Tag Archives: Swiss Markets and News

Swiss hotel websites should be allowed to undercut prices offered by online booking platforms according to parliament (Keystone) A majority of parliament wants to restrict online reservation platforms in a bid to protect the Swiss hotel sector. The House of Representatives on Monday overwhelmingly approved a proposal and followed the Senate demanding that Swiss hotels will be allowed to offer lower prices for their...

The Swiss financial regulator is investigating multiple cases of suspected cryptocurrency fraud The Swiss financial regulator has closed down three companies linked to a fake cryptocurrency E-Coin amid fears that investors may have been conned out of millions of francs. The Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (Finma) said the probe is one of 12 it is conducting into cryptocurrencies. Finma has seized or blocked...

Swiss universities are known to be very international More than half of those doing a doctorate in Switzerland come from abroad, according to a new global education report. Foreign students are especially drawn to courses in the natural sciences. International students make up 17% of those studying at Swiss universities, said the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECDexternal link) in its Education...

“Avant, à Genève, il régnait une effervescence certaine. Les gens dépensaient de l’argent, certes pas forcément déclaré. Aujourd’hui, ce temps est fini et on ne voit pas vraiment ce qui pourrait extraire la ville et sa place financière de cette stagnation”. Exprimé en privé voici quelques jours par un professionnel de la finance de la cité de Calvin, ce constat rejoint celui de beaucoup, beaucoup d’autres gens ayant...

© Nwanda76 | Dreamstime - Click to enlarge Home vacancy rates in Switzerland’s main cities have all risen over the last few years, bringing some hope to those looking for a place to live. The latest 2017 data confirm this trend. While these percentage shifts might appear big, very low vacancy rates underly them. On 1 June 2012, none of these cities had a vacancy rate above 1%. Zurich (0.29%), Bern (0.48%), Basel...

Belair is due to stop operations at the end of October (archive picture) (Keystone) - Click to enlarge A potential buyer has been found for Belair, the Swiss subsidiary of insolvent airline Air Berlin, according to Swiss media reports which cite an internal communication to Belair employees. Belair management wrote that there was at least one offer for the airline, according to the az Nordwestschweiz...

Swiss Life denies it has flouted US regulations - Click to enlarge Insurance firm Swiss Life has announced that it has been approached by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) regarding its cross-border business with US clients. After going after Swiss banks with a vengeance for abetting tax evasion, it appears that it is now the turn of the Swiss insurance industry to attract unfavourable attention from the DOJ. Products...

© Ocusfocus | Dreamstime Switzerland’s federal council, the country’s seven-person executive or cabinet, has come up with a plan to cut those exorbitant mobile roaming phone bills that many of us return home to after trips abroad, an experience which hurts even more now roaming charges have been eliminated for EU residents. The roaming proposal is part of a wide-ranging revision to Switzerland’s telecommunications laws,...

Some 52 million passengers took off, landed or transited via Swiss airports last year. But while the number of passengers continues to soar, there are fewer planes in operation than in 2000. There are now fewer planes in circulation, but they have much bigger capacities, like this Airbus A380 taking off from Zurich Airport (Keystone) - Click to enlarge In 2016, Switzerland’s national airports in Zurich, Geneva...

The ICRC is the world's largest provider of physical rehabilitation services in developing countries.  (Keystone) - Click to enlarge The Swiss-run International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has launched the world’s first ‘Humanitarian Impact Bond’, which encourages private sector investment in humanitarian programmes. The innovative “payment-by-results” model centres on a five-year private placement programme...