Media releases

The Swiss Federal Pension Fund PUBLICA recorded a performance of 3.9% in 2023. The collective institution’s funded ratio rose to 98.3%. Of the eleven open pension plans, three are still underfunded. As part of its responsible investment strategy, PUBLICA prioritised four of the UN Sustainable Development Goals in 2023, began implementing bespoke benchmarks for emerging market government bonds, and started building a knowledge base on biodiversity.

Patrick Bonadei has been appointed Head of Pensions and a member of PUBLICA’s Executive Board with effect from 1 June 2024. He will take over the tasks performed at present by Doris Bianchi, who has been in temporary charge of the Pensions division for the past year. Patrick Bonadei is an occupational pensions expert currently with the consulting firm Pittet Associates Ltd.

The Swiss Federal Pension Fund PUBLICA achieved a net investment return of 3.85% in 2023 across all its pension plans. Equities made the largest contribution, bonds the second-largest. Swiss real estate and precious metals also posted gains, whereas foreign real estate lost value. The consolidated funded ratio rose once again.

Under the current provisions of the pension plan regulations and PUBLICA’s Corporate and Organisational Regulations, the interest rate on regulatory retirement assets is set every year by each pension plan’s parity commission. Each year, the Federal Council sets the minimum interest rate for retirement assets in the compulsory portion of the occupational pension. For 2023, the rate is 1%.

Each of PUBLICA’s 11 pension plans has its own regulations governing the most important retirement, disability and death benefits. The regulations are being updated from 1 January 2024 to take account of the OASI and disability pension reforms. PUBLICA has also modernised some of its pension benefits.

PUBLICA’s Board of Directors has appointed Nicolas Schmidt as its new Vice-Chair. He will represent the employees on the Board. Nicolas Schmidt has been a member of the Board of Directors since July 2021 and is a sustainable consumption and products specialist at the Federal Office for the Environment.

PUBLICA’s Assembly of Delegates has elected Tania Cucè and Adrian Egger to the PUBLICA Board of Directors as employee representatives. They succeed Mahidé Aslan and Jorge Serra.

The Swiss Federal Pension Fund PUBLICA’s real estate portfolio is growing, and so is the high-rise named «Sorrento». With 21 floors rising to 60 metres, the apartment block in a park in Dübendorf has reached its final height.

The Swiss Federal Pension Fund PUBLICA has existed in its current form since 2003, the year of the long, hot summer. Two decades later, the 20th anniversary was a chance for staff from PUBLICA’s office to celebrate – and meet some of the people they insure.

PUBLICA is a collective institution made up of a number of pension plans. At the end of 2022, the consolidated funded ratio of the open pension plans stood at 96.1%. This means they are underfunded. The parity commissions and Board of Directors have addressed the underfunding.

The Chair and Vice-Chair of PUBLICA’s Board of Directors rotate half way through their four-year term of office. Kaspar Müller, representing the employers, therefore takes over as Chair of the Board on 1 July 2023.

Meik Haas, Head of Finance and Services and member of the Executive Board of the réservesuisse cooperative, will be joining the Board of Directors of PUBLICA on 1 July 2023 as an employer representative in the Affiliated Organisations pension plan (Constituency III). He has been elected by a large majority by the employers in the plan. Meik Haas succeeds Hans Häfliger, who takes up the post of Delegate for National Economic Supply in the Federal Administration on 1 July 2023 and consequently will no longer be available to the Affiliated Organisations pension plan. Mahide Aslan, Head of the Women in the Army and Diversity unit and an employee representative in Constituency I (Federal Administration), will be leaving the Board of Directors at the end of June 2023. 

The Swiss Federal Pension Fund PUBLICA recorded a performance of –9.6% in 2022. This was due to turbulence on the financial markets. The consolidated funded ratio stood at 96.2% at the end of the year. PUBLICA began modernising its pension offering last year. Simultaneously with its results, it is publishing its first comprehensive responsible investment report, covering the year 2022. This shows that progress has been made in almost all asset classes.

Anlässlich der Delegiertenversammlung PUBLICA haben die Delegierten des Wahlkreises I die Vertreterinnen und Vertreter der Arbeitnehmenden im paritätischen Organ des Vorsorgewerks «Bund» gewählt. Bei den Gewählten handelt es sich um vier bisherige und zwei neue Mitglieder. Die Amtsdauer beträgt vier Jahre.

In view of the many scandals involving Credit Suisse over recent years, the Swiss Federal Pension Fund PUBLICA has subjected the big bank’s business activities to particular scrutiny. It began reducing its exposure to Credit Suisse back at the beginning of 2022.

