Archive – Banking & Fintech

Downbeat consumers hit by rising prices

This content was published on Nov 4, 2004 Consumer prices rose sharply in October as inflation hit an 18-month high of 1.3 per cent. The Federal Statistics Office said the rise in inflation was mainly due to increases in the cost of clothes as well as higher heating-oil prices. The figures, released on Thursday, showed that inflation was 0.9 per cent higher in…

Cars gear up to run on farm waste

This content was published on Nov 4, 2004 The government – which favours the use of cleaner fuels – has decided not to tax the bio-ethanol produced in the project, called etha+. “When it comes to the production of biofuels, Switzerland lags far behind, even if the country is waking up,” said Thomas Schmid, from the Swiss Farmers Union. Alcosuisse, a division of…

Swiss patients may end up under a German knife

This content was published on Nov 3, 2004 The company says that runaway health costs in Switzerland are forcing it to look to the country’s neighbour for cheaper operations. Lucerne-based CSS is looking in particular at carrying out heart bypasses, hysterectomies and hip replacements outside Switzerland. The potential savings are substantial. At the University Hospital in Lausanne, for example, orthopaedic surgery alone costs…

Swiss unenthusiastic about Bush victory

This content was published on Nov 3, 2004 On behalf of the government, Swiss President Joseph Deiss congratulated Bush in a telegram, and wished him success in his next term of office. Deiss also expressed confidence that “the very good relations between our two countries will continue to deepen”. Speaking after the Republican victory was announced, a spokesman for the centre-left Social Democrats…

Hotels and restaurants nurse economic hangover

This content was published on Nov 3, 2004 Turnover from July to September was on average three per cent down on the same period last year. Gastrosuisse, the restaurant and hotel owners’ association, warned on Wednesday that 10,000 of the country’s 30,000 establishments were surplus to requirements. “The turnover generated by these businesses is not enough to cover their costs,” said the organisation.…

Swiss aid democracy in southeastern Europe

This content was published on Nov 2, 2004 It said it was in Switzerland’s interests to ensure that progress was maintained in Bulgaria, Albania and Macedonia. The three countries were the focal point of a conference in Zurich devoted to Switzerland’s cooperation with eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States. Bern spends more than SFr40 million ($33.2 million) annually in southeastern Europe.…

Bank employees face uncertain future

This content was published on Nov 2, 2004 In the second of a series marking this week’s Finance Forum in Zurich, two banking experts talk about the challenges facing employees in this rapidly changing sector. The two-day annual Finance Forum, which brings together leading lights from the Swiss financial services and IT sectors, focuses this year on the theme of “The bank of…

Inspectors pick out poisonous fungi

This content was published on Nov 2, 2004 Mushroomers young and old can be glimpsed through the autumn leaves, filling their wicker baskets with all types of fungi. There are an estimated 6,000 different types of mushroom in Europe. They are particularly abundant in Switzerland, where mushroom picking is a popular hobby. The woodlands of Dentenberg near Worb in canton Bern contain both…

Restaurant reaches milestone in fine dining

This content was published on Nov 2, 2004 The family-run “Chesa Pirani” was hailed as a “success story” by the jury, which announced the winners at a ceremony on Tuesday. The jury said a “pioneering spirit, imagination, high standards and persistence” had turned the restaurant in the village of La Punt in the southeastern Engadine valley into one of the best in the…

Cheese festival gives public taste for mountains

This content was published on Nov 1, 2004 The event was created three years ago by representatives from Switzerland, France and Italy concerned about the threat globalisation poses to mountain economies. Globalisation has yet to kill off antiquated customs in the small town of Appenzell, the capital of the half canton of Appenzell Inner Rhodes, which hosted the event. Set amid a backdrop…

Archive – Banking & Fintech

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Archive – Banking & Fintech

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Downbeat consumers hit by rising prices

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Cars gear up to run on farm waste

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Swiss patients may end up under a German knife

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Swiss unenthusiastic about Bush victory

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Hotels and restaurants nurse economic hangover

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Swiss aid democracy in southeastern Europe

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Bank employees face uncertain future

More

Inspectors pick out poisonous fungi

More

Restaurant reaches milestone in fine dining

More

Cheese festival gives public taste for mountains

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