Dear shareholders, welcome to the annual general meeting. We will be ready in a second, but before we start, our Swisscom trainer Marcel Curien will give you a brief overview of our wide range of consulting and support services, so that you too are ready for the networked world in your everyday life. Have fun and clear the stage. Well, I asked AI they should create an image of me with the Titanic in the port of Southampton, and that is the result. My name is Marcel, I work in the sustainability report, and I'm glad to welcome you here to the annual general meeting of Swisscom. So we have two very exciting topics for you: AI, artificial intelligence, and security on the internet. So we live in a time where technology, for example, like ChatGPT, is not only fascinating but also becomes more and more important.
It changes the way of how we work, of how we communicate, and yes, indeed, how we teach. Well, we at Swisscom think that artificial intelligence has huge potential, and it can facilitate many things, but with big technologies there is huge responsibility coming for the society. Security on the internet, or cybersecurity, is enormously important. We have to make sure that the digital world is safe and secure. Safe and secure for customers, for the children, and for everybody that moves in this world. And therefore, I would like to teach you more about cybersecurity. So during this event, we give you some short videos so that you also find a great, safe environment. So we also have our colleagues at the island of the Advice Island, so there's an AI quiz that you can take. And except for that, we give you the opportunity to experience AI live.
So my colleagues and I, we help you with AI to create images, just as you said, to create a letter, or also a travel plan for your next vacations. Everything can be printed out, and you can take it home as a souvenir. So if you have any other questions with regards to digitization, then you can find them on Swisscom.ch/campus, and there you have a report. You find lists, videos, and also an online course. So all that is for free, of course. And now I really look forward to a very exciting general meeting. Thank you very much, and enjoy!
Wo man sich bewegt: ob zu Hause, unterwegs, bei der Arbeit oder in den Ferien.
No matter whether it's on vacation or at home, there is always internet, and we at Swisscom make sure that our customers use technology as they want. So that doesn't only make it easier in real life but also more secure. We are always on the ball, so to say, in the forefront, and we give you new innovations, new entertainment for the private sector. We also have new applications. We open up services in the cloud and also IT solutions, and we create new opportunities. We also create and develop new services around your data, artificial intelligence. This is how we help with IT and telecommunications services to be successful. We are ready. Dear shareholders, dear guests and friends of Swisscom, a warm welcome to the Hallenstadion.
You may have already used the opportunity to get to know artificial intelligence in a playful way at our Counseling Island. It is just fascinating what you can do with artificial knowledge. But amidst all the enthusiasm, we must not ignore the fact that technology also has its downsides. That's why it's very important to us that our customers are safe when they are online. More on this, more in the course of this annual January meeting.
On behalf of the board of directors, the group management, and all our colleagues, I would like to extend my warmest greetings to you and want to welcome you to the 26th annual general meeting. I also would like to welcome the independent proxy Rieber Rechtsanwälte, represented today by Mrs. Gschwend and Mr. Heyer, as well as the representatives of the auditors, Mr. Schwick and Mr. Karcher. I would like to introduce the representatives of Swisscom AG on the podium. They are: Eugen Stermetz, our CFO; Christoph Aeschlimann, our CEO; and Martin Vögeli, head of group security and corporate affairs and member of the group executive board. In this function, he also holds the office of secretary to the board of directors. The other members of the board of directors and the group executive board, they are also present, and they have taken their seats in the room as well.
The annual general meeting will be held in German with simultaneous translation into French and English. If you would like to wear headsets for the translation, you can get them at the very back of the hall. Dear shareholders, the short introductory film impressively shows that the networked world is reality today. It opens up countless opportunities for our economy and society. Opportunities that Swisscom is driving and supporting with its innovations. We ensure that our private and business customers can use technologies how and where they want. Our infrastructure makes Swisscom the digital backbone of Switzerland, and this is what we are very proud of, and we want to keep it that way. In recent weeks, the merger of our subsidiary Fastweb with Vodafone Italia has been a talking point. Our commitment in Italy is one of the main topics at today's annual general meeting.
CEO Christoph Aeschlimann and I will explain to you in a moment why we are convinced that this will pay off. But let me start by making a few categorizations. The transaction offers Swisscom the unique opportunity to acquire a leading convergent provider in Italy. We are strengthening our presence in Italy, and Fastweb will significantly improve its competitiveness and become a significant number two. We on the board of directors have thoroughly and comprehensively analyzed the opportunities and risks of this transaction, and we are convinced that the opportunities for all parties involved far outweigh the risks and that the decision is in the interests of Swisscom and Switzerland as a whole. And you, our esteemed shareholders, will also benefit from a significant increase in the value of a company as a result of the takeover.
By utilizing synergies and depending on the development of free cash flow, we intend to further increase the dividend in the future. But let's come back to the past financial year. Swisscom impressed with strong figures and a good market performance. Customers are delighted with our products, the great and excellent service and well-developed infrastructure. And we were also able to build further trust. We are not immune to inflation either, and however, unlike other providers, we have refrained from a general price increase. Our mobile and fixed networks also won all relevant network tests in 2023. Our cloud and security solutions are also very successful in business customers. And our subsidiary Fastweb in Italy has been growing continuously for 10 years now, and further details on business performance can be found in the annual report. I am proud that Swisscom is a pioneer in climate protection.
We are focusing on reducing CO2 emissions. For the third time in a row, we have been recognized as the most sustainable telecommunications company in the world for our commitment. We are leaving behind us an intense 2023 with uncertainties such as inflation, rising interest rates, and increased geopolitical risks. In these challenging times, our employees are doing an extraordinary job for our customers every day. At this point, I would like to take this opportunity and thank all employees, the board of directors, and the executive board, and especially our CEO Christoph Aeschlimann, for their many years of loyalty and tireless commitment. Together, we move Swisscom forward. With our technology, our innovations, our experience, and our sense of responsibility, we want to inspire our customers anew every day. We would also like to thank you, our esteemed shareholders, for your trust, your loyalty, and support.
25 years after its IPO, Swisscom is in an excellent market position, and it is well-equipped for the future as well. I would like to come to the formal part of the annual general meeting. While you, ladies and gentlemen, took your seats earlier, we showed you some tips from our Swisscom Campus, all around security in the digital world. Roll the film for the last tip in this series.
So 1, 2, 3, 4. Marcel 12 . Trainer Marcel . Not a good password either. The ideal password looks like this. This is very difficult to remember, and therefore we advise you to have phrases. So instead of Swisscom, it is better to have something like: "My favorite company, since I've been 12, is Swisscom AG." And the password looks like this. So it is very important to have a different password for every service.
But the situation is that we use so many services that it's almost impossible to remember all passwords. Unless you're a super brain. Therefore, I recommend Swisscom Cybersecurity. It has a password manager and gives you the opportunity to have passwords for safety and security tests. You have one master password, and all the other passwords are managed automatically. So what we do is: So if anything is hacked, this will be found right away. Dear shareholders, I would like to open the annual general meeting with a few formal statements. In accordance with the articles of association, I take the chair. The annual general meeting has been duly convened and has a quorum. The invitation was published in the Swiss Official Gazette of Commerce on the 14th of February, 2024, together with the 2023 annual report and the financial statements of Swisscom Limited.
The shareholders entered in the share register, were invited in writing, and on request electronically. So no requests to add items to the agenda were received. The annual report has also been available on the Swisscom website since the 8th of February, 2024. The auditors, PwC, who audited the annual and consolidated financial statements and the remuneration report, are represented at the annual general meeting today. I appoint Martin Vögeli as secretary, who takes the minutes. I would like to point out that the meeting, including the speakers, will be broadcast live on the internet, in video and audio. The meeting will also be recorded and posted on the internet after the annual general meeting. Votes will be conducted electronically today. During the annual general meeting, two scrutineers are present here in the hall, and two others are in the accounting office.
Among other things, the scrutineers ensure that the electronic system is used correctly. The persons who have been appointed to count the votes are projected onto the screen. I would like to thank Mrs. Langenecker and Mrs. Sudarević, as well as Mr. Thüring and Mr. Bühler, for making themselves available for this task. As always, we will keep a list of speakers to ensure that the annual general meeting runs smoothly. If you would like to speak, please take your admission ticket to the staff at the speaker's desk. It is located here at the front, from your side on the left. You can sign the list of speakers immediately and for as long as the discussion on the respective agenda item continues. I will call on those registered to speak on the respective agenda item. Please keep your comments brief.
In view of the numerous items on the agenda, I will limit the speaking time to five minutes. If a speaker does not wish their name or vote to be published on the internet, they must expressly declare this to the employees at the request to speak stand, or at the latest at the lectern at the beginning of the vote. The annual general meeting is quorate regardless of the number of shareholders present and shares represented. Resolutions are passed today by a majority of the votes represented today. As already mentioned, the votes will be conducted electronically. During the first vote, Mr. Vögeli will explain how to use the Televoter. If you have any questions about the device, please contact the Televoter help desk on the left-hand side of the hall. Our guests are not entitled to vote and have not received a voting device.
I acknowledge that the independent proxy is here. The agenda items for today's general meeting are projected onto the screen now, and you will also find them in the written invitation. In the meantime, the number of representatives of shareholders have been recognized. Mr. Vögeli will now say them. Ladies and gentlemen, the number of votes is found here. So we have 1,187 shareholders present today and the independent proxy. Each share entered in the share register with voting rights entitles the holder to 1 vote. The shareholders therefore represent 26,482,336 votes. The independent proxy represents 11,447,841 votes. In total, we have 37,930,177 name shares, or registered shares and voting shares, with a total nominal value of CHF 37,930,177 represented here. This corresponds to 73.22% of the voting rights shares. Treasury shares are not represented. Attendance will be continuously monitored at the entrance to the assembly hall.
