Brand and History
The campaign based around our triads is part of the helvetia 20.20 corporate strategy. It illustrates our most important goal: to offer you simple solutions.
A glance back at the past:
Helvetia has been around since 1858. The product of mergers between various Swiss and foreign insurance companies, we have grown into a successful European insurance group. Over the course of our history, we have repeatedly faced new challenges. Thanks to a good balance between security and entrepreneurial freedom, we remained true to ourselves. We built on our success and strengthened our reputation. In everyday life people normally look ahead to the future.
| 2024 | Communication of the new Helvetia 2035 strategy. New group structure internationalizes management and strengthens cooperation. |
| 2023 | Fabian Rupprecht becomes new Group CEO. New branch for international business in London UK. Opening of the new campus at the headquarter of Helvetia Switzerland in Basel. |
| 2022 | Shareholders’ Meeting elects Thomas Schmuckli as Chairman of the Board of Directors. |
| 2020 | Helvetia successfully concludes the acquisition of Caser. The acquisition will further strengthen the European business as a second pillar of the Group. |
| 2017 | Launch of the new brand campaign. |
| 2016 | The major Gotthard Basel Tunnel Construction Site Insurance project is completed. |
| 2015 | The merger of Helvetia and Nationale Suisse, which was announced on 7 July 2014, is completed. On 30 April 2015, Schweizerische National-Versicherungs-Gesellschaft AG was integrated in Helvetia Schweizerische Versicherungsgesellschaft AG. |
| 2014 |
Purchase of Basler Versicherungs-Aktiengesellschaft in Austria. Following the acquisition, Helvetia becomes one of the top-ten insurance companies in Austria. Takeover of Schweizerische National-Versicherungs-Gesellschaft AG (“Nationale Suisse”). A new strong Swiss insurance company emerges under the Helvetia brand. |
| 2013 | Completion of majority acquisition of Chiara Assicurazioni. Renewal of partnership with Bank Vontobel. Increase of holding in Nationale Suisse to 17.7%. |
| 2012 | Takeover of the French transport insurance portfolio of Gan Eurocourtage. Assumption of a Nationale Suisse share package from Basler Kantonalbank. Takeover of the SEV Versicherungen Genossenschaft portfolio and its approximately 15,000 policyholders. Acquisition of a majority stake in Chiara Assicurazioni and increase of holding in Chiara Vita from 70% to 100%. Extension of distribution agreement with Banco di Desio for the sale of life insurance. |
| 2011 | Legal merger with Alba Allgemeine Versicherungs-Gesellschaft AG (Alba), Phenix Versicherungsgesellschaft AG and Phenix Lebensversicherungsgesellschaft AG (Phenix). Sale of the Alba/Phenix health/accident insurance portfolio to the insurance companies innova and Solida. |
| 2010 | Purchase of the Swiss insurance companies Alba Allgemeine Versicherungs-Gesellschaft AG (Alba), Phenix Versicherungsgesellschaft AG and Phenix Lebensversicherungsgesellschaft AG (Phenix). |
| 2009 | Helvetia purchases the French transport insurer L´Européenne d´Assurance Transport (CEAT). |
| 2008 | Helvetia celebrates its 150th anniversary; takeover of Padana Assicurazioni S.p.A. and Chiara Vita S.p.A. as well as conclusion of a distribution agreement with Banco di Desio e della Brianza. |
| 2006 | Helvetia Patria Group now operates under the name Helvetia. |
| 2005 | Merger of the Italian companies Helvetia Vita and Helvetia Life to create Helvetia Vita with its headquarters in Milan; acquisition of the insurance portfolio of Sofi d Vita in Italy. |
| 2004 | Acquisition of two transport insurance portfolios in France. |
| 2003 | Merger of the two Spanish companies Helvetia CVN and Previsión Española to create Helvetia Previsión with its headquarters in Seville. |
| 2002 | Acquisition of the transport insurance business of UK-based Royal & Sun Alliance in France. |
| 2001 | Acquisition of Norwich Union Vita, Milan; renamed Helvetia Life; foundation of Helvetia e.com in Germany (now Helvetia Leben Maklerservice GmbH). |
| 2000 | Acquisition of Previsión Española, Seville. |