Last year was an eventful one, including on the global financial markets. This left its mark on the Swiss Federal Pension Fund PUBLICA’s investment results. Net performance was -9.6%, mainly due to the equity and bond asset classes. Directly held real estate had a positive impact on results. The rise in interest rates means that a return to much higher performance can be expected over the long term. PUBLICA decided on changes to its strategic asset allocation in June 2022, and these are now being implemented on a staggered basis.

Die Verzinsung der reglementarischen Altersguthaben werden gemäss gültigen Bestimmungen im Vorsorgereglement sowie dem Geschäfts- und Organisationsreglement PUBLICA vom paritätischen Organ jedes Vorsorgewerks festgelegt. Jährlich legt der Bundesrat den Mindestzinssatz für das Altersguthaben im BVG-Obligatorium fest. Für das Jahr 2023 beträgt der Mindestzinssatz 1 Prozent.

Nach dem Rücktritt von Jean Pirrotta als Arbeitgebervertreter aus der Kassenkommission PUBLICA per 31. Januar 2022 wählten die Arbeitgebenden des Vorsorgewerks angeschlossene Organisationen Hans Häfliger als ihre neue Vertretung.

PUBLICA erzielte im Jahr 2021 eine Gesamtjahresperformance von 4,4 Prozent, wurde dank steigender Deckungsgrade der Vorsorgewerke finanziell stabiler und senkte den administrativen Verwaltungsaufwand. Beim verantwortungsbewussten Investieren unternahm die Pensionskasse des Bundes weitere Schritte.

The investment committee of the Swiss Federal Pension Fund PUBLICA has resolved not to purchase any further Russian securities and divest its existing holdings.

Die Kassenkommission PUBLICA als oberstes paritätisch zusammengesetztes Organ der Pensionskasse des Bundes PUBLICA verzeichnet einen Rücktritt. Jean Pirrotta hat beschlossen, die Kassenkommission PUBLICA per Ende Januar 2022 zu verlassen. Er wurde im Juni 2021 durch die Arbeitgebenden der angeschlossenen Organisationen als Arbeitgebervertreter in die Kassenkommission gewählt.

Die Verzinsung der reglementarischen Altersguthaben werden gemäss gültigen Bestimmungen im Vorsorgereglement sowie dem Geschäfts- und Organisationsreglement PUBLICA vom paritätischen Organ jedes Vorsorgewerks festgelegt. Jährlich legt der Bundesrat den Mindestzinssatz für das Altersguthaben im BVG-Obligatorium fest. Für das Jahr 2021 beträgt der Mindestzinssatz 1 Prozent.

The Swiss Federal Pension Fund PUBLICA attaches great importance to investing its members’ pension assets responsibly. It has now taken two key steps along that path: committing to net zero emissions, and excluding manufacturers of nuclear weapons from its investment portfolio.

Die Delegiertenversammlung der Pensionskasse des Bundes PUBLICA wählt Marcel Wüthrich zu ihrem neuen Präsidenten. Der Versicherungsmathematiker sieht sich als Brückenbauer zwischen den Gremien und dem Betrieb von PUBLICA.

Im Dezember 2015 gründete PUBLICA mit sechs grossen institutionellen Investoren den «Schweizer Verein für verantwortungsbewusste Kapitalanlagen (SVVK – ASIR)». Seit Anfang Dezember 2020 ist PUBLICA Mitglied von vier weiteren Netzwerken, die sich für nachhaltige Investitionen engagieren. Es sind dies: «Principles for Responsible Investment», «Institutional Investor Group on Climate Change», «Climate Action 100+» und «Montréal Carbon Pledge». Durch diese Mitgliedschaften erschliesst sich PUBLICA Zugang zu internationalen Best Practices im Klimabereich und kommt – so Stefan Beiner, Leiter Asset Management von PUBLICA – «dem Ziel, langfristige Trends im Anlagebereich ganzheitlich berücksichtigen zu können, einen wichtigen Schritt näher».

Die Aufsichtsbehörde von PUBLICA, die Bernische BVG- und Stiftungsaufsicht (BBSA), hat mit Verfügung vom 24. August 2020 PUBLICA angewiesen, «dem Bundesrat keine Teile der betreffenden Reglemente zur Genehmigung vorzulegen, welche Leistungsbestimmungen enthalten».

Die Kassenkommission PUBLICA hat Frau Dr. Doris Bianchi zur neuen Direktorin der Pensionskasse des Bundes PUBLICA gewählt. Die promovierte Juristin ist persönliche Mitarbeiterin von Alain Berset, Vorsteher des Eidg. Departements des Innern; sie tritt die Nachfolge von Dieter Stohler an, der PUBLICA per 30.09.2020 verlässt.