencies.  In  arriving  at 
these  estimates,  the  Group  considers  a  range  of  market 
practices,  including  how  it  believes  market  participants  would 
assess  these  uncertainties.  Model  reserves  are  reassessed 
periodically in light of data from market transactions, consensus 
pricing services and other relevant sources.

to 

As of

31.12.17

31.12.16

 (113)

 (49)

 2

 (715)

 (465)

 (250)

 (216)

 (106)

 5

 (713)

 (439)

 (274)

The  amounts  provided  below  reflect  transfers  between  Level  1 
and  Level  2  for  instruments  that  were  held  for  the  entire 
reporting period.

Assets  totaling  approximately  CHF 0.8  billion,  which  were 
mainly  comprised  of  financial  assets  designated  at  fair  value, 
largely corporate and municipal bonds, and financial assets held 
for  trading,  predominantly  investment  fund  units  as  well  as 
corporate and municipal bonds, were transferred from Level 2 to 
Level 1 during 2017, generally due to increased levels of trading 
activity  observed  within  the  market.  Transfers  of  financial 

liabilities  from  Level  2  to  Level  1  during  2017  were  not 
significant.

Assets  totaling  approximately  CHF 0.3  billion,  which  were 
mainly  comprised  of  financial  assets  available  for  sale,  largely 
government  bonds,  and  financial  assets  held  for  trading, 
predominantly  investment  fund  units  and  equity  instruments, 
were transferred from Level 1 to Level 2 during 2017, generally 
due  to  diminished  levels  of  trading  activity  observed  within  the 
market.  Transfers  of  financial  liabilities  from  Level  1  to  Level  2 
during 2017 were not significant.

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Note 22  Fair value measurement (continued)

f) Level 3 instruments: valuation techniques and inputs 

The  table  below  presents  material  Level  3  assets  and  liabilities 
together  with  the  valuation  techniques  used  to  measure  fair 
value, the significant inputs used in the valuation technique that 
are  considered  unobservable  and  a  range  of  values  for  those 
unobservable inputs. Several inputs disclosed in prior periods are 
not disclosed in the table below because they are not considered 
significant 
technique  as  of 
respective  valuation 
the 
31 December 2017.

to 

The  range  of  values  represents  the  highest-  and  lowest-level 
input  used  in  the  valuation  techniques.  Therefore,  the  range 
does  not  reflect  the  level  of  uncertainty  regarding  a  particular 
input,  but  rather  the  different  underlying  characteristics  of  the 
relevant assets and liabilities. The ranges will therefore vary from 
period  to  period  and  parameter  to  parameter  based  on 
characteristics  of  the  instruments  held  at  each  balance  sheet 
date.  Further,  the  ranges  of  unobservable  inputs  may  differ 
across  other  financial  institutions  due  to  the  diversity  of  the 
products in each firm’s inventory.

Valuation techniques and inputs used in the fair value measurement of Level 3 assets and liabilities

Fair value

Assets

Liabilities

Range of inputs

31.12.17

31.12.16

31.12.17 31.12.16

31.12.17 31.12.16

weighted 
average2 
CHF billion
Financial assets held for trading / Trading portfolio liabilities, Financial assets / liabilities designated at fair value and Financial assets available for sale
Corporate and municipal 
bonds
Traded loans, loans 
designated at fair value, 
loan commitments and 
guarantees

Relative value to 
market comparable

Valuation 
technique(s)

Bond price equivalent

Loan price equivalent

 0.6

 0.0

 1.7

 0.0

 0.6

 0.0

 0.0

 2.0

 133

 102

high

low

 92

 50

 98

 0

Significant 
unobservable 
input(s)1

low high

weighted 
average2 

unit1 

 0

 128

 88

points

Credit spread

 23

 124

 71

 554

 39

 103

 94

points
basis 
points

Relative value to 
market comparable
Discounted expected 
cash flows
Market comparable 
and securitization 
model
Relative value to 
market comparable
Relative value to 
market comparable
Discounted expected 
cash flows

Investment fund units 3

 0.7

 0.2

 0.0

 0.0

Equity instruments 3
Structured (reverse) 
repurchase agreements
Issued and over-the-
counter debt instruments 4
Replacement values

 0.5

 0.4

 0.1

 0.1

 0.2

 0.6

 0.0

 0.3

 12.8

 10.7

Interest rate contracts

 0.1

 0.3

 0.2

 0.5 Option model

Credit derivative contracts

 0.5

 1.3

 0.6

 1.5

Discounted expected 
cash flows

Equity / index contracts

 0.7

 0.7

 1.9

 1.9 Option model

Discount margin

 0

 14

 2

 0

 16

 2

%

Net asset value

Price

Funding spread

 15

 195

 15

 195

Volatility of interest 
rates 

Credit spreads 
Bond price equivalent
Equity dividend yields
Volatility of equity 
stocks, equity and 
other indices
Equity-to-FX 
correlation
Equity-to-equity 
correlation

 26

 229

 26

 176

 6
 2
 0

 550
 102
 13

 0
 3
 0

 791
 100
 15

 0

 172

 0

 150

 (39)

 70

 (45)

 82

 (50)

 97

 12

 98

basis 
points

%
basis 
points
points
%

%

%

%

1 The ranges of significant unobservable inputs are represented in points, percentages and basis points. Points are a percentage of par (e.g., 100 points would be 100% of par).     2 Weighted averages are provided 
for non-derivative financial instruments and were calculated by weighting inputs based on the fair values of the respective instruments. Weighted averages are not provided for inputs related to derivative contracts as 
this would not be meaningful.     3 The range of inputs is not disclosed due to the dispersion of values given the diverse nature of the investments.     4 Valuation techniques, significant unobservable inputs and the 
respective input ranges for issued debt instruments and over-the-counter debt instruments are the same as the equivalent derivative or structured financing instruments presented elsewhere in this table.

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Note 22  Fair value measurement (continued)

Significant unobservable inputs in Level 3 positions

This section discusses the significant unobservable inputs used in 
the  valuation  of  Level  3  instruments  and  assesses  the  potential 
effect that a change in each unobservable input in isolation may 
have  on  a  fair  value  measurement,  including  information  to 
facilitate an understanding of factors that give rise to the input 
shown.  Relationships  between  observable  and 
ranges 
unobservable  inputs  have  not  been  included  in  the  summary 
below.

Factors 

instruments. 

Bond price equivalent
Where  market  prices  are  not  available  for  a  bond,  fair  value  is 
measured  by  comparison  with  observable  pricing  data  from 
similar 
selecting 
comparable  instruments  include  credit  quality,  maturity  and 
industry  of  the  issuer.  Fair  value  may  be  measured  either  by  a 
direct price comparison or by conversion of an instrument price 
into a yield (either as an outright yield or as a spread to LIBOR). 
Bond prices are expressed as points of the nominal, where 100 
represents a fair value equal to the nominal value (i.e., par).

considered  when 

For corporate and municipal bonds, the range represents the 
range of prices from reference issuances used in determining fair 
value.  Bonds  priced  at  0  are  distressed  to  the  point  that  no 
recovery is expected, while prices significantly in excess of 100 or 
par  relate  to  inflation-linked  or  structured  issuances  that  pay  a 
coupon 
in  excess  of  the  market  benchmark  as  of  the 
measurement date.

For  credit  derivatives,  the  bond  price  range  represents  the 
range of prices used for reference instruments that are typically 
converted  to  an  equivalent  yield  or  credit  spread  as  part  of  the 
valuation process.

Loan price equivalent
Where  market  prices  are  not  available  for  a  traded  loan,  fair 
value  is  measured  by  comparison  with  observable  pricing  data 
for  similar  instruments.  Factors  considered  when  selecting 
comparable  instruments  include  industry  segment,  collateral 
quality, maturity and issuer-specific covenants. Fair value may be 
measured either by a direct price comparison or by conversion of 
an instrument price into a yield. The range represents the range 
of  prices  derived  from  reference  issuances  of  a  similar  credit 
quality  used  in  measuring  fair  value  for  loans  classified  as  Level 
3. Loans priced at 0 are distressed to the point that no recovery 
is expected, while a current price of 100 represents a loan that is 
expected to be repaid in full. 

Credit spread
Valuation models for many credit derivatives require an input for 
the credit spread, which is a reflection of the credit quality of the 
associated  referenced  underlying.  The  credit  spread  of  a 
particular  security  is  quoted  in  relation  to  the  yield  on  a 
benchmark security or reference rate, typically either US Treasury 
or LIBOR, and is generally expressed in terms of basis points. An 
increase / (decrease) in credit spread will increase / (decrease) the 
value  of  credit  protection  offered  by  CDS  and  other  credit 
derivative  products.  The  income  statement  effect  from  such 
changes  depends  on  the  nature  and  direction  of  the  positions 
held.  Credit  spreads  may  be  negative  where  the  asset  is  more 
creditworthy  than  the  benchmark  against  which  the  spread  is 
calculated.  A  wider  credit  spread 
represents  decreasing 
creditworthiness.  The  range  represents  a  diverse  set  of 
underlyings,  with  the  lower  end  of  the  range  representing 
credits  of  the  highest  quality  (e.g.,  approximating  the  risk  of 
LIBOR)  and  the  upper  end  of  the  range  representing  greater 
levels of credit risk.

Discount margin (DM)
The  DM  spread  represents  the  discount  rates  used  to  present 
value cash flows of an asset to reflect the market return required 
for  uncertainty  in  the  estimated  cash  flows.  DM  spreads  are  a 
rate  or  rates  applied  on  top  of  a  floating  index  (e.g.,  LIBOR)  to 
discount  expected  cash  flows.  Generally,  a  decrease  /  (increase) 
in  the  DM  in  isolation  would  result  in  a  higher  /  (lower)  fair 
value.

The high end of the range relates to securities that are priced 
low  within  the  market  relative  to  the  expected  cash  flow 
schedule.  This  indicates  that  the  market  is  pricing  an  increased 
risk  of  credit  loss  into  the  security  that  is  greater  than  what  is 
being  captured  by  the  expected  cash  flow  generation  process. 
The  low  ends  of  the  ranges  are  typical  of  funding  rates  on 
better-quality instruments.

Funding spread
Structured  financing  transactions  are  valued  using  synthetic 
funding curves that best represent the assets that are pledged as 
collateral  for  the  transactions.  They  are  not  representative  of 
where UBS can fund itself on an unsecured basis, but provide an 
estimate  of  where  UBS  can  source  and  deploy  secured  funding 
with  counterparties  for  a  given  type  of  collateral.  The  funding 
spreads  are  expressed  in  terms  of  basis  points  over  or  under 
LIBOR, and if funding spreads widen, this increases the effect of 
discounting. 

A  small  proportion  of  structured  debt  instruments  and  non-
structured fixed-rate bonds within financial liabilities designated 
at fair value had an exposure to funding spreads that was longer 
in duration than the actively traded market. 

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Note 22  Fair value measurement (continued)

Volatility 
Volatility measures the variability of future prices for a particular 
instrument and is generally expressed as a percentage, where a 
higher  number  reflects  a  more  volatile  instrument  for  which 
future price movements are more likely to occur. The minimum 
level  of  volatility  is  0%  and  there  is  no  theoretical  maximum. 
Volatility  is  a  key  input  into  option  models,  where  it  is  used  to 
derive  a  probability-based  distribution  of  future  prices  for  the 
underlying  instrument.  The  effect  of  volatility  on  individual 
positions within the portfolio is driven primarily by whether the 
option contract is a long or short position. In most cases, the fair 
value of an option increases as a result of an increase in volatility 
and  is  reduced  by  a  decrease  in  volatility.  Generally,  volatility 
used  in  the  measurement  of  fair  value  is  derived  from  active-
market  option  prices  (referred  to  as  implied  volatility).  A  key 
feature  of  implied  volatility  is  the  volatility  “smile”  or  “skew,” 
which represents the effect of pricing options of different option 
strikes at different implied volatility levels.

The  volatility  of 

interest  rates  reflects  the  range  of 
unobservable  volatilities  across  different  currencies  and  related 
underlying  interest  rate  levels.  Volatilities  of  low  interest  rates 
tend to be much higher than volatilities of high interest rates. In 
addition,  different  currencies  may  have  significantly  different 
implied  volatilities.  The  volatility  of  equity  stocks,  equity  and 
other indices reflects the range of underlying stock volatilities.

Correlation
Correlation  measures  the 
inter  relationship  between  the 
movements  of  two  variables.  It  is  expressed  as  a  percentage 
between  –100%  and  +100%,  where  +100%  represents 
perfectly  correlated  variables  (meaning  a  movement  of  one 
variable  is  associated  with  a  movement  of  the  other  variable  in 

the  same  direction),  and  –100%  implies  the  variables  are 
inversely  correlated  (meaning  a  movement  of  one  variable  is 
associated  with  a  movement  of  the  other  variable  in  the 
opposite  direction).  The  effect  of  correlation  on 
the 
measurement of fair value depends on the specific terms of the 
instruments  being  valued,  due  to  the  range  of  different  payoff 
features within such instruments.

Equity-to-FX correlation is important for equity options based 
on  a  currency  different  than  the  currency  of  the  underlying 
stock.  Equity-to-equity  correlation  is  particularly  important  for 
complex  options  that  incorporate,  in  some  manner,  different 
equities  in  the  projected  payoff.  The  closer  the  correlation  is  to 
100%, the more related one equity is to another. For example, 
equities  with  a  very  high  correlation  could  be  from  different 
parts of the same corporate structure.

Equity dividend yields 
The derivation of a forward price for an individual stock or index 
is  important  for  measuring  fair  value  for  forward  or  swap 
contracts  and  for  measuring  fair  value  using  option  pricing 
models.  The  relationship  between  the  current  stock  price  and 
the forward price is based on a combination of expected future 
dividend levels and payment timings, and, to a lesser extent, the 
relevant  funding  rates  applicable  to  the  stock  in  question. 
Dividend  yields  are  generally  expressed  as  an  annualized 
percentage  of  the  share  price  with  the  lowest  limit  of  0% 
representing  a  stock  that  is  not  expected  to  pay  any  dividend. 
The  dividend  yield  and  timing  represents  the  most  significant 
parameter  in  determining  fair  value  for  instruments  that  are 
sensitive to an equity forward price.

g) Level 3 instruments: sensitivity to changes in unobservable input assumptions

The table below summarizes those financial assets and liabilities 
classified  as  Level  3  for  which  a  change  in  one  or  more  of  the 
unobservable  inputs  to  reflect  reasonably  possible  alternative 
assumptions  would  change  fair  value  significantly,  and  the 
estimated effect thereof. 

The  table  shown  presents  the  favorable  and  unfavorable 
effects for each class of financial assets and liabilities for which 
the  potential  change  in  fair  value  is  considered  significant.  The 
sensitivity  data  presented  represent  an  estimation  of  valuation 
uncertainty  based  on  reasonably  possible  alternative  values  for 
Level  3  inputs  at  the  balance  sheet  date  and  do  not  represent 
the estimated effect of stress scenarios. Typically, these financial 
assets and liabilities are sensitive to a combination of inputs from 
Levels  1–3.  Although  well-defined  interdependencies  may  exist 

between  Levels  1–2  and  Level  3  parameters  (e.g.,  between 
interest  rates,  which  are  generally  Level  1  or  Level  2,  and 
prepayments, which are generally Level 3), these have not been 
incorporated  in  the  table.  Further,  direct  inter  relationships 
between  the  Level  3  parameters  discussed  below  are  not  a 
significant element of the valuation uncertainty.

Sensitivity data are estimated using a number of techniques, 
including  the  estimation  of  price  dispersion  among  different 
market  participants,  variation  in  modeling  approaches  and 
reasonably possible changes to assumptions used within the fair 
value  measurement  process.  The  sensitivity  ranges  are  not 
always symmetrical around the fair values as the inputs used in 
valuations are not always precisely in the middle of the favorable 
and unfavorable range.

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Note 22  Fair value measurement (continued)

Sensitivity  data  are  determined  at  a  product  or  parameter 
level  and  then  aggregated  assuming  no  diversification  benefit. 
The calculated sensitivity is applied to both the outright position 
and  any  related  Level  3  hedge.  The  main  interdependencies 
across different Level 3 products to a single unobservable input 
parameter have been included in the basis of netting exposures 
within  the  calculation.  Aggregation  without  allowing  for 
diversification involves the simple summation of individual results 
with the total sensitivity, therefore representing the effect of all 

unobservable  inputs  that,  if  moved  to  a  reasonably  possible 
favorable or unfavorable level at the same time, would result in 
a  significant  change  in  the  valuation.  Diversification  would 
incorporate  estimated  correlations  across  different  sensitivity 
results  and,  as  such,  would  result  in  an  overall  sensitivity  that 
would  be  less  than  the  sum  of  the  individual  component 
sensitivities.  The  Group  believes 
there  are 
diversification  benefits  within  the  portfolios  representing  these 
sensitivity numbers, they are not significant to this analysis.

that,  while 

Sensitivity of fair value measurements to changes in unobservable input assumptions1

CHF million
Traded loans, loans designated at fair value, loan commitments and guarantees

Asset-backed securities

Equity instruments

Interest rate derivative contracts, net

Credit derivative contracts, net

Foreign exchange derivative contracts, net

Equity / index derivative contracts, net

Structured (reverse) repurchase agreements

Other

Total

31.12.17

31.12.16

Favorable
changes2

Unfavorable
changes2

Favorable
changes2

Unfavorable
changes2

 79
 19

 79

 13

 64

 12

 190

 34

 13

 502

 (11)
 (15)

 (53)

 (26)

 (99)

 (6)

 (193)

 (34)

 (13)

 (450)

 80
 23

 85

 30

 128

 18

 142

 43

 12

 560

 (8)
 (29)

 (66)

 (30)

 (174)

 (9)

 (143)

 (46)

 (12)

 (517)

1 Effective 31 December 2017, the sensitivity of issued and over-the-counter debt instruments is reported with the equivalent derivative or structured financing instrument. Prior-period information has been restated 
to reflect this change in presentation.     2 Of the total favorable changes, CHF 78 million as of 31 December 2017 (31 December 2016: CHF 75 million) related to financial assets available for sale. Of the total 
unfavorable changes, CHF 51 million as of 31 December 2017 (31 December 2016: CHF 55 million) related to financial assets available for sale.   

h) Level 3 instruments: movements during the period

Significant changes in Level 3 instruments
The table on the following pages presents additional information 
about  Level  3  assets  and  liabilities  measured  at  fair  value  on  a 
recurring basis. Level 3 assets and liabilities may be hedged with 
instruments  classified  as  Level  1  or  Level  2  in  the  fair  value 
hierarchy  and,  as  a  result,  realized  and  unrealized  gains  and 
losses included in the table may not include the effect of related 
hedging activity. Furthermore, the realized and unrealized gains 
and  losses  presented  within  the  table  are  not  limited  solely  to 
those  arising  from  Level  3  inputs,  as  valuations  are  generally 
derived from both observable and unobservable parameters.

Assets  and  liabilities  transferred  into  or  out  of  Level  3  are 
presented as if those assets or liabilities had been transferred at 
the beginning of the year. 

Assets  transferred  into  and  out  of  Level  3  totaled  CHF 1.4 
billion  and  CHF 1.1  billion,  respectively.  Transfers  into  Level  3 
were  primarily  comprised  of  investment  fund  units  and  equity  / 

index contracts, due to decreased observability of the respective 
net  asset  value  and  equity  volatility  inputs.  Transfers  out  of 
Level 3 were primarily comprised of credit derivative and equity / 
the 
reflecting 
index  contracts, 
respective credit spread and equity volatility inputs.

increased  observability  of 

Liabilities transferred into and out of Level 3 totaled CHF 1.8 
billion  and  CHF 3.2  billion,  respectively.  Transfers  into  Level  3 
issued  debt 
were  primarily  comprised  of  equity-linked 
instruments  and  equity  /  index  contracts,  due  to  decreased 
observability  of  the  respective  equity  volatility  inputs  used  to 
determine  the  fair  value  of  the  options  embedded  in  these 
structures. Transfers out of Level 3 were primarily comprised of 
equity-linked  issued  debt  instruments  and  credit  derivative 
contracts  resulting  from  changes  in  the  availability  of  the 
observable  equity  volatility  and  credit  spread  inputs  used  to 
determine  the  fair  value  of  the  options  embedded  in  these 
structures.

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Note 22  Fair value measurement (continued)

Movements of Level 3 instruments

Total gains / (losses) included in
comprehensive income

Net interest
income,
net trading
income
and other
income

Balance
as of 
31 December 
2015

of which:
related to
Level 3
instruments
held at the end
of the reporting

period Purchases

Sales

Issuances Settlements

Transfers
into
Level 3

Transfers
out of
Level 3

Foreign 
currency 
translation

 2.1

 0.7
 0.8

 0.6

 3.3

 1.7

 1.5
 0.1

 0.7

 2.9

 1.3

 1.0

 0.6

 3.3

 1.3

 1.4

 0.6

 10.7

 9.3

 0.8

 0.1

 0.0

 0.9

 (6.8)

 4.1

 0.0

 1.7

 (0.3)

 (0.1)

 0.2
 (0.1)

 0.0

 0.1
 (0.1)

 0.0

 0.6
 0.1

 0.2

 (0.8)
 (5.2)

 (0.8)

 0.0
 4.1

 0.0

 0.0
 0.0

 0.0

 0.1
 1.1

 0.5

 (0.1)
 (0.2)

 0.0

 (0.1)
 0.0

 0.0

 (0.4)

 (0.1)

 0.1

 0.0

 0.7

 (1.9)

 0.5

 (0.1)

 0.0

 (0.4)

 (0.1)

 0.0

 0.0

 0.6

 (1.0)

 0.4

 (0.1)

 0.0

 0.0
 0.0

 0.0

 (0.4)

 (0.2)

 (0.1)

 (0.1)

 0.6

 0.5

 0.3

 (0.2)

 1.0

 0.9

 0.1

 0.0
 0.0

 0.0

 (0.5)

 (0.1)

 0.0

 (0.3)

 0.0
 0.1

 0.1

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0

 0.5

 0.0

 0.6

 0.1

 (0.2)

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0
 0.0

 (0.1)

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0
 0.0

 0.0

 1.0

 0.6

 0.4

 0.1

 1.5

 0.2

 1.0

 0.3

 (0.9)
 0.0

 0.0

 (1.9)

 (0.7)

 (0.6)

 (0.6)

 0.0
 0.0

 0.0

 1.3

 0.4

 0.2

 0.7

 0.0
 0.0

 (0.1)

 (0.4)

 (0.1)

 (0.2)

 (0.1)

 0.0
 0.0

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0

 (2.1)

 1.2

 (0.6)

 0.0

 (0.7)

 (0.8)

 (0.6)

 0.3

 0.2

 0.7

 (0.1)

 (0.3)

 (0.2)

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0

 0.6

 0.0

 0.0

 5.0

 (3.5)

 0.9

 (2.9)

 (0.1)

 0.6

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0

 4.1

 0.8

 (2.5)

 (0.6)

 0.8

 0.1

 (2.9)

 0.0

 (0.1)

 0.0

CHF billion

Financial assets held for trading

of which:

Corporate and municipal bonds
Loans

Other

Financial assets designated at fair value

of which:

Loans (including structured loans)

Structured reverse repurchase and 
securities borrowing agreements
Other

Financial assets available for sale

Positive replacement values

of which:

Credit derivative contracts

Equity / index contracts

Other

Negative replacement values

of which:

Credit derivative contracts

Equity / index contracts

Other

Financial liabilities designated at fair 
value

of which:

Issued debt instruments

Over-the-counter debt instruments

Structured repurchase agreements

 0.0
1 Total Level 3 assets as of 31 December 2017 were CHF 5.5 billion (31 December 2016: CHF 6.9 billion). Total Level 3 liabilities as of 31 December 2017 were CHF 15.7 billion (31 December 2016: CHF 15.1 
billion).

 (0.4)

 0.0

 0.6

 0.0

 0.1

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0

400 

Total gains / (losses) included in
comprehensive income

Net interest
income,
net trading
income
and other
income

of which:
related to
Level 3
instruments
held at the end
of the reporting
period

 (0.1)

 0.0

 0.1
 0.0

 (0.1)

 0.2

 0.2

 0.0
 (0.1)

 0.0

 (0.3)

 (0.2)

 (0.1)

 0.0

 0.2

 0.0

 0.3

 0.0

 1.4

 1.4

 0.0

 0.0

 0.1
 (0.1)

 0.0

 0.2

 0.2

 0.0
 (0.1)

 0.0

 (0.4)

 (0.2)

 (0.1)

 (0.1)

 0.1

 (0.2)

 0.2

 0.0

 0.9

 0.9

 0.0

 0.0

Balance
as of
31 December
2016

 1.7

 0.6
 0.7

 0.4

 2.1

 1.2

 0.6
 0.2

 0.5

 2.5

 1.3

 0.7

 0.5

 4.0

 1.5

 1.9

 0.6

 11.0

 9.7

 1.1

 0.3

Purchases

Sales

Issuances

Settlements

Transfers
into
Level 3

Transfers
out of
Level 3

Foreign 
currency 
translation

Balance
as of 
31 December
20171

 0.7

 0.4
 0.1

 0.2

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0
 0.0

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0

 (3.8)

 (0.7)
 (2.8)

 (0.3)

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0
 0.0

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0

 2.7

 0.0
 2.7

 0.0

 0.4

 0.1

 0.1
 0.2

 0.0

 0.9

 0.0

 0.9

 0.0

 0.7

 0.1

 0.6

 0.0

 6.7

 5.2

 1.5

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0
 0.0

 0.0

 (1.2)

 (0.6)

 (0.6)
 0.0

 0.0

 (1.2)

 (0.3)

 (0.7)

 (0.2)

 (1.4)

 (0.4)

 (0.6)

 (0.4)

 (5.7)

 (4.9)

 (0.7)

 (0.1)

 0.9

 0.1
 0.0

 0.8

 0.1

 0.0

 0.0
 0.1

 0.1

 0.4

 0.0

 0.3

 0.1

 0.5

 0.2

 0.2

 0.1

 1.3

 1.2

 0.1

 0.0

 (0.2)

 0.0
 (0.1)

 0.0

 (0.1)

 (0.1)

 0.0
 0.0

 0.0

 (0.8)

 (0.4)

 (0.4)

 (0.1)

 (1.3)

 (0.8)

 (0.5)

 (0.1)

 0.0

 0.0
 0.0

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0
 0.0

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0

 0.1

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0

 2.0

 0.6
 0.5

 0.9

 1.4

 0.8

 0.2
 0.5

 0.5

 1.5

 0.5

 0.7

 0.3

 2.8

 0.6

 1.9

 0.3

 (1.8)

 (0.1)

 12.8

 (1.6)

 0.0

 (0.2)

 (0.1)

 0.0

 0.0

 10.9

 1.9

 0.0

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Consolidated financial statements

Note 22  Fair value measurement (continued)

i) Financial instruments not measured at fair value

The table below provides the estimated fair values of financial instruments not measured at fair value.

Financial instruments not measured at fair value

CHF billion

Assets

Cash and balances with central banks

Due from banks

Cash collateral on securities borrowed 

Reverse repurchase agreements

Cash collateral receivables on derivative instruments

Loans

Financial assets held to maturity

Other assets

Liabilities

Due to banks

Cash collateral on securities lent

Repurchase agreements

Cash collateral payables on derivative instruments

Due to customers

Debt issued

Other liabilities

Carrying 
value

31.12.17

Fair value

Carrying 
value

31.12.16

Fair value

Total

Total

Level 1

Level 2

Level 3

Total

Total

Level 1

Level 2

Level 3

 87.8

 13.7

 12.4

 77.2

 23.4

 87.8

 13.7

 12.4

 77.2

 23.4

 319.6

 321.0

 9.2

 27.9

 7.5

 1.8

 15.3

 30.2

 409.0

 139.6

 36.3

 9.0

 27.9

 7.5

 1.8

 15.3

 30.2

 409.0

 143.5

 36.3

 87.8

 13.1

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0

 6.3

 0.0

 6.5

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0

 0.6

 12.4

 74.8

 23.4

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0

 2.5

 0.0

 107.8

 107.8

 107.8

 13.2

 15.1

 66.2

 26.7

 13.2

 15.1

 66.2

 26.7

 176.7

 144.3

 306.3

 309.7

 2.7

 27.9

 1.1

 1.8

 15.3

 30.2

 409.0

 139.1

 36.3

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0

 4.3

 0.0

 9.3

 18.5

 10.6

 2.8

 6.6

 35.5

 423.7

 103.7

 38.3

 9.1

 18.5

 10.6

 2.8

 6.6

 35.5

 423.7

 106.1

 38.4

 0.0

 0.7

 15.1

 62.5

 26.7

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0

 3.7

 0.0

 169.3

 140.4

 2.8

 18.5

 1.9

 2.8

 6.6

 35.5

 423.7

 103.5

 38.4

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0

 2.6

 0.0

 12.5

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0

 6.3

 0.0

 8.8

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0

credit  loss  allowances,  is  generally  considered  a  reasonable 
estimate of fair value. The following financial instruments not 
measured  at  fair  value  had  remaining  maturities  of  three 
months or less as of 31 December 2017: 100% of cash and 
balances  with  central  banks,  95%  of  amounts  due  from 
banks, 100% of cash collateral on securities borrowed, 81% 
of  reverse  repurchase  agreements,  100%  of  cash  collateral 
receivables  on  derivative  instruments,  51%  of  loans,  0%  of 
financial  assets  held  to  maturity,  86%  of  amounts  due  to 
banks,  100%  of  cash  collateral  on  securities  lent,  96%  of 
repurchase agreements, 100% of cash collateral payables on 
derivative  instruments,  99%  of  amounts  due  to  customers 
and 13% of debt issued.

– The 

repurchase  and 

fair  value  estimates 

reverse 
for 
repurchase agreements with variable and fixed interest rates, 
for  all  maturities,  include  the  valuation  of  the  interest  rate 
component  of  these  instruments.  Credit  and  debit  valuation 
adjustments  have  not  been  included  in  the  valuation  due  to 
the short-term nature of these instruments.

The  fair  values  included  in  the  table  above  were  calculated  for 
disclosure  purposes  only.  The  valuation 
techniques  and 
assumptions  described  below  relate  only  to  the  fair  value  of 
UBS’s  financial  instruments  not  measured  at  fair  value.  Other 
institutions may use different methods and assumptions for their 
fair  value  estimation,  and  therefore  such  fair  value  disclosures 
cannot necessarily be compared from one financial institution to 
another.  The 
following  principles  were  applied  when 
determining  fair  value  estimates  for  financial  instruments  not 
measured at fair value:
– For  financial  instruments  with  remaining  maturities  greater 
than  three  months,  the  fair  value  was  determined  from 
quoted market prices, if available.

– Where  quoted  market  prices  were  not  available,  the  fair 
values  were  estimated  by  discounting  contractual  cash  flows 
using current market interest rates or appropriate yield curves 
for  instruments  with  similar  credit  risk  and  maturity.  These 
estimates  generally  include  adjustments  for  counterparty 
credit risk or UBS’s own credit.

– For short-term financial instruments with remaining maturities 
of three months or less, the carrying amount, which is net of 

402 

 
Note 23  Restricted and transferred financial assets

This Note provides information on restricted financial assets (Note 23a), transfers of financial assets (Note 23b and 23c) and financial 
assets that are received as collateral with the right to resell or repledge these assets (Note 23d).

a) Restricted financial assets

Restricted  financial  assets  consist  of  assets  pledged  as  collateral 
against an existing liability or contingent liability and other assets 
that  are  otherwise  explicitly  restricted  such  that  they  cannot  be 
used to secure funding. 

Financial  assets  are  mainly  pledged  as  collateral  in  securities 
lending  transactions,  in  repurchase  transactions,  against  loans 
from  Swiss  mortgage  institutions  and  in  connection  with  the 
issuance  of  covered  bonds.  The  Group  generally  enters  into 
repurchase and securities lending arrangements under standard 
market  agreements.  For  securities  lending,  the  cash  received  as 
collateral  may  be  more  or  less  than  the  fair  value  of  the 
securities  loaned,  depending  on  the  nature  of  the  transaction. 
For  repurchase  agreements,  the  fair  value  of  the  collateral  sold 
under  an  agreement  to  repurchase  is  generally  in  excess  of  the 
cash  borrowed. Pledged  mortgage  loans  serve  as  collateral  for 
existing liabilities against Swiss central mortgage institutions and 
for existing covered bond issuances of CHF 12,457 million as of 
31 December 2017 (31 December 2016: CHF 14,137 million).

Other  restricted  financial  assets  include  assets  protected 
under  client  asset  segregation  rules,  assets  held  by  the  Group’s 
insurance entities to back related liabilities to the policy holders, 
assets  held  in  certain  jurisdictions  to  comply  with  explicit 
minimum local asset maintenance requirements and assets held 
in  consolidated  bankruptcy  remote  entities  such  as  certain 
investment  funds  and  other  structured  entities.  The  carrying 
value  of  the  liabilities  associated  with  these  other  restricted 
financial  assets  is  generally  equal  to  the  carrying  value  of  the 

assets,  with  the  exception  of  assets  held  to  comply  with  local 
asset  maintenance  requirements,  for  which  the  associated 
liabilities are greater. 

limit 

UBS  Group  AG  and  its  subsidiaries  are,  in  certain  cases, 
subject  to  regulatory  requirements  that  affect  the  transfer  of 
dividends  and  capital  within  the  Group.  Certain  regulated 
subsidiaries are required to maintain capital and / or liquidity to 
comply  with  local  regulations  and  may  be  subject  to  prudential 
limitations by regulators that limit the amount of funds that they 
can  distribute  or  otherwise  transfer.  Supervisory  authorities 
generally  have  discretion  to  impose  higher  requirements  or  to 
the  activities  of  subsidiaries.  Supervisory 
otherwise 
authorities  also  may  require  entities  to  measure  capital  and 
leverage  ratios  on  a  stressed  basis,  such  as  the  Federal  Reserve 
Board’s  Comprehensive  Capital  Analysis  and  Review  (CCAR) 
process  that  affects  UBS  Americas  Holding  LLC,  and  may  limit 
the ability of the entity to engage in new activities or take capital 
actions  based  on  the  results  of  those  tests.  Non-regulated 
subsidiaries  are  generally  not  subject  to  such  requirements  and 
transfer restrictions. However, restrictions can also be the result 
of  different  legal,  regulatory,  contractual,  entity-  or  country-
specific arrangements and / or requirements.

