Former US interior secretary lands first job since stepping down
Former United States interior secretary Ryan Zinke has landed his first job since leaving the Trump administration two weeks ago. Zinke has joined investment company Artillery One as managing director, swissinfo.ch has learned.
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When not covering fintech, cryptocurrencies, blockchain, banks and trade, swissinfo.ch's business correspondent can be found playing cricket on various grounds in Switzerland - including the frozen lake of St Moritz.
Zinke ended his nearly two-year stint as US Secretary of the Interior at the beginning of this year following criticism of his use of private jets and of his environmental record while in office.
Zinke has denied accusations of cronyism and cosying up to fossil fuel companies, levelled by opposition Democrats.
The former US Navy Seal’s previous business ventures include the founding of a property management and business consultancy firm.
“Secretary Zinke brings a wealth of experience and understanding of the workings of business and government,” said Artillery One founder and CEO Daniel Cannon in a statement. “His expertise in the energy and technology sectors will help Artillery One to expand.”
Artillery One has also signed up Swiss-based Steven Lindgren as president.
Lindgren is a former chief risk officer at UBS bank who also had stints with Coutts and Credit Suisse in Switzerland. The Stanford-educated physicist also co-founded a Silicon Valley start-up before embarking on a career in finance.
The US-based company invests in fintech, blockchain, cyber security and energy projects worldwide. It has been trying to buy out Swiss distributed ledger technology payments enterprise Monetas, but the proposed deal has hit a number of snags over the last 12 months.
Cannon, who is in Switzerland this week to attend the Crypto Finance Conference in St Moritz, said his company is actively looking to invest in Swiss fintech and blockchain companies. Crypto Valley in canton Zug has attracted more than 400 blockchain start-ups in recent years, either home-grown on foreign companies seeking an attractive regulatory environment.
Swiss football boss wants crackdown on individual hooligans
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The head of the Swiss Football League says he prefers a harsher approach to individual hooligans rather than collective punishment measures affecting all fans.
Amherd: Council of Europe is ‘as urgently needed as ever’
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The Swiss government emphasised on Sunday the vital role of the Strasbourg-based Council of Europe, 75 years after it was founded.
Swiss minister: Italy will back Switzerland in EU talks
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Bern can count on the backing of Italy as it re-enters talks with the European Union on future relations, Viola Amherd says.
Student protestors at University of Lausanne continue pro-Palestine sit-in
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Since Thursday, a hall on campus has been occupied by students calling for a boycott of Israeli academic institutions and a ceasefire in Gaza.
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Swiss public broadcasters RTS and SRF are drastically reducing their communications via the social network X (formerly Twitter).
Israel: president of Swiss universities rejects academic boycott
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Luciana Vaccaro, president of Swissuniversities, the umbrella group of Swiss universities, is not in favour of an academic boycott of Israeli universities.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
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US investor bails out bankruptcy-threatened Monetas
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Artillery One founder, Daniel P Cannon, will take over as Monetas CEO and chairman of the blockchain payments start-up. Monetas founder Johann Gevers will continue to “play an important role” on the board of directors. Cannon is also a managing director at Oberon Securities, but the US investment banking boutique is not involved in the…
‘New buyer found’ for ailing Monetas blockchain firm
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“We are in the process of completing the purchase formalities with a buyer of Monetas. If everything goes forward as planned, we will be able to share details with you soon,” Monetas founder Johann Gevers wrote in a note to investors on March 31. Gevers was not available to comment on the new deal. A…
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In late January, Artillery One stepped in to take a controlling stake in the embattled Monetas. Now, a letter from lawyers representing Artillery One, seen by swissinfo.ch, alleges that Gevers failed to transfer his majority stake despite payment being made for the shares. Artillery One has demanded a full refund, plus damages and CHF1 million ($1.06…
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If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.