Swiss Life’s success is based on a strong purpose, a clear strategy, the disciplined execution of Group-wide programmes and a charismatic brand. With the consistent and successful implementation of its multi-year Group-wide programmes, Swiss Life ensures that the long-term value propositions made to its customers are guaranteed and that it creates sustainable value for its shareholders and stakeholder groups.

Swiss Life addresses a fundamental human need

With its commitment, advisory services and comprehensive life, pensions and investment solutions, Swiss Life enables people to lead a financially self-determined life. In doing so, the company builds financial confidence and addresses the fundamental human need for self-determination and independence.

Results of market research carried out by Swiss Life confirm this, showing that being able to lead a self-determined life and decide freely leads to greater satisfaction and confidence. The results also show that most people are aware that when it comes to pension provision, they are largely responsible for their own financial security.

Demographics make pension provision a growth market

The impact of an increasingly ageing population coupled with high levels of debt in many pension systems is underestimated. Consequently, pension and insurance shortfalls are on the rise worldwide. As a result, people have to take more responsibility for their own pension-related provisions.

Pension solutions and advice are therefore a growth market. People depend on support to address pension gaps and risks in a self-determined manner. In this environment, Swiss Life’s work, advice and products will continue to grow in importance. Swiss Life therefore sees growth opportunities and differentiation potential in the market for pension solutions and advice.

Unique market position

Swiss Life has a strong foothold as a provider of pension solutions and financial services in attractive European markets. The expertise of over 17 000 advisors distinguishes the company from its competitors. In recent years, Swiss Life has emphatically demonstrated that it can achieve resilient returns and improve results despite a challenging backdrop and has adapted its product portfolio to the market environment. In addition, Swiss Life Asset Managers provides Swiss Life with a fast-growing asset management business for institutional investors with particular strengths in the area of real assets. The result is a business model with multiple profit sources.

Swiss Life’s business model is oriented to long-term and profitable growth. Its focus is on earnings growth and earnings quality as well as efficiency and financial strength. With the consistent implementation of its multi-year strategy programmes, Swiss Life ensures that the long-term value propositions made to its customers are fulfilled and that it creates sustainable value for its shareholders and other stakeholder groups.

Swiss Life offers its customers a wide range of solutions for their financial security and future provisions. Swiss Life’s advisory and product strategy and value chain are presented in the “Sustainability in Insurance and Advisory” section. In view of its varied positioning in the relevant markets, Swiss Life adopts a multi-divisional approach. In its segment reporting, the company also provides insights into business performance and describes the strategic focus areas of the individual divisions.

Financial targets under “Swiss Life 2024” largely exceeded

Swiss Life has successfully completed its most recent Group-wide programmes “Milestone” (financial targets for 2009–2012), “Swiss Life 2015” (2013–2015), “Swiss Life 2018” (2016–2018), “Swiss Life 2021” (2019–2021) and “Swiss Life 2024” (2022–2024). The financial targets of the Group-wide programme concluded in 2024 were not only met but largely exceeded. The fee result was in the middle of the defined target range of CHF 850–900 million. At 16.6%, the return on equity in 2024 was clearly above the target range of 10–12%, and the dividend payout ratio of 81% also significantly exceeded the target (over 60%). The cumulative cash remittance to the holding company in the three-year programme amounted to CHF 3.5 billion and was thus well above the target range of CHF 2.8–3 billion. At CHF 1.3 billion, the share buyback also clearly exceeded the CHF 1 billion figure communicated at the start of the programme.

Swiss Life regularly reports in detail on the current status of its strategic implementation, including during its annual and half-year reporting. The documents are available on the website under “Investors and Shareholders”.

“Swiss Life 2027”: new financial targets for the period until 2027

In December 2024, Swiss Life revealed its Group-wide programme, “Swiss Life 2027”. With it, Swiss Life is systematically continuing on its successful path of recent years and focusing on three strategic actions: expanding and deepening customer relationships, strengthening its advisory power and operational efficiency.

Under “Swiss Life 2027”, the company wants to target existing and new customer segments and thus expand its customer base. It also aims to deepen customer relationships by broadening its range of products and services. In addition, Swiss Life wants to further strengthen its advisory services, which are a key element of its offering, by expanding its advisory network and increasing investment in platforms to provide even better support for advisors. Furthermore, the company would like to improve operational efficiency by utilising technological innovation and automation. Swiss Life will also set itself sustainability goals for 2027. It will focus on those areas in which the company can exert a direct influence and achieve an impact. The sustainability strategy is presented in detail in the sustainability report.

Increase in the fee result and return on equity

With its “Swiss Life 2027” Group-wide programme, Swiss Life is raising its financial ambitions further. The focus will be on improving earnings quality and earnings growth, with all divisions expected to make a significant contribution. Swiss Life wants to increase its fee result to over CHF 1 billion in 2027 (“Swiss Life 2024”: CHF 850–900 million) and to achieve an adjusted return on equity of 17–19% (“Swiss Life 2024”: 10–12%).