→ Refer to “Financial and regulatory key figures for our significant 

regulated subsidiaries and sub-groups” in the “Significant 

regulated subsidiary and sub-group information” section of this 

report for financial information on significant regulated 

subsidiaries of the group

Restricted financial assets 
CHF million
Financial assets pledged as collateral
Trading portfolio assets

of which: assets pledged as collateral that may be sold or repledged by counterparties

Loans1
Financial assets designated at fair value

of which: assets pledged as collateral that may be sold or repledged by counterparties

Total financial assets pledged as collateral2

31.12.17

31.12.16

 46,219
 35,363
 17,631
 170
 170
 64,020

 36,549
 30,260
 19,887
 776
 636
 57,213

Other restricted financial assets
Due from banks
 2,625
 658
Reverse repurchase agreements
 12,129
Trading portfolio assets
Cash collateral receivables on derivative instruments
 4,329
 958
Loans
 328
Financial assets designated at fair value
Financial assets available for sale
 247
Other
 5,195
Total other restricted financial assets 
 26,470
 83,683
Total financial assets pledged and other restricted financial assets
1 All related to mortgage loans that serve as collateral for existing liabilities against Swiss central mortgage institutions and for existing covered bond issuances. Of these pledged mortgage loans, approximately 
CHF 2.1  billion  for  31  December  2017  (31  December  2016:  approximately  CHF  1.9  billion)  could  be  withdrawn  or  used  for  future  liabilities  or  covered  bond  issuances  without  breaching  existing  collateral 
requirements.     2 Does not include assets placed with central banks related to undrawn credit lines and for payment, clearing and settlement purposes (31 December 2017: CHF 2.5 billion; 31 December 2016: 
CHF 4.7 billion).

 3,280
 0
 12,273
 3,822
 1,256
 2,602
 246
 95
 23,573
 87,593

403 

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Consolidated financial statements

Note 23  Restricted and transferred financial assets (continued)

b) Transferred financial assets that are not derecognized in their entirety

The table below presents information for financial assets that have been transferred but are subject to continued recognition in full, 
as well as recognized liabilities associated with those transferred assets.

Transferred financial assets subject to continued recognition in full 

CHF million

31.12.17

31.12.16

Trading portfolio assets that may be sold or repledged by counterparties

relating to securities lending and repurchase agreements in exchange for cash received

relating to securities lending agreements in exchange for securities received

relating to other financial asset transfers

Financial assets designated at fair value that may be sold or repledged by counterparties

Total financial assets transferred

Transactions  in  which  financial  assets  are  transferred,  but 
continue  to  be  recognized  in  their  entirety  on  UBS’s  balance 
sheet  include  securities  lending  and  repurchase  agreements  as 
well as other financial asset transfers. Repurchase and securities 
lending  arrangements  are,  for  the  most  part,  conducted  under 
standard  market  agreements  and  are  undertaken  with 
counterparties  subject  to  UBS’s  normal  credit  risk  control 
processes. 

→ Refer to Note 1a item 3e for more information on repurchase 

agreements and securities lending agreements

As  of  31  December  2017,  approximately  one-third  of  the 
transferred  financial  assets  were  trading  portfolio  assets 
transferred  in  exchange  for  cash,  in  which  case  the  associated 
recognized  liability  represents  the  amount  to  be  repaid  to 
counterparties. 
repurchase 
agreements,  a  haircut  between  0%  and  15%  is  generally 
applied  to  the  transferred  assets,  which  results  in  associated 
liabilities having a carrying value below the carrying value of the 
transferred assets. The counterparties to the associated liabilities 
presented in the table above have full recourse to UBS.

securities 

lending 

and 

For 

Carrying value of 
transferred assets
 35,363

Carrying value of 
associated liabilities 
recognized 
on-balance sheet
 12,942

Carrying value of 
transferred assets
 30,260

Carrying value of 
associated liabilities 
recognized 
on-balance sheet
 11,260

 13,145

 21,137
 1,081

 170

 35,533

 12,942

 0
 0

 169

 13,111

 11,410

 17,341
 1,509

 636

 30,896

 11,260

 0
 0

 630

 11,890

In  securities  lending  arrangements  entered  into  in  exchange 
for  the  receipt  of  other  securities  as  collateral,  neither  the 
securities  received  nor  the  obligation  to  return  them  are 
recognized on UBS’s balance sheet, as the risks and rewards of 
ownership  are  not  transferred  to  UBS.  In  cases  where  such 
financial  assets  received  are  subsequently  sold  or  repledged  in 
another  transaction,  this  is  not  considered  to  be  a  transfer  of 
financial assets.

Other  financial  asset  transfers  primarily  include  securities 
transferred to collateralize derivative transactions, for which the 
carrying value of associated liabilities is not provided in the table 
above  because  those  replacement  values  are  managed  on  a 
portfolio  basis  across  counterparties  and  product  types,  and 
therefore  there  is  no  direct  relationship  between  the  specific 
collateral pledged and the associated liability.

Transferred 

financial  assets 

to 
derecognition  in  full,  but  remain  on  the  balance  sheet  to  the 
extent of the Group’s continuing involvement, were not material 
as of 31 December 2017 and as of 31 December 2016. 

that  are  not  subject 

404 

Note 23  Restricted and transferred financial assets (continued)

c) Transferred financial assets that are derecognized in their entirety with continuing involvement

Continuing  involvement  in  a  transferred  and  fully  derecognized 
financial  asset  may  result  from  contractual  provisions  in  the 
transfer  agreement  or  from  a  separate  agreement  with  the 
counterparty or a third party entered into in connection with the 
transfer. 

Purchased and retained interests in securitization vehicles
In  cases  where  UBS  has  transferred  assets  into  a  securitization 
vehicle  and  retained  or  purchased  interests  therein,  UBS  has  a 
continuing involvement in those transferred assets. 

As  of  31  December  2017,  the  majority  of  the  retained 
continuing involvement related to securitization positions held in 
the trading portfolio, primarily collateralized debt obligations, US 
residential 
commercial  mortgage-backed 
mortgage-backed securities. The fair value and carrying amount 
of UBS’s continuing involvement related to these purchased and 
retained  interests  was  CHF 8  million  as  of  31  December  2017, 
and  UBS  recognized  gains  of  CHF 4  million  in  2017  related  to 
these  positions.  As  of  31  December  2017,  life-to-date  losses  of 

securities 

and 

CHF 1,170 million were recorded related to the positions held as 
of 31 December 2017.

As of 31 December 2016, the fair value and carrying amount 
of  UBS’s  continuing  involvement  related  to  purchased  and 
retained  interests  in  securitization  vehicles  was  CHF 5  million, 
and UBS recognized gains of CHF 11 million in 2016 related to 
these  positions.  As  of  31  December  2016,  life-to-date  losses  of 
CHF 1,173 million were recorded related to the positions held as 
of 31 December 2016.

The  maximum  exposure  to  loss  related  to  purchased  and 
retained interests in securitization structures was CHF 14 million 
as  of  31  December  2017  compared  with  CHF 28  million  as  of 
31 December 2016.

Undiscounted cash outflows of CHF 7 million may be payable 
to the transferee in future periods as a consequence of holding 
the  purchased  and  retained  interests.  The  earliest  period  in 
which payment may be required is less than one month.

d) Off-balance sheet assets received

The table below presents assets received from third parties that can be sold or repledged, that are not recognized on the balance 
sheet, but that are held as collateral, including amounts that have been sold or repledged.

Off-balance sheet assets received

CHF million

Fair value of assets received that can be sold or repledged

31.12.17

31.12.16

 469,132

 429,327

received as collateral under reverse repurchase, securities borrowing and lending arrangements, derivative transactions and other transactions 1

 462,460

 423,524

received in unsecured borrowings

Thereof sold or repledged2

in connection with financing activities

to satisfy commitments under short sale transactions

in connection with derivative and other transactions 1

 6,672

 5,803

 337,514

 316,323

 293,295

 277,341

 30,463

 13,756

 22,824

 16,158

1 Includes securities received as initial margin from its clients that UBS is required to remit to CCPs, brokers and deposit banks through its exchange-traded derivative (ETD) clearing and execution services.    2 Does 
not  include  off-balance  sheet  securities  (31  December  2017:  CHF  28.1  billion;  31  December  2016:  CHF  30.9  billion)  placed  with  central  banks  related  to  undrawn  credit  lines  and  for  payment,  clearing  and 
settlement purposes for which there are no associated liabilities or contingent liabilities.

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Consolidated financial statements

Note 24  Offsetting financial assets and financial liabilities

UBS  enters  into  netting  agreements  with  counterparties  to 
manage the credit risks associated primarily with repurchase and 
reverse  repurchase  transactions,  securities  borrowing  and 
lending, over-the-counter (OTC) derivatives and exchange-traded 
derivatives 
(ETD).  These  netting  agreements  and  similar 
arrangements  generally  enable  the  counterparties  to  set  off 
liabilities against available assets received in the ordinary course 
of  business  and  /  or  in  the  event  that  the  counterparty  to  the 
transaction  is  unable  to  fulfill  its  contractual  obligations.  The 
right of setoff is a legal right to settle or otherwise eliminate all 
or a portion of an amount due by applying an amount receivable 
from  the  same  counterparty  against  it,  thus  reducing  credit 
exposure.

The  table  below  provides  a  summary  of  financial  assets 
subject  to  offsetting,  enforceable  master  netting  arrangements 
and similar agreements, as well as financial collateral received to 

mitigate  credit  exposures  for  these  financial  assets.  The  gross 
financial  assets  of  the  Group  that  are  subject  to  offsetting, 
enforceable  netting  arrangements  and  similar  agreements  are 
reconciled  to  the  net  amounts  presented  within  the  associated 
balance  sheet  line,  after  giving  effect  to  financial  liabilities  with 
the  same  counterparties  that  have  been  offset  on  the  balance 
sheet  and  other  financial  assets  not  subject  to  an  enforceable 
netting  arrangement  or  similar  agreement.  Further,  related 
amounts  for  financial  liabilities  and  collateral  received  that  are 
not offset on the balance sheet are shown to arrive at financial 
assets after consideration of netting potential.

The  Group  engages  in  a  variety  of  counterparty  credit 
mitigation  strategies  in  addition  to  netting  and  collateral 
arrangements.  Therefore,  the  net  amounts  presented  in  the 
tables on this and on the next page do not purport to represent 
the Group’s actual credit exposure.

Financial assets subject to offsetting, enforceable master netting arrangements and similar agreements

Assets subject to netting arrangements 

Netting recognized on the balance sheet

Netting potential not recognized on
the balance sheet3

Gross assets
before netting

Netting with 
gross liabilities2

Net assets
recognized
on the
balance 
sheet

Assets after
consideration 
of
netting
potential

Financial
liabilities

Collateral
received

Assets not
subject to netting 
arrangements4
Assets
recognized
on the
balance 
sheet

Total assets

Total assets
after 
consideration
of netting 
potential

Total assets
recognized 
on the 
balance
sheet

 3.7
 140.5

 114.3

 21.6

 0.4
 280.5

 4.2

 128.4

 152.3

 37.2

 1.7
 323.8

 0.0
 (76.8)

 (2.1)

 (1.0)

 0.0
 (79.9)

 0.0

 (71.5)

 (2.5)

 (15.1)

 0.0
 (89.1)

 3.7
 63.7

 (0.6)
 (6.9)

 112.2

 (83.5)

 20.6

 0.4
 200.6

 (11.7)

 0.0
 (102.7)

  4.2

  56.9

 (0.9)

 (2.1)

  149.8

 (113.1)

  22.1

  1.7
 234.7

 (14.2)

 0.0
 (130.3)

 (3.1)
 (56.8)

 (20.7)

 (0.7)

 (0.2)
 (81.6)

 (3.3)

 (54.8)

 (26.7)

 (1.0)

 (0.6)
 (86.3)

 0.0
 0.0

 8.0

 8.1

 0.2
 16.4

  0.0

  0.0

  10.0

  7.0

  1.1
 18.1

 8.7
 13.5

 6.0

 2.9

 58.5
 89.6

 10.9

 9.3

 8.6

 4.5

 63.7
 97.1

 8.7
 13.5

 14.0

 11.0

 58.7
 106.0

 10.9

 9.3

 18.6

 11.5

 64.7
 115.2

 12.4
 77.2

 118.2

 23.4

 58.9
 290.2

 15.1

 66.2

 158.4

 26.7

 65.4
 331.8

As of 31.12.17, CHF billion
Cash collateral on securities borrowed

Reverse repurchase agreements

Positive replacement values

Cash collateral receivables on 
derivative instruments1

Financial assets designated at fair value

Total assets

As of 31.12.16, CHF billion
Cash collateral on securities borrowed

Reverse repurchase agreements

Positive replacement values

Cash collateral receivables on 
derivative instruments1

Financial assets designated at fair value

Total assets

1 The net amount of Cash collateral receivables on derivative instruments recognized on the balance sheet includes certain OTC derivatives that are net settled on a daily basis either legally or in substance under 
IAS 32 principles and ETD that are economically settled on a daily basis. Effective 3 January 2017, interest rate swaps and credit derivatives transacted with the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) were legally 
converted from the previous collateral model to a settlement model resulting in a derecognition of the associated assets and liabilities. Previously, UBS applied IAS 32 netting principles to offset the fair value of CME 
interest rate swaps with the associated variation margin. Gross cash collateral receivables and payables on derivative instruments and corresponding IAS 32 netting, decreased by approximately CHF 11.4 billion as 
of  31  December  2017,  with  no  change  to  net  cash  collateral  receivables  and  payables  on  derivative  instruments  recognized  and  presented  on  the  balance  sheet.     2  The  logic  of  the  table  results  in  amounts 
presented in the “Netting with gross liabilities” column corresponding directly to the amounts presented in the “Netting with gross assets” column in the liabilities table presented on the following page.    3 For the 
purpose of this disclosure, the amounts of financial instruments and cash collateral presented have been capped by the relevant netting agreement so as not to exceed the net amount of financial assets presented 
on the balance sheet; i.e., over-collateralization, where it exists, is not reflected in the table.    4 Includes assets not subject to enforceable netting arrangements and other out-of-scope items.

406 

Note 24  Offsetting financial assets and financial liabilities (continued)

The  table  below  provides  a  summary  of  financial  liabilities 
subject  to  offsetting,  enforceable  master  netting  arrangements 
and similar agreements, as well as financial collateral pledged to 
mitigate credit exposures for these financial liabilities. The gross 
financial  liabilities  of  UBS  that  are  subject  to  offsetting, 
enforceable  netting  arrangements  and  similar  agreements  are 
reconciled  to  the  net  amounts  presented  within  the  associated 

balance sheet line, after giving effect to financial assets with the 
same counterparties that have been offset on the balance sheet 
and  other  financial  liabilities  not  subject  to  an  enforceable 
netting  arrangement  or  similar  agreement.  Further,  related 
amounts for financial assets and collateral pledged that are not 
offset  on  the  balance  sheet  are  shown  to  arrive  at  financial 
liabilities after consideration of netting potential.

Financial liabilities subject to offsetting, enforceable master netting arrangements and similar agreements

Liabilities subject to netting arrangements 

Netting recognized on the balance sheet

Netting potential not recognized 
on the balance sheet3

Gross
liabilities
before
netting

 1.7
 88.4

 111.4

Netting with 
gross assets2

 0.0
 (76.8)

 (2.1)

Net 
liabilities
recognized
on the
balance
sheet

 1.7
 11.6

Financial
assets

Collateral
pledged

 (0.6)
 (6.9)

 (1.2)
 (4.7)

 109.4

 (83.5)

 (15.0)

 29.5

 (1.0)

 28.4

 (16.3)

 (1.2)

 1.9
 233.0

 2.6
 76.7

 146.3

 0.0
 (79.9)

 1.9
 153.0

 0.0
 (107.3)

 (0.1)
 (22.1)

 0.0
 (71.5)

 (2.5)

  2.6
  5.2

 (0.9)
 (2.1)

 (1.7)
 (3.1)

  143.9

 (113.1)

 (16.6)

 48.5

 (15.1)

  33.4

 (20.8)

 (1.4)

 2.8
 276.9

 0.0
 (89.1)

  2.8
 187.9

 0.0
 (137.0)

 (0.2)
 (22.9)

Liabilities
after 
consideration of 
netting
potential

 0.0
 0.0

 10.9

 11.0

 1.8
 23.7

  0.0
  0.0

  14.2

  11.2

  2.6
 28.0

Liabilities not
subject 
to netting 
arrangements4

Liabilities
recognized
on the
balance 
sheet

Total liabilities

Total 
liabilities 
after 
consideration
of netting
potential

Total 
liabilities
recognized
on the
balance 
sheet

 0.1
 3.6

 6.8

 1.8

 52.3
 64.6

 0.2
 1.4

 10.0

 2.1

 52.2
 65.9

 0.1
 3.6

 17.7

 12.8

 54.1
 88.3

 0.2
 1.4

 24.2

 13.3

 54.8
 93.9

 1.8
 15.3

 116.1

 30.2

 54.2
 217.6

 2.8
 6.6

 153.8

 35.5

 55.0
 253.7

As of 31.12.17, CHF billion
Cash collateral on securities lent

Repurchase agreements

Negative replacement values

Cash collateral payables on 
derivative instruments1

Financial liabilities designated 
at fair value

Total liabilities

As of 31.12.16, CHF billion
Cash collateral on securities lent

Repurchase agreements

Negative replacement values

Cash collateral payables on 
derivative instruments1

Financial liabilities designated 
at fair value

Total liabilities

1 The net amount of Cash collateral payables on derivative instruments recognized on the balance sheet includes certain OTC derivatives that are net settled on a daily basis either legally or in substance under IAS 
32  principles  and  ETD  that  are  economically  settled  on  a  daily  basis.  Effective  3  January  2017,  interest  rate  swaps  and  credit  derivatives  transacted  with  the  Chicago  Mercantile  Exchange  (CME)  were  legally 
converted from the previous collateral model to a settlement model resulting in a derecognition of the associated assets and liabilities. Previously, UBS applied IAS 32 netting principles to offset the fair value of CME 
interest rate swaps with the associated variation margin. Gross cash collateral receivables and payables on derivative instruments and corresponding IAS 32 netting, decreased by approximately CHF 11.4 billion as 
of  31  December  2017,  with  no  change  to  net  cash  collateral  receivables  and  payables  on  derivative  instruments  recognized  and  presented  on  the  balance  sheet.     2  The  logic  of  the  table  results  in  amounts 
presented in the “Netting with gross assets” column corresponding directly to the amounts presented in the “Netting with gross liabilities” column in the assets table presented on the previous page.     3 For the 
purpose  of  this  disclosure,  the  amounts  of  financial  instruments  and  cash  collateral  presented  have  been  capped  by  the  relevant  netting  agreement  so  as  not  to  exceed  the  net  amount  of  financial  liabilities 
presented on the balance sheet; i.e., over-collateralization, where it exists, is not reflected in the table.    4 Includes liabilities not subject to enforceable netting arrangements and other out-of-scope items.

s
t
n
e
m
e
t
a
t
s

l

i

a
c
n
a
n
F

i

407 

 
Consolidated financial statements

Note 25  Measurement categories, credit risk and maturity analysis of financial instruments

a) Measurement categories of financial assets and liabilities

individual  classes  of 

The  table  below  provides  information  about  the  carrying  amounts 
the 
financial 
of 
measurement categories of financial assets and liabilities as defined 
in  IAS  39,  Financial  Instruments:  Recognition  and  Measurement. 
Only  those  assets  and  liabilities  that  are  financial  instruments  as 

instruments  within 

defined in IAS 32, Financial Instruments: Presentation are included in 
the table below, which causes certain balances to differ from those 
presented on the balance sheet.

→ Refer to Note 22 for more information on how the fair value of 

financial instruments is determined

Measurement categories of financial assets and financial liabilities
CHF million

31.12.17

31.12.16

Financial assets1
Held for trading
Trading portfolio assets
Due to customers2
Debt issued2
Positive replacement values
Total
Fair value through profit or loss
Financial assets designated at fair value
Other assets
Total
Financial assets at amortized cost
Cash and balances with central banks
Due from banks
Cash collateral on securities borrowed
Reverse repurchase agreements
Cash collateral receivables on derivative instruments
Loans3
Financial assets held to maturity
Other assets
Total
Available for sale
Financial assets available for sale
Total financial assets

 126,144
 7
 10
 118,227
 244,388

 58,933
 122
 59,055

 87,775
 13,739
 12,393
 77,240
 23,434
 319,568
 9,166
 27,913
 571,226

 8,665
 883,335

 92,025
 12
 38
 158,411
 250,486

 65,353
 131
 65,483

 107,767
 13,156
 15,111
 66,246
 26,664
 306,325
 9,289
 18,504
 563,063

 15,676
 894,709

 22,824
 153,810
 176,634

 30,463
 116,133
 146,597

Financial liabilities
Held for trading
Trading portfolio liabilities
Negative replacement values
Total
Fair value through profit or loss
Financial liabilities designated at fair value
Amounts due under unit-linked investment contracts
Other liabilities
Total
Financial liabilities at amortized cost
 10,645
Due to banks
Cash collateral on securities lent
 2,818
Repurchase agreements
 6,612
 35,472
Cash collateral payables on derivative instruments
Due to customers
 423,684
 103,687
Debt issued
 38,349
Other liabilities
 621,267
Total
Total financial liabilities
 862,335
1 As of 31 December 2017, CHF 134 billion of Loans, CHF 0 billion of Due from banks, CHF 2 billion of Reverse repurchase agreements, CHF 7 billion of Financial assets available for sale, CHF 24 billion of Financial 
assets designated at fair value and CHF 7 billion of Financial assets held to maturity are expected to be recovered or settled after 12 months. As of 31 December 2016, CHF 126 billion of Loans, CHF 0 billion of Due 
from banks, CHF 1 billion of Reverse repurchase agreements, CHF 10 billion of Financial assets available for sale, CHF 29 billion of Financial assets designated at fair value and CHF 8 billion of Financial assets held 
to maturity are expected to be recovered or settled after 12 months.   2 Represents the embedded derivative component of structured financial instruments for which the fair value option has not been applied and 
that is presented within Due to customers and Debt issued on the balance sheet.     3 Includes finance lease receivables of CHF 1.1 billion as of 31 December 2017 (31 December 2016: CHF 1.0 billion). Refer to 
Notes 10 and 31 for more information.

 7,533
 1,789
 15,255
 30,247
 409,006
 139,561
 36,268
 639,659
 852,103

 54,202
 11,523
 122
 65,847

 55,017
 9,286
 131
 64,434

408 

Note 25  Measurement categories, credit risk and maturity analysis of financial instruments (continued)

b) Maximum exposure to credit risk

The  tables  on  the  following  pages  provide  the  Group’s 
maximum exposure to credit risk by class of financial instrument 
and  the  respective  collateral  and  other  credit  enhancements 
mitigating credit risk for these classes of financial instruments. 

The  maximum  exposure  to  credit  risk  includes  the  carrying 
amounts  of  financial  instruments  recognized  on  the  balance 
sheet  subject  to  credit  risk  and  the  notional  amounts  for  off-
balance  sheet  arrangements.  Where  information  is  available, 
collateral is presented at fair value. For other collateral, such as 

real  estate,  a  reasonable  alternative  value  is  used.  Credit 
enhancements, 
such  as  credit  derivative  contracts  and 
guarantees,  are  included  at  their  notional  amounts.  Both  are 
capped  at  the  maximum  exposure  to  credit  risk  for  which  they 
serve  as  security.  The  section  “Risk  management  and  control” 
describes  management’s  view  of  credit  risk  and  the  related 
exposures,  which  can  differ  in  certain  respects  from  the 
requirements of IFRS.

Maximum exposure to credit risk 

CHF billion

Financial assets measured at amortized cost on the 
balance sheet
Balances with central banks

Due from banks2

Cash collateral on securities borrowed

Reverse repurchase agreements

Cash collateral receivables on derivative instruments3,4

Loans5

Financial assets held to maturity

Other assets

Total financial assets measured at amortized cost
Financial assets measured at fair value on the balance 
sheet
Positive replacement values4

Trading portfolio assets – debt instruments6,7
Financial assets designated at fair value – debt 
instruments8
Financial assets available for sale – debt instruments8

Total financial assets measured at fair value

Total maximum exposure to credit risk reflected on the 
balance sheet

Guarantees9

Loan commitments9

Forward starting transactions, reverse repurchase and 
securities borrowing agreements
Total maximum exposure to credit risk not reflected on 
the balance sheet

Total

31.12.17

Collateral

Credit enhancements

Maximum
exposure to
credit risk

Cash
collateral
received

Collateral-
ized by
securities

Secured by
real estate

Other 
collateral1

Netting

Credit
derivative
contracts Guarantees 

 87.1

 13.7

 12.4

 77.2

 23.4

 319.6

 9.2
 25.8

 568.4

 118.2

 25.6

 58.4

 7.9

 210.1

 778.5
 18.8

 39.1

 12.7

 70.6
 849.1

 0.1

 12.2

 72.8

 4.2

 12.5

 16.1

 111.4

 160.1

 15.9

 0.0

 1.3

 19.5

 216.0

 16.1

 4.0

 9.8

 160.1

 20.1

 12.5

 0.0

 1.3

 142.3

 100.2

 0.0

 13.8

 0.0

 0.0

 100.2

 16.1
 1.0

 1.0
 17.2

 229.8
 2.1

 2.8

 12.4

 17.4
 247.1

 112.7

 160.1
 0.2

 1.1

 20.1
 1.2

 9.5

 1.2
 161.3

 10.7
 30.8

 0.0
 112.7

 0.0

 0.0

 1.0

 1.0
 1.1

 0.0

 1.3
 3.0

 1.4

 4.4
 5.8

Exposure to 
credit risk 
after collateral 
and credit 
enhancements

 87.1

 13.6

 0.2

 0.2

 11.0

 14.8

 9.2

 6.3

s
t
n
e
m
e
t
a
t
s

l

i

a
c
n
a
n
F

i

 14.0

 25.6

 48.5

 7.9

 96.1

 238.4
 11.3

 23.3

 0.3

 34.8
 273.2

409 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Consolidated financial statements

Note 25  Measurement categories, credit risk and maturity analysis of financial instruments (continued)

Maximum exposure to credit risk (continued)

31.12.16

Collateral

Credit enhancements

Maximum
exposure to
credit risk

Cash
collateral
received

Collateral-
ized by
securities

Secured by
real estate

Other 
collateral1

Netting

Credit
derivative
contracts Guarantees 

CHF billion

Financial assets measured at amortized cost on the 
balance sheet
Balances with central banks

Due from banks2

Cash collateral on securities borrowed

Reverse repurchase agreements

Cash collateral receivables on derivative instruments3,4

Loans5

Financial assets held to maturity

Other assets 

Total financial assets measured at amortized cost
Financial assets measured at fair value on the balance 
sheet
Positive replacement values4

Trading portfolio assets – debt instruments6,7
Financial assets designated at fair value – debt 
instruments8
Financial assets available for sale – debt instruments8
Total financial assets measured at fair value

Total maximum exposure to credit risk reflected on the 
balance sheet

Guarantees9

Loan commitments9
Forward starting transactions, reverse repurchase and 
securities borrowing agreements
Total maximum exposure to credit risk not reflected on 
the balance sheet

Total

 107.1

 13.2

 15.1

 66.2

 26.7

 306.3

 9.3
 18.6

 562.5

 158.4

 21.8

 64.8

 14.9

 259.9

 822.4
 16.7

 54.4

 10.2

 81.3
 903.7

Exposure to 
credit risk 
after collateral 
and credit 
enhancements

 107.1

 13.2

 0.3

 0.5

 11.5

 14.6

 9.3
 8.7

 14.8

 62.5

 3.2

 15.1

 17.4

 99.6

 158.2

 14.6

 0.1

 1.8

 17.4

 10.0

 186.9

 5.3

 2.6

 7.9

 194.9
 2.0

 3.9

 10.2

 16.1
 210.9

 0.0

 17.4
 1.4

 0.1

 1.5
 18.9

 158.2

 17.7

 15.1

 0.1

 1.8

 165.2

 134.5

 0.0

 0.0

 134.5

 149.6

 158.2
 0.2

 1.0

 17.7
 1.2

 9.5

 1.1
 159.4

 10.6
 28.4

 0.0
 149.6

 18.6

 21.8

 61.6

 14.9

 116.9

 282.1
 8.8

 33.1

 0.0

 41.9
 324.0

 0.6

 0.6

 0.7
 0.1

 4.8

 4.9
 5.7

 0.0

 1.8
 3.0

 2.0

 5.1
 6.8

1 Includes but is not limited to life insurance contracts, inventory, accounts receivable, mortgage loans, patents and copyrights.    2 Due from banks includes amounts held with third-party banks on behalf of clients. 
The credit risk associated with these balances may be borne by those clients.     3 Included within Cash collateral receivables on derivative instruments are margin balances due from exchanges or clearing houses. 
Some of these margin balances reflect amounts transferred on behalf of clients who retain the associated credit risk.    4 The amount shown in the netting column represents the netting potential not recognized on 
the balance sheet. Refer to Note 24 for more information.    5 Collateral arrangements generally incorporate a range of collateral, including cash, securities, property and other collateral. In 2017, we further aligned 
our collateral allocation processes within Wealth Management Americas to prioritize collateral mainly according to its liquidity profile. This change resulted in increases in loans secured by cash and decreases in 
loans  secured  by  securities  of  CHF  4.5  billion.     6  These  positions  are  generally  managed  under  the  market  risk  framework.  For  the  purpose  of  this  disclosure,  collateral  and  credit  enhancements  were  not 
considered.     7  Does  not  include  debt  instruments  held  for  unit-linked  investment  contracts  and  investment  fund  units.     8  Does  not  include  investment  fund  units.  Financial  assets  designated  at  fair  value 
collateralized by securities consisted of structured loans and reverse repurchase and securities borrowing agreements.   9 The amount shown in the “Guarantees” column largely relates to sub-participations. Refer 
to the “Treasury management” section of this report for more information.   

Maximum exposure to credit risk for financial assets designated 
at fair value
The maximum exposure to credit risk of loans, but not structured 
loans,  designated  at  fair  value  is  generally  mitigated  by  credit 
derivatives  or  similar  instruments.  As  of  31  December  2017,  the 
credit  risk  of  such  loans  with  a  total  notional  amount  of  CHF 4 
million  (31  December  2016:  CHF 609  million)  was  mitigated  by 
credit  derivatives  for  which  the  notional  amount  and  fair  value 
were  not  material  (31  December  2016:  notional  amount  was 
CHF 578 million, fair value was negative CHF 7 million).

Changes  in  the  fair  value  of  loans  designated  at  fair  value 
attributable  to  changes  in  credit  risk  were  not  material  for  the 
years  ended  31  December  2017  and  31  December  2016  and 
from inception until 31 December 2017 and 31 December 2016.
Similarly,  changes  in  the  fair  value  of  credit  derivatives 
mitigating  the  credit  risk  of  loans  designated  at  fair  value  were 
not  material  for  the  years  ended  31  December  2017  and 
31 December 2016 and from inception until 31 December 2017 
and 31 December 2016.

→ Refer to Note 22 for more information on financial assets 

designated at fair value

410 

Note 25  Measurement categories, credit risk and maturity analysis of financial instruments (continued)

c) Financial assets subject to credit risk by rating category

Financial assets subject to credit risk by rating category

CHF billion
Rating category1

Balances with central banks

Due from banks

Cash collateral on securities borrowed and reverse repurchase agreements

Positive replacement values

Cash collateral receivables on derivative instruments

Trading portfolio assets – debt instruments2

Loans

Financial assets designated at fair value – debt instruments3

Financial assets available for sale – debt instruments3

Financial assets held to maturity

Other assets

Guarantees, commitments and forward starting transactions

Guarantees

Loan commitments

Forward starting transactions, reverse repurchase and securities borrowing agreements

0–1

 86.6

 0.6

 24.3

 17.0

 6.5

 10.3

 3.2

 33.8

 6.8

 8.5

 0.1

 2.0

 1.9

2–3

 0.5

 10.6

 36.4

 75.3

 9.7

 7.3

 161.8

 14.2

 1.0

 0.7

 0.4

 9.1

 15.4

 12.7

31.12.17

4–5

6–8

9–13

Defaulted

 1.4

 16.8

 19.4

 5.6

 3.0

 65.4

 1.5

 0.9

 10.4

 6.2

 1.6

 2.0

 70.0

 0.8

 0.1

 0.3

 1.8

 0.3

 0.1

 3.0

 17.6

 8.0

 8.3

 15.9

 0.8

 4.1

 9.4

 2.7

 5.8

 0.8

 6.5

 1.5

 0.3

 0.2

Total

 87.1

 13.7

 89.6

 118.2

 23.4

 25.6

 319.6

 58.4

 7.9

 9.2

 25.8

 18.8

 39.1

 12.7

Total

 201.7

 354.9

 134.8

 116.5

 39.1

 2.0

 849.1

31.12.16

4–5

6–8

9–13

Defaulted

Rating category1

Balances with central banks 

Due from banks

Cash collateral on securities borrowed and reverse repurchase agreements

Positive replacement values

Cash collateral receivables on derivative instruments

Trading portfolio assets – debt instruments2

Loans

Financial assets designated at fair value – debt instruments3

Financial assets available for sale – debt instruments3

Financial assets held to maturity

Other assets

Guarantees, commitments and forward starting transactions

Guarantees

Loan commitments

Forward starting transactions, reverse repurchase and securities borrowing agreements

0–1

 106.2

 0.6

 29.2

 19.6

 6.4

 9.0

 31.7

 48.4

 12.7

 8.4

 0.1

 2.0

 2.4

 0.6

2–3

 0.9

 9.7

 24.5

 96.9

 12.2

 6.8

 127.2

 12.6

 1.8

 0.9

 2.0

 6.4

 19.5

 9.4

 2.0

 20.1

 34.2

 6.4

 2.9

 0.5

 6.9

 7.4

 1.6

 1.7

 63.1

 63.6

 1.0

 0.2

 1.6

 0.1

 0.3

 0.7

 0.4

 0.2

 1.3

 19.1

 1.3

 6.2

 7.7

 2.2

 3.6

 8.7

 0.7

 6.5

 3.7

 17.1

 0.3

Total

 107.1

 13.2

 81.4

 158.4

 26.7

 21.8

 1.6

 306.3

 64.8

 14.9

 9.3

 18.6

 16.7

 54.4

 10.2

 0.3

 0.3

 0.1

Total

 277.4

 330.9

 157.1

 103.5

 32.7

 2.2

 903.7

1 Refer to the “Internal UBS rating scale and mapping of external ratings” table in the “Risk management and control” section of this report for more information on rating categories.     2 Does not include debt 
instruments held for unit-linked investment contracts and investment fund units.    3 Does not include investment fund units.    

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Consolidated financial statements

Note 25  Measurement categories, credit risk and maturity analysis of financial instruments (continued)

d) Maturity analysis of financial liabilities

The  contractual  maturities  for  non-derivative  and  non-trading 
financial  liabilities  as  of  31  December  2017  are  based  on  the 
earliest  date  on  which  UBS  could  be  contractually  required  to 
pay.  The  total  amounts  that  contractually  mature  in  each  time 
band are also shown for 31 December 2016. Derivative positions 

and  trading  liabilities,  predominantly  made  up  of  short  sale 
transactions, are assigned to the column Due within 1 month, as 
this  provides  a  conservative  reflection  of  the  nature  of  these 
trading  activities.  The  contractual  maturities  may  extend  over 
significantly longer periods.

