New member Bank Wegelin & Co.; expanded range of information

SSPA, the Swiss Structured Products Association, has welcomed Wegelin & Co. to passive Association membership. Adding to the wealth of information already provided by the SSPA is a completely revised Swiss Derivative Map and French and English versions of its brochure, just in time for today’s opening of the fifth Structured Products Fair in Zurich.

Zurich, October 26, 2011. In line with the SSPA’s strategy of broadening market support, Wegelin & Co., Switzerland’s oldest bank, will be a passive member effective January 1, 2012. Patrik Rüthemann, Managing Partner and Head of Products & Trading at Wegelin & Co. private bankers: “Structured products are of central importance in today’s asset management. Our bank is among the earliest and most innovative structured product providers. In joining the SSPA we support its efforts to develop the Swiss structured products market and strengthen the Swiss financial center at the same time.” According to SSPA President Daniel Sandmeier, “Wegelin & Co.’s membership is another milestone in our strategy of targeted opening of the Association. Wegelin & Co. is considered a structured products trailblazer – not least because of its pioneering literature on the subject.”

Streamlining the SSPA categorization model; unified nomenclature

The SSPA has added to its categorization model the new product category Investment Products with Reference Issuers (see Media Release of August 19, 2011). At the same time its categorization model is being streamlined with the deletion of Capped Capital Protection (1120), Capped Outperformance Certificates (1240) and Capped Bonus Certificates (1250), and subsumes these under the existing uncapped product types. The revised categorization model adds the word Certificate to product type names (exceptions are established names such as Barrier Reverse Convertible and Reverse Convertible). The changes apply from January 1, 2012 with a transition period of one year when the old terminology can still be used.

Updated Swiss Derivative Map

Now that most issuers use the standard SSPA nomenclature instead of their own names, the SSPA will no longer reproduce the product index on the revised Swiss Derivative Map, although the Association website will retain access to the product index. This has freed up space in the new edition of the Swiss Derivative Map for investor information and decision-making aids on using structured products in asset management. The new Map was created in cooperation with Finanz & Wirtschaft, Derivative Partners and Scoach Switzerland. It can be downloaded from the SSPA website in German, French and English or can be ordered in poster or folder format.

Expanded range of information; English and French-language versions of the SSPA brochure

As part of its Knowledge Initiative the SSPA is today publishing a third, updated edition of the brochure “Investing Successfully in Structured Products”. French and English versions are available for the first time. Download your free copy from www.sspa-association.ch. The German version is also available in printed form. SSPA Executive Director Jürg Stähelin: “The SSPA strives to improve transparency through education and information. The new English and French versions are an important step toward this goal.”