History
Over 150 years’ experience constitutes the foundation for our leading position in the life insurance market: our product knowledge and risk expertise, the quality of our advice and services and our well-established high-performance sales networks.
Founding
The founder Conrad Widmer
The driving force behind the company’s foundation was the lawyer Conrad Widmer (1818-1903), who was born in Altnau in the Canton of Thurgau and worked in Frauenfeld. He headed the company as first director for approximately 35 years, until 1892.
Articles of Association
In accordance with the initial Articles of Association, the purpose of the "Schweizerische Rentenanstalt" was to offer:
- life annuities
- life insurance
Originally, the company was similar in form to a foundation and later became a mutual insurance company.
Difficult start
The company’s first decades in operation were overshadowed by the Austrian-Prussian and Franco-Prussian wars and the strained economic situation. The demand for insurance products dwindled, while the number of life insurance companies in Switzerland increased. These economic developments hampered operations for the "Schweizerische Rentenanstalt".
Historic Dates
| 2010 | Swiss Life enters the Austrian market |
| 2008 | AWD Group is part of Swiss Life Group |
| Branch office set up in Singapore | |
| Sales location set up in Dubai | |
| Subsidiaries in Belgium and the Netherlands sold | |
| 2007 | CapitalLeben in Liechtenstein acquired |
| Sale of ERISA and ERISA IARD in France | |
| 2006 | Italian subsidiary sold |
| 2005 | Integration life operations of «La Suisse» into Swiss Life |
| Subsidiary set up in Liechtenstein | |
| 2004 | Swiss Life UK life business sold |
| Simplified brand structure and new corporate identity for Swiss Life | |
| 2003 | Spanish subsidiary sold |
| Schweizerische Treuhandgesellschaft STG sold | |
| 2002 | Swiss Life Holding set up |
| Exchange of Swiss Life/Rentenanstalt shares | |
| 2001 | Properties belonging to Oscar Weber Holding AG acquired |
| 2000 | Schweizerische Treuhandgesellschaft STG acquired |
| 1999 | Lloyd Continental (France) acquired |
| UTO Albis acquired | |
| Banca del Gottardo acquired | |
| UBS's 49% stake in Livit Ltd acquired | |
| 1998 | Swiss/Life Rentenanstalt shares in Swiss Market Index |
| 1997 | Transformation into public limited company |
| 1988 | Lausanne-based «La Suisse» acquired |
| 1987 | Subsidiary set up in Italy |
| 1985 | Subsidiary set up in Luxembourg |
| 1975 | Subsidiary set up in Spain |
| 1967 | Subsidiary set up in Great Britain |
| 1962 | Initial launch of Swiss Life Network |
| 1955 | Branch established in Belgium |
| 1901 | Branch established in the Netherlands |
| 1898 | Branch established in France |
| 1866 | Branch established in Germany |
| 1857 | Schweizerische Rentenanstalt established in Zurich |
