Swiss Financial System
SNB Minimum Reserve Requirement
SNB Minimum Reserve Requirement sits inside the operating framework through which the Swiss National Bank steers short-term Swiss-franc liquidity and money-market rates.
Definition
SNB Minimum Reserve Requirement sits inside the operating framework through which the Swiss National Bank steers short-term Swiss-franc liquidity and money-market rates.
Operating mechanism
Banks must hold eligible Swiss-franc reserve assets against a defined set of short-term liabilities. The requirement creates structural demand for base money and interacts with the amount of sight deposits available in the system.
Why markets care
The instrument affects the path from the policy rate to SARON, repo pricing, bank liquidity and ultimately broader CHF funding conditions. Its importance therefore depends on both price and quantity.
What to monitor
Follow SNB operational announcements, sight-deposit data, SARON, repo conditions and changes to remuneration, collateral or counterparty rules. The framework can change without a change in the headline policy rate.