Credit Suisse www.credit-suisse.com .
Cautionary statement regarding forward-looking information
This document contains statements that constitute forward-looking statements. In addition, in the future we, and others on our behalf, may make statements that constitute forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements may include, without limitation, statements relating to the following:
our plans, targets or goals;
our future economic performance or prospects;
the potential effect on our future performance of certain contingencies; and
assumptions underlying any such statements.
Words such as "believes," "anticipates," "expects," "intends" and "plans" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements but are not the exclusive means of identifying such statements. We do not intend to update these forward-looking statements.
By their very nature, forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties, both general and specific, and risks exist that predictions, forecasts, projections and other outcomes described or implied in forward-looking statements will not be achieved. We caution you that a number of important factors could cause results to differ materially from the plans, targets, goals, expectations, estimates and intentions expressed in such forward-looking statements and that the COVID-19 pandemic creates significantly greater uncertainty about forward-looking statements in addition to the factors that generally affect our business. These factors include:
the ability to maintain sufficient liquidity and access capital markets;
market volatility and interest rate fluctuations and developments affecting interest rate levels, including the persistence of a low or negative interest rate environment;
the strength of the global economy in general and the strength of the economies of the countries in which we conduct our operations, in particular the risk of negative impacts of COVID-19 on the global economy and financial markets and the risk of continued slow economic recovery or downturn in the EU, the US or other developed countries or in emerging markets in 2021 and beyond;
the emergence of widespread health emergencies, infectious diseases or pandemics, such as COVID-19, and the actions that may be taken by governmental authorities to contain the outbreak or to counter its impact;
potential risks and uncertainties relating to the severity of impacts from COVID-19 and the duration of the pandemic, including potential material adverse effects on our business, financial condition and results of operations;
the direct and indirect impacts of deterioration or slow recovery in residential and commercial real estate markets;
adverse rating actions by credit rating agencies in respect of us, sovereign issuers, structured credit products or other credit-related exposures;
the ability to achieve our strategic goals, including those related to our targets, ambitions and financial goals;
the ability of counterparties to meet their obligations to us and the adequacy of our allowance for credit losses;
the effects of, and changes in, fiscal, monetary, exchange rate, trade and tax policies;
the effects of currency fluctuations, including the related impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations due to moves in foreign exchange rates;
political, social and environmental developments, including war, civil unrest or terrorist activity and climate change;
the ability to appropriately address social, environmental and sustainability concerns that may arise from our business activities;
the effects of, and the uncertainty arising from, the UK's withdrawal from the EU;
the possibility of foreign exchange controls, expropriation, nationalization or confiscation of assets in countries in which we conduct our operations;
operational factors such as systems failure, human error, or the failure to implement procedures properly;
the risk of cyber attacks, information or security breaches or technology failures on our reputation, business or operations, the risk of which is increased while large portions of our employees work remotely;
the adverse resolution of litigation, regulatory proceedings and other contingencies;
actions taken by regulators with respect to our business and practices and possible resulting changes to our business organization, practices and policies in countries in which we conduct our operations;
the effects of changes in laws, regulations or accounting or tax standards, policies or practices in countries in which we conduct our operations;
the expected discontinuation of LIBOR and other interbank offered rates and the transition to alternative reference rates;
the potential effects of changes in our legal entity structure;
competition or changes in our competitive position in geographic and business areas in which we conduct our operations;
the ability to retain and recruit qualified personnel;
the ability to maintain our reputation and promote our brand;
the ability to increase market share and control expenses;
technological changes instituted by us, our counterparties or competitors;
the timely development and acceptance of our new products and services and the perceived overall value of these products and services by users;
acquisitions, including the ability to integrate acquired businesses successfully, and divestitures, including the ability to sell non-core assets; and
other unforeseen or unexpected events and our success at managing these and the risks involved in the foregoing.
We caution you that the foregoing list of important factors is not exclusive. When evaluating forward-looking statements, you should carefully consider the foregoing factors and other uncertainties and events, including the information set forth in "Risk factors" in I – Information on the company in our Annual Report 2020.
