Category Archive: 3.) Swissinfo Business and Economy

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Can Switzerland’s power grid keep up with its data centres?

2026-01-03

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2026-01-03

In Switzerland, the number of data centres per capita is among the highest in the world, while the share of electricity they consume is among the highest in Europe. With some power grids already close to the limit, the rapid growth of artificial intelligence (AI) could put them under further strain. Data centres are multiplying …

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Smartphones, streaming, AI: digital tech’s outsized climate impact in Switzerland

2026-01-03

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2026-01-03

Everyday devices and online services sap the planet’s natural resources and contribute to climate change. But there are ways to make digital life greener. More than six billion people – three quarters of the world’s population – are now online. In high-income countries like Switzerland, virtually the entire population has internet access. The Swiss spend …

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Trapped in a basement: witness account of the blaze at Swiss ski resort bar

2026-01-02

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Around 40 people are dead and 115 seriously injured after a fire tore through the "Le Constellation" bar in the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana in southern Switzerland on January 1.⁠ ⁠ In this video, Laeticia Plass describes how she escaped the blaze.⁠ --- 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....

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New Year’s Eve party: around 40 dead and 115 seriously injured in blaze in Swiss ski resort bar

2026-01-01

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Around 40 people are dead and 115 seriously injured after a fire tore through the "Le Constellation" bar in the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana in southern Switzerland on January 1, according to Valais cantonal police. An investigation is continuing to determine the exact cause of one of Switzerland’s worst tragedies. The deadly New Year Eve’s fire was “one of the worst tragedies that our country has experienced”, Swiss President Guy...

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Eurovision, US tariffs, landslides and Swiss yodelling: 2025 unwrapped

2025-12-31

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Eurovision, US tariffs, landslides and Swiss yodelling 🎤🇺🇸🏔️🎶 🇨🇭⁠ ⁠ Here are some of the stories that made headlines this year in Switzerland. ⁠ ⁠ Think we’ve missed something? Let us know in the comments.⁠ ⁠ #switzerland #swiss #eurovision #us #trump #tariffs #blatten #landslide #swissalps #euro25 #womensfootball #yodelling #unesco--- swissinfo.ch is the international branch of the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC). Its role is to report on...

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Vaccine maker Janssen closes plant in Bern

2025-12-31

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2025-12-31

Vaccine developer Janssen is closing its plant in Bern-Bümpliz. It is still unclear whether the site will be sold to a third party. +Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox Johnson & Johnson, to which the company belongs, is continuing to examine various options for the Bern site. This includes selling it …

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Start-ups in Switzerland reach new record in 2025

2025-12-31

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2025-12-31

Switzerland reached a new peak in company start-ups this year: up by more than 5% year-on-year, they will reach a record 55,654 in 2025. Among the French-speaking cantons, Geneva, Fribourg and Jura were particularly active. +Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox The most common business segments for new companies are consulting, …

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Swiss central bank bought CHF75 million in foreign exchange in Q3

2025-12-31

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2025-12-31

The Swiss National Bank (SNB) intervened very cautiously in the foreign exchange market in the third quarter of 2025. Between July and September, it purchased foreign currency worth just CHF75 million ($94 million) in order to slow down the further rise of the Swiss franc. +Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox …

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Swiss banks stop exchange of Bulgarian lev as euro introduced in 2026

2025-12-30

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2025-12-30

When the euro is introduced in Bulgaria on January 1, 2026, it will be difficult to exchange the previous Bulgarian national currency, the lev, in Switzerland. Local banks have stopped the exchange. The banks are no longer able to resell the lev banknotes on the interbank market, Zürcher Kantonalbank explained on Tuesday in response to …

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Christmas sales in Switzerland see upswing

2025-12-30

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2025-12-30

Swiss retailers enjoyed a positive festive season, with some reporting solid sales growth despite cautious consumer sentiment. For Manor department stores, Christmas sales were slightly up on the previous year, a spokeswoman told the AWP news agency, without disclosing any figures. Clothing retailer PKZ reported a 5% year-on-year increase in sales, thanks in particular to …

