Category Archive: 3.) Swissinfo Business and Economy

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What you didn’t know about psychiatry and Switzerland

2025-06-19

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You might already know that the psychedelic drug LSD was first created in Switzerland, but did you know that it was synthesised at a pharmaceutical lab in Basel in 1938? --- 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 on international events. For more articles, interviews and videos visit swissinfo.ch or subscribe to our YouTube...

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Swiss exports to the US plummeted in May

2025-06-19

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2025-06-19

The Swiss export industry suffered another double-digit decline in May. Exports to the US collapsed. Exports fell by a seasonally adjusted total of 13.6% (-10.2% in real terms) to CHF21.01 billion ($25.7 billion), as reported by the Federal Office for Customs and Border Security (FOCBS) on Thursday. +Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox Exports to North America plummeted by 39.6%.

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Swiss National Bank lowers key interest rate to zero

2025-06-19

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2025-06-19

The Swiss National Bank (SNB) has taken the next interest rate step, lowering the key interest rate by a further 25 basis points. It now stands at 0%. +Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox The move is justified by low inflation. According to Thursday’s press release, inflationary pressure has decreased compared …

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Swiss National Bank supports measures to increase UBS’s equity capital

2025-06-19

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2025-06-19

The Swiss National Bank (SNB) supports the federal government’s measures to strengthen the capitalisation of UBS’s foreign holdings. The loss potential for the big bank under the various stress scenarios remains substantial. +Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox Swiss bank UBS already fulfils the “too-big-to-fail” capital requirements that will be implemented …

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Child labour risks in chocolate supply chains go beyond just cocoa 

2025-06-18

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2025-06-18

While cocoa gets the most attention from the chocolate industry when it comes to eliminating child labour, other ingredients like sugar, nuts or vanilla are also high risk. On June 11, the International Labour Organisation announced its global estimate for child labour that it publishes every four years. The report, that it prepared with the …

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Swiss parliament rejects initiative to tax huge inheritances

2025-06-17

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2025-06-17

A national tax on million-franc inheritances for climate protection has no chance in parliament. +Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox On Tuesday parliamentarians also rejected an alternative constitutional article to the initiative put forward by the Juso, the youth section of the left-wing Social Democratic Party. The initiative will therefore be …

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Swiss Political Cartoonist Patrick Chappatte: Cartoons and the fight for press freedom

2025-06-17

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Patrick Chappatte is one of the world’s most prolific cartoonists, with his work being translated into numerous languages and published in 130 countries. Living in the Swiss city of Geneva – home to the UN and a major political hub – he comments on world events with his cartoons. We talked to Chappatte about the current state of satire, media and free speech in the world. And we looked over his shoulder while he was creating a cartoon for the...

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Switzerland regains crown as world’s most competitive nation

2025-06-17

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2025-06-17

Switzerland has been ranked as the most competitive country in the world, having lost the title to Nordic and Asian rivals in recent years. +Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox According to an annual study by the Lausanne-based IMD business school, Switzerland has pushed Singapore and Hong Kong into second and …

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Economists slash Swiss GDP growth forecasts

2025-06-16

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2025-06-16

Following an increase in exports to the United States in the first quarter, the Swiss economy is bracing itself for a tariff backlash. +Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox In particular, dark clouds are gathering over the economic outlook for 2026. The State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (Seco) has lowered its …

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Swiss catering industry pledges living wages

2025-06-13

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2025-06-13

The Swiss catering industry has pledged to pay workers a living wage, following earlier controversial comments on pay in the sector. +Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox In a Blick interview, Gastrosuisse president Beat Imhof has contradicted the comments of director Roland Müller. Müller had previously told the newspaper that living …

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PostFinance recruits former Credit Suisse executive as Chief Financial Officer

2025-06-12

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2025-06-12

PostFinance has found a replacement for its Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Kurt Fuchs, who resigned at the end of February. Claudio Gaugler, a former Credit Suisse executive, will take up his post on September 1. +Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox Gaugler, 40, will join the management board of the financial …

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Swiss Re experts warn of growing risks from heatwaves

2025-06-12

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2025-06-12

Up to half a million people worldwide die every year as a result of extreme heat, according to a report published by reinsurer Swiss Re on Thursday. +Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox That is more than earthquakes, floods and hurricanes combined. Heat stress leads to exhaustion, heat stroke and organ …

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Nestlé Waters authorised to explore 5 boreholes in the Vosges

2025-06-12

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2025-06-12

The Vosges prefecture announced on Thursday it has issued an order authorising Nestlé Waters to carry out five new exploratory boreholes at Vittel and They-sous-Monfort in eastern France. The aim is to search for Hépar natural mineral water. +Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox A spokesperson for the Swiss food giant …

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‘Switzerland must prepare for a return to negative interest rates’

2025-06-12

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2025-06-12

Given the low inflation, which in May stood at a four-year low of -0.1%, and the strength of the Swiss franc, negative interest rates could return in Switzerland. +Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox This is according to BAK Economics, which on the other hand considers the risk of a recession …

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Dubai chocolate trend leaves Swiss chocolatiers competing for pistachios 

2025-06-12

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2025-06-12

The TikTok-fuelled popularity of Dubai chocolate has prompted Swiss chocolate companies to develop their own versions, spiking demand for pistachios. Dubai chocolate was created in 2021 by British-Egyptian entrepreneur Sarah Hamouda, the founder of Dubai-based FIX Dessert Chocolatier. The chocolate filled with pistachio cream, tahini and kadayif (crispy pastry threads often used in oriental desserts) …

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Datwyler to close Ohio site putting 70 jobs at risk

2025-06-11

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2025-06-11

The Uri-based industrial group Datwyler is streamlining its production network in the US. The closure of one site in Ohio will probably result in the loss of the vast majority of the 70 or so jobs there. Datwyler announced on Wednesday that the production and sales activities at the Vandalia site in Ohio will be … Continue...

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Swiss bank Raiffeisen appoints new CEO

2025-06-11

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2025-06-11

Gabriel Brenna, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Liechtensteinische Landesbank (LLB) since 2021, has been appointed head of Raiffeisen Switzerland. The new CEO will take up his post on December 1, according to a Raiffeisen press release issued on Wednesday. Gabriel Brenna takes over from Heinz Huber, who stepped down at the end of December 2024. …

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The Swiss welfare state is ‘not about to be dismantled’

2025-06-10

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2025-06-10

Switzerland needs to revise its “debt brake” mechanism, say guests on our Let’s Talk panel. That might help balance the country’s budget without having to rely on savings cuts, say economists Marius Brülhart and Nils Soguel. The Swiss federal government wants to do some serious belt-tightening in order to maintain a balanced budget. The plan …

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Swiss retailers review deal on fees for single-use plastic bags

2025-06-08

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2025-06-08

The agreement reached in 2016 on the introduction of chargeable plastic bags at Swiss shop checkouts is being scrutinised. The Swiss Retail Federation is analysing whether it wants to terminate the agreement it concluded with IG Retail. +Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox Dagmar Jenni, Managing Director of the Swiss Retail …

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Logitech CEO: ‘We are well positioned to face US tariffs’

2025-06-07

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2025-06-07

Logitech is well-positioned against the threat of US tariffs, said Hanneke Faber, CEO of the Swiss-American tech giant. +Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox “Today we manufacture our products in a total of six countries,” explained the 56-year-old in a speech at the Swiss Economic Forum (SEF), an event that brought …

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