UBS shortlists four consultants for Credit Suisse integration

UBS has whittled down its shortlist to 4 administration consultants to advise on its integration of rival Credit score Suisse, in what is anticipated to be some of the profitable monetary companies advisory contracts lately.

Swiss financial institution UBS is ready to resolve whether or not to award the contract to Bain & Firm, Boston Consulting Group, McKinsey or Oliver Wyman within the coming days, in response to individuals concerned within the course of. Smaller contracts could possibly be awarded at later dates for extra specialist work, stated the identical individuals who warned UBS might resolve to reopen the method.

UBS executives invited bids from administration consultants within the days following its settlement to rescue Credit score Suisse in a historic $3.25bn deal that was orchestrated by Swiss authorities.

The duty of bringing collectively for the primary time two international systemically vital monetary establishments is anticipated to take a number of years and be fiendishly sophisticated.

The mixed group can have 120,000 employees globally, however tens of hundreds of job cuts are anticipated.

This week, UBS chair Colm Kelleher changed chief govt Ralph Hamers together with his predecessor Sergio Ermotti in recognition of the size of the problem of constructing the transaction successful.

“That is the largest single monetary transaction since 2008,” Kelleher instructed reporters. “That brings with it vital execution threat.”

Ermotti, who formally begins on Wednesday, is anticipated to have a say on which advisor is chosen, although the combination course of is being led by chief info and digital officer Mike Dargan.

Claiming the contract will probably be a boon for the profitable bidder, at a time when banks are usually slicing again on their spending on exterior consultants.

Final yr, UBS focused decreasing its spending on exterior advisers as a part of a pre-takeover drive to chop $1bn of prices by the top of this yr.

In recent times, UBS has employed McKinsey to assist Hamers develop his technique for the financial institution, which was unveiled final yr, and to implement an agile working technique, which is geared toward rushing up decision-making. Some senior bankers have expressed concern about UBS creating an over-reliance on the agency.

Equally, the financial institution used consultants from Oliver Wyman to advise on its threat administration operations and BCG for some smaller tasks, in response to individuals accustomed to inner workings.

Credit score Suisse had additionally been trying to cut back its use of exterior advisers, which included a plan to halve spending on consultants final yr. It diminished its exterior advisor headcount by a fifth within the ultimate quarter of 2022. It relied on recommendation from McKinsey for its two current restructuring plans — one below former chair António Horta-Osório and the opposite from final yr that geared toward radically reforming the enterprise.

As a part of the accompanying cost-cutting plans, Credit score Suisse sought recommendation from Oliver Wyman and BCG, whereas Deloitte supplied enter on the financial institution’s pay coverage, in response to individuals with data of their involvement.

UBS, Bain, BCG, McKinsey and Oliver Wyman declined to remark.

Extra reporting by Michael O’Dwyer