Tag Archives: Featured

Justice Minister Karin Keller-Sutter. (Keystone / Alessandro Della Valle) The Swiss government is examining plans to stave off bankruptcies of companies struggling with the fallout of the coronavirus crisis. But regular debt collection procedures will resume on April 20. Justice Minster Karin Keller-Sutter said the aim was to stabilise the economy and to secure jobs. “It is key for the government to prevent or keep to a minimum job losses and bankruptcies,” she told...

Combining smart contracts with bitcoin increases its potential use cases. (© Keystone / Alexandra Wey) A consortium of Swiss cryptocurrency companies has incorporated bitcoin onto the Tezos blockchain. The move brings Tezos, which has based its foundation in Switzerland, a step closer to rival blockchain Ethereum. Launched in 2018, the Tezos blockchain was designed to play host to a new generation of decentralised finance, business and social projects. It competes...

Mexico’s president Andrés Manuel López Obrador has been reluctant to impose mandatory “social distancing” orders on the Mexican population. According to USNews, López Obrador “has maintained a relaxed public attitude” toward COVID-19, and the Mexican government did not impose a ban on “non-essential” work until March 30, long after health officials in other countries insisted Mexico must do so. According to Dr. Miguel Betancourt, president of the Mexican Society of...

The current crisis is not a good thing. However, it is not the end of the world. And it can teach us some things about being socially isolated. Let’s stay positive and try to learn from this unprecedented isolation. During this crisis, we have been learning many things. Some of these things we were already doing, and we only realize their importance now. But for other things, we understand that we can improve some things in our life. That way, the next time we will...

Another day, another new Federal Reserve “bailout.” As these things go by, quickly, the details become less important. What is the central bank doing today? Does it really matter? For me, twice was enough. All the way back in 2010 I had expected other people to react as I did to QE2. If you have to do it twice, it doesn’t work. And if Ben Bernanke grew so concerned he felt a second dose was required… Put another way, if a central bank keeps doing “bigger” things,...

Die Eidgenössische Finanzmarktaufsicht FINMA veröffentlicht eine zweite Aufsichtsmitteilung mit Hinweisen für die Beaufsichtigten zu Erleichterungen und Präzisierungen der Aufsichtspraxis im Kontext der COVID-19-Krise. Mit ihrer Aufsichtsmitteilung 03/2020 gibt die FINMA weitere Erleichterungen im Kontext der COVID-19-Krise bekannt. Die Erleichterungen betreffen gewisse Identifikationspflichten der Geldwäschereiregulierung sowie den Versicherungsbereich. Hier ist...

© Arseniy Rogov | Dreamstime.com The number of new recorded Covid-19 cases is slowing in Switzerland. By 8 April 2020 the total number of recorded cases was 23,574 according to Switzerland’s health authority. Comparing the number of new cases on day to day basis can be misleading, particularly over the weekend when counting is sometimes interrupted. However, if the numbers are smoothed and compared on a week by week basis these counting timing distortions are less...

Best of neighbours: the HQs of UBS and Credit Suisse in Zurich. (© Keystone / Gaetan Bally) Switzerland’s two largest banks, UBS and Credit Suisse, have asked shareholders to accept a delay of several months for half of their dividend payments this year. The move follows a request from the financial regulator to hold on to more cash during the coronavirus pandemic. Both banks now want to split the distribution of dividends, each worth hundreds of millions of francs,...

„Ich glaube, dass einige Kommentatoren die Strenge der eingeführten Massnahmen (Einführung der Negativzinsen, Anmerkung des Autors) noch nicht ganz begriffen haben (…).“ „Sollten die Massnahmen nicht den gewünschten Erfolg zeigen, liessen sie sich auch verschärfen (…).“ Und: „Wir werden den Mindestkurs weiterhin mit aller Konsequenz durchzusetzen.“ Das waren die Worte von SNB-Chef Thomas Jordan bei der Einführung der Negativzinsen, kurz vor der Abschaffung des...

Workshops and studios for textile design, object design, jewellery design and graphic design are eligible for emergency funding (Keystone) People who work in the cultural sector in Switzerland can now apply for funds to cushion the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. The Swiss government last month adopted a package of measures totalling CHF280 million ($287 million). On Monday the Federal Office of Culture explainedexternal link how the money is to be divided up:...