32
Cautionary statement regarding forward-looking
statements |
This dcument contains statements that
constitute “forward-looking statements”, including
but not limited to management’s outlook for
UBS’s financial performance, statements relating to the anticipated effect
of transactions and strategic initiatives
on UBS’s
business and
future development
and goals.
While these
forward-looking statements
represent UBS’s
judgments, expectations
and objectives
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. In
particular,
the global
economy may
suffer
significant adverse
effects from
increasing political
tensions between
world powers,
changes to
international trade
policies, including
those related
to tariffs
and trade
barriers, and
evolving armed
conflicts. UBS’s
acquisition of
the Credit
Suisse Group
materially changed
its outlook
and strategic
direction and
introduced new
operational challenges. The
integration of
the Credit
Suisse entities
into the
UBS
structure is expected to continue
through 2026 and presents significant operational and
execution risk, including the risks that
UBS may be unable to achieve
the cost reductions and business
benefits contemplated by the
transaction, that it may incur
higher costs to execute the
integration of Credit Suisse
and that the
acquired business may have greater
risks or liabilities, including those related
to litigation, than expected. Following the
failure of Credit Suisse,
Switzerland is
considering significant changes
to its capital,
resolution and regulatory
regime, which, if
adopted, would significantly
increase our capital
requirements or impose
other costs on UBS. These factors create greater uncertainty about forward-looking statements. Other factors that may affect UBS’s performance and ability to
achieve its plans, outlook and
other objectives also include,
but are not limited to: (i)
the degree to which UBS is
successful in the execution of
its strategic plans,
including its
cost reduction
and efficiency
initiatives and
its ability
to manage
its levels
of risk-weighted assets
(RWA) and
leverage ratio
denominator (LRD),
liquidity coverage ratio
and other financial
resources, including changes
in RWA
assets and
liabilities arising from
higher market volatility
and the
size of the
combined Group; (ii) the
degree to which UBS
is successful in implementing
changes to its businesses
to meet changing
market, regulatory and other
conditions,
including any potential changes to banking examination and oversight practices and standards as a
result of executive branch orders or staff interpretations
of
law in the
US; (iii) inflation
and interest rate
volatility in major
markets; (iv) 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, currency
exchange rates, residential
and commercial real
estate
markets, general economic conditions,
and changes to national
trade policies on the
financial position or creditworthiness
of UBS’s clients and
counterparties, as
well as on client sentiment and levels of activity; (v) changes in
the availability of capital and funding, including
any adverse changes in UBS’s credit spreads and
credit ratings of UBS,
as well as availability
and cost of funding,
including as affected by
the marketability of a
current additional tier one
debt instrument, to
meet requirements
for debt
eligible for
total loss-absorbing
capacity (TLAC);
(vi)
changes in
and potential
divergence between
central bank
policies or
the
implementation of financial legislation and
regulation in Switzerland, the US,
the UK, the EU
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, net stable funding ratio, liquidity and funding requirements, heightened
operational resilience 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; (vii) UBS’s ability to successfully implement resolvability and related regulatory requirements and the potential need to make further changes
to the legal structure or booking model of UBS in response to legal and regulatory requirements including heightened
requirements and expectations due to its
acquisition of the Credit Suisse Group; (viii) UBS’s ability to maintain and improve its systems and controls for complying with sanctions in a timely manner and
for the detection
and prevention of
money laundering to
meet evolving regulatory
requirements and expectations,
in particular in
the current geopolitical
turmoil;
(ix)
the
uncertainty arising
from
domestic stresses
in
certain major
economies; (x)
changes in
UBS’s
competitive position,
including whether
differences
in
regulatory capital and other requirements among the
major financial centers adversely affect UBS’s ability
to compete in certain lines of business;
(xi) changes in
the standards
of conduct applicable
to its businesses
that may result
from new regulations
or new enforcement
of existing standards,
including measures to
impose new and enhanced duties when interacting with customers and
in the execution and handling of customer transactions; (xii)
the liability to which UBS
may be exposed, or
possible constraints or sanctions that regulatory
authorities might impose on UBS,
due to litigation, including litigation
it has inherited by
virtue of
the acquisition of
Credit Suisse, contractual
claims and regulatory
investigations, including the potential
for disqualification from
certain businesses,
potentially large fines or monetary penalties, or the 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 its RWA; (xiii) 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;
(xiv) 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;
(xv) UBS’s
ability to
implement new
technologies and
business methods,
including digital
services, artificial
intelligence and
other
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;
(xvi) limitations on
the effectiveness of
UBS’s internal processes
for risk management,
risk control, measurement
and modeling, and
of financial models
generally;
(xvii) the occurrence of
operational failures, such as
fraud, misconduct, unauthorized trading, financial crime,
cyberattacks, data leakage and systems
failures,
the risk
of which
is increased
with persistently
high levels
of cyberattack
threats; (xviii)
restrictions on
the ability
of UBS
Group
AG, UBS
AG and
regulated
subsidiaries of UBS 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; (xix) 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; (xx)
uncertainty over the
scope of actions
that may be
required by
UBS, governments
and others
for UBS
to achieve
goals relating
to climate,
environmental and
social matters,
as well
as the
evolving nature
of
underlying science and
industry and the increasing
divergence among regulatory
regimes; (xxi) the ability
of UBS to access
capital markets; (xxii)
the ability of UBS
to successfully
recover from
a disaster
or other
business continuity
problem due
to a
hurricane, flood,
earthquake, terrorist
attack, war,
conflict, pandemic,
security breach,
cyberattack, power loss,
telecommunications failure or
other natural or
man-made event; and
(xxiii) the
effect that
these or
other factors or
unanticipated events, including media reports and speculations, may have on its reputation and the additional consequences that this may have on its 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. UBS’s business and financial performance could be affected by other factors identified in
its past and future filings and reports,
including those
filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission
(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 the UBS Group AG and UBS AG
Annual Reports on Form 20-F for the year
ended 31 December 2024. 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.
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