An international eye on Swiss news

October 2026

Swiss president visits China: Xi, Guy Parmelin praise trade deal that gives Switzerland unusually free access to Chinese ?markets (LINK) — 30 October 2026

Swiss firms plan investment boost in China drug, finance sectors — (LINK paywalled)

Financial pressure and scandal push Migros to propose merging regional co-operatives (LINK) 30 October 2026

Historic approval for Bitcoin from Switzerland: the first real spot ETF is coming in November (LINK) 30 October 2026

Swiss stock market climbs to new all-time high, surpassing the previous high set in mid-August by a good 50 points (LINK) 29 October 2026

— Shares in the pharmaceutical group Novartis rose by 2% at around 9:50 am, those of the food giant Nestlé by 1% and those of the pharmaceutical company Roche by 0.5%. By contrast, shares in the building materials group Amrize plummeted by just over 5% following disappointing quarterly figures and a downward revision to its full-year forecast.

UBS boss Ermotti makes clearest Swiss exit threat (LINK) 28 October 2026

— "We are assessing the long term consequences for our ability to compete out of Switzerland," Ermotti said in response to an analyst question on Wednesday. Clients "appreciate Switzerland like we do – but a passport is not enough nowadays."

Swiss to vote on nuclear power, foie gras and naturalisation in February 2027 (LINK) 28 October 2026

Swiss bankruptcies set to reach record levels in 2026: 15,000 cases would mark an all-time high and a doubling compared with 2022 (LINK) 27 October 2026

— "The new insolvency law, which has been in force since 2025, is largely responsible for the high number," said Jan Möllmann, head of Allianz Trade in Switzerland

Actual Swiss wages (covering just under 700,000) set to increase by 0.5% in 2026 and minimum wage by 0.8%: largest increases in transport and storage (+1.2%), financial and insurance activities (+1%) and professional, scientific and technical activities (+0.8%) (LINK) 26 October 2026

Geneva's Jet d'Eau closes for annual maintenance work for 5 weeks on 2 November (LINK) 27 October 2026

— swissinfo: Every second, five hundred litres of water are pumped out of Lake Geneva into the air by two turbines. The stream of water reaches an altitude of 140 metres, leaving the nozzle at a speed of 200 kilometres per hour.

— The landmark fountain begins sprouting every morning at 9 o’clock and attracts many visitors to the lakeside. It wasn’t invented for tourists though. When it went into operation 125 years ago, the watchmaking industry used water to power its machines, since there was no electricity. The jet was used as a valve to divert the water on weekends, when the factories closed down.

— Today the fountain is powered by electricity. It’s operated during the day all year round, except in case of frost or strong winds. — (LINK)

Local businesses weather the effects of international Geneva cuts (LINK) — 26 October 2026

— Geneva Solutions: "The contraction in international organiZations is the largest collective redundancy Geneva has ever experienced. As a result, we are seeing a general slowdown in economic activity." Two studies aim to quantify the economic loss. Occupancy in the three- and four-star segment down by around five per cent, airport has registered a drop in routes popular with the diplomatic circuit from Geneva to the US and Africa, more students have benefited from Ecolint school's Relief Fund, designed to provide short-term assistance to families facing unexpected financial difficulty. Employment in Geneva-based international organisations fell from 25,116 in 2023 to 22,823 in 2026, a 9.1 per cent decline.

Geneva: an international hub, but a cultural one, too (LINK) — 25 October 2026

Inside Geneva's most coveted luxury addresses: Why the ultra-wealthy continue to flock to Cologny, Vandœuvre and Collonge-Bellerive (LINK) 22 October 2026

Austrian and Swiss women freed after 18 months held as kidnaps in Niger reach Benghazi, sources say (ground news LINK) — 22 October 2026

Swiss flu vaccines delayed, but no shortage expected (LINK) — 16 October 2026

Rising crime in Switzerland driven by fraud and property offences (LINK) — 15 October 2026

— The most striking increase relates to fraud: over the course of a year, 15.9% of respondents were affected, compared with 8.4% in 2022. Some 83.1% of the 13,500 people questioned in the survey (aged between 16 and 80 living throughout Switzerland) feel fairly or very safe after dark in their neighbourhood, a figure down from 87.6% in 2022.

