Author: switzerlandtimes.ch

Swiss exports hit a new high in 2025, buoyed by strong demand for chemicals and pharmaceuticals, despite a tariff dispute with the United States under Donald Trump. Exports rose by 1.4% to CHF 287bn, according to the Federal Office for Customs and Border Security. Shipments to the United States increased by 3.9% to CHF 54.7bn, even as imports from America fell by 5.7% to CHF 13.3bn. Exports to the US were 19% of the total. Imports overall climbed by 4.5% to CHF 232.7bn, the second-highest level on record. As a result, Switzerland’s trade surplus narrowed to CHF 54.3bn, down from…

Switzerland’s government plans to raise value-added tax (VAT) temporarily to finance a substantial increase in military and security spending. The Federal Council wants to raise an additional CHF 31bn over ten years through a 0.8-percentage-point increase in VAT. A detailed proposal is due in March. According to the defence minister, Switzerland is ill-prepared for an international conflict and could itself become a target. Only about one-third of the armed forces is currently adequately equipped to defend the country. Although defence spending is set to rise to 1% of GDP by 2032, the government concedes that this will not be enough…

Switzerland’s state railway, Swiss Federal Railways, reported its best punctuality on record in 2025, with only 1 in 17 trains (5.9%) arriving late, down from 6.8% in 2024. In 2025, an average Swiss train commuter making the daily trip to and from work would have arrived late only 28 times across the year. Overall, 94.1% of Swiss passenger trains running on the federal network arrived on time. That was an improvement of 0.9 percentage points on the previous year. The company said the most punctual day in its history came on December 28th, when 98.6% of services reached their destination…

Drivers using Swiss motorways have until January 31st to buy the motorway vignette for 2026. But the Swiss authorities are urging caution: reports of fraud linked to the electronic version have risen sharply in recent weeks. Unofficial websites are charging inflated prices, sometimes bundling the purchase with hidden subscriptions. Some unwittingly buy a vignette from a non-official site, paying more than the official price of 40 francs. The surcharge might be up to 10 francs more and might come with a sneaky annual auto renewal. Cancellation is typically difficult. Because these sites are not directly issuing the vignette, they need…

The campaign in favour of the initiative has been formally launched. The organisers’ central argument is cost. The proposal, which would cut Switzerland’s radio and television licence fee from CHF 355 per household to CHF 200 a year, will be put to a vote on March 8th. Consumers must be relieved of the financial burden, said Thomas Matter, a National Councillor from the Swiss People’s Party (UDC/SVP) and one of the initiative’s leading proponents. He argued that reducing what he called the world’s highest broadcasting fee was justified at a time when households are struggling with rising rents and health-insurance…

In the last decade, finance has not only experienced typical shifts, it has transformed at a pace that would’ve seemed impossible at the start of the century. Central to this change as of late has been artificial intelligence (AI). While applications of the technology continue to evolve and its potential seemingly growing by the minute, AI has already significantly changed the way banks operate, innovate, and serve customers. While many traditional players have finally begun integrating AI to their operations, a select few like Black Banx have long been making the most of what AI has to offer, and…

Tempers are flaring in Bern over how to implement Switzerland’s initiative on nursing care, reported RTS this week. Following a successful vote (approved by 61% of voters) in 2021 to improve life for nurses, Switzerland’s federal government has put forward a package of measures aimed at improving nurses’ working conditions, including shorter hours and better compensation for work on public holidays. But a committee of the National Council has branded the proposals too expensive and wants to water them down. The left accuses the centre-right majority of disregarding the mandate handed down by voters. The text adopted from the vote…

Switzerland’s long-mooted trade negotiations with the United States can now proceed. On Wednesday the Federal Council approved the final negotiating mandate for a tariff agreement, clearing the way for formal talks with Washington, reported RTS. Parliamentary foreign-affairs committees and the cantons were consulted in advance. On the basis of their feedback, the government made modest clarifications, it said. Should negotiations stray beyond the scope of the mandate—by adding new areas or themes—the parliamentary committees and the cantons, via the Conference of Cantonal Governments, will be consulted again rather than merely informed. The mandate builds on a declaration of intent signed…

On March 8th Swiss voters—and the cantons—will be asked to decide the fate of cash. On the ballot are a popular initiative, Cash is Freedom, and a direct counter-proposal backed by the federal government and parliament. Both aim to entrench the role of physical money in the constitution, but they go about it in different ways. The initiative would require the federal government to guarantee the availability of cash across Switzerland and to submit any replacement of the Swiss franc with another currency to approval by both voters and cantons. Its sponsors argue that cash safeguards freedom of choice in…

The cost of inaction is enormous, says the committee behind Switzerland’s proposed climate fund. Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, its members urged voters to back the initiative on March 8th, arguing that it is essential to protect future generations. Alpine Switzerland is particularly exposed to the effects of climate change, according to the sponsors of the proposal, led by the Socialist and Green parties. They are joined by the Evangelical People’s Party (PEV/EVP), the Young Green Liberals, trade unions and some climate scientists from Switzerland’s federal institutes of technology. Although voters have endorsed the goal of net-zero emissions…