I would ask anyone leaving the Hallenstadion early to show their admission ticket and hand in their voting device at the entrance control desk. On behalf of the independent proxy Rieber Rechtsanwälte, I declare the following: The independent proxy yesterday, on Tuesday morning, gave us an intermediary report on the respective agenda items. The table, dated 26th of March, on 4:49 A.M. in the morning, they have represented in favor—it shows the votes in favor, against, and abstentions—as well as the respective percentage points. The data has been communicated in an anonymous way and cannot trace any voting declaration of individual shareholders. Ladies and gentlemen, this brings us to number one: approval of the management report, the consolidated financial statements, and the annual financial statements of Swisscom AG for 2023.
The comprehensive report of the board of directors and the group executive board can be found in the 2023 annual report.
The report and the annual financial statement of Swisscom are published on the Swisscom website. The reports of the auditors are printed in the annual reports. For the next item on the program, on the agenda, I'll be joining Christoph Aeschlimann and Claudia Lässer. Together, we'll take a closer look back at 2023, and we show you what we want to achieve more with Swisscom. Dear shareholders, so what were the big events and challenges in the last year? What is the strategic direction of Swisscom, and where does the journey go in Switzerland and Italy? That's why our President and CEO will be ready to answer questions by Claudia Lässer. Claudia Lässer is responsible for sports and news on Swisscom Blue, and she will guide us through the next 25 minutes.
Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Michael Rechsteiner, Christoph Aeschlimann, and Claudia Lässer, and please give them a big hand. Yes, a warm welcome, dear visitors, here at our Swisscom AGM in Zurich. I would like to welcome all those that watch our live broadcast online. We are more than happy that, for the second time, we have the event here in the Hallenstadion, as I did it last year. We have decided not to make any long speeches, but rather to offer personal discussions with our guests and give you exciting insights into the world of Swisscom. We will also talk about the exciting acquisition in Italy. Adding to that, innovation and trust are also part of Swisscom's vision. We would like to find out and take a closer look at what has been done in the last year.
I'm happy that the Chairman, Michael Rechsteiner, and the CEO, Christoph Aeschlimann, that you are here next to me. A warm welcome. So you've gone through just exciting weeks. So how do you feel after this exciting time? Christoph, so did you have some sleepless nights? Well, no, not sleepless nights, but a lot of work. And the transaction was thoroughly thought. We analyzed it for a long time, and therefore we are convinced that it's right for the future of the company. So I feel very well today. Well, that's great.
Michael, I think that you polished up your Italian in the last weeks. Well, yes. Land, people, culture, and language, food, and drinks. I'm more than happy to be able to deal with those topics. Well, for you, I think you also speak great Italian. Where does it come from?
Well, I don't say I speak very well. I just speak a little Italian. I learned it in school. I basically planned and intend that I have to polish it up for the next couple of years. We will get to this topic later on because we are at the general meeting, so we also need to take a look at the course of business. Michael, I want to give you an easier time. So therefore, we have all figures and summarized them in a compact way. In 2023, the net revenue increased by 0.2%, and now it's CHF 11.1 billion. All the turnover is of Swisscom Switzerland, reduced by 0.8% by. At Fastweb, it increased by 6.1%. The operative result before EBITDA of CHF 4.6 billion is 4.9% above the result of the previous year.
The profit is CHF 1.7 billion, which is a plus of 7%. 2023, Swisscom invested in the maintenance and increase of the IT infrastructure, and CHF 2.3 billion were invested, and CHF 1.7 billion of it were invested in Switzerland. 2023, Swisscom won all important test nets. The Mobilcom had the highest point and is basically now the winner of all categories. The IPO share price for 2023 was quite stable. With a dividend of CHF 22 per share, the shareholders of Swisscom can have a very good yield. Christoph, a very good result, basically. The finances look very good. Yes, we are very proud of the result. We are very happy. We have a quite solid financial result. All relevant tests were won. The mobile test result was just great. The best result measured worldwide. Last year, it was a great, huge success.
Also at the outline jobs, we won tests. We have a great brand. Sustainability is huge. We have the ambitious goal, and we validated the goal for 2035. So I say we move forward in all categories and areas, and we are also honored because of our good results. Does that make you proud, or what does it make you proud, Michael?
Well, Christoph basically summarized it greatly. Swisscom delivered what it promised. And what is important for me is to have satisfied customers. So I think we have to put that in the focus. But then also the great work of our employees. And because of this great work, it's very great for our loyal shareholders.
I think that it's very important for the board of directors that we have a great, thoroughly thought-through corporate governance, that we've worked out a great group strategy together with the executive board. And also in the successes management, we have some vacant spaces that were filled with excellent people from internals. And we could make the management a bit more diverse. Well, we will talk about these strategies. We had a very great, successful 2023. 2024 started with a bang. A few weeks ago, and you mentioned it, that you want to take over Vodafone Italia. The contract was signed just 10 days ago. Purchase price was CHF 8 billion. A huge, huge deal for Swisscom. Why is the board of directors convinced that the transaction will pay off? Well, we look at these consolidation activities in Italy.
So we've been observing them for years, and we are convinced. We also have outweighed and checked all the risks and opportunities, also because of the current transaction. We think that the opportunities far outweigh the risks. Therefore, the board of directors approved this deal. I think what is very important is that we have two great companies. They are complementary to each other. We bring them together. That there will be a great number 2 in the telecommunication area in Italy. It'll be big enough to withstand the competition. They are best in just offering convergent products to our customers. Therefore, we are convinced that it's a very good deal and that we, the board of directors, have thoroughly thought through it. I think all shareholders may ask what their benefit is. What is that?
Well, it's the increase of the company through synergies, the value increase. So that means for the Swisscom Group, the Swisscom AG, more free cash flow, more liquidity. So with that, you can do a bit more. You can also probably increase dividends and yields, as we already announced it. But you can also invest even more in the infrastructure, the networks, and the services of Swisscom. But you can also reduce liabilities. So there's a huge range of opportunities that exist. What we announced, though, is that in the business year, or for the business year 2025, on the annual general meeting 2026, the dividend, the annual dividend of Swisscom will be increased to CHF 26 per share. Well, if everything is, of course, done by the first quarter of next year. Well, that sounds good.
But there were also some skeptics, skeptical voices, just in particular after the first communication. And somebody asks, "Well, why do you invest so much money abroad, not in Switzerland?" Well, I think one thing you have to say is there are always skeptical voices, critical voices. And I think it's just normal if a company does something like that. Some people like it. Some people don't like it. That's just the nature of the thing. And in this specific case, what is important to me personally is Swisscom has been in Italy operative for 15 years. In the last 10 years, we grew by 50%. So we know the market. We have an existing company that has a turnover of CHF 2.6 billion of turnover. We have a great management team there.
And now we buy in a new part of the company, integrate it, and realize synergies with that, savings. And in this sense, the investment, the transaction will create many things. And we think that it will be successful with these prerequisites. Well, there were also other critical voices, right? That there were or have been some investments abroad that were a flop, and nobody has learned a lesson from it. What can you say about that? Well, I'm sure that we've learned our lessons from previous purchases because this is a basic need and requirement, right? And as I said, the transaction cannot be compared with other transactions where we went to one country for the first time, where you usually do not, where we didn't have synergies, where you just have the first market entrance. And it's totally different in this case.
We talk about very big EUR 600 million per year of savings just by combining the networks or just bringing landline customers from Vodafone to Fastweb and just migrating Fastweb customers to Vodafone. So you have a better customer experience, everything from one source. And therefore, the transaction cannot be compared whatsoever with Eircom, DEBITEL, or other activities that the company implemented 20 years ago. Okay, understandable. So the transaction was also a topic with Swiss politicians. So privatization of Swisscom. So what is your statement to that? Well, these privatization discussions come up once in a while. For us at Swisscom, it's very important that we have a majority shareholder that does not limit our activities, that does not limit our growth plans so that he gives us the opportunity to grow and also to accept risks and take risks and also bear those risks financially at the end.
So I think up to now, everything has been worked out quite fine. If the Parliament thinks that in the future, those risks cannot be borne anymore and that there needs to be a partial privatization step, we at Swisscom are more than willing to work on solutions. We have to say, though, that we cannot support all solutions. We decline solutions that do not make sense from an economic point of view. We don't like solutions that will limit us in growing in the future, or we do not want to have solutions that could basically question the survival of the company, for example, splitting the company into one network company and another part of the company. Okay, what are the next steps? And what does it mean for the organization per se?
Well, the next steps with regards to the transaction are a lot of exchange with local authorities. We roughly need the approval of more than half a dozen authorities. That's a lot of work, in particular from the point of view of a lawyer. And you also have competition authorities with a regulator in the telecommunications sector, with the government. All this work will be done in the next weeks and months. And we hope to finalize the transaction in the first quarter of 2025. And only then are we the owner of the company. And only then will we pay the money for it.
Oh, that sounds like a lot of work. So we wish you all the best of success for the implementation. The good thing is that you have this new strategy of the company. And you've integrated a subsidiary company. What does it mean?
Well, we have one company strategy that gives us the frame on how we implement trust, etc., in the digital world so that we have a common frame for Switzerland and Italy because we are convinced that combining innovation and trust is the key for success in a digitized world. And therefore, it was important to us that we move into the same direction together. Well, trust and innovation. So we will talk about that in a second. So it's basically, all in all, four pillars that comprise the strategy. What four pillars are those? Well, the first, the most important pillar is customer satisfaction because there are only satisfied customers that are important because we pay the wages with the bills our customers pay. So that means a successful company needs great and enthusiastic customers saying, "I stay with this company." You need great networks. You need great hotlines.
