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 Despite the progress made over the years, the Swiss financial sector continues to be one of the least transparent in the world. But there is good news too. https://www.thelocal.ch/20200219/switzerlands-banks-remain-among-the-worlds-most-secretive Wed, 19 Feb 2020 16:48:46 +0100 switzerlands-banks-remain-among-the-worlds-most-secretive France on Wednesday urged a Paris court to fine the Swiss bank UBS 1.6 billion euros ($1.8 billion) for allegedly helping clients commit tax fraud. https://www.thelocal.ch/20181107/france-wants-swiss-bank-ubs-fined-16-billion-for-tax-fraud-lawyer Wed, 07 Nov 2018 23:21:55 +0100 france-wants-swiss-bank-ubs-fined-16-billion-for-tax-fraud-lawyer The Swiss foreign ministry is in the spotlight for donating nearly 500,000 francs to the Clinton Foundation in 2011, when Switzerland and the US were locked in a dispute over tax evasion. https://www.thelocal.ch/20161114/swiss-donation-to-clinton-foundation-sparks-controversy Mon, 14 Nov 2016 11:54:17 +0100 swiss-donation-to-clinton-foundation-sparks-controversy Switzerland doesn't need to boost financial regulations in the wake of the Panama Papers revelations, finance minister Ueli Maurer told Swiss tabloid Blick on Friday, defending the right of the super rich to park their money offshore. https://www.thelocal.ch/20160408/switzerland-cant-be-more-moral-than-everyone-else-panama-papers Fri, 08 Apr 2016 13:52:20 +0200 switzerland-cant-be-more-moral-than-everyone-else-panama-papers Swiss bank UBS, banned Uefa boss Michel Platini and the former secretary general of Fifa are among those named in leaked documents as being connected to secret offshore companies. https://www.thelocal.ch/20160404/swiss-banks-and-fifa-figures-tied-to-offshore-activity Mon, 04 Apr 2016 12:21:18 +0200 swiss-banks-and-fifa-figures-tied-to-offshore-activity Offshore schemes operated by Swiss bank UBS and Germany's Deutsche Bank in a bid to avoid paying income tax on bankers' bonuses are not exempt from tax, the Supreme Court in London ruled Wednesday. https://www.thelocal.ch/20160310/london-court-slams-ubs-offshore-tax-schemes Thu, 10 Mar 2016 09:21:47 +0100 london-court-slams-ubs-offshore-tax-schemes France on Wednesday launched an official investigation into the French subsidiary of Swiss banking giant UBS for alleged witness intimidation, a source close to the case told AFP. https://www.thelocal.ch/20160303/further-suspicions-land-on-french-ubs Thu, 03 Mar 2016 09:35:24 +0100 further-suspicions-land-on-french-ubs Belgium on Friday charged Swiss banking giant UBS with "serious and organised" fiscal fraud for encouraging clients to cheat on their taxes, as well as being involved in money laundering. https://www.thelocal.ch/20160226/belgium-charges-swiss-banking-giant-with-fraud Fri, 26 Feb 2016 13:09:34 +0100 belgium-charges-swiss-banking-giant-with-fraud Swiss banking giant UBS on Tuesday posted a 79-percent higher net profit for 2015, beating analyst expectations, with tax benefits offsetting a difficult fourth quarter hit by market turmoil. https://www.thelocal.ch/20160202/ubs-shares-slide-despite-soaring-profits Tue, 02 Feb 2016 13:37:12 +0100 ubs-shares-slide-despite-soaring-profits A banker who reportedly lost tens of millions for a VIP client has been arrested, Swiss investigators said Wednesday. https://www.thelocal.ch/20160120/geneva-police-arrest-banker-over-vip-client-losses Wed, 20 Jan 2016 19:01:11 +0100 geneva-police-arrest-banker-over-vip-client-losses US officials have settlements with four more Swiss banks to lift the total fines in the two-year disclosure program to more than $1 billion from 75 banks. https://www.thelocal.ch/20151226/us-swiss-bank-programme-reaches-1-bn-in-fines Sat, 26 Dec 2015 11:26:29 +0100 us-swiss-bank-programme-reaches-1-bn-in-fines Europe's human rights court dismissed a complaint Tuesday by an American client of Swiss banking giant UBS who had contested the legality of giving his bank account details to US authorities probing possible tax evasion. https://www.thelocal.ch/20151222/claim-against-releasing-bank-details-to-us-rejected Tue, 22 Dec 2015 23:43:37 +0100 claim-against-releasing-bank-details-to-us-rejected Swiss financial authorities have banned six former UBS traders and managers from working in Switzerland’s financial industry for periods ranging from one to five years. https://www.thelocal.ch/20151217/ex-ubs-employees-banned-for-illegal-trading Thu, 17 Dec 2015 13:04:42 +0100 ex-ubs-employees-banned-for-illegal-trading Greek prosecutors are investigating around 200 cases of alleged tax fraud and money laundering after raiding an Athens office of Swiss bank UBS, a judicial source said on Tuesday. https://www.thelocal.ch/20151215/greeks-probe-200-tax-fraud-cases-linked-to-ubs Tue, 15 Dec 2015 17:06:29 +0100 greeks-probe-200-tax-fraud-cases-linked-to-ubs The Italian government says it is set to rake in at least €3.8 billion ($4 billion) after tax dodgers took advantage of an amnesty deal to declare money and assets hidden abroad — mostly in Switzerland. https://www.thelocal.ch/20151210/italians-claim-taxes-from-hidden-swiss-accounts Thu, 10 Dec 2015 10:10:44 +0100 italians-claim-taxes-from-hidden-swiss-accounts A German federal state says it transferred details of secret Swiss bank accounts with assets worth four billion francs to Athens as part of efforts to clamp down on Greek tax cheats. https://www.thelocal.ch/20151125/germans-transfer-swiss-bank-details-to-athens Wed, 25 Nov 2015 21:05:32 +0100 germans-transfer-swiss-bank-details-to-athens A former HSBC employee who leaked documents alleging the bank helped clients evade millions of dollars in taxes failed again to show up for his Swiss trial Monday, which opened in his absence. https://www.thelocal.ch/20151102/trial-of-hsbc-data-leaker-starts-in-his-absence Mon, 02 Nov 2015 13:08:11 +0100 trial-of-hsbc-data-leaker-starts-in-his-absence A former HSBC employee who leaked documents alleging the bank helped clients evade millions of dollars in taxes said on Wednesday that he would not attend his trial in Switzerland because he would not get a fair hearing. https://www.thelocal.ch/20151028/hsbc-data-leaker-thumbs-nose-at-swiss-court Wed, 28 Oct 2015 17:53:11 +0100 hsbc-data-leaker-thumbs-nose-at-swiss-court French judges have charged a former top-level banker at UBS with tax evasion as part of a probe into the Swiss banking giant, judicial sources said on Thursday. https://www.thelocal.ch/20151009/ubs-banker-charged-in-tax-evasion-probe Fri, 09 Oct 2015 10:44:29 +0200 ubs-banker-charged-in-tax-evasion-probe The Netherlands have requested information on a large number of Swiss bank accounts held by residents of its country in connection with a tax probe, Swiss authorities confirmed at the weekend. https://www.thelocal.ch/20150927/netherlands-seek-swiss-help-on-tax-dodgers Sun, 27 Sep 2015 12:50:54 +0200 netherlands-seek-swiss-help-on-tax-dodgers