https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from Switzerland in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed UBS said Friday it had secured a national banking licence in the United States, which should enable the Swiss banking giant to strengthen its position in the US market. https://www.thelocal.ch/20260321/swiss-bank-ubs-gets-us-boost-with-national-banking-licence Sat, 21 Mar 2026 16:29:45 +0100 swiss-bank-ubs-gets-us-boost-with-national-banking-licence Switzerland's financial market regulator said on Friday that a bank singled out by the US Treasury for dealings with "illicit actors" linked to Russia and Iran had been liquidated. https://www.thelocal.ch/20260228/switzerland-shuts-bank-accused-of-iran-russia-ties Sat, 28 Feb 2026 15:39:43 +0100 switzerland-shuts-bank-accused-of-iran-russia-ties Switzerland's economy returned to growth at the end of last year, mainly thanks to its services sector after steep US tariffs stalled exports and pulled down GDP in the third quarter. https://www.thelocal.ch/20260216/swiss-economy-rebounds-in-fourth-quarter-after-us-tariffs-hit Mon, 16 Feb 2026 10:28:59 +0100 swiss-economy-rebounds-in-fourth-quarter-after-us-tariffs-hit European leaders on Sunday hit back at US President Donald Trump's threat of tariffs over their opposition to his designs on Greenland, with far-right Italian leader Giorgia Meloni urging Washington against making a "mistake". https://www.thelocal.ch/20260118/european-leaders-denounce-trumps-tariff-threats-over-greenland Sun, 18 Jan 2026 09:46:34 +0100 european-leaders-denounce-trumps-tariff-threats-over-greenland Roche's chief executive called in an interview with Swiss media published Sunday for Switzerland to pay more for new drugs, to bring prices in line with those paid by Washington. https://www.thelocal.ch/20251221/roche-chief-urges-switzerland-to-pay-more-for-new-drugs-after-us-deal Sun, 21 Dec 2025 16:48:47 +0100 roche-chief-urges-switzerland-to-pay-more-for-new-drugs-after-us-deal The new lower-tariff agreement between Bern and Washington stipulates that Coop, Migros, and other Swiss supermarkets should sell much more US meat. But will they? https://www.thelocal.ch/20251119/will-migros-and-coop-be-forced-to-sell-american-meat-under-new-trade-deal Wed, 19 Nov 2025 12:25:24 +0100 will-migros-and-coop-be-forced-to-sell-american-meat-under-new-trade-deal Representatives from Switzerland and the US announced the framework for a new trade agreement between the two countries, but what's in it and is it a win for Switzerland? https://www.thelocal.ch/20251118/what-to-know-about-switzerlands-new-trade-deal-with-the-us Tue, 18 Nov 2025 15:29:21 +0100 what-to-know-about-switzerlands-new-trade-deal-with-the-us Swiss business leaders breathed a sigh of relief Friday after Washington and Bern announced an agreement to more than halve the steep 39-percent tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump. https://www.thelocal.ch/20251114/switzerland-and-us-reach-deal-on-trade-and-tariffs Fri, 14 Nov 2025 17:39:35 +0100 switzerland-and-us-reach-deal-on-trade-and-tariffs Switzerland is considered one of the richest countries in the world, yet the distribution of that wealth is increasingly unequal. https://www.thelocal.ch/20251114/revealed-how-switzerlands-huge-wealth-is-far-from-evenly-spread Fri, 14 Nov 2025 14:52:46 +0100 revealed-how-switzerlands-huge-wealth-is-far-from-evenly-spread The 39-percent trade tariffs that President Donald Trump had imposed on Switzerland in August could soon be slashed, US media reports. https://www.thelocal.ch/20251112/trump-says-us-ready-to-help-switzerland-on-steep-tariffs Wed, 12 Nov 2025 13:14:08 +0100 trump-says-us-ready-to-help-switzerland-on-steep-tariffs Due to the strong franc and the steep US tariffs, many Swiss