Maturity analysis of financial liabilities1

CHF billion

Financial liabilities recognized on balance sheet2

Due to banks

Cash collateral on securities lent

Repurchase agreements

Trading portfolio liabilities3,4

Negative replacement values3

Cash collateral payables on derivative instruments

Due to customers

Financial liabilities designated at fair value5

Debt issued6

Other liabilities 

Total 31.12.17

Total 31.12.16

Guarantees, commitments and forward starting transactions7

Loan commitments

Guarantees

Forward starting transactions

Reverse repurchase agreements

Securities borrowing agreements

Total 31.12.17

Total 31.12.16

Due within 
1 month

Due between 
1 and 3 months

Due between 
3 and 12 months

Due between 
1 and 5 years

Due after 
5 years

 6.1

 1.7

 11.9

 30.5

 116.1

 30.2

 393.0

 18.4

 4.1

 46.7

 658.7

 704.3

 38.2

 18.8

 12.7

 0.0

 69.7

 81.0

 0.4

 0.2

 2.8

 10.2

 10.3

 15.0

 39.0

 39.2

 0.2

 0.0

 0.2

 0.2

 1.0

 0.6

 5.2

 11.6

 45.2

 63.5

 40.4

 0.1

 0.0

 0.7

 8.8

 50.8

 60.4

 46.6

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0

 7.1

 38.1

 45.2

 46.0

 0.2

 0.1

 0.2

 0.2

 0.1

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0

Total

 7.5

 1.9

 15.3

 30.5

 116.1

 30.2

 409.1

 56.3

 153.2

 46.7

 866.8

 876.6

 38.7

 18.9

 12.7

 0.0

 70.2

 81.4

1 Non-financial liabilities such as deferred income, deferred tax liabilities, provisions and liabilities on employee compensation plans are not included in this analysis.     2 Except for trading portfolio liabilities and 
negative replacement values (see footnote 3), the amounts presented generally represent undiscounted cash flows of future interest and principal payments.     3 Carrying value is fair value. Management believes 
that this best represents the cash flows that would have to be paid if these positions had to be settled or closed out. Refer to Note 12 for undiscounted cash flows of derivatives designated in hedge accounting 
relationships.     4 Contractual maturities of trading portfolio liabilities are: CHF 29.5 billion due within one month (2016: CHF 21.8 billion), CHF 0.8 billion due between one month and one year (2016: CHF 1.0 
billion) and CHF 0.1 billion due between 1 and 5 years (2016: CHF 0.1 billion).    5 Future interest payments on variable rate liabilities are determined by reference to the applicable interest rate prevailing as of the 
reporting date. Future principal payments that are variable are determined by reference to the conditions existing at the reporting date.     6 The time bucket Due after 5 years includes perpetual loss-absorbing 
additional tier 1 capital instruments.    7 Comprises the maximum irrevocable amount of guarantees, commitments and forward starting transactions. 

e) Reclassification of financial assets

In  2008  and  2009,  certain  financial  assets  were  reclassified  from 
Trading  portfolio  assets  to  Loans.  On  their  reclassification  date, 
these  assets  had  fair  values  of  CHF 26  billion  and  CHF 0.6  billion, 
respectively.

reclassified  financial  assets,  which  were  entirely  comprised  of 
municipal auction rate securities, was CHF 0.1 billion (31 December 
2016:  CHF 0.2  billion),  which  was  approximately  equal  to  the  fair 
value of these assets.

The  reclassification  of  financial  assets  reflected  UBS’s  change  in 
intent  and  ability  to  hold  these  financial  assets  for  the  foreseeable 
future rather than for trading in the near term. The financial assets 
were  reclassified  using  their  fair  value  on  the  date  of  the 
reclassification, which became their new cost basis at that date.

As  of  31  December  2017,  the  carrying  value  of  the  remaining 

The overall effect on operating profit before tax from reclassified 
financial assets for the year ended 31 December 2017 was a profit 
of CHF 1 million (2016: CHF 1 million). If the financial assets had not 
been reclassified, the impact on operating profit before tax for the 
year  ended  31  December  2017  would  have  been  a  loss  of  CHF 4 
million. 

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Note 26  Pension and other post-employment benefit plans

The table below provides information about expenses for pension and other post-employment benefit plans. These expenses are part 
of Personnel expenses.

Income statement – expenses related to pension and other post-employment benefit plans

CHF million

Net periodic expenses for defined benefit plans

of which: related to major pension plans 1

of which: Swiss plan 2

of which: UK plan

of which: US and German plans

of which: related to post-employment medical insurance plans 3

of which: UK plan

of which: US plans

of which: related to remaining plans and other expenses 4

Expenses for defined contribution plans5

of which: UK plans

of which: US plan

of which: remaining plans

31.12.17

31.12.16

31.12.15

 471

 452

 406

 14

 31

 3

 1

 2

 17

 239

 71

 108

 59

 435

 412

 381

 (2)

 33

 4

 1

 3

 19

 236

 77

 106

 53

 569

 546

 515

 18

 12

 4

 1

 2

 19

 239

 86

 100

 53

Total pension and other post-employment benefit plan expenses6
1 Refer to Note 26a for more information.     2 The increase in net periodic pension expenses for the Swiss pension plan between 2017 and 2016 related primarily to lower curtailments, partly offset by lower 
expenses due to changes in demographic and financial assumptions.     3 Refer to Note 26b for more information.     4 Other expenses include differences between actual and estimated performance award accruals 
and net accrued pension expenses related to restructuring.    5 Refer to Note 26c for more information.    6 Refer to Note 6.

 710

 808

 670

The table below provides information relating to amounts recognized in Other comprehensive income for defined benefit plans.

Other comprehensive income – gains / (losses) on defined benefit plans

CHF million
Major pension plans1

of which: Swiss plan

of which: UK plan

of which: US and German plans

Post-employment medical insurance plans2

of which: UK plan

of which: US plans

Remaining plans

Gains / (losses) recognized in other comprehensive income, before tax

Tax (expense) / benefit relating to defined benefit plans recognized in other comprehensive income

Gains / (losses) recognized in other comprehensive income, net of tax3

of which: attributable to shareholders

of which: attributable to non-controlling interests

1 Refer to Note 26a for more information.    2 Refer to Note 26b for more information.    3 Refer to the “Statement of comprehensive income.”   

31.12.17

31.12.16

31.12.15

 245

 (78)

 295

 28

 1

 1

 0

 31

 277

 11

 288

 288
 0

 (837)

 (105)

 (610)

 (122)

 (13)

 (6)

 (7)

 (26)

 (876)

 52

 (824)

 (824)
 0

 339

 58

 317

 (35)

 (3)

 6

 (9)

 (14)

 322

 (19)

 304

 298
 5

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Consolidated financial statements

Note 26  Pension and other post-employment benefit plans (continued)

UBS  recognizes  assets  and  liabilities  with  respect  to  defined 
benefit plans within Other assets and Other liabilities.

As of 31 December 2017 and 31 December 2016, the Swiss 
pension  plan  was  in  a  surplus  situation.  However,  a  surplus  is 
only recognized on the balance sheet to the extent that it does 

not  exceed  the  estimated  future  economic  benefit.  Since  the 
estimated future economic benefit was zero as of 31 December 
2017  and  31  December  2016,  no  net  defined  benefit  pension 
asset was recognized on the balance sheet.

The table below provides information on UBS’s liabilities with respect to defined benefit plans.

Balance sheet – net defined benefit pension and post-employment liability

CHF million
Major pension plans1

of which: Swiss plan

of which: UK plan

of which: US and German plans 2

Post-employment medical insurance plans3

of which: UK plan

of which: US plans

Remaining plans

31.12.17

 805

 0

 268

 536

 86

 26

 59

 35

31.12.16

 1,140

 0

 529

 611

 91

 26

 65

 35

Total net defined benefit pension and post-employment liability4
1 Refer to Note 26a for more information.    2 Of the total liability as of 31 December 2017, CHF 149 million related to US plans and CHF 388 million related to German plans (31 December 2016: CHF 265 million 
related to US plans and CHF 346 million related to German plans).    3 Refer to Note 26b for more information.    4 Refer to Note 21.

 1,266

 925

414 

Note 26  Pension and other post-employment benefit plans (continued)

a) Defined benefit pension plans

UBS  has  established  defined  benefit  pension  plans  for  its 
employees  in  various  jurisdictions,  with  the  major  plans  located 
in Switzerland, the UK, the US and Germany. 

The  overall  investment  policy  and  strategy  for  UBS’s  defined 
benefit pension plans is guided by the objective of achieving an 
investment return that, together with contributions, ensures that 
there will be sufficient assets to pay pension benefits as they fall 
due while also mitigating various risks. For the plans with assets, 
i.e. funded plans, the investment strategies are managed under 
local  laws  and  regulations  in  each  jurisdiction.  The  asset 
allocation is determined by the governance body with reference 
to  the  prevailing  current  and  expected  economic  and  market 
conditions and in consideration of specific asset class risk in the 
risk  profile.  Within  this  framework,  UBS  ensures  that  the 
fiduciaries consider how the asset investment strategy correlates 
with the maturity profile of the plan liabilities and the respective 
potential  effect  on  the  funded  status  of  the  plans,  including 
potential short-term liquidity requirements.

investment 

The  defined  benefit  obligations  (DBOs)  for  all  of  UBS’s 
defined benefit pension plans are directly affected by changes in 
yields  of  high-quality  corporate  bonds  quoted  in  an  active 
market  in  the  currency  of  the  respective  pension  plan,  as  the 
applicable discount rate used to determine the DBO is based on 
these  yields.  For  the  funded  plans,  the  pension  assets  are 
invested  in  a  diversified  portfolio  of  financial  assets,  including 
real  estate,  bonds, 
funds  and  cash,  across 
geographic regions to ensure a balance of risk and return. Under 
IAS 19, volatility arises in each pension plan’s net asset / liability 
position  because  the  fair  value  of  the  plan’s  financial  assets  is 
not  fully  correlated  to  movements  in  the  value  of  the  plan’s 
DBO. Specific asset-liability matching strategies for each pension 
responsible 
plan  are 
governance body. The net asset / liability volatility for each plan 
is  dependent  on  the  specific  financial  assets  chosen  by  each 
plan’s  governance  body.  For  certain  pension  plans,  a  liability-
driven  investment  approach  is  applied  to  a  portion  of  the  plan 
assets to reduce potential volatility.

independently  determined  by 

the 

Swiss pension plan
The  Swiss  pension  plan  covers  employees  of  UBS  AG  and 
employees of companies having close economic or financial ties 
with UBS and exceeds the minimum benefit requirements under 
Swiss pension law.

Contributions  to  the  pension  plan  are  paid  by  both  the 
employer  and  the  employees.  The  Swiss  pension  plan  allows 
employees  to  choose  the  level  of  contributions  paid  by  them. 
Employee  contributions  are  calculated  as  a  percentage  of  the 
contributory  salary  and  are  deducted  monthly.  The  percentages 
deducted from salary depend on age and choice of contribution 
category and vary between 1% and 13.5% of contributory base 
salary  and  between  0%  and  9%  of  contributory  variable 
compensation.  Depending  on  the  age  of  the  employee,  UBS 
pays  a  contribution  that  ranges  between  6.5%  and  27.5%  of 
contributory  base  salary  and  between  3.6%  and  9%  of 
contributory  variable  compensation.  UBS  also  pays 
risk 
contributions  that  are  used  to  finance  benefits  paid  out  in  the 
event  of  death  and  disability,  as  well  as  to  finance  bridging 
pensions.

The  plan  benefits  include  retirement,  disability  and  survivor 
benefits.  The  pension  plan  offers  to  members  at  the  normal 
retirement  age  of  64  a  choice  between  a  lifetime  pension  with 
or  without  full  restitution  and  a  partial  or  full  lump  sum 
payment.  Members  can  draw  early  retirement  benefits  starting 
from  the  age  of  58.  Employees  have  the  possibility  to  make 
additional purchases of benefits to fund early retirement benefits 
(Plan 58+).

The pension amount payable is a result of the conversion rate 
applied  on  the  accumulated  balance  of  the  individual  plan 
participant’s  pension  account  at  the  retirement  date.  The 
accumulated  balance  of  each  individual  plan  participant’s 
pension account is based on credited vested benefits transferred 
from  previous  employers,  purchases  of  benefits  and  the 
employee  and  employer  contributions  that  have  been  made  to 
the pension account of each individual plan participant, as well 
as the interest accrued on the accumulated balance. The interest 
rate  accrued  is  defined  annually  by  the  Pension  Foundation 
Board.

Although  the  Swiss  pension  plan  is  based  on  a  defined 
contribution  promise  under  Swiss  pension  law,  it  is  accounted 
for as a defined benefit plan under IAS 19, primarily because of 
the  obligation  to  accrue  interest  on  the  pension  accounts  and 
the payment of lifetime pension benefits. 

415 

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Consolidated financial statements

Note 26  Pension and other post-employment benefit plans (continued)

The  Swiss  pension  plan  is  governed  by  a  Pension  Foundation 
Board.  The  responsibilities  of  this  board  are  defined  by  Swiss 
pension  law  and  by  the  plan  rules.  An  actuarial  valuation  under 
Swiss  pension  law  is  performed  regularly.  According  to  Swiss 
pension  law,  a  temporary  limited  underfunding  is  permitted. 
However,  should  an  underfunded  situation  occur,  the  Pension 
Foundation  Board  is  required  to  take  the  necessary  measures  to 
ensure  that  full  funding  can  be  expected  to  be  restored  within  a 
maximum  period  of  10  years.  If  a  Swiss  pension  plan  were  to 
become  significantly  underfunded  on  a  Swiss  pension  law  basis, 
additional employer and employee contributions could be required. 
In  this  situation,  the  risk  is  shared  between  employer  and 
employees,  and  the  employer  is  not  legally  obliged  to  cover  more 
than  50%  of  the  additional  contributions  required.  As  of 
31 December 2017, the Swiss pension plan had a technical funding 
ratio  under  Swiss  pension  law  of  131.9%  (31  December  2016: 
125.4%).

The investment strategy of the Swiss plan is implemented on the 
basis of a multi-level investment and risk management process and 
complies with Swiss pension law, including the rules and regulations 
relating to diversification of plan assets. These rules, among others, 
specify restrictions to the composition of plan assets, e.g., there is a 
limit of 50% for investments in equities. The investment strategy of 
the Swiss plan is aligned with the defined risk budget set out by the 
Pension  Foundation  Board.  The  risk  budget  is  determined  on  the 
basis  of  regularly  performed  asset  and  liability  management 
analyses. In order to implement the risk budget, the Swiss plan may 
use  direct  investments,  investment  funds  and  derivatives.  To 
mitigate foreign currency risk, a specific currency hedging strategy is 
in place. The Pension Foundation Board strives for a medium- and 
long-term balance between assets and liabilities. 

As  of  31  December  2017,  the  Swiss  pension  plan  was  in  a 
surplus  situation  on  an  International  Financial  Reporting  Standards 
(IFRS) measurement basis, as the fair value of plan assets exceeded 
the  DBO  by  CHF 3,156  million  (31  December  2016:  surplus  of 
CHF 1,749  million).  However,  a  surplus  is  only  recognized  on  the 
balance  sheet  to  the  extent  that  it  does  not  exceed  the  estimated 
future economic benefit, which equals the difference between the 
present  value  of  the  estimated  future  net  service  cost  and  the 
present  value  of  the  estimated  future  employer  contributions.  The 
maximum  future  economic  benefit  is  highly  variable  based  on 
changes in the discount rate. Both as of 31 December 2017 and 31 
December  2016,  the  estimated  future  economic  benefit  was  zero 
and  hence  no  net  defined  benefit  asset  was  recognized  on  the 
balance  sheet.  As  of  31  December  2017,  the  difference  between 
the  pension  plan  surplus  and  the  estimated  future  economic 
benefit,  i.e.,  the  asset  ceiling  effect,  was  CHF 3,156  million  (31 
December  2016:  CHF 1,749  million).  CHF 1,394  million  out  of  the 
total  movement  of  CHF 1,407  million  was  recognized  in  Other 
comprehensive  income  and  CHF 13  million  related  to  interest 
expense  on  the  asset  ceiling  effect  was  recognized  in  the  income 
statement.  As  of  31  December  2016,  CHF 452  million  out  of  the 
total  movement  of  CHF 466  million  was  recognized  in  Other 

comprehensive  income  and  CHF 14  million  related  to  interest 
expense  on  the  asset  ceiling  effect  was  recognized  in  the  income 
statement. 

The  employer  contributions  expected  to  be  made  to  the  Swiss 

pension plan in 2018 are estimated to be CHF 470 million. 

→ Refer to Note 35 for information on changes to the Swiss 
pension plan that will take effect from the start of 2019

Non-Swiss pension plans
UBS  locations  outside  of  Switzerland  offer  various  defined  benefit 
pension  plans  in  accordance  with  local  regulations  and  practices. 
The  non-Swiss  locations  with  major  defined  benefit  pension  plans 
are the UK, the US and Germany. Defined benefit pension plans in 
other locations are not material to the financial results of UBS and 
hence not separately disclosed.

The non-Swiss plans provide benefits in the event of retirement, 
death  or  disability.  The  level  of  benefits  provided  depends  on  the 
specific  rate  of  benefit  accrual  and  the  level  of  employee 
compensation. UBS’s general principle is to ensure that the plans are 
adequately  funded  on  the  basis  of  actuarial  valuations.  Local 
pension regulations and tax requirements are the primary drivers for 
determining when contributions are required.

UK pension plan
The  UK  plan  is  a  career-average  revalued  earnings  scheme,  and 
benefits increase automatically based on UK price inflation. Normal 
retirement age for participants in the UK plan is 60. The UK plan is 
closed to new entrants and pension plan participants are no longer 
accruing  benefits  for  current  or  future  service.  Employees  instead 
participate in the UK defined contribution plan.

The governance responsibility for the UK plan lies jointly with the 
Pension Trustee Board, which is required under local pension laws, 
and  UBS.  The  employer  contributions  to  the  pension  fund  reflect 
agreed-upon  deficit-funding  contributions,  which  are  determined 
on  the  basis  of  the  most  recent  actuarial  valuation  using 
assumptions agreed by the Pension Trustee Board and UBS. In the 
event  of  underfunding,  UBS  and  the  Pension  Trustee  Board  must 
agree on a deficit recovery plan within statutory deadlines. In 2017 
and 2016, UBS did not make any deficit-funding contributions. 

The plan assets are invested in a diversified portfolio of financial 
assets. A liability-driven investment approach is applied, as a portion 
of the plan assets is invested in inflation-indexed bonds that provide 
a partial hedge against price inflation. If price inflation increases, the 
DBO will likely increase more significantly than the change in the fair 
value  of  plan  assets,  which  would  result  in  an  increase  in  the  net 
defined benefit liability. Plan rules and local pension legislation cap 
the level of inflationary increase that can be applied to plan benefits.
As the plan is obligated to provide guaranteed lifetime pension 
benefits  to  plan  participants  upon  retirement,  increases  in  life 
expectancy  will  result  in  an  increase  in  the  plan’s  liabilities.  The 
sensitivity to changes in life expectancy is particularly high in the UK 
plan as the pension benefits are indexed to price inflation.

416 

Note 26  Pension and other post-employment benefit plans (continued)

As  of  31  December  2017,  the  UK  plan  was  in  a  deficit 
situation  on  an  IFRS  measurement  basis  as  the  DBO  exceeded 
the  fair  value  of  plan  assets  by  CHF 268  million  (31  December 
2016: deficit of CHF 529 million). 

assets.  Both  US  plans  apply  a 
investment 
approach to support the volatility management in the net asset / 
liability position. Derivative instruments may also be employed to 
manage volatility.

liability-driven 

No  employer  contributions  are  currently  scheduled  to  be 
made to the UK defined benefit pension plan in 2018, subject to 
periodic review.

The  employer  contributions  expected  to  be  made  to  the  US 
defined benefit pension plans in 2018 are estimated to be CHF 8 
million.

US pension plans
There are two distinct major defined benefit pension plans in the 
US.  Normal  retirement  age  for  participants  in  both  US  plans  is 
65.  The  plans  are  closed  to  new  entrants,  who  instead  can 
participate in defined contribution plans.

One  of  the  major  defined  benefit  pension  plans  is  a 
contribution-based  plan  in  which  each  participant  accrues  a 
percentage of salary in a pension account. The pension account 
is credited annually with interest based on a rate that is linked to 
the  average  yield  on  one-year  US  government  bonds.  For  the 
other  major  defined  benefit  pension  plan,  retirement  benefits 
accrue  based  on  the  career-average  earnings  of  each  individual 
plan  participant.  Former  employees  with  vested  benefits  have 
the  option  to  take  a  lump  sum  payment  or  a  lifetime  annuity 
commencing early or at retirement age. 

As  required  under  local  state  pension  laws,  both  plans  have 
fiduciaries  who,  together  with  UBS,  are  responsible  for  the 
governance of the plans. UBS regularly reviews the contribution 
strategy  for  these  plans.  In  determining  the  contribution 
strategy, UBS considers local statutory funding rules and the cost 
of  any  premiums  that  must  be  paid  to  the  Pension  Benefit 
Guaranty Corporation for having an underfunded plan. In 2017, 
the  contributions  made  by  UBS  were  CHF 89  million  (2016: 
CHF 172 million). 

The  plan  assets  for  both  plans  are  invested  in  a  diversified 
portfolio  of  financial  assets.  Each  pension  plan’s  fiduciaries  are 
responsible for the investment decisions with respect to the plan 

German pension plans
There  are  two  different  defined  benefit  pension  plans  in 
Germany, and both are contribution-based plans. No plan assets 
are set aside to fund these plans, and benefits are directly paid 
by  UBS.  Normal  retirement  age  for  the  participants  in  the 
German plans is 65. Within the larger of the two pension plans, 
each  participant  accrues  a  percentage  of  salary  in  a  pension 
account.  The  accumulated  account  balance  of  the  plan 
participant  is  credited  on  an  annual  basis  with  guaranteed 
interest at a rate of 5%. In the other plan, amounts are accrued 
annually  based  on  employee  elections.  For  this  plan,  the 
accumulated account balance is credited on an annual basis with 
a  guaranteed  interest  rate  of  4%  for  amounts  accrued  after 
2009. Both German plans are regulated under German pension 
law,  under  which  the  responsibility  to  pay  pension  benefits 
when  they  are  due  rests  entirely  with  UBS.  For  the  German 
plans, a portion of the pension payments is directly increased in 
line with price inflation.

The benefits expected to be paid by UBS to the participants of 

the German plans in 2018 are estimated to be CHF 10 million.

Financial information by plan
The  tables  on  the  following  pages  provide  an  analysis  of  the 
movement  in  the  net  asset  /  liability  recognized  on  the  balance 
sheet for defined benefit pension plans, as well as an analysis of 
amounts  recognized  in  net  profit  and  in  Other  comprehensive 
income.

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Consolidated financial statements

Note 26  Pension and other post-employment benefit plans (continued)

of which: actuarial (gains) / losses due to changes in demographic assumptions

 6

 (659)

Defined benefit pension plans
CHF million
For the year ended
Defined benefit obligation at the beginning of the year

Current service cost

Interest expense

Plan participant contributions

Remeasurements

of which: actuarial (gains) / losses due to changes in financial assumptions
of which: experience (gains) / losses 1

Curtailments

Benefit payments

Other movements

Foreign currency translation
Defined benefit obligation at the end of the year

of which: amounts owed to active members

of which: amounts owed to deferred members

of which: amounts owed to retirees

Fair value of plan assets at the beginning of the year

Return on plan assets excluding amounts included in interest income

Interest income

Employer contributions 

Plan participant contributions

Benefit payments

Administration expenses, taxes and premiums paid

Foreign currency translation
Fair value of plan assets at the end of the year

Asset ceiling effect at the beginning of the year

Interest expense on asset ceiling effect

Asset ceiling effect excluding interest expense on asset ceiling effect
Asset ceiling effect at the end of the year

Net defined benefit asset / (liability)

Movement in the net asset / (liability) recognized on the balance sheet
Net asset / (liability) recognized on the balance sheet at the beginning of the year
Net periodic expenses recognized in net profit

Gains / (losses) recognized in other comprehensive income

Employer contributions

Other movements

Foreign currency translation
Net asset / (liability) recognized on the balance sheet at the end of the year

Funded and unfunded plans
Defined benefit obligation from funded plans

Defined benefit obligation from unfunded plans

Plan assets
Surplus / (deficit)

Asset ceiling effect

Swiss plan
31.12.17 31.12.16
 22,636
 22,865

UK plan
31.12.17 31.12.16
 3,350
 3,704

US and German plans
31.12.17 31.12.16
 1,619
 1,755

Total
31.12.17 31.12.16
 27,605
 28,325

 448

 163

 205

 303

 471

 240

 210

 477

 0

 100

 0

 (82)

 (80)

 0

 116

 0

 922

 (63)

 145

 152

 (49)

 698

 438

 (96)

 47  1,022

 (49)

 (37)

 0

 0

 (1,098)

 (1,074)

 (251)

 (135)

 (8)

 0

 0
 22,828

 0
 22,865

 0

 179
 3,650

 0

 (549)
 3,704

 10,470  10,419

 176

 290

 0

 0

 1,881  2,210

 12,358  12,446

 1,593  1,204

 24,614

 23,919

 3,175

 3,400

 1,619

 178

 477

 205

 824

 258

 486

 210

 213

 86

 0

 0

 312

 118

 0

 0

 (1,098)

 (1,074)

 (251)

 (135)

 (10)

 (10)

 0
 25,984

 0
 24,614

 1,749

 1,283

 13

 1,394
 3,156

 0

 14

 452
 1,749

 0

 0

 159
 3,381

 0

 (520)
 3,175

 0

 0

 0
 0

 0

 0

 0
 0

 9

 61

 0

 80

 (5)

 84

 2

 0

 (107)

 0

 (29)
 1,770

 248

 628

 893

 1,144

 108

 44

 97

 0

 (107)

 (4)

 (48)
 1,234

 0

 0

 0
 0

 9

 62

 0

 125

 3

 107

 15

 0

 (98)

 19

 20
 1,755

 258

 584

 913

 997

 2

 44

 179

 0

 (98)

 (6)

 26
 1,144

 0

 0

 0
 0

 456

 325

 205

 301

 480

 419

 210

 1,524

 (79)

 (719)

 276  1,827

 104

 (49)

 416

 (96)

 (1,457)

 (1,307)

 (8)

 19

 150
 28,248

 (529)
 28,325

 10,894  10,967

 2,510  2,794

 14,844  14,563

 28,934

 28,316

 1,939

 1,139

 307

 574

 205

 420

 665

 210

 (1,457)

 (1,307)

 (14)

 (16)

 111
 30,599

 (494)
 28,934

 1,749

 1,283

 13

 1,394
 3,156

 14

 452
 1,749

 (268)

 (529)

 (536)

 (611)

 (805)

 (1,140)

 0
 (406)

 (78)

 477

 8

 0
 0

 0
 (381)

 (105)

 486

 0

 0
 0

 (529)
 (14)

 295

 0

 0

 (20)
 (268)

 50
 2

 (610)

 0

 0

 29
 (529)

 (611)
 (31)

 28

 97

 0

 (20)
 (536)

 (622)
 (33)

 (122)

 179

 (19)

 6
 (611)

 (1,140)
 (452)

 245

 574

 8

 (39)
 (805)

 (572)
 (412)

 (837)

 665

 (19)

 35
 (1,140)

 22,828

 22,865

 3,650

 3,704

 1,291

 1,316

 27,769

 27,885

 0

 0

 0

 0

 25,984
 3,156

 24,614
 1,749

 3,381
 (268)

 3,175
 (529)

 3,156

 1,749

 0

 0

 479

 1,234
 (536)

 0

 440

 1,144
 (611)

 479

 440

 30,599
 2,351

 28,934
 609

 0

 3,156

 1,749

 (1,140)
Net defined benefit asset / (liability)
1 Experience (gains) / losses are a component of actuarial remeasurements of the defined benefit obligation that reflect the effects of differences between the previous actuarial assumptions and what has actually 
occurred.

 (268)

 (536)

 (805)

 (529)

 (611)

 0

 0

418 

Note 26  Pension and other post-employment benefit plans (continued)

Analysis of amounts recognized in net profit
CHF million
For the year ended
Current service cost

Interest expense related to defined benefit obligation

Interest income related to plan assets

Interest expense on asset ceiling effect

Administration expenses, taxes and premiums paid

Curtailments

Net periodic expenses recognized in net profit

Swiss plan
31.12.17 31.12.16
 471

 448

UK plan
31.12.17 31.12.16
 0

 0

US and German plans
31.12.17 31.12.16
 9

 9

Total
31.12.17 31.12.16
 480

 456

 163

 (178)

 13

 10

 (49)

 406

 240

 (258)

 14

 10

 (96)

 381

 100

 (86)

 116

 (118)

 0

 0

 0

 14

 0

 0

 0

 (2)

 61

 (44)

 0

 4

 0

 31

 62

 (44)

 0

 6

 0

 33

 325

 (307)

 13

 14

 (49)

 452

 419

 (420)

 14

 16

 (96)

 412

Analysis of amounts recognized in other comprehensive income (OCI)
CHF million
For the year ended
Remeasurement of defined benefit obligation

Return on plan assets excluding amounts included in interest income

Asset ceiling effect excluding interest expense on asset ceiling effect
Total gains / (losses) recognized in other comprehensive income, before tax

Swiss plan
31.12.17 31.12.16
 (477)

 (303)

UK plan
31.12.17 31.12.16
 (922)

 82

US and German plans
31.12.17 31.12.16
 (125)

 (80)

Total
31.12.17 31.12.16
 (1,524)

 (301)

 1,619

 (1,394)
 (78)

 824

 (452)
 (105)

 213

 0
 295

 312

 0
 (610)

 108

 0
 28

 2

 1,939

 1,139

 0
 (122)

 (1,394)
 245

 (452)
 (837)

The table below provides information on the duration of the DBO and the timing for expected benefit payments.

Duration of the defined benefit obligation (in years)

Maturity analysis of benefits expected to be paid

CHF million

Benefits expected to be paid within 12 months

Benefits expected to be paid between 1 and 3 years

Benefits expected to be paid between 3 and 6 years

Benefits expected to be paid between 6 and 11 years

Benefits expected to be paid between 11 and 16 years

Benefits expected to be paid in more than 16 years

1 The duration of the defined benefit obligation represents a weighted average across US and German plans.

Swiss plan

UK plan

US and German plans1

31.12.17

31.12.16

31.12.17

31.12.16

31.12.17

31.12.16

 15.1

 15.1

 20.0

 22.6

 10.6

 10.6

 1,120

 2,236

 3,368

 5,423

 4,980

 1,140

 2,204

 3,394

 5,439

 5,041

 81

 177

 328

 699

 786

 72

 164

 315

 710

 856

 16,757

 17,162

 4,216

 6,064

 105

 212

 321

 558

 501

 865

 103

 213

 328

 562

 514

 958

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Consolidated financial statements

Note 26  Pension and other post-employment benefit plans (continued)

Actuarial assumptions
The  measurement  of  each  pension  plan’s  DBO  considers 
different  actuarial  assumptions.  Changes  in  those  assumptions 
lead  to  volatility  in  the  DBO.  The  following  principal  actuarial 
assumptions are applied:
– Discount rate: the discount rate is based on the yield of high-
quality  corporate  bonds  quoted  in  an  active  market  in  the 
currency  of  the  respective  pension  plan.  Consequently,  a 
decrease 
in  the  yield  of  high-quality  corporate  bonds 
increases  the  DBO.  Conversely,  an  increase  in  the  yield  of 
high-quality corporate bonds decreases the DBO.

– Rate  of  salary  increase:  an  increase  in  the  salary  of  plan 
participants  generally  increases  the  DBO,  specifically  for  the 
Swiss  and  German  plans.  For  the  UK  plan,  as  the  plan  is 
closed  for  future  service,  UBS  employees  no  longer  accrue 
future  service  benefits  and  thus  salary  increases  have  no 
effect on the DBO. For the US plans, only a small percentage 
of the total population continues to accrue benefits for future 
service  and  therefore  the  effect  of  a  salary  increase  on  the 
DBO is minimal.

– Rate  of  pension  increase:  for  the  Swiss  plan,  there  is  no 
automatic  indexing  of  pensions.  Any  increase  would  be 
decided  by  the  Pension  Foundation  Board.  For  the  US  plans, 
there  is  also  no  automatic  indexing  of  pensions.  For  the  UK 
plan, pensions are automatically indexed to price inflation as 
per plan rules and local pension legislation. The German plans 
are also automatically indexed and a portion of the pensions 
are  directly  increased  by  price  inflation.  An  increase  in  price 
inflation  in  the  UK  and  Germany  increases  the  respective 
plan’s DBO.

– Rate  of  interest  credit  on  retirement  savings:  the  Swiss  plan 
and one of the US plans have retirement saving balances that 
are  increased  annually  by  an  interest  credit  rate.  For  these 
plans,  an  increase  in  the  interest  credit  rate  increases  the 
respective plan’s DBO.

– Life  expectancy:  for  most  of  UBS’s  defined  benefit  pension 
plans, the respective plan is obligated to provide guaranteed 
lifetime  pension  benefits.  The  DBO  for  all  plans  is  calculated 
using  an  underlying  best  estimate  of  the  life  expectancy  of 
plan  participants.  An  increase  in  the  life  expectancy  of  plan 
participants increases the plan’s DBO.

The  actuarial  assumptions  used  for  the  pension  plans  are 
based on the economic conditions prevailing in the jurisdiction in 
which they are offered.

→ Refer to Note 1a item 7 for a description of the accounting 

policy for defined benefit pension plans

Changes in actuarial assumptions
UBS  regularly  reviews  the  actuarial  assumptions  used 
calculating its DBO to determine their continuing relevance.

in 

Swiss pension plan 
In 2017, a net loss of CHF 303 million was recognized in Other 
comprehensive  income  (OCI)  related  to  the  remeasurement  of 
the DBO. This was primarily due to a market-driven decrease in 
the  discount  rate,  which  resulted  in  an  OCI  loss  of  CHF 170 
million,  as  well  as  experience  losses  of  CHF 152  million, 
reflecting  differences  between 
actuarial 
assumptions  and  what  actually  occurred.  These  effects  were 
partially offset by market-driven changes to the assumed rate of 
interest credit on retirement savings, which resulted in a gain of 
CHF 27  million.  Changes  in  other  assumptions  were  not 
significant. 

the  previous 

In  2016,  UBS  continued  to  enhance  its  methodology  for 
estimating  the  discount  rate  by  improving  the  construction  of 
the  yield  curve  from  Swiss  high-quality  corporate  bonds. 
Furthermore,  UBS  refined  its  approach  for  estimating  the  life 
expectancy, the rate of employee disability and the rate of salary 
increases. These changes in estimates decreased the DBO of the 
Swiss  pension  plan  by  CHF 319  million,  of  which  changes  in 
demographic  assumptions  decreased  the  DBO  by  CHF 659 
million and changes in financial assumptions increased the DBO 
by CHF 339 million. However, the effect from these changes in 
estimates  was  more  than  offset  by  experience  losses  and 
market-driven  changes  in  the  discount  rate,  resulting  in  a  total 
upward  remeasurement  of  the  Swiss  plan  DBO  of  CHF 477 
million recognized in OCI.

