Tag Archives: 3.) Swissinfo Business and Economy

By normal standards, interest rates of 0.5% are considered low. But Switzerland has just emerged from a long period of negative interest after the Swiss National Bank (SNB) raised rates from -0.25% to +0.5%. When not covering fintech, cryptocurrencies, blockchain, banks and trade, swissinfo.ch’s business correspondent can be found playing cricket on various grounds in Switzerland – including the frozen lake of St Moritz. More from this author | English...

The Swiss government has given the green light to begin the construction of a temporary reserve power plant due to be operational from February next year. The executive body signed off on two decisions on Friday to speed up the approval of planning regulations for the eight-turbine plant in Birr, in the north of the country. The government had already signed a contract with the GE Gas Power company earlier this month for the CHF470 million ($480 million)...

The world’s richest people saw their wealth expand last year as stock markets and real estate gained in value, according to Swiss bank Credit Suisse. When not covering fintech, cryptocurrencies, blockchain, banks and trade, swissinfo.ch’s business correspondent can be found playing cricket on various grounds in Switzerland – including the frozen lake of St Moritz. More from this author | English DepartmentMatthew Allen Total global wealth increased by...

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent worries about energy sources make the economic outlook uncertain. (c) Copyright 2022, Dpa (www.dpa.de). Alle Rechte Vorbehalten Swiss economic growth forecasts for 2022 and 2023 have been revised significantly downwards, amid uncertainty over energy supply and inflation. A government expert group has downgraded its expectations for GDP growth to 2% in 2022, compared with the 2.6% it predicted in June. For 2023, its...

The government plans to examine concrete and binding measures to save electricity in the coming weeks. © Keystone / Christian Beutler The Swiss government lacks up-to-date information on national electricity production and consumption, according to the Swiss Federal Office of Energy. This is due to the lack of digitalisation of the electricity companies. The lack of information was a focal point of Sunday news report amid rising concerns over an energy crunch in...

The Swiss competition commission (COMCO) has opened an investigation into suspected unlawful use of a patent to reduce competitive pressure by Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis. The probe, which is in collaboration with the European Commission, is looking into whether the company used unlawful means to ward off competition for its own dermatological treatments. COMCO conducted an early morning raid at the company’s Basel headquarters on September 13 in connection...

The proportion of electric cars is increasing on Swiss roads. © Keystone / Christian Beutler Switzerland’s largest car importer, AMAG, plans to sell purely electric powered vehicles from 2040 and is diversifying into solar systems and heat pumps. AMAG, which imports cars and sells them to dealerships, said on Tuesday that it will acquire Swiss photovoltaic pioneer Helion to help its conversion to a renewable energy business. The takeover will create a new Energy...

Despite being one of the world’s richest countries, Switzerland also faces the threat of an energy shortage in the coming months. The authorities are scrambling to prepare. SWI swissinfo.ch has gathered answers to some of the most pressing questions on electricity supply, Switzerland’s dependence on Russian gas, and measures being taken to get the country through the winter. Is Switzerland self-sufficient in meeting its energy needs? No. Domestic electricity...

Switzerland’s House of Representatives has approved the purchase of new F-35 fighter jets from the United States. The decision clears the path for Bern to sign the purchase contract, even though an initiative to prevent the deal has not been voted on by Swiss voters. Keystone-SDA news agency reported on Thursday that the majority was convinced the contract should be signed by the bid closing date: March 30, 2023. The jet purchase is part of the Army’s 2022 budget,...

A reform of the Swiss old age pension system has lost ground but is still likely to win a majority in a nationwide vote later this month, pollsters say.  Worked in radio and newspaper journalism, as well as teaching and tourism before joining swissinfo.ch’s predecessor Swiss Radio International in the 1980s. He reports from parliament, and focuses on direct democracy issues. More from this author | English DepartmentUrs Geiser Support for a proposed ban on...