Our history

The origins of PUBLICA date back to the Federal Insurance Fund. The insurance relationships were transferred to PUBLICA in 2003. Learn more about our history.

Key events in PUBLICA’s history
1906The Federal Council approves the articles of association of the pension and assistance fund for officers and employees of the Swiss Federal Railways.
1911An agreement is reached to establish a “general federal administration assistance fund cooperative”. 1% of salaries are paid into the fund.
1919After lengthy negotiations, the draft articles of association of an insurance fund for staff of the general federal administration, post, telephone and telegraph services are finalised.
1921The Federal Insurance Fund (FIF) comes into being as an institution.
1958Following the revision of the Swiss Civil Code, the staff pension fund is separated off from the employer company.
1975The FIF becomes a federal office in its own right, attached to the Federal Department of Finance. The Federal Pension Fund (FPF) is a department of the FIF.
2000The Federal Assembly adopts the Federal Act on the Federal Pension Fund (FPF Act).
2001The Federal Council brings the FPF Act into force, establishing PUBLICA as a public-law institution with its own legal personality.
2003On 1 June, the insurance relationships are transferred from the FPF to PUBLICA. The FIF ceases to exist as a federal office.
2006The Federal Assembly adopts the PUBLICA Act.
2008The Swiss Federal Pension Fund PUBLICA commences operations as a collective institution on 1 July. At the same time, it switches from a defined benefit to a defined contribution plan, and the technical interest rate is reduced to 3.5%.
2010On 1 January, PUBLICA acquires employer status, with its own staff regulations and pension plan. Early in the year, the process-based management system used throughout the company is ISO 9001-certified.
2012The changeover to new actuarial tables (BVG 2010, loaded) agreed in January 2011 to reflect current life expectancy and other factors is successfully implemented on 1 July. On 18 December, PUBLICA’s Board of Directors agrees to cut the technical interest rate to 2.75% with effect from 1 January 2015, in response to persistently low interest rates.
2013PUBLICA celebrates ten years since its foundation
2015In response to persistently low interest rates, PUBLICA reduces the technical interest rate to 2.75% for open pension plans and 2.25% for closed ones, with effect from 1 January.
2016PUBLICA’s process-based management system is recertified according to ISO 9001:2015, on the basis of the new normative foundations. PUBLICA uses e-voting for the first time, in elections for the Assembly of Delegates.
2018The Board of Directors resolves to employ realistic technical parameters, and takes a definitive decision on 29 January to reduce the technical interest rate to 2% for open pension plans and 1.25% for closed ones with effect from 1 January 2019. Also on 1 January 2019, PUBLICA changes over to a new set of actuarial tables (BVG 2015, static tables).
2020Dr Doris Bianchi becomes the first female director of PUBLICA. PUBLICA elects its new Assembly of Delegates entirely by means of e-voting.
testtesttest

More topics of interest