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Swiss economic sentiment continues to improve according to KOF barometer

2025-12-30

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2025-12-30

Expectations for the Swiss economy improved again in December. Following the slight increase in the previous month, the KOF Economic Barometer is rising again somewhat more strongly and has now risen for the fourth month in a row. Specifically, the economic barometer compiled by the KOF Swiss Economic Institute at the Federal Institute of Technology …

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Survey: Consumers in Switzerland to tighten belts in 2026

2025-12-30

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2025-12-30

The mood among consumers in Switzerland is tense. A survey shows that around a third of the population wants to tighten their belts and save money in the new year. This is particularly the case in French-speaking Switzerland and Ticino. +Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox According to the Konsum Monitor …

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Asia’s wealthy turn to Switzerland to park assets

2025-12-30

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2025-12-30

Swiss private banks report rising demand from Asian family offices and rich individuals to book assets in Europe. Swiss private banks are expanding their Asia-focused teams onshore in Switzerland, after a sharp rise in referrals and inquiries from the region during the past two years. Bankers said Asian family offices and ultra-wealthy individuals were increasingly …

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What lies ahead for Switzerland: an economic outlook for 2026

2025-12-30

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2025-12-30

Next year the Swiss economy will face downward pressure from weaker domestic demand and ongoing uncertainty related to US import tariffs. The Swiss economy remained stable in 2025 with wage growth and domestic demand offsetting the negative impact of the tariffs imposed on Swiss exports to the United States. Domestic demand is expected to grow …

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Experts predict Swiss franc will stay strong in 2026

2025-12-29

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2025-12-29

The Swiss franc is not weakening, despite the shock of the US tariffs that threatened to hit the Swiss economy. According to experts, the Swiss currency should continue its upward trend of recent years in 2026. What are the arguments in favour of the franc? Experts cite political stability, high current account surpluses, low debt, …

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Junk food on trial in the United States – could it happen in Switzerland?

2025-12-29

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2025-12-29

The city of San Francisco has filed a lawsuit against ten multinational food companies, accusing them of contributing to rising rates of obesity, diabetes and cancer via ultra-processed foods and misleading marketing. Could similar legal action be taken in Switzerland? Two experts assess the possibilities and the limits. San Francisco has brought legal action against …

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More women on the boards of Swiss listed companies

2025-12-29

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2025-12-29

The number of women on the boards of directors (BoDs) of companies listed on the Swiss stock exchange will increase in 2025. This is the result of a data analysis by the economic news agency AWP. After a 2024 characterised by an above-average number of changes in the Boards of Directors of the 212 companies … Continue reading...

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Swiss Post delivered 3% more parcels over Christmas 2025

2025-12-29

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2025-12-29

Swiss Post sorted and delivered 23 million parcels between Black Friday at the end of November and Christmas. That's 3.1% more than the previous year, the Post said in a press release on Monday. The peak of activity was recorded on December 2. On that day, Swiss Post employees processed 1.3 million parcels, a figure …

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Europe races to placate pharma as Trump turns up the pressure 

2025-12-29

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2025-12-29

Tariff deals with the US have bought time but investment momentum is elsewhere. Pharmaceutical companies have long complained Europe spends too little on drugs. It took the arrival of Donald Trump — threatening steep tariffs and accusing European countries of “freeloading” on the US — for the warnings to register. In response to the threats, …

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International Geneva can profit from cost-savings, says UN president

2025-12-28

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2025-12-28

UN austerity measures do not threaten Geneva's position as a hub for international diplomacy, at least according to General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock. "Geneva is a crossroads of multilateral diplomacy and is not in danger as a seat, she said in an interview published on Sunday by the SonntagsBlick. Cities like Geneva, Bonn or Nairobi …

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