By Engen Tham and Selena Li
SHANGHAI/HONG KONG (Reuters) – UBS Group AG has identified at least four countries including South Korea and India as “slow” in granting regulatory approvals which it needs to complete its takeover of Credit Suisse, according to an internal document reviewed by Reuters.
UBS has also identified Ireland and Saudi Arabia as “slow jurisdictions” in granting licences, according to the document which was dated Sept. 6 and circulated to global staff, the content of which has not previously been reported.
The document, prepared after a global review to assess the timeline of regulatory approvals necessary for the integration to complete, said non-cooperative regulators could put transactions such as the Swiss bank merger at risk.
The uncertainties in securing regulatory nods could also lead to winding down businesses and asset sales, when UBS faces “difficult jurisdictions or regulators”, the bank said in the document.
Credit Suisse, which was Switzerland’s second-biggest bank, suffered years of scandals and losses before it had to be rescued in March this year in a state-engineered takeover by former rival UBS.
UBS completed its takeover of Credit Suisse in June. It still needs approvals from regulators in markets where both the banks operate for the legal completion of the deal that resulted in the first rescue of a global bank since the 2008 financial crisis.
UBS and Credit Suisse did not respond to Reuters request for comment.
Spokespeople for central banks in South Korea, India, Ireland and Saudi Arabia also did not immediately respond to Reuters request for comment.
(Reporting by Engen Tham in Shanghai and Selena Li in Hong Kong; Editing by Sumeet Chatterjee and Stephen Coates)
