Climate activists take Swiss finance regulators to task
Environmental group Greenpeace has filed a formal protest against Switzerland’s financial regulators over their perceived failure to impose climate policy rules.
This content was published on
1 minute
swissinfo.ch/ug
The group called on the financial market watchdog body FINMA, the National Bank as well as the Occupational Pension Supervisory Commission to ensure that banks, insurance companies and pension funds stop financing projects worldwide which are harmful to the climate.
These institutions contribute to greenhouse gas emissions of the Swiss finance industry and neglect their duty to protect citizens from dangerous interference with the climate system, according to a statement published by Greenpeace.
“The CO2 output financed by the Swiss finance sector are massive and the current investment policy have helped increase global temperatures by up to 6°Celsius,” the NGO said on Wednesday.
It claims that an overwhelming majority of the Swiss population supports efforts for a more climate-friendly banking and insurance industry.
Last month, Greenpeace criticised the government for a report on sustainable financing, saying the government had missed a golden opportunity to set enforceable standards. It said Switzerland was lagging behind other countries in this respect.
More
More
Hands-off regulation of sustainable finance draws mixed response
This content was published on
Unveiling a report on sustainable finance on Friday, Finance Minister Ueli Maurer said legislators would stay in the background as a last resort measure. However, the report identified a number of criteria it would monitor and called for improvements in some areas. Banks, pension funds, insurers and asset managers are expected to step up efforts…
Swiss money laundering office registers record number of reports
This content was published on
The Money Laundering Reporting Office Switzerland (MROS) registered a record number of reports of suspicious activity last year.
Two teens accused of planning terror attack released from custody
This content was published on
The Schaffhausen judiciary has released the two teenagers from custody who allegedly planned bomb attacks in Switzerland.
OECD: Sluggish economic activity slowing growth in Switzerland
This content was published on
Sluggish economic activity at the start of the year is weighing on growth in Switzerland, with GDP expected to fall to 1.1% in 2024.
Report finds mistakes which led to Swiss government data breach
This content was published on
Mistakes were made by both the government and internet company Xplain in the case of a criminal cyber-attack on the Bern-based IT business.
Swiss government wants better gender balance in federal administration
This content was published on
New Swiss government personnel management targets say there must be even more female managers in the federal administration.
Swiss national science foundation funded over 5,000 projects in 2023
This content was published on
In 2023, the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) provided a total of CHF961 million worth of funding towards research projects.
Switzerland invites 160 delegations to June Ukraine peace talks
This content was published on
Russia is currently not among the delegations invited to talks aimed at helping bring about peace in the conflict between Moscow and Ukraine.
Survey: air travel most popular way to go on holidays for Swiss
This content was published on
Despite the climate crisis, flying is the most popular mode of transport for private travel – particularly among young, urban and high-income travellers.
Swiss government to use phone data to identify asylum seekers
This content was published on
From April 2025, authorities plan to be able to analyse data from mobile phones, computers and other data carriers to identify asylum seekers.
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.
Read more
More
Swiss sustainable finance: world leader or wishful thinking?
This content was published on
Defining the exact nature of sustainable finance and measuring its performance is an ongoing challenge that needs to be solved.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
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.