Tag Archives: 3) Swiss Markets and News

The Swiss bank said it had reached a final settlement with the New Jersey Attorney General © Keystone / Michael Buholzer Credit Suisse has agreed to pay $495 million (CHF496 million) to settle a case brought against it in the United States, the latest pay-out related to past blunders that have battered the Swiss bank’s reputation. Credit Suisse said it would make the pay-out to settle claims brought by the New Jersey Attorney General related to the bank’s...

Uber’s activities in Switzerland have sparked legal disputes. © Keystone / Christian Beutler Dozens of taxi drivers staged a strike in Geneva to protest a decision by the authorities to allow the ride-hailing company to resume business in the Swiss city. The strike follows months of dispute and failed negotiations over the conditions of Uber drivers and the legal status of the American company. On Friday, the Geneva authorities decided to suspend a ban on Uber...

After a roughly CHF 40 billion blow to Swiss public finances due to the Covid pandemic, Switzerland’s financial outlook is beginning to look positive, according to a recent government press release. © Photo4dreams | Dreamstime.com Figures from the Federal Finance Administration (FFA) forecast a surplus of CHF 1.5 billion in 2022, an amount equivalent to 0.2% of GDP. In 2023, a government surplus of CHF 0.6% of GDP is forecast. Government expenditure in Switzerland...

On 12 October 2022, Switzerland’s Federal Council announced an increase in state pensions from 1 January 2023 by 2.5%. Photo by Magda Ehlers on Pexels.com The minimum pension with rise from CHF 1,195 to CHF 1,225 per month, while the maximum amount will rise from CHF 2,390 to CHF 2,450 (US$ 2,450). The amount paid in state pension in Switzerland is related to the level of contribution, which relates to salary level and the number years. Swiss state pensions are...

Cornelia Ritz Bossicard leads swissVR, an independent Swiss association of board members. She explains the role that boards of directors and their members play in steering businesses. A director of the board for several companies, Bossicard became president of swissVR in 2018. The aim of swissVR is to strengthen the skills of Swiss boards by offering a forum for sharing experiences, organising company visits, publishing surveys and reports, and providing...

In 2021, 82% of mothers in Switzerland were economically active, according to data published by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) this week. Photo by Karolina Grabowska on Pexels.com The rate of mothers working in 2021 (82%) was 22 percentage points higher than it was in 1991 (60%). At the same time fathers were not working at a significantly lower rate. In 2021, 97% of fathers with children aged 15 or under were in the workforce, compared to 99% in 1991. Two...

Switzerland has been criticised for turning a blind eye to legal advisors and others who allow wealthy people to hide their money. © Keystone / Gaetan Bally The Swiss government has asked the finance ministry to draft a bill to increase transparency of beneficial owners of legal entities to help tackle financial crime. The bill should introduce a central register for identifying beneficial owners and new obligations when it comes to risks of financial crime, the...

Vultures, rats and maggots are often the focus of disgust, less because of anything for which they can be blamed, and more because of the conditions with which they are associated. Death, disease and squalor carry a stigma that is hard to shake. Something similar is true of credit-default swaps, financial instruments that make headlines during market turmoil and economic misery. When charts of credit-default swap prices begin to crop up in financial research it is...

The United Nations’ Security Council goal was to ensure the collective security of humanity. Seventy years after its creation the five-member council needs a massive shakeup if it is to address today’s challenges argues Hassan Nafaa, professor of Political Science at Cairo University. More than seven decades have passed since the United Nations was established to maintain international peace and security. Since then, the world’s political and social landscapes have...

Dixit Joshi ‘loves solving big, complex financial problems’, according to one acquaintance CS As daunting first weeks go, Dixit Joshi’s takes some beating. After a weekend of damaging speculation on social media about the impending collapse of Credit Suisse, Joshi started as the bank’s chief financial officer last Monday with its share price plumbing new lows and a gauge of default risk spiralling higher. The British-South Africa banker turned up to his first...