Capital

As of 31 December 2012, the fully paid-in share capital of Swiss Re Ltd amounted to CHF 37 070 693.10. It was divided into 370 706 931 registered shares, each with a par value of CHF 0.10.

The table below provides an overview of the issued, conditional and authorised capital of Swiss Re Ltd as of 31 December 2012, compared with the issued, conditional and authorised capital as of 31 December 2011.

More information is provided in the sections “Conditional and authorised capital in particular” and “Changes in capital” below.

Conditional and authorised capital in particular

Conditional capital

As of 31 December 2012, the conditional capital of Swiss Re Ltd consisted of the following category:

Conditional capital for Equity-Linked Financing Instruments

The share capital of the company may be increased up to CHF 5 000 000 by issuing a maximum of 50 000 000 registered shares, payable in full, each with a nominal value of CHF 0.10. Such shares are issued through the voluntary or mandatory exercise of conversion and/or option rights granted by the company or Group companies in connection with bonds or similar instruments, including loans or other financial instruments (Equity-Linked Financing Instruments).

Existing shareholders’ subscription rights are excluded. The then current holders of the conversion and/or option rights granted in connection with Equity-Linked Financing Instruments shall be entitled to subscribe for the new registered shares. Subject to the Articles of Association, the Board of Directors may decide to restrict or exclude existing shareholders’ advance subscription rights with regard to these Equity-Linked Financing Instruments. Such decision may be made in order to issue Equity-Linked Financing Instruments on national and/or international capital markets (including private placements to selected strategic investors), and/or to finance or re-finance the acquisition of companies, parts of companies, participations or new investments planned by the company and/or Group companies.

If advance subscription rights are excluded, then the Equity-Linked Financing Instruments are to be placed at market conditions, the exercise period is not to exceed ten years for option rights and twenty years for conversion rights, and the conversion or exercise price for the new registered shares is to be set at least in line with the market conditions prevailing at the date on which the Equity-Linked Financing Instruments are issued.

The acquisition of registered shares through the exercise of conversion or option rights and any further transfers of registered shares shall be subject to the restrictions specified in the Articles of Association.

Authorised capital

As of 31 December 2012, the authorised capital of Swiss Re Ltd consisted of the categories as presented in the table below.

According to the Articles of Association, the Board of Directors is authorised to increase the share capital of the company at any time up to 20 May 2013 by an amount not exceeding CHF 8 500 000 through the issue of up to 85 000 000 registered shares, payable in full, each with a nominal value of CHF 0.10. Increases by underwriting as well as partial increases are permitted. The Board of Directors determines the date of issue, the issue price, the type of contribution and any possible acquisition of assets, the date of dividend entitlement as well as the expiry or allocation of non-exercised subscription rights.

The subscription rights of existing shareholders may not be excluded with respect to a maximum of CHF 5 000 000 through the issue of up to 50 000 000 registered shares, payable in full, each with a nominal value of CHF 0.10, out of the total amount of authorised capital.

The Board of Directors may exclude or restrict the subscription rights of existing shareholders with respect to a maximum of CHF 3 500 000 through the issue of up to 35 000 000 registered shares, payable in full, each with a nominal value of CHF 0.10, out of the total amount of authorised capital. Such exclusion or restriction relates to the use of shares in connection with mergers, acquisitions (including take-over) of companies, parts of companies or holdings, participations or new investments planned by the company and/or Group companies, financing or re-financing of such mergers, acquisitions or new investments, the conversion of loans, securities or equity securities. Exclusion and restriction may also relate to improving the regulatory capital position of the company or Group companies, including private placements, in a fast and expeditious manner if the Board of Directors deems it appropriate or prudent to do so.

The subscription and acquisition of the new registered shares, as well as each subsequent transfer of registered shares, shall be subject to the restrictions specified in the Articles of Association.

Joint provision for conditional capital for Equity-Linked Financing Instruments and for the above-mentioned authorised capital

The total of shares issued from the authorised capital, where the existing shareholders’ subscription rights were excluded, and from the shares issued from conditional capital, where the existing shareholders’ advance subscription rights on the Equity-Linked Financing Instruments were excluded, may not exceed 74 140 927 shares up to 20 May 2013.

Authorised capital for the exchange of shares

The Board of Directors is authorised to increase the share capital of the company for use as consideration for any remaining minority shareholders of Swiss Reinsurance Company Ltd for any voluntary or mandatory surrendering of their shares in Swiss Reinsurance Company Ltd after the execution of the company’s public exchange offer at any time up to 20 May 2013. Such increase in share capital may not exceed CHF 4 005 061.30 through the issue of up to 40 050 613 registered shares, payable in full, each with a nominal value of CHF 0.10. Increases by underwriting as well as partial increases are permitted. The Board of Directors determines the date of issue, the issue price, the type of contribution and any possible acquisition of assets as well as the date of dividend entitlement.

Existing shareholders’ subscription rights for registered shares issued according to this provision are excluded.

The subscription and acquisition of the new registered shares, as well as each subsequent transfer of the registered shares, shall be subject to the restrictions specified in the Articles of Association.

Changes in capital

Changes in 2012

No changes in capital took place during 2012.

Changes in 2011

The Annual General Meeting of shareholders of the former parent company, Swiss Reinsurance Company Ltd, approved the cancellation of the conditional capital which had been created for employee participation in the maximum nominal amount of CHF 1 695 280.70, which corresponds to 16 952 807 registered shares, each with a nominal value of CHF 0.10.

The Annual General Meeting of shareholders of Swiss Reinsurance Company Ltd also approved the cancellation of the conditional capital which had been created in favour of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. in the maximum nominal amount of CHF 16 000 000, which corresponds to 160 000 000 registered shares, each with a nominal value of CHF 0.10.

