Swiss annual inflation inched higher last month, though remained close to negative territory, suggesting the Swiss National Bank is still on course to push interest rates below zero later this year, the Wall Street Journal reported. Consumer prices were 0.2% higher in July than the same month of last year, compared with annual inflation of 0.1% in June, Switzerland’s statistics office said Monday. July’s data came after the U.S. last week slapped a shock 39% tariff on most imports of Swiss goods, a higher rate than had been signaled earlier by the Trump administration.
Read more
Le Coq Sportif, in receivership, has been acquired by a group led by Franco-Swiss entrepreneur Dan Mamane, SGB Media reported. The new investors have committed to investing an initial €70 million (US$82.1 million) into the company to revive its growth. Le Coq Sportif has been owned since 2005 by Marc-Henri Beausire’s Swiss group Airesis. Mamane’s consortium is backed by the Mirabaud Patrimoine Vivant investment fund, which had previously taken a minority stake in Le Coq Sportif.
Swiss company Meyer Burger has filed for voluntary chapter 11 bankruptcy relief in the United States, the solar panel manufacturer said in a court filing on Wednesday, Reuters reported. Meyer Burger's operations in both Europe and the United States have struggled to compete with cheaper products imported from Asia, piling pressure on the company. Late last month the firm announced it was shutting down its U.S. factory in Arizona due to financial difficulties, and soon afterwards filed for insolvency for its German subsidiaries. In its U.S.
The Swiss National Bank cut its interest rate to zero on Thursday and did not rule out returning borrowing costs to negative territory in future, although it stressed this was not a step it would take lightly, Reuters reported. The SNB reduced its policy rate by 25 basis points from 0.25%, as expected by markets and a Reuters poll, to stand on the brink of negative rates for the first time since 2022. The central bank now has the lowest borrowing costs among its peers, with markets giving a 53% probability of further cuts in September.
UBS finance chief Todd Tuckner voiced his disappointment on Wednesday over proposed new Swiss capital regulations, which he said was the beginning of a possibly long process that the bank intends to contribute to, Reuters reported. "Naturally, as to capital, we're disappointed," Tuckner said at a conference in Berlin, speaking days after the Swiss government proposed rules that could make the country's remaining big bank hold $26 billion more in core capital. "We are looking at every possible option to potentially mitigate the imposition of these extreme capital measures," he added.
Read more
The Swiss government on Friday proposed stricter rules for UBS following its takeover of Credit Suisse, which could make it hold $26 billion more in core capital, confirming some of the bank's worst fears about incoming new regulations, Reuters reported. The key proposal, which the bank would have six to eight years to prepare for after it became law, is that UBS must fully capitalise its foreign units, in line with what many analysts, lawmakers and executives had been expecting.
Read more
This content is reserved for Global Insolvency Members or members of the American Bankruptcy Institute. Create an account now to gain access. Enjoy free membership for a limited time.
Already a member? Login here.
Swiss solar panel maker Meyer Burger filed for insolvency for its German subsidiaries, the company said in a statement on Saturday, Reuters reported. Meyer Burger's German subsidiaries, Meyer Burger (Industries) GmbH and Meyer Burger (Germany) GmbH, have initiated insolvency proceedings, the company said. Efforts to keep the German sites open will be continued as part of the proceedings together with a provisional insolvency administrator to be appointed by the court.
Read more
This content is reserved for Global Insolvency Members or members of the American Bankruptcy Institute. Create an account now to gain access. Enjoy free membership for a limited time.
Already a member? Login here.
A top Swiss court has ruled that the Swiss government's reductions and cancellations of bonus payments to former executives of Credit Suisse after the bank failed in 2023 were unlawful, according to the ruling published late on Tuesday, Reuters reported. The bonus measures affected around 1,000 people, some of whom challenged the decision with Switzerland's Federal Administrative Court, which upheld their appeal. "The variable remunerations reduced by the (Swiss finance ministry) were binding, employer-guaranteed claims deriving from a contractual employment relationship," the court said.
Read more