UK pension plan
In  2017,  a  net  gain  of  CHF 82  million  was  recognized  in  OCI 
related to the remeasurement of the DBO for the UK plan. This 
was  primarily  driven  by  changes 
life  expectancy 
assumption,  which  resulted  in  a  gain  of  CHF 80  million.  In 
addition, market-driven changes in the inflation rate assumption 
resulted  in  a  gain  of  CHF 60  million  and  experience  gains  were 
CHF 49  million.  These  gains  were  partly  offset  by  a  market-
driven decrease in the discount rate, which resulted in a loss of 
CHF 105 million.

in  the 

In 2016, a net loss of CHF 922 million was recognized in OCI 
related  to  the  remeasurement  of  the  DBO  for  the  UK  plan, 
resulting from a loss of CHF 866 million due to a market-driven 
decrease in the discount rate and a loss of CHF 156 million from 
market-driven  changes  in  the  inflation  rate  assumption,  partly 
offset  by  a  gain  of  CHF 63  million  from  changes  in  the  life 
expectancy  assumption  and  an  experience  gain  of  CHF 37 
million. 

US and German pension plans
In  2017,  a  net  loss  of  CHF 80  million  was  recognized  in  OCI 
related  to  the  remeasurement  of  the  DBO  for  the  US  and 
German  plans  compared  with  a  net  loss  of  CHF 125  million  in 
2016. OCI losses in both years were primarily driven by market-
driven decreases in discount rates.

420 

Note 26  Pension and other post-employment benefit plans (continued)

The tables below show the principal actuarial assumptions used in calculating the DBO at the end of the year.

Principal actuarial assumptions used

In %

Discount rate

Rate of salary increase

Rate of pension increase

Rate of interest credit on retirement savings 

1 Represents weighted average assumptions across US and German plans.

Mortality tables and life expectancies for major plans

Country

Switzerland

UK

USA

Germany

Country

Switzerland

UK

USA

Germany

Mortality table
BVG 2015 G with CMI 2016 projections1

S2PA with CMI 2016 projections2

RP2014 WCHA with MP2017 projection scale3

Dr. K. Heubeck 2005 G

Mortality table
BVG 2015 G with CMI 2016 projections1

S2PA with CMI 2016 projections2

RP2014 WCHA with MP2017 projection scale3

Dr. K. Heubeck 2005 G

Swiss plan

UK plan

US and German plans1

31.12.17

31.12.16

31.12.17

31.12.16

31.12.17

31.12.16

 0.67

 1.30

 0.00

 0.67

 0.73

 1.30

 0.00

 0.73

 2.55

 0.00

 3.11

 0.00

 2.69

 0.00

 3.18

 0.00

 3.14

 2.83

 1.50

 2.56

 3.58

 2.86

 1.50

 1.74

Life expectancy at age 65 for a male member currently

aged 65

aged 45

31.12.17

31.12.16

31.12.17

31.12.16

 21.6

 23.4

 22.8

 20.3

 21.5

 23.7

 22.9

 20.1

 23.0

 24.6

 24.4

 22.9

 22.9

 25.0

 24.4

 22.8

Life expectancy at age 65 for a female member currently

aged 65

aged 45

31.12.17

31.12.16

31.12.17

31.12.16

 23.4

 25.2

 24.4

 24.3

 23.4

 25.6

 24.5

 24.2

 24.9

 26.5

 26.0

 26.8

 24.9

 27.4

 26.1

 26.7

1 In 2016, the mortality table BVG 2015 G with proposed CMI 2016 was used.    2 In 2016, the mortality table S2PA with CMI 2015 projections was used.     3 In 2016, the mortality table RP2014 WCHA with 
MP2016 projection scale was used.

Sensitivity analysis of significant actuarial assumptions
The table below presents a sensitivity analysis for each significant 
actuarial  assumption,  showing  how  the  DBO  would  have  been 
affected  by  changes  in  the  relevant  actuarial  assumption  that 
were reasonably possible at the balance sheet date. Unforeseen 

circumstances may arise, which could result in variations that are 
outside  the  range  of  alternatives  deemed  reasonably  possible. 
Caution  should  be  used  in  extrapolating  the  sensitivities  below 
on the DBO as the sensitivities may not be linear.

Sensitivity analysis of significant actuarial assumptions1
Increase / (decrease) in defined benefit obligation
CHF million
Discount rate

Increase by 50 basis points
Decrease by 50 basis points

Rate of salary increase

Increase by 50 basis points
Decrease by 50 basis points

Rate of pension increase

Increase by 50 basis points
Decrease by 50 basis points

Rate of interest credit on retirement savings

Increase by 50 basis points
Decrease by 50 basis points

Life expectancy

Increase in longevity by one additional year

Swiss plan

UK plan

31.12.17

31.12.16

31.12.17

31.12.16

US and German plans
31.12.17

31.12.16

 (1,432)
 1,627

 84
 (80)

 1,181
–3

 260
 (247)

 807

 (1,435)
 1,630

 86
 (79)

 1,178
–3

 264
 (250)

 796

 (341)
 391

–2
–2

 370
 (327)

–4 
–4 

 (388)
 452

–2 
–2 

 435
 (377)

–4 
–4 

 (88)
 96

 1
 (1)

 7
 (6)

 9
 (9)

 (86)
 94

 1
 (1)

 6
 (6)

 9
 (8)

 139

 136

 47

 44

1 The sensitivity analyses are based on a change in one assumption while holding all other assumptions constant, so that interdependencies between the assumptions are excluded.     2 As the plan is closed for 
future service, a change in assumption is not applicable.     3 As the assumed rate of pension increase was 0% as of 31 December 2017 and as of 31 December 2016, a downward change in assumption is not 
applicable.    4 As the UK plan does not provide interest credits on retirement savings, a change in assumption is not applicable.

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Note 26  Pension and other post-employment benefit plans (continued)

Fair value of plan assets
The  tables  below  provide  information  on  the  composition  and  fair  value  of  plan  assets  of  the  Swiss,  the  UK  and  the  US  pension 
plans.

Composition and fair value of plan assets

Swiss plan

CHF million
Cash and cash equivalents

Real estate / property

Domestic

Investment funds

Equity    

Domestic

Foreign

Bonds1

Domestic, AAA to BBB–

Foreign, AAA to BBB–

Foreign, below BBB–

Real estate

Foreign

Other

Other investments

Total fair value of plan assets

Total fair value of plan assets
of which: 2

Bank accounts at UBS 

UBS debt instruments

UBS shares

Securities lent to UBS 3

Property occupied by UBS

Derivative financial instruments, counterparty UBS 3

31.12.17

31.12.16

Fair value

Plan asset
allocation %

Fair value

Plan asset
allocation %

Quoted
in an active
market
 117

Other
 0

Total
 117

 0

 2,787

 2,787

 650

 0

 650

 7,317

 1,298

 8,615

 2,221

 6,214

 563

 0

 0

 0

 2,221

 6,214

 563

 0

 23

 23

 839

 3,942

 4,781

 0

 12

 12

Quoted
in an active
market
 869

Other
 0

Total
 869

 0

 2,689

 2,689

 938

 0

 6,558

 1,170

 2,222

 5,877

 1,176

 0

 0

 0

 938

 7,728

 2,222

 5,877

 1,176

 0

 42

 42

 283

 2,776

 3,059

 0

 15

 15

 0

 11

 3

 33

 9

 24

 2

 0

 18

 0

 4

 11

 4

 31

 9

 24

 5

 0

 12

 0

 17,922

 8,061

 25,984

 100

 17,923

 6,691

 24,614

 100

31.12.17

 25,984

 117

 3

 33

 1,979

 83

 23

31.12.16

 24,614

 432

 5

 47

 1,855

 83

 (220)

1 The bond credit ratings are primarily based on Standard & Poor’s credit ratings. Ratings AAA to BBB– and below BBB– represent investment grade and non-investment grade ratings, respectively. In cases where 
credit ratings from other rating agencies were used, these were converted to the equivalent rating in the Standard & Poor’s rating classification.     2 Bank accounts at UBS encompass accounts in the name of the 
Swiss  pension  fund.  The  other  positions  disclosed  in  the  table  encompass  both  direct  investments  in  UBS  instruments  and  indirect  investments,  i.e.  those  made  through  funds  that  the  pension  fund  invests  in.  
3 Securities lent to UBS and derivative financial instruments are presented gross of any collateral. Securities lent to UBS were fully covered by collateral as of 31 December 2017 and 31 December 2016. Net of 
collateral, derivative financial instruments amounted to CHF 11 million as of 31 December 2017 (31 December 2016: CHF 76 million).

422 

Note 26  Pension and other post-employment benefit plans (continued)

Composition and fair value of plan assets (continued)

UK plan

31.12.17

31.12.16

Fair value

Plan asset
allocation %

Fair value

Plan asset
allocation %

CHF million
Cash and cash equivalents

Bonds1

Domestic, AAA to BBB–

Domestic, below BBB–

Investment funds

Equity    

Domestic

Foreign

Bonds1

Domestic, AAA to BBB–

Domestic, below BBB–

Foreign, AAA to BBB–

Foreign, below BBB–

Real estate

Domestic

Other

Other investments2

Total fair value of plan assets

Quoted
in an active
market
 159

Other
 0

Total
 159

 1,666

 1

 31

 1,020

 625

 21

 143

 56

 100

 (4)

 (560)

 0

 0

 0

 0

 81

 0

 0

 0

 27

 5

 11

 1,666

 1

 31

 1,020

 706

 21

 143

 56

 128

 1

 (549)

 3,257

 124

 3,381

Quoted
in an active
market
 133

 1,131

 1

 39

 984

 500

 23

 245

 39

 39

 (35)

 (144)

 2,955

 5

 49

 0

 1

 30

 21

 1

 4

 2

 4

 0

 (16)

 100

Other
 0

Total
 133

 1,131

 1

 39

 984

 528

 23

 245

 39

 111

 76

 0

 0

 0

 0

 28

 0

 0

 0

 72

 111

 10

 221

 4

 36

 0

 1

 31

 17

 1

 8

 1

 4

 2

 (134)

 3,175

 (4)

 100

1 The bond credit ratings are primarily based on Standard & Poor’s credit ratings. Ratings AAA to BBB– and below BBB– represent investment grade and non-investment grade ratings, respectively. In cases where 
credit ratings from other rating agencies were used, these were converted to the equivalent rating in the Standard & Poor’s rating classification.   2 Mainly relates to repurchase arrangements on UK treasury bonds. 

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Consolidated financial statements

Note 26  Pension and other post-employment benefit plans (continued)

Composition and fair value of plan assets (continued)

US plans

31.12.17

31.12.16

CHF million
Cash and cash equivalents

Bonds1

Domestic, AAA to BBB–

Domestic, below BBB–

Foreign, AAA to BBB–

Foreign, below BBB–

Investment funds

Equity    

Domestic

Foreign

Bonds1

Domestic, AAA to BBB–

Domestic, below BBB–

Foreign, AAA to BBB–

Foreign, below BBB–

Real estate

Domestic

Other

Insurance contracts

Asset-backed securities

Other investments

Fair value

Quoted
in an active
market
 74

Other
 0

Fair value

Quoted
in an active
market
 75

Other
 0

Weighted
average
plan asset
allocation %

 6

 16

 1

 4

 0

 24

 22

 17

 2

 4

 0

 1

 2

 1

 1

 0

Total
 74

 195

 10

 44

 1

 291

 270

 210

 19

 46

 5

 12

 21

 17

 15

 4

 195

 10

 44

 1

 291

 270

 210

 19

 46

 5

 0

 21

 0

 15

 4

 0

 0

 0

 0

 0

 0

 0

 0

 0

 0

 12

 0

 17

 0

 0

 30

Weighted
average
plan asset
allocation %

 7

 14

 1

 4

 0

 23

 22

 19

 2

 4

 0

 1

 2

 2

 1

 0

Total
 75

 158

 13

 42

 1

 264

 248

 218

 18

 42

 5

 11

 19

 18

 8

 3

 1,144

 100

 158

 13

 42

 1

 264

 248

 218

 18

 42

 5

 0

 19

 0

 8

 3

 0

 0

 0

 0

 0

 0

 0

 0

 0

 0

 11

 0

 18

 0

 0

 29

Total fair value of plan assets

 1,204

 1,234

 100

 1,115

1 The bond credit ratings are primarily based on Standard & Poor’s credit ratings. Ratings AAA to BBB– and below BBB– represent investment grade and non-investment grade ratings, respectively. In cases where 
credit ratings from other rating agencies were used, these were converted to the equivalent rating in the Standard & Poor’s rating classification. 

424 

Note 26  Pension and other post-employment benefit plans (continued)

b) Post-employment medical insurance plans

In  the  US  and  the  UK,  UBS  offers  post-employment  medical 
insurance benefits that contribute to the health care coverage of 
certain  employees  and  their  beneficiaries  after  retirement.  The 
UK  post-employment  medical  insurance  plan  is  closed  to  new 
entrants. 

These  plans  are  not  prefunded.  In  the  US,  the  retirees  also 

contribute to the cost of the post-employment medical benefits.

The  benefits  expected  to  be  paid  by  UBS  to  the  post-
employment  medical  insurance  plans  in  2018  are  estimated  to 
be CHF 5 million.

The table below provides an analysis of the movement in the 
net  asset  /  liability  recognized  on  the  balance  sheet  for  post-
employment  medical  plans,  as  well  as  an  analysis  of  amounts 
recognized in net profit and in Other comprehensive income.

Post-employment medical insurance plans

CHF million

For the year ended

Post-employment benefit obligation at the beginning of the year

Current service cost

Interest expense

Plan participant contributions

Remeasurements

of which: actuarial (gains) / losses due to changes in demographic assumptions

of which: actuarial (gains) / losses due to changes in financial assumptions

of which: experience (gains) / losses 1

Benefit payments2

Foreign currency translation

Post-employment benefit obligation at the end of the year

of which: amounts owed to active members

of which: amounts owed to deferred members

of which: amounts owed to retirees

Fair value of plan assets at the end of the year

Net post-employment benefit asset / (liability)

Analysis of amounts recognized in net profit

Current service cost

Interest expense related to post-employment benefit obligation

Net periodic expenses

Analysis of amounts recognized in other comprehensive income (OCI)

Remeasurement of post-employment benefit obligation

Total gains / (losses) recognized in other comprehensive income, before tax

UK plan

US plans

Total

31.12.17

31.12.16

31.12.17

31.12.16

31.12.17

31.12.16

 26

 0

 1

 0

 (1)

 0

 (1)

 0

 (1)

 1

 26

 6

 0

 20

 0

 (26)

 0

 1

 1

 1

 1

 25

 0

 1

 0

 6

 1

 5

 0

 (1)

 (4)

 26

 6

 0

 21

 0

 (26)

 0

 1

 1

 (6)

 (6)

 65

 0

 2

 3

 0

 0

 2

 (2)

 (7)

 (3)

 59

 0

 0

 59

 0

 (59)

 0

 2

 2

 0

 0

 59

 0

 3

 2

 7

 (1)

 1

 6

 (7)

 1

 65

 0

 0

 65

 0

 (65)

 0

 3

 3

 (7)

 (7)

 91

 0

 3

 3

 (1)

 (1)

 2

 (2)

 (9)

 (1)

 86

 6

 0

 79

 0

 (86)

 0

 3

 3

 1

 1

 84

 0

 3

 2

 13

 0

 6

 6

 (8)

 (3)

 91

 6

 0

 86

 0

 (91)

 0

 3

 4

 (13)

 (13)

1 Experience (gains) / losses are a component of actuarial remeasurements of the post-employment benefit obligation that reflect the effects of differences between the previous actuarial assumptions and what has 
actually occurred.    2 Benefit payments are funded by employer contributions and plan participant contributions.

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Consolidated financial statements

Note 26  Pension and other post-employment benefit plans (continued)

Actuarial assumptions
The  measurement  of  each  medical  insurance  plan’s  post-
employment  benefit  obligation  considers  different  actuarial 
assumptions.  Changes  in  assumptions  lead  to  volatility  in  the 
post-employment  benefit  obligation.  The  following  principal 
actuarial assumptions are applied:
– Discount  rate:  discount  rates  used  for  post-employment 
medical  insurance  plans  are  the  same  as  those  used  for 
defined  benefit  pension  plans.  A  decrease  in  the  yield  of 
high-quality  corporate  bonds  increases  the  post-employment 
benefit  obligation.  Conversely,  an  increase  in  the  yield  of 
high-quality corporate bonds decreases the post-employment 
benefit obligation.

Principal actuarial assumptions used1

In %

Discount rate

Average health care cost trend rate – initial

Average health care cost trend rate – ultimate

– Average health care cost trend rate: an increase in health care 
the  post-employment  benefit 

increases 

costs  generally 
obligation.

– Life  expectancy:  as  some  plan  participants  have  lifetime 
benefits  under  these  plans,  an  increase  in  life  expectancy 
increases the post-employment benefit obligation.

UBS  regularly  reviews  the  actuarial  assumptions  used  in 
calculating its post-employment benefit obligations to determine 
their  continuing  relevance.  Principal  actuarial  assumptions  used 
to determine post-employment benefit obligations at the end of 
the year were:

UK plan

US plans2

31.12.17

31.12.16

31.12.17

31.12.16

 2.55

 5.10

 5.10

 2.69

 5.10

 5.10

 3.54

 7.99

 4.50

 3.97

 7.03

 4.50

1 The assumptions for life expectancies are provided within Note 26a.    2 Represents weighted average assumptions across US plans.

Sensitivity analysis of significant actuarial assumptions
The table below presents a sensitivity analysis for each significant 
actuarial assumption showing how the post-employment benefit 
obligation would have been affected by changes in the relevant 
actuarial  assumption  that  were  reasonably  possible  at  the 
balance sheet date. Unforeseen circumstances may arise, which 

could  result  in  variations  that  are  outside  the  range  of 
alternatives  deemed  reasonably  possible.  Caution  should  be 
used  in  extrapolating  the  sensitivities  below  on  the  post-
employment  benefit  obligation,  as  the  sensitivities  may  not  be 
linear.

Sensitivity analysis of significant actuarial assumptions1

Increase / (decrease) in post-employment benefit obligation 

CHF million

Discount rate

Increase by 50 basis points

Decrease by 50 basis points

Average health care cost trend rate

Increase by 100 basis points

Decrease by 100 basis points

Life expectancy

Increase in longevity by one additional year

UK plan

US plans

31.12.17

31.12.16

31.12.17

31.12.16

 (2)

 2

 4

 (3)

 2

 (2)

 2

 4

 (3)

 2

 (3)

 3

 1

 (1)

 4

 (3)

 3

 2

 (1)

 5

1 The sensitivity analyses are based on a change in one assumption while holding all other assumptions constant, so that interdependencies between the assumptions are excluded.

c) Defined contribution plans

UBS  sponsors  a  number  of  defined  contribution  plans  in 
locations  outside  Switzerland.  The  locations  with  significant 
defined contribution plans are the US and the UK. Certain plans 
allow  employees  to  make  contributions  and  earn  matching  or 
other contributions from UBS. Employer contributions to defined 

contribution plans are recognized as an expense, which, for the 
years ended 31 December 2017, 2016 and 2015, amounted to 
CHF 239  million,  CHF 236  million  and  CHF 239  million, 
respectively.

426 

Note 26  Pension and other post-employment benefit plans (continued)

d) Related-party disclosure

UBS is the principal provider of banking services for the pension 
fund of UBS in Switzerland. In this capacity, UBS is engaged to 
execute  most  of  the  pension  fund’s  banking  activities.  These 
activities  can  include,  but  are  not  limited  to,  trading,  securities 
lending  and  borrowing  and  derivative  transactions.  The  non-
Swiss  UBS  pension  funds  do  not  have  a  similar  banking 
relationship with UBS.

Also,  UBS  leases  certain  properties  that  are  owned  by  the 
Swiss  pension  fund.  As  of  31  December  2017,  the  minimum 
commitment  toward  the  Swiss  pension  fund  under  the  related 

leases  was  approximately  CHF 5  million  (31  December  2016: 
CHF 11 million).

→ Refer to the “Composition and fair value of plan assets” table in 
Note 26a for more information on fair value of investments in 

UBS instruments held by the Swiss pension fund

The  following  amounts  have  been  received  or  paid  by  UBS 
from  and  to  the  pension  and  other  post-employment  benefit 
plans  located  in  Switzerland,  the  UK  and  the  US  in  respect  of 
these banking activities and arrangements.

Related-party disclosure

CHF million

Received by UBS

Fees

Paid by UBS

Rent

Dividends, capital repayments and interest

For the year ended

31.12.17

31.12.16

31.12.15

 36

 4

 9

 36

 4

 15

 33

 5

 13

The transaction volumes in UBS shares and UBS debt instruments and the balances of UBS shares held as of 31 December were:

Transaction volumes – UBS shares and UBS debt instruments

Financial instruments bought by pension funds

UBS shares (in thousands of shares)

UBS debt instruments (par values, CHF million)

Financial instruments sold by pension funds or matured

UBS shares (in thousands of shares)

UBS debt instruments (par values, CHF million)

UBS shares held by pension and other post-employment benefit plans

Number of shares (in thousands of shares)

Fair value (CHF million)

For the year ended

31.12.17

31.12.16

 905

 2

 2,897

 4

 2,427

 0

 1,618

 0

31.12.17

 16,370

 293

31.12.16

 18,363

 293

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Consolidated financial statements

Note 27  Employee benefits: variable compensation 

a) Plans offered

The  Group  has  several  share-based  and  other  compensation 
plans  that  align  the  interests  of  Group  Executive  Board  (GEB) 
members, Key Risk Takers (KRTs) and other employees with the 
interests  of 
investors.  These 
compensation  plans  are  also  designed  to  meet  regulatory 
requirements.  Section  a)  of  this  Note  provides  a  description  of 
the most significant compensation plans.

shareholders  and  other 

→ Refer to Note 1a item 6 for a description of the accounting policy 

related to share-based and other compensation plans

Mandatory deferred compensation plans

Equity Ownership Plan (EOP)
The  EOP  is  a  mandatory  deferred  compensation  plan  for  all 
employees  with  total  compensation  greater  than  CHF  /  USD 
300,000.  These  employees  receive  at  least  60%  of  their  deferred 
performance award under the EOP in notional shares.

EOP  awards  granted  to  GEB  members  and  certain  other 
employees  only  vest  if  both  Group  and  business  division 
performance  conditions  are  met.  Group  performance 
is 
measured  based  on  the  average  adjusted  return  on  tangible 
equity (RoTE) excluding deferred tax assets over the performance 
period.  Business  division  performance  is  measured  on  the  basis 
of  the  business  division’s  average  adjusted  return  on  attributed 
equity  (RoAE).  For  Corporate  Center  employees,  it  is  measured 
on the basis of the average operating businesses RoAE.

Certain  awards,  such  as  replacement  awards  issued  outside 
the  normal  performance  year  cycle,  may  take  the  form  of 
deferred cash under the EOP plan rules.

Notional  shares  represent  a  promise  to  receive  UBS  shares  at 
vesting  and  do  not  carry  voting  rights  during  the  vesting  period. 
Notional  shares  granted  before  February  2014  have  no  rights  to 
dividends,  whereas  awards  granted  since  February  2014  carry  a 
dividend equivalent that may be paid in notional shares or cash and 
that  vests  on  the  same  terms  and  conditions  as  the  awards. 
However, awards that have been granted in February 2018 for the 
performance  year  2017  to  individuals  who  are  deemed  to  be 
Material Risk Takers (MRTs) based on regulatory guidance in the EU 
do  not  carry  such  a  dividend  equivalent.  Awards  are  settled  by 
delivering UBS shares at vesting, except in jurisdictions where this is 
not permitted for legal or tax reasons. EOP awards generally vest in 
equal  installments  after  two  and  three  years  following  grant  (for 
GEB  members,  generally  after  three,  four  and  five  years).  The 
awards are generally forfeitable upon, among other circumstances, 
voluntary termination of employment with UBS.

Deferred Contingent Capital Plan (DCCP)
The  DCCP  is  a  mandatory  deferred  compensation  plan  for  all 
employees  with  total  compensation  greater  than  CHF  /  USD 
300,000.  DCCP  awards  granted  up  to  January  2015  represent  a 
right to receive a cash payment at vesting. For awards granted since 
February  2015,  DCCP  takes  the  form  of  notional  additional  tier  1 
(AT1) capital instruments, which can be settled in the form of either 
a cash payment or a perpetual, marketable AT1 capital instrument, 
at the discretion of UBS. Awards vest in full after five years and up 
to seven years for certain employees subject to specific regulation in 
the UK unless there is a trigger event.

Awards are written down if the Group’s common equity tier 
1  (CET1)  capital  ratio  falls  below  10%  for  GEB  members  and 
below 7% for all other employees. Awards are also forfeited if a 
viability event occurs, that is, if FINMA notifies the firm in writing 
that  the  DCCP  awards  must  be  written  down  to  prevent  an 
insolvency, bankruptcy or failure of UBS, or if the firm receives a 
commitment  of  extraordinary  support  from  the  public  sector 
that  is  necessary  to  prevent  such  an  event.  As  an  additional 
performance  condition,  GEB  members  forfeit  20%  of  their 
award for each loss-making year during the vesting period.

For  awards  granted  up  to  January  2015,  interest  on  the 
awards is paid annually, provided that UBS achieved an adjusted 
profit before tax in the preceding year. For awards granted since 
February  2015,  interest  payments  are  discretionary.  Awards 
granted to MRTs since February 2018 are not eligible for interest 
payments.  The  awards  are  generally  forfeitable  upon,  among 
other circumstances, voluntary termination of employment with 
UBS.

In 2017, UBS modified the terms of the majority of DCCP awards 
that  were  granted  for  the  performance  years  2012  and  2013  by 
removing the service period requirement. This resulted in a CHF 36 
million  expense  in  2017,  of  which  CHF  25  million  related  to  the 
Investment Bank.

Asset Management EOP
In  order  to  align  deferred  compensation  of  certain  Asset 
Management  employees  with  the  performance  of  the  investment 
funds they manage, awards are granted to such employees in the 
form  of  cash-settled  notional  investment  funds.  The  amount 
delivered depends on the value of the underlying investment funds 
at  the  time  of  vesting.  The  awards  are  generally  forfeitable  upon, 
among  other  circumstances,  voluntary  termination  of  employment 
with UBS. 

428 

Note 27  Employee benefits: variable compensation (continued)

Wealth Management Americas financial advisor 
compensation

In line with market practice for US wealth management businesses, 
the  compensation  for  financial  advisors  in  Wealth  Management 
Americas 
is  comprised  of  production  payout  and  deferred 
compensation awards. Production payout, paid monthly in the form 
of non-deferred cash payments, is primarily based on compensable 
revenue.

Financial  advisors  may  also  qualify  for  deferred  compensation 
awards,  which  vest  over  various  time  periods  of  up  to  10  years. 
Production payout rates and deferred compensation awards may be 
reduced for, among other things, errors, negligence or carelessness, 
or a failure to comply with the firm’s rules, standards, practices and 
policies or applicable laws and regulations.

Strategic objective awards
Strategic objective awards are deferred compensation awards based 
on strategic performance measures, including production, length of 
service  with  the  firm  and  net  new  business.  These  awards  are 
granted  in  the  form  of  both  deferred  share-based  and  deferred 
cash-based awards with a vesting period of up to six years. 

Through  performance  year  2016,  strategic  objective  awards 
were  partly  granted  under  the  PartnerPlus  deferred  cash  plan.  In 
addition  to  such  granted  awards  (UBS  company  contributions), 
participants  were  also  allowed  to  voluntarily  contribute  additional 
amounts  otherwise  payable  as  production  payout  up  to  a  certain 
percentage, which vest upon contribution. Company contributions 
and voluntary contributions are credited with interest in accordance 
with the terms of the plan. Rather than being credited with interest, 
a participant may elect to have voluntary contributions, along with 
vested  company  contributions,  credited  with  notional  earnings 
based  on  the  performance  of  various  mutual  funds.  Company 
interest  on  both  company  and  voluntary 
contributions  and 
contributions  ratably  vest  in  20%  installments  six  to  ten  years 
following  grant  date.  Company  contributions  and  interest  on 
notional earnings on both company and voluntary contributions are 
forfeitable under certain circumstances.

GrowthPlus
GrowthPlus  is  a  compensation  plan  for  selected  financial  advisors 
whose  revenue  production  and  length  of  service  exceed  defined 
thresholds from 2010 through 2017. Awards were granted in 2010, 
2011, 2015 and early 2018. The awards are distributed over seven 
years, with the exception of 2018 awards, which will be distributed 
over five years.

Other compensation plans

Equity Plus Plan (Equity Plus)
Equity  Plus  is  a  voluntary  share-based  compensation  plan  that 
provides  eligible  employees  with  the  opportunity  to  purchase  UBS 
shares  at  market  value  and  receive  one  notional  share  for  every 
three  shares  purchased,  up  to  a  maximum  annual  limit.  Share 
purchases may be made annually from the performance award and 
/  or  monthly  through  deductions  from  salary.  If  the  shares 
purchased are held until three years from the start of the associated 
plan year and, in general, if the employee remains in employment, 
the  notional  shares  vest.  For  notional  shares  granted  since  April 
2014,  employees  are  entitled  to  receive  a  dividend  equivalent, 
which may be paid in notional shares and / or cash.

Role-based allowances (RBAs)
Certain employees of legal entities regulated in the EU may receive 
an RBA in addition to their base salary. This allowance reflects the 
market  value  of  a  specific  role  and  is  only  paid  as  long  as  the 
employee is within such a role. RBAs are offered in line with market 
practice and are generally paid in cash. In the UK, RBAs are awarded 
in cash and, above a certain threshold, in blocked UBS shares. Such 
shares will be unblocked in equal installments after two and three 
years. The compensation expense is recognized in the year of grant.

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Consolidated financial statements

Note 27  Employee benefits: variable compensation (continued)

Discontinued deferred compensation plans

Senior Executive Equity Ownership Plan (SEEOP)
Up to February 2012, GEB members and selected senior executives 
received  a  portion  of  their  mandatory  deferral  in  UBS  shares  or 
notional shares, which vested in equal installments over a five-year 
vesting  period  and  were  forfeitable  if  certain  conditions  had  not 
been met. The employee’s business division or the Group as a whole 
had  to  be  profitable  in  the  financial  year  preceding  scheduled 
vesting.  Awards  granted  under  SEEOP  were  settled  by  delivering 
UBS  shares  at  vesting.  No  SEEOP  awards  have  been  granted  since 
2012.

Senior Executive Stock Option Plan (SESOP)
Up  to  February  2008,  GEB  members  and  selected  senior 
executives  were  granted  UBS  options  with  a  strike  price  set  at 
110% of the fair market value of a UBS share on the grant date. 
These awards vested in full following a three-year vesting period 
and  generally  expire  ten  years  from  the  grant  date.  No  SESOP 
awards have been granted since 2008.

Long-Term Deferred Retention Senior Incentive Scheme (LTDRSIS)
Awards under the LTDRSIS were granted to employees in Australia 
up  to  and  including  2014  and  represented  a  profit  share  amount 
based on the profitability of the Australian business. Awards vested 
after  three  years  and  included  an  arrangement  that  allowed  for 
unpaid installments to be reduced if the business recorded a loss for 
the  calendar  year  preceding  vesting.  The  awards  were  generally 
forfeitable upon voluntary termination of employment with UBS.

Key Employee Stock Appreciation Rights Plan (KESAP) and Key 
Employee Stock Option Plan (KESOP)
Until  2009,  certain  key  and  high-potential  employees  were 
granted  discretionary  share-settled  stock  appreciation  rights 
(SARs) or options on UBS shares with a strike price not less than 
the  market  value  of  a  UBS  share  on  the  date  of  grant.  A  SAR 
gives  employees  the  right  to  receive  a  number  of  UBS  shares 
equal  to  the  value  of  any  market  price  increase  of  a  UBS  share 
between  the  grant  date  and  the  exercise  date.  One  option 
entitles  the  holder  to  acquire  one  registered  UBS  share  at  the 
option’s  strike  price.  SARs  and  options  are  settled  by  delivering 
UBS shares, except in jurisdictions where this is not permitted for 
legal  reasons.  No  options  or  SARs  awards  have  been  granted 
since 2009.

Share delivery obligations

Share  delivery  obligations  related  to  employee  share-based 
compensation  awards  were  166  million  shares  as  of  31 
December  2017,  unchanged  from  31  December  2016.  Share 
delivery  obligations  are  calculated  on  the  basis  of  unvested 
notional  share  awards,  options  and  stock  appreciation  rights, 
taking applicable performance conditions into account.

As  of  31  December  2017,  UBS  held  132  million  treasury 
shares  (31  December  2016:  138  million)  that  were  available  to 
satisfy  share  delivery  obligations.  Treasury  shares  held  are 
delivered  to  employees  at  exercise  or  vesting.  However,  share 
delivery  obligations  related  to  certain  options  and  stock 
appreciation rights can also be satisfied by shares issued out of 
conditional  capital.  As  of  31  December  2017,  the  number  of 
UBS  Group  AG  shares  that  could  have  been  issued  out  of 
conditional  capital  for  this  purpose  was  128  million  (31 
December 2016: 130 million).

430 

Note 27  Employee benefits: variable compensation (continued)

b) Effect on the income statement

Effect on the income statement for the financial year and future 
periods
The  table  below  provides  information  on  compensation  expenses 
related  to  total  variable  compensation,  including  financial  advisor 
compensation 
in  Wealth  Management  Americas,  that  were 
recognized in the financial year ended 31 December 2017, as well 
as  expenses  that  were  deferred  and  will  be  recognized  in  the 

income  statement  for  2018  and  later.  The  majority  of  expenses 
deferred to 2018 and later that are related to the performance year 
2017  relates  to  awards  granted  in  February  2018.  The  total 
compensation expense for unvested share-based awards granted up 
to  31  December  2017  will  be  recognized  in  future  periods  over  a 
weighted average period of 2.1 years.

