News | Latest Breaking News Stories & Headlines

The southern Swiss canton of Wallis, the only one to allow the trophy hunting, said in a statement that as of next year, foreigners would no longer be granted permits to hunt ibexes

Swiss region to ban foreign hunters killing Alpine ibex

A Swiss region that has faced heavy criticism for allowing wealthy foreigners to pay large sums to shoot protected Alpine ibexes, a species of wild goat, for trophies has decided to end the practice.

News Lens • 28 Aug 20

Swatch's sales fell 46.1% to 2.2 billion Swiss francs ($2.34 billion) in the first half of 2020

Swatch Group sales almost halve, posts net loss in H1

Swatch Group said it expected sales and profits to improve quickly in the coming months after the Covid-19 pandemic led it to post a net loss in the first half of the year.

Business • 14 Jul 20

UBS was buoyed by ultra rich clients reshuffling portfolios to cope with the coronavirus outbreak in the first three months of 2020

Profits rise at UBS as wealth division shows resilience

The world's largest wealth manager, UBS, has reported a 40% rise in first quarter profit, buoyed by ultra rich clients reshuffling portfolios to cope with the coronavirus outbreak and as a revamp helped its core business to its best quarter since 2008.

Business • 28 Apr 20

The dividend move from UBS comes as banking supervisors and regulators urge financial houses to reconsider payouts to investors

Swiss bank UBS sticks to 2019 dividend plan

UBS Group said it intends to pay its 2019 dividend, despite guidance from Swiss markets supervisor FINMA, the Swiss government and international banking groups to limit payouts as the coronavirus outbreak hits the global economy.

Business • 30 Mar 20

The preliminary figures show the highest approval rate was in Geneva

Swiss voters back new law against homophobia

Switzerland has voted strongly in favour of a new law against homophobia in a referendum despite opposition from the populist right-wing Swiss People's Party.

Europe • 09 Feb 20

Credit Suisse's chief executive Tidjane Thiam quits

Credit Suisse CEO Thiam quits after spying scandal

Credit Suisse chief executive Tidjane Thiam has quit after a power struggle at Switzerland's second-biggest bank, which faces investor pressure over a spying scandal being investigated by Swiss regulators.

Business • 07 Feb 20

The Swiss National Bank has bought massive amounts of foreign currencies in recent years to dampen demand for the Swiss franc

Switzerland rejects US claims of currency manipulation

Switzerland is not steering the Swiss franc for competitive gain, the country's government said today after the US added it to a watchlist of currency manipulators.

Business • 14 Jan 20

Swatch is an important supplier of watch movements that power mechanical timepieces

Swiss watchdog curbs Swatch watch movement shipments

The Swiss competition watchdog has restricted Swatch Group's shipments of watch mechanisms to other companies ahead of a final decision in mid-2020 in a long-running dispute.

Business • 19 Dec 19

'The dog has a sense of smell and this sense of smell does not fail'

Rescue crews and dogs prepare for Alps avalanche season

Rescuers and search dogs have taken to the slopes to practise rescue skills in the build-up to the deadly avalanche season in the Swiss Alps.

News Lens • 07 Dec 19

Swiss bank UBS posts 16% drop in Q3 net profit

UBS, Switzerland's biggest bank, has today posted a $1.049 billion net profit for the third quarter of 2019 as it slims its investment bank and cuts costs seeking to tackle difficult market conditions.

Business • 22 Oct 19

Domino's Pizza set to exit four international markets

Domino's Pizza to exit four international markets

Domino's Pizza Group said today it would quit its loss-making international operations, sending shares higher in early trade.

Business • 17 Oct 19

The EU's grey list has included Switzerland since its launch in December 2017

EU removes Switzerland from grey tax-haven list

The EU removed Switzerland and four other countries from its grey list of tax havens today, giving one of the global hubs for multinational tax schemes the all clear.

