Archive – Banking & Fintech

Luxury watches boost Swatch turnover

This content was published on May 3, 2000 The figures come on the back of excellent results for 1999. In March, the group announced it had made net profits last year of SFr441, an increase of 23.5 per cent on 1998. Sales rose 11 per cent to SFr3.6 billion. The head of the Swatch group, Nicolas Hayek, says that 1999 can only be…

Winterthur boosts position in UK

This content was published on May 2, 2000 Winterthur is currently among the world’s ten biggest insurers, and employs 26,000 staff. It made a net profit of just over SFr1 billion in 1999, an increase of 22 per cent on the previous year. Its latest acquisition, Colonial UK, has 400,000 clients in Britain. It collected the equivalent of SFr645 million in insurance premiums…

Swiss foreign minister to raise issue of human rights during Tunisia visit

This content was published on May 2, 2000 Switzerland had wanted the visit to focus on trade and economic questions, as well as the Middle East peace process, but human rights has moved to the forefront as media attention has highlighted the case of Taoufik Ben Brick, a journalist who has been on hunger strike to protest against restrictions on press freedom in…

Switzerland starts sale of gold reserves

This content was published on May 2, 2000 The bank said it had commissioned the Basel-based Bank for International Settlements with the sale of the first tranche. The SNB plans to divest itself of 1,300 tonnes of gold over the next five years. The decision to formally abandon the gold standard means that the SNB will sell off a maximum of 400 tonnes…

Union leader calls for more action

This content was published on May 2, 2000 Writing in the “Bund” newspaper of Berne, Daguet, from the Swiss Metalworkers and Watchmakers Union, says that unions have to be more prepared for conflicts and for closer co-operation. “Switzerland is the richest country in the world if you read the Swiss economic press. But the reality in which we live shows the other side…

Food for thought from Geneva Internet band

This content was published on May 2, 2000 The Bliss comprises Scottish vocalist Angela Higney and Italian keyboard player and computer programmer, Piero Calvi. Angela works for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, while Piero’s day job is at the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Over the past couple of years they have enjoyed worldwide success…

The fruits of our ancestors labour

This content was published on May 2, 2000 The unassuming apple-peeler is part of a new concept that Ballenberg, Switzerland’s largest open air museum, has launched this year. Of the many reassembled historic farmhouses, one large building from canton Aargau has become the ‘hands-on’ house. Visitors are not only allowed to see exhibits, but to use them, play or work with them. In…

Geneva learns to cope with relocation fever

This content was published on Apr 30, 2000 In what is the biggest ever relocation to Geneva, Procter and Gamble is moving over 1,000 staff to its new offices in the city. They will join the more than 300 who are already employed in Geneva. Most are coming from the P&G offices in Brussels, Frankfurt and London, which will now become research centres.…

Swiss-based missionaries bring relief to world’s poor

This content was published on Apr 30, 2000 Land-locked Switzerland is the last place one would expect to find a medical charity which operates a fleet of floating hospitals. But the non-governmental organisation, Mercy Ships, has a base in the Swiss city of Lausanne. Mercy Ships is made up of international medical experts and volunteers who sail around the world to help the…

This week in business

This content was published on Apr 29, 2000 The week will start off quietly as the Swiss bourse stays closed on Monday, along with other major European markets, for the first of May celebrations. Company results and shareholders’ meetings are expected to dominate the rest of the week. On Tuesday, the Swiss construction chemicals group, Sika, is set to reveal its final numbers…

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Archive – Banking & Fintech

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Luxury watches boost Swatch turnover

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Winterthur boosts position in UK

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Swiss foreign minister to raise issue of human rights during Tunisia visit

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Switzerland starts sale of gold reserves

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Union leader calls for more action

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Food for thought from Geneva Internet band

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The fruits of our ancestors labour

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Geneva learns to cope with relocation fever

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Swiss-based missionaries bring relief to world’s poor

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This week in business

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