Variable compensation including Wealth Management Americas financial advisor compensation

Expenses recognized in 2017

Expenses deferred to 2018 and later

CHF million
Non-deferred cash

Deferred compensation awards

of which: Equity Ownership Plan

of which: Deferred Contingent Capital Plan

of which: Asset Management EOP

of which: Other performance awards

Total variable compensation – performance awards

Replacement payments

Forfeiture credits

Severance payments

Retention plan and other payments

Deferred Contingent Capital Plan: interest expense

Total variable compensation – other

Financial advisor compensation

of which: non-deferred cash

of which: deferred share-based awards

of which: deferred cash-based awards

Compensation commitments with recruited financial advisors1

Total Wealth Management Americas: Financial advisor compensation

Total variable compensation including WMA FA compensation

Related to the 
performance 
year 2017
 2,047

Related to prior 
performance 
years
 (25)

 392

 235

 132

 25

 0

 2,439

 13

 0

 111

 25

 0

 148

 2,995

 2,836

 56

 102

 30

 3,025

 5,613

 676

 337

 304

 31

 4

 651

 58

 (105)

 0

 37

 109

 99

 252

 0

 44

 209

 710

 962

 1,712

Related to the 
performance 
year 2017
 0

Related to prior 
performance 
years
 0

 590

 323

 241

 27

 0

 590

 84

 0

 0

 30

 78

 191

 153

 0

 69

 84

 679

 284

 367

 26

 3

 679

 42

 0

 0

 32

 216

 291

 779

 0

 117

 662

 360

 513

 1,294

 2,009

 2,788

 3,758

Total
 2,022

 1,068

 572

 437

 55

 4

 3,090

 71

 (105)

 111

 62

 109

 248

 3,247

 2,836

 100

 311

 740

 3,986

 7,3242 

Total
 0

 1,270

 607

 607

 52

 3

 1,270

 126

 0

 0

 61

 294

 482

 932

 0

 186

 746

 2,369

 3,300

 5,052

1 Reflects expenses related to compensation commitments with financial advisors entered into at the time of recruitment that are subject to vesting requirements. Amounts reflected as deferred expenses represent 
the maximum deferred exposure as of the balance sheet date.     2 Includes CHF 698 million in expenses related to share-based compensation (performance awards: CHF 572 million; other variable compensation: 
CHF 26 million; Wealth Management Americas financial advisor compensation: CHF 100 million). A further CHF 99 million in expenses related to share-based compensation was recognized within other Note 6 
expense categories (Salaries: CHF 25 million, related to role-based allowances; Social security: CHF 50 million; Other personnel expenses: CHF 25 million, related to the Equity Plus Plan). Total personnel expenses 
related to share-based equity-settled compensation excluding social security were CHF 721 million.

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Consolidated financial statements

Note 27  Employee benefits: variable compensation (continued)

Variable compensation including Wealth Management Americas financial advisor compensation

Expenses recognized in 2016

Expenses deferred to 2017 and later

CHF million
Non-deferred cash

Deferred compensation awards

of which: Equity Ownership Plan

of which: Deferred Contingent Capital Plan

of which: Asset Management EOP

of which: Other performance awards

Total variable compensation – performance awards

Replacement payments

Forfeiture credits

Severance payments

Retention plan and other payments

Deferred Contingent Capital Plan: interest expense

Total variable compensation – other

Financial advisor compensation

of which: non-deferred cash

of which: deferred share-based awards

of which: deferred cash-based awards

Compensation commitments with recruited financial advisors1

Total Wealth Management Americas: Financial advisor compensation

Total variable compensation including WMA FA compensation

Related to the 
performance 
year 2016
 1,817

Related to prior 
performance 
years
 (42)

 373

 214

 133

 26

 0

 2,191

 24

 0

 217

 25

 0

 266

 2,651

 2,506

 33

 112

 43

 2,695

 5,152

 825

 485

 295

 39

 6

 781

 62

 (73)

 0

 49

 113

 151

 247

 0

 48

 199

 756

 1,002

 1,935

Related to the 
performance 
year 2016
 0

Related to prior 
performance 
years
 0

 671

 372

 266

 34

 0

 671

 40

 0

 0

 24

 98

 162

 196

 0

 57

 139

 607

 804

 1,637

 856

 356

 468

 27

 5

 856

 31

 0

 0

 27

 243

 301

 893

 0

 120

 773

 2,120

 3,013

 4,169

Total
 1,775

 1,198

 699

 428

 65

 6

 2,972

 86

 (73)

 217

 74

 113

 418

 2,898

 2,506

 81

 311

 799

 3,697

 7,0872 

Total
 0

 1,527

 727

 735

 60

 5

 1,527

 71

 0

 0

 50

 341

 463

 1,089

 0

 177

 912

 2,727

 3,816

 5,806

1 Reflects expenses related to compensation commitments with financial advisors entered into at the time of recruitment that are subject to vesting requirements. Amounts reflected as deferred expenses represent 
the maximum deferred exposure as of the balance sheet date.    2 Includes CHF 820 million in expenses related to share-based compensation (performance awards: CHF 699 million; other variable compensation: 
CHF 40 million; Wealth Management Americas financial advisor compensation: CHF 81 million). A further CHF 90 million in expenses related to share-based compensation was recognized within other Note 6 
expense categories (Salaries: CHF 39 million, related to role-based allowances; Social security: CHF 27 million; Other personnel expenses: CHF 24 million, related to the Equity Plus Plan). Total personnel expenses 
related to share-based equity-settled compensation excluding social security were CHF 861 million.

432 

Note 27  Employee benefits: variable compensation (continued)

Variable compensation including Wealth Management Americas financial advisor compensation

Expenses recognized in 2015

Expenses deferred to 2016 and later

CHF million
Non-deferred cash

Deferred compensation awards

of which: Equity Ownership Plan

of which: Deferred Contingent Capital Plan

of which: Asset Management EOP

of which: Other performance awards

Total variable compensation – performance awards

Replacement payments

Forfeiture credits

Severance payments

Retention plan and other payments

Deferred Contingent Capital Plan: interest expense

Total variable compensation – other

Financial advisor compensation

of which: non-deferred cash

of which: deferred share-based awards

of which: deferred cash-based awards

Compensation commitments with recruited financial advisors1

Total Wealth Management Americas: Financial advisor compensation

Total variable compensation including WMA FA compensation

Related to the 
performance 
year 2015
 2,073

Related to prior 
performance 
years
 (94)

 461

 261

 172

 28

 0

 2,535

 11

 0

 157

 15

 0

 184

 2,629

 2,460

 37

 132

 43

 2,673

 5,391

 769

 461

 258

 38

 12

 675

 65

 (86)

 0

 102

 81

 162

 187

 0

 45

 142

 692

 879

 1,716

Related to the 
performance 
year 2015
 0

Related to prior 
performance 
years
 0

 900

 524

 343

 34

 0

 900

 72

 0

 0

 15

 160

 248

 776

 0

 66

 710

 940

 1,716

 2,864

 822

 338

 446

 35

 3

 822

 41

 0

 0

 52

 200

 293

 571

 0

 115

 456

 1,899

 2,470

 3,585

Total
 1,980

 1,230

 722

 429

 67

 12

 3,210

 76

 (86)

 157

 117

 81

 346

 2,816

 2,460

 82

 275

 735

 3,552

 7,1082 

Total
 0

 1,722

 861

 789

 69

 3

 1,722

 114

 0

 0

 67

 360

 541

 1,347

 0

 182

 1,166

 2,839

 4,186

 6,449

1 Reflects expenses related to compensation commitments with financial advisors entered into at the time of recruitment that are subject to vesting requirements. Amounts reflected as deferred expenses represent 
the maximum deferred exposure as of the balance sheet date.    2 Includes CHF 858 million in expenses related to share-based compensation (performance awards: CHF 722 million; other variable compensation: 
CHF 54 million; Wealth Management Americas financial advisor compensation: CHF 82 million). A further CHF 108 million in expenses related to share-based compensation was recognized within other Note 6 
expense categories (Salaries: CHF 26 million, related to role-based allowances; Social security: CHF 61 million; Other personnel expenses: CHF 21 million, related to the Equity Plus Plan). Total personnel expenses 
related to share-based equity-settled compensation excluding social security were CHF 858 million.

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Consolidated financial statements

Note 27  Employee benefits: variable compensation (continued)

c) Outstanding share-based compensation awards

Share and performance share awards
Movements in outstanding share-based awards under the EOP plan during 2017 and 2016 are provided in the table below.

Movements in outstanding share and performance share awards granted under the EOP

Outstanding, at the beginning of the year

Shares awarded during the year

Distributions during the year

Forfeited during the year

Outstanding, at the end of the year

of which: shares vested for accounting purposes

Number of shares 
2017
 165,626,088

 63,872,651

 (58,756,089)

 (7,906,936)

 162,835,713

 74,883,139

Weighted average
grant date fair value
(CHF)
 15

Number of shares 
2016
 144,185,104

Weighted average
grant date fair value
(CHF)
 17

 14

 16

 15

 15

 82,473,059

 (56,018,881)

 (5,013,194)

 165,626,088

 73,913,272

 14

 16

 15

 15

The  total  carrying  amount  of  the  liability  related  to  cash-settled  share-based  awards  as  of  31  December  2017  and  31  December 
2016 was CHF 55 million and CHF 50 million, respectively.

Option awards
No option awards have been granted since 2009. Movements in outstanding option awards during 2017 and 2016 are provided in 
the table below.

Movements in outstanding option awards 

Outstanding, at the beginning of the year

Exercised during the year1

Forfeited during the year

Expired unexercised

Outstanding, at the end of the year

Exercisable, at the end of the year

Number of options 
2017
 55,913,291

Weighted average
exercise price (CHF)
 39

Number of options 
2016
 80,848,217

Weighted average
exercise price (CHF)
 45

 (1,632,319)

 (38,995)

 (21,658,809)

 32,583,168

 32,583,168

 12

 27

 61

 25

 25

 (624,554)

 (51,065)

 (24,259,307)

 55,913,291

 55,913,291

 12

 43

 61

 39

 39

1 The weighted average share price upon option exercise was CHF 16.73 in 2017 (2016: CHF 15.69), resulting in an intrinsic value of CHF 8 million of options exercised during 2017 (2016: CHF 3 million).  

The table below provides additional information about options outstanding as of 31 December 2017.

Options outstanding

Number of options 
outstanding

Weighted average
exercise price (CHF)

Aggregate intrinsic 
value (CHF million)

Weighted average 
remaining 
contractual term 
(years)

 6,139,267

 6,729,572

 18,565,697

 1,146,032

 2,600

 32,583,168

 11.37

 19.12

 31.43

 35.67

 46.02

 40.3

 5.3

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0

 45.7

 1.1

 1.2

 0.2

 0.2

 0.0

Range of exercise prices

CHF

10.21–15.00

15.01–25.00

25.01–35.00

35.01–45.00

45.01–55.00

10.21–55.00

434 

 
 
 
Note 27  Employee benefits: variable compensation (continued)

SAR awards
No SAR awards have been granted since 2009. Movements in outstanding SAR awards during 2017 and 2016 are provided in the 
table below.

Movements in outstanding SAR awards 

Outstanding, at the beginning of the year

Exercised during the year1

Forfeited during the year

Expired unexercised

Outstanding, at the end of the year

Exercisable, at the end of the year

Number of SARs 
2017
 10,807,315

 (2,212,700)

 (23,000)

 (58,200)

 8,513,415

 8,513,415

Weighted average 
exercise price (CHF)
 12

Number of SARs 
2016
 12,519,765

Weighted average 
exercise price (CHF)
 12

 11

 11

 13

 12

 12

 (1,579,449)

 (6,000)

 (127,001)

 10,807,315

 10,807,315

 11

 11

 12

 12

 12

1 The weighted average share price upon exercise of SARs was CHF 16.70 in 2017 (2016: CHF 15.36), resulting in an intrinsic value of CHF 12 million of SARs exercised during 2017 (2016: CHF 6 million).   

The table below provides additional information about SARs outstanding as of 31 December 2017.

Range of exercise prices

CHF

9.35–12.50

12.51–15.00

15.01–17.50

17.51–20.00

9.35–20.00

d) Valuation

UBS share awards
UBS  measures  compensation  expense  based  on  the  average 
market  price  of  the  UBS  share  on  the  grant  date  as  quoted  on 
the  SIX  Swiss  Exchange,  taking  into  consideration  post-vesting 
sale  and  hedge  restrictions,  non-vesting  conditions  and  market 
conditions, where applicable. The fair value of the share awards 
subject to post-vesting sale and hedge restrictions is discounted 
on the basis of the duration of the post-vesting restriction and is 
referenced to the cost of purchasing an at-the-money European 
put option for the term of the transfer restriction. The weighted 
average  discount  for  share  and  performance  share  awards 
granted  during  2017  was  approximately  20.2%  (2016:  18.1%) 
of the market price of the UBS share. The grant date fair value 
of notional shares without dividend entitlements also includes a 
deduction for the present value of future expected dividends to 
be paid between the grant date and distribution.

SARs outstanding

Number of SARs 
outstanding

Weighted average 
exercise price (CHF)

Aggregate intrinsic 
value (CHF million)

Weighted average 
remaining 
contractual term 
(years)

 8,174,915

 2,500

 42,000

 294,000

 8,513,415

 11.34

 14.85

 16.80

 19.25

 54.0

 0.0

 0.0

 0.0

 54.0

 1.1

 1.4

 1.4

 1.7

UBS options and SARs awards
The fair values of options and SARs have been determined using 
a standard closed-formula option valuation model. The expected 
term  of  each  instrument  is  calculated  on  the  basis  of  historical 
employee  exercise  behavior  patterns,  taking  into  account  the 
share price, strike price, vesting period and the contractual life of 
the  instrument.  The  term  structure  of  volatility  is  derived  from 
the  implied  volatilities  of  traded  options  on  UBS  shares  in 
combination  with  the  observed  long-term  historical  share  price 
volatility. Expected future dividends are derived from traded UBS 
options or from the historical dividend pattern.

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Consolidated financial statements

Note 28  Interests in subsidiaries and other entities

a) Interests in subsidiaries

UBS  defines  its  significant  subsidiaries  as  those  entities  that, 
either individually or in aggregate, contribute significantly to the 
Group’s  financial  position  or  results  of  operations,  based  on  a 
number  of  criteria,  including  the  subsidiaries’  equity  and  their 
contribution to the Group’s total assets and profit or loss before 
tax,  in  accordance  with  the  requirements  set  by  IFRS  12,  Swiss 
regulations  and  the  rules  of  the  US  Securities  and  Exchange 
Commission (SEC).

Individually significant subsidiaries
The  two  tables  below  list  the  Group’s  individually  significant 
subsidiaries  as  of  31  December  2017.  Unless  otherwise  stated, 

the  subsidiaries  listed  below  have  share  capital  consisting  solely 
of  ordinary  shares  that  are  held  fully  by  the  Group,  and  the 
proportion  of  ownership  interest  held  is  equal  to  the  voting 
rights held by the Group. 

The  country  where  the  respective  registered  office  is  located 
is also the principal place of business. UBS AG operates through 
a global network of branches and a significant proportion of its 
business activity is conducted outside Switzerland in the UK, US, 
Singapore, Hong Kong and other countries. UBS Europe SE has 
branches  and  offices  in  a  number  of  EU  member  states, 
including Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Spain and Austria.

UBS Group Funding (Jersey) Ltd. was dissolved in 2017. 

Subsidiaries of UBS Group AG as of 31 December 2017

Company

UBS AG

Registered office

Zurich and Basel, Switzerland

UBS Business Solutions AG1

Zurich, Switzerland

UBS Group Funding (Switzerland) AG

Zurich, Switzerland

Share capital in million

Equity interest accumulated in %

CHF

CHF

CHF

 385.8

 1.0

 0.1

 100.0

 100.0

 100.0

1 UBS Business Solutions (India) Private Limited and UBS Business Solutions Poland Sp. z o.o. are directly held subsidiaries of UBS Business Solutions AG.

Individually significant subsidiaries of UBS AG as of 31 December 2017

Company

Registered office

Primary business division

UBS Americas Holding LLC

Wilmington, Delaware, USA

UBS Asset Management AG

Zurich, Switzerland

Corporate Center

Asset Management

UBS Bank USA

UBS Europe SE

Salt Lake City, Utah, USA

Wealth Management Americas

Frankfurt, Germany

Wealth Management

UBS Financial Services Inc.

Wilmington, Delaware, USA

Wealth Management Americas

UBS Limited

UBS Securities LLC

UBS Switzerland AG

London, United Kingdom

Wilmington, Delaware, USA

Investment Bank

Investment Bank

Zurich, Switzerland

Personal & Corporate Banking

Share capital in million
 2,250.01

USD

CHF

USD

EUR

USD

GBP

USD

CHF

 43.2

 0.0

 446.0

 0.0

 226.6

 1,283.12

 10.0

Equity interest accumulated in %

 100.0

 100.0

 100.0

 100.0

 100.0

 100.0

 100.0

 100.0

1 Comprised of common share capital of USD 1,000 and non-voting preferred share capital of USD 2,250,000,000.    2 Comprised of common share capital of USD 100,000 and non-voting preferred share capital of 
USD 1,283,000,000.

436 

Note 28  Interests in subsidiaries and other entities (continued)

Other subsidiaries
The table below lists other subsidiaries of UBS AG that are not individually significant but that contribute to the Group’s total assets 
and aggregated profit before tax thresholds and are thereby disclosed in accordance with the requirements set by the SEC.

Other subsidiaries of UBS AG as of 31 December 2017

Company
UBS Americas Inc.

Registered office
Wilmington, Delaware, USA

Primary business division
Corporate Center

Share capital in million
 0.0
USD

Equity interest 
accumulated in %
 100.0

UBS Asset Management (Americas) Inc.

Wilmington, Delaware, USA

Asset Management

UBS Asset Management (Australia) Ltd

Sydney, Australia

UBS Asset Management (Deutschland) GmbH

Frankfurt, Germany

UBS Asset Management (Hong Kong) Limited

Hong Kong, Hong Kong

UBS Asset Management (Japan) Ltd

Tokyo, Japan

UBS Asset Management (Singapore) Ltd

Singapore, Singapore

Asset Management

Asset Management

Asset Management

Asset Management

Asset Management

Asset Management

UBS Asset Management (UK) Ltd

UBS Business Solutions US LLC

UBS Card Center AG

UBS Credit Corp.

UBS (France) S.A.

London, United Kingdom

Wilmington, Delaware, USA

Corporate Center

Glattbrugg, Switzerland

Personal & Corporate Banking

Wilmington, Delaware, USA

Wealth Management Americas

Paris, France

Wealth Management

UBS Fund Advisor, L.L.C.

Wilmington, Delaware, USA

Wealth Management Americas

UBS Fund Management (Luxembourg) S.A.

Luxembourg, Luxembourg

UBS Fund Management (Switzerland) AG

Basel, Switzerland

Asset Management

Asset Management

UBS Hedge Fund Solutions LLC

Wilmington, Delaware, USA

Asset Management

UBS (Monaco) S.A.

UBS O’Connor LLC

UBS Real Estate Securities Inc.

UBS Realty Investors LLC

UBS Securities (Thailand) Ltd

UBS Securities Australia Ltd

UBS Securities India Private Limited

UBS Securities Japan Co., Ltd.

UBS Securities Pte. Ltd.

UBS South Africa (Proprietary) Limited

Monte Carlo, Monaco

Dover, Delaware, USA

Wealth Management 

Asset Management

Wilmington, Delaware, USA

Investment Bank

Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Asset Management

Bangkok, Thailand

Sydney, Australia

Mumbai, India

Tokyo, Japan

Singapore, Singapore

Sandton, South Africa

Investment Bank

Investment Bank

Investment Bank

Investment Bank

Investment Bank

Investment Bank

UBS UK Properties Limited

London, United Kingdom

Corporate Center

1 Includes a nominal amount relating to redeemable preference shares.

USD

AUD

EUR

HKD

JPY

SGD

GBP

USD

CHF

USD

EUR

USD

EUR

CHF

USD

EUR

USD

USD

USD

THB

AUD

INR

JPY

SGD

ZAR

GBP

 0.0

 20.11

 7.7

 206.0

 2,200.0

 4.0

 125.0

 0.0

 0.1

 0.0

 133.0

 0.0

 13.0

 1.0

 0.1

 49.2

 1.0

 0.0

 9.0

 500.0

 0.31

 140.0

 32,100.0

 420.4

 0.0

 132.0

 100.0

 100.0

 100.0

 100.0

 100.0

 100.0

 100.0

 100.0

 100.0

 100.0

 100.0

 100.0

 100.0

 100.0

 100.0

 100.0

 100.0

 100.0

 100.0

 100.0

 100.0

 100.0

 100.0

 100.0

 100.0

 100.0

437 

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Note 28  Interests in subsidiaries and other entities (continued)

Changes in consolidation scope
In  2017,  no  significant  subsidiaries  were  added  to  or  removed 
from  the  scope  of  consolidation  as  a  result  of  acquisitions  or 
disposals. 

Non-controlling interests
Non-controlling  interests  decreased  by  CHF 625  million  in  2017 
to  CHF 57  million  as  a  EUR  600  million  non-Basel  III-compliant 
hybrid  tier  1  capital  instrument  was  redeemed  on  its  first  call 
date.  As  of  31  December  2017  non-controlling  interests  were 
not material to the Group. 

Consolidated structured entities
UBS consolidates a structured entity (SE) if it has power over the 
relevant activities of the entity, exposure to variable returns and 
the ability to use its power to affect its returns. Consolidated SEs 
include  certain  investment  funds,  securitization  vehicles  and 
client  investment  vehicles.  UBS  has  no  individually  significant 
subsidiaries that are SEs.

Investment  fund  SEs  are  generally  consolidated  when  the 
Group’s aggregate exposure combined with its decision-making 
rights  indicate  the  ability  to  use  such  power  in  a  principal 
capacity. Typically the Group will have decision-making rights as 
fund  manager,  earning  a  management  fee,  and  will  provide 

seed  capital  at  the  inception  of  the  fund  or  hold  a  significant 
percentage of the fund units. Where other investors do not have 
the  substantive  ability  to  remove  UBS  as  decision  maker,  the 
Group is deemed to have control and therefore consolidates the 
fund.

Securitization SEs are generally consolidated when the Group 
holds  a  significant  percentage  of  the  asset-backed  securities 
issued by the SE and has the power to remove without cause the 
servicer of the asset portfolio.

Client  investment  SEs  are  generally  consolidated  when  the 
Group  has  a  substantive  liquidation  right  over  the  SE  or  a 
decision right over the assets held by the SE and has exposure to 
variable  returns  through  derivatives  traded  with  the  SE  or 
holding notes issued by the SE.

In  2017  and  2016,  the  Group  has  not  entered  into  any 
contractual  obligation  that  could  require  the  Group  to  provide 
financial support to consolidated SEs. In addition, the Group did 
not provide support, financial or otherwise, to a consolidated SE 
when  the  Group  was  not  contractually  obligated  to  do  so,  nor 
has  the  Group  an  intention  to  do  so  in  the  future.  Further,  the 
Group  did  not  provide  support,  financial  or  otherwise,  to  a 
previously  unconsolidated  SE  that  resulted 
in  the  Group 
controlling the SE during the reporting period.

438 

Note 28  Interests in subsidiaries and other entities (continued)

b) Interests in associates and joint ventures

As  of  31  December  2017  and  2016,  no  associate  or  joint 
venture was individually material to the Group. In addition, there 
were  no  significant  restrictions  on  the  ability  of  associates  or 
joint  ventures  to  transfer  funds  to  UBS  Group  AG  or  its 

subsidiaries  in  the  form  of  cash  dividends  or  to  repay  loans  or 
advances  made.  There  were  no  quoted  market  prices  for  any 
associates or joint ventures of the Group.

Investments in associates and joint ventures

CHF million

Carrying amount at the beginning of the year

Additions

Disposals

Share of comprehensive income

of which: share of net profit 1

of which: share of other comprehensive income 2

Dividends received

Impairment

Foreign currency translation

Carrying amount at the end of the year

of which: associates

of which: UBS Securities Co. Limited, Beijing 3

of which: SIX Group AG, Zurich 4

of which: other associates

of which: joint ventures

31.12.17

31.12.16

 963

 3

 0

 98

 75

 23

 (51)

 (7)

 12

 1,018

 989

 401

 464

 124

 29

 954

 3

 (2)

 82

 106

 (24)

 (50)

 0

 (23)

 963

 934

 392

 426

 116

 29

1 For 2017, consists of CHF 60 million from associates and CHF 15 million from joint ventures. For 2016, consists of CHF 94 million from associates and CHF 12 million from joint ventures.    2 For 2017, consists of 
CHF 24 million from associates and negative CHF 1 million from joint ventures. For 2016, consists of negative CHF 25 million from associates and CHF 0 million from joint ventures.     3 UBS AG’s equity interest 
amounts to 24.99%.    4 UBS AG’s equity interest amounts to 17.31%. UBS AG is represented on the Board of Directors. 

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Consolidated financial statements

Note 28  Interests in subsidiaries and other entities (continued)

c) Interests in unconsolidated structured entities

During  2017,  the  Group  sponsored  the  creation  of  various  SEs 
and  interacted  with  a  number  of  non-sponsored  SEs,  including 
securitization  vehicles,  client  vehicles  as  well  as  certain 
investment  funds,  that  UBS  did  not  consolidate  as  of  31 
December 2017 because it did not control these entities.

The  table  below  presents  the  Group’s  interests  in  and 
maximum  exposure  to  loss  from  unconsolidated  SEs  as  well  as 
the total assets held by the SEs in which UBS had an interest as 
of  year-end,  except  for  investment  funds  sponsored  by  third 
parties, for which the carrying value of UBS’s interest as of year-
end has been disclosed.

Interests in unconsolidated structured entities

CHF million, except where indicated
Trading portfolio assets

Positive replacement values

Loans

Financial assets designated at fair value

Financial assets available for sale

Other assets

Total assets

Negative replacement values

Total liabilities
Assets held by the unconsolidated structured entities in which UBS had an interest 
(CHF billion)

CHF million, except where indicated
Trading portfolio assets

Positive replacement values

Loans

Financial assets designated at fair value

Financial assets available for sale

Other assets

Total assets

Negative replacement values

Securitization
vehicles
 363

 21

 0

 84

 0

 291
 7603 

 204 

 20

 575 

Securitization
vehicles
 634

 40

 0

 103

 0

 289
 1,0663 

 334 

Client
vehicles
 308

 68

 0

 662 

 3,865

 292 

 4,337

 53

 53

 786 

Client
vehicles
 394

 76

 0

 832 

 3,381

 372 

 3,971

 346

31.12.17

Investment
funds
 6,143

 22

 97

 105

 45

 0

 6,412

 203

 203

 4127 

31.12.16

Investment
funds
 6,215

 101

 79

 98

 58

 0

 6,552

 67

Total
 6,815

 111

 97

 255

 3,910

 320

 11,508

 276

 276

Total
 7,243

 217

 79

 284

 3,439

 327

 11,589

 446

Maximum
exposure to loss1
 6,815

 111

 97

 1,780

 3,910

 1,407

 14

Maximum
exposure to loss1
 7,243

 217

 79

 1,863

 3,439

 1,490

 90

Total liabilities
Assets held by the unconsolidated structured entities in which UBS had an interest 
(CHF billion)
1 For purposes of this disclosure, maximum exposure to loss amounts do not consider the risk-reducing effects of collateral or other credit enhancements.     2 Represents the carrying value of loan commitments, 
both designated at fair value and held at amortized cost. The maximum exposure to loss for these instruments is equal to the notional amount.     3 As of 31 December 2017, CHF 0.7 billion of the CHF 0.8 billion 
(31 December 2016: CHF 1.0 billion of the CHF 1.1 billion) was held in Corporate Center – Non-core and Legacy Portfolio.     4 Comprised of credit default swap (CDS) liabilities and other swap liabilities. The 
maximum exposure to loss for CDS is equal to the sum of the negative carrying value and the notional amount. For other swap liabilities, no maximum exposure to loss is reported.     5 Represents principal amount 
outstanding.     6 Represents the market value of total assets.     7 Represents the net asset value of the investment funds sponsored by UBS and the carrying value of UBS’s interests in the investment funds not 
sponsored by UBS. 

 1026 

 3347 

 725 

 346

 446

 33

 67

440 

Note 28  Interests in subsidiaries and other entities (continued)

The  Group  retains  or  purchases  interests  in  unconsolidated  SEs 
in  the  form  of  direct  investments,  financing,  guarantees,  letters 
of credit, derivatives and through management contracts.

The Group’s maximum exposure to loss is generally equal to 
the  carrying  value  of  the  Group’s  interest  in  the  SE,  with  the 
exception  of  guarantees,  letters  of  credit  and  credit  derivatives, 
for  which  the  contract’s  notional  amount,  adjusted  for  losses 
already incurred, represents the maximum loss that the Group is 
exposed to. In addition, the current fair value of derivative swap 
instruments with a positive replacement value only, such as total 
return  swaps,  is  presented  as  the  maximum  exposure  to  loss. 
Risk  exposure  for  these  swap  instruments  could  change  over 
time with market movements.

The  maximum  exposure  to  loss  disclosed  in  the  table  on  the 
previous  page  does  not  reflect  the  Group’s  risk  management 
activities,  including  effects  from  financial  instruments  that  may 
be  used  to  economically  hedge  the  risks  inherent  in  the 
unconsolidated  SE  or  the  risk-reducing  effects  of  collateral  or 
other credit enhancements.

In  2017  and  2016,  the  Group  did  not  provide  support, 
financial  or  otherwise,  to  an  unconsolidated  SE  when  not 
contractually obligated to do so, nor has the Group an intention 
to do so in the future.

In  2017  and  2016,  income  and  expenses  from  interests  in 
unconsolidated  SEs  primarily  resulted  from  mark-to-market 
movements  recognized  in  net  trading  income,  which  have 
generally been hedged with other financial instruments, as well 
as  fee  and  commission  income  received  from  UBS-sponsored 
funds.

interests,  both 

retained  and  acquired, 

Interests in securitization vehicles
As  of  31  December  2017  and  31  December  2016,  the  Group 
held 
in  various 
securitization  vehicles,  a  majority  of  which  are  held  within 
Corporate  Center  –  Non-core  and  Legacy  Portfolio.  The 
Investment Bank also retained interests in securitization vehicles 
related  to  financing,  underwriting,  secondary  market  and 
derivative  trading  activities.  In  some  cases  the  Group  may  be 
required  to  absorb  losses  from  an  unconsolidated  SE  before 
other  parties  because  the  Group’s  interest  is  subordinated  to 
others in the ownership structure. 

An  overview  of  the  Group’s  interests  in  unconsolidated 
securitization  vehicles  and  the  relative  ranking  and  external 
credit rating of those interests is presented in the table on the 
following pages. The numbers outlined in this table differ from 
the  securitization  positions  presented  in  the  31  December 

2017  Pillar  3  report  –  Group  and  significant  regulated 
subsidiaries  and  sub-groups  under  “Pillar  3  disclosures”  at 
www.ubs.com/investors, primarily due to: (i) exclusion from the 
table  on  the  following  page  of  synthetic  securitizations 
transacted  with  entities  that  are  not  SEs  and  transactions  in 
which  the  Group  did  not  have  an  interest  because  it  did  not 
absorb  any  risk,  (ii)  a  different  measurement  basis  in  certain 
IFRS  carrying  value  within  the  table  above 
cases 
compared  with  net  exposure  amount  at  default  for  Basel  III 
Pillar  3  disclosures)  and  (iii)  different  classification  of  vehicles 
viewed  as  sponsored  by  the  Group  versus  sponsored  by  third 
parties.

(e.g., 

→ Refer to Note 1a item 1 for more information on Group’s 

accounting policies regarding consolidation and sponsorship of  

securitization vehicles and other structured entities

→ Refer to the 31 December 2017 Pillar 3 report – Group and 

significant regulated subsidiaries and sub-groups under “Pillar 3 

disclosures” at www.ubs.com/investors for more information

Interests in client vehicles
As  of  31  December  2017  and  31  December  2016,  the  Group 
retained  interests  in  client  vehicles  sponsored  by  UBS  and  third 
parties  that  relate  to  financing  and  derivative  activities,  and  to 
hedge  structured  product  offerings.  Included  within  these 
investments  are  securities  guaranteed  by  US  government 
agencies.

Interests in investment funds
The  Group  holds  interests  in  a  number  of  investment  funds, 
primarily resulting from seed investments or to hedge structured 
product  offerings.  In  addition  to  the  interests  disclosed  in  the 
table  on  the  previous  page,  the  Group  manages  the  assets  of 
various  pooled  investment  funds  and  receives  fees  that  are 
based, in whole or part, on the net asset value of the fund and / 
or  the  performance  of  the  fund.  The  specific  fee  structure  is 
determined on the basis of various market factors and considers 
the nature of the fund, the jurisdiction of incorporation as well 
as  fee  schedules  negotiated  with  clients.  These  fee  contracts 
represent  an  interest  in  the  fund  as  they  align  the  Group’s 
exposure with investors, providing a variable return that is based 
on the performance of the entity. Depending on the structure of 
the  fund,  these  fees  may  be  collected  directly  from  the  fund 
assets  and  /  or  from  the  investors.  Any  amounts  due  are 
collected  on  a  regular  basis  and  are  generally  backed  by  the 
assets  of  the  fund.  The  Group  did  not  have  any  material 
exposure to loss from these interests as of 31 December 2017 or 
as of 31 December 2016.

441 

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Note 28  Interests in subsidiaries and other entities (continued)

Interests in unconsolidated securitization vehicles1

CHF million, except where indicated
Sponsored by UBS

Interests in senior tranches

of which: rated investment grade 

of which: rated sub-investment grade 

of which: defaulted

Interests in junior tranches

of which: rated investment grade 

Total

of which: Trading portfolio assets

of which: Financial assets designated at fair value

Total assets held by the vehicles in which UBS had an interest (CHF billion)

Not sponsored by UBS

Interests in senior tranches

of which: rated investment grade 

Interests in mezzanine tranches

of which: rated investment grade 

of which: defaulted

Interests in junior tranches

of which: rated sub-investment grade 

Tranche information not available

of which: rated investment grade 

of which: not rated

Total

of which: Trading portfolio assets

Total assets held by the vehicles in which UBS had an interest (CHF billion)

Residential
mortgage-
backed
securities

Commercial
mortgage-
backed
securities

31.12.17

Other
asset-backed
securities2

Re-securiti-
zation3

 84

 0

 84

 0

 84

 0

 84

 1

 75

 75

 9

 9

 1

 1

 0

 0

 0

 85

 85

 18

 24

 24

 9

 9

 32

 32

 0

 10

 6

 6

 1

 1

 0

 0

 7

 7

 5

 0

 0

 0

 0

 0

 0

 165

 165

 0

 0

 0

 165

 165

 20

 10

 10

 0

 10

 10

 0

 1

 64

 64

 0

 0

 0

 64

 64

 0

Total

 118

 24

 84

 10

 9

 9

 126

 43

 84

 12

 311

 311

 9

 1

 9

 1

 1

 0

 0

 0

 321

 321

 43

1 This table excludes receivables and derivative transactions with securitization vehicles.    2 Includes credit card, auto and student loan structures.    3 Includes collateralized debt obligations.

