Report of the statutory auditor

Report on the Audit of the Consolidated Financial Statements

Opinion

We have audited the consolidated financial statements of Investis Holding SA and its subsidiaries (the Group), which comprise the consolidated balance sheet as at 31 December 2023 and the consolidated statement of income, consolidated statement of changes in equity and consolidated statement of cash flows for the year then ended, and notes to the consolidated financial statements, including a summary of significant accounting policies.

In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements give a true and fair view of the consolidated financial position of the Group as at 31 December 2023, and its consolidated results of operations and its consolidated cash flows for the year then ended in accordance with Swiss GAAP FER and comply with Article 17 of the Directive on Financial Reporting (Directive Financial Reporting, DFR) of SIX Swiss Exchange and Swiss law.

Basis for Opinion

We conducted our audit in accordance with Swiss law and Swiss Standards on Auditing (SA-CH). Our responsibilities under those provisions and standards are further described in the “Auditor’s Responsibilities for the Audit of the Consolidated Financial Statements” section of our report. We are independent of the Group in accordance with the provisions of Swiss law, together with the requirements of the Swiss audit profession and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements.

We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.

Key Audit Matter

Investment properties form a substantial part of the consolidated balance sheet and showed an overall fair value of mCHF 1’509 as at 31 December 2023.

The Group’s total investment properties are valued at fair value as at the balance sheet date. The valuation is based on the external valuation expert’s report. The fair value estimates performed every six months using mainly the discounted cash flow model are significantly influenced by assumptions and estimates with regard to the expected future cash flows and the discount rate used for each property depending on its individual rewards and risks.

Our response

In the course of our audit, we assessed the external valuation expert’s competence and independence. We met with the external valuation expert regarding the valuation of the investment properties and discussed the valuation methodology and selected input factors applied in the valuation. We used our own real estate valuation specialists to support our audit procedures.

In collaboration with these specialists we performed analytical procedures on the total population of the investment properties and conducted our own valuations on a sample basis. The sample of properties was identified based on quantitative and qualitative factors.

For this sample, we performed, amongst others, the following audit procedures:

  • - evaluating the methodical accuracy of the model used to determine the fair value;
  • - challenging the most important input factors applied in the valuation (such as discount rates, market rents, vacancy rates, operating and maintenance cost, and renovation capital expenditures) by comparing them with past figures, benchmarks, publicly available data and our own market assessments.
For further information on Valuation of Investment Properties refer to the following:

Other Information

The Board of Directors is responsible for the other information. The other information comprises the information included in the annual report, but does not include the consolidated financial statements, the stand-alone financial statements of the company, the compensation report and our auditor’s reports thereon.

Our opinion on the consolidated financial statements does not cover the other information and we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon.

In connection with our audit of the consolidated financial statements, our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the consolidated financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the audit or otherwise appears to be materially misstated.

If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact. We have nothing to report in this regard.

Board of Directors’ Responsibilities for the Consolidated Financial Statements

The Board of Directors is responsible for the preparation of the consolidated financial statements that give a true and fair view in accordance with Swiss GAAP FER and the provisions of Swiss law, and for such internal control as the Board of Directors determines is necessary to enable the preparation of consolidated financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.

In preparing the consolidated financial statements, the Board of Directors is responsible for assessing the Group’s ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the Board of Directors either intends to liquidate the Group or to cease operations, or has no realistic alternative but to do so.

Auditor’s Responsibilities for the Audit of the Consolidated Financial Statements

Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the consolidated financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor’s report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with Swiss law and SA-CH will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these consolidated financial statements.

As part of an audit in accordance with Swiss law and SA-CH, we exercise professional judgment and maintain professional skepticism throughout the audit. We also:

  • - Identify and assess the risks of material misstatement of the consolidated financial statements, whether due to fraud or error, design and perform audit procedures responsive to those risks, and obtain audit evidence that is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion. The risk of not detecting a material misstatement resulting from fraud is higher than for one resulting from error, as fraud may involve collusion, forgery, intentional omissions, misrepresentations, or the override of internal control.
  • - Obtain an understanding of internal control relevant to the audit in order to design audit procedures that are appropriate in the circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Group’s internal control.
  • - Evaluate the appropriateness of accounting policies used and the reasonableness of accounting estimates and related disclosures made.
  • - Conclude on the appropriateness of the Board of Directors’ use of the going concern basis of accounting and, based on the audit evidence obtained, whether a material uncertainty exists related to events or conditions that may cast significant doubt on the Group’s ability to continue as a going concern. If we conclude that a material uncertainty exists, we are required to draw attention in our auditor’s report to the related disclosures in the consolidated financial statements or, if such disclosures are inadequate, to modify our opinion. Our conclusions are based on the audit evidence obtained up to the date of our auditor’s report. However, future events or conditions may cause the Group to cease to continue as a going concern.
  • - Evaluate the overall presentation, structure and content of the consolidated financial statements, including the disclosures, and whether the consolidated financial statements represent the underlying transactions and events in a manner that achieves fair presentation.
  • - Obtain sufficient appropriate audit evidence regarding the financial information of the entities or business activities within the Group to express an opinion on the consolidated financial statements. We are responsible for the direction, supervision and performance of the Group audit. We remain solely responsible for our audit opinion.

We communicate with the Board of Directors or its relevant committee regarding, among other matters, the planned scope and timing of the audit and significant audit findings, including any significant deficiencies in internal control that we identify during our audit.

We also provide the Board of Directors or its relevant committee with a statement that we have complied with relevant ethical requirements regarding independence, and communicate with them all relationships and other matters that may reasonably be thought to bear on our independence, and where applicable, actions taken to eliminate threats or safeguards applied.

From the matters communicated with the Board of Directors or its relevant committee, we determine those matters that were of most significance in the audit of the consolidated financial statements of the current period and are therefore the key audit matters. We describe these matters in our auditor’s report, unless law or regulation precludes public disclosure about the matter or when, in extremely rare circumstances, we determine that a matter should not be communicated in our report because the adverse consequences of doing so would reasonably be expected to outweigh the public interest benefits of such communication.

Report on Other Legal and Regulatory Requirements

In accordance with article 728a para. 1 item 3 CO and PS-CH 890, we confirm that an internal control system exists, which has been designed for the preparation of consolidated financial statements according to the instructions of the Board of Directors.

We recommend that the consolidated financial statements submitted to you be approved.

KPMG AG

Reto Benz
Licensed Audit Expert
Auditor in Charge

Ruben Zwahlen
Licensed Audit Expert

Zurich, 25 March 2024

KPMG AG, Badenerstrasse 172, CH-8036 Zurich

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