Archive – Banking & Fintech

Swiss closes call centres as cutbacks continue

This content was published on Feb 15, 2005 Unions described Swiss’s decision to transfer some work abroad and shut down its centres run by its subsidiary Mindpearl in Zurich, Geneva and Lugano as incomprehensible. The company said in a statement on Tuesday that it would create ten new jobs at a fourth centre in Basel. This choice was dictated by financial reasons, since…

“Corporate raiders” buy into troubled Unaxis

This content was published on Feb 14, 2005 Unaxis confirmed on Monday that the Austrian-based Victory investment group now holds nearly 12 per cent of voting rights – making it the second-largest shareholder. The Anda-Bührle family, which founded the once-famous Oerlikon-Bührle defence group that gave birth to Unaxis, still holds a 21.1 per cent stake through its IHAG investment vehicle. Mirko Kovats, one…

Young entrepreneurs belt up and cash in

This content was published on Feb 14, 2005 Bags and belts made by Primecut use recycled newspaper as part of their basic design. The young start-up, based in Wohlen in canton Aargau, has already won two prestigious competitions. Thanks partly to the publicity, the accessories are selling like hotcakes. The company is hoping to build on this success at the Muba trade fair…

Experts call for reform of federalism

This content was published on Feb 14, 2005 The report, published on Monday by the think tank, Avenir Suisse, calls for the creation of six “super regions” around Switzerland’s main cities to help act as motors for growth. Experts said the current federal system of 26 cantons and more than 3,000 local authorities was hampering economic growth and lacked transparency and efficiency. “Small…

Carnival reaches highpoint in Basel

This content was published on Feb 14, 2005 Tens of thousands of people thronged the streets of the city early on Monday as the annual festival – the country’s biggest – got underway. The festivities were launched in the early hours of the morning with hundreds of colourfully costumed drummers and pipers cramming the streets and alleys. At 4am the lights went out…

Federal deficit set to shrink by half

This content was published on Feb 11, 2005 Thanks to a combination of higher-than-expected revenue and less spending, the national accounts will be SFr1.7 billion ($1.4 billion) in the red, according to the Neue Zürcher Zeitung. That compares with a projected deficit of SFr3.5 billion. The Zurich newspaper reported on Friday that Finance Minister Hans-Rudolf Merz would present last year’s financial results next…

Independent expert to investigate air crash

This content was published on Feb 10, 2005 The move is designed to ascertain the exact role of Swiss air traffic control agency Skyguide in the accident, which took place in July 2002 over Lake Constance. Jens Gruhl, the public prosecutor for the German town of Constance, said on Thursday that the decision had been made in conjunction with his Swiss counterpart in…

Economists raise concerns over deregulation

This content was published on Feb 10, 2005 But experts are warning that, if it is not done properly, market deregulation might end up doing more harm than good. Those were two of the key findings of a workshop in Zurich, “Incentive Regulation in Network Industries”, which brought together leading businessmen, academics and government representatives. “Network” industries are industries such as telecoms, electricity…

Dental implant giant shows its financial teeth

This content was published on Feb 10, 2005 The firm, which reported just one week before its major international rival – Basel-based Straumann – said on Thursday that it aimed for even better results in 2005. Investors flocked to market as the Swedish-Swiss company released its annual results, driving the share price up by nearly 12 per cent in trading on Thursday. One…

The “forgotten backbone” of the Swiss economy

This content was published on Feb 10, 2005 The public authorities have also tended to neglect Switzerland’s real financial “backbone” – the small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that make up the majority of the national economy. SMEs in Switzerland – those with up to 250 employees – represent 99.7 per cent of the country’s 300,000 companies and account for well over two-thirds of…

Archive – Banking & Fintech

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Archive – Banking & Fintech

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Swiss closes call centres as cutbacks continue

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“Corporate raiders” buy into troubled Unaxis

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Young entrepreneurs belt up and cash in

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Experts call for reform of federalism

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Carnival reaches highpoint in Basel

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Federal deficit set to shrink by half

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Independent expert to investigate air crash

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Economists raise concerns over deregulation

More

Dental implant giant shows its financial teeth

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The “forgotten backbone” of the Swiss economy

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