1958 - 1967

S.G. Warburg engineers the City of London's first ever hostile corporate takeover.

Union Bank opens the first drive-in bank counter in Switzerland.

SBC opens a representative office in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Switzerland joins the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT).

Ole Kirk Christiansen founds Lego Group.

Willy Higinbotham invents the world's first video game, "Tennis for Two".

SBC opens a representative office in São Paulo, Brazil.

In Chicago, Edmund J. and William F. O'Connor co-found O'Connor & Company, L.L.C.

The European Court for Human Rights is established in Strasbourg.

U.S. toy maker Mattel launches the iconic Barbie doll.

SBC opens a representative office in Lima, Peru.

Paine, Webber, Jackson & Curtis develops the so-called "Green Shoe Option", a provision which gives the underwriter the right to sell more shares than initially planned by the issuer.

Swiss engineer Max Hetzel develops the first electronic watch for watchmakers Bulova. The era of the Asian watch industry in Japan and Hong Kong begins.

The treaty of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) enters into force. Switzerland is a founding member.

The combined oral contraceptive pill becomes commercially available.

The Beatles are formed in Liverpool marking the start of a musical revolution.

Muhammad Ali ("The Greatest") launches his unique boxing career with a gold medal at the Olympic Games.

Foundation of OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries).

Mortgage investments administered by Union Bank and its three mortgage institutions reach about CHF 550 million.

Union Bank introduces a colourful new corporate logo.

Construction of the Berlin Wall.

Soviet cosmonaut Juri Gagarin becomes the first human being to enter space.

The World Wildlife Foundation (WWF) is established, based in Switzerland.

Union Bank celebrates its 100th anniversary and establishes its Jubilee Foundation to drive cultural initiatives.

The uninterrupted workday, also known as 'English working hours', is established at Union Bank.

By the end of the year, Union Bank has become the largest bank in Switzerland, for the first time ever. Its assets are valued at 6.96 billion CHF.

SBC become the second largest bank, with assets totalling 6.88 billion CHF, followed by Credit Suisse with assets worth 6.80 billion CHF.

Cuba missile crisis brings the world to the brink of nuclear war.

'Dr. No', the first James Bond movie, reaches cinemas.

S.G. Warburg plays a pioneering role in the launch of the Eurobond market with the issue of the first long-term international bond issue (for Italy's Autostrade), denominated in US dollars, to be sold entirely out of Europe and not the U.S. 

Paine, Webber, Jackson & Curtis moves the firm's headquarters from Boston to New York. By 1965, the firm boasts 45 offices with over 700 investment brokers.

U.S. President John F. Kennedy is assassinated in Dallas, Texas.

Union Bank is among the few companies to advertise on Swiss television's first commercial break.

The shooting of a scene of the James Bond sequel «Goldfinger» takes place in a Union Bank safe room in Geneva. The bank was always looking for innovative placement of its brand and developed a unique sponsoring policy with a focus on sports.

SBC opens a representative office in Hong Kong. A year later it opens an advisory office in Tokyo.

Andy Warhol becomes the leading figure in the visual arts movement known as pop art.

UBS becomes one of the first television advertisers in Switzerland when its commercial appears on screens on the evening of February 1, 1965.

Union Bank establishes its own Bank and Management School and, subsequently (in 1975), turns the Wolfsberg estate on the shores of Lake Constance into the bank's management training center.

SBC establishes an agency in San Francisco, the first European bank to do so.

By the end of the year, SBC's assets exceed 10 billion CHF for the first time, while Union Bank's assets are worth some 9.6 billion CHF. 

The U.S. enters into the War in Vietnam.

Union Bank opens a representative office in Johannesburg. 

SBC and Union Bank both establish representative offices in Tokyo.

In China, Mao Zedong consolidates his power through the "cultural revolution" that ends in 1969.

Geoff Hurst scores his "Wembley Goal" during the 1966 FIFA World Cup final.

SBC launches its first TV advert. 

Interhandel (formerly the I.G. Chemie holding company founded 1928 in Basel) is merged into Union Bank. In terms of capital, Union Bank becomes the largest bank in Switzerland and one of the strongest banks in Europe.

Union Bank opens its London Branch, its first operational unit outside of Switzerland.

In November, as the first bank on the European continent Union Bank installs a "Geldautomat" (automated cash dispenser), at the bank's Zurich head office.

Union Bank and SBC introduce the "open-plan" office.

The European Community (EC) is established by merging the three European Organizations; European Coal and Steel Community, Euratom and EEC.

The Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) is established by Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia to promote regional economic cooperation.

The first personal electronic calculator is produced by Texas Instruments.