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.

What is a Swiss multinational company and what’s their role in the economy?

Switzerland is home to big players in the raw materials, food and chemicals industries. The alpine country boasts one of the world’s highest concentrations of multinational headquarters. You might wonder: where does its attractiveness come from? Switzerland offers many advantages to large businesses: economic stability, a strong financial sector, qualified workers, a geographic location at the heart of transport networks – and an advantageous tax...

Read More »

Covid, November 19: Swiss ICU numbers reach new peak as infection rate moderates

Over the last 48 hours, Switzerland’s Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) reported a further 227 deaths among laboratory-confirmed Covid-19 cases, bringing the death toll to 1,654 since summer and 3,385 since the beginning of the year.

Read More »

Why big companies fear the Responsible Business Initiative

Big multinationals in Switzerland have been nearly unanimous in their rejection of an initiative to make companies more accountable for their actions abroad. What are they afraid of?

Read More »

Swiss start-up generates electricity from wind power

Switzerland produces less wind power than other European countries but has ambitious future targets. A Lugano start-up is developing drones to generate electricity from high-altitude winds. Winds, especially at high altitude, offer huge potential as an alternative renewable energy source to help solve the climate crisis.  In Switzerland, the main source of energy is hydropower. Building large wind turbines, especially in Swiss valleys, is...

Read More »

Covid, November 16: 198 deaths in Switzerland over weekend as infection rate slows

Over the last 72 hours, Switzerland’s Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) reported 198 deaths among laboratory-confirmed Covid-19 cases, bringing the death toll to 1,427 since summer and 3,158 since the beginning of the year.

Read More »

Ex-Credit Suisse boss recruited by Rwandan government

Tidjane Thiam, who resigned as CEO of Swiss bank Credit Suisse in February, has been tasked with using his connections to build up the Rwandan capital Kigali as an international business location, according to Swiss business newspaper Handelszeitung.

Read More »

Will vaccination campaign convince hesitant Swiss?

Faced with considerable public scepticism towards a Covid-19 vaccine, the Federal Office of Public Health is preparing an information campaign about vaccinations. However, the country’s top hospital hygienist thinks offering incentives is a better way to make people get a jab.

Read More »

Vote November 29: Spotlight on ethical business practices

A proposal to make Swiss-based multinationals accountable for their business practices abroad is tabled for a nationwide vote on November 29. An initiative aimed at restricting investments in the arms industry is the second issue on the ballot sheet. 

Read More »

Swiss advance plans to take goods transport underground

Building a 500-km tunnel network to transport goods under Central Switzerland is the ambitious aim of the “Cargo Sous Terrain” project. The vision has moved closer to reality since the Swiss government brought forward enabling legislation last month.

Read More »

‘Artificial intelligence won’t replace humans’

Artificial intelligence (AI) is gaining ground in our societies, posing a threat to jobs and increasingly invading our private lives. A new centre for AI research at the federal technology institute ETH Zurich wants to put people at the centre of its work.

Read More »

Covid: Switzerland to spend 100 million francs more on vaccines

Switzerland’s federal government has increased the amount of money earmarked for SARS-CoV-2 vaccines by CHF 100 million, bringing the total to CHF 400 million.

Read More »

Covid, November 13: 553 deaths in Switzerland this week as infection rate slows

Over the 7 days to 13 November 2020, Switzerland’s Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) reported 553 deaths among laboratory-confirmed Covid-19 cases, bringing the death toll to 1,229 since summer and 2,960 since the beginning of the year. © Sudok1 | Dreamstime.comThe 553 reported deaths this week represent 19% of the total so far, making the last 7 days the deadliest 7-day period since the virus arrived in Switzerland. There are...

Read More »

Public worker absenteeism costs Geneva 285 million francs a year

Public worker absenteeism in Geneva costs at least CHF 285 million, according to Heidi.news, which calculated the sum based on information contained in an internal document.

Read More »

Swiss multinationals: global heavyweights in high-risk sectors

Home to big players in the raw materials, food and chemicals industries, Switzerland boasts one of the world’s highest concentrations of multinational headquarters.

Read More »

Raiffeisen pulls out of Swiss Bankers Association

Raiffeisen, Switzerland’s third-largest banking group, says it will leave the Swiss Bankers Association (SBA) at the end of March 2021. It intends to represent its interests independently.

Read More »

A defender of Eritreans’ human rights

Immigration affects everyone in Switzerland, but some people more directly than others. Veronica Almedom, who arrived from Eritrea as a baby with her family, is now an activist for the human rights of Eritreans. Almedom grew up in Martigny in French-speaking Switzerland and is now a student at the University of Geneva. Since 2016 she has been a member of the Federal Commission on Migration. Since 2017 Switzerland has steadily tightened its...

Read More »

Swiss investors still leaning heavily on fossil fuels

The Swiss financial market invests too much in oil and coal production, according to a review of nearly 200 financial institutions.

Read More »

Covid, November 10: no time to relax, says minister as 3-day Swiss case number returns to 17,000

On 9 November 2020, Switzerland’s Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) reported 17,309 new laboratory-confirmed Covid-19 cases over 72 hours, bringing the total to 229,222.

Read More »

COVID-19 situation update for the EU/EEA and the UK, as of 8 November 2020

As of 08 November 2020, 9 063 320 cases have been reported in the EU/EEA and the UK: France (1 748 705), Spain (1 328 832), United Kingdom (1 171 441), Italy (902 490), Germany (658 505), Poland (521 640), Belgium (494 073), Czechia (411 220), Netherlands (403 914), Romania (296 999), Portugal (173 540), Austria (146 502), Sweden (146 461), Hungary (109 616), Bulgaria (74 485), Slovakia (73 667), Ireland (64 855), Croatia (64 704), Greece (54 809),...

Read More »

Shareholders call for new priorities for manager salaries

Shareholders in Switzerland want a rethink on how managers are paid and demand that priorities regarding corporate governance, sustainability and corporate social responsibility (CSR) be redefined, a survey has found.

Read More »