Low inflation, low long-term capital costs, a good investment climate, sound public finances and no labor strikes guarantee the prosperity and stability of the Swiss economy.
Economic Environment
Switzerland is one of the most liberal and competitive economies in the world. International competitiveness studies regularly put Switzerland among the leading countries in the world.
Switzerland has the highest gross national product per capita of any country today. It has an industrial sector which is technologically very advanced, with particular strengths in machine tool and motor-vehicle construction, electrical engineering, electronics, optics, watch making, pharmaceutical, chemical and food industries. In the service sector, banking and insurance have set standards of quality for the whole world.
In any comparison of productivity (in terms of value added per hours worked), Switzerland ranks second highest among leading industrialized countries. Because of the high productivity level, unit labor costs in Switzerland are substantially lower than those in the United States, Germany or Great Britain. And Switzerland is an important player in world trade with one of the highest share of foreign trade in its GNP worldwide.
Financial Environment
As a financial center, Switzerland offers new companies many opportunities. The highly developed and efficient banking system makes it possible to secure attractive financing on very favorable terms. Banks guarantee reliable and fast handling of business in Switzerland and abroad. Thanks to a high savings ratio and the massive influx of foreign money, Switzerland seems like an island of low interest rates in any international comparison. Inflation rate levels in Switzerland have traditionally been low, usually under 1%, clearly lower than in the EU and US.
Switzerland is also a world center for portfolio management. With a market share of 35%, Switzerland is world leader in cross-board portfolio management. Switzerland achieved this leading position as a banking center through the professionalism in its banking sector, the application of most modern technology and the nation’s stable political and legal conditions.