You need great jobs. This is the first part. The second part is innovation for the future. We are working in a market where permanently new things happen, just buzzwords, cybersecurity, or artificial intelligence. So the change is just huge and fast. So that means that we have to invent new products and services because the customer needs change regularly. And we also have to generate new turnover, of course. And the third pillar is that we need to achieve more with less.
This also has to do with the customers because the products that are great today and people that are willing to pay money for those services, they're not enthused anymore in 3 or 4 years because they say, "I want to have more, probably, and I do not want to pay as much as now." This has been the case in the last 20 years because what you buy today was better in the past and not so expensive. We have to improve. We have to achieve more with less money so that we are able to reduce the prices. The last bit is we need great cooperation within the teams, between the subsidiaries, within the company so that we can achieve the highest performance. Those are the four pillars. I'm convinced that if we do all that simultaneously, we as a company will be successful.
And you also seem to be convinced. So what convinced you of the strategy? Well, we as the board of directors, we have Christoph, and we supported him and also the management. And we passed it through. So what was important to us is that it's cross-company or cross-group strategy. And then it needed to be simple and clear. And I think I speak on behalf of all of my colleagues at the board of directors. It went very, very well. And I think we also made a decision to focus and relate to the strengths of the strategy and to use the lever there and to improve there. And everything worked out quite well. Eventually, the transformation in which Swisscom is at the moment is what we wanted to support, not only when it comes to technology but also culture.
I think this is covered with pillar number four that Christoph just said. Well, it needs both, basically. You also mentioned it several times, Michael, the topic of innovation. It is very, very important for the future as well. Is there anything that Swisscom needs to take up to? Well, no. Swisscom is a very innovative company. It's very known worldwide in the telecommunications sector. The company is basically acknowledged because of its innovation force and all the things that the company develops. For example, Prepaid was invented by Swisscom for mobile phones and other topics where the company is working in the provision of new technologies. This is very important for the future. We work a lot and with a lot of force on this in the future.
Well, of course, it's not the same just as we did it with the cable breaking, so to say, 15 years ago. But there are many novelties. So SME digitization, Swisscom Sign was launched that you can sign contracts in an electronic way. And this year, we also will be publishing new products in order to enthuse companies - oh, I'm sorry - customers with new technologies. Well, this is just incredibly a lot. So here we see a few buzzwords. But that's not all of them. So innovation 2023. So you mentioned some of them. And you both said innovation is not necessary or it's not possible without trust. Michael, do you have any examples for that? Well, trust. Trust. You need trust for those innovations where probably people have insecurities or are afraid of some things. The best example is cybersecurity today. It is something that can be mentioned here.
And we or Swisscom, for our business customers, business clients, open up the Business Security Center there. The customers give us their digital processes. We monitor them. We protect them. And trust is incredibly and infinitely important because the important business processes of the customers are taken over by us. And we integrate them. But we also take over the data from our customer. Let's stay with innovation and artificial intelligence because this was mentioned at the beginning. And you can try it at the Counseling Island. So, Christoph, in 2024, CHF 100 million were invested into the topic of AI to get Switzerland ready for this topic. What does that mean?
Well, of course, we have to, well, make Swisscom fit because it's about creating a platform for our customers that they can have AI applications in Switzerland. Well, we have private cloud environments for normal applications.
We are building a new platform with NVIDIA, which is thought for AI. This is one step. Together with customers, we also will create models, train the models so that the businesses in Switzerland can use those models and not only have to call an American company to be able to do it. And then, of course, we also need to have artificial intelligence in Swisscom internally, so call center, mobile, stuff like that everywhere. So we need to have it in use so that a better company experience can be achieved with lower costs as well. And I think artificial intelligence is a key technology, not only for Swisscom but also for the entire country and also for all the different companies that are located in Switzerland. Let me allow the question because you also bear the respective responsibility. Many people have a lot of respect.
They are also afraid of that. What about you? Well, it's not scary. Or I'm not afraid of it. But I think it bears a lot of chances. And I think at the end, it's the same with every technology. So nuclear plants, basically, nuclear power basically just generates power. And on the other hand, nuclear weapons can destroy everything. And I think that's the same with all other areas. It depends on how you use technology, etc. And I think there needs to be a legal or ethical framework on how to use and utilize those technologies so that trust is built, that nobody messes around with that, or that difficult—I'm sorry—dangerous things are done with it. So I just want to see positive effects, etc. And I think if we address this topic like this, we will be successful. So what about you, Michael? What do you think?
Well, I'm an engineer by profession, right? So I'm not afraid. My goal is that in 2024, I personally will deal with the topic of AI. Okay, what does that mean? Well, for example, the Swisscom went to the WEF, so visited some difficult events. So we led the AI house with some employees. And I heard many, many discussions. So I read a lot about AI. I also bought the new gadgets that you can have just to test it out, just to play around, just to, you know, just to practice and just to learn. Well, we are almost at the end. Christoph, if you look back to 2024, what do you wish for you in a private life? Well, I think it's quite easy when it comes to the company. So we want to implement the strategy. And we want to look back to a successful year.
And hopefully, the transaction in Italy can also be implemented so that we can start to work. So this is basically the business part. And privately, it's the typical thing: spending time with family and my girlfriend. The business is important. We want to be successful. But at the end of the day, your private life is important and to have fun with others. And, well, it's very important to me myself. Well, that speaks for yourself. It's your birthday tomorrow. So I hope you have some time for your birthday and your family tomorrow. How do you celebrate?
Well, I invited some friends to an aperitif. And tomorrow, basically, the holidays start. So that's a great opportunity to start into the holidays. So I'm not supposed to say happy birthday now because that's bad luck. So now, what about you?
Just if you have a look back into 2023, was there a key moment where you say, "Okay, this is what I take into 2024"? Very difficult. Very difficult to just extract one activity. I think the entire 2023 was a very, very successful result, so operationally and also something else. So we've created a dynamism, a flow towards trust and growth. And this creates a momentum, a dynamism within Swisscom per se. So we have great, great employees. So it makes me so proud to be able to work in such a great company. And at this point, thank you, thank you, thank you so much to all employees. You make an amazing job. But also you, dear shareholders, my warmest thanks goes out to you. Thank you so much for your trust. And thank you for your appreciation. Great last word.
Thank you very much, Michael and Christoph.
All the best for the general meeting. Thanks, Claudia.
I would like to state that the auditors, PwC, Swisscom, have issued an unqualified opinion on the consolidated financial statements and annual financial statements and recommends their approval. I would like to thank the auditors for their good and trusting cooperation. This brings us to the discussion. I would like to ask Mr. Mark Müller to come to the microphone, to the speaker stand, and at the same time, Frau Luzia Gerber-Müller, to be ready to speak afterwards. Mr. Müller, the microphone is yours.
Environmental. So, dear Mr. Aeschlimann, ladies and gentlemen, on the construction fair that was on the 19th to 26th of January in Basel, Prof. Reto Knutti , Professor for Physics at the University of Zurich, and two young architects, they had a presentation of transformation for climate change. What needs to be done? This is what was shown.
So the environment, the economy needs to rethink. This presentation was the reason that experts said that the construction companies and the industry should not work and continue as up to now. So they should just use different resources, for example, different shingles to clean them and to reuse them. That is also applicable to stones, etc. And for new constructions, more money needs to be used. So in the following discussion, I then mentioned that it is high time that not used energy will be the best and that the planning of the energy supply can save up to 80% of energy for apartments. And it can also be saved. Energy can be saved with satellite TV. Well, Swisscom is always informed at first that other things can be used. So Swisscom does it for free for architects. But basically, customers and customers need to pay for it.
So reception via satellite would be better than as an IP reception. It would also be for free. When we have new construction sites, the end customers are basically punished because receiving programs via satellites, in retrospect, is very expensive. When you have reception via satellite, you can record things infinitely for free. And if you have satellite reception, you can have disks of more than 4 TB for free, basically. And they are there for free. And in addition to that, the storage, the satellite, can be used just infinitely. And the providers basically delete everything as soon as there is a termination of a contract. And I would like to ask the following to Director Aeschlimann: Swisscom shall basically make the installation of the box such that they also have the opportunity to attach a 4- or 5-TB hard disks.
You can basically get those hard disks for CHF 100. There would be one big advantage: so that as soon as the device is switched on, everything runs and all the recorded things can be replayed. A lot of energy can be saved. The Swisscom cloud can also be used in a different way. Just to play this recorded video, basically, doesn't need energy. Therefore, I would like to ask Mr. Aeschlimann to enable that, which could save a lot of energy because almost all households have IT. Many people that do not have enough money to live from, they would also be happy for this solution. This is just one thought. Where does it lead if you basically try to make the most profit in the construction businesses? It's also applicable to different areas.
No matter whether it's fixed lines that only an electric combination can be taken place. The question is what if you did it? I would like to thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak.
Thank you very much, Mr. Müller. I can assure you that for Swisscom, the saving use of resources is very important, no matter whether it's CO2 reduction or saving energy. It's very important. When it comes to the direct specific question to save energy, I would like to hand over to Christoph Aeschlimann. Thank you, Mr. Müller, for your proposal, for your suggestion. I will take that with me and talk to the team and discuss with the team that develops the TV products. I think, just as Mr. Aeschlimann said it, saving energy is very important to us. We also launched a new TV box that saves 35% of energy.
