Baloise and Helvetia to join forces to create leading European insurer

Baloise Holding AG and Helvetia Holding AG, two leading Swiss composite insurance groups, announced that they will join forces. With a business volume of around CHF 20 billion across eight countries and a global specialty business, the combined group will become the second largest Swiss insurance group and a leading European insurer.

The transaction is structured as a statutory merger under the Swiss Merger Act; Baloise will be merged with and into Helvetia. The combined group will operate under the new name “Helvetia Baloise Holding AG” and will be listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including shareholder and regulatory approvals. The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2025.

Lenz & Staehelin is advising Baloise as lead counsel. The team is led by Tino Gaberthüel and Simone Ehrsam (both M&A) and includes Nicolas Lehmann, Lukas Held and Andrin Scherrer (all M&A), Patrick Schleiffer, Patrick Schärli and Angela Graf (all Capital Markets, Regulatory), Marcel Meinhardt, Sinem Süslü, Jannick Koller and Tim Voser (all Antitrust), Lukas Aebi and Stephan Brandner (both Tax) as well as Jürg Simon (IP).