442 

Note 28  Interests in subsidiaries and other entities (continued)

Interests in unconsolidated securitization vehicles (continued)1

CHF million, except where indicated
Sponsored by UBS

Interests in senior tranches

of which: rated investment grade 

of which: rated sub-investment grade 

of which: defaulted

Interests in mezzanine tranches

of which: rated sub-investment grade 

Total

of which: Trading portfolio assets

of which: Financial assets designated at fair value

Total assets held by the vehicles in which UBS had an interest (CHF billion)

Not sponsored by UBS

Interests in senior tranches

of which: rated investment grade 

Interests in mezzanine tranches

of which: rated investment grade 

of which: defaulted

Interests in junior tranches

of which: rated investment grade 

of which: rated sub-investment grade 

Total

of which: Trading portfolio assets

Total assets held by the vehicles in which UBS had an interest (CHF billion)

Residential
mortgage-
backed
securities

Commercial
mortgage-
backed
securities

31.12.16

Other
asset-backed
securities2

Re-securiti-
zation3

 103

 0

 103

 1

 1

 104

 1

 103

 2

 165

 165

 32

 29

 3

 18

 17

 1

 215

 215

 41

 34

 34

 0

 34

 34

 0

 13

 4

 4

 0

 0

 4

 4

 8

 0

 14

 0

 0

 0

 0

 0

 241

 241

 0

 14

 0

 14

 14

 0

 1

 125

 125

 0

 0

 0

 241

 241

 5

 125

 125

 1

1 This table excludes receivables and derivative transactions with securitization vehicles.    2 Includes credit card, auto and student loan structures.    3 Includes collateralized debt obligations.

Total

 151

 34

 103

 14

 1

 1

 152

 49

 103

 16

 535

 535

 32

 29

 3

 18

 17

 1

 585

 585

 56

443 

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Consolidated financial statements

Note 28  Interests in subsidiaries and other entities (continued)

Sponsored unconsolidated structured entities in which UBS did 
not have an interest
For several sponsored SEs, no interest was held by the Group at 
year-end.  However,  during  the  respective  reporting  period  the 
Group transferred assets, provided services and held instruments 
that  did  not  qualify  as  an  interest  in  these  sponsored  SEs,  and 
accordingly  earned  income  or  incurred  expenses  from  these 
entities.  The  table  below  presents  the  income  earned  and 
expenses incurred directly from these entities during the year as 
well  as  corresponding  asset  information.  The  table  does  not 
include 
incurred  from  risk 
management  activities,  including  income  and  expenses  from 
financial  instruments  used  to  economically  hedge  instruments 
transacted with the unconsolidated SEs.

income  earned  and  expenses 

The majority of the fee income arose from investment funds 
that  are  sponsored  and  administrated  by  the  Group,  but 
managed  by  third  parties.  As  the  Group  does  not  provide  any 
active management services, UBS was not exposed to risk from 
the performance of these entities and was therefore deemed not 
to  have  an  interest  in  them.  In  certain  structures,  the  fees 

receivable may be collected directly from the investors and have 
therefore not been included in the table below.

The  Group  also  recorded  net  trading  income  from  mark-to-
market  movements  arising  primarily  from  derivatives,  such  as 
interest  rate  and  currency  swaps  as  well  as  credit  derivatives, 
through  which  the  Group  purchases  protection,  and  financial 
liabilities  designated  at  fair  value,  which  do  not  qualify  as 
interests because the Group does not absorb variability from the 
performance  of  the  entity.  Total  income  reported  does  not 
reflect  economic  hedges  or  other  mitigating  effects  from  the 
Group’s risk management activities.

During 2017, UBS and third parties transferred assets totaling 
CHF 17  billion 
sponsored 
(2016:  CHF 13  billion) 
securitization and client vehicles created in 2017. For sponsored 
investment funds, transfers arose during the period as investors 
invested  and  redeemed  positions,  thereby  changing  the  overall 
size  of  the  funds,  which,  when  combined  with  market 
movements, resulted in a total closing net asset value of CHF 15 
billion (31 December 2016: CHF 14 billion).

into 

Sponsored unconsolidated structured entities in which UBS did not have an interest at year-end1

CHF million, except where indicated
Net interest income

Net fee and commission income

Net trading income

Total income

Asset information (CHF billion)

CHF million, except where indicated
Net interest income

Net fee and commission income

Net trading income

Total income

Asset information (CHF billion)

As of or for the year ended

31.12.17

Securitization
vehicles
 2

Client vehicles
 (9)

Investment
funds
 0

 0

 (8)

 (6)

 102 

 0

 (49)

 (58)

 73 

 40

 2

 43

 154 

As of or for the year ended

31.12.16

Securitization
vehicles
 3

Client vehicles
 (6)

Investment
funds
 0

 0

 2

 4

 72 

 0

 (158)

 (165)

 63 

 53

 29

 82

 144 

Total
 (7)

 40

 (55)

 (21)

Total
 (3)

 53

 (128)

 (78)

1 These tables exclude profit attributable to non-controlling interests of CHF 72 million for the year ended 31 December 2017 and CHF 78 million for the year ended 31 December 2016.    2 Represents the amount 
of assets transferred to the respective securitization vehicles. Of the total amount transferred, CHF 2 billion was transferred by UBS (31 December 2016: CHF 2 billion) and CHF 8 billion was transferred by third 
parties (31 December 2016: CHF 5 billion).     3 Represents total assets transferred to the respective client vehicles. Of the total amount transferred, CHF 6 billion was transferred by UBS (31 December 2016: CHF 5 
billion) and CHF 1 billion was transferred by third parties (31 December 2016: CHF 1 billion).    4 Represents the total net asset value of the respective investment funds.

Note 29  Business combinations

In 2017 and 2016, UBS did not complete any significant business combinations.

444 

 
 
Note 30  Changes in organization and disposals 

Measures to improve the resolvability of the UBS Group

Sale of subsidiaries and businesses

In  December  2014,  UBS  Group  AG  became  the  holding 
company  of  the  UBS  Group.  In  2015,  UBS  transferred  its 
Personal  &  Corporate  Banking  and  Wealth  Management 
businesses  booked  in  Switzerland  from  UBS  AG  to  UBS 
Switzerland AG and implemented a more self-sufficient business 
and operating model for UBS Limited. 

UBS  Business  Solutions  AG  was  established  in  2015  as  a 
direct  subsidiary  of  UBS  Group  AG  to  act  as  the  Group  service 
company.  In  the  second  half  of  2015,  UBS  transferred  the 
ownership  of  the  majority  of  its  existing  service  subsidiaries 
outside  the  US  to  UBS  Business  Solutions  AG.  In  2017,  shared 
services  functions  in  Switzerland  and  the  UK  were  transferred 
from UBS AG to UBS Business Solutions AG, which is the Group 
service  company  and  a  wholly  owned  subsidiary  of  UBS  Group 
AG.  UBS  also  completed  the  transfer  of  the  shared  services 
employees  in  the  US  to  its  US  service  company,  UBS  Business 
Solutions  US  LLC,  a  wholly  owned  subsidiary  of  UBS  Americas 
Holding LLC. 

In  addition,  UBS  transferred  the  majority  of  the  operating 
subsidiaries  of  Asset  Management  to  UBS  Asset  Management 
AG  during  2016.  Furthermore,  UBS  merged 
its  Wealth 
Management  subsidiaries  in  Italy,  Luxembourg  (including  its 
branches in Austria, Denmark and Sweden), the Netherlands and 
Spain  into  UBS  Deutschland  AG,  which  was  renamed  to  UBS 
Europe SE, to establish UBS’s new European legal entity, which 
is headquartered in Frankfurt, Germany.

total 

UBS  established  UBS  Group  Funding  (Switzerland)  AG  in 
2016 as a wholly owned direct subsidiary of UBS Group AG, to 
issue  loss-absorbing  additional  tier  1  (AT1)  capital  instruments 
and 
senior 
unsecured debt, which are guaranteed by UBS Group AG. In the 
first  half  of  2017,  UBS  transferred  the  then  outstanding  TLAC-
eligible  senior  unsecured  debt 
to  UBS  Group  Funding 
(Switzerland) AG as the issuer. 

(TLAC)-eligible 

loss-absorbing 

capacity 

In the fourth quarter of 2017, UBS completed the sale of Asset 
Management’s 
in 
administration 
Luxembourg  and  Switzerland  to  Northern  Trust,  resulting  in  a 
pre-tax gain on sale of CHF 153 million.

servicing  units 

fund 

In  the  second  quarter  of  2017,  UBS  completed  the  sale  of  a 
life  insurance  subsidiary  within  Wealth  Management.  A  loss  on 
sale  of  CHF 23  million  was  recognized  in  2016  relating  to  this 
transaction.  Prior  to  completion  of  the  sale,  the  assets  and 
liabilities  of  this  business  were  presented  as  a  disposal  group 
liabilities 
held 
(31 December  2016:  CHF 5.1  billion  and  CHF 5.2  billion, 
respectively).

for  sale  within  Other  assets  and  Other 

In 2015, UBS sold its Alternative Fund Services (AFS) business 
to  Mitsubishi  UFJ  Financial  Group  Investor  Services.  Upon 
completion of the sale, UBS recognized a gain on sale of CHF 56 
million  and  reclassified  an  associated  net  foreign  currency 
translation  gain  of  CHF 119  million  from  Other  comprehensive 
income  to  the  income  statement.  Also  during  2015,  UBS 
completed the sale of certain subsidiaries and businesses within 
Wealth  Management,  which  resulted  in  the  recognition  of  a 
combined net gain of CHF 169 million.

Restructuring expenses

the  manner 

in  which  such  business 

Restructuring  expenses  arise  from  programs  that  materially 
change either the scope of business that the Group engages in 
or 
is  conducted. 
Restructuring  expenses  are  necessary  to  effect  such  programs 
and include items such as severance and other personnel-related 
expenses,  duplicate  headcount 
impairment  and 
accelerated  depreciation  of  assets,  contract  termination  costs, 
consulting  fees,  and  related  infrastructure  and  system  costs. 
These costs are presented in the income statement according to 
the underlying nature of the expense. 

costs, 

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Consolidated financial statements

Note 30  Changes in organization and disposals (continued)

Net restructuring expenses by business division and Corporate Center unit

CHF million

Wealth Management

Wealth Management Americas

Personal & Corporate Banking

Asset Management

Investment Bank

Corporate Center

of which: Services

of which: Group ALM

of which: Non-core and Legacy Portfolio

Total net restructuring expenses

of which: personnel expenses

of which: general and administrative expenses

of which: depreciation and impairment of property, equipment and software

of which: amortization and impairment of intangible assets

Net restructuring expenses by personnel expense category

CHF million

Salaries

Variable compensation – performance awards

Variable compensation – other

Contractors

Social security

Pension and other post-employment benefit plans

Other personnel expenses

Total net restructuring expenses: personnel expenses

Net restructuring expenses by general and administrative expense category

CHF million

Occupancy

Rent and maintenance of IT and other equipment

Communication and market data services

Administration

Marketing and public relations

Travel and entertainment

Professional fees

Outsourcing of IT and other services 

Other1

Total net restructuring expenses: general and administrative expenses

1 Mainly comprised of onerous real estate lease contracts.

446 

For the year ended

31.12.17

31.12.16

31.12.15

 463

 113

 103

 100

 359

 30

 19

 4

 6

 1,168

 534

 627

 7

 0

 447

 139

 117

 100

 577

 78

 57

 0

 21

 323

 137

 101

 82

 396

 196

 140

 0

 56

 1,458

 1,235

 751

 695

 11

 0

 460

 761

 12

 2

For the year ended

31.12.17

31.12.16

31.12.15

 346

 34

 98

 62

 8

 (29)

 15

 534

 435

 102

 209

 56

 8

 (75)

 17

 751

 312

 38

 108

 46

 5

 (65)

 15

 460

For the year ended

31.12.17

31.12.16

31.12.15

 75

 93

 1

 25

 1

 14

 186

 240

 (8)

 627

 123

 94

 1

 16

 0

 16

 162

 289

 (5)

 695

 109

 31

 0

 6

 0

 17

 187

 316

 95

 761

 
Note 31  Operating leases and finance leases 

Information  on  lease  contracts  classified  as  operating  leases  where  UBS  is  the  lessee  is  provided  in  Note  31a  and  information  on 
finance leases where UBS acts as a lessor is provided in Note 31b.

a) Operating lease commitments

As of 31 December 2017, UBS was obligated under a number of 
non-cancelable  operating  leases  for  premises  and  equipment 
used  primarily  for  banking  purposes.  The  significant  premises 
leases  usually  include  renewal  options  and  escalation  clauses  in 
line with general office rental market conditions, as well as rent 

indices.  However,  the 

adjustments  based  on  price 
lease 
agreements do not contain contingent rent payment clauses and 
purchase options, nor do they impose any restrictions on UBS’s 
ability to pay dividends, engage in debt financing transactions or 
enter into further lease agreements.

CHF million

Expenses for operating leases to be recognized in:

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

2023 and thereafter

Subtotal commitments for minimum payments under operating leases

Less: Sublease rental income commitments

Net commitments for minimum payments under operating leases

CHF million

Gross operating lease expense recognized in the income statement

Sublease rental income

Net operating lease expense recognized in the income statement

31.12.17

 666

 602

 516

 429

 382

 2,013

 4,608

 262

 4,346

31.12.17

31.12.16

31.12.15

 725

 67

 658

 749

 78

 671

 743

 70

 673

b) Finance lease receivables

UBS  leases  a  variety  of  assets  to  third  parties  under  finance 
leases,  such  as  commercial  vehicles,  production  lines,  medical 
equipment,  construction  equipment  and  aircraft.  At  the  end  of 
the respective lease term, assets may be sold to third parties or 
further  leased.  Lessees  may  participate  in  any  sales  proceeds 
achieved.  Lease  expenses  cover  the  cost  of  the  assets  less  their 
residual value as well as financing costs.

As  of  31  December  2017,  unguaranteed  residual  values  of 
CHF 158  million  had  been  accrued,  and  the  accumulated 
allowance  for  uncollectible  minimum  lease  payments  receivable 
amounted to CHF 10 million. No contingent rents were received 
in 2017.

Lease receivables

CHF million

2018

2019–2022

Thereafter

Total 

Total minimum lease 
payments
 333

 684

 112

 1,129

31.12.17

Unearned finance
income
 22

 36

 3

 61

Present value
 311

 648

 110

 1,069

447 

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Consolidated financial statements

Note 32  Related parties 

UBS  defines  related  parties  as  associates  (entities  that  are 
significantly influenced by UBS), joint ventures (entities in which 
UBS  shares  control  with  another  party),  post-employment 
benefit  plans  for  UBS  employees,  key  management  personnel, 
close family members of key management personnel and entities 

that are, directly or indirectly, controlled or jointly controlled by 
key  management  personnel  or  their  close  family  members.  Key 
management  personnel  is  defined  as  members  of  the  Board  of 
Directors (BoD) and Group Executive Board (GEB).

a) Remuneration of key management personnel

The  Chairman  of  the  BoD  has  a  specific  management  employment  contract  and  receives  pension  benefits  upon  retirement.  Total 
remuneration of the Chairman of the Board of Directors and all GEB members is included in the table below.

Remuneration of key management personnel

CHF million
Base salaries and other cash payments1

Incentive awards – cash2

Annual incentive award under DCCP

Employer’s contributions to retirement benefit plans

Benefits in kind, fringe benefits (at market value)

Equity-based compensation3

Total

31.12.17

31.12.16

31.12.15

 25

 15

 22

 3

 2

 40

 106

 25

 11

 22

 3

 2

 41

 104

 23

 10

 21

 2

 2

 42

 99

1 Includes role-based allowances that have been made in line with market practice in response to the EU Capital Requirements Directive of 2013 (CRD IV).     2 Includes immediate and deferred cash.     3 Expenses 
for shares granted are calculated at grant date of the respective award and allocated over the vesting period, generally for 5 years. Refer to Note 27 for more information. In 2017, 2016 and 2015, equity-based 
compensation was entirely comprised of EOP awards.

The independent members of the BoD do not have employment or service contracts with UBS, and thus are not entitled to benefits 
upon termination of their service on the BoD. Payments to these individuals for their services as external board members amounted 
to CHF 7.1 million in 2017, CHF 7.2 million in 2016 and CHF 6.7 million in 2015.

b) Equity holdings of key management personnel

Equity holdings of key management personnel

Number of stock options from equity participation plans held by non-independent members of the BoD and the GEB members1

Number of shares held by members of the BoD, GEB and parties closely linked to them2
1 Refer to Note 27 for more information.    2 Excludes shares granted under variable compensation plans with forfeiture provisions.

31.12.17

 398,867

31.12.16

 620,950

 3,709,539

 3,267,911

Of  the  share  totals  above,  95,597  shares  were  held  by  close 
family members of key management personnel on 31 December 
2017  and  31  December  2016.  No  shares  were  held  by  entities 
that  are  directly  or  indirectly  controlled  or  jointly  controlled  by 
key management personnel or their close family members on 31 

December  2017  and  31  December  2016.  Refer  to  Note  27  for 
more information. As of 31 December 2017, no member of the 
BoD or GEB was the beneficial owner of more than 1% of UBS 
Group AG’s shares. 

448 

Note 32  Related parties (continued)

c) Loans, advances and mortgages to key management personnel

The  non-independent  members  of  the  BoD  and  GEB  members 
are granted loans, fixed advances and mortgages in the ordinary 
course  of  business  on  substantially  the  same  terms  and 
conditions  that  are  available  to  other  employees,  including 
interest  rates  and  collateral,  and  neither  involve  more  than  the 
normal  risk  of  collectibility  nor  contain  any  other  unfavorable 

features  for  the  firm.  Independent  BoD  members  are  granted 
loans  and  mortgages  in  the  ordinary  course  of  business  at 
general market conditions.

Movements in the loan, advances and mortgage balances are 

as follows.

Loans, advances and mortgages to key management personnel1

CHF million

Balance at the beginning of the year

Additions

2017

 41

 1

2016

 33

 21

Reductions
Balance at the end of the year2
1 All loans are secured loans.     2 Excludes unused uncommitted credit facilities for two GEB members and one BoD member of CHF 5,196,294 as of 31 December 2017 and for one GEB and one BoD member of 
CHF 2,684,498 as of 31 December 2016.

 (13)

 (1)

 41

 41

d) Other related party transactions with entities controlled by key management personnel

In  2017  and  2016,  UBS  did  not  enter  into  transactions  with 
entities  that  are  directly  or  indirectly  controlled  or  jointly 
controlled  by  UBS’s  key  management  personnel  or  their  close 
family  members  and  as  of  31  December  2017,  31 December 
2016  and  31  December  2015,  there  were  no  outstanding 
balances related to such transactions. Furthermore, in 2017 and 

2016, entities controlled by key management personnel did not 
sell any goods or provide any services to UBS, and therefore did 
not receive any fees from UBS. UBS also did not provide services 
to  such  entities  in  2017  and  2016,  and  therefore  also  received 
no fees.

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Consolidated financial statements

Note 32  Related parties (continued)

e) Transactions with associates and joint ventures

Loans to and outstanding receivables from associates and joint ventures

CHF million

Carrying value at the beginning of the year

Additions

Reductions

Carrying value at the end of the year 

of which: unsecured loans

Other transactions with associates and joint ventures

CHF million

Payments to associates and joint ventures for goods and services received

Fees received for services provided to associates and joint ventures

Commitments and contingent liabilities to associates and joint ventures

→ Refer to Note 28 for an overview of investments in associates and joint ventures

2017

 472

 82

 (3)

 551

 540

2016

 476

 4

 (8)

 472

 461

As of or for the year ended

31.12.17

31.12.16

 177

 2

 4

 153

 3

 4

450 

 
Note 33  Invested assets and net new money 

Invested assets

Net new money

Invested assets include all client assets managed by or deposited 
with  UBS  for  investment  purposes.  Invested  assets  include 
managed fund assets, managed institutional assets, discretionary 
and  advisory  wealth  management  portfolios,  fiduciary  deposits, 
time  deposits,  savings  accounts  and  wealth  management 
securities  or  brokerage  accounts.  All  assets  held  for  purely 
transactional  purposes  and  custody-only  assets, 
including 
corporate  client  assets  held  for  cash  management  and 
transactional purposes, are excluded from invested assets as the 
Group only administers the assets and does not offer advice on 
how  the  assets  should  be  invested.  Also  excluded  are  non-
bankable  assets  (e.g.,  art  collections)  and  deposits  from  third-
party banks for funding or trading purposes.

Discretionary  assets  are  defined  as  client  assets  that  UBS 
decides how to invest. Other invested assets are those where the 
client  ultimately  decides  how  the  assets  are  invested.  When  a 
single  product  is  created  in  one  business  division  and  sold  in 
another, it is counted in both the business division that manages 
the  investment  and  the  one  that  distributes  it.  This  results  in 
double  counting  within  UBS  total  invested  assets,  as  both 
business  divisions  are  independently  providing  a  service  to  their 
respective clients, and both add value and generate revenue.

Net new money in a reporting period is the amount of invested 
assets that are entrusted to UBS by new and existing clients, less 
those  withdrawn  by  existing  clients  and  clients  who  terminated 
their relationship with UBS.

Net new money is calculated using the direct method, under 
which  inflows  and  outflows  to  /  from  invested  assets  are 
determined at the client level based on transactions. Interest and 
dividend  income  from  invested  assets  are  not  counted  as  net 
new money inflows. Market and currency movements as well as 
fees,  commissions  and  interest  on  loans  charged  are  excluded 
from  net  new  money,  as  are  the  effects  resulting  from  any 
acquisition  or  divestment  of  a  UBS  subsidiary  or  business. 
Reclassifications between invested assets and custody-only assets 
as a result of a change in the service level delivered are generally 
treated  as  net  new  money  flows;  however,  where  such  change 
in  service  level  directly  results  from  a  new  externally  imposed 
regulation,  the  one-time  net  effect  of  the  implementation  is 
reported  as  an  asset  reclassification  without  net  new  money 
impact.

The  Investment  Bank  does  not  track  invested  assets  and  net 
new  money.  However,  when  a  client  is  transferred  from  the 
Investment Bank to another business division, this produces net 
new  money  even  though  client  assets  were  already  with  UBS. 
There were no such transfers between the Investment Bank and 
other business divisions in 2017 and 2016.

Invested assets and net new money

CHF billion

Fund assets managed by UBS

Discretionary assets

Other invested assets1

Total invested assets1,2

of which: double counts

Net new money2
1 Certain account types were corrected during 2017. As a result, invested assets as of 31 December 2016 were corrected by CHF 12 billion.    2 Includes double counts.

Development of invested assets

CHF billion
Total invested assets at the beginning of the year1,2

Net new money

Market movements3

Foreign currency translation

Other effects

of which: acquisitions / (divestments)

For the year ended

31.12.17

31.12.16

 330

 1,025

 1,824

 3,179

 204

 104

 275

 886

 1,649

 2,810

 176

 27

For the year ended

31.12.17

 2,810

31.12.16

 2,678

 104

 313

 (45)

 (3)

 4

 27

 98

 21

 (14)

 (14)

Total invested assets at the end of the year1,2
1 Includes double counts.     2 Certain account types were corrected during 2017. As a result, invested assets as of 31 December 2016 and 31 December 2015 were corrected by CHF 12 billion and CHF 11 billion, 
respectively.    3 Includes interest and dividend income.

 3,179

 2,810

451 

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Note 34  Currency translation rates 

The  following  table  shows  the  rates  of  the  main  currencies  used  to  translate  the  financial  information  of  foreign  operations  into 
Swiss francs.

1 USD

1 EUR

1 GBP

100 JPY

Spot rate

As of

Average rate1

For the year ended

31.12.17

31.12.16

31.12.17

31.12.16

31.12.15

 0.97

 1.17

 1.32

 0.86

 1.02

 1.07

 1.26

 0.87

 0.98

 1.12

 1.28

 0.88

 0.99

 1.09

 1.32

 0.91

 0.97

 1.06

 1.47

 0.80

1 Monthly income statement items of foreign operations with a functional currency other than the Swiss franc are translated with month-end rates into Swiss francs. Disclosed average rates for a year represent an 
average  of  12  month-end  rates,  weighted  according  to  the  income  and  expense  volumes  of  all  foreign  operations  of  the  Group  with  the  same  functional  currency  for  each  month.  Weighted  average  rates  for 
individual business divisions may deviate from the weighted average rates for the Group.

Note 35  Events after the reporting period  

Events subsequent to the publication of the unaudited fourth 
quarter 2017 report
The 2017 results and the balance sheet as of 31 December 2017 
differ  from  those  presented  in  the  unaudited  fourth  quarter 
2017 report published on 22 January 2018 as a result of events 
adjusted  for  after  the  balance  sheet  date.  Provisions  for 
litigation,  regulatory  and  similar  matters  increased,  which 
reduced  2017  operating  profit  before  tax  by  CHF  141  million, 
2017 net profit attributable to shareholders by CHF 112 million, 
and both basic and diluted earnings per share by CHF 0.03.

Integration of Wealth Management and Wealth Management 
Americas into a single business division
Effective  1  February  2018,  UBS  is  integrating  its  Wealth 
Management  and  Wealth  Management  Americas  business 
divisions  into  a  single  Global  Wealth  Management  business 
division.  The  firm  will  report  the  results  for  Global  Wealth 
Management beginning with the first quarter of 2018.

→ Refer to Note 1c for more information on the change in 

segment reporting

interest 

Changes to the Pension Fund of UBS in Switzerland 
As  a  result  of  the  effects  of  continuing  low  and  in  some  cases 
return 
rates,  diminished 
negative 
expectations and increasing life expectancy, the Pension Fund of 
UBS in Switzerland and UBS have agreed measures that will take 
effect from the start of 2019 to support the long-term financial 
stability  of  the  Swiss  pension  fund.  As  a  result,  the  conversion 

investment 

rate  will  be  lowered,  the  regular  retirement  age  and  employee 
contributions  will  be  increased,  and  savings  contributions  will 
start  earlier.  These  measures  will  have  no  effect  on  current 
pensioners of UBS.

To mitigate the effects of the reduction of the conversion rate 
on  future  pensions,  UBS  will  make  a  payment  to  employees’ 
retirement  assets  in  the  Swiss  pension  fund  of  up  to  CHF 720 
million in three installments in 2020, 2021 and 2022. 

In  accordance  with 

International  Financial  Reporting 
Standards  (IFRS),  these  measures,  including  the  portion  of  the 
payment to be made by UBS that is attributable to past service, 
will lead to a reduction in the pension obligation recognized by 
UBS,  resulting  in  a  pre-tax  gain  of  CHF 225  million  in  the  first 
quarter  of  2018  with  no  overall  effect  on  total  equity  and  a 
reduced  pension  service  cost  starting  from  January  2018.  The 
gain  will  be  recognized  as  a  reduction  in  personnel  expense 
within  the  income  statement  across  the  business  divisions  and 
Corporate  Center,  with  a  corresponding  effect 
in  Other 
comprehensive income, as the Swiss pension plan is currently in 
a  surplus  situation  that  cannot  be  recognized  due  to  the  IFRS 
asset ceiling requirement. If the Swiss pension plan remains in an 
asset  ceiling  position,  the  annual  payments  adjusted  for 
expected  forfeitures  are  expected  to  reduce  total  equity  by 
approximately  CHF 200  million  per  year  over  the  installment 
period, with no effect on the income statement.

→ Refer to Note 26 for more information on the Swiss pension 

plan and the asset ceiling effect

452 

 
 
Note 36  Main differences between IFRS and Swiss GAAP 

IFRS 

The  consolidated  financial  statements  of  UBS  Group  AG  are 
prepared  in  accordance  with  International  Financial  Reporting 
Standards 
(IFRS).  The  Swiss  Financial  Market  Supervisory 
Authority  (FINMA)  requires  financial  groups  that  present  their 
financial  statements  under 
to  provide  a  narrative 
explanation  of  the  main  differences  between  IFRS  and  Swiss 
GAAP  (FINMA  Circular  2015 / 1  and  the  Banking  Ordinance). 
Included  in  this  Note  are  the  significant  differences  in  the 
recognition  and  measurement  between  IFRS  and  the  provisions 
of  the  Banking  Ordinance  and  the  guidelines  of  FINMA 
governing  true  and  fair  view  financial  statement  reporting 
pursuant  to  article  25  through  article  42  of  the  Banking 
Ordinance.

1. Consolidation

Under IFRS, all entities that are controlled by the holding entity 
are consolidated.

Under  Swiss  GAAP,  controlled  entities  that  are  deemed 
immaterial  to  the  Group  or  that  are  held  temporarily  only  are 
instead  are  recorded  as 
exempt  from  consolidation,  but 
participations  accounted  for  under  the  equity  method  of 
accounting or as financial investments measured at the lower of 
cost or market value.

2. Financial assets available for sale

Under  IFRS,  financial  assets  available  for  sale  are  carried  at  fair 
value. Changes in fair value are recorded directly in equity until 
an  asset  is  sold,  collected  or  otherwise  disposed  of,  or  until  an 
asset is determined to be impaired. At the time an available-for-
sale  asset  is  determined  to  be  impaired,  the  cumulative 
unrealized loss previously recognized in equity is included in net 
profit or loss for the respective period. On disposal of a financial 
asset  available  for  sale,  the  cumulative  unrealized  gain  or  loss 
previously  recognized  in  equity  is  reclassified  to  the  income 
statement. 

Under  Swiss  GAAP,  classification  and  measurement  of 
financial  assets  designated  as  available  for  sale  depend  on  the 
nature  of  the  asset.  Equity  instruments  with  no  permanent 
holding  intent,  as  well  as  debt  instruments,  are  classified  as 
Financial investments and measured at the lower of (amortized) 
cost  or  market  value.  Market  value  adjustments  up  to  the 
original  cost  amount  and  realized  gains  or  losses  upon  disposal 
of  the  investment  are  recorded  in  the  income  statement  as 

Other income from ordinary activities. Equity instruments with a 
permanent holding intent are classified as participations in Non-
consolidated investments in subsidiaries and other participations 
and  measured  at  cost  less  impairment.  Impairment  losses  are 
recorded in the income statement as Impairment of investments 
in  non-consolidated  subsidiaries  and  other  participations. 
Reversals of impairments up to the original cost amount as well 
as  realized  gains  or  losses  upon  disposal  of  the  investment  are 
recorded as Extraordinary income / Extraordinary expenses in the 
income statement.

3. Hedge accounting

Under  IFRS,  when  cash  flow  hedge  accounting  is  applied,  the 
fair  value  gain  or  loss  on  the  effective  portion  of  the  derivative 
designated as a cash flow hedge is recognized in equity. When 
fair  value  hedge  accounting  is  applied,  the  fair  value  gains  or 
losses  of  the  derivative  and  the  hedged  item  are  recognized  in 
the income statement.

Under  Swiss  GAAP,  the  effective  portion  of  the  fair  value 
change of the derivative instrument designated as a cash flow or 
as  fair  value  hedge  is  deferred  on  the  balance  sheet  as  Other 
assets or Other liabilities. The carrying value of the hedged item 
designated  in  fair  value  hedges  is  not  adjusted  for  fair  value 
changes attributable to the hedged risk.

4. Fair value option

Under IFRS, UBS applies the fair value option to certain financial 
assets  and  financial  liabilities  not  held  for  trading.  Instruments 
for  which  the  fair  value  option  is  applied  are  accounted  for  at 
fair  value  with  changes  in  fair  value  reflected  in  Net  trading 
income.  The  fair  value  option  is  applied  primarily  to  structured 
debt instruments, certain non-structured debt instruments, high-
quality  liquid  debt  securities,  structured  reverse  repurchase  and 
repurchase  agreements  and  securities  borrowing  agreements, 
certain  structured  and  non-structured  loans  as  well  as  loan 
commitments.

Under Swiss GAAP, the fair value option can only be applied 
to  structured  debt  instruments  that  consist  of  a  debt  host 
contract  and  one  or  more  embedded  derivatives  that  do  not 
relate  to  own  equity.  Furthermore,  changes  in  fair  value 
attributable  to  changes  in  unrealized  own  credit  are  not 
recognized.

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Consolidated financial statements

Note 36  Main differences between IFRS and Swiss GAAP (continued)

5. Goodwill and intangible assets

Under  IFRS,  goodwill  acquired  in  a  business  combination  is  not 
amortized  but  tested  annually  for  impairment.  Intangible  assets 
with  an  indefinite  useful  life  are  also  not  amortized  but  tested 
annually for impairment.

Under  Swiss  GAAP,  goodwill  and  intangible  assets  with 
indefinite useful lives are amortized over a period not exceeding 
five years, unless a longer useful life, which may not exceed 10 
years, can be justified.

6. Pension and other post-employment benefit plans

Swiss  GAAP  permits  the  use  of  IFRS  or  Swiss  accounting 
standards for pension and other post-employment benefit plans, 
with the election made on a plan-by-plan basis.

UBS  has  elected  to  apply  IFRS  (IAS  19)  for  the  non-Swiss 
defined benefit plans in UBS AG standalone financial statements 
and Swiss GAAP (FER 16) for the Swiss pension plan in the UBS 
AG  and 
financial 
the  UBS  Switzerland  AG  standalone 
statements. The requirements of Swiss GAAP are better aligned 
with the specific nature of Swiss pension plans, which are hybrid 
in  that  they  combine  elements  of  defined  contribution  and 
defined  benefit  plans,  but  are  treated  as  defined  benefit  plans 
under  IFRS.  Key  differences  between  Swiss  GAAP  and  IFRS 
include the treatment of dynamic elements, such as future salary 
increases and future interest credits on retirement savings, which 
are not considered under the static method used in accordance 
with Swiss GAAP. Also, the discount rate used to determine the 
defined  benefit  obligation  in  accordance  with  IFRS  is  based  on 
the  yield  of  high-quality  corporate  bonds  of  the  market  in  the 
respective  pension  plan  country.  The  discount  rate  used  in 
accordance  with  Swiss  GAAP,  i.e.,  the  technical  interest  rate,  is 
determined  by  the  Pension  Foundation  Board  based  on  the 
expected returns of the Board’s investment strategy.

For  defined  benefit  plans,  IFRS  requires  the  full  defined 
benefit  obligation  net  of  the  plan  assets  to  be  recorded  on  the 
balance  sheet,  with  changes  resulting  from  remeasurements 
recognized  directly  in  equity.  However,  for  non-Swiss  defined 
benefit plans for which IFRS accounting is elected, changes due 
to  remeasurements  are  recognized  in  the  income  statement  of 
UBS AG standalone under Swiss GAAP.

