Tag Archives: Business

Switzerland is facing calls to clean up its financial sector in the wake of the so-called “Suisse Secrets” controversy, which drew on leaked data from banking giant Credit Suisse. Many see the scandal as evidence of systemic shortcoming in the Swiss banking sector, which has undergone major reforms over recent years in a bid to shake off its image as a financial haven for criminals. The calls for reform have come from at home and abroad. In Switzerland, the left...

Glencore says that the market is deteriorating for lead smelters with no active mine. (Image of Sudbury nickel smelter.) Courtesy of Glencore. Glencore expects to resolve bribery and corruption investigations in the UK, US and Brazil this year and has set aside $1.5 billion (CHF1.4 billion) to cover potential fines and costs.   Neil Hume, Financial Times News of the provision came as the London-listed miner and commodity trader announced record earnings on the...

[caption id="attachment_858217" align="alignleft" width="400"] Exporting, or perhaps importing, on the Rhine in Basel. © Keystone / Gaetan Bally[/caption] Swiss exports climbed to record levels in 2021, with chemicals and pharma driving much of the growth. Watches, especially luxury ones, also had a good year. Exports came to a total value of CHF259.5 billion ($284.5 billion) in 2021, marking a 15.2% increase on the pandemic year 2020 and a 7% increase on...

Olivier Santi, managing director of Dakar’s Outarde Bank, says there is no doubt that Swiss experience is a “label of quality” within the banking world. ©SWI/Pauline Turuban After working in finance in Geneva for 15 years, Olivier Santi emigrated to Dakar in 2017 to head a new bank founded by one of Senegal’s richest businessmen. His career to date demonstrates both the central role Switzerland plays in the finance and raw materials sectors, and the vitality of West...

Game changer? Baillod’s tourbillon watch has already made waves in the watch community Baillod Entrepreneur Thomas Baillod has just launched a “Swiss Made” tourbillon watch for under CHF5,000 ($5,450), a marketing coup which shows that mid-range watches still have a place in a watch industry increasingly focused on ultra-luxury. Patented in 1801 by Abraham-Louis Breguet, the tourbillon still fascinates lovers of fine mechanical watchmaking. The mechanism, a small...

Many company executives are attracted by the scenery, high paying jobs and low tax rates offered in Switzerland. © Keystone / Christian Beutler Swiss Finance Minister Ueli Maurer has hinted that cantons might lower income taxes for well-heeled executives as the country braces for the impact of a minimum corporate tax rate. Speaking to the NZZ am Sonntag newspaper, Maurer said cantons are discussing the idea of reducing upper rates for high earners. As in many...

In 2021, global carbon pollution returned almost to 2019 levels, after a drop during the lockdowns of the pandemic year 2020. Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved The production and trade of goods is at the heart of the globalised market and has a significant environmental impact. Yet there was little discussion at COP26 on how to make it more sustainable, the former director of the World Trade Institute (WTI) tells SWI swissinfo.ch. The goods we...

The Swiss central bank has again profited from its interventions in the foreign exchange markets. © Keystone / Ti-press / Alessandro Crinari The Swiss National Bank (SNB) expects to post a profit of CHF26 billion ($28 billion) for 2021, a windfall made exclusively from its growing foreign currency holdings. The central bank will likely distribute CHF6 billion to the confederation and cantons under the terms of a profit-sharing agreementExternal link that was made...

The New Year has started with a sharp fall in the price of bitcoin – and some intriguing stories surrounding the Swiss cryptocurrency scene. The industry is well used to volatility in the price of cryptocurrencies and is ploughing on with expansion plans regardless of how many dollars you can currently get for your bitcoin. New heads at Switzerland’s oldest crypto firm As management shake-ups go, Bitcoin Suisse has raised the bar to a new level. The crypto company’s...

Taxi or not, employer or not: Uber is a disputed concept in Switzerland. © Keystone / Christian Beutler The latest cantonal ruling on the US ride-hailing firm comes as a national framework to determine the status of gig economy workers in Switzerland is still lacking. The rulingExternal link by the Zurich social insurance court, published on Thursday, says that the “marked subordination” in the relation between Uber and its drivers means that it is one of dependence...