Swiss Finance Department and SNB retain up to CHF 6 billion annual profit distribution framework through 2030

Posted on 2, October 2026 by | This entry was posted in Financial, Government, Switzerland and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

The new 2026–2030 agreement keeps the existing distribution mechanics, while the SNB plans to reduce its minimum allocation to currency-reserve provisions from 10% to 8% from the 2026 financial year, subject to annual Bank Council approval.

Exterior of the Swiss National Bank head office in Zurich

Swiss National Bank head office in Zurich.

The Federal Department of Finance and the Swiss National Bank have signed a new profit distribution agreement covering the 2026 to 2030 financial years. Provided that the SNB’s financial situation permits, annual distributions to the Confederation and cantons can reach up to CHF 6 billion under the same basic distribution mechanics used previously. From the 2026 financial year, the SNB also plans to lower its minimum allocation to currency-reserve provisions from 10% to 8%, subject to annual approval by the Bank Council.

  • The FDF and SNB have signed a profit distribution agreement covering the financial years 2026 to 2030.
  • Provided the SNB’s financial situation permits, annual distributions to the Confederation and cantons can reach up to CHF 6 billion.
  • The framework includes a CHF 2 billion base distribution and four possible CHF 1 billion supplementary distributions tied to progressively higher net-profit thresholds.
  • From the 2026 financial year, the SNB will lower the minimum allocation to currency-reserve provisions from 10% to 8%, subject to annual Bank Council approval.
  • What period does the new FDF-SNB profit distribution agreement cover?

    The agreement applies from the 2026 financial year and governs SNB profit distributions through to the 2030 financial year.

  • What is the maximum annual distribution under the agreement?

    Provided that the SNB’s financial situation permits, up to CHF 6 billion per year can be distributed to the Confederation and the cantons.

  • How is the maximum CHF 6 billion annual distribution structured?

    It consists of a CHF 2 billion base amount if net profit is at least CHF 2 billion, plus four possible CHF 1 billion supplementary distributions if net profit reaches CHF 10 billion, CHF 20 billion, CHF 30 billion and CHF 40 billion respectively.

  • What changes will the SNB make to its minimum allocation to provisions?

    From the 2026 financial year, the SNB will lower the minimum allocation to provisions for currency reserves from 10% to 8%, subject to annual approval by the Bank Council.

(PRESS RELEASE) ZURICH, Switzerland, 2-Oct-2026 — /EuropaWire/ — The Federal Department of Finance (FDF) and the Swiss National Bank (SNB) have signed a new agreement governing the SNB’s profit distributions for the financial years 2026 to 2030. The modalities remain unchanged. Provided that the SNB’s financial situation permits, up to CHF 6 billion per year will be distributed to the Confederation and the cantons.

The agreement applies from the 2026 financial year and covers distributions through to the 2030 financial year. It replaces the agreement concluded in 2021, which applied to the financial years 2020 to 2025.

Under the new agreement, the maximum annual distribution of CHF 6 billion consists of a base amount of CHF 2 billion, payable if the SNB records a net profit of at least CHF 2 billion. Up to four additional distributions of CHF 1 billion each may be made when net profit reaches the respective thresholds of CHF 10 billion, CHF 20 billion, CHF 30 billion and CHF 40 billion.

Under the National Bank Act, the SNB must set aside provisions from its annual result to maintain the currency reserves at the level required for monetary policy. In view of the improvement in its equity situation in recent years, the SNB will lower the minimum allocation to these provisions from 10% to 8% as of the 2026 financial year, subject to annual approval by the Bank Council.

Profit remaining after the allocation to provisions is, in principle, available for distribution to the Confederation and the cantons. To smooth distribution flows over the medium term, the FDF and the SNB define the key elements of those distributions in a multi-year agreement.

The cantons were informed in advance about the new agreement.

The profit distribution agreement and its accompanying notes are available on the Swiss National Bank website.

Communications

P.O. Box, CH-8022 Zurich
Telephone +41 58 631 00 00
communications@snb.ch

SOURCE: Federal Department of Finance (FDF) and Swiss National Bank (SNB)

RELATED:
EDITOR'S PICK:

Comments are closed.