Swiss  GAAP  requires  that  employer  contributions  to  the 
pension  fund  are  recognized  as  personnel  expenses  in  the 
income  statement.  Further,  Swiss  GAAP  requires  an  assessment 

as to whether, based on the financial statements of the pension 
fund  prepared  in  accordance  with  Swiss  accounting  standards 
(FER 26), an economic benefit to, or obligation of, the employer 
arises  from  the  pension  fund  and  is  recognized  in  the  balance 
sheet  when  conditions  are  met.  Conditions  for  recording  a 
pension  asset  or  liability  would  be  met  if,  for  example,  an 
employer  contribution  reserve  is  available  or  the  employer  is 
required  to  contribute  to  the  reduction  of  a  pension  deficit  (on 
an FER 26 basis).

7. Netting of replacement values

Under  IFRS,  replacement  values  and  related  cash  collateral  are 
reported  on  a  gross  basis  unless  the  restrictive  IFRS  netting 
requirements are met: i) existence of master netting agreements 
and  related  collateral  arrangements  that  are  unconditional  and 
legally enforceable, both in the normal course of business and in 
the  event  of  default,  bankruptcy  or  insolvency  of  UBS  and  its 
counterparties,  and  ii)  UBS’s  intention  to  either  settle  on  a  net 
basis or to realize the asset and settle the liability simultaneously.
Under  Swiss  GAAP,  replacement  values  and  related  cash 
collateral  are  generally  reported  on  a  net  basis,  provided  the 
master netting and the related collateral agreements are legally 
enforceable in the event of default, bankruptcy or insolvency of 
UBS’s counterparties.

8. Negative interest

Under IFRS, negative interest income arising on a financial asset 
does not meet the definition of interest income and, therefore, 
negative  interest  on  financial  assets  and  negative  interest  on 
financial  liabilities  are  presented  within  interest  expense  and 
interest income, respectively.

Under  Swiss  GAAP,  negative  interest  on  financial  assets  is 
presented  within  interest  income  and  negative  interest  on 
financial liabilities is presented within interest expense.

9. Extraordinary income and expense

Certain  non-recurring  and  non-operating  income  and  expense 
items,  such  as  realized  gains  or  losses  from  the  disposal  of 
participations, fixed and intangible assets, as well as reversals of 
impairments  of  participations  and  fixed  assets,  are  classified  as 
extraordinary  items  under  Swiss  GAAP.  This  distinction  is  not 
available under IFRS. (cid:3)

454 

 
Standalone 
financial 
statements

UBS Group AG standalone financial statements

Table of contents

457 UBS Group AG standalone financial statements

457

458

459

Income statement
Balance sheet
Statement of appropriation of retained earnings and 
proposed dividend distribution out of capital contribution 
reserve

464

465

465

466

466

466

466

467

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

Accrued income and prepaid expenses
Investments in subsidiaries
Financial assets
Accrued expenses and deferred income
Long-term interest-bearing liabilities
Compensation-related long-term liabilities
Share capital
Treasury shares

460

461

1

2

Corporate information
Accounting policies

Income statement notes
3

Dividend income from investments in subsidiaries
Other operating income
Financial income
Personnel expenses
Other operating expenses
Financial expenses

4

5

6

7

8

468 Additional information
20 Guarantees
468
21

468

468

469

470

22

23

24

471

25

Assets pledged to secure own liabilities
Contingent liabilities
Significant shareholders
Share and option ownership of the members of the 
Board of Directors, the Group Executive Board and 
other employees
Related parties

Liquid assets

Balance sheet notes
9
10 Marketable securities
11 Other short-term receivables

472

474

Report of the statutory auditor on the financial statements
Independent auditor’s report related to the issue of new 
shares from conditional capital

463

463

463

463

463

463

463

464

464

464

464

456 

 
UBS Group AG standalone financial 
statements

Audited |
Income statement

CHF million

Dividend income from investments in subsidiaries

Other operating income

Financial income

OOperating income

Personnel expenses

Other operating expenses

Amortization of intangible assets

Financial expenses

OOperating expenses

Profit / (loss) before income taxes

Tax expense / (benefit)

NNet profit / (loss) 

For the year ended

Note

331.12.17

 3

 4

 5

 6

 7

 8

  10

  129

  580

  719

  20

  97

  4

  547

  668

  51

  4

  47

31.12.16

 5,684

 44

 475

 6,202

 23

 34

 0

 512

 569

 5,633

 27

 5,606

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UBS Group AG standalone financial statements

Balance sheet

CHF million

Assets

Liquid assets

Marketable securities

Other short-term receivables

Accrued income and prepaid expenses

TTotal current assets

Investments in subsidiaries

of which: investment in UBS AG

Financial assets

Prepaid assets

Other intangible assets

TTotal non-current assets

TTotal assets

of which: amounts due from subsidiaries

Liabilities

Current interest-bearing liabilities

Accrued expenses and deferred income

TTotal short-term liabilities

Long-term interest-bearing liabilities

Compensation-related long-term liabilities

TTotal long-term liabilities

TTotal liabilities

of which: amounts due to subsidiaries

Equity

Share capital

General reserves

of which: statutory capital reserve

of which: capital contribution reserve

Voluntary earnings reserve

Treasury shares

Reserve for own shares held by subsidiaries

Net profit / (loss) 

EEquity attributable to shareholders

TTotal liabilities and equity

458 

Note

331.12.17

31.12.16

 9

 10

 11

 12

 13

 14

 15

 16

 17

 18

 19

  2,543

  100

  710

  437

  3,790

  40,441

  40,126

  8,742

  9

  16

  49,208

  52,998

  12,064

  1,640

  1,871

  3,511

  7,882

  3,311

  11,193

  14,704

  1,853

  385

  32,683

  32,683

  32,683

  7,323

  (2,145)

  1

  47

  38,294

  52,998

 1,714

 78

 2,830

 469

 5,090

 40,451

 40,376

 8,162

 27

 21

 48,661

 53,751

 12,762

 595

 1,487

 2,082

 7,865

 3,479

 11,344

 13,427

 612

 385

 34,886

 34,886

 34,886

 1,716

 (2,271)

 2

 5,606

 40,324

 53,751

Statement of appropriation of retained earnings and proposed dividend distribution out of capital contribution reserve

The  Board  of  Directors  proposes  that  the  Annual  General  Meeting  of  Shareholders  (AGM)  on  3  May  2018  approve  the  following 
appropriation of retained earnings.

Proposed appropriation of retained earnings

CHF million

Net profit for the period

Retained earnings carried forward

Total retained earnings available for appropriation

Appropriation of retained earnings

Appropriation to voluntary earnings reserve

Retained earnings carried forward

For the year ended

31.12.17

 47

 0

 47

 (47)

 0

Proposed dividend distribution out of capital contribution reserve

The Board of Directors proposes that the AGM on 3 May 2018 
approve  an  ordinary  dividend  distribution  of  CHF 0.65  in  cash 
per  share  of  CHF 0.10  par  value  payable  out  of  the  capital 
contribution  reserve.  Provided  that  the  proposed  dividend 
distribution  out  of  the  capital  contribution  reserve  is  approved, 

the payment of CHF 0.65 per share will be made on 9 May 2018 
to holders of shares on the record date 8 May 2018. The shares 
will  be  traded  ex-dividend  as  of  7  May  2018  and,  accordingly, 
the last day on which the shares may be traded with entitlement 
to receive the dividend will be 4 May 2018.

CHF million, except where indicated
Total statutory capital reserve: capital contribution reserve before proposed distribution1

Proposed ordinary distribution of capital contribution reserve within statutory capital reserve: CHF 0.65 per dividend-bearing share2

Total statutory capital reserve: capital contribution reserve after proposed distribution

31.12.17

 32,683

 (2,505)

 30,179

1 The Swiss Federal Tax Administration’s current position is that, of the CHF 32.7 billion capital contribution reserve available as of 31 December 2017, an amount limited to CHF 18.0 billion is available from which 
dividends may be paid without a Swiss withholding tax deduction.    2 Dividend-bearing shares are all shares issued except for treasury shares held by UBS Group AG as of the record date. The amount of CHF 2,505 
million presented is based on the total number of shares issued as of 31 December 2017.

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UBS Group AG standalone financial statements

Note 1  Corporate information

UBS Group AG is incorporated and domiciled in Switzerland and 
its  registered  office  is  at  Bahnhofstrasse  45,  CH-8001  Zurich, 
Switzerland. UBS Group AG operates under article 620ff. of the 
Swiss  Code  of  Obligations  as  an  Aktiengesellschaft,  a 
corporation limited by shares.

UBS  Group  AG  is  the  ultimate  holding  company  of  the  UBS 
Group,  the  grantor  of  the  majority  of  UBS’s  deferred 
compensation plans and issuer of long-term capital instruments.

Issuance of additional tier 1 capital instruments

During 2016 and 2015, UBS Group AG issued perpetual capital 
notes, which qualify as Basel III additional tier 1 (AT1) capital on 
a  consolidated  UBS  Group  basis.  The  proceeds  from  the 
issuances of those instruments were on-lent to UBS AG.

→ Refer to Note 16 for more information on the main terms and 
conditions of the perpetual capital notes issued during 2016 

and 2015

Furthermore,  UBS  Group  AG  granted  Deferred  Contingent 
Capital  Plan  (DCCP)  awards  to  UBS  Group  employees  during 
2017, 2016 and 2015. These DCCP awards also qualify as Basel 
III AT1 capital on a consolidated UBS Group basis.

As of 31 December 2017, UBS Group AG’s distributable items 
for the purpose of AT1 capital instruments were CHF 37.8 billion 
(31  December  2016:  CHF 39.9  billion).  For  this  purpose, 
distributable  items  are  defined  in  the  terms  and  conditions  of 
the  relevant  instruments  as  the  aggregate  of  (i)  net  profits 
carried forward and (ii) freely distributable reserves, in each case, 
less  any  amounts  that  must  be  contributed  to  legal  reserves 
under applicable law.

460 

Note 2  Accounting policies 

The UBS Group AG standalone financial statements are prepared 
in  accordance  with  the  principles  of  the  Swiss  Law  on 
Accounting  and  Financial  Reporting  (32nd  title  of  the  Swiss 
Code of Obligations).

The functional currency of UBS Group AG is the Swiss franc. 
The  significant  accounting  and  valuation  principles  applied  are 
described below.

Foreign currency translation

Transactions denominated in foreign currency are translated into 
Swiss  francs  at  the  spot  exchange  rate  on  the  date  of  the 
transaction.  At  the  balance  sheet  date,  all  current  assets  and 
short-term  liabilities  as  well  as  Financial  assets  measured  at  fair 
value,  which  are  denominated  in  a  foreign  currency,  are 
translated into Swiss francs using the closing exchange rate. For 
other  non-current  assets  and  long-term  liabilities,  where  the 
asset  mirrors  the  terms  of  a  corresponding  liability  or  the  asset 
and liability otherwise form an economic hedge relationship, the 
asset and liability are treated as one unit of account for foreign 
currency translation purposes, with offsetting unrealized foreign 
currency  translation  gains  and  losses  based  on  the  closing 
exchange  rate  presented  net 
income  statement. 
in  the 
in  subsidiaries  measured  at  historic  cost  are 
Investments 
translated  at  the  spot  exchange  rate  on  the  date  of  the 
transaction. All currency translation effects are recognized in the 
income statement.

The  main  currency  translation  rates  used  by  UBS  Group  AG 
are provided in Note 34 to the consolidated financial statements.

Marketable securities

include 

securities 

investments 

in  alternative 
Marketable 
investment vehicles (AIVs) with a short-term holding period. The 
holding period is deemed short-term if the vesting of the awards 
hedged by the AIV is within 12 months after the balance sheet 
date.  These  are  equity  instruments  and  are  measured  at  fair 
value based on quoted market prices or other observable market 
prices  as  of  the  balance  sheet  date.  Gains  and  losses  resulting 
from fair value changes are recognized in Financial income and 
Financial expenses, respectively.

Financial assets

Financial  assets  include  investments  in  AIVs  with  a  long-term 
holding  period.  The  holding  period  is  deemed  long-term  if  the 
vesting  of  the  awards  hedged  by  the  AIV  is  more  than  12 
months  after  the  balance  sheet  date.  These  are  equity 
instruments  and  are  measured  at  fair  value  based  on  their 
quoted market prices or other observable market prices as of the 
balance  sheet  date.  Gains  and  losses  resulting  from  fair  value 
changes  are  recognized  in  Financial  income  and  Financial 
expenses, respectively.

Investments  in  AIVs  that  have  no  quoted  market  price  or  no 
other observable market price are recognized as Financial assets 

and  are  measured  at  their  acquisition  cost  adjusted  for 
impairment losses.

Financial assets further include loans granted to UBS AG that 
substantially  mirror  the  terms  of  AT1  perpetual  capital  notes 
issued  and  fixed-term  deposits  with  UBS  AG  with  maturities 
more  than  12  months  after  the  balance  sheet  date.  The  loans 
and deposits are measured at nominal value.
→ Refer to Note 14 for more information

Derivative instruments

UBS Group AG uses derivative instruments to manage exposures 
to foreign currency risks from investments in foreign subsidiaries. 
The  derivative  instruments  are  entered  into  with  UBS  AG, 
mirroring  the  conditions  of  the  closing  transactions  UBS  AG 
enters into with external third parties.

Derivative  instruments  are  measured  at  fair  value  based  on 
quoted market prices or other observable market prices as of the 
balance  sheet  date.  Unrealized  gains  and  losses  are  recognized 
as Accrued income and prepaid expenses and Accrued expenses 
and  deferred  income,  respectively.  Corresponding  gains  and 
losses  resulting  from  fair  value  changes  are  recognized  in 
Financial income and Financial expenses, respectively.

Investments in subsidiaries

Investments  in  subsidiaries  are  equity  interests  that  are  held  to 
carry  on  the  business  of  UBS  Group  or  for  other  strategic 
purposes.  They  include  all  subsidiaries  directly  held  by  UBS 
Group AG through which UBS conducts its business on a global 
basis.  The  investments  are  measured  individually  and  carried  at 
cost less impairment.

→ Refer to Note 13 for more information
→ Refer to Note 2 in the “Consolidated financial statements” 

section of this report for a description of businesses of the UBS 

Group

Treasury shares

Treasury  shares  acquired  by  UBS  Group  AG  are  recognized  at 
acquisition  cost  and  are  presented  as  a  deduction  from 
shareholders’  equity.  Upon  disposal  or  settlement  of  related 
share awards, the realized gain or loss is recognized through the 
income  statement  as  Financial  income  and  Financial  expenses, 
respectively. For settlement of related share awards, the realized 
gains  and  losses  on  treasury  shares  represent  the  difference 
between  the  market  price  of  the  treasury  shares  at  settlement 
and their acquisition cost.

For shares of UBS Group AG acquired by a direct or indirect 
subsidiary,  a  Reserve  for  own  shares  held  by  subsidiaries  is 
generally  created  in  UBS  Group  AG’s  equity.  However,  where 
UBS AG or UBS Switzerland AG acquire shares of UBS Group AG 
and  hold  them  in  their  trading  portfolios,  no  Reserve  for  own 
shares held by subsidiaries is created. 

→ Refer to Note 19 for more information

461 

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UBS Group AG standalone financial statements

Note 2  Accounting policies (continued)

Equity participation and other compensation plans

Transfer from UBS AG to UBS Group AG
The  transfer  of  the  deferred  compensation  plans  and  related 
hedging assets in 2014 was conducted on an arm’s length basis, 
with a step-up of the plan obligation to fair value. This step-up 
resulted  in  a  net  liability  that  was  recorded  in  the  standalone 
financial  statements  of  UBS  AG  and  transferred  to  UBS  Group 
AG (net liability related to deferred compensation plan transfer) 
in 2014. The fair value of this net liability is taken into account in 
the income statement over the average vesting period (for share 
awards)  or  upon  exercise  /  expiry  (for  option  awards)  as  Other 
operating  income.  Upon  exercise  of  option  awards  that  are 
settled using conditional capital, the fair value of this net liability 
is  recorded  in  the  Statutory  capital  reserve  within  General 
reserves.  The  difference  between  the  fair  value  of  the  hedging 
assets  and  the  fair  value  of  the  obligations  on  the  plans 
transferred  was  compensated  for  with  a  loan  from  UBS  AG  to 
UBS Group AG.

Equity participation plans
The  grant  date  fair  value  of  equity-settled  share-based 
compensation  awards  granted  to  employees 
is  generally 
recognized  over  the  vesting  period  of  the  awards.  Awards 
granted  in  the  form  of  UBS  Group  AG  shares  and  notional 
shares are settled by delivering UBS Group AG shares at vesting 
and are recognized as Compensation-related long-term liabilities 
if  vesting  is  more  than  12  months  after  the  balance  sheet  date 
or as Accrued expenses and deferred income if vesting is within 
12 months from the balance sheet date. The amount recognized 
is  adjusted  for  forfeiture  assumptions,  such  that  the  amount 
ultimately  recognized  is  based  on  the  number  of  awards  that 
meet  the  related  service  conditions  at  the  vesting  date.  The 
grant date fair value is based on the UBS Group AG share price, 
taking 
sale  and  hedge 
restrictions,  non-vesting  conditions  and  market  conditions, 
where applicable.

into  consideration  post-vesting 

Upon  settlement  of  the  share  awards,  any  realized  gain  or 
loss  is  recognized  in  the  income  statement  as  Other  operating 
income  and  Other  operating  expenses,  respectively.  Realized 
gains  and  losses  on  share  awards  represent  the  difference 
between  the  market  price  of  the  treasury  shares  at  settlement 
and the grant date fair value of the share awards.

462 

For  certain  awards,  employees  receive  beneficial  and  legal 
ownership of the underlying UBS Group AG shares at the grant 
date  (prepaid  awards).  Such  prepaid  awards  are  recognized  as 
Prepaid  assets  if  vesting  is  more  than  12  months  after  the 
balance sheet date or as Accrued income and prepaid expenses 
if vesting is within 12 months from the balance sheet date.

Shares  awarded  to  employees  that  are  settled  using 
conditional  capital  are  accounted  for  as  follows  at  settlement: 
the amount paid by the employees for the nominal value of the 
shares  awarded  is  recorded  in  Share  capital,  while  any  paid 
amount  exceeding  the  nominal  value  is  considered  to  be  share 
premium and is recorded in the Statutory capital reserve within 
General reserves.

Other compensation plans
Deferred compensation plans that are not share-based, including 
DCCP awards and awards in the form of AIVs, are accounted for 
as  cash-settled  awards.  The  present  value  or  fair  value  of  the 
amount  payable  to  employees  that  is  settled  in  cash  is 
recognized  as  a  liability  generally  over  the  vesting  period,  as 
Compensation-related long-term liabilities if vesting is more than 
12  months  after  the  balance  sheet  date  and  as  Accrued 
expenses  and  deferred  income  if  vesting  is  within  12  months 
from  the  balance  sheet  date.  The  liabilities  are  remeasured  at 
each  balance  sheet  date  at  the  present  value  of  the 
corresponding DCCP award and the fair value of investments in 
from 
AIVs, 
remeasurement  of  the 
in  Other 
operating income and Other operating expenses, respectively.

liabilities  are  recognized 

respectively.  Gains 

resulting 

losses 

and 

Recharge of compensation expenses
Expenses related to deferred compensation plans are recharged 
by  UBS  Group  AG  to  its  subsidiaries  employing  the  personnel. 
Upon recharge, UBS Group AG recognizes a receivable from its 
subsidiaries  corresponding 
its 
to  a 
obligation toward employees.

representing 

liability 

Dispensations in the standalone financial statements

As UBS Group AG prepares consolidated financial statements in 
accordance  with  IFRS,  UBS  Group  AG  is  exempt  from  various 
disclosures 
financial  statements.  The 
dispensations include the management report and the statement 
of cash flows, as well as certain note disclosures.

the  standalone 

in 

 
Income statement notes

Note 3  Dividend income from investments in subsidiaries

Dividend  income  from  investments  in  subsidiaries  in  2017 
consists  of  CHF 5  million  received  from  UBS  Business  Solutions 
AG  related  to  the  financial  year  ended  31  December  2016, 
which  was  approved  by  the  Annual  General  Meeting  of 
Shareholders  of  UBS  Business  Solutions  AG  on  27  April  2017, 
and CHF 5 million received from UBS Group Funding (Jersey) Ltd. 

in  the  course  of  the  liquidation  of  the  entity,  which  was 
dissolved  on  24  November  2017.  In  2016,  dividend  from 
investments  in  subsidiaries  consisted  of  CHF 3,434  million  and 
CHF 2,250 million received from UBS AG related to the financial 
years  ended  31  December  2015  and  31  December  2016, 
respectively.

Note 4  Other operating income

CHF million
Fair value gains on AIV awards
Gains related to equity-settled awards1
Amortization of net liability related to deferred compensation plan transfer
Commission income from guarantees issued
Total other operating income
1 Gains related to equity-settled awards in 2017 include the release of hidden reserves of CHF 88 million (2016: CHF 0).

Note 5  Financial income

CHF million
Fair value gains on marketable securities and financial assets
Interest income on long-term receivables from UBS AG
Interest income on liquid assets
Foreign currency translation gains
Total financial income

Note 6  Personnel expenses

For the year ended

31.12.17
 0
 104
 1
 24
 129

For the year ended

31.12.17
 49
 525
 5
 0
 580

31.12.16
 6
 24
 2
 12
 44

31.12.16
 0
 470
 0
 4
 475

Personnel  expenses  include  recharges  from  UBS  AG  and  UBS 
Business  Solutions  AG  for  personnel-related  costs  for  activities 
performed by the personnel of those companies for the benefit 
of UBS Group AG. 

UBS  Group  AG  had  no  employees  throughout  2017  and 
2016. All employees of the UBS Group, including the members 
of  the  Group  Executive  Board  (GEB)  of  UBS  Group  AG,  were 
employed by subsidiaries of UBS Group AG. As of 31 December 
2017, the UBS Group employed 61,253 personnel (31 December 
2016: 59,387) on a full-time equivalent basis.

Note 7  Other operating expenses

CHF million
Fair value losses on AIV awards 
Losses related to equity-settled awards
Capital tax
Other
Total other operating expenses

Note 8  Financial expenses

CHF million
Fair value losses on marketable securities and financial assets 
Impairment losses on financial assets
Treasury share losses
Interest expense on interest-bearing liabilities
Brokerage fees paid
Total financial expenses

For the year ended

31.12.17
 48
 18
 14
 16
 97

For the year ended

31.12.17
 0
 2
 12
 532
 1
 547

31.12.16
 0
 3
 13
 18
 35

31.12.16
 3
 3
 35
 469
 2
 512

463 

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UBS Group AG standalone financial statements

Balance sheet notes

Note 9  Liquid assets

As of 31 December 2017, liquid assets comprised CHF 1,663 million held on current accounts at UBS Switzerland AG and UBS AG 
and CHF 880 million of time deposits placed with UBS AG.

Note 10  Marketable securities

Marketable securities include investments in AIVs related to compensation awards vesting within 12 months after the balance sheet 
date.

Note 11  Other short-term receivables

CHF million
Receivables from UBS AG1

Loans to UBS Business Solutions AG

Receivables from employing entities related to compensation awards

Other

Total other short-term receivables 

1 Receivables from UBS AG as of 31 December 2016 related to the dividend for the financial year ended 31 December 2016. Refer to Note 3 for more information.

Note 12  Accrued income and prepaid expenses

CHF million

Accrued interest income

Other accrued income and prepaid expenses

Total accrued income and prepaid expenses

31.12.17

 0

 80

 621

 9

 710

31.12.16

 2,250

 0

 557

 23

 2,830

31.12.17

31.12.16

 368

 69

 437

 375

 93

 469

464 

Note 13  Investments in subsidiaries

Unless otherwise stated, the subsidiaries listed below have share 
capital  consisting  solely  of  ordinary  shares,  which  are  held  by 
UBS  Group  AG  or  UBS  AG,  respectively.  The  proportion  of 
ownership interest held is equal to the voting rights held by UBS 
Group  AG  or  UBS  AG,  respectively.  The  country  where  the 
respective  registered  office  is  located  is  also  the  principal  place 
of  business.  UBS  AG  operates  through  a  global  network  of 
branches  and  a  significant  proportion  of  its  business  activity  is 
conducted  outside  Switzerland  in  the  UK,  US,  Singapore,  Hong 

Kong  and  other  countries.  UBS  Europe  SE  has  branches  and 
offices  in  a  number  of  EU  member  states,  including  Germany, 
Italy, Luxembourg, Spain and Austria.

In  2017,  UBS  transferred  shared  services  functions 
in 
Switzerland  from  UBS  AG  to  UBS  Business  Solutions  AG.  This 
transfer  resulted  in  a  decrease  of  the  investment  value  of  UBS 
AG  by  CHF 250  million  and  a  corresponding  increase  in  the 
investment value of UBS Business Solutions AG.

UBS Group Funding (Jersey) Ltd. was dissolved in 2017.

Subsidiaries of UBS Group AG as of 31 December 2017

Company
UBS AG

Registered office
Zurich and Basel, Switzerland

UBS Business Solutions AG1

UBS Group Funding (Switzerland) AG

Zurich, Switzerland

Zurich, Switzerland

1 UBS Business Solutions (India) Private Limited and UBS Business Solutions Poland Sp. z o.o. are directly held subsidiaries of UBS Business Solutions AG.

Individually significant subsidiaries of UBS AG as of 31 December 2017

Company
UBS Americas Holding LLC

UBS Asset Management AG

UBS Bank USA

UBS Europe SE

Registered office
Wilmington, Delaware, USA

Primary business division
Corporate Center

Zurich, Switzerland

Asset Management

Salt Lake City, Utah, USA

Wealth Management Americas

Frankfurt, Germany

Wealth Management

UBS Financial Services Inc.

Wilmington, Delaware, USA

Wealth Management Americas

UBS Limited

UBS Securities LLC

UBS Switzerland AG

London, United Kingdom

Wilmington, Delaware, USA

Investment Bank

Investment Bank

Zurich, Switzerland

Personal & Corporate Banking

Share capital in million
 385.8

CHF

CHF

CHF

 1.0

 0.1

Equity interest
accumulated in %

 100.0

 100.0

 100.0

Share capital in million
 2,250.01

USD

CHF

USD

EUR

USD

GBP

USD

CHF

 43.2

 0.0

 446.0

 0.0

 226.6

 1,283.12

 10.0

Equity interest
accumulated in %

 100.0

 100.0

 100.0

 100.0

 100.0

 100.0

 100.0

 100.0

1 Comprised of common share capital of USD 1,000 and non-voting preferred share capital of USD 2,250,000,000.    2 Comprised of common share capital of USD 100,000 and non-voting preferred share capital of 
USD 1,283,000,000.

Individually  significant  subsidiaries  of  UBS  AG  are  those  entities 
that  contribute  significantly  to  the  Group’s  financial  position  or 
results  of  operations,  based  on  a  number  of  criteria,  including 
the  subsidiaries’  equity  and  their  contribution  to  the  Group’s 

total  assets  and  profit  or  loss  before  tax,  in  accordance  with 
Swiss regulations.

→ Refer to Note 28 in the “Consolidated financial statements” 

section of this report for more information

Note 14  Financial assets

CHF million
Long-term receivables from UBS AG1

Long-term receivables from UBS Business Solutions AG

Investments in alternative investment vehicles at fair value related to awards vesting after 12 months

Investments in alternative investment vehicles at cost less impairment

Total financial assets 

1 Long-term receivables from UBS AG include the onward lending of the proceeds from the issuances of additional tier 1 perpetual capital notes. 

31.12.17

 8,247

 205

 286

 4

 8,742

31.12.16

 7,865

 0

 291

 6

 8,162

465 

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UBS Group AG standalone financial statements

Note 15  Accrued expenses and deferred income

CHF million

Short-term portion of net liability related to deferred compensation plan transfer

Short-term portion of compensation liabilities

of which: Deferred Contingent Capital Plan

of which: other deferred compensation plans

Accrued interest expense

Other

Total accrued expenses and deferred income

Note 16  Long-term interest-bearing liabilities

31.12.17

 6

 1,461

 486

 975

 356

 47

 1,871

31.12.16

 1

 1,048

 93

 955

 374

 65

 1,487

Long-term  interest-bearing  liabilities  totaled  CHF 7,882  million  as  of  31  December  2017  comprising  CHF 7,677  million  of  notes 
issued and CHF 205 million of fixed-term loans from UBS AG.

Notes issued, overview by amount, maturity and coupon

31.12.17

in million, except where indicated
Euro-denominated low-trigger loss-absorbing additional tier 1
perpetual capital notes
US dollar-denominated low-trigger loss-absorbing additional tier 1
perpetual capital notes
US dollar-denominated high-trigger loss-absorbing additional tier 1
perpetual capital notes
US dollar-denominated high-trigger loss-absorbing additional tier 1
perpetual capital notes
US dollar-denominated high-trigger loss-absorbing additional tier 1
perpetual capital notes
US dollar-denominated high-trigger loss-absorbing additional tier 1
perpetual capital notes
Total notes issued

Carrying value 
in transaction 
currency

Carrying value 
in CHF

Maturity1

Coupon1

 1,000

 1,250

 1,250

 1,575

 1,500

 1,100

 1,170

19.02.22

5.750%

 1,218

19.02.25

7.000%

 1,218

19.02.20

7.125%

 1,535

07.08.25

6.875%

 1,462

22.03.21

6.875%

 1,072
 7,677

10.08.21

7.125%

31.12.16

Carrying value 
in transaction 
currency

Carrying value 
in CHF

 1,000

 1,250

 1,250

 1,575

 1,500

 1,100

 1,071

 1,272

 1,272

 1,603

 1,527

 1,120
 7,865

1 The disclosed maturity refers to the optional first call date of the respective issuance and the disclosed coupon refers to the fixed coupon rate from the issue date up to, but excluding, the optional first call date.

Note 17  Compensation-related long-term liabilities

CHF million

Long-term portion of net liability related to deferred compensation plan transfer

Long-term portion of compensation liabilities

of which: Deferred Contingent Capital Plan

of which: other deferred compensation plans

Total compensation-related long-term liabilities

Note 18  Share capital

31.12.17

31.12.16

 3

 3,308

 1,504

 1,804

 3,311

 10

 3,469

 1,532

 1,937

 3,479

As  of  31  December  2017,  the  issued  share  capital  consisted  of  3,853,096,603  (31  December  2016:  3,850,766,389)  registered 
shares at a par value of CHF 0.10 each.

→ Refer to “UBS shares” in the “Capital management” section of this report for more information on UBS Group AG shares

466 

Note 19  Treasury shares

Balance as of 31 December 2015

of which: treasury shares held by UBS Group AG

of which: treasury shares held by UBS AG and other subsidiaries

Acquisitions

Disposals

Delivery of shares to settle equity-settled awards

Balance as of 31 December 2016

of which: treasury shares held by UBS Group AG 1

of which: treasury shares held by UBS AG and other subsidiaries

Acquisitions

Disposals

Delivery of shares to settle equity-settled awards

Balance as of 31 December 2017

of which: treasury shares held by UBS Group AG 1

of which: treasury shares held by UBS AG and other subsidiaries

Number of registered shares

Average price in CHF

 98,706,275

 98,465,708

 240,567

 90,448,847

 (2,721,710)

 (47,991,640)

 138,441,772

 138,386,307

 55,465

 54,828,640

 (1,689,932)

 (59,278,930)

 132,301,550

 132,211,630

 89,920

1 Treasury shares held by UBS Group AG had a carrying value of CHF 2,145 million as of 31 December 2017 (31 December 2016: CHF 2,271 million).

 17.51

 17.50

 19.51

 15.49

 17.82

 16.86

 16.41

 16.41

 16.06

 15.87

 16.23

 16.32

 16.23

 16.23

 17.54

467 

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UBS Group AG standalone financial statements

Additional information

Note 20  Guarantees

As of 31 December 2017, UBS Group Funding (Switzerland) AG, 
a  subsidiary  of  UBS  Group  AG,  had  issued  CHF 27,706  million 
equivalent  of  senior  debt  (31  December  2016:  CHF 17,281 
million).  This  debt  contributes  to  the  total  loss-absorbing 

capacity (TLAC) of the Group. UBS Group AG issued guarantees 
to  the  external  investors  against  any  default  in  payments  of 
interest and principal by UBS Group Funding (Switzerland) AG.

Note 21  Assets pledged to secure own liabilities

As of 31 December 2017, total pledged assets of UBS Group AG 
amounted  to  CHF 4,337  million.  These  assets  consisted  of 
certain  liquid  assets,  marketable  securities  and  financial  assets 
and  were  pledged  to  UBS  AG.  As  of  31  December  2016,  total 

pledged  assets  of  UBS  Group  AG  amounted  to  CHF 4,134 
million. The associated liabilities secured by these pledged assets 
were CHF 1,800 million and CHF 524 million as of 31 December 
2017 and 31 December 2016, respectively.

Note 22  Contingent liabilities

UBS Group AG is jointly and severally liable for the combined value added tax (VAT) liability of UBS entities that belong to the VAT 
group of UBS in Switzerland.

468 

Note 23  Significant shareholders

Shareholders registered in the UBS Group AG share register with 3% or more of total share capital

% of share capital

Chase Nominees Ltd., London

DTC (Cede & Co.), New York1

Nortrust Nominees Ltd., London

1 DTC (Cede & Co.), New York, “The Depository Trust Company,” is a US securities clearing organization.

Under the Swiss Federal Act on Financial Market Infrastructures 
and Market Conduct in Securities and Derivatives Trading of 19 
June 2015 (FMIA), anyone holding shares in a company listed in 
Switzerland, or holding derivative rights related to shares of such 
a  company,  must  notify  the  company  and  the  SIX  Swiss 
Exchange (SIX) if the holding reaches, falls below or exceeds one 
of  the  following  thresholds:  3,  5,  10,  15,  20,  25,  331⁄3,  50,  or 
662⁄3% of voting rights, regardless of whether or not such rights 
may be exercised. The detailed disclosure requirements and the 
methodology  for  calculating  the  thresholds  are  defined  in  the 
Swiss  Financial  Market  Supervisory  Authority  Ordinance  on 
Financial  Market  Infrastructure  (FMIO-FINMA).  In  particular,  the 
FMIO-FINMA  sets  forth  that  nominee  companies  that  cannot 
autonomously  decide  how  voting  rights  are  exercised  are  not 
obligated to notify the company and SIX if they reach, exceed or 
fall below the threshold percentages.

In  addition,  pursuant  to  the  Swiss  Code  of  Obligations,  UBS 
must disclose in the Notes to its financial statements the identity 
of any shareholder with a holding of more than 5% of the total 
share capital of UBS Group AG.

According to disclosure notifications filed with UBS Group AG 
and  the  SIX  under  the  applicable  Swiss  rules,  the  following 
entities  held  more  than  3%  of  the  total  share  capital  of  UBS 
Group AG as of 31 December 2017: BlackRock Inc., New York, 
disclosed  a  holding  of  5.01%  of  the  total  share  capital  of  UBS 
Group  AG  on  29  December  2017;  MFS 
Investment 
Management,  Boston,  disclosed  a  holding  of  3.05%  on  10 
February  2016;  and  Norges  Bank,  Oslo,  the  Central  Bank  of 
Norway,  disclosed  a  holding  of  3.30%  on  10  December  2014. 

