Category Archive: 3) Swiss Markets and News

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The Federal Council wants to tax electric cars from 2030

2025-09-26

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2025-09-26

Switzerland’s Federal Council intends to tax electric cars from 2030 to make up for shrinking fuel-tax revenues, reported SRF. Two models are on the table: a levy per kilometre driven or a surcharge on the electricity used to charge vehicles.

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Switzerland plans extra taxes on electric vehicles

2025-09-26

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2025-09-26

Electric vehicles are to be taxed more heavily from 2030. The government has put out to consultation two tax variants - one based on the number of kilometres travelled, the other on electricity - to continue financing Switzerland's roads. +Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox This new tax is intended to …

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UBS protests Swiss capital requirement proposal

2025-09-26

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2025-09-26

Switzerland’s government formally proposed giving UBS bank seven years to fully comply with higher capital requirements, confirming previous guidance. +Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox The biggest banks in Switzerland, most notably UBS, should “provide full capital backing for their participations in foreign subsidiaries,” the government said in a statement on …

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Switzerland enters digital trade deal with Singapore

2025-09-26

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2025-09-26

Switzerland is among the EFTA states ( also Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway) that have signed an agreement on digital trade with Singapore. +Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox Swiss Economics Minister Guy Parmelin and representatives of the other EFTA states signed the deal with Singapore's Minister for Trade Relations, Grace Fu, …

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Swiss lawmakers moot transit tourism tax

2025-09-26

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2025-09-26

Swiss lawmakers are proposing a tax on foreigners who drive through the country en route to other destinations. The government warns of complex implementation and high costs, and one expert doubts the usefulness of the tax. +Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox Senators have had enough of private transit traffic clogging …

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Nestlé appoints new Nespresso head

2025-09-26

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2025-09-26

Nestlé has appointed Alfonso Gonzalez Loeschen as CEO of Nespresso and member of the Executive Board. He will succeed Philipp Navratil, who was appointed as new group CEO following a scandal at the food giant. +Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox Loeschen, who is currently head of Nespresso North America and …

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How fillers and flavours help reduce cocoa in chocolate treats 

2025-09-26

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2025-09-26

Record high prices of cocoa beans have boosted the development and adoption of cheaper replacement options which provide the same chocolate taste - for less. Food companies have seen their profit margins hit by record cocoa prices caused by two successive years of unfavourable weather in West Africa in 2023 and 2024, where 75% of …

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Switzerland braces for 100% US medicine tariff

2025-09-26

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2025-09-26

United States President Donald Trump has announced new tariffs on medicines, lorries and furniture produced outside the US. +Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox From October 1, "we will apply a 100% tax on all branded and patented pharmaceutical products, unless a company BUILDS its pharmaceutical plant in America", Trump wrote …

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Swiss parliament demands greater transparency in pricing of food

2025-09-25

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2025-09-25

The Swiss Senate on Thursday approved a parliamentary initiative to monitor precisely who makes what margin in the food value chain and where various costs are incurred. The House of Representatives had previously also voted in favour of such an initiative. The Senate reached its decision by 21 votes to 18, with no abstentions. The …

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Starbucks announces store closures in Switzerland

2025-09-25

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2025-09-25

The US coffee chain Starbucks has announced store closures in Switzerland as part of its global cost-cutting measures. Locations with insufficient customer footfall or no economic prospects are affected. +Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox The company announced on Thursday that the aim is to focus its offering more strongly on …

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Swiss National Bank keeps key interest rate at zero

2025-09-25

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2025-09-25

The Swiss National Bank (SNB) is taking a break from interest rates. After six consecutive interest rate cuts, the key interest rate will remain at 0.00%, the SNB announced on Thursday. +Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox Inflationary pressure is practically unchanged compared to the previous quarter, the SNB wrote in …

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Two Swiss parties face dilemma on agreements with EU

2025-09-25

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2025-09-25

The Centre Party and the Radical-Liberal Party are struggling to define their stance on new agreements between Switzerland and the European Union. Much is at stake for both, including their influence. The debate offers significant potential for them to make political gains, our analysis shows. It is the middle of the legislative term. Since June, …

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UBS ‘boosts bonuses’ to keep top wealth staff

2025-09-24

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2025-09-24

UBS bank is raising the payouts earned by its wealth advisers in the United States, with the aim of retaining and hiring personnel at a time of intense competition for talent. +Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox Earlier this month, the Swiss bank announced internally that it would increase rewards for …

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Swiss Senate backs foreign investment controls

2025-09-24

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2025-09-24

Switzerland's Senate has backed plans to control foreign investment in Swiss companies. +Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox After the House of Representatives, the Senate adopted the government bill to this effect on Wednesday by 27 votes to 11, against the advice of its committee. The project aims to introduce a …

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Tariffs dampen Swiss economic growth prospects

2025-09-24

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2025-09-24

The Swiss economy is likely to grow much more slowly in the coming year than was assumed in the summer, according to experts from the KOF Swiss Economic Institute at ETH Zurich. +Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox The US tariff hammer of early August and the various uncertainties are to … Continue...

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Swiss realtor optimism at all-time high

2025-09-24

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2025-09-24

Despite a cautious assessment of the economic situation, the Swiss property sector is looking to the next 12 months with optimism, according to a study by consultancy giant KPMG. +Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox This is due to significantly higher price expectations, which for the first time also apply to …

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US tariffs force Switzerland to rethink trade ties

2025-09-24

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2025-09-24

United States trade policy is rattling countries worldwide and prompting them to redirect trade flows at record speed. This is also how Switzerland is responding. US tariffs have put many countries in a tight spot. Persistent uncertainty is only making matters worse: will the US president suddenly slap on further tariffs, despite all concessions, as …

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Swisscom to relocate jobs to Holland and Latvia

2025-09-24

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2025-09-24

Swisscom intends to relocate certain IT development tasks from Switzerland to Rotterdam and Riga. This was confirmed by the telecoms provider on Wednesday at the request of the news agency AWP. +Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox According to a report by CH Media, 1,000 to 1,400 employees will be working …

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France: UBS pays €835 million to settle tax dispute

2025-09-23

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2025-09-23

UBS has settled an old tax dispute in France and will pay a total of 835 million euros (CHF780.7 million) to put an end to this case dating from 2004 to 2012, it announced on Tuesday. +Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox The €835 million to be paid breaks down into … Continue reading »

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Thyssenkrupp Presta cuts 570 jobs in Switzerland and Liechtenstein

2025-09-22

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2025-09-22

The crisis in the automotive industry is also hitting Switzerland hard. Thyssenkrupp Presta, a group specialising in the production of steering systems for cars, will cut up to 570 jobs in Liechtenstein and the Swiss canton of Appenzell Inner Rhodes. Over the next 12 months, the workforce will be reduced by a quarter, the subsidiary …

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