Switzerland releases fuel reserves to ease shortage risks at Zurich airport (LINK) — 15 October 2026

Zurich prosecutor charges journalist over former Bank chair revelations (LINK) — 15 October 2026

— Raiffeisen former bank chair Pierin Vincenz and business partner Beat Stocker are alleged to have secretly acquired shareholdings in certain companies, and then arranged for these to be purchased by Raiffeisen Bank or the credit card company Aduno. Stocker was CEO of the latter and Vincenz chairman of the board of directors. Through this scheme, they are alleged to have pocketed millions in profits. They are also alleged to have passed off certain private expenses — such as visits to cabarets and strip clubs — as entertainment expenses. The Zurich District Court had sentenced both men to prison terms at first instance: Vincenz to three years and nine months, and Stocker to four years. Appeal by Vincenz, Stocker and other defendants will be handed down on January 11, 2027. According to Stocker, the business journalist Lukas Hässig had infringed his privacy in the articles about Vincenz's alleged irregularities. The public prosecutor's office had dropped the case against Hässig in December 2025. However, Stocker lodged an appeal and was successful.

EBU: 97th General Assembly scheduled to be held in Geneva on 3-4 December (LINK) — 12 October 2026

Milton Dick, the Speaker of the House of Representatives of Australia, has been elected the 32nd President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) by hundreds of parliamentarians gathered in Arusha, United Republic of Tanzania, for the 153rd IPU Assembly (LINK) — 9 October 2026

— IPU: Assembly also approved Arusha Communiqué, entitled Enhancing good governance and empowering communities through inclusivity, trust and opportunities for all. It calls for laws, policies and budgets to be informed by evidence, including scientific and quantitative data, official statistics, local and community knowledge, and people's real-life experiences. It also stresses the importance of parliamentarians being present in, and accessible to, the communities they represent, particularly those living in remote areas or affected by crises. The 154th IPU Assembly will take place in Geneva, Switzerland, on 10–14 May 2027.

The three winners of this year's Swiss cheese awards: La Guignarde for its hard cheese Gruyère d'alpage AOP, Fromagerie de la Suze for its Tête de Moine AOP semi-hard cheese, and Fromagerie Fleurette in Rougemont for its Tomme Fleurette soft cheese (LINK) — 9 October 2026

Brainvest Wealth Management expands office in Geneva, the city where it was founded in 2003, and strengthens its position in Switzerland (LINK) — 7 October 2026

Gault Millau Switzerland names vegetarian chef for first time as its Chef of the Year 2027: Dominik Hartmann, from canton Schwyz (LINK) — 5 October 2026

— swissinfo: Hartmann, chef at the Magdalena restaurant in Rickenbach, scored 18 out of 20 points, Gault Millau Switzerland announced today. This chef, who already holds two Michelin stars, completely reoriented his cuisine towards vegetarian menus in 2022. Together with his friends Marco Appert and Adriana Hartmann, he runs a restaurant with an on-site bakery. In 2021, they were named "Discovery of the Year". Gault Millau's director, Urs Heller, has described Hartmann's style as "Vegi 2.0". His cuisine is "tasty and full of surprises", the statement notes.

Wild Solutions makes Geneva a bridge between European and Asian markets (LINK) — 5 October 2026

Breaking Travel News: Discover Geneva's autumn magic this October half term (LINK) — 5 October 2026

Greta Thunberg says Morocco sabotaged her Western Sahara debate in Zurich: all 300 tickets had been reserved, but only 40 people attended. 23-year-old (LINK) — 1 October 2026

— swissinfo: 23-year-old holds Morocco responsible for sabotage, as the country has been in conflict for decades with the Sahrawi people, the indigenous people of Western Sahara. The documentary film My Home of Wind and Sand, which centres on Najla Mohamed Lamin — a Sahrawi woman born in a refugee camp in Algeria and who still lives there — was screened on Tuesday evening at the Zurich Film Festival to a packed house for its world premiere.