Zurich, 26 March 2020 – The Julius Baer Group pledges a donation of CHF 5 million for emergency aid programmes to meet the immediate and most urgent needs of people and communities affected by the coronavirus crisis right now. Contributions will be made to fund programmes of frontline responders, designed to directly benefit the pandemic response in various communities and the most vulnerable population, thereby easing the impact of social isolation and the strain on healthcare workers.

The Group’s donation will be given to two renowned Swiss charities – the Swiss Red Cross and Pro Senectute – and to other organisations abroad, in the communities where Julius Baer operates. These allocations are designed in the same spirit of immediate, practical relief as the donation of 100,000 medical masks to China. The aim is to complement official responses to the crisis by national and international authorities and help bridge the gap in ensuring the resilience of local communities until longer-term measures have become effective.

A number of Julius Baer’s staff are helping their own communities, with volunteering engagements and a fundraising initiative that is being put in place by the grass root employee organisation ‘JB Cares’ to benefit local establishments. The Group’s non-profit grant foundation, the Julius Baer Foundation, will match staff contributions as far as possible. Julius Baer is further committed to supporting employee volunteer work.

Philipp Rickenbacher, CEO of Julius Baer: “We realise that this is only one contribution of many, and that the requirements of various communities will change over time. The responses announced by governments and international authorities are highly encouraging. In light of this unprecedented crisis, however, it is important for us to contribute near-term, in order to support first-line relief efforts for those who are most in need right now.”