Business • 10 Oct 19

The cars are expected to bring in more than €17m

Supercars seized from dictator's son auctioned for €25m

A collection of luxury cars seized from Equatorial Guinea's vice president Teodorin Obiang Nguema will be auctioned off in Switzerland and are estimated to bring in €17.2m.

World • 29 Sep 19

The maker of KitKat and Nescafe has vowed to make 100% of its packaging recyclable or reusable by 2025

Nestle to develop environmentally friendly packaging

Nestle has set up a research institute to develop more environmentally friendly packaging for its products and reduce plastic waste, taking matters into its own hands rather than relying on its suppliers.

News Lens • 12 Sep 19

The Piper aircraft crashed into the Swiss Alps an hour-and-a-half after it took off

Baby among three dead in Swiss Alps air crash

Three people, including a baby, have died after a small tourist plane crashed and burst into flames in the Swiss Alps, police said.

World • 26 Aug 19

The natural phenomenon is known as inversion

'River of clouds' passes through Swiss valley

An unusual meteorological phenomenon was seen in Switzerland on Wednesday, when a "river of clouds" descended through the Grimsel pass in the Swiss Alps and into a nearby valley.

News Lens • 23 Aug 19

Gains in its advisory business softened an investment banking fall for UBS

UBS beats forecast with €1.25bn net profit for Q2

UBS has beat forecasts with a $1.4 billion net profit for its second quarter of 2019, as gains in its advisory business softened an investment banking fall and boosted its Swiss retail and corporate banking business.

Business • 23 Jul 19

Swatch Group said its net profit fell 11.3% in the first half of 2019

Swatch Group hit by Hong Kong turbulence as sales fall

Swatch Group's net profit fell 11.3% in the first half of 2019 as the Swiss watch maker's sales fell as the company cracked down on unofficial sales and political turbulence in Hong Kong weighed.

Business • 17 Jul 19

EU-based banks and brokers are set to be prevented from trading shares directly on Swiss bourses from July 1

No breakthrough in Swiss-EU battle of the bourses

The European Commission and Switzerland both refused to blink in a standoff over a stalled partnership treaty that threatens to trigger stock trading curbs across Europe from Monday.

Business • 27 Jun 19

Women in Switzerland on average still earn 20% less than men

Swiss women rise up for equal pay

Women across Switzerland went on strike today for equal pay as they staged various actions to vent their frustration with persistent gender discrimination and wage gaps in the wealthy Alpine nation.

Business • 14 Jun 19

The initial EU proposal provoked an outcry because it meant a ban on the Swiss tradition of ex-soldiers keeping their assault rifles

Switzerland avoids clash with EU over gun laws

Swiss voters have agreed by a nearly two-to-one margin to adopt tighter gun controls in line with changes to European Union rules, heading off a clash with Brussels.

Europe • 19 May 19

Undated photo of Mark Acklom issued by the NCA

UK fugitive extradited over romance scam

One of the UK's most wanted fugitives has been extradited from Switzerland to face charges of defrauding a woman out of her life savings after posing as an M16 agent in a romance scam.

UK • 23 Feb 19

British international trade secretary Liam Fox has signed a bilateral trade agreement in Bern today

Britain, Switzerland agree on post-Brexit trade

Britain and Switzerland have today signed a deal to preserve trade relations between the two countries even if London opts to leave the European Union without a deal with Brussels.

Business • 11 Feb 19

The chief executive of UBS Sergio Ermotti described as the fourth quarter of 2018 as 'historically tough'

UBS posts Q4 pre-tax profit miss, sees bumpy road ahead

UBS has today posted a $862m fourth-quarter pre-tax profit, hit by a slowdown in its flagship wealth management business and weaker earnings in its investment bank.

Business • 22 Jan 19

The controlled explosions are triggered to mitigate the risk of avalanches

Controlled blasts trigger avalanches in Switzerland

A series of avalanches were triggered with controlled explosives in southern Switzerland on Tuesday, as the high level of snowfall in recent days prompted maximum avalanche alert across much of the country.

News Lens • 16 Jan 19