Credit Suisse

Financial Services · Business

Mentions

Podcasts

Episodes

Podcast consensus

Points of consensus

▶Multiple sources confirm that the collapse of Archegos Capital was a pivotal event that exposed severe risk management failures at Credit Suisse, leading to a 50 billion kroner loss and contributing directly to the bank's eventual failure.Apr–May 2026

▶Several claims corroborate that Apollo Global Management acquired Atlas, Credit Suisse's highly profitable securitized products and warehouse lending business, in a major divestiture following the bank's crisis.Apr–May 2026

▶It is widely agreed that UBS acquired Credit Suisse, a move that made UBS the largest wealth manager in Latin America and EMEA, but also initiated a costly and complex multi-year systems integration and concentrated Switzerland's systemic banking risk into a single entity.Apr 2026

▶Sources agree that Credit Suisse had a history of divesting valuable assets, including selling the Strategic Partners secondaries business to Blackstone for $119 million (now a $120 billion business) and the DLJ merchant banking business acquired in 2000.Apr–May 2026

Points of debate

▶There is a nuanced debate on the primary cause of the collapse; while several claims pinpoint the Archegos blowup as the catalyst, another indicates a broader 'worsening credit quality' prompted a major sovereign wealth fund to drastically cut exposure well before the final failure, suggesting a more prolonged decline.Apr–May 2026

▶The exact value and size of the divested Atlas business are presented with some variance. Claims cite Apollo acquiring '$28 billion in assets,' while also describing Atlas as having a '$45 billion balance sheet' historically and being a '$50 billion' platform post-acquisition.Apr–May 2026

▶The legacy of Credit Suisse's divested assets is mixed. While the Atlas business was a 'number one profit center' for a decade, the sale of Strategic Partners to Blackstone for a fraction of its current $120 billion value suggests the bank failed to realize the long-term potential of some of its key assets.Apr–May 2026

▶There is an implicit debate on whether the correct regulatory lessons have been learned from the collapse. The UBS CEO argues that proposed new capital requirements are 'excessive,' while the detailed accounts of the bank's risk failures with Archegos suggest that stringent new rules are necessary to prevent a recurrence.Apr 2026

Key themes

▶The Archegos CatalystApr–May 2026

The collapse of Archegos Capital Management is repeatedly identified as a critical event that exposed fatal risk management flaws at Credit Suisse. The bank suffered a 50 billion kroner loss and was reportedly the last to exit its positions, an event which placed it on institutional watch lists and accelerated its path to failure.

This theme highlights how a single, massive counterparty failure, compounded by a slow institutional response, can trigger the demise of a globally systemic bank, serving as a stark case study in concentrated risk.

▶Post-Mortem Divestiture and ConsolidationApr–May 2026

Following its collapse, Credit Suisse's assets were acquired and integrated by various entities, most notably its rival UBS. Key business units, such as the profitable Atlas structured products division, were sold to Apollo, while UBS absorbed the core banking and wealth management operations.

The breakup and sale of Credit Suisse's assets demonstrate how value is redistributed during a crisis, with firms like Apollo and Blackstone acquiring significant businesses while UBS faces a costly, multi-year integration challenge.

▶A Faded Legacy of Market InfluenceApr–May 2026

Despite its failure, Credit Suisse was historically a major force in finance, producing influential alumni who took senior roles at firms like J.P. Morgan and Jain Global. The bank also created and maintained significant market benchmarks, such as the Credit Suisse leveraged loan and high-yield bond indices, which continue to be cited as industry measures.

This illustrates that a firm's legacy can outlast its corporate existence through its human capital and foundational contributions to market infrastructure, even as its brand becomes synonymous with failure.

▶Systemic Risk and Regulatory AftermathApr–May 2026

The failure of Credit Suisse eliminated one of Switzerland's two globally systemically important banks (G-SIBs), concentrating risk into the newly enlarged UBS. This has prompted debate over new, stricter capital requirements proposed by the Swiss government, which the UBS CEO has criticized as excessive.

The collapse serves as a powerful modern example of the 'too big to fail' problem, shifting the regulatory focus from managing two large banks to ensuring the stability of a single, even larger national champion.

Source episodes

Sentiment over time

Apr 2026

4 bullish, 1 bearish, 5 neutral(10 claims)

Apollo's acquisitions to build its origination capabilities include PK Air (Avia...

May 2026

4 bearish, 5 neutral(9 claims)

The Credit Suisse leveraged loan index generated a cumulative rate of return of ...

Changes over time

2000

Credit Suisse acquires Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette (DLJ) for $14 billion in cash, absorbing its merchant banking business with approximately $29 billion in AUM.

Undisclosed Date (Pre-Collapse)

Blackstone acquires the Strategic Partners secondaries business from Credit Suisse for $119 million. The business is now valued at $120 billion, highlighting a significant divestiture.

March 2021

Norges Bank Investment Management places Credit Suisse on its credit risk watch list after the bank suffers a 50 billion kroner loss from the Archegos default, signaling major institutional concern.

2022

The Atlas business processes 2 million margin-related wire transfers, demonstrating the massive operational scale of a unit that was once the bank's top profit center.

March 2023 (Approx.)

Credit Suisse collapses and is acquired by UBS. Prior to the failure, Norges Bank had drastically reduced its exposure from 60 billion to 600 million kroner due to worsening credit quality.

Post-Collapse

Key assets are sold off, with Apollo acquiring the Atlas securitized products business. UBS begins a three-year, $750 million project to migrate Credit Suisse's systems.

Suggested prompts

How did Credit Suisse's risk management culture differ from its peers, leading it to be the 'last bank to exit' the Archegos positions? &nearr;What were the key factors that made the Atlas structured products business a 'number one profit center' for a decade, and why was it ultimately divested? &nearr;Analyze the long-term strategic implications for Blackstone of acquiring the Strategic Partners business from Credit Suisse for $119 million, a unit now valued at $120 billion. &nearr;What are the systemic risks for the Swiss and global financial systems now that there is only one G-SIB in Switzerland following the UBS acquisition of Credit Suisse? &nearr;

Key concepts

Atlas Securitized Business 2 ep Archegos Collapse 2 ep Acquisition by UBS 4 ep Risk Management Failures 2 ep Divestitures & M&A 3 ep Systemic Importance (G-SIB) 2 ep Market Indices 1 ep Wealth Management 1 ep Alumni & Talent 2 ep Regulatory Aftermath 1 ep

Notable quotes

“We're the largest wealth manager in Asia. We're the largest wealth manager now in Latin America, after our Credit Suisse acquisition... Also the largest wealth manager in EMEA.”

John Mathews · John Mathews – Steering the Largest Wirehouse at UBS (Private Wealth 2, EP.444)

“The top big three, Atlas, which is a warehouse lending business... Is that the securitization business that you got from Credit Suisse? That's exactly right... This one today is about $50 billion.”

Chris Edson · Apollo's Private Credit Exposure: Chris Edson Weighs In | The Real Eisman Playbook Ep 57

“The Credit Suisse leveraged loan index generated a cumulative rate of return of approximately 66% over the 10-year period from the end of 2014 to the end of 2024.”

Todd Boehly · Eldridge Industries CEO Todd Boehly at Semafor World Economy

“Early employees and interns from Citadel in the 1990s have gone on to hold senior positions at other major financial institutions, including Chief Operating Officer at J.P. Morgan and head of foreign exchange at Credit Suisse.”

Ken Griffin · View From The Top with Ken Griffin, Founder and CEO of Citadel

Report last updated: May 10, 2026

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