Switzerland Financial News

Mint in the week gone by. The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) has flagged the possible risks for retail investors from the build-up of bubbles in the stock market. The retail inflation for February came in at 5.09%, largely unchanged from the previous month, while core inflation eased further.

NEW DELHI : Novartis India, the local arm of Swiss pharma giant Novartis AG, is in discussions to secure a distribution partner for the imminent launch of Asciminib, the first-in-class treatment for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) targeting the ABL myristoyl pocket (STAMP), Amitabh Dube, the company's country president and managing director, said. “Innovative therapies introduced over the past two decades have revolutionized treatment for people with CML, a serious and life-threatening blood disorder. Novartis, known for developing targeted therapies for CML, is now launching Asciminib, the first CML treatment that works by specifically targeting the ABL Myristoyl pocket," Dube told Mint in an email interaction.

If you work for UBS and you like to receive 6am calls from your boss before he runs up a mountain, then great news. Swiss gossip websiteInside Paradeplatz says Andrea Orcel has been seen in Zurich. He was allegedly there to discuss a new job with UBS.

Switzerland-based protocol Liqwid Finance is listing a  Cardano Staking exchange-traded product (ETP) on the SIX Swiss Exchange today.

The London Stock Exchange has confirmed that it will begin accepting applications for bitcoin and ether exchange-traded notes (ETNs) in the second quarter of 2024 – but the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) approving any of these products for UK retail investors is still very unlikely, say European product providers.

Mint looks at the significance of free trade agreements for India going forward. Unlike a possible deal with the European Union (EU) or the US, India’s largest trading partners, the India-EFTA deal is unlikely to boost bilateral trade by much. In the January-December 2023 period, India’s exports to EFTA, which comprises Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein and Switzerland, was just $1.87 billion.

Visa application volumes from Mumbai in 2023 registered a 30 per cent year-on-year growth, according to a report by VFS Global, closing in further to the pre-pandemic levels. When compared to the pre-pandemic numbers, visa application volumes from Mumbai reached 90 per cent of the 2019 levels. The demand pattern in Mumbai was in line with the overall growth trend registered in India, which saw a 16 per cent year-on-year in visa applications in 2023. In comparison to the pre-pandemic numbers, visa application volumes from India reached 93 per cent of the 2019 levels.

By Harry Robertson

UBS Group chief executive Sergio Ermotti said catching up with Wall Street giants in the US will take time, as the bank seeks to build its product offering in the world’s largest wealth market.

Sales of luxury watches suffered a “severe downturn” last year as well-heeled buyers turned cautious amid geopolitical concerns and fading enthusiasm for pricey timepieces, a new report has found.

Mint. Talwar has been the company's regional head for the visa business for Europe. Talwar joined the company in 2006 and has worked in the company's New Delhi, Kuala Lumpur, UAE and London offices.

Five cross-country skiers were found dead on a mountaintop in the Swiss Alps, Valais regional police said Monday. A sixth person in the ski tour group remains missing and the search for them continues despite extreme weather conditions.

On Sunday, India signed the India-EFTA Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement, our first trade deal with any Western nation or group. It was signed with the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), which comprises Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. It’s an innovative and well-balanced pact that covers two-way trade in goods and services as well as bilateral investments.

India will have the option of temporarily withdrawing customs duty concessions on EFTA country goods under the trade agreement between the two sides, if the four European nation bloc would not fulfil its USD 100 billion investment obligations. Though the investments have to flow in 15 years — USD 50 billion in the first 10 years (counted after implementation of the pact) and another USD 5 billion in next five years, the trade deal also provides for a three-year grace period to the EFTA bloc to meet the obligations, according to the documents accompanying the agreement. India and four-nation European Free Trade Association (EFTA) bloc signed Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA) on March 10 under which New Delhi received a foreign direct investment commitment of USD 100 billion in 15 years from the member countries of the grouping. The EFTA members are Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland.

India-EFTA trade deal: In a landmark deal with the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), India has signed a trade and economic partnership agreement (TEPA) to boost trade and investments for developed countries- Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland. Under the agreement, the four-member EFTA has committed $100 billion in investments in India and the tariffs between both blocs are expected to reduce.

MUMBAI : Hype, a Bengaluru-headquartered luxury travel aggregator, is looking to expand globally as it charts a path in the elite travel sector. Founded by Raaghav Belavadi, a former group CEO at Accenture, and his sister Vijaya Belavadi, Hype aims to rewrite the playbook on premium travel experiences for high net worth individuals (HNIs) and ultra HNIs. Rejecting the conventional asset-heavy model, the travel aggregator thrives on commission-based operations, a move that ensured profitability from the start of operations, Raaghav Belavadi told Mint.

NEW DELHI : India and Italy are set to sign an extradition treaty as the two countries seek to repair their bilateral relations that were waylaid by the 2012 killing of two Indian fishermen by Italian marines. The extradition treaty will make it easier for both countries to counter crime and improve cooperation between their law enforcement agencies, said people aware of the developments. The final text of the extradition treaty has been approved by the MEA and the ministry of home affairs, with the law ministry examining it for the Union cabinet’s approval, these people said.

ARCs) are lining up for the bankrupt ACCIL Corp's ₹270 crore debt in what is turning out to be a rare 100% recovery for banks. The asset in question is an ACCIL-owned hotel in Jaipur, which has been put on block by lenders to recover their dues. Last month, Omkara ARC beat competitor Asset Reconstruction Company of India (Arcil) with a ₹38 crore cash offer to Chennai-based Indian Bank in a Swiss challenge. Separately, Arcil has emerged as the preferred bidder to take over the ₹113 crore debt owed to Union Bank of India, the lead lender in the case.

National Asset Reconstruction Company of India (NARCL) has proposed to acquire the debt of Jaiprakash Associates from banks for ₹10,000 crore, making it the largest offer made so far by the government-backed asset reconstruction company (ARC) that started operations just over two years ago. If a majority of lenders sell their debt, ARC will acquire the cement, hospitality, real estate, fertiliser and construction businesses of Jaiprakash Associates Ltd (JAL) — a flagship company of the Manoj Gaur-promoted Jaypee Group, said people with knowledge of the matter. In fiscal 2023, NARCL acquired 62%, or ₹9,234 crore, of Jaypee Infratech's debt, offering lenders a 39% recovery following an uncontested Swiss challenge auction.

India has signed a trade agreement with Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland on Sunday that includes a commitment of $100 billion investment and creating 1 million direct jobs in India in the next 15 years

India on Sunday signed a trade and economic partnership agreement with the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) — a grouping of Switzerland, Norway, Liechtenstein and Iceland — that includes a binding $100-billion investment commitment. As part of the Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA), EFTA has committed to promote investments to increase the stock of foreign direct investments (FDI) in India by $100 billion in the next 15 years, and to facilitate the generation of one million direct employment in India through such investments, the government said in a statement. «The global leadership of EFTA countries in innovation and R&D across diverse spheres...will open up new doors of collaboration,» PM Narendra Modi said about the trade agreement.