Xherdan Shaqiri and Granit Xhaka, two star Swiss footballers, risk being sidelined. The two goal scorers in the pivotal win against Serbia last Friday, could find themselves banned from playing in the next two world cup matches. On Saturday, FIFA’s disciplinary committee announced that it had opened disciplinary proceedings against the players. In a statement […]
Nearly 1 in 20 in Switzerland is a millionaire, according wealth to report
The 2017, a wealth report, published by Capgemini, shows there were 389,000 US$ millionaires in Switzerland, around 4.5% of the population, or close to 1 in 20. If children under the age of 15 are excluded, Switzerland’s millionaire percentage rises to 7.3%. In addition, these figures include only investable wealth, which does not include the […]
Football – Switzerland beats Serbia
On 22 June 2018, Switzerland won 2:1 against Serbia, following a 1:1 draw against Brazil last Sunday. Switzerland’s two goals were scored by Granit Xhaka and Xherdan Shaqiri. Both of these Swiss players are of Kosovan descent, so winning against Serbia, a country that refuses to recognize Kosovo, would have had an additional emotional dimension […]
Swiss residential property risks grow in buy-to-let, according to Swiss National Bank
On 21 June 2018, the Swiss National Bank (SNB) announced its decision on interest rates, which it left unchanged. Switzerland’s economy has been sailing into the headwinds of a strong currency since the SNB scrapped its exchange rate cap in January 2015 and the Swiss franc briefly went beyond parity with the euro. To weaken […]
Toilet tantrums – some Swiss toilets charge women more than men
Public toilets in some Swiss train stations charge 2 francs for a toilet and 1.5 francs for a urinal. The sit-down price is the same for both men and women, but given only men can use urinals, they have an option unavailable to women, to pay a bit less for a number one. Why the […]
Geneva – “Stop cross-border worker” initiative falls before start line
An initiative, designed to end the “influx” of cross-border workers into Geneva, has failed to get enough signatures. In Switzerland, changes to the constitution or law can be presented to voters if enough signatures can be collected. Votes can be organized at commune, canton and federal levels. In Geneva, cantonal initiatives aimed at changing the […]
Pope’s visit to Geneva could create 1 million franc deficit
The Pope’s 21 June 2018 visit to Geneva is expected to cost CHF 2.2 million, according to RTS. These costs, which are spread over the rental of the venue and security, must be covered by the host diocese. Given the Vatican’s late announcement of the visit (in March 2018), local church leaders were not given […]
The price of solidarity – Switzerland’s inter-cantonal payments for 2019
In Switzerland, much in life revolves around the canton. Cantons have their own health, social and education systems, parliaments and tax rates. Federal government, based in Bern, is a layer that sits over the top, bringing the cantons together as Switzerland. For some cantons, nationhood has a cost. For others it means extra money. Every […]
Swiss offshore wealth management sector still world’s largest by far
A report by The Boston Consulting Group highlights the size of Switzerland’s personal offshore wealth management sector. Total personal offshore wealth grew by 6% to reach US$8.2 trillion in 2017. US$2.3 trillion (28%) of this was managed in Switzerland. The top three offshore centres: Switzerland ($2.3 trillion), Hong Kong ($1.1 trillion) and Singapore ($0.9 trillion) […]
Swiss parliament rejects initiative calling for primacy of Swiss law
On 12 June 2018, an initiative calling for a constitutional amendment, which would place Swiss law above international law, was rejected by the National Council by 129 to 68 votes, after a lengthy nine hour discussion spanning three days. Earlier, the initiative dubbed: Swiss law not foreign judges, organized by the Swiss People’s Party (UDC/SVP), […]
