Helvetia waives rents for small businesses and self-employed persons

Small businesses and self-employed persons are particularly affected by the measures against the spread of coronavirus. In order to help them, Helvetia is consequently granting rent-free periods and rent reductions in addition to rent deferrals on an individual basis.

08.04.2020 | Media releases

Helvetia has been receiving numerous requests for support from business tenants for several days now. Small businesses and self-employed persons are especially at particular risk due to the corona pandemic. Helvetia has therefore decided to provide additional financial support to tenants who have been particularly hard hit during this phase. The focus here is on those businesses that have had to close down due to official orders. "The loss of sales and earnings is of vital importance for the existence of small and very small businesses. A deferral of the rent is often not sufficient to enable them to continue their business after the measures have been eased. To help give them prospects for the future, we are going to waive part of the rent and can thus help quickly and pragmatically", explains André Keller, CIO of Helvetia Group.

Aid tailored to the financial situation of the enterprise
Helvetia will therefore grant rent-free periods and rent reductions in addition to rent deferrals on an individual basis. Agreements will be sector-specific and tailored to the financial situation of the individual company without recognising any legal obligation.

Further support in times of the corona crisis
In addition to rent reductions, Helvetia is offering help with simple and pragmatic solutions in the crisis. As a result, the insurance company is providing support in the event of liquidity problems and is stopping reminder and overdue notice processes for premium payments until 30 June 2020. It is also processinging claims payments immediately. Helvetia advisors are supporting SMEs with applications for state aid and are clarifying legal issues together with its partner Coop Rechtsschutz.

Contact information

Analysts
Susanne Tengler
Head of Investor Relations

Phone: +41 58 280 57 79
investor.relations@helvetia.ch

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About Helvetia

In over 160 years, the Helvetia Group has grown from a number of Swiss and foreign insurance companies into a successful international insurance group. Today, Helvetia has subsidiaries in its home market Switzerland as well as in the countries that make up the Europe market area: Germany, Italy, Austria and Spain. With its Specialty Markets market area, Helvetia is also present in France and in selected regions worldwide. Some of its investment and financing activities are managed through subsidiaries and fund companies in Luxembourg. The Group is headquartered in St.Gallen, Switzerland.

Helvetia is active in the life and non-life business, and also offers customised specialty lines and reinsurance cover. Its business activities focus on retail customers as well as small and medium-sized companies and larger corporates. With some 6,800 employees, the company provides services to more than 5 million customers. With a business volume of CHF 9.45 billion, Helvetia generated an IFRS result after tax of CHF 538.1 million in financial year 2019. The registered shares of Helvetia Holding are traded on the SIX Swiss Exchange under the symbol HELN.

Cautionary note

This document was prepared by Helvetia Group and may not be copied, altered, offered, sold or otherwise distributed to any other person by any recipient without the consent of Helvetia Group. The German version of this document is decisive and binding. Versions of the document in other languages are made available purely for information purposes. Although all reasonable effort has been made to ensure that the facts stated herein are correct and the opinions contained herein are fair and reasonable, where any information and statistics are quoted from any external source such information or statistics should not be interpreted as having been adopted or endorsed as accurate by Helvetia Group. Neither Helvetia Group nor any of its directors, officers, employees and advisors nor any other person shall have any liability whatsoever for loss howsoever arising, directly or indirectly, from any use of this information. The facts and information contained in this document are as up to date as is reasonably possible but may be subject to revision in the future. Neither Helvetia Group nor any of its directors, officers, employees or advisors nor any other person makes any representation or warranty, express or implied, as to the accuracy or completeness of the information contained in this document.

This document may contain projections or other forward-looking statements related to Helvetia Group which by their very nature involve inherent risks and uncertainties, both general and specific, and there is a risk 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, objectives, expectations, estimates and intentions expressed in such forward-looking statements. These factors include: (1) changes in general economic conditions, in particular in the markets in which we operate; (2) the performance of financial markets; (3) changes in interest rates; (4) changes in currency exchange rates; (5) changes in laws and regulations, including accounting policies or practices; (6) risks associated with implementing our business strategies; (7) the frequency, magnitude and general development of insured events; (8) mortality and morbidity rates; (9) policy renewal and lapse rates as well as (10), the realisation of economies of scale as well as synergies. We caution you that the foregoing list of important factors is not exhaustive; when evaluating forward-looking statements, you should carefully consider the foregoing factors and other uncertainties. All forward-looking statements are based on information available to Helvetia Group on the date of its publication and Helvetia Group assumes no obligation to update such statements unless otherwise required by applicable law.