Category Archive: 3.) Swissinfo Business and Economy

Credit Suisse looks to speed up cuts as revenue outlook worsens

Swiss bank Credit Suisse is looking for ways to accelerate cost cuts announced just weeks ago as client outflows and a slowdown in activity weigh on its revenue outlook, according to three people with knowledge of the talks. The cost savings are likely to involve more job cuts than previously announced for the first wave of reductions, including in its mainstay wealth business, said the sources, who asked to remain anonymous because the...

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Solution found in construction labour dispute

Construction workers and trade unions in Switzerland have reached an agreement in a long-running labour dispute. Builders will receive CHF150 ($158) more a month in effective wages from next year and minimum wages will increase by CHF100 a month.

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Credit Suisse says only a few customers are closing accounts

The head of Credit Suisse’s Swiss division says that only a few clients are actually closing accounts at the bank. His comments after the troubled bank reported high customer fund withdrawals globally.

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Two out of three Swiss resorts raise ski-pass prices

Some ski lift companies are charging up to 15% more for passes this winter as high energy prices bite, a survey by CH Media shows.

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Global goods inspector SGS to shed 1,500 jobs

The world’s largest goods inspection and testing group SGS will shed 1,500 jobs worldwide in a cost saving drive.

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Government firms up plans in case of gas outage

In case of a shortage, households and businesses which heat with piped gas would be asked to lower temperatures to 20°C, the government has said.

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Women soldiers in peacekeeping SWISSCOY contingents

Women are still a minority in international peacekeeping operations. The Swiss armed forces’ contingent in Kosovo, SWISSCOY, shows just how important their role can be. We spent a day with Iris Probst, who now just completed her training module which is part of her three-month pre-deployment preparation at SWISSINT, the Swiss armed forces’ centre for international peacebuilding in Stans-Oberdorf, in canton Nidwalden. She has now been posted to...

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Let’s Talk Banking: Crypto

--- 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 channel: Website: http://www.swissinfo.ch Channel: http://www.youtube.com/swissinfovideos Subscribe: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=swissinfovideos

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Swiss health office and pharma firm at odds over flu spray

The Swiss health authorities and the manufacturer AstraZeneca are at loggerheads over a nasal spray to vaccinate children and adolescents against influenza.

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Leading economist mildly upbeat about Swiss growth prospects

Economic researcher Jan-Egbert Sturm expects the Swiss economy to stagnate in the next few months. The director of the Swiss Economic Institute (KOF) at Federal Institute ETH Zurich, said Switzerland had been been quite resilient in the current economic environment.

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Vivid pink diamond auctioned for CHF28.4 million

A pear-shaped 18-carat pink diamond billed as a rarity has sold at a Geneva auction for CHF28.4 million ($28.8 million), including fees and taxes.

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The world’s longest passenger train through the Swiss alps

Switzerland’s largest private railway operator, Rhaetian Railway (RhB), set a new world record for the longest passenger train on a spectacular narrow gauge track. The train – comprising 100 carriages for a total length of 1,910 metres - travelled for 25 kilometres on the Albula/Bernina route from Preda to Alvaneu in canton Graubünden in southeast Switzerland. It comprised 25 newly delivered train units, or 100 carriages, making a total length of...

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UBS raided in money-laundering probe of Russian

Police have searched two branches of Swiss bank UBS in Germany in connection with alleged money laundering by a Russian businessman, according to German officials and media.

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Let’s Talk: the future of Crypto Nation Switzerland

Switzerland has built a reputation for nurturing a new industry based on cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology. Experts give their take on the pros and cons of the fledgling ‘Crypto Nation’. More than 1,000 blockchain companies, supporting 6,000 jobs, have set anchor in Switzerland, encouraged by the welcoming political and legal infrastructure. But other countries are raising their game, determined to entice the world’s best technology...

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As pension funds lose out on stock markets, how safe is retirement?

Stock markets this year have been heading steadily downhill. With Swiss pension funds feeling the impact, future retirement payments are only barely guaranteed.

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Switzerland should do more on tax avoidance, says EU parliamentarian

Switzerland has made progress in reforming tax rates for multinational companies but still has work to do when it comes to turning a blind eye to tax avoidance.

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Court increases fines against Swiss art collector

A court in Zurich has rejected an appeal by the renowned Swiss art collector and financier Urs Schwarzenbach in two cases of tax evasion in connection with the import of works of art.

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Let’s Talk: polar research and our struggling planet

Some may question the value of polar research when there are other problems closer to home. But what is happening in these remote regions has a knock-on effect all over the globe. SWI swissinfo.ch invited two Swiss-based scientists to discuss their experiences – including working on the sea ice and examining the largest glacier outside the north and south poles. Julia Schmale is a professor and head of the Extreme Environments Research Laboratory...

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Credit Suisse to cut 540 jobs in Switzerland by 2023

The embattled Swiss bank Credit Suisse plans to shed 540 jobs in Switzerland by the end of the year, Chief Executive Officer Ulrich Körner told the NZZ am Sonntag newspaper. In the interview he gave more details on last week’s restructuring announcement.

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The energy crisis is about to make your Swiss ski holiday more expensive

Swiss hotels and holiday apartments are raising their prices by around 5% this winter, largely due to higher energy prices. Ski passes are also likely to go up by a similar amount, a newspaper reports.

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