executives expect local jobs to be relocated to foreign countries. https://www.thelocal.ch/20251023/swiss-companies-set-to-relocate-thousands-of-jobs-abroad-bosses-fear Thu, 23 Oct 2025 17:33:01 +0200 swiss-companies-set-to-relocate-thousands-of-jobs-abroad-bosses-fear Stiff US tariffs on Switzerland badly hurt the Alpine country's exports in the third quarter, official figures showed Tuesday, with Swiss watchmakers in particular suffering. https://www.thelocal.ch/20251021/steep-us-tariffs-hit-swiss-exports-hard-new-figures-reveal Tue, 21 Oct 2025 18:24:08 +0200 steep-us-tariffs-hit-swiss-exports-hard-new-figures-reveal Foreign residents in Switzerland have taken to social media and forums in recent weeks to express their dismay at how difficult it is to find a new job this autumn. Experts, however, suggest there are opportunities. https://www.thelocal.ch/20251015/challenging-times-has-it-become-harder-to-find-a-job-in-switzerland Wed, 15 Oct 2025 13:22:42 +0200 challenging-times-has-it-become-harder-to-find-a-job-in-switzerland Nestlé, the Swiss food giant whose brands include Nespresso coffee and Perrier water, will eliminate 16,000 jobs worldwide over the next two years, its new chief executive said on October 16th. https://www.thelocal.ch/20251016/nestle-plans-to-cut-16000-jobs-worldwide-over-next-two-years Thu, 16 Oct 2025 11:10:53 +0200 nestle-plans-to-cut-16000-jobs-worldwide-over-next-two-years Switzerland on Wednesday extended partial unemployment benefits to limit layoffs by companies hit by rising US tariffs, which have particularly hurt watchmakers and small industrial exporters. https://www.thelocal.ch/20251009/swiss-to-extend-partial-unemployment-benefits-to-dampen-tariff-shock Thu, 09 Oct 2025 12:06:04 +0200 swiss-to-extend-partial-unemployment-benefits-to-dampen-tariff-shock Switzerland could face recession if Washington slaps its vital pharmaceutical sector with the threatened 100-percent tariff, a leading Swiss economic expert told AFP Monday. https://www.thelocal.ch/20250930/clear-risk-of-recession-if-us-hits-swiss-pharma-with-100-tariff-expert Tue, 30 Sep 2025 11:25:59 +0200 clear-risk-of-recession-if-us-hits-swiss-pharma-with-100-tariff-expert Switzerland's central bank kept its policy rate at zero percent on Thursday, warning that massive US tariffs are weighing on the country's export-dependent economy. https://www.thelocal.ch/20250925/swiss-central-bank-keeps-zero-rate-as-tariffs-take-their-toll Thu, 25 Sep 2025 16:29:36 +0200 swiss-central-bank-keeps-zero-rate-as-tariffs-take-their-toll Many countries are facing the prospect of national debts. But Switzerland has good a system in place, designed to prevent chronic government deficits. How does it is function and how does it impact residents here? https://www.thelocal.ch/20231129/what-is-switzerlands-debt-brake-and-how-does-it-affect-residents Wed, 29 Nov 2023 15:38:27 +0100 what-is-switzerlands-debt-brake-and-how-does-it-affect-residents The Swiss government intends to continue reducing the state budget by cutting its spending in various areas. This could lead to a rise in the cost of university tuition fees and public transport. https://www.thelocal.ch/20250922/switzerland-could-quadruple-tuition-fees-for-foreign-students-to-ease-debt Mon, 22 Sep 2025 15:14:36 +0200 switzerland-could-quadruple-tuition-fees-for-foreign-students-to-ease-debt Amid a threat of towering US tariffs, Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis is seeking ways to enable Americans to pay less for their medicines, its chief said in an interview published Saturday. https://www.thelocal.ch/20250921/swiss-pharma-firm-eyes-ways-to-end-higher-us-drug-prices-amid-us-tariff-threat Sun, 21 Sep 2025 10:06:18 +0200 swiss-pharma-firm-eyes-ways-to-end-higher-us-drug-prices-amid-us-tariff-threat