Category Archive: 3) Swiss Markets and News

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Investec
Investec is a distinctive Specialist Bank and Asset Manager. We provide a diverse range of financial products and services to a niche client base in three principal markets, the United Kingdom, South Africa and Australia, as well as certain other geographies. Investec’s strategic goals are motivated by the desire to develop an efficient and integrated business on an international scale through the active pursuit of clearly established core competencies in the group’s principal business areas.
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Tamil street food, all chopped up

2017-11-17

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Tama Vakeesan was born in Switzerland to Tamil parents from Sri Lanka. This week, she meets up with Thileeban, who talks about his difficult start to life here in Switzerland. These days, apart from selling Sri Lankan street food, he’s also involved in film production. (SRF Kulturplatz/swissinfo.ch) — swissinfo.ch is the international branch of the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC). …

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Why Tama’s role models are all women

2017-11-17

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Tama Vakeesan was born in Switzerland to Tamil parents from Sri Lanka. Her role models are all female: singers, stand-up comedians,YouTubers and Disney characters. Here’s why she thinks they’re heroes. (SRF Kulturplatz/swissinfo.ch)  — swissinfo.ch is the international branch of the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC). Its role is to report on Switzerland and to provide a Swiss perspective …

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The grassroots fight for biodiversity

2017-11-17

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The spread of non-native plant species is one of the greatest threats to Switzerland’s biodiversity. In a pilot project, the Canton of Zurich is coordinating the fight against the 20 most invasive plants over a wide stretch of Reppischtal. (SRF/swissinfo.ch) — swissinfo.ch is the international branch of the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC). Its role is to report on Switzerland and to …

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Saudi Billionaires Scramble To Move Cash Offshore, Escape Asset Freeze

2017-11-16

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2017-11-16

Saudi Crackdown
Over the weekend, Saudi King Salman shocked the world by abruptly announcing the arrests of 11 senior princes and some 38 ministers, including Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal, the world’s sixty-first richest man and the largest shareholder in Citi, News Corp. and Twitter.

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Credit Suisse Fined $135 million for Malpractices

2017-11-15

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2017-11-15

Credit Suisse bank has been ordered to pay a fine of $135 million (CHF134.5 million) to the US authorities after an enquiry into the Swiss bank’s practices in setting foreign exchange rates. The figure was reached in a consultation between both parties.

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Swiss justice minister calls for commodities crackdown

2017-11-15

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2017-11-15

Following revelations in the so-called “Paradise Papers” of questionable deals done by Swiss-based commodities companies in Africa, Switzerland’s justice minister has said that the country – historically hands-off in regulating the sector – needs new legislation to force those companies to play by the rules.

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How Switzerland is affected by female circumcision

2017-11-15

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What is female circumcision and how much of a problem is it in Switzerland? Nouvo brings you short videos about Switzerland, Swiss current affairs and the wider world. Keep up to date and watch the videos wherever you are, whenever you like. — swissinfo.ch is the international branch of the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC). Its …

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Switzerland Less Attractive to European Migrants

2017-11-14

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2017-11-14

Fewer people are moving to Switzerland from elsewhere in Europe. Between January and September this year, immigration from European Union states was down by 26%, compared to the same period last year. (RTS/swissinfo.chexternal link)

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Investec’s 2017 Annual Secondaries Conference: key takeaways

2017-11-13

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Interesting debate and insightful views engendered a spirit of innovation and a deeper understanding of the role of innovation in the secondaries market. Listen to what our experts and clients had to say about our recent conference.

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The role of debt in the secondaries market

2017-11-13

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Innovation will play a key role as the market continues to develop and mature. Hear our experts’ thoughts on the role of debt in that innovation.

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How is the secondaries market evolving?

2017-11-13

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Listen to our experts’ thoughts on how the secondaries market has evolved to include more bespoke, specialist financing solutions, with deals growing in complexity.

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Reviewing leverage in the secondaries market

2017-11-13

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Leverage is an important part of the toolset for secondaries, but isn’t appropriate in every circumstance. Our experts explain why.

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The importance of innovation in the secondaries market

2017-11-13

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Our experts talk about the role of competition and how innovation has shaped the way deals are structured, ensuring they drive both value and the right risk-reward balance.

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Stories making the Swiss Sunday papers

2017-11-13

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2017-11-13

The following stories were reported in Switzerland’s Sunday press on November 12, 2017. A major South American rail deal. The SonntagsBlick newspaper reports that Bolivian President Evo Morales will head to Switzerland on December 14 to sign a memorandum of understanding with Swiss Transport Minister Doris Leuthard over a massive South American rail transport project.

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One in five Swiss avoids visiting doctor due to costs

2017-11-12

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2017-11-12

Just over 20% of Swiss residents decided not to see a doctor last year for medical treatment due to the high costs, according to a new report. This is one of the findings of the Health at a Glance 2017 reportexternal link published by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) on Friday. The share of the population foregoing a doctor’s consultation due to cost in 2016 was highest in Poland (33% of the population) followed by...

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Swiss tax spy avoids jail time as Frankfurt trial ends

2017-11-12

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2017-11-12

A Swiss man on trial in Frankfurt has been found guilty of spying on the tax authorities of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW). ‘Daniel M.’ was handed a suspended sentence of 22 months and a fine of €40,000 (CHF46,600). The verdict brings to a premature end the twists and turns of a case that brought scrutiny on Swiss-German diplomatic relations since the arrest of the 54-year-old in April this year.

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BMW must pay multimillion-franc fine, Swiss court rules

2017-11-11

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2017-11-11

Switzerland's highest court has confirmed a CHF157 million ($158 million) fine against German luxury carmaker BMW for blocking car shipments to Switzerland. The fine was originally levied on BMWexternal link by Switzerland’s Competition Commissionexternal link (COMCO) in May 2012 for preventing Swiss residents from buying BMW cars from the European Economic Area (EEA) and importing them to Switzerland, after the strong francexternal link made...

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Switzerland moves closer to female board quotas

2017-11-10

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2017-11-10

Seats
This week, Switzerland moved closer to requiring minimum percentages of women on company boards and management teams. A parliamentary commission came out in support of the Federal Council’s plan to require greater gender balance in the boardrooms of Switzerland’s large listed companies.

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Trust in online content takes a big hit

2017-11-09

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2017-11-09

Internet users in Switzerland rate their computer skills as good, but trust in online news content has dropped significantly, according to a survey by the University of Zurich. An overwhelming majority (83%) of users stated they can easily distinguish between important and unimportant online activities.

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Health insurance rise in 2018 even higher, according to new calculation

2017-11-08

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2017-11-08

Health Insurance
At the end of September the Swiss government announced an average nationwide health premium rise of 4% in 2018. This government calculation is rather narrow. It only looks at the price of standard compulsory insurance, including accident cover, for an adult with a CHF 300 deductible. Price comparison site bonus.ch calculates that this policy configuration only applies to 18.3% of residents.

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