Swiss lawmakers on Thursday agreed to a bill that will see Switzerland's two largest banks hold a radically higher share of core common equity in a bid to minimise the systemic threat of too-big-to-fail institutions.

Thirty-six members of Switzerland's upper chamber of parliament, the Council of States, voted in favour of a measure that will require UBS and Credit Suisse – the country's two largest banks – to raise their capital requirements to 19%. No members voted against the measure while two