Regulators pushing for consolidation of the crowded European banking industry shouldn’t expect to see a surge in cross-border activity any time soon, according to François Lavier, an analyst and portfolio manager at Lazard. He says banks are too busy right now trying to adapt to new regulations, clean up their balance sheets, and prepare for a digital future. “But I’m sure it will come,” he says. “The European Commission is pushing to build a European banking union, and if we want to have a banking union, we need European banks.”
Apple on track to outsell the entire Swiss watch industry
The shift from analog to digital is leaving Swiss watchmakers behind amid growing demand for watches that do much more than tell time. Apple has grabbed about 50 percent of the smartwatch market in just five years and will probably sell more watches this year than the entire Swiss industry, says Alexander Linz, head of content at WatchAdvisor.com.
Negative interest rates benefit robo-advisers, says Decartes Finance
In recent months, there has been a backlash against robo-advising. But Adriano Lucatelli, co-founder and CEO of Descartes Finance, sees the current negative-interest-rate environment as being advantageous to robo-advisers since saving costs is crucial for consumers.
Smile aims to become the Netflix of insurance industry
Smile, the direct insurance arm of Helvetia, says it benchmarks itself against tech companies like Netflix, as it looks to shake-up the industry with its monthly subscription model and mobile-first approach. CEO Pierangelo Campopiano is targeting premium volumes of CHF 100 million in the next year.
SNB was right to refrain, says Safra’s chief economist
The Swiss franc is still trading at roughly the same level against the euro as a month ago, when the Swiss National Bank refrained from cutting rates. “That’s a surprise,” says Karsten Junius, chief economist of Bank J. Safra Sarasin, adding that it shows the Swiss economy didn’t need another round of easing.
Everything you need to know about the Swiss A220 fleet grounding
The latest grounding of the Swiss A220 fleet over engine concerns has impacted 100 flights and roughly 10,000 passengers. It’s the third incident for this aircraft since July. CNNMoney Switzerland’s Olivia Chang reports on the latest details.
Why the IMF may need to cut its growth forecasts even more
The International Monetary Fund on Tuesday cut its growth forecast for the global economy to 3 percent this year and 3.4 percent in 2020. Patrice Gautry, chief economist at UBP, says the outlook for next year is still “very, very ambitious,” even assuming an imminent pickup in global trade.
