Category Archive: 3.) Swissinfo Business and Economy

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Swiss vote on animal testing ban

2022-01-31

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On February 13, the Swiss will vote for the fourth time on whether to ban animal testing in this country. The people’s initiative calls for a halt to all experiments on humans and animals and a ban on the import of new products developed using such methods. About 556,000 animals were used for experimental purposes in Switzerland last year, according to official statistics. That's a decrease of 18% relative to 2015, when the downhill trend started....

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What to do with abandoned stables? A thorny issue in Switzerland

2022-01-31

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2022-01-31

Many people dream of owning a mountain home, especially in Switzerland, where the Alps are within easy reach of major towns and cities. But few come on the market and, when they do, they can be quite expensive.

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After pandemic slump, Swiss exports boomed in 2021

2022-01-28

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2022-01-28

Swiss exports climbed to record levels in 2021, with chemicals and pharma driving much of the growth. Watches, especially luxury ones, also had a good year.

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The Swiss banker managing Senegal’s first private bank

2022-01-24

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2022-01-24

After working in finance in Geneva for 15 years, Olivier Santi emigrated to Dakar in 2017 to head a new bank founded by one of Senegal’s richest businessmen. His career to date demonstrates both the central role Switzerland plays in the finance and raw materials sectors, and the vitality of West Africa’s banking sector.

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The discreet charm of antiquarian booksellers

2022-01-23

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2022-01-23

Despite the demise of many antiquarian bookshops in Switzerland, the trade is alive and well in the Alpine country. Dealers in Geneva, Basel and Zurich give a glimpse into this exclusive business, where a gentleman’s code still rules.

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Swiss firms rank low in European ‘Gender Diversity Index’

2022-01-22

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2022-01-22

The proportion of women in leading positions at major European companies rose slightly last year but progress is slow, according to a new study that compares 19 countries. Switzerland was ranked near the bottom of the 2021 “Gender Diversity Index”.

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Pandemic drives Swiss Post parcel deliveries

2022-01-20

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2022-01-20

The state-owned Swiss Post processed a record number of parcels last year, but the downward letter mail continued. Parcel deliveries increased by 9.6% to 202 million in 2021, according to the state-owned company.“

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Is the luxury watch market facing a democratic revolution?

2022-01-20

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2022-01-20

Entrepreneur Thomas Baillod has just launched a “Swiss Made” tourbillon watch for under CHF5,000 ($5,450), a marketing coup which shows that mid-range watches still have a place in a watch industry increasingly focused on ultra-luxury.

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All you need is a laptop and a backpack

2022-01-19

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Maik Disch works from the most beautiful beaches in Thailand for clients in Switzerland. He sees himself as a typical digital nomad: constantly on the lookout for the next dream destination. Disch's salary is lower than that of colleagues in Switzerland. On the other hand, the cost of living on the island of Ko Phangan is low and the warm, tropical climate allows him to work outdoors. Fast internet also helps. Disch's video portrait is the second...

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Electric car sales pass ‘tipping point’ in Switzerland

2022-01-19

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2022-01-19

The number of new electric cars sold in Switzerland continues to accelerate – even faster than predicted, according to the Touring Club Switzerland (TCS) car association.

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Victims of CHF800 million fraud scheme feel short-changed

2022-01-18

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2022-01-18

Administrators clearing up a CHF800 million ($877 million) collapsed pyramid scheme have managed to recover just CHF12.7 million from one of Switzerland’s largest fraud cases.

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Swiss cantons mull lower taxes for wealthy executives

2022-01-17

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2022-01-17

Swiss Finance Minister Ueli Maurer has hinted that cantons might lower income taxes for well-heeled executives as the country braces for the impact of a minimum corporate tax rate.

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Why governments need to tackle the impact of trade on climate change

2022-01-16

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2022-01-16

In 2021, global carbon pollution returned almost to 2019 levels, after a drop during the lockdowns of the pandemic year 2020. Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved The production and trade of goods is at the heart of the globalised market and has a significant environmental impact. Yet there was little discussion at COP26 on how to make it more sustainable, the former director of the World Trade Institute (WTI) tells SWI...

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Finance minister says global corporate tax to come into force in 2024

2022-01-14

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2022-01-14

The Swiss government has pledged to implement from 2024 the minimum tax rate for large multinational companies under a global tax deal.

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Internet campaigner fights for more data awareness

2022-01-11

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Nikki Böhler is a young Swiss internet campaigner who is part of a growing community seeking to shape the digital transformation of society. The 29-year-old wants people to become more aware of the importance of their personal online data and of the traces they leave behind on the internet. But she also wants to improve data transparency so that existing, anonymised data can be used for the common good. Her video portrait is the first in the...

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Banks risk becoming new fossil fuel villains in 2022

2022-01-11

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2022-01-11

As businesses were gearing up for the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow last year, one of Europe’s larger banks released an update on how it planned to do its bit to combat global warming.

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Swiss central bank forecasts CHF26bn annual profit

2022-01-11

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2022-01-11

The Swiss National Bank (SNB) expects to post a profit of CHF26 billion ($28 billion) for 2021, a windfall made exclusively from its growing foreign currency holdings.

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Switzerland writes off small portion of flight repatriation bill

2022-01-09

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2022-01-09

The majority of stranded Swiss people repatriated during the first pandemic wave have paid back their share of flight bills. But the foreign ministry has been forced to write off CHF210,000 ($230,000) and is still haggling over another CHF360,000.

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Zurich court rules Uber drivers are not ‘independent workers’

2022-01-08

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2022-01-08

The latest cantonal ruling on the US ride-hailing firm comes as a national framework to determine the status of gig economy workers in Switzerland is still lacking.

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Shared e-bikes and e-scooters ‘do climate more harm than good’

2022-01-07

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2022-01-07

Shared e-scooters and e-bikes can have a negative effect on the climate, a Swiss study has found. This is because such services generally replace trips with normal bicycles, rather than cars.

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