The Cost of Compliance: Can Switzerland Avoid the 'Model Pupil Syndrome'?

In a recent interview with Migros Magazine, UBS CEO Sergio Ermotti discussed several key topics:

Banking Regulation: Ermotti cautioned against Switzerland adopting overly stringent banking regulations that could disadvantage its financial sector compared to global hubs like London, Hong Kong, and Singapore. He emphasized the need for proportionate measures, warning that excessive rules might weaken the industry's competitiveness. (Reuters)

Integration of Credit Suisse: Following UBS's acquisition of Credit Suisse, Ermotti reported that the integration process is progressing smoothly, with the primary challenge being the complex IT migration. He reassured that the combined entity possesses substantial reserves, making it unlikely for taxpayers to incur losses even if issues arise. (Reuters)

Executive Compensation: Addressing criticism over his 2023 compensation of 14.4 million Swiss francs, Ermotti expressed surprise at the focus on executive pay in banking, noting that similar figures in sports and entertainment often go unquestioned. He highlighted his career progression from an apprentice earning 350 francs monthly, underscoring his understanding of money's value. (Handelszeitung)

Personal Routine and Outlook: Ermotti shared insights into his daily routine, mentioning early starts and regular workouts. Approaching 65, he has no immediate plans for retirement, viewing his role in steering UBS through this significant industry chapter as both a duty and a compelling challenge. (Handelszeitung)

Sergio Ermotti's reference to the "model pupil syndrome" (or "Musterknaben-Syndrom" in German) in his interview is a metaphorical expression. It implies that Switzerland, as a financial center, should avoid being overly idealistic or excessively compliant with regulations to the point of disadvantaging itself on the global stage.

"Model Pupil Syndrome" Defined:

It describes a situation where a country (or organization) tries so hard to set an example or adhere to rules that it ends up imposing unnecessary burdens on itself, especially when others don't follow the same standards.

In Relation to Banking Regulation:

Ermotti warns against Switzerland adopting stricter financial regulations than necessary, as this could put the Swiss banking industry at a competitive disadvantage compared to other financial hubs like London or Singapore, which might have more flexible approaches.

The Concern:

By being excessively compliant, Switzerland risks losing its edge as a leading financial hub, harming the industry and the economy.

This expression underscores the balance between being responsible and pragmatic, without compromising competitiveness.

Comments

Gaza’s Medical Apocalypse: Numbers, Neglect, and the Farce of “Access”

If you ever needed proof that statistics can be more damning than bombs, look at Gaza’s health crisis . Behind the headlines and hashtags lies a cascade of bodies and broken systems. We have numbers, we have reports, we have PDFs— and yet the world stares, unmoved, at the collapse. Below is your ruthless, numbers-soaked guide to the suffering —and the institutional failure—behind Gaza’s medical implosion . 1. The Health System Is Already Dead. We’re Just Counting the Corpse. According to WHO, “The Gaza Strip faces an unprecedented humanitarian crisis with rising mortality and widespread displacement.” Between 1 January and 31 August 2024 , local health authorities reported 18,900 deaths and 38,916 injuries . Women, children, and the elderly account for over 50 % of fatal casualties . More than 53 % of Gaza’s 36 hospitals were non-functional as of August 2024, and many of the partially functioning ones lacked adequate water or relied entirely on fuel generators. ...

The Ceasefire of Exhaustion: When Empires Collapse from Within

By Malik Mukhtar — ainnbeen.blogspot.com Two years after Gaza was first set on fire , the war that began with biblical vengeance has stumbled to an exhausted ceasefire . On October 9, 2025 , Israel and Hamas — after endless carnage, famine, and rubble — have signed the first phase of a ceasefire agreement mediated in Sharm el-Sheikh . Trump called it a “ historic peace plan. ” History may call it a truce of attrition — a war that collapsed under the weight of its own hubris. What the Ceasefire Says — and What It Doesn’t Under the agreement, Israeli forces are to pull back to a designated “yellow line” within 24 hours of cabinet ratification. Hamas, in turn, will release all remaining hostages — alive or dead — within 72 hours after the withdrawal. Israel will free about 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, though it made sure to exclude political figures like Marwan Barghouti , whose freedom would remind the world that Palestine still breathes. Humanitarian convoys — food,...

Delivering the Dead: How the World Watches Gaza Bleed.

Delivering the Dead: How the World Watches Gaza Bleed “ I delivered a beheaded woman who was nine months pregnant. ” That’s not a horror-film script. That’s not medieval history. That is the testimony of an Australian medic standing in a Gaza hospital in 2025, describing what it means to “ practice medicine ” under Israeli bombardment. A nine-months-pregnant woman , decapitated , her body torn open so that the child she carried could be pulled out lifeless — and somehow this is still not enough to shake the comfortable democracies of the West into anything resembling a conscience. We should probably give the Nobel Prize for Creative Euphemism to the politicians who still call this “self-defense.” After all, there’s nothing quite as defensive as severing the head of an expectant mother and forcing foreign doctors to deliver her dead child in the rubble of what used to be a hospital . Bravo, civilization . The tragedy is not just the atrocity itself. It’s the smug perfo...

The Veil Gets Thicker: How “Democracy” Is Being Used to Suppress Solidarity.

There’s a whisper among the ideals Europe claims to represent: freedom, human rights, assembly . But lately, those whispers are being drowned out —by batons, by laws, by arrests . Pro-Palestinian protestors are being met not with dialogue or understanding , but with the brute choreography of state power. Democracy is no longer just veiled . It is draped in shame. Recent Snapshots: When Solidarity Becomes a Crime These are not isolated incidents. These are signals. They tell us where the balance has shifted—and how. UK — The Ban, the Proscription, the Mass Arrests Palestine Action Proscribed Under Terrorism Act In July 2025 the UK government declared Palestine Action a proscribed organisation under the Terrorism Act 2000 . From that moment, supporting the group—by words or peaceful symbolic action—became criminalized. 466 Arrested at Parliament Square On August 9, 2025 , some 466 people were arrested in London at Parliament Square for a protest against the Pales...

Hannibal on October 7: When an army’s "defense" became a killing order

October 7, 2023 arrived not as a day of confusion alone but as a moral rupture . As Hamas drove blazing convoys and armed men through Israel’s border towns, the army’s response included an old, ugly instruction — the Hannibal Directive — which turns the logic of protection on its head: prevent kidnappings by any means, even if that means killing the people you claim you are protecting . Let’s be blunt. Investigations and contemporaneous orders show this was not a rumor whispered in a bunker . At 7:18 a.m. an order that reporters have reconstructed as “ Hannibal at Erez ” was sent — the signal, according to multiple investigative accounts, that commanders authorized extreme measures to stop abductions . Within hours, other dispatches and field orders — understood by combat units as “ not a single vehicle can return to Gaza ” — transformed a chaotic battlefield into, for many zones, a killing corridor. What did that look like on the ground? Tanks, artillery and close air asse...

Ainnbeen

Search This Blog