Tag Archive: Latest news

Swiss firms get international boost for exports

2021-04-21

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2021-04-21

The government has pledged CHF7.8 million ($8.5 million) over the next three years to help Swiss companies participate in major infrastructure projects abroad.

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Government approves accord with UK to ease trade for companies 

2021-04-14

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2021-04-14

The Swiss government has approved an agreement with Britain on mutual recognition of companies with “AEO” customs security approval, designed to facilitate trade. This agreement is “intended to reduce technical barriers to trade and facilitate trade with the United Kingdom for companies with AEO status”, according to a government press release on Wednesday. The accord has yet to be ratified by Britain. 

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Foreign firms creating more jobs in Switzerland despite pandemic

2021-04-11

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2021-04-11

Switzerland has remained an attractive location for foreign firms, creating more jobs last year than in 2019 - despite the economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic, Swiss public television SRF and RTS have reported.

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Swiss firms hold out hopes in US infrastructure upgrade

2021-04-04

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2021-04-04

US President Joe Biden’s major infrastructure plan is raising high hopes for Swiss firms in the construction and building industry. Although first contracts are expected to go to local firms, experts believe Swiss firms could score opportunities thanks to their specialisation and presence in the US market.

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Switzerland and ILO sign agreement on development cooperation

2021-04-02

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2021-04-02

Economics Minister Guy Parmelin and the Director-General of the International Labour Organization (ILO), Guy Ryder, have concluded an agreement on development cooperation. Parmelin, who holds the rotating Swiss presidency this year, also announced that Switzerland had joined a global platform to combat child labour, forced labour and human trafficking, the government said on Thursday.

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Private sector joins government to protect ‘Swissness’ abroad

2021-04-01

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2021-04-01

Major industry associations have joined forces with public agencies to combat free-riders who abuse the “Swiss brand” abroad. The association for Swissness enforcement is intended to foster coordinated action against the wrongful use abroad of Swiss indications of source.

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Swiss refiner comes up with method to verify gold’s origin 

2021-03-17

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2021-03-17

Metalor, one of the world’s biggest gold refiners, has developed a way to quickly confirm where gold had been mined, potentially stopping illegal gold from entering supply chains. 

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Hack on US security-camera company sparks Swiss police raid

2021-03-15

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2021-03-15

Swiss authorities on Monday confirmed a police raid at the home of a Swiss hacker who took credit for helping to break into a US security-camera company’s online networks, part of what the hacker cited as an effort to raise awareness about the dangers of mass surveillance.

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More rare earth metals detected at Swiss wastewater plants

2021-03-12

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2021-03-12

Rare earth metals like cerium and gadolinium, which are used in industry and hospitals, are increasingly being detected at Swiss wastewater plants, new research shows.

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Swiss National Bank profits cut in half by Covid

2021-03-01

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2021-03-01

The Swiss National Bank (SNB) recorded a profit of CHF20.9 billion (almost $23 billion) in 2020, less than half of the CHF48.9 billion it made in 2019.

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Swiss press divided over phased easing of Covid restrictions

2021-02-25

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2021-02-25

Is the government showing some backbone or being cowardly by keeping to its gradual pandemic reopening plans? The Swiss media can’t agree. For the German-speaking Neue Zürcher ZeitungExternal link broadsheet, the government – which confirmed its measures on Wednesday – is simply being obstinate.

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Pandemic pushes Swiss away from cash 

2021-02-23

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2021-02-23

Cash has lost its appeal among the Swiss population as the coronavirus pandemic led more people to pay by bank card, mobile app or online, a recent survey has found. 

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Some Swiss cantons call for earlier restaurant re-openings

2021-02-21

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2021-02-21

Several cantons have called for restaurants to be re-opened a month earlier than the official nationwide plan presented by the government earlier this week.

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Residential property prices continue to rise 

2021-02-16

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2021-02-16

Residential property prices in Switzerland rose sharply in the final quarter of 2020, and by an average 2.5% for the year as a whole, according to the Federal Statistics Office. 

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Report shows slump in foreign investment in Swiss real estate

2021-02-15

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2021-02-15

The share of foreign investment in Swiss commercial real estate fell from 15% before 2011 to 5% between 2017 and 2019, according to new research. The issue of foreigners buying cheap Swiss property during the Covid-19 pandemic is being discussed in Bern.

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Switzerland experiences highest unemployment rate in a decade

2021-02-08

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2021-02-08

The unemployment rate in Switzerland rose again in January, reaching 3.7% - the highest level since April 2010. 

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Protecting livestock from predators costs Swiss taxpayers millions

2021-02-07

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2021-02-07

The federal government spends CHF4 million (around $4.4 million) a year to minimise the damage caused by predators like wolves and lynx.

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Switzerland and UK to push ahead with financial services deal

2021-01-27

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2021-01-27

Britain and Switzerland will press on with plans to strike a trade deal for their vast financial services industries, UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak said on Wednesday ahead of talks with his Swiss counterpart.

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Manser diaries donated to Basel museum

2021-01-27

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2021-01-27

The diaries of Bruno Manser, a Swiss environmental and human rights activist, have been donated to the Museum der Kulturen in Basel.

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Swiss Corporate Merger Activity Dampened by Covid

2021-01-23

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2021-01-23

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The coronavirus pandemic left its mark on mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in Switzerland last year. The volume of transactions halved, and the number of deals was also down. Overall, the number of transactions with Swiss participation fell from 402 to 363. At $63.1 billion (CHF56 billion), the transaction volume was only half what it was in 2019 – mainly owing to the absence of mega-deals, consultants KPMG said on Thursday.

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