Furthermore, the Annual General Meeting of shareholders of Swiss Reinsurance Company Ltd approved the increase of the existing conditional capital for bonds or similar instruments from CHF 839 479.20 to CHF 5 000 000. In line with this increase, the Extraordinary General Meeting of shareholders of Swiss Re Ltd approved at its meeting on 20 May 2011 the creation of conditional capital for bonds or similar instruments by an amount not exceeding CHF 5 000 000 through the issue of a maximum of 50 000 000 registered shares, payable in full, each with a nominal value of CHF 0.10.

The Annual General Meeting of shareholders of Swiss Reinsurance Company Ltd also approved the reduction of the existing authorised capital from CHF 18 000 000 to CHF 8 500 000 and authorised the Board of Directors to increase the share capital by a maximum nominal amount of CHF 8 500 000, which corresponds to 85 000 000 registered shares, each with a nominal value of CHF 0.10, until 15 April 2013. In line with this increase, the Extraordinary General Meeting of shareholders of Swiss Re Ltd approved at its meeting on 20 May 2011 the creation of authorised capital by an amount not exceeding CHF 8 500 000 through the issue of up to 85 000 000 registered shares, payable in full, each with a nominal value of CHF 0.10.

The Extraordinary General Meeting of shareholders of Swiss Re Ltd approved at its meeting on 20 May 2011 the creation of authorised capital by an amount not exceeding CHF 4 732 323.50, through the issue of up to 47 323 235 registered shares, payable in full, each with a nominal value of CHF 0.10, for the use as consideration for any remaining minority shareholders of Swiss Reinsurance Company Ltd for any voluntary or mandatory surrendering of their shares in Swiss Reinsurance Company Ltd after the execution of the public exchange offer of the company at any time up to 20 May 2013.

In the course of 2011, CHF 727 262.20 of the authorised capital for the exchange of shares were used through the issue of 7 272 622 registered shares with a nominal value of CHF 0.10.

In 2011, 2 778 shares were issued from conditional capital for employee participation purposes.

Changes in 2010 and previous years

Information about changes in capital in 2010 is provided on pages 54 and 55 of the 2010 Annual Report. Information about changes in capital for earlier years is provided in the Annual Reports for the respective years.

Shares

All shares issued by Swiss Re Ltd are fully paid-in registered shares, each with a par value of CHF 0.10. Each share carries one vote. There are no categories of shares with a higher or limited voting power, privileged dividend entitlement or any other preferential rights, nor are there any other securities representing a part of the company’s share capital. The company cannot exercise the voting rights of treasury shares. As of 31 December 2012, shareholders had registered 199 866 789 shares for the purpose of exercising their voting rights, out of a total of 370 706 931 shares issued. As of 31 December 2012, 343 169 258 shares were entitled to dividend payment.

Profit-sharing and participation certificates

Swiss Re Ltd has not issued any profit-sharing and participation certificates.

Limitations on transferability and nominee registrations

Free transferability

The company maintains a share register for the registered shares, in which owners and usufructuaries are entered.

The company may issue its registered shares in the form of single certificates, global certificates and intermediated securities. The company may convert its registered shares from one form into another at any time and without the approval of the shareholders. The shareholders have no right to demand a conversion into a certain form of registered shares. Each shareholder may, however, at any time request a written confirmation from the company of the registered shares held by such shareholder, as reflected in the company’s share register.

The registered shares are administered as intermediated securities. The transfer of intermediated securities and furnishing of collateral in intermediated securities must conform to the Intermediary-Held Securities Act. The transfer and furnishing of collateral by assignment is excluded.

Persons acquiring registered shares will, upon application, be entered in the share register without limitation as shareholders with voting power if evidence of the acquisition of the shares is provided and if they expressly declare that they have acquired the shares in their own name and for their own account and, where applicable, that they are compliant with the disclosure requirement stipulated by the Federal Act on Stock Exchanges and Securities Trading (SESTA). The Board of Directors is allowed to remove the entry of a shareholder with voting rights from the share register retroactively from the date of entry if the entry was obtained under false pretences or if the owner, whether acting alone or as part of a group, has breached notification rules.

Admissibility of nominee registrations

Persons not expressly declaring in their application for entry in the share register that they are holding shares for their own account (nominees) are entered without further inquiry in the share register of Swiss Re Ltd as shareholders with voting rights of up to a maximum of 2% of the outstanding share capital available at the time. Additional shares held by such nominees that exceed the limit of 2% of the outstanding share capital are entered in the share register with voting rights only if such nominees disclose the names, addresses and shareholdings of any persons for whose account the nominee is holding 0.5% or more of the outstanding share capital. In addition, such nominees must comply with the disclosure requirements of the SESTA.

Convertible bonds and options

Convertible bonds

As of 31 December 2012, neither Swiss Re Ltd nor any of its subsidiaries has any bonds convertible into equity securities of Swiss Re Ltd solely at the option of bondholders outstanding. During 2012, Swiss Reinsurance Company Ltd issued CHF 320 000 000 of 7.25% perpetual subordinated notes and USD 750 000 000 of 8.25% perpetual subordinated capital instruments both with stock settlement (collectively the “subordinated securities”), which provide Swiss Reinsurance Company Ltd with options to initiate settlement of the subordinated securities by delivery of shares of Swiss Re Ltd.

Options

Stock options granted to Swiss Re employees will be settled with treasury shares. The number of issued shares will not be affected.

For details on stock options granted to Swiss Re employees, see Note 14 to the Group financial statements.