And also the recordings that our customers do, the recordings they do, they are saved in our data center in a very energy-saving way. Well, I think the local hard disk would probably use less energy than the one that we have. I'm not sure. But we will analyze the topic. And if we have a positive result, we will also implement it. So thank you very, very much for the suggestion. Thank you very much, Christoph. So I would like to ask Luzia Gerber-Müller to come to the microphone. Ladies and gentlemen,
I'm standing here not only as a shareholder but also as a representative, a council representative of a local authority. So the streets is what I want to talk about. And one sentence is what came to my eyesight in your invitation. Well, we take care of the means that we have.
Well, I don't think so every time. So whenever there is a sanitation of streets of the local, of the municipality, we always ask the companies whether they want to be part of it, of the sanitation, of the reconstruction. Swisscom doesn't always say no. But as soon as there is a new road in place, you ask to tear out the street. So there's one street, for example, that they worked on six months now. And tomorrow, phase four is at the end. And two weeks ago, Swisscom asked to rip open the street. And in phase one and three, there were devices to tear off the street that were included. Fiberglass cable was also a part of it. And in order to implement that, well, the half village needs to be redigged, basically. We also have a connection to the neighbor village.
Well, Swisscom basically rips open the street once every year. And they did it just last month again. And two days after the holes were closed, the company Net Construction approached the municipality asking to rip open the exact same spot at the exact same street because the company Net Construction builds in that. Please, Swisscom, plan midterm, long-term, and not short-term ways. And please communicate your planning with all possibly affected institutions. And also on behalf of our inhabitants and citizens, I thank you for a much more resourceful way of handling with your means and our property. Thank you.
Thank you very much, Mrs. Gerber-Müller. You basically talk from the practice. I understand your question. So Christoph, can you say something about that?
Yes, Ms. Gerber-Müller. It's a wish to say I understand your concerns.
That's one of the reasons why in the past we changed our way of planning that because in Switzerland, we didn't have to—we don't have to—dig so deep because of new procedures. Fiberglass installation in Switzerland needs to take place in point-to-point installation. This leads to more costs. But it also leads to more concern and anger in municipalities. Well, we know that. We knew that. And we wanted to basically prevent it. But unfortunately, because of this new procedure, it's not possible every time. And now, in spite of that, the situation is that we have to plan it ideally so that, well, there is an intelligent way of construction for that. We try to do our best in this point. In many cases, we are successful. So if possible, we also ask use other activities when the things are ripped open.
For example, if you have sewer sanitations, if you have others that need to rip open the street as well. But this is not possible every time. And also in the current situation where we have where we changed the fiber cable roll to point-to-point, well, I'm sorry that it is as it is. And we will continue to work on improving it. But unfortunately, because of the mass of the built connections that we do every day, well, we basically install and work in hundreds and hundreds of municipalities every day.
Thank you very much, Christoph. And therefore, I would like to ask Mr. Rolf Dahlmann to the microphone and Mr. Wilhelm Tschopp to be ready as the following speaker. Mr. Dahlmann.
Yes. Hello, Mr. Stermetz, Mr. Aeschlimann. I think it was very interesting, the conversation on stage.
I think it's very good that also the board of directors, they do not only just talk about everything there. But I have to say and have to ask questions because the content was a bit thin. I wanted to have more in the sense that you probably do a deep dive a bit more, that it's not only about the report. The one thing is, if I have a look at the report, we lose continuously more private customers. So, well, we have an increase of the business customers but a reduction of private customers. And it's also for Fastweb. So why is that the case? Why don't we reach the people anymore? What can we do so that also there is the increase of private customers? Well, all the increase, all the growth is nice.
But if we lose our customers, well, our network can be best as possible. And we need to convince the customers that they want to have the good network because otherwise, it's an investment that does not pay off. The next thing is Italy. Fastweb, Vodafone, I welcome it. I think we are stronger with that. I think we can achieve a bit more. But I would like to know, how high are the synergies? Do we have any estimates? Do we have any figures? Are those synergies where just the cash flow is increased? Or are there also savings because of the structures with regards to staff, HR, etc.? So what does it look like? And probably also the question is, what does it look like with regards to, unfortunately, some layoffs that may be necessary?
Because at the end of the day, we also want to be Swisscom a very good employer because we want to have better employees. Better employees, they basically give us a more yield. So that's the reason why I'm also interested in the employees. In this context, you also said that we will have more cash flow for investments. If I have a look at the investments, on the other hand, then the investments, as a trend, they're just on a same level or probably are decreasing at the same time. The debts are reduced. So I'm very happy that the debts and the liabilities are reduced because I see increasing interests that are a cost block where I basically just get the money myself and not giving it back to the loans and banks. What is the target planning?
Are the investments planned to go up or not? So what does it look like? And also, when we talk about investments, fiber cable, are there also some empty pipes that are basically laid off so that all the work can be used in the future, that they do not have to dig open or rip open the street? Or do we have only this cable, put it in there that we need at this moment? What do you do there? So you also describe we are very solid. And this is what I'm very happy about. But at the same time, you have to say, in times of inflation, a continuous turnover is a reducing or decreasing turnover because if inflation is 5% and if we have the same turnover, effectively, it's only 5% less than what you do on it.
So what do you do in this case, in this context? And also together with the question, how do we get the private customers back? Something more technology, technological. I saw that some companies are not owned anymore. For example, Swisscom Re, AdUnit, or Global IP Action . So do you want to say anything about that? What they do, why we sold them, why we reduced the share that we have there. So what the goals are with those companies. And then as a last point, I didn't see anything in the annual report. So what about employees' shares? Do they have the opportunities to get Swisscom shares with a better price? Because I think that every employee that has participated in the company has more commitment for the company.
And I also like it if the small person at the counter, basically, that serves me in the store also gets some shares. So what does it look like here in this case? This would be very interesting. And that brings me to my last point. I'm very sorry that I deal with that for such a long time. Well, PwC, the revision, basically the auditors, they do quite good work. But I think in the last year, we had more than 50% of the regular auditor wages that were spent for something else. Of course, it's very nice that we have an auditor that counsels that knows about it. But I'm a Swabian person. There is always a negative side to it. For example, if some rates for audits and counseling, well, it's a bit of a wrong.
So 10% of revision or reviewing wages, it's a bit strange more than it. I will be more than happy to pay a bit more if we have a partner where we spend a bit more, probably. And in particular, we, the Germans, basically, we are not that happy with all the review companies in Germany. But therefore, I'm very glad to have Swiss shares. So what does it look like? Thank you very much. Thank you very much, Mr. Dahlmann. Thank you very much. Not only for your questions but also that you read the report in a so detailed way. So you asked seven questions. I would like to work through the questions individually. The first one was loss of private customers in Italy and also at Swisscom. Christoph, can you say something about that? Mr. Dahlmann, you have to be a bit more differentiated in this way.
So we have mobile telecommunications. We win customers in this area, also private customers. It is true, nevertheless, that on the landline area, we lose some customers. In Switzerland, a small share. We have network telephoning. So there, the reason is market changes. Fewer and fewer people have a phone at home. And it could. And we have more than 100,000 and no, more than 100,000 of those customers, they terminate the contracts. In other areas, we do not have a market participant strategy. But we want to maximize the value of the company. So that means we make a balance of the number of connections and the price of the subscriptions so that at the end of the day, we have the ideal result from the company's point of view. So we are more than ready to give away some customers to our competitors.
So they also want to grow, right? So other market competitors. And if we try to prevent this growth with smaller with lower prices, the competitors may become even more aggressive. Second question with regards to Italy. What the synergies are, whether some dismissals have to take place. What can the CFO say something about that? Yes, of course. Thank you very much, Mr. Dahlmann, for the question. The synergies of this transaction are substantial. At the end of the integration phase of the two companies, we expect synergies on the area of operating cash flow at the value of EUR 600 million. There is specific and I would like to invite you that on the Investor Relations homepage, you read all the information on the transactions. There is also a presentation where the synergies are explained in detail. And I can also just point out some details.
240 million of the EUR 600 million are in direct cost. So the network performance that we buy in on the mobile area from Telecom Italia and from Wind Tre, we will be able to do it ourselves in the future. And we save, let's put it simply, EUR 200 million roughly per year that are invested or that are spent to third parties currently. The second big block is EUR 300 million of savings when it comes to the operative costs. So the OpEx, the expenditures divided into areas. 50% of it come from the point that the institutions in Italia will be detached from the Vodafone Group. Not all services from the Vodafone Group are effective in the moment. And from the money that was saved and was spent to Vodafone Italia, we plan to save EUR 150 million next year.
And the third block of another CHF 150 million are effects of scale in different areas. For example, sales and distribution. On the other hand, general administration. And the third point in just bringing together the networks in the IT system. All in all, that's CHF 600 million. So we expect to buy in a cash flow. So just by combining the two businesses, we will create an added value. Okay. So the third question, I give it to the CEO. So are there any specific investments planned? Well, I think the synergies that exist there are in Italy. And I think it's about just to hold the investment opportunity in a very intense market. So there, it's all about IT products. We'll invest in those products. And you need some investment capacities. In Switzerland, we hold the investments quite stable. And we have been doing it for several years.
It's the plan to do it next year. So the next thing is the fiber cable rollout where we will have some different millions. And we will do that for the next couple of years as well. Okay. The fourth question was also directed to you with regards and in combination with the first question. Our turnover is reducing or is decreasing. How can we get hold of that in the future? Well, that's a valid statement. And this applies for Switzerland mainly because in Italy, we have increasing turnovers. So in Switzerland, for many, many years, there have been just a smaller, no inflation at all. And now we have one as well.
