Founded in 1856 by the Swiss business pioneer and politician Alfred Escher, Credit Suisse celebrating its
150th anniversary in 2006, while also bringing together the previously autonomous business units into one
bank and launching a new brand. A wide range of anniversary activities are scheduled throughout 2006 and
will underpin Credit Suisse's key values and also the theme of the anniversary year: tradition and innovation.
A highlight will be the world premiere of "The Gates Central Park, New York City, 1979-2005 – A Documentation
Exhibition" by the artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude.
On July 5, 1856, Credit Suisse – or Schweizerische Kreditanstalt (SKA) as it was then called - was granted a
license to operate as an industrial and commercial bank. This development transformed Zurich into Switzerland's
most important banking center and a magnet for business. The newly founded SKA was to play a major role in
financing the expansion of the rail network, particularly the Gotthard line, and the industrialization of
Switzerland – notably electricity production. The driving force behind the new bank was the business pioneer
and politician, Alfred Escher.
Tradition and innovation – the values that dominate the bank's history – are not only the key elements in the
new positioning of the Credit Suisse brand, they are also a recurrent theme of the anniversary year 2006.
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