Instead of sending staff to walk the tracks and inspect them by eye, Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) uses specially equipped diagnostic trains and artificial intelligence to examine around 2,000km of track each month, according to SRF. Rather than inspecting the railway at walking pace, the trains travel at up to 120kph, measuring and filming the […]
Chinese delivery company to launch in Switzerland
Temu and Shein are sending a growing number of packages to Switzerland. A Chinese logistics firm now wants a share of their delivery business. Helped by heavy advertising and rock-bottom prices Chinese online retailers are squeezing domestic e-commerce firms. Now a Chinese logistics company is following them into the market and may squeeze existing parcel […]
Low water on the Rhine pushes up Swiss prices
Low water is making inland shipping less reliable. More freight may move by road and rail, pushing up transport costs—and, eventually, consumer prices. In August the Rhine at Kaub, a key measuring point in Germany, fell to just six centimetres, a record low, according to Reuters. The Rhine was not alone. Rivers across Europe, including […]
Swiss passport ranks ninth worldwide — but several European neighbours beat it
The Swiss passport remains one of the world’s most powerful travel documents, ranking ninth globally in the latest Passport Reports index. Swiss citizens can travel visa-free to 119 destinations. Another 54 allow entry with a visa on arrival or an electronic travel authorisation. Only 25 destinations require Swiss travellers to obtain a visa in advance. […]
Swiss central bank maintains world’s lowest rate
The Swiss National Bank (SNB) has left its policy rate unchanged at zero, the lowest policy rate in the world. Inflation remains subdued. Consumer prices rose by 0.8% in August, the highest rate in two years but still comfortably within the SNB’s definition of price stability, which covers inflation of between zero and 2%. The […]
Swiss wealth inequality may not have widened after all
Switzerland appears, at first glance, to be an ideal country in which to measure wealth inequality. It levies an annual personal wealth tax, producing unusually rich tax data. Yet those tax records miss a large share of household wealth. A recent CES ifo paper estimates that roughly half of Swiss private wealth is absent from […]
Swiss voters look set to reject neutrality and food initiatives
A clear majority of Swiss voters oppose both initiatives due to be put to a referendum on September 27, according to the second poll conducted by gfs.bern for the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC). More than 60% now say they intend to reject the neutrality and food-security proposals. Support for the two initiatives has fallen sharply […]
Diesel prices hit record high in Switzerland
Diesel prices in Switzerland have risen to a record high. A litre now costs an average of CHF 2.41 nationwide, according to the Touring Club Switzerland (TCS), surpassing the previous peak reached in 2022. Since the begining of the year the price has risen 35% from CHF 1.78 a litre. Petrol prices are also climbing. […]
Revolut moves to secure a Swiss banking licence
Revolut already has 1.3m customers in Switzerland. Now it wants a Swiss banking licence. Why? A new force may soon emerge in Swiss banking—though it is hardly a newcomer. Revolut, a British fintech firm, already has 1.3m customers in Switzerland. The firm has applied to the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (Finma) for a banking […]
Swiss rail travel hits all time high
Switzerland travelled by train more than ever in 2025. Passengers covered almost 24bn passenger-kilometres, a third consecutive annual record, according to federal data. That was 3% more than in 2024 and confirms the recovery in rail travel since its sharp fall during the covid-19 pandemic. The increase was driven mainly by more journeys rather than […]