Therefore, it's very important to bring forward new products and innovations so that Switzerland can be put back onto a growth course so that the turnover in Switzerland is growing so that inflation can be compensated. This is something we work on. It's a very intense process. We cannot grow because of market shares. At the same time, prices in the telecommunication market are falling. That means you really have to enter new services and make them successful to be able to be at the same spot at the end or to be able to grow. This is what we work on. It will take some time in the future until we are back on a path track. Thank you, Christoph. The fifth question is: We invested into Swisscom Re, AdUnit, global IP action. Why did we sell them?
Well, I can say something about that. You can also see it in the report. We always buy some companies that fit in a strategic way that supports us also when it comes to B2B cybersecurity in Switzerland and Italy. On the other hand, it's also important to us to say goodbye to companies if they do not fit anymore into our business. There is also a second case that you mentioned. The Swisscom Re is our own reinsurance company. So we basically just moved from Switzerland to Liechtenstein. There was a special case. This basically does not fit into the topic of portfolio cleansing, so to say. So the AdUnit and the global IP action, they are very, very small companies. AdUnit, they had marketing performances for other companies. They do not fit into our own strategy anymore. And therefore, we said goodbye to them. Thank you.
The sixth question was with regards to employee shares. Who gets which? We do not have any shares that are handed out to our employees. The management, nevertheless, needs to get a specific share in shares. So the last question was with regards to PwC. 50% more fees have been given. So what's the reason for that? Eugen. Yeah, I can say something about that. Thank you for this point here. It's a very important intention on the side of us and also the board of directors that deals with reviews. It's very important to them that the balance is kept between a good relationship between auditors and non-auditors fees. And on the other hand, for the respective order to have the best provider and find the best provider. So you said 10% is the smallest bit. So internally, we have the limit in the border of 30%-50%.
But you saw it quite rightly that this year, we basically went over the border, so to say. The reason is that in big transactions, in big projects, you need one of the Big Four for due diligence, etc. So one of the Big Four auditors. And of course, typically, you find yourself in a situation where you have your own auditor. But on the other hand, there is another auditor that prepared due diligence, etc. And of course, the selection of the Big Four just is, you know, one of the and then you get back to your own one. And we did that in 2023. And we nevertheless said that this limit will be kept for the next years. Okay. Thank you very much. Now I would like to ask Mr. Tschopp to the speakers' panel. Mr. President, ladies and gentlemen.
I will not speak as long as the previous speaker. But nevertheless, I wonder. I'm quite impressed by him. And Mr. Rechsteiner, ladies and gentlemen. I would like to see more active shareholders like him that really deal with the report, deal with the business, and ask questions if necessary. So I would like to see something like that. So really applause from my side to this speaker. So Mr. Rechsteiner, we've been knowing each other since the last AGM. And yes, you are how shall I say it? You are quite positive in my mind because with my vote last year, it was about a credit for my mobile in prepaid, which basically got invalid because I had a different provider. And you, after the AGM, just quite in an unbureaucratic way, you paid out this credit. So I think that was great. So yeah, that was great.
That was superb. So from your own pocket, probably, right? But now my topic. So in many AGMs in the last year, we voted on the revision of the articles of association. And this is also topic and also the future way of how we conduct this AGM. So hybrid, digital, etc. I always said, "I am a promoter of this new way." And just recently, first of all, I was a bit shocked. But then I had to say, "Yes, that's the future." So this company invites to a virtual AGM without physical place and gives me all votes of a shareholder. Well, I am proud that I, as a 77-year-old, managed to get registered. So this alone was a point. And we had the opportunity to hand in questions in a written way. And I would like to ask Swisscom now.
So you broadcast and I think this is positive. You broadcast this event on the webcast. And now I expect the next step that I can participate or can take part at this AGM virtually at home and can make use of my shareholders' rights 100%. Thank you very much, Mr. Chop. So first of all, I am more than happy that you remembered me in such a positive way. But I can tell you the money was not coming from me but from our CFO to my left. But thank you very much for having that in a positive way. With regards to the virtual one with the virtual AGM, well, you are right. It can take place in a hybrid way or in a totally virtual way. All shareholders' rights need to be able to take in be taken out.
We at Swisscom reserve the right to determine what will happen from year to year. Next year, we for next year, we will plan something like this today. And for the years afterwards, we will talk about what will happen. But you're right. All shareholders' rights need to be maintained. But as you know, you can follow this AGM in a live stream not as a shareholder because you if you don't want to have shareholders' rights. I hope this answer serves you well. Thank you very much, Mr. Tschopp. Okay. Is there anyone that wants to speak? If not, I state that it's not the case. Excuse me. Excuse me. I will stay short. Mr. Groth from Bern, I have three points. First of all, I always have to be angered that I have an amount when paying something in. I have to pay a fee. Okay.
Then I say okay to Swisscom and pay it in there. And they do not want to have my money. So I want to pay. And you do not basically accept the money, first of all. Second point. So when will be the time that you have your IT ready that votes can be going through Swisscom not only in Switzerland but also for those abroad? So I am very interested in this point. So when you are able to have software and hardware ready that you can proceed so that all those people from abroad can also cast their vote. And the third point is. How do you finance this takeover in the next one in Italy? So will it be liabilities and debts until infinite ones? So this would this is something I want to know. How long does it take to pay off? Okay.
May I ask you for your name? Walter Groth from Bern. Okay. Great, Mr. Groth. The first question with regards to the amount that for paying in and the fact that nobody wants to have your money. Christoph. No, I think we are happy to those customers that pay. So there are some options to pay your bills without any fees. So TWINT online banking, etc. There are some processes, though, that generate more effort. For example, when you pay your bills in a shop. And that's the reason why you have some fees if you want to use those channels. Okay. Thank you, Christoph. The second question regarding our IT. Whether it can be updated. No, I can tell you that we have a great IT in place. But this project is not on the radar, basically.
So we are not in the current situation to make a casting or voting system worldwide. The next point is the situation with Italy. Can you answer this, please? Yes. We will finance this transaction through two different ways. So for once, we have the capital market and have bonds there. So Euro bonds and Swiss franc bonds. And the second point is that we have a loan that will be taken up. So the transaction is financed already. We will only refinance it in the way that I just described it. I want to highlight, though, because you mentioned the topic of debts. Swisscom has a very excellent credit rating by the credit rating agencies. And this will be maintained after the transaction. A strong balance sheet is very important to us. You asked when the money will be paid back. According to our expectations, the calculation is clear.
EUR 8 billion will be paid. Free cash flows of CHF 600 are expected. So we have a payback of 12-13 years. Thanks, Eugen. So I would like to ask a last time whether there is anyone who wants to speak. That doesn't seem to be the case. Oh, yes, there is. Okay. Yes. Ladies and gentlemen, dear shareholders. It was sad and I heard that Swisscom spends EUR 8 billion in Italy. I asked myself, what's the task of Swisscom? So did the parliament give Swisscom a task to get active abroad to neglect the Swiss market? I had the feeling that if you, the two gentlemen, Mr. Rechsteiner, Mr. Aeschlimann, when I saw you in the conversation with the beautiful lady that they have a quite well, that it's nothing. EUR 8 billion. It's just nothing. Who takes over responsibility? Responsibility for EUR 8 billion.
It's always the same. Because if it doesn't work, it's not the management's fault. If I when I listen to you. It's just simple. How can you explain it in simple words? What is active? What is passive? And if I hear things like that, what you say, then. Well, the task was given to the parliament. I don't know whether it's true or not. But the Swiss market is too small. We want to grow. We want to be magnificent. But only then we can survive. But the Swiss market will be neglected. And that is what you do not like. And you also and what I think is not good is that nobody takes over responsibility. Not the board of directors. Nobody. Because the board of directors, everyone just refrains and says, "No, no, no, no, no. I wasn't in favor of it.
They just did it." Something like that. I'm a Swisscom fan. So I've always had. I've always been Swisscom. And I will be Swisscom. And then I hope that the Swiss market will not be neglected in the future. And responsibility for 8 billion. Well, we see it with the banks. What can happen? What happened? So you just get greedy. You want to be bigger. And I don't know what the first country will be where Swisscom wants to get established and take over responsibility with funds and money from the state and money and funds from you here in the room. And then they say, "Well, we have a huge responsibility." And then we have the critical voices. Oh, everything is nice. Everything is fine. But no. I am convinced that none of those gentlemen says and shows, "Well, I got too much money as wage.
I pay something back." If we heard with the big ones, the big banks that basically just got money, nobody paid anything back. Then they think, "Oh, yeah, that was him. That was him. That was this person." This is where I have to say something. Well, the competition paid less. Swisscom paid more. That's the reason why Swisscom got the deal. I want to see and hear the gentleman here if it fails. I think then the management, the executive board, they will just, you know, everyone say, "Nah, not our fault." No one will say it didn't work out. I think that to get a commitment like that abroad. This is quite strange. This is basically where I say, "Oh, the board of executives the executive board didn't do a good job." Everyone just says, "Oh, yeah, we'll see.
We'll see what happens abroad." But the Swiss market the Swiss market basically is just smaller. Then you buy Italy. Synergies. Creating synergies. And the CFO says, "Oh, yeah, we need to create synergies and do this and that." And every big merger and acquisition, they all talk about synergies. And then when you look at the synergies, what happened? Well, nothing happened. But huge money was invested. Thank you very much, ladies and gentlemen. Mr. Rendeli, thank you very much. So we are glad that you are a Swisscom fan. And we take your message seriously because indeed it's a huge challenge and a huge transaction. Well, coming to your specific questions. So did the parliament give us the order to make this deal? Well, the parliament basically leads Swisscom through strategic goals. And the strategic goals can be accessed publicly. I guess that you know it.
