Category Archive: 3) Swiss Markets and News

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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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Swiss airlines to get almost CHF2 billion corona aid boost

2020-05-02

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2020-05-02

The Swiss aviation sector, including the airlines SWISS and Edelweiss, is set to receive financial aid of almost CHF1.9 billion to help it through the liquidity crisis caused by Covid-19. Some CHF1.275 billion ($1.31 billion) is directly for the two airlines, while up to CHF600 million will be for other companies vital to the functioning of the sector, the government announced on Wednesday.

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Swiss oil traders and banks burned by Venezuela ties

2020-05-02

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2020-05-02

Several Swiss companies and banks have found themselves in the line of fire as the United States ramps up pressure on the Venezuelan government. Washington has sanctioned numerous top officials for money laundering and drug trafficking in the oil-rich but economically flailing Latin American nation.

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‘Corona-compliant’ Alpine cow processions to go ahead

2020-05-01

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2020-05-01

The traditional driving of cows up to mountain pastures for the summer will still take place this year in Appenzell, northeastern Switzerland, despite the coronavirus pandemic. However, the processions will not be publicised so as not to attract tourists and spectators.

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Coronavirus: Swiss schools and other establishments set to reopen

2020-05-01

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2020-05-01

On 29 April 2020, Switzerland’s government announced plans to allow schools and other establishments to reopen on Monday 11 May 2020. From 11 May 2020, shops, restaurants, markets, museums, libraries, primary and lower secondary schools and sports training centres will be allowed to reopen. In addition, public transport will operate according to the standard timetable, announced the government.

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IW&I Webcast series – Highlights

2020-04-30

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From their studies, kitchen tables and lounges, our top investment decision-makers and experts from around the world connected remotely, to give their views on how the coronavirus has reshaped our worlds. We share some of the investment, health and psychological insights in our webcast series “Markets in the time of Covid-19” over the last few …

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Recognition for our report from the Swiss mountains

2020-04-30

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2020-04-30

A longform report that we published last autumn has been shortlisted for the Swiss Press Award. The nomination is an honour for our team. Can people in Switzerland really live and work wherever they want on account of the digital revolution? Even in the mountains? A longform multimedia report by SWI swissinfo.ch has the answer.

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Swiss GDP set for worst fall in decades

2020-04-30

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2020-04-30

A team of economic experts working for the Swiss government forecasts a 6.7% fall in GDP and unemployment to rise to 3.9% in Switzerland in 2020. If these predictions prove right, it will be the biggest slump in economic activity since 1975.

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Investec Life. Life insurance not made for everyone, Made for you.

2020-04-29

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Through Investec Life’s digitally enabled, modern risk management processes and engagement model, Investec’s top-end Life insurance business has continued to be able to meet the majority of clients’ needs throughout the Covid-19 lockdown in South Africa. https://invest.ec/2W3H4U8

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Stockpiling – a Swiss civic duty

2020-04-29

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2020-04-29

During the coronavirus pandemic, panic buying has not been too problematic in Switzerland. But in previous global crises the Swiss tended to rush to the shops to stock up. Encouraged by the authorities, keeping emergency supplies remains a well-ingrained tradition for Swiss citizens.

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Coronavirus: 5.5 percent of Geneva might be infected, according to antibody study

2020-04-28

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2020-04-28

A study done by researchers at Geneva’s HUG hospital suggests a Covid-19 infection rate of 5.5% across the canton of Geneva. Antibody blood tests, run on a randomly selected sample of the canton’s population, suggest around 27,000 might have been infected by the virus, a number 5.7 times the official count of 4,733 recorded on 24 April 2020.

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Coronavirus exit plans for tourist industry mooted

2020-04-27

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2020-04-27

Hopes have been raised of a re-opening of tourist facilities, including restaurants, in Switzerland in June as part of the government’s exit strategy from the coronavirus restrictions.

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Former UBS boss Marcel Ospel dies aged 70

2020-04-27

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2020-04-27

Ospel, who was ousted from his job as chairman of UBS in 2008 after fallout from the US subprime mortgage crisis, passed away on Sunday due to cancer. Born in Basel in 1950, Ospel began his career in 1977 with the Swiss Bank Corporation, an investment bank, before later engineering its merger with UBS in 1998.

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Record year for money laundering tip-offs

2020-04-26

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2020-04-26

The number of reports of suspected money laundering jumped by about 25% in Switzerland last year. According to the Federal Money Laundering Reporting Officeexternal link, 7,705 reports were filed in 2019, compared to 6,126 the previous year.

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Swiss running low on butter

2020-04-25

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2020-04-25

A shortage of frozen butter in Switzerland has the industry wanting to import 1,000 tons. Dairy farmers disagree. On Thursday an umbrella group for the dairy sector announced that it had applied to the federal authorities for permission to import 1,000 tons of butter.

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Coronavirus: predicting post-lockdown Switzerland with positivity

2020-04-24

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2020-04-24

As Switzerland moves towards easing Covid-19 social restrictions, some fear the virus will get away again. A key part of containing the spread is testing. One way to evaluate how comprehensive testing is is to look at positivity, the percentage of tests that are positive. 

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Switzerland facing biggest economic slump since 1975

2020-04-24

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2020-04-24

In a revised forecast in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, federal authorities predict GDP will contract by 6.7% in 2020 and recover slowly in 2021. On Thursday, the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) announced that it had adjusted 2020 economic forecasts to take into account sporting events affected by the pandemic.

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How Swiss drones and robots are changing farming

2020-04-23

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2020-04-23

Remote sensing, big data, artificial intelligence and robotics are being integrated into everyday farm management. Based on information relayed by a Swiss start-up, the owner of a sugar mill in India tells local cane farmers it’s almost time to harvest their crop.

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Coronavirus: the age difference behind lower Swiss death rate

2020-04-23

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2020-04-23

Switzerland’s Covid-19 death rate has been lower than much of the rest of Europe. A lower infection rate among older people appears to be one reason. The rates of deaths among those either recovering or dying have been particularly high in Belgium (40%), France (34%) and Italy (31%).

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Is Venezuela’s gold a liability for Switzerland?

2020-04-21

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2020-04-21

Venezuela is illegally mining and trading in gold, and Switzerland could be one of its clients, according to Swiss media reports. swissinfo.ch spoke to law enforcement, customs and financial authorities to find out whether they are taking action.

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Coronavirus called a ‘decisive test’ for the UN system  

2020-04-20

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2020-04-20

The pandemic is testing the limits of the United Nations system, say Geneva and New York-based experts, amid funding challenges and an ongoing blame game between the United States and China. The UN is marking its 75th anniversaryexternal link this year. What could have been a year of celebration is becoming a year of crisis.

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