31.12.17

31.12.16

 11.16

 6.64

 4.11

 9.43

 6.62

 3.88

With  the  exception  of  BlackRock  Inc.,  New  York,  with  a 
disclosed  holding  of  5.02%  of  the  total  share  capital  of  UBS 
Group  AG  on  5  March  2018,  the  above  disclosures  have  not 
been  subsequently  superseded  and  no  new  disclosures  of 
significant shareholdings have been notified since 31 December 
2017.

In  accordance  with  the  FMIA,  the  aforementioned  holdings 
are calculated in relation to the total share capital of UBS Group 
AG  reflected  in  its  Articles  of  Association  at  the  time  of  the 
respective disclosure notification.

Shareholders  who  notified  a  significant  shareholding  in 
accordance  with  the  abovementioned  requirements  may  or 
may  not  be  recorded  in  the  UBS  share  register,  and  therefore 
table  above. 
they  may  not  necessarily  appear 
Information  on  disclosures  under  the  FMIA  is  available  at 
www.six-exchange-regulation.com/en/home/publications/
significant-shareholders.html. 

the 

in 

The  shareholders  (acting  in  their  own  name  or  in  their 
capacity  as  nominees  for  other  investors  or  beneficial  owners) 
listed  in  the  table  above  were  registered  in  the  UBS  share 
register with 3% or more of the total share capital of UBS Group 
AG as of 31 December 2017 or as of 31 December 2016.

Cross-shareholdings

UBS  Group  AG  has  no  cross-shareholdings  in  excess  of  a 
reciprocal ownership of 5% of capital or voting rights with any 
other company.

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UBS Group AG standalone financial statements

Note 24  Share and option ownership of the members of the Board of Directors, the Group Executive Board and other 
employees

Shares awarded

Awarded to members of the BoD

Awarded to members of the GEB

Awarded to other UBS Group employees

Total

For the year ended 31.12.17

For the year ended 31.12.16

Number of shares
 416,980

 2,720,614

 61,152,037

 64,289,631

Value of shares
in CHF million
 7

 43

 874

 923

Number of shares
 411,962

 2,572,329

 79,900,730

 82,885,021

Value of shares
in CHF million
 6

 39

 1,107

 1,152

→ Refer to the “Corporate governance, responsibility and compensation” section in this report for more information on the terms and 

conditions of the shares and options awarded to the members of the Board of Directors and the Group Executive Board

Number of shares of BoD members1
Name, function
Axel A. Weber, Chairman

Michel Demaré, Vice Chairman

David Sidwell, Senior Independent Director

Reto Francioni, member

Ann F. Godbehere, member

William G. Parrett, member

Julie G. Richardson, member2

Isabelle Romy, member

Robert W. Scully, member

Beatrice Weder di Mauro, member

Dieter Wemmer, member

Joseph Yam, former member2

Total

oon 31 December
2017

Number of shares held
 642,100

Voting rights in %
 0.037

2016
2017

2016
2017

2016
2017

2016
2017

2016
2017

2016
2017

2016
2017

2016
2017

2016
2017

2016
2017

2016
2017

2016

2017

 635,751
 290,694

 254,287
 154,672

 205,540
 76,772

 51,567
 232,263

 201,457
 106,916

 104,385
 0

–
 94,376

 91,038
 29,917

 0
 126,809

 99,737
 14,002

 0
–

 109,938

 1,768,521

 0.038
 0.017

 0.015
 0.009

 0.012
 0.004

 0.003
 0.013

 0.012
 0.006

 0.006
–

–
 0.005

 0.005
 0.002

 0.000
 0.007

 0.006
 0.001

 0.000
–

 0.007

 0.102

 0.104
1 Includes blocked and unblocked shares held by BoD members, including those held by related parties. No options were granted in 2017 and 2016.     2 Julie G. Richardson was newly elected and Joseph Yam 
stepped down from the BoD at the AGM on 4 May 2017. 

 1,753,700

2016

470 

Note 24  Share and option ownership of the members of the Board of Directors, the Group Executive Board and other 
employees (continued)

Share and option ownership / entitlements of GEB members1

Name, function
Sergio P. Ermotti, Group Chief Executive Officer

Martin Blessing, Co-President Global Wealth Management

Christian Bluhm, Group Chief Risk Officer

Markus U. Diethelm, Group General Counsel

Kirt Gardner, Group Chief Financial Officer

Sabine Keller-Busse, Group Chief Operating Officer

Ulrich Körner, President Asset Management and
President UBS EMEA

Axel P. Lehmann, President Personal & Corporate Banking 
and President UBS Switzerland

Tom Naratil, Co-President Global Wealth Management and 
President UBS Americas

Andrea Orcel, President Investment Bank

Kathryn Shih, President UBS Asia Pacific

Jürg Zeltner, former President Wealth Management

Total

on
31 December
2017

Number of
unvested
shares / at risk2
 1,632,464

Number of
vested shares
 460,377

Total number of 
shares
 2,092,841

Potentially
conferred
voting
rights in %
 0.121

Potentially
conferred
voting
rights in %4
 0.000

Number of 
options3
 0

2016
2017

2016

2017

2016
2017

2016
2017

2016

2017

2016
2017

2016
2017

2016
2017

2016
2017

2016
2017

2016
2017

2016

2017

 1,365,537
 65,761

 265,515
 0

  1,631,052
 65,761

 0

 131,520

 0
 589,659

 538,520
 264,718

 142,646

 244,676

 200,272
 881,979

 797,165
 156,180

 0
 1,047,311

 838,193
 1,328,113

 1,203,535
 581,546

 567,777
 976,001

 881,976

 0

 0

 0
 194,000

 154,820
 61,652

 38,581

 176,602

 120,897
 95,597

 95,597
 277,978

 277,978
 422,298

 352,634
 251,439

 184,220
 0

 0
 1,075

 1,075

  0

 131,520

  0
 783,659

  693,340
 326,370

  181,227

 421,278

  321,169
 977,576

  892,762
 434,158

  277,978
 1,469,609

  1,190,827
 1,579,552

  1,387,755
 581,546

  567,777
 977,076

  883,051

 7,899,928

 1,941,018

 9,840,946

 0.097
 0.004

 0.000

 0.008

 0.000
 0.045

 0.041
 0.019

 0.011

 0.024

 0.019
 0.057

 0.053
 0.025

 0.017
 0.085

 0.071
 0.091

 0.083
 0.034

 0.034
 0.057

 0.053

 0.569

  0
 0

  0

 0

  0
 0

  0
 0

  0

 0

  0
 0

  0
 0

  0
 281,640

  412,917
 0

  0
 74,599

  143,869
 42,628

  64,164

 398,867

 0.000
 0.000

 0.000

 0.000

 0.000
 0.000

 0.000
 0.000

 0.000

 0.000

 0.000
 0.000

 0.000
 0.000

 0.000
 0.016

 0.025
 0.000

 0.000
 0.004

 0.009
 0.002

 0.004

 0.023

 0.037
1 Includes all vested and unvested shares and options of GEB members, including those held by related parties.     2 Includes shares granted under variable compensation plans with forfeiture provisions. The actual 
number of shares vesting in the future will be calculated under the terms of the plans. Refer to the “Our deferred variable compensation plans for 2017” section of this report for more information on the plans.  
3 Refer to “Note 27 Employee benefits: variable compensation” in the “Consolidated financial statements” section of this report for more information.    4 No conversion rights outstanding.

  8,049,832

 1,514,211

 6,535,621

  620,950

 0.479

2016

Note 25  Related parties

Related parties are defined under the Swiss Code of Obligations 
as  direct  and  indirect  participants  with  voting  rights  of  20%  or 
more, management bodies (BoD and GEB), external auditors and 
direct  and  indirect  investments  in  subsidiaries.  Payables  due  to 

members of the GEB are provided in the table below. Amounts 
due from and due to subsidiaries are provided on the face of the 
balance sheet.

CHF million

Payables due to the members of the GEB

of which: Deferred Contingent Capital Plan

of which: other deferred compensation plans

31.12.17

31.12.16

 166

 77

 89

 119

 51

 68

(cid:3)

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Ernst & Young Ltd 
Aeschengraben 9 
P.O. Box 
CH-4002 Basel 

Phone 
Fax 
www.ey.com/ch 

+41 58 286 86 86 
+41 58 286 86 00 

To the General Meeting of  
UBS Group AG, Zurich 

Basel, 8 March 2018

Report of the statutory auditor on the financial statements 

 As statutory auditor, we have audited the financial statements of UBS Group AG, which comprise the balance 
sheet, income statement and notes, for the year ended 31 December 2017. 

 Board of Directors’ responsibility 
The Board of Directors is responsible for the preparation of the financial statements in accordance with the 
requirements of Swiss law and the company’s articles of incorporation. This responsibility includes designing, 
implementing and maintaining  an  internal control system relevant  to the preparation  of financial statements 
that  are  free  from  material  misstatement,  whether  due  to  fraud  or  error.  The  Board  of  Directors  is  further 
responsible for selecting and applying appropriate accounting policies and making accounting estimates that 
are reasonable in the circumstances.  

 Auditor’s responsibility 
Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements based on our audit. We conducted 
our audit in accordance with Swiss law and Swiss Auditing Standards. Those standards require that we plan 
and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance whether the financial statements are free from material 
misstatement. 

An audit involves performing procedures to obtain audit evidence about the amounts and disclosures in the 
financial statements. The procedures selected depend on the auditor’s judgment, including the assessment 
of  the  risks  of  material  misstatement  of  the  financial  statements,  whether  due  to  fraud  or  error.  In  making 
those risk assessments, the auditor considers the internal control system relevant to the entity’s preparation 
of the financial statements in order to design audit procedures that are appropriate in the circumstances, but 
not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the entity’s internal control system. An 
audit also includes evaluating the appropriateness of the accounting policies used and the reasonableness of 
accounting  estimates  made,  as  well  as  evaluating  the  overall  presentation  of  the  financial  statements.  We 
believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our audit 
opinion. 

 Opinion 
In our opinion, the financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2017 comply with Swiss law and the 
company’s articles of incorporation.  

 Report on key audit matters based on the circular 1/2015 of the Federal Audit Oversight Authority 
Key audit matters are those matters that, in our professional judgment, were of most significance in our audit 
of the financial statements of the current period. We have determined that there are no key audit matters to 
communicate in our report. 

 Report on other legal requirements 
We confirm that we meet the legal requirements on licensing according to the Auditor Oversight Act (AOA) 
and  independence  (article  728  CO  and  article  11  AOA)  and  that  there  are  no  circumstances  incompatible 
with our independence. 

472 

  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Page 2 

In  accordance  with  article  728a  para.  1  item  3  CO  and  Swiss  Auditing  Standard  890,  we  confirm  that  an 
internal control system exists, which has been designed for the preparation of financial statements according 
to the instructions of the Board of Directors. 

We  further  confirm  that  the  proposed  appropriation  of  available  earnings  complies  with  Swiss  law  and  the 
company’s  articles  of  incorporation.  We  recommend  that  the  financial  statements  submitted  to  you  be 
approved. 

 Ernst & Young Ltd 

Marie-Laure Delarue 
Licensed audit expert 
(Auditor in charge) 

  Bruno Patusi 
  Licensed audit expert 

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474 

Significant 
regulated 
subsidiary and 
sub-group 
information

Significant regulated subsidiary and sub-group information

Financial and regulatory key figures
for our significant regulated subsidiaries
and sub-groups

As of or for the year ended
Financial information2,3,4
Income statement

Total operating income
Total operating expenses
Operating profit / (loss) before tax
Net profit / (loss)

Balance sheet
Total assets
Total liabilities 
Total equity

Capital5,6
Common equity tier 1 capital
Additional tier 1 capital
Tier 1 capital
Total going concern capital
Tier 2 capital
Total gone concern loss-absorbing capacity
Total capital
Total loss-absorbing capacity

UBS AG
(standalone)
CHF million,
except where indicated
31.12.16

331.12.17

UBS Switzerland AG
(standalone)
CHF million,
except where indicated
31.12.16

331.12.17

UBS Limited
(standalone)
GBP million,
except where indicated
31.12.161

331.12.17

UBS Americas Holding LLC
(consolidated)
USD million,
except where indicated

331.12.17

31.12.161

110,297
99,837
4460
9909

15,111
13,352
1,759
3,244

88,350
66,419
11,931
11,513

8,341
6,644
1,697
1,313

4476,977
4427,030
449,947

439,476
387,937
51,539

2290,310
2275,525
114,785

294,497
281,034
13,463

448,374
33,666
552,040
559,914

33,983
0
33,983

0

33,983

110,160
33,000
113,160
113,160

10,416
 1,2357
11,651
11,651

88,400

 3,2657

221,560

14,916

7796
5599
1197
1114

335,569
332,761
22,808

22,344
2235
22,579

762
565
197
26

40,663
37,789
2,874

2,521
235
2,756

112,019
110,717
11,302
((1,689)

1140,698
1117,869
222,829

110,839
11,178
112,017

10,610
10,471
139
1,413

137,699
113,151
24,548

11,598
0
11,598

6685

687

7722

722

33,263

3,442

112,739

12,320

Risk-weighted assets and leverage ratio denominator5,6
Risk-weighted assets
Leverage ratio denominator

2277,529
5599,727

232,422
561,979

992,894
3302,987

93,281
306,586

110,473
336,409

11,081
35,793

449,558
1135,705

51,488
140,112

Capital and leverage ratios (%)5,6
Common equity tier 1 capital ratio
Tier 1 capital ratio
Going concern capital ratio
Total capital ratio
Total loss-absorbing capacity ratio
Leverage ratio8
Total loss-absorbing capacity leverage ratio

Liquidity6,9,10
High-quality liquid assets (billion)
Net cash outflows (billion)
Liquidity coverage ratio (%)

117.4

221.6

110.0

887
666
1132

14.6
14.6

14.6

6.0

98
76
129

110.9

114.2

223.2

77.1

669
448
1144

11.2

12.5

16.0

4.9

75
63
120

222.4
224.6

331.2

77.1

66
11
4454

22.8
24.9

31.1

7.7

221.9
224.2

225.7

88.9

22.5
22.5

23.9

8.3

00

1

669

Other
Joint and several liability between UBS AG and UBS Switzerland AG 
(billion)11
11 Figures as of or for the year ended 31 December 2016 have been adjusted for consistency with the full year financial statements and local regulatory reporting of the respective entity, which were finalized after 
the publication date of UBS Annual Report 2016.     2 UBS AG and UBS Switzerland AG financial information is prepared in accordance with Swiss GAAP (FINMA Circular 2015/1 and Banking Ordinance), but does 
not represent financial statements under Swiss GAAP.     3 UBS Limited financial information is prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), as endorsed by the EU, but does not 
represent financial statements under IFRS.     4 UBS Americas Holding LLC financial information is prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the US (US GAAP), but does not represent 
financial statements under US GAAP.     5 For UBS AG and UBS Switzerland AG, based on the applicable phase-in rules for Swiss systemically relevant banks (SRBs). Since 1 July 2017, UBS AG is subject to going 
concern capital requirements, following the implementation of the FINMA decree issued on 20 October 2017. For UBS Limited, based on Directive 2013/36/EU and Regulation 575/2013 (together known as CRD IV) 
and  their  related  technical  standards,  as  implemented  within  the  UK  by  the  Prudential  Regulation  Authority  (PRA).  For  UBS  Americas  Holding  LLC,  based  on  applicable  US  Basel  III  rules.     6  Refer  to  the  31 
December 2017 Pillar 3 report – Group and significant regulated subsidiaries and sub-groups under “Pillar 3 disclosures” at www.ubs.com/investors for more information.      7 Under the Swiss SRB rules, going 
concern capital includes CET1 and high-trigger loss-absorbing additional tier 1 capital. Outstanding low-trigger loss-absorbing tier 2 capital instruments would qualify as going concern capital until the earlier of (i) 
their maturity or first call date or (ii) 31 December 2019. However, as of 31 December 2016, CHF 765 million of high-trigger loss-absorbing additional tier 1 capital as well as the total low-trigger loss-absorbing tier 
2 capital of CHF 2,500 million was used to meet the gone concern requirements.    8 For UBS AG, on the basis of going concern capital as of 31 December 2017 and on the basis of total capital as of 31 December 
2016. On the basis of tier 1 capital for UBS Limited and UBS Americas Holding LLC.     9 There was no local disclosure requirement for liquidity coverage ratio for UBS Limited as of 31 December 2016 or for UBS 
Americas Holding LLC as of 31 December 2017 and 31 December 2016.    10 For UBS Limited, the values represent a twelve-month average of the respective month-end balances in 2017 in line with the European 
Banking  Authority  guidelines  on  the  liquidity  coverage  ratio  disclosure  (EBA/GL/2017/01).  Including  PRA  Pillar  2  requirements,  the  equivalent  average  ratio  for  2017  was  187%.     11  Refer  to  the  “Capital 
management”  section  of  this  report  for  more  information  on  the  joint  and  several  liability.  Under  certain  circumstances,  the  Swiss  Banking  Act  and  FINMA’s  Banking  Insolvency  Ordinance  authorize  FINMA  to 
modify, extinguish or convert to common equity liabilities of a bank in connection with a resolution or insolvency of such bank.

91

476 

The  table  in  this  section  summarizes  the  regulatory  capital 
components  and  capital  ratios  of  our  significant  regulated 
subsidiaries  and  sub-groups  determined  under  the  regulatory 
framework of each subsidiary’s or sub-group’s home jurisdiction.
→ Refer to “Capital and capital ratios of our significant regulated 

subsidiaries” in the “Capital management” section of this report 

for more information

→ Refer to “Note 23 Restricted and transferred financial assets” in 
the “Consolidated financial statements” section of this report 

for more information. 

Standalone regulatory information for UBS AG, UBS Switzerland 
AG and UBS Limited as well as consolidated regulatory information 
for  UBS  Americas  Holding  LLC  is  provided  in  the  31  December 
2017 Pillar 3 report – Group and significant regulated subsidiaries 
and  sub-groups,  which  is  available  under  “Pillar  3  disclosures”  at 
www.ubs.com/investors.  Standalone  financial  statements  for  UBS 
Group  AG  as  well  as  standalone  financial  statements  and 
regulatory  information  for  UBS  AG,  UBS  Switzerland  AG  and 
UBS Limited are available under “Holding company and significant 
regulatory 
at 
www.ubs.com/investors.

sub-groups” 

subsidiaries 

and 

477 

d
n
a

i

y
r
a
d
i
s
b
u
s

l

d
e
t
a
u
g
e
r

t
n
a
c
fi 
n
g
S

i

i

n
o
i
t
a
m
r
o
f
n

i

p
u
o
r
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-
b
u
s

 
 
 
 
 
Appendix

Abbreviations frequently used in our financial reports

commercial mortgage-
backed security
EU Capital Requirements 
Directive of 2013
credit risk mitigation (credit 
risk) or comprehensive risk 
measure (market risk)
combined stress test
credit valuation adjustment

F
FCA

FCT
FDIC

FINMA

FMIA

FMIO

FRA
FSA

FSB
FTD
FVA

FX

defined benefit obligation
Deferred Contingent 
Capital Plan 
Department of Justice
deferred tax asset
debit valuation adjustment

exposure at default
European Banking 
Authority
European Commission
European Central Bank
expected credit loss
effective interest rate
Europe, Middle East and 
Africa
Equity Ownership Plan
earnings per share
Employee Retirement 
Income Security Act of 
1974
exchange-traded derivative
exchange-traded fund
European Union
euro
Euro Interbank Offered 
Rate

UK Financial Conduct 
Authority
foreign currency translation
Federal Deposit Insurance 
Corporation
Swiss Financial Market 
Supervisory Authority
Swiss Federal Act on 
Financial Market 
Infrastructures and Market 
Conduct in Securities and 
Derivatives Trading
FINMA Ordinance on 
Financial Market 
Infrastructure
forward rate agreement
UK Financial Services 
Authority
Financial Stability Board
first to default
funding valuation 
adjustment
foreign exchange

G
GAAP

GBP
GEB
GHG
GIA
GIIPS

generally accepted 
accounting principles
British pound
Group Executive Board
greenhouse gas
Group Internal Audit
Greece, Italy, Ireland, 
Portugal and Spain 
Group Managing Director
GMD
GRI
Global Reporting Initiative
Group ALM Group Asset and Liability 
Management
global systemically 
important bank

G-SIB

H
HQLA

high-quality liquid assets

CMBS

CRD IV

CRM

CST
CVA

D
DBO
DCCP

DOJ
DTA
DVA

E
EAD
EBA

EC
ECB
ECL
EIR
EMEA

EOP
EPS
ERISA

ETD
ETF
EU
EUR
EURIBOR

asset-backed security
annual general meeting of 
shareholders
advanced internal ratings-
based
alternative investment 
vehicle
Asset and Liability 
Management Committee
advanced measurement 
approach
Articles of Association of 
UBS Group AG
additional tier 1

base erosion and anti-
abuse tax
Basel Committee on 
Banking Supervision
Bank for International 
Settlements
Board of Directors

Corporate Center
Comprehensive Capital 
Analysis and Review
credit conversion factor
central counterparty
counterparty credit risk
Corporate Culture and 
Responsibility Committee
collateralized debt 
obligation
constant default rate
credit default swap
Commodity Exchange Act
Chief Executive Officer
common equity tier 1
Chief Financial Officer
Commodity Futures 
Trading Commission
Swiss franc
credit-linked note
collateralized loan 
obligation

A
ABS
AGM

A-IRB

AIV

ALCO

AMA

AoA

AT1

B
BEAT

BCBS

BIS

BoD

C
CC
CCAR

CCF
CCP
CCR
CCRC

CDO

CDR
CDS
CEA
CEO
CET1
CFO
CFTC

CHF
CLN
CLO

478 

Abbreviations frequently used in our financial reports (continued)

O
OCI

OTC

P
PD
PFE
PRA

PRV

Q
QRRE

R
RBA
RBC
RLN
RMBS

RniV
RoAE
RoE
RoTE
RV
RW
RWA

other comprehensive 
income
over-the-counter

probability of default
potential future exposure
UK Prudential Regulation 
Authority
positive replacement value

qualifying revolving retail 
exposures

ratings-based approach
risk-based capital
reference-linked note
residential mortgage-
backed security
risks-not-in-VaR
return on attributed equity
return on equity
return on tangible equity
replacement value
risk weight
risk-weighted assets

I
IAS

IASB

IFRS

IMM
IRB
IRC
ISDA

K
KPI
KRT

L
LAS
LCR
LGD
LIBOR

LRD
LTV

M
MiFID II

MiFIR

MRT
MTN

N
NAV
NII
NPA

NRV

NSFR

International Accounting 
Standards
International Accounting 
Standards Board
International Financial 
Reporting Standards
internal model method
internal ratings-based
incremental risk charge
International Swaps and 
Derivatives Association

key performance indicator
Key Risk Taker

liquidity-adjusted stress
liquidity coverage ratio
loss given default
London Interbank Offered 
Rate
leverage ratio denominator
loan-to-value

Markets in Financial 
Instruments Directive II
Markets in Financial 
Instruments associated 
Regulation
Material Risk Taker
medium-term note 

net asset value
net interest income
non-prosecution 
agreement
negative replacement 
value
net stable funding ratio

S
SA
SA-CCR

SAR
SE
SEC

SEEOP

SFA

SESTA

SESTO

SFT

SI
SICR

SME

SMF

SNB
SRB
SRM
SVaR

T
TBTF
TCJA
TLAC

TRS

U
USD

V
VaR

standardized approach
standardized approach for 
counterparty credit risk
stock appreciation right
structured entity
US Securities and 
Exchange Commission
Senior Executive Equity 
Ownership Plan
supervisory formula 
approach
Swiss Federal Act on Stock 
Exchanges and Securities 
Trading
FINMA Ordinance on Stock 
Exchanges and Securities 
Trading
securities financing 
transaction
sustainable investing
significant increase in 
credit risk
small and medium-sized 
enterprises
Senior Management 
Function
Swiss National Bank
systemically relevant bank
specific risk measure
stressed value-at-risk

too big to fail
Tax Cuts and Jobs Act
total loss-absorbing 
capacity
total return swap

US dollar

value-at-risk

479 

 
Information sources

Reporting publications

Other information

Website:  The  “Investor  Relations”  website  at  www.ubs.com/
investors  provides  the  following  information  on  UBS:  news 
releases,  financial  information,  including  results-related  filings 
with  the  US  Securities  and  Exchange  Commission,  information 
for shareholders, including UBS share price charts as well as data 
and  dividend  information,  and  for  bondholders,  the  UBS 
corporate  calendar  and  presentations  by  management  for 
investors  and  financial  analysts.  Information  on  the  internet  is 
available  in  English,  with  some  information  also  available  in 
German.

Results  presentations:  Our  quarterly  results  presentations  are 
webcast live. A playback of most presentations is downloadable 
at www.ubs.com/presentations.

Messaging  service:  Email  alerts  to  news  about  UBS  can  be 
subscribed to under ”UBS News Alert” at www.ubs.com/investors. 
Messages  are  sent  in  English,  German,  French  or  Italian,  with  an 
option to select theme preferences for such alerts.

Form 20-F and other submissions to the US Securities and 
Exchange  Commission:  We  file  periodic  reports  and  submit 
other information about UBS to the US Securities and Exchange 
Commission  (SEC).  Principal  among  these  filings  is  the  annual 
report  on  Form  20-F,  filed  pursuant  to  the  US  Securities 
Exchange Act of 1934. The filing of Form 20-F is structured as a 
“wrap-around”  document.  Most  sections  of  the  filing  can  be 
satisfied  by  referring  to  parts  of  the  annual  report.  However, 
there  is  a  small  amount  of  additional  information  in  Form  20-F 
that  is  not  presented  elsewhere  and  is  particularly  targeted  at 
readers  in  the  US.  Readers  are  encouraged  to  refer  to  this 
additional disclosure. Any document that we file with the SEC is 
available  on  the  SEC’s  website  www.sec.gov,  or  at  the  SEC’s 
public  reference  room  at  100  F  Street,  N.E.,  Room  1580, 
Washington, DC, 20549. Call the SEC on +1-800-SEC-0330 for 
more information on the operation of its public reference room. 
Refer to www.ubs.com/investors for more information.

including 

framework, 

Annual  publications:  Annual  Report 
(SAP  no.  80531): 
Published  in  English,  this  single-volume  report  provides  a 
description of our Group strategy and performance; the strategy 
and  performance  of  the  business  divisions  and  Corporate 
Center;  a  description  of  risk,  treasury,  capital  management, 
responsibility  and  our 
corporate  governance,  corporate 
compensation 
on 
information 
compensation  for  the  Board  of  Directors  and  the  Group 
Executive  Board  members;  and  financial  information,  including 
the financial statements. Auszug aus dem Geschäftsbericht (SAP 
no.  80531):  This  publication  provides  the  translation  into 
German  of  selected  sections  of  the  Annual  Report.  Annual 
Review  (SAP  no.  80530):  The  booklet  contains  key  information 
on  our  strategy  and  performance,  with  a  focus  on  corporate 
responsibility  at  UBS.  It  is  published  in  English,  German,  French 
and  Italian.  Compensation  Report  (SAP  no.  82307):  The  report 
discusses  our 
and  provides 
information on compensation for the Board of Directors and the 
Group  Executive  Board  members.  It  is  available  in  English  and 
German.

compensation 

framework 

Quarterly publications: The quarterly financial report provides 
an  update  on  our  strategy  and  performance  for  the  respective 
quarter. It is available in English.

free  of  charge.  For  annual  publications 

How  to  order  publications:  The  annual  and  quarterly 
publications  are  available  in  PDF  at  www.ubs.com/investors  in 
the  “UBS  Group  AG  and  UBS  AG  consolidated  financial 
information” section, and printed copies can be requested from 
UBS 
to 
www.ubs.com/investors in the “Investor services” section, which 
can be accessed via the link on the left-hand side of the screen. 
Alternatively,  they  can  be  ordered  by  quoting  the  SAP  number 
and  the  language  preference,  where  applicable,  from  UBS  AG, 
F4UK–AUL, P.O. Box, CH-8098 Zurich, Switzerland. 

refer 

480 

 
Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements | This report contains statements that constitute “forward-looking statements,” including 
but  not  limited  to  management’s  outlook  for  UBS’s  financial  performance  and  statements  relating  to  the  anticipated  effect  of  transactions  and  strategic 
initiatives  on  UBS’s  business  and  future  development.  While  these  forward-looking  statements  represent  UBS’s  judgments  and  expectations  concerning  the 
matters described, a number of risks, uncertainties and other important factors could cause actual developments and results to  differ materially from UBS’s 
expectations. These factors include, but are not limited to: (i) the degree to which UBS is successful in the ongoing execution of its strategic plans, including its 
cost reduction and efficiency initiatives and its ability to manage its levels of risk-weighted assets (RWA), including to counteract regulatory-driven increases, 
leverage ratio denominator, liquidity coverage ratio and other financial resources, and the degree to which UBS is successful in implementing changes to its 
businesses  to  meet  changing  market,  regulatory  and  other  conditions;  (ii)  continuing  low  or  negative  interest  rate  environment,  developments  in  the 
macroeconomic climate and in the markets in which UBS operates or to which it is exposed, including movements in securities prices or liquidity, credit spreads, 
and  currency  exchange  rates,  and  the  effects  of  economic  conditions,  market  developments,  and  geopolitical  tensions  on  the  financial  position  or 
creditworthiness of UBS’s clients and counterparties as well as on client sentiment and levels of activity; (iii) changes in the availability of capital and funding, 
including  any  changes  in  UBS’s  credit  spreads  and  ratings,  as  well  as  availability  and  cost  of  funding  to  meet  requirements  for  debt  eligible  for  total  loss-
absorbing  capacity  (TLAC);  (iv)  changes  in  or  the  implementation  of  financial  legislation  and  regulation  in  Switzerland,  the  US,  the  UK  and  other  financial 
centers  that  have  imposed,  or  resulted  in,  or  may  do  so  in  the  future,  more  stringent  or  entity-specific  capital,  TLAC,  leverage  ratio,  liquidity  and  funding 
requirements, incremental tax requirements, additional levies, limitations on permitted activities, constraints on remuneration, constraints on transfers of capital 
and liquidity and sharing of operational costs across the Group or other measures, and the effect these will or would have on UBS’s business activities; (v) the 
degree to which UBS is successful in implementing further changes to its legal structure to improve its resolvability and meet related regulatory requirements, 
including changes in legal structure and reporting required to implement US enhanced prudential standards, and the potential need to make further changes 
to the legal structure or booking model of UBS Group in response to legal and regulatory requirements, to proposals in Switzerland and other jurisdictions for 
mandatory structural reform of banks or systemically important institutions or to other external developments, and the extent to which such changes will have 
the intended effects; (vi) uncertainty as to the extent to which the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA) will confirm limited reductions of gone 
concern requirements due to measures to reduce resolvability risk; (vii) the uncertainty arising from the timing and nature of the UK exit from the EU and the 
potential  need  to  make  changes  in  UBS’s  legal  structure  and  operations  as  a  result  of  it;  (viii)  changes  in  UBS’s  competitive  position,  including  whether 
differences  in  regulatory  capital  and  other  requirements  among  the  major  financial  centers  will  adversely  affect  UBS’s  ability  to  compete  in  certain  lines  of 
business; (ix) changes in the standards of conduct applicable to our businesses that may result from new regulation or new enforcement of existing standards, 
including recently enacted and proposed measures to impose new and enhanced duties when interacting with customers and in the execution and handling of 
customer transactions; (x) the liability to which UBS may be exposed, or possible constraints or sanctions that regulatory authorities might impose on UBS, due 
to litigation, contractual claims and regulatory investigations, including the potential for disqualification from certain businesses or loss of licenses or privileges 
as  a  result  of  regulatory  or  other  governmental  sanctions,  as  well  as  the  effect  that  litigation,  regulatory  and  similar  matters  have  on  the  operational  risk 
component of our RWA; (xi) the effects on UBS’s cross-border banking business of tax or regulatory developments and of possible changes in UBS’s policies 
and practices relating to this business; (xii) UBS’s ability to retain and attract the employees necessary to generate revenues and to manage, support and control 
its businesses, which may be affected by competitive factors including differences in compensation practices; (xiii) changes in accounting or tax standards or 
policies, and determinations or interpretations affecting the recognition of gain or loss, the valuation of goodwill, the recognition of deferred tax assets and 
other  matters,  including  from  changes  to  US  taxation  under  the  Tax  Cuts  and  Jobs  Act;  (xiv)  UBS’s  ability  to  implement  new  technologies  and  business 
methods, including digital services and technologies and ability to successfully compete with both existing and new financial service providers, some of which 
may not be regulated to the same extent; (xv) limitations on the effectiveness of UBS’s internal processes for risk management, risk control, measurement and 
modeling,  and  of  financial  models  generally;  (xvi)  the  occurrence  of  operational  failures,  such  as  fraud,  misconduct,  unauthorized  trading,  financial  crime, 
cyberattacks, and systems failures; (xvii) restrictions on the ability of UBS Group AG to make payments or distributions, including due to restrictions on the 
ability  of  its  subsidiaries  to  make  loans  or  distributions,  directly  or  indirectly,  or,  in  the  case  of  financial  difficulties,  due  to  the  exercise  by  FINMA  or  the 
regulators of UBS’s operations in other countries of their broad statutory powers in relation to protective measures, restructuring and liquidation proceedings; 
(xviii) the degree to which changes in regulation, capital or legal structure, financial results or other factors may affect UBS’s ability to maintain its stated capital 
return objective; and (xix) the effect that these or other factors or unanticipated events may have on our reputation and the additional consequences that this 
may have on our business and performance. The sequence in which the factors above are presented is not indicative of their likelihood of occurrence or the 
potential magnitude of their consequences. Our business and financial performance could be affected by other factors identified in our past and future filings 
and reports, including those filed with the SEC. More detailed information about those factors is set forth in documents furnished by UBS and filings made by 
UBS  with  the  SEC,  including  UBS’s  Annual  Report  on  Form  20-F  for  the  year  ended  31  December  2017.  UBS  is  not  under  any  obligation  to  (and  expressly 
disclaims any obligation to) update or alter its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

Rounding | Numbers presented throughout this report may not add up precisely to the totals provided in the tables and text. Percentages, percent changes 
and absolute variances are calculated on the basis of rounded figures displayed in the tables and text and may not precisely reflect the percentages, percent 
changes and absolute variances that would be calculated on the basis of figures that are not rounded. 

Tables | Within tables, blank fields generally indicate that the field is not applicable or not meaningful, or that information is not available as of the relevant 
date or for the relevant period. Zero values generally indicate that the respective figure is zero on an actual or rounded basis. Percentage changes are presented 
as a mathematical calculation of the change between periods.

481 

 
UBS Group AG
P.O. Box 
CH-8098 Zurich

ubs.com