The responsibility for this deal, the transaction, is with the Board of Directors. So I want to answer that with you. Board of Directors has the responsibility for this transaction. For this reason. We analyzed this transaction. We checked in the discussion round on my right-hand side. We tried to point out how intensely and thoroughly this analysis has been done. What competences we used, internal ones and external ones. That the Board of Directors unanimously said yes to the transaction. Regarding your votes that we neglect the Swiss market, this is something I want to contradict clearly. We invest CHF 1.7 billion into the Swiss market. We push forward digitization. Most of the time, it's not money, which is basically a showstopper, but resources. But most of the time that most of the money that is basically gained is put into the Swiss market.
Again. This transaction was analyzed by the board of directors thoroughly. Thank you very much. Let me just look to the right-hand side. Thank you very much. Therefore, this point of the agenda is closed. And I would like to thank those that spoke up. This brings us to the votes. But before we proceed to the vote, I would like to ask Mr. Vögeli to explain how the use of the voting machine works. So, ladies and gentlemen, you were given a voting device when you entered the room. You can activate the device yourself by touching the screen or pressing the red button on the side of the device. Under the language icon, you can change the language. And under the My Vote icon, you can see how you voted on the individual agenda items from the first vote onwards.
Under the info icon, you can call up the shareholder information stored about you and see how many votes you represent today. A few seconds before a vote, the screen is automatically switched on. The relevant agenda item is displayed. Three colored squares also appear. You can cast your vote by touching the squares. Green stands for yes, red for no, and yellow for abstain or abstention. When you have cast a vote, the Televoter vibrates. The selected square is highlighted. If you have inadvertently pressed the wrong button, you can correct your vote during the voting time by touching the correct square. The Televoter allows several votes to be held in one go. We will use this procedure for the elections to the board of directors and the remuneration committee.
If you have any questions about the voting device, the staff at the Televoter help desk on the left-hand side of the room will be happy to help you. Finally, I want to point out that the voting behavior is recorded electronically. Ladies and gentlemen. Ladies and gentlemen. Unfortunately, there is no such thing as a 100% security on the internet. But as you have already seen, there are some principles that reduce the risk of attacks. To bridge the time until the results of the votes have been analyzed, we show you in short videos what is safe and what isn't. So this brings us to the vote. The board of directors proposes that the management report, the consolidated financial statements, and the annual financial statements of Swisscom Limited for the 2023 financial year be approved. I ask you to cast your vote now. Hallo Marcel.
So schön, dass ich mit dir sprechen darf. Endlich hat es geklappt, gell, mit diesem Mami-Sonntag. Ja, endlich. Ich bin bereit. Wollen wir gleich gehen? Ja. So, ich mache gleich die Tür zu. So. Kannst du sie gleich halten? Danke. Jetzt hat es sogar noch aufgetaucht. Es regnet nicht mehr. Ja. Ich stelle. Off. Ist der Generalvorsitzende in Anspruch? Hi. I know that the annual general meeting approved the motion with 98.9% votes in favour. Thank you very much. We now come to agenda point 1.1. Vote to the consultative vote on the remuneration report. Even though the result of the vote on the remuneration report is not legally binding, the result of the vote is an indicator for us as to whether you agree with the remuneration for the 2023 financial year and in particular with the remuneration system.
The remuneration of the CEO was determined by the board of directors, taking into account the recommendations of the remuneration committee chaired by Monique Bourquin. The remuneration of the other members of the group executive board was determined by the remuneration committee. In a video recording, we inform you about the remuneration of the board of directors and the group executive board in 2023. The remuneration of the executive board has to be fair for all sides. For you as shareholders, but also for the members of the executive board and also the group management. With the remuneration system for the executive board members, we want to make sure that Swisscom has experienced and competent people.
The remuneration to the Board of Directors members is the basic fee and also additions to the individual functions such as the presidency, vice presidency, the chairing of a committee, etc. In addition to that, Swisscom has the employer shares to the health insurances as well as all other additional performances. The members of the board of executive board of directors can get shares. So therefore, they are directly participating in the increase or the growth of it. CHF 2.08 million were paid out to the board members of the board of directors. The entire remuneration 2023 is below the approved overall amount of CHF 2.5 million. For the success of Swisscom, it's important to have highly qualified and motivated members of the management so that we can keep them and that the value of the company is increased.
We orient ourselves towards a market-similar fees. The variable remuneration doesn't only consist with regards to the performance, but also sustainability points. So future-oriented factors such as customer loyalty, availability of networks, and also the achievement of goals with regards to sustainability are assessed. To further promote the interests. Also, a share of the variable remuneration is paid out in shares. In addition to that, the management is obliged to have a minimum share price or share part of at least one annual payment that they receive in shares. The CEO needs to have two annual wages. CHF 8.79 million were remunerated. And from the overall remuneration of the Management Board, 1.47 went to Christoph Aeschlimann. The overall remuneration of the Management Board compared to the previous year increased by CHF 2.05 million.
The increase of the overall increase is because of the expansion of the number of managers from six to nine. So 2023, we have a lower than agreed or approved value of CHF 10.4 million. PricewaterhouseCoopers, the auditor, checked the report of the remuneration and also confirmed that it is in accordance with legal regulations. I open the discussion about the remuneration report. I note that no voters have joined the list of speakers. Which makes us the next step to the vote. So the board of directors proposed that the 2023 remuneration report be approved in a consultative vote. I ask you to cast your vote now.
Marcel, magst du das Foto von mir? Das ich mit den Freundinnen auf Facebook teile. Ja klar, wie ist die Code? Oder eine Gesichtserkennung? Hä Code? So mühsam. Ja, ja, das Gerät immer bei mir.
Aber Mama, das ist mega gefährlich. Wenn irgendjemand an dein Handy kommt, dann kommt auch an deine Daten. So wie meine Mami die Haustür gut abgeschlossen hat, solltest du auch deine Geräte abschliessen. Auf den Geräten, egal ob auf dem Laptop oder Smartphone, hat es wie zu Hause viele private Sachen drin. Heute kann man jedes Gerät ganz einfach mit einem Code, Gesichtserkennung oder Fingerabdruck sperren. Ich stelle fest, dass Sie den Antrag.
I note that the question of the board of directors was approved with 84.8%, so thank you very much for approval. We get now to the approval of the report of non-financial matters. With the introduction of Article 964A of the Swiss Code of Obligations, Swisscom is obliged to prepare a report on non-financial matters from the 2023 financial year. The report provides an account of environmental matters.
Or it needs to be submitted to the approval and included in a separate section of the annual report. The report provides an account of environmental matters, in particular CO2 targets, social matters, employee matters, respect for human rights, and the fight against corruption. I would like to open the discussion on the report on non-financial matters. I note that no voters have joined the list of speakers. So we would like to come to the vote. The board of directors proposes that the report on non-financial matters 2023 be approved. I ask you to cast your vote now. Hier haben wir gerade Tickets für das Musical «Lion King» für uns bestellt. Nice! Du, aber wo hast du die Billets abgestellt? Hey, was hast du das Gefühl? Klar, habe ich Tickets auf der offiziellen Seite des Anbieters bestellt. Ich weiß doch, bei Online-Shopping muss man vorsichtig sein.
Meine Mami hat es absolut richtig gemacht. Das Internet ist wie eine Freundesstadt. Wenn du dich dort nachher bewegst, bleibst du auch besser auf den beleuchteten Strassen, anstatt in den dunklen Gassen. Darum schaue, dass du zum Beispiel Apps, Programme oder auch Theatertickets nur in den offiziellen Online-Stores kaufst. Ich stelle fest, dass Sie den Bericht über.
I note that you've adopted the report on non-financial matters with 97.8% in votes in favour. This brings us to the appropriation of retained earnings and the determination of the dividend. The unappropriated surplus of CHF 6.966 billion is made up of the profit carried forward from last year, which is CHF 695 million, and the net profit of 2023 of CHF 271 million.
CHF 1,140 million of the distributable profit will be paid out as a dividend, and CHF 5,826 million will be carried forward to the new account. No dividend will be paid on treasury shares held by Swisscom Limited. As in the previous year, the Board of Directors is therefore proposing a dividend of 22 CHF per share or 14.30 CHF after deduction of withholding tax. We now come to the discussion. I know that no voters have joined the list of speakers. We now come to the vote. The proposal of the Board of Directors on the appropriation of retained earnings and the determination of the dividend is projected. I ask you to cast your vote now.
Jetzt ist das doofe Eis wieder da. Muss ich die Software-Update wirklich wieder machen?
Ja, die sieht einfach auch extra so nervig aus, Mama. Genau wie wir regelmäßig zum Arzt für eine Routineuntersuchung gehen, müssen Apps und Betriebssysteme regelmäßige Updates machen, damit sie gut funktionieren und vor allem sicher bleiben. Darum empfehle ich dir, wo immer möglich, auf deinen Geräten die automatische Update-Funktion zu aktivieren. So musst du dich nicht mehr darum kümmern und das rote Eis verschwindet von allein. Ich stelle fest, dass Sie den.
I note that you've accepted the proposal of the board of directors on 91.4%. Votes in favor of the dividend will be paid out on the fourth of April. The last trading day entitling shareholders to receive the dividend is the 28th of March. The shares will be traded ex-dividend from the second of April.
We now come to the discharge of the members of the Board of Directors and the Group Executive Board for their activities in the 2023 financial year. The discharge applies only to disclosed facts. I'll open the discussion now. I note that there are no comments on this agenda item and have not registered any voters. Let's get to the vote. I note that the members of the Board of Directors and all persons who participated in the management of the company in the 2023 financial year are not entitled to vote on the formal approval of the actions of either their own shares or the shares they represent. I ask these persons not to cast a vote. This also applies to any representative of this person. So I.
