Capital structure

Capital

As a result of the cancellation of shares repurchased under the share buy-back programme which ended on 2 March 2016, the fully paid-in share capital of Swiss Re Ltd as of 31 December 2016 amounted to CHF 36 007 256.10. It is divided into 360 072 561 registered shares, each with a par value of CHF 0.10.

The table on below of this Financial Report provides an overview of the issued, conditional and authorised capital of Swiss Re Ltd as of 31 December 2016 and 31 December 2015, respectively.

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

Conditional and authorised capital in particular

Conditional capital

As of 31 December 2016, the conditional capital of Swiss Re Ltd consisted of the following:

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 a 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 20 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 2016, the authorised capital of Swiss Re Ltd was 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 21 April 2017 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 abovementioned authorised capital

The total of registered 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 74 000 000 registered shares up to 21 April 2017.

Changes in capital

Changes in 2016

The Annual General Meeting 2016 approved the reduction of the ordinary share capital by CHF 1 063 437.00 from CHF 37 070 693.10 to CHF 36 007 256.10 via the cancellation of 10 634 370 shares with a nominal value of CHF 0.10 repurchased by Swiss Re Ltd on a second trading line on the SIX Swiss Exchange, via UBS AG as agent. The 10 634 370 shares were repurchased under the share buy-back programme lasting from 12 November 2015 until 2 March 2016. The purchase value of the repurchased own shares corresponded to CHF 999 999 867.20.

The reduction of the ordinary share capital could only take place after the required three notices to creditors had been published in the Swiss Gazette of Commerce (Schweizerisches Handelsamtsblatt) as stipulated in Art. 733 of the Swiss Code of Obligations. The reduction of the ordinary share capital approved by the Annual General Meeting on 22 April 2016 was published in the Swiss Gazette of Commerce on 14 July 2016.

On 22 April 2016 the Annual General Meeting has authorised the Board of Directors to repurchase up to a maximum of CHF 1 billion purchase value of Swiss Re Ltd’s own shares prior to the Annual General Meeting 2017 by way of a buy-back programme (the “Programme”) for cancellation purposes. The Programme was launched on 4 November 2016 and completed on 9 February 2017. The purchase value of the repurchased own shares corresponded to CHF 999 999 942.06.

For further details on the past share buy-back programmes, please visit: www.swissre.com/investors/shares/share_buyback/

Changes in 2015

The Annual General Meeting 2015 approved that the authority to issue registered shares from authorised capital as set forth in the Articles of Association be extended to 21 April 2017 and that the limitation included in the Articles of Association to issue registered shares from authorised capital where the existing shareholders’ subscription rights are excluded, be extended to 21 April 2017.

The Annual General Meeting 2015 also approved that the limitation included in the provisions of the Articles of Association to issue shares from conditional capital, where the existing shareholders’ advance subscription rights on the Equity-Linked Financing Instruments are excluded, be extended to 21 April 2017.

Changes in 2014 and previous years

No changes in share capital occurred during 2014.

Information about changes in share capital of Swiss Re Ltd as well as of our former parent company Swiss Reinsurance Company Ltd for earlier years is provided in the Annual Reports of these companies 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 2016, shareholders had registered 193 711 538 shares for the purpose of exercising their voting rights, out of a total of 360 072 561 shares issued. As of 31 December 2016, 325 978 727 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 specific 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 Financial Markets Infrastructure Act (“FMIA”) of 19 June 2015. 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 FMIA.

Convertible bonds and options

Convertible bonds

As of 31 December 2016, neither Swiss Re Ltd nor any of its subsidiaries has any bonds outstanding that are convertible into equity securities of Swiss Re Ltd solely at the option of bondholders. The same applied as of 31 December 2015 and 31 December 2014.

In 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

Valid exercise of stock options granted to Swiss Re employees are either cash or physically 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 15 to the Group financial statements.