The holes were caused by tunneling work under the tracks carried out by a private company, which was working on a thermal energy project using water from Lake Geneva to heat an industrial zone not far from the train line. Keystone / Jean-christophe Bott The main rail link between Geneva and Lausanne in southwestern Switzerland will not re-open until Friday morning, Swiss Federal Railways (SBB/CFF) has confirmed. The line has been suspended since Tuesday after land...
Read More »Swiss expats thrown limited banking lifeline by digital disruptor
Swiss expats have found it increasingly difficult to get the most basic banking services in recent years. © Keystone / Gaetan Bally Digital bank Yapeal is offering basic accounts to Swiss people living in neighbouring countries that undercut the rising fees of mainstream competitors. Swiss expatriates have long complained that banks in their homeland are giving them a rough deal with extra costs and account closures. Attempts by the Organisation for the Swiss...
Read More »Geldcast Update: Monetary policy and the climate crisis
Fabio Canetg completed his doctorate in monetary policy at the University of Bern and the Toulouse School of Economics. Today he is a lecturer at the University of Bern and hosts the monetary policy podcast “Geldcast”. swissinfo.ch For years, central banks have been called upon to do more to combat climate change. Now a new monetary policy instrument is being discussed as a way forward. The climate strike is back: Last week, thousands of people demonstrated in Bern...
Read More »Credit Suisse to shrink investment bank
Keystone / Urs Flueeler The Credit Suisse Group says it will shrink its investment bank and shift more resources to the wealth management unit. It is part of a restructuring plan intended to draw a line under a tumultuous year in which it was rocked by the Archegos Capital Management and Greensill scandals. The Zurich-based bank is exiting most of its prime services business after the implosion of Archegos and shifting about $3 billion of capital from the investment...
Read More »Controversial crypto exchange hopes for warm Swiss welcome
Two months after paying a $100 million fine in the US for illegal trading operations, cryptocurrency exchange BitMEX is lining up a test for Switzerland’s financial regulator. With a raft of recent legislative amendments, “Crypto Nation” Switzerland is bidding to become a global hub for legally-compliant cryptocurrency activities. Crypto derivatives exchange BitMEX wants to leverage this legal basis to launch a brokerage service. As I’ve said previously, the Swiss...
Read More »Swiss companies face severe supply chain bottlenecks
Goods are being delayed in container ports in many parts of the world. Keystone / Neil Hall Four out of five firms surveyed by the Swiss Business Federation (economiesuisse) have complained of problems in getting hold of raw materials and essential parts for their goods. The cost of the worsening supply chain conditions is starting to be passed on to consumers. Some companies are looking into putting staff on shortened hours with economiesuisse warning that the...
Read More »What’s the real problem in our supply chains?
Containers are piling up at ports, ships are waiting to offload cargo and store shelves are sitting empty. Are all the quick fixes enough to fix the real problems in our supply chains? Headlines over the past few weeks about our global supply chain woes are enough to make anyone start stocking up on toilet paper and other essentials (again!). Goods from steel and lumber to toys, bicycles, and semiconductors are all facing delivery delays and higher prices, causing...
Read More »Swiss entities aim to be green pioneers
PostBus is among the new participants in this initiative to reduce energy consumption and make it renewable. The Swiss Broadcasting company SRF has also joined. Keystone / Gian Ehrenzeller Some government departments and 13 other Swiss entities have signed a pact to increase energy efficiency, expand renewable energies and make their investments “climate compatible”. The initiative contributes to implementing Switzerland’s Energy Strategy 2050 and achieving a net...
Read More »Switzerland ‘not at risk of truck driver shortage’
The United Kingdom and the European Union are grappling with truck diver shortages that complicate economic recovery amid the coronavirus pandemic. Keystone / Joe Giddens Unlike other Western European nations, Switzerland is not at risk of a supply chain crisis due to a lack of truck drivers, according to the president of a major logistics and transport company. “The situation in Switzerland is significantly better than in the rest of Europe,” Rolf Galliker,...
Read More »Qatar’s Quintet bank closes shop in Switzerland
The bank is situated at Zurich’s prestigious Bahnhofstrasse. © Keystone / Gaetan Bally Quintet Private Bank says it is closing its Swiss arm just 16 months after opening. The Qatari-owned private bank took over Bank am Bellevue last year. The Luxembourg-based private bank is closing its Swiss business, which employs 87 people, according to a statement on Tuesday. It is unclear whether the closure will happen via a wind-down or sale. The private bank, which opened in...
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