The Board of Directors proposes that the members of the Board of Directors and the Group Executive Board for the activities are discharged, and I'd like to ask you to cast your votes now.
Da weißt du, wo es sitzt. Vorher, als ich Tickets gekauft habe, bin ich über meine App von der Swisscom surfen gegangen und nicht über das offene WLAN. Das weiß ich nämlich, dass jeder Guthaben darauf zugreifen kann und auch meine Kreditkartennummer hat. Du hast absolut recht, Mama. Aber weißt du, ich sorge mich halt auch ein bisschen um dich. Ein fremdes WLAN zu brauchen, ist ein bisschen wie wenn man aus einer unbekannten Quelle Wasser trinkt. Das kann böse Überraschungen geben. Darum empfehle ich genau, wie es meine Mami gemacht hat, unbekannte WLANs zu vermeiden. Zum Beispiel ein Billett kaufen. Das mache ich am besten in einem sicheren WLAN oder über unser Swisscom Mobilnetz.
Ich stelle fest, dass Sie.
I note that you have discharged the board of directors and the group executive board with 99.3% votes in favor, and thank you for the trust that you have placed in us. Damit kommen wir nun zu den Wahlen in diesem Land. This brings us to the elections to the board of directors. As already mentioned in my speech, a new election is due to the following resignation of Alain Carrupt. The other members are standing for re-election. The federal representative will not be elected by the annual general meeting, but will be seconded by the Federal Council. The Federal Council has announced that it has appointed Fritz Zurbrügg for a further term of an office of one year as federal representative.
The board of directors and I personally would like to thank Alain Carrupt for his valued contribution to Swisscom's board of directors. Dear Alain. You have been associated with Swisscom in one form or another for 46 years without interruption. First, from 1978 to 1994, you worked for PTT Operations. Most recently, as head of administrative services as the telecom director in Sion. You then switched sides and worked for the PTT Union and Syndicom Trade Union, most recently as co-president and president of the staff association from 2008 to 2016. For many years, Swisscom had a fair and reliable negotiation partner in you, even if the discussions were not always easy. Since April 2016, you've been a staff representative on the Swisscom board of directors and on the Strategy and Investment Committee, formerly the Finance Committee.
One characteristic particularly characterized you on the board of directors: you always put your heart and soul into championing the interests of employees. At the same time, you always focused on the interests of Swisscom as a company and included them in your considerations, which meant that you also supported difficult decisions. A balancing act that was certainly not always easy. We also appreciated your experience in political issues, on which you were able to provide valuable input. After eight years, you've decided to step down from the board of directors. With you, we are losing a highly valued discussion partner, and on behalf of my colleagues and all the shareholders present here today, I would like to thank you warmly for your many years of service to Swisscom. As a token of friendship and appreciation, I'm more than happy to present you this gift.
Wir freuen uns aufs Neue.
Herzlichen Dank. Wir kommen nun zu den Wahlen.
We now get to the elections. I will be very brief in introducing my colleagues who are standing for re-election. You will find detailed information on this individual in the annual report. You can then take part in the discussion before casting your vote for each candidate individually in a multiple vote. I would like to hand over to Vice President Frank Esser. I am pleased to propose Michael Rechsteiner for re-election. Michael Rechsteiner has been a member of the board of directors since 2019 and chairman since 2021. He is a member of the Audit and ESG Reporting, Strategy and Investment and Remuneration Committees. He also chairs the Nomination Committee, which is formed on an ad hoc basis. Michael Rechsteiner brings a wealth of experience in the board of directors from his many years of experience in the global energy market.
He is standing for re-election as a member and as chairman. Thank you, Frank. We now come to the other members for the board of directors. Roland Abt is a financial expert and has been a member of the board of directors since 2016. He heads the Audit and ESG Reporting Committee and is a member of the Remuneration Committee. Monique Bourquin has been a member of the board of directors for one year and heads the Remuneration Committee. She has a broad experience in the consumer goods sector, with a particular focus on brand management, sales, and finance. Guus Dekkers has been a member of the board of directors since 2021 and contributes his extensive expertise in IT and technology, in particular to the board of directors and the Strategy and Investments Committee.
Frank Esser is vice president, chairman of the Strategy and Investment Committee, and also a member of the Remuneration Committee. Since 2014, he has been contributing his broad experience from the European telecommunications market in particular. Sandra Lathion-Zweifel is a lawyer specializing in financial and capital market law. She has been staff representative on the board of directors and a member of the Audit and ESG Reporting Committee since 2019. Anna Mossberg has been contributing to the board of directors and Strategy and Investment Committee since 2018, with her experience in digitization, among other things. Daniel Münger will be proposed as a new member of the board of directors. He is very familiar with the telecommunications industry. As a trained metal worker, he joined PTT in 1983, where he worked in cable construction and trained as a telecommunications specialist.
In 1996, he began his professional career with the staff associations, and from 2022, he was part of the communications union. In 2010, he moved to the central secretariat of the Syndicom Trade Union, where he was able to successfully contribute his industry experience and expertise as central secretary. In 2015, he took over head of logistics sector and became a member of the Syndicom's executive board. From 2016 until his resignation in 2023, in June it was, he led Syndicom as the president. Daniel Münger has broad political experience at cantonal level. With his experience, he actually has the best political experience, and he fulfills the independence criteria of the Swiss Code of Best Practice for corporate governance. We now come to the discussion. I note that no one has signed in for the list of speakers.
So we get to the vote on agenda items 4.1 to 4.8. The board of directors proposes the election of Michael Rechsteiner as member and chairman, Roland Abt, Monique Bourquin, Guus Dekkers, Frank Esser, Sandra Lathion-Zweifel, Anna Mossberg, and Daniel Münger for a period up to the conclusion of the next ordinary annual general meeting. Since we are conducting a multiple vote, you have 25 seconds instead of 10 seconds to cast your vote. Please cast your votes now.
Letztes Wochenende bin ich hier durchgelaufen und dann ist mein Handy aus dem Mantelsack gefallen. Zum Glück konnte ich es mit "Find My iPhone" wiederfinden. Sonst hätte ich wieder ein neues Gerät anschaffen müssen. Ja, das Gerät, das wäre ja noch gegangen. Aber denk mal an all diese schönen Fotos von mir. Manchmal kann es sehr schnell gehen und das Handy fällt ins Wasser, geht kaputt oder wird einem sogar gestohlen.
Darum ist es enorm wichtig, seine Daten wie Fotos, Nachrichten und Kontakte mit einem Backup zu sichern. Wenn deinem Gerät etwas passiert, kannst du so mit wenigen Klicks all deine Daten wieder auf ein neues Gerät hochladen. Sehr gut. In der Zwischenzeit. Great.
In the meantime, all the results of the elections to the board of directors have been determined. I am announcing them in the order in which they were voted on. I note that all persons proposed for election have been elected as proposed. Myself, with 96.03% votes in favor. Roland Abt, with 99.16% votes in favor. Monique Bourquin, with 98.51% in favor. Guus Dekkers, with 99.51% votes in favor. Frank Esser, with 99.20% votes in favor. Sandra Lathion-Zweifel, with 97.07% votes in favor. Anna Mossberg, with 99.46% votes in favor. Daniel Münger, with 99.52% votes in favor.
On my own behalf, but also on behalf of my colleagues, I would like to thank you for the trust you have placed in us. We now come to the elections to the Remuneration Committee. If elected by the annual general meeting, the board of directors will reappoint Monique Bourquin as chair of the Remuneration Committee. The board of directors proposes the election of Fritz Zurbrügg to the Remuneration Committee. Fritz Zurbrügg has been a federal representative on the board of directors and a member of the Audit and ESG Reporting Committee for one year. As a longstanding member of the governing board and vice chairman of the Swiss National Bank, Fritz Zurbrügg contributes his broad experience in the area of finance, among other things. We now come to the discussion on the proposals of the board of directors and agenda item five.
We then vote on all proposals in a multiple vote. Are there any people? Yes, there is one because of the with regards to the previous agenda item. Mr. Walter Groth, I think. I just want to give him the space. Ladies and gentlemen, it was a bit fast. As I'm from Bern, I have a problem. Well, I don't have anything against Mr. Münger, but I think the least that could be expected from Mr. Münger is that he comes here and introduces himself. I don't know how many people have had contact with Mr. Münger or how many know him. We, most shareholders, do not know him, and I would like to have Mr. Münger introduce himself personally. Thank you very much. Well, thank you, Mr. Groth. Daniel Münger, may I ask you just to briefly come to the microphone and introduce yourself just very briefly?
Esteemed ladies and gentlemen, I would like to thank you for the vote and election. But just briefly, 2, 3 sentences about myself. I come from Basel. Well, I live in Münchenstein, to be more precise. And for many, many years, I've been connected to Swisscom. Well, I am married. I am the father of 3 adult girls. I have 5 grandchildren. This is basically what I can tell you. And the rest is probably can be seen in the annual report. And in this sense, I look forward to accepting this vote and this election. And I'm more than happy that I can basically work for Swisscom and the employees and you as well. Thank you very much. Thank you very much, Daniel. We look forward to the cooperation with you. That brings us back to agenda item five. Let me just check with the desk there. Okay, fine.
So that brings us to the vote directly. The board of directors proposes Roland Abt, Monique Bourquin, Frank Esser, Michael Rechsteiner without voting rights, and Fritz Zurbrügg for the period until the conclusion of the next annual general meeting to vote him to the Remuneration Committee. As we also have multiple voting here, you have 15 seconds to cast your vote. Please cast your vote now.
Eine richtige Säge ist dein Passwort. Marcel, 1, 2, 3. Ist das dein Ernst? Marcel, ich glaube, das tippt klarerweise rein. Ein Passwort wie 1, 2, 3, 4 zu brauchen, ist, wie wenn du die Hausschlüssel in den Schrank legst. Zwar ist dein Haus abgeschlossen, aber jeder, der wirklich will, kommt hier rein. Darum empfehle ich dir: Mach für jeden Dienst ein anderes Passwort. Nimm keine Namen und nutze auch Zahlen und Sonderzeichen. Und weil das schnell kompliziert werden kann, brauche ich einen Passwortmanager.
In the meantime, the results have been determined. I am announcing them in the order in which they were voted on. I note that all persons proposed for election have been elected as proposed. Roland Abt, with 99.06% votes in favor. Monique Bourquin, with 97.72% votes in favor. Frank Esser, with 99.05% votes in favor. Myself, with 96.4% in favor. And Fritz Zurbrügg, with 96.55% votes in favor. I would like to thank you, also on behalf of my colleagues, for the trust you have placed in us. This brings us to the Remuneration 2025 for the members of the board of directors. The board of directors is proposing a maximum total amount of CHF 2.5 million.
This amount is aimed at the remuneration of nine members of the board of directors and corresponds to the total amount approved by the annual general meeting for remuneration in 2024. It is composed as follows: CHF 2.2 million for fixed board of directors fees, one third of which will continue to be paid out in shares as up to now, and CHF 0.3 million in employer contributions to Social Security and occupational pension schemes. The chart below shows a comparison of the remuneration from 2022 to 2025. The remuneration paid to the board of directors in the last two years totaled CHF 2.5 million or CHF 2.4 million, respectively. An amount of CHF 2.5 million has been approved for 2024, and the same amount is proposed for 2025. I hereby open the discussion. Okay, there are no voters that have made them in the list of speakers.
So let's get to the vote. The Board of Directors proposes that the remuneration of the members of the Board of Directors into the 2025 financial year to a maximum total amount of CHF 2.5 million. I ask you to cast your vote now.
Guten Morgen, das ist das Schweizer Kühlgas. Das ist kein Stuhl. Es ist wohl einfach das Kühlgas. Das nennt man klassisches Phishing. Phishing ist eine Betrugsmethode, bei der Kriminelle versuchen, an uns persönlich anzutreten. Das kann per Mail, Webseite, SMS oder sogar per Telefon sein. Wenn der Absender unbekannt ist, zeitlichen Druck macht oder bei der Videoaufnahme löst die Anfrage wieder schneller als wenn. Ist die BFS? Frage: Was für Fragen geht der Gang durch? I note that the maximum total amount for the remuneration of the Board of Directors in 2025 was approved with 98.44% votes in favor. Thank you very much.
We now come to the remuneration of the executive board. The board of directors proposes a maximum amount of CHF 10.9 million for the remuneration of the group executive board in 2025. This amount is geared towards the remuneration of nine members of the group executive boards and corresponds to the total amount approved by the annual general meeting for the remuneration in 2024. This amount is expected to be made up as follows: CHF 4.4 million for basic remuneration, CHF 4.4 million for variable performance-related remuneration, and CHF 2.1 million for pension, supplementary benefits, as well as employer contributions to social insurance. The proposed total amount includes the maximum variable remuneration. So you are therefore voting on the amount that would be payable if all members of the executive management were to exceed their targets to the maximum extent.
The board of directors will define the targets for the 2025 financial year at the end of 2024. Once the annual results are available in February and January-February 2026, it will then determine the target's achievement. This can amount to a maximum of 130%. If 100% of the target is achieved in 2025, the total remuneration is expected to amount to CHF 9.5 million. The targets have never been exceeded to such an extent that the maximum variable component has been reached. As the chart shows, the remuneration paid out in 2022 and 2023 is below the respective maximum total amounts. The board of directors expects the same for 2025. I hereby open the discussion. I see that one person requested to speak. Mr. President, ladies and gentlemen, just very briefly. Yes, it's a good feeling if I see those figures, when I see those figures.
And yesterday, I went to see Kärinbäck in Bari. And, you know, well, the board of directors is higher than the management. It's just absolutely insane, which is just huge, just insane. So I have to say that it's a good feeling. It's a balm for soul when I see your figures. But what I experienced yesterday is just insane. It's just excessively not like this. Well, thank you very much, Mr. Chop. So we accept what you say. So I ask again, are there any further requests to speak? It doesn't seem to be the case. So let's get to the vote. The board of directors proposes that the remuneration of the executive board in the 2025 financial year to amount to a maximum total of CHF 10.9 million. I ask you to cast your vote now. Das mit der Sicherheit ist ja gut und recht.
Aber mit diesem Zwei-Faktor-Zeug, da muss ich so viel eingeben. Das ist so mühsam. Was soll das mir bringen? Die Zwei-Faktor-Authentisierung kannst du dir vorstellen wie bei einem Bankomat. Da hast du ja dein Kärtchen und den PIN-Code. Und wenn du nur eines von beiden hast, kannst du auch kein Geld herauslassen. Gleich funktioniert es auch mit den digitalen Accounts. Wenn du dich auf dem Computer nicht mehr einloggst, wird dir via SMS ein Code geschickt. Erst wenn du diesen Code eingibst, kommst du in die Account rein. Viele Dienste wie E-Banking oder Clouds haben das schon aktiviert. Ich empfehle dir, das so zu machen. Ich stelle fest... I note that the annual general meeting approved the maximum total amount of remuneration for the group executives in 2025 at 97.50% votes in favor. We now come to the reelection of the independent proxy.
The board of directors proposes the election of Rieber Rechtsanwälte Zürich. Rieber Rechtsanwälte fulfills the legal requirements and is available for reelection. I hereby open the discussion on this agenda item. I note that there are no voters that want to speak. Let's get to the vote. The board of directors proposes that the law firm Rieber Rechtsanwälte in Zürich be reelected as independent proxy for the period until the conclusion of the next annual general meeting. I ask you to cast your vote now.
Das Beste steht dir wirklich sehr gut. Siehst du? Ja. Gut. Mach schnell. Nein, schau mal, jetzt habe ich die gleiche Nachricht bekommen wie die Ophorie. Das melden sie jetzt gerade. Melden wem? Unserer Familie? Oder dem Publikum der Generalversammlung der Swisscom? Mit diesen Tipps bewegst du dich schon viel sicherer im Internet.
Noch einen Schritt weiter können wir gehen, wenn mehr verdächtige Inhalte melden. Das Bundesamt für Cybersicherheit bietet dafür auf ihrer Webseite ein Meldeformular an, mit dem du Vorfälle wie Phishing oder Spam melden kannst. So kannst auch du für mehr Sicherheit sorgen.
I note that the motion was approved with 99.3% votes in favor. I congratulate Rieber Rechtsanwälte on their election and thank them for accepting the mandate. This brings us to the last item on the agenda for this annual general meeting: the election of the auditors. The audit firm PwC is registered as a state-regulated audit firm with the Federal Audit Oversight Authority and fulfills the legal requirements for independence. PwC is standing for reelection. I hereby open the discussion on this agenda item. I note that no voters have come forward or requested to speak. Let's get to the vote.
The Board of Directors declares to vote PwC as an auditor. So please cast your vote now.
Ich kann mir keine Sorgen machen. Ja, man muss mit der Zeit gehen, sich mit der Digitalisierung auseinandersetzen. Und dir muss ich ab und zu ein bisschen auf die Finger schauen. Ja, ich weiß. Lass es, ich sollte langsam gehen. Es war schön. Sehr. Nein, nein, nein. Lass es nochmal sein. Merci. Ich räume dich ab. Ist gut. Tschüss, Mama. So, ich hoffe, du konntest den einen oder anderen Tipp für dich mitnehmen. Komm doch im Anschluss offiziell zu uns zu den Beratungsinseln. Bei einem Cybersecurity-Quiz kannst du gratis Wissen testen oder sogar die künstliche Intelligenz live erleben. Habe ich gerade künstliche Intelligenz gehört? Darf ich hier kommen? Ich stelle fest... I note that PricewaterhouseCoopers AG has been elected as the statutory auditor for the 2024 financial year with 99% votes in favor.
I congratulate PwC on their election and thank them for accepting the mandate, which received the declaration of acceptance. Dear Shareholders. This brings us to the end of the 2024 annual general meeting. I would like to thank you for your loyalty with the company and for the trust that you've expressed in the board of directors by approving the proposals. You have read it. Swisscom is not giving a shareholder's gift. Together, we can make a larger gift to two charitable organizations and achieve more. These are ProCap and the Library for the Blind, Visually Impaired and Reading Impaired, which we are supporting with CHF 15,000 each. On behalf of these two institutions, I would like to pass on our sincere thanks for the donation.
Finally, I would like to thank Martin Vögeli and all employees who have made the smooth running of this annual general meeting here in the Hallenstadion possible through their great commitment. The 2025 annual general meeting will again be held here at the Hallenstadion in Zürich on Wednesday, 26 March 2025. I would now like to invite you to an aperitif. The members of the Board of Directors and the Executive Board will be happy to meet you in person at the beginning. In the hall, there will not only be an aperitif waiting for you in the hall, but also Marcel Curien and other specialists who will be happy to answer your questions. Take the opportunity. We also invite you to stop by our counseling islands. Exciting AI applications await you there, which you can also use in your everyday life.
I now wish you a comfortable and cozy end of the day, many pleasant encounters, and a safe journey home. Please leave your voting devices at your seats. The 2024 annual general meeting is closed.