| 1999 | Cooperation agreement with the Swiss Raiffeisen Group; merger of the two Spanish companies Cervantes and La Vasco Navarra to create Helvetia CVN; sale of the Canadian business. |
| 1998 | Purchase of La Vasco Navarra, Pamplona (Spain); purchase of NCD portfolio (Italy). |
| 1997 | Sale of Greek business. |
| 1996 | Foundation of Helvetia Patria Holding; cooperation agreement with the Vontobel Bank Group. |
| 1995 | Helvetia sells its Dutch business. |
| 1994 | Unified Executive Management of Helvetia and Patria. |
| 1993 | Helvetia holds 99.9% of the shares of Anker; in France it focuses on the transport insurance business. |
| 1992 | Start of partnership between Helvetia and Patria. |
| 1990 | Reassumption of business activities by Helvetia in the new German federal states. |
| 1989 | Foundation of Helvetia International, Frankfurt am Main; start of cooperation with Helvetia Krankenversicherung (now Helsana). |
| 1988 | Liquidation of Helvetia Feuer and Helvetia Unfall business combination; Helvetia Feuer becomes Helvetia. |
| 1987 | Foundation of Helvetia Leben Deutschland, Frankfurt am Main, and Helvetia Vita, Milan. |
| 1986 | Helvetia Feuer acquires Cervantes and sells Uranus S.A. |
| 1980 | Patria acquires Hamburger Leben in Germany. |
| 1974 | Helvetia Feuer and Helvetia Allgemeine merge to become Helvetia Feuer. |
| 1972 | Helvetia Feuer sells its holding in Assurances Françaises; Patria enters the non-life business with the foundation of Patria Allgemeinen. |
| 1968 | Merger of Helvetia Feuer and Helvetia Unfall (twin shares); Helvetia Feuer withdraws from its US business. |
| 1962 | Helvetia Feuer acquires a stake in Anker. |
| 1960 | Helvetia Feuer obtains a holding in Assurances Françaises in Lyon. |
| 1959 | Helvetia Feuer acquires a stake in Previsión Española; accident, liability and motor vehicle insurance is introduced in Italy. |
| 1951 | In addition to property insurance, Helvetia Feuer in Germany also offers liability, accident and motor vehicle insurance; in the Netherlands it acquires Het Hollandsche Kruis N. V. Verzekering Maatschappij in The Hague. |
| 1949 | Helvetia Allgemeine acquires a majority stake in Les Assurances Françaises in Lyon. |
| 1948 | Helvetia Feuer takes up business operations in property insurance in Italy. |
| 1946 | Helvetia Feuer acquires the Belgian insurance company Uranus S.A. in Antwerp; German headquarters are moved from Berlin to Frankfurt am Main. |
| 1945 | Helvetia Feuer is licensed for reinsurance in all sectors. |
| 1938 | Helvetia Feuer sets up headquarters for Germany in Berlin; starts business operations in Canada. |
| 1930 | Foundation of Cervantes in Madrid. |
| 1921 | Helvetia Feuer starts business operations in Paris, France; Anker introduces property insurance. |
| 1918 | The end of the Austrian monarchy means that Anker has to withdraw from some business areas. |
| 1910 | Schweizerische Sterbe- und Alterskasse changes its name to Patria, Schweizerische Lebensversicherungsgesellschaft auf Gegenseitigkeit. |
| 1900 | Foundation of La Vasco Navarra in Pamplona, Spain. |
| 1896 | Helvetia Feuer starts business operations in New York in the US. |
| 1895 | Schweizerische Sterbe- und Alterskasse merges with the Bernese Cantonal Sterbe- und Alterskasse. |
| 1883 | Foundation of Previsión Española in Seville, Spain. |
| 1882 | Basler Sterbe- und Alterskasse changes its name to Schweizerische Sterbe- und Alterskasse. |
| 1878 | Foundation of Basler Sterbe- und Alterskasse in Basel. |
| 1876 | Helvetia Feuer opens a branch in California in the US. |
| 1869 | Anker introduces accident insurance and moves its headquarters to Hohe Markt, Vienna. |
| 1864 | First own German branch of Helvetia Feuer (Karlsruhe), Anker opens tenth branch (Salzburg) and first representative offices outside of the Austrian Empire. |
| 1862 | Helvetia Feuer starts business operations in Germany (Bremen and Hamburg). |
| 1861 | Foundation of Helvetia Schweizerische Feuerversicherungsgesellschaft in St Gall. |
| 1858 | Foundation of Allgemeine Versicherungsgesellschaft Helvetia in St Gall. Foundation of Der Anker, Gesellschaft für Lebens- und Rentenversicherung in Vienna. |