In addition, Swiss Life aims to achieve a cumulative cash remittance to the holding company of CHF 3.6–3.8 billion from 2025 to 2027 (“Swiss Life 2024”: CHF 2.8–3.0 billion) and a dividend payout ratio of over 75% from 2025 (“Swiss Life 2024”: over 60%). Its ambition is also to increase the dividend per share. In addition, a share buyback programme in the amount of CHF 750 million was launched in December 2024 and will run until the end of May 2026.

A charismatic brand

Building on the corporate strategy and positioning as a provider of comprehensive life and pensions and financial solutions, the Swiss Life umbrella brand, complemented by its sub-brands Swiss Life Asset Managers, Swiss Life Banque Privée, Swiss Life Global Solutions, Swiss Life Select and Swiss Life Wealth Managers, provides orientation and instils trust. In all our brand endeavours, we remain guided by our purpose of enabling people to lead a financially self-determined life. The success of the Swiss Life brand is driven by consistency in brand strategy and management.

The brands are allocated to various levels in a clear brand hierarchy. The strategic management of the entire brand portfolio is an integral part of Group Communications. The brand hierarchy is reviewed continuously, and adjustments are made as needed. While the umbrella and sub-brands are managed centrally, brand management at levels 3 (“Endorsement”) and 4 (“Individual brands”) is performed directly in the relevant divisions.

Corporate identity and design

A clear corporate identity (CI) defines how Swiss Life wishes to present itself to the public. This includes a brand personality that reflects Swiss Life’s purpose and value system. In 2024, on the basis of employee surveys and representative studies, Swiss Life made its purpose more precise in order to accentuate its contribution to the lives of its customers and even more clearly highlight where its core competencies lie. The refined purpose is supported by the three values of individuality, confidence and reliability, which place customers at the heart of activities: “we enable people to lead a financially self-determined life.” An internal campaign involving Swiss Life’s award-winning “turning” sentences, which captured imaginations in Switzerland and Germany about ten years ago, made a significant contribution to anchoring and activating the refined purpose. It involved a competition in which employees from all divisions submitted over 1000 turning sentences that creatively described their contribution to the financial self-determination of Swiss Life’s customers.

The corporate identity also includes a universal language style and a compulsory corporate design (CD), with a logo, colour palette, fonts, icons and image catalogue, all of which ensure a uniform brand presence.

The corporate design is derived from the brand personality and, in addition to ensuring recognisability and orientation, also contributes to a uniform brand experience. The aim is for stakeholder groups to gain a consistent, high-quality impression of Swiss Life at all contact points.

The binding CI/CD guidelines are available on our online platform and are widely accessible both internally and externally. The brand portal was comprehensively overhauled in 2024 and now features a fresher, modern and clear design, an improved layout and more intuitive navigation. Usage examples for all areas of application plus information on trademark protection have also been added.

Brand identity

Swiss Life’s brand identity supports the strategic priorities of the individual divisions. In the home market of Switzerland, Swiss Life focuses on sports and cultural sponsorship in addition to classical advertising. Swiss Life has been the main sponsor of ZSC Lions ice hockey club for some years and, since 2019, has also lent its name to the “Swiss Life Arena” ice hockey stadium in Zurich, where the ZSC Lions have played their home games since October 2022. Since 2024, Swiss Life has also been an official sponsor of Swiss Ice Hockey, the umbrella organisation of the sport. In the cultural arena, film is the cornerstone of its commitment: Swiss Life sponsors events such as the Locarno Film Festival.

Together with the distribution companies Swiss Life Select and Proventus, Swiss Life Germany helps sport at grassroots level by supporting local amateur clubs. The company also regularly sponsors sporting events.

Since 2021, the focus has shifted towards classic digital and analogue advertising campaigns. In Switzerland, Swiss Life continues to focus on the emotionalisation of its purpose. The “Home & living” campaign launched in 2021 was also continued in 2024. This campaign positions Swiss Life as a comprehensive advisor for people wishing to live a financially self-determined life in their own home, including providing all the relevant information from home financing to purchase. In the divisions France, Germany, International and Asset Managers, the campaigns also focused on the emotionalisation of Swiss Life’s purpose.

Worldwide brand protection and assessment

To protect its brand, Swiss Life has put processes and tools in place to prevent third parties from using its intellectual property – the Swiss Life brand – without its approval anywhere in the world at any time. A Cyber Threat Intelligence (CTI) service systematically monitors and detects potential cyber threats to the Swiss Life brand and its digital assets. Furthermore, the domains are managed via a uniform registration service, while social media, review and rating websites are continually monitored. Swiss Life’s trademarks are enforced and monitored for potential infringements from newly registered trademarks or those registered by third parties.

Independent institutes continuously measure people’s awareness and perception of the Swiss Life brand locally. Swiss Life also regularly assesses the anchoring of its purpose among the general public and other strategic segments, among customers following interaction with Swiss Life and internally among its employees. The findings are used to develop and adjust marketing and communication measures on an ongoing basis. This is supplemented by regular internal studies of brand value, which demonstrate the development of the brand’s value.