UBS eyes Credit Suisse acquisition, sources say, amid bank contagion fears

O UBS AG is weighing on Saturday a takeover of its battered Swiss competitor. Credit Suissesources said, a move that could allay fears that an ongoing crisis could destabilize the banking system global.

Credit Suisse, with 167 years of existence, is the biggest name involved in the market turmoil triggered by the collapse of US banks Silicon Valley Bank It is Signature Bank last week, during which the Swiss bank lost a quarter of its market value.

To control the crisis, the UBS is under pressure from Swiss authorities to undertake a takeover of its local rival, said two people with knowledge of the matter. The plan could see the Swiss government provide a guarantee against the risks involved, while Credit Suisse’s Swiss businesses could be spun off.

O UBSCredit Suisse and Switzerland’s financial regulator Finma declined to comment.

O Financial Times quoted people familiar with the matter as saying that the UBSCredit Suisse and regulators were racing to finalize a merger deal as early as Saturday night.

Credit Suisse chief financial officer Dixit Joshi and his teams met over the weekend to weigh their options for the bank, people with knowledge of the matter told Reuters, and there were several reports of interest from competitors.

Financial giant of the United States, the blackrock said it had no plans or interest in a rival bid for Credit Suisse, while Bloomberg reported that Deutsche Bank was looking into the possibility of buying some of the bank’s assets.

Credit Suisse’s share price fluctuated widely during the week, and the bank was forced to draw on $54 billion in central bank funding.

The mood in Switzerland, long considered an icon of banking stability, was one of melancholy as executives grappled with the future of the country’s biggest creditors.

“Banks in permanent stress” was the headline on the front page of the newspaper Neue Zuercher Zeitung this Saturday.