• Shareholders of Baloise and Helvetia vote in favour of merger of equals to form Helvetia Baloise Holding Ltd 
• All proposals of both Boards of Directors have been approved, reflecting strong support for the transaction
• Thomas von Planta elected future Chairman of the Board of Directors of Helvetia Baloise Holding Ltd together with further announced members, subject to closing of the merger
• Upon closing of the merger, Helvetia Baloise will become the second-largest insurance group in Switzerland and a leading European insurer

Based on a compelling strategic rationale, the shareholders of Baloise Holding Ltd (“Baloise”) and Helvetia Holding Ltd (“Helvetia”) approved the merger of equals to form “Helvetia Baloise Holding Ltd” (“Helvetia Baloise” or the “Group”) at their respective and separate Extraordinary General Meetings today. Thomas von Planta has been elected as future Chairman of the Board of Directors of Helvetia Baloise Holding Ltd together with all proposed further new members. The registered office and headquarters of the Group will be in Basel, while St. Gallen remains an important location. These decisions were made conditional on the closing of the transaction. The transaction is expected to close in Q4 2025, subject to customary regulatory and antitrust approvals.

Thomas von Planta, future Chairman of the Board of Directors of the merged company and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Baloise, says: “We appreciate the trust and confidence our shareholders have placed in us today. Building on this solid foundation, we are committed to  shaping the future of the Swiss insurance industry. Together we will secure and further expand our attractiveness and competitiveness in both the domestic and European insurance markets, thereby creating sustainable, long-term value for all our stakeholders.”

Thomas Schmuckli, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Helvetia, says: “We are pleased that shareholders acknowledge the tremendous potential this merger unlocks. It is now up to us to take account of this trust and successfully realise the goals of the merger. Thanks to its broad range of expertise, our highly motivated management team, led by Group CEO Fabian Rupprecht, will be ideally placed to take the new company forward and achieve the ambitious goals of the merger. ”

Helvetia Baloise will become the second-largest insurance group in Switzerland and one of the top 10 listed European insurers with a business volume of CHF 20 billion across eight countries and a global Specialty business. The similar scale, complementary markets, and high synergy potential of the two companies will provide a solid base for sustainable value creation. Strong cultural alignment, rooted in both companies' 160-year histories in Switzerland, supports a smooth integration process. 

The detailed voting results of both Extraordinary General Meetings can be found on the respective websites under www.baloise.com/egm and www.helvetia.com/merger-documents. 

All information and resources with regards to the merger are available on the respective websites under www.baloise.com/merger and www.helvetia.com/merger-documents.