Tag Archives: 3) Swiss Markets and News

In Brussels there was shock and anger. In Switzerland, quiet celebration and relief — but, for some, doubts about what exactly comes next. An employee checks an oscillating surgical bone saw blade at the company Gomina in Niederwald, canton Valais, Switzerland, in 2018. The Swiss medical devices sector, which exports almost half of all devices to the EU, is expected to be affected by Switzerland’s decision to pull out of an institutional framework agreement with the...

On 27 May 2021, the UK was added Switzerland’s list of risk countries. This means that anyone arriving in Switzerland from the UK from 6pm on Thursday must quarantine upon arrival, with a few exceptions. © Tommy Beattie | Dreamstime.com The UK was added to the Federal Office of Public Health’s (FOPH) list of countries with a worrying variant, alongside Brazil, Canada, India, Nepal and South Africa. A number of other countries and regions are listed because of...

Jordan, shown at a news conference last year, warns of neglecting the risks of inflation. Keystone/Anthony Anex The Swiss National Bank (SNB) can expand its balance sheet further if needed, says chairman of the board Thomas Jordan. “A big balance sheet is per se no problem. We can expand the balance sheet further, if monetary policy so requires,” he told the Neue Zürcher Zeitung newspaper in an interview published on Saturday. The SNB’s holdings of foreign exchange...

Alain Berset, right, and Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus during a bilateral meeting in Geneva on Monday to sign a memo of understanding on the BioHub Initiative Keystone / Laurent Gillieron Switzerland and the World Health Organization (WHO) have agreed to launch the first WHO BioHub Facility. This will enhance the rapid sharing of viruses and other pathogens between laboratories and partners globally. Under the agreement, signed at the 74th World Health Assembly in...

Pension schemes are as diverse as the cultures of the countries whose working population they insure. Nevertheless, they all aim to guarantee a certain level of income in retirement. The UBS International Pension Gap Index, first released in 2017, analyses the sustainability and adequacy of the pension promises across 24 jurisdictions. This is done on the basis of the private savings rate required by an average person of 50 today to maintain their standard of living...

A Covid credit programme has helped boost the reputation of Swiss banks, despite some of them being the target of climate protests. © Keystone / Christian Beutler Swiss people’s trust in their country’s banks is at its highest in 20 years, boosted by Covid credits and a commitment to sustainability, according to a new survey. People from almost all political camps have a positive perception, with 75% describing their attitude towards Swiss banks as positive or very...

While rich Swiss residents figure in Bloomberg’s top 500 world’s wealthiest, there are nine Americans in the top ten slot. © Keystone / Gaetan Bally In the latest version of the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, eight Swiss or Swiss-resident names figure among the 500 richest people in the world. The richest of the Alpine-based billionaires is Geneva-based Ernesto Bertarelli, who according to his own self-description is a “Swiss entrepreneur active in the fields of...

Initially, in Switzerland, only those who have been vaccinated will get a Covid certificate. Those who have received a negative test result or have been infected and recovered will have to wait, according to a report in the TagesAnzeiger. This information was later confirmed by the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH), according to RTS. © Chaiyan Anuwatmongkonchai | Dreamstime.com - Click to enlarge For those who have been vaccinated, Covid certificates will be...

Switzerland used to be a place where the rich came with their money to escape the world’s problems, not to confront them. Ethical investing: a bright future for the financial centres of Zurich and Geneva? © Keystone / Gaetan Bally These days, the private banks that dot the pristine streets of Zurich and Geneva are no exception when it comes to the wave of enthusiasm that has broken over the asset management world for better environmental, social and governance...

Swiss Life at its peak was responsible for over $1 billion in portfolios for US clients. © Keystone / Christian Merz Switzerland’s largest insurance company Swiss Life has agreed to pay CHF70 million ($77.4 million) and enter a deferred prosecution agreement in the United States to resolve accusations it conspired to help wealthy Americans to avoid taxes. The company will pay a $25.3 million fine plus $52.1 million in restitution and forfeiture to resolve a charge it...