Swiss perspectives in 10 languages

Investment projects boom in Switzerland

Euro notes
The number of investment projects from German companies almost doubled in Switzerland last year Keystone / A3446/_patrick Seeger

Foreign direct investment in Switzerland increased last year despite the Covid-19 pandemic. The number of investment projects rose by 25% to 91, the highest level since 2011, thus bucking the general trend of decline across Europe.

This put Switzerland 14th among European countries (up from 17th in 2019), according to a study published on Monday by consultants EY.

“This pleasing development is primarily due to the increased commitment by German companies to us; the number of investment projects from German companies almost doubled in 2020,” Michael Messerli, partner and head of strategy & transaction at EY in Switzerland, said in a statementExternal link.

US companies remained in second place. On the other hand, interest from British investors appears to have fallen. “And it is noticeable that once again very few investments were seen in Switzerland from our neighbouring country, Italy,” he said.

More

Some other medium-sized economies such as Poland, Turkey and Austria also attracted more investment projects from foreign companies last year than in 2019.

Across Europe, however, the number of investment projects by foreign investors fell by 13% in 2020, EY added. A total of 5,578 investment projects were announced by foreign investors.

Swiss investment

With 256 investment projects, the commitment of Swiss companies to other European countries in 2020 was at the same level as in the previous year (258).

However, there were certain shifts: Germany gained in importance as an investment destination, while the number of projects in France fell significantly – so that Germany replaced France as the most popular investment destination for Swiss companies. Spain and Britain follow with about a third of the investment projects each.

Overall, against the backdrop of the significant restrictions on public and economic life by Covid-19, the consultants said they had expected an even sharper decline in investment activity.

“In the spring of 2020, the coronavirus pandemic led to a kind of shock paralysis throughout Europe, to massive austerity measures, and to a temporary halt to many investment projects,” Messerli said.

“But the economy had already got going again in the second half of the year in many places, and in some cases even did so surprisingly quickly, and the investment environment improved again.”

More

Popular Stories

Most Discussed

News

Swiss Armed Forces have around 147,000 personnel

More

Number of Swiss armed forces exceeds specified limit

This content was published on The Swiss armed forces had an effective headcount of around 147,000 as of March 1, 2024. This exceeds the upper limit of 140,000 specified in the army organisation by 5%.

Read more: Number of Swiss armed forces exceeds specified limit
Two men charged by the MPC with money laundering

More

Two Swiss men charged with money laundering

This content was published on One million francs, 34 million euros and around 830 kilos of gold: this is the fortune that two Swiss nationals are accused of having moved across borders for at least four years.

Read more: Two Swiss men charged with money laundering
Richemont reports lower first-half results

More

Richemont reports lower first-half results

This content was published on Geneva-based luxury goods group Richemont reported a downturn in performance for the first half of its 2024/25 financial year