Tag Archives: Business

An advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says the Swiss should be more proactive in looking for Russian funds. But according to a legal expert, current regulations do not allow authorities or banks to do more active searches beyond what’s in their current registers. Zelensky’s advisor, Alexander Rodnyansky, said that for Ukraine, it’s “vital” that Switzerland contributes to international pressure on Russia so the war will end. The Alpine country can make...

Switzerland plans to open negotiations with Qatar over the potential delivery of liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies. The Alpine state is scouting for new energy suppliers, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Finance Minister Ueli Maurer brought up the subject with Qatari Energy Minister Saad Sherida al-Kaabi in Doha on Tuesday. Gas makes up roughly 15% of Switzerland’s final energy consumption and is mostly used for heating and cooking. Around half of this...

The war in Ukraine and consequent threat of energy insecurity is forcing many countries to reconsider their existing policies. The ripple effect has also reached Switzerland, which is already reassessing its gas supply for the coming winter. As the largest exporter of oil and gas combined worldwide, Russia represents a critical piece of the global energy puzzle. The invasion of Ukraine by Russia and the sanctions which followed have already impacted where oil and...

Switzerland is anchoring the European and Middle East expansion of one of the world’s fastest growing cryptocurrency exchanges. The Bermuda-based FTX group is building its regional headquarters on the foundations of a small, yet successful, Swiss company that was established just two years ago. Like many projects I encounter in “Crypto Nation” SwitzerlandExternal link, Digital Assets came together in rapid time, surfing on the rising value of bitcoin. From the...

The Swiss economics ministry has downgraded its growth forecast for 2022 due to the war in Ukraine. But it still predicts a solid post-pandemic upswing. After a couple of years impacted by Covid-19, 2022 should yet see Swiss gross domestic product (GDP) grow by 2.8%, the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (Seco) said on MondayExternal link in a quarterly assessment – down from the 3% predicted last December. While the war will have an impact, Swiss economic ties...

The Swiss banks are hit by European Union sanctions against Russian clients. © Keystone/Christian Beutler Swiss banks hold between CHF150 billion and CHF200 billion ($160-$214 billion) in assets belonging to Russian clients, according to the Swiss Bankers Association. The president of the associationExternal link, Marcel Rohner, made the estimate at the group’s annual news conference on Tuesday. Overall in 2020, Swiss banks had assets under management totaling...

The Swiss Post Office more than doubled profits to CHF457 million ($493 million) last year as it was less affected by pandemic restrictions. The group’s financial arm, PostFinance, recorded a CHF272 million result, up from CHF162 million in 2020. This was achieved despite a fall in customer numbers, the amount of money they held at PostFinance and the continued negative interest rate environment. The postal service is seeing a decline in the number of letters being...

Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov have both had their assets frozen Keystone / Alexander Zemlianichenko The US, UK and EU have adopted sanctions aimed at freezing the assets of President Vladimir Putin and his foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, in response to the war in Ukraine. They also plan to place sanctions on the Russian central bank and remove some of the country’s lenders from the SWIFT global payments system, in...

More than a million Ukrainians have fled their country since the Russian invasion. Switzerland said it is activating sanctions against Russia on Friday, including a ban on many industrial exports and wide-ranging restrictions on financial activities, which includes cutting Russian banks from the SWIFT financial messaging system. The Swiss government also confirmed it is freezing the assets of people and companies with connections to Russian President Vladimir...

Legal expert Mark Pieth is amazed that Switzerland is taking its own problematic approach to international sanctions against Russia. This content was published on February 26, 2022 - 11:00 February 26, 2022 - 11:00 Opinion by Mark Pieth Mark Pieth, Criminal Law Professor, University of Basel When Russia invaded Ukraine, the US and the EU announced economic sanctions, whereas Switzerland announced that it would first have to analyse the new situation. The...