State guarantee

With most Cantonal Banks, the respective canton is liable for the Bank’s liabilities. As the (main) sponsoring authority of a Cantonal Bank, the canton decides on its legal and organisational form, its ownership or sponsorship and its range of functions and activities.

The canton determines whether it wishes to be liable for the liabilities of its Cantonal Bank and defines the amount of any payment in return.

With three exceptions, all the Cantonal Banks have a full state guarantee. The Banque Cantonale Vaudoise has none and the Banque Cantonale de Genève has a limited guarantee from the canton. In the canton of Berne, the Berner Kantonalbank's state guarantee is gradually being reduced to nil by the end of 2012.

Summary of legal forms and state guarantees (German only)

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