Category Archive: 3) Swiss Markets and News

Main Author Investec
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.

Hundreds join anti-WEF protest march in Switzerland

Around 600 opponents of the World Economic Forum (WEF) have joined a two-day protest march to Davos, which will host the WEF annual meeting next week. + Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox Around 600 people set off from Küblis in southeastern Switzerland on Saturday for the mountain resort of Davos. …

Read More »

Six Swiss cantons call for rail network expansion

Six Swiss cantons - Basel City, Basel Country, Geneva, Ticino, Valais and Vaud - have submitted a joint request to the Federal Council demanding urgent investments in rail services and infrastructure to deal with an overloaded network. + Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox "Every day tens of thousands of people …

Read More »

Swiss authorities predict worsening housing shortage in 2026

The director of the Federal Office for Housing, Martin Tschirren, expects the housing shortage in Switzerland to get worse this year. + Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox "The causes of the housing shortage cannot be changed so quickly," Tschirren told Blick newspaper in an interview on Saturday. The causes include …

Read More »

Warmer winters threaten southern Swiss ski resorts

Ski resorts in the southern Swiss canton of Ticino are suffering acutely from a lack of snow. Southern Switzerland hasn't seen this little snow in a long time. + Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox Resorts where ski legends like Doris De Agostini and Lara Gut-Berahmi once learned to ski are …

Read More »

Swiss President ready to negotiate with Trump at WEF

Swiss President Guy Parmelin says he is prepared to negotiate with his United States counterpart Domald Trump, who will lead a large delegation at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos. + Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox Parmelin is one of several Swiss government Davos attendees, along with including foreign …

Read More »

US tariffs dimmed Gruyère sales less than expected

Sales of Gruyère cheese did not decline as sharply last year as feared in light of US tariffs. According to the Interprofession du Gruyère (IPG), the decline was “largely” offset by strong sales figures in Switzerland. + Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox “Ultimately, sales figures in 2025 will be slightly …

Read More »

Swiss consumer group warns of rise in dropshipping scams

More than 1,500 complaints relating to dropshipping have been lodged in Switzerland, according to the German-language consumer protection organisation Konsumentenschutz. These fake online shops are particularly annoying for consumers. + Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox In total, the organisation received 8,640 requests for advice, complaints and reports relating to dropshipping, …

Read More »

WEF chairman welcomes Trump visit but doesn’t expect any ‘miracles’

The new co-chairman of the World Economic Forum (WEF), André Hoffmann, says he has no great expectations of Donald Trump's appearance at the forum. "I don't expect any miracles," said the heir to Swiss pharma firm Roche on Thursday in the business newspaper Handelszeitung. + Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox …

Read More »

Swiss cantons strengthen tax attractiveness for companies

Companies in Switzerland will benefit from tax relief between 2023 and 2025 as a result of changes to tax law. As a result, the cantons are strengthening their tax appeal for companies. + Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox In many international locations, companies are now being taxed more heavily. This …

Read More »

French President Emmanuel Macron to attend WEF in Davos

French President Emmanuel Macron will be attending the World Economic Forum next Tuesday, the Elysée announced on Wednesday. No information was given on a possible meeting with US President Donald Trump, who is due to speak at Davos on Wednesday. + Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox The French president will …

Read More »

Greenpeace reports sharp rise in private jets to WEF in Davos

More and more top managers and political figures are travelling to the World Economic Forum in Davos by private jet, according to an analysis by Greenpeace. Compared to 2024 and 2025, the number of private flights registered at the surrounding airports increased by 10%. + Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox …

Read More »

Swiss competition regulator investigates Microsoft for price hikes

The Swiss Competition Commission (ComCo) has opened an investigation into US software giant Microsoft over recent increases in licence fees. + Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox These could be indications of unauthorised restrictions of competition, wrote ComCo in a press release on Wednesday. A preliminary investigation has therefore been opened. …

Read More »

Trump’s peace is not working in the Democratic Republic of the Congo  

The American president has declared peace but violence and greed still prevail in the resource-rich Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The civilian population continues to pay the price for conflicting geopolitical interests. Despite the precarious security situation, Switzerland has stepped up its humanitarian aid. “Bombs are still falling, and we don’t know who is …

Read More »

ICE shooting, Fed probe, and withdrawal from international organisations

Welcome to our press review of events in the United States. Every Wednesday I look at how the Swiss media have reported and reacted to three major stories in the US – in politics, finance and science. It was a where-to-begin situation this week: US involvement in Iran, Venezuela and Greenland was all making Swiss …

Read More »

In Porto, an unusual Swiss coat of arms stands out in the Stock Exchange Palace

In the Courtyard of Nations at the Palácio da Bolsa, a white cross on a red background immediately catches the eye. The Swiss coat of arms is a 19th-century tribute to the trade relations between the Swiss Confederation and the Kingdom of Portugal. Beyond its economic significance, these commercial ties also have historical and artistic …

Read More »

How a project in Peru supports sustainable cocoa – and serves Swiss interests

Cocoa is in high demand and production is booming. In Peru, Switzerland is helping farmers grow cocoa more sustainably, while also ensuring Swiss chocolate producers have easy access to it. But funding for such projects in Latin America is shrinking. Luis Beltrán Vásquez, 78, has spent his entire life farming in Peru, mostly by raising …

Read More »

UBS boss Sergio Ermotti plans to step down in April 2027

Race for coveted role comes as bank fights Swiss government over threat of more stringent capital buffers. UBS chief executive Sergio Ermotti is planning to step down in April 2027, firing the starting gun on the race for one of the biggest jobs in global banking. Ermotti, who returned to run UBS in 2023 following …

Read More »

Swiss sewing machine maker ponders Thailand production

Swiss sewing machine manufacturer Bernina is considering relocating production to Thailand. Around 40 out of a total of 334 employees would be affected. +Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox United States tariffs and the strong Swiss franc are causing the traditional company in canton Thurgau great difficulties. Bernina generates approximately two-thirds …

Read More »

Swiss bank industry rejects higher capital requirements for UBS

The Swiss Bankers Association (SBA) strongly opposes the extra capital requirements for UBS being demanded by the government. +Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox According to the SBA, the measures unnecessarily further risk tightening the already stringent Swiss requirements. In a position statement today, director Roman Studer calls for an overview …

Read More »

Britain advises of heightened travel risk to Switzerland

Britain no longer considers Switzerland one of the safest travel destinations in the world. The British government advises vigilance due to increased theft and the global threat of terrorism. +Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox The magazine Travel and Tour World was the first to report on the tightening of the …

Read More »