Category Archive: 3.) Swissinfo Business and Economy

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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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Swiss state-owned PostFinance to cut 141 jobs

2025-06-05

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2025-06-05

PostFinance, the financial services subsidiary of Swiss Post, plans to cut 141 jobs in the coming months, mostly in administrative functions in Bern. +Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox "The challenges posed by market volatility, investor uncertainty and a difficult interest rate environment are putting PostFinance under pressure," reads a statement …

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Capital punishment: how Swiss bank reforms could hit UBS

2025-06-04

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2025-06-04

Bank’s year-long tussle with government will come to a head with proposals to be unveiled on Friday. The Swiss government on Friday will lay out its long-awaited reforms to the country’s bank capital rules, and the centrepiece proposal will affect just one company: UBS. Switzerland’s Federal Council and financial regulators have been at loggerheads with …

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Ukraine’s once pioneering agriculture drone industry is hoping to return to the skies

2025-06-04

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2025-06-04

The large size of its farms and a regulatory Wild West allowed Ukraine to quickly grow into an agriculture drone powerhouse. Restrictions due to the war have killed off growth in an industry that is hoping for a renaissance once the fighting is over. In 2024, DroneUA, Ukraine’s largest importer and distributor of drones used …

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UBS economists more confident about Swiss economy in 2025

2025-06-03

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2025-06-03

UBS economists have revised upwards their estimates of Swiss gross domestic product (GDP) growth for the current year. However, they are more pessimistic for next year, due to the spectre of US tariffs. +Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox Experts are expecting GDP growth adjusted for sporting events to reach 1.3% …

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Swiss economy grows slightly faster in the first quarter

2025-06-02

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2025-06-02

The Swiss economy grew slightly more strongly than initially expected in the first quarter of 2025. Real gross domestic product (GDP) increased by 0.8% on an adjusted basis in the period from January to March 2025 compared to the previous quarter, as announced by the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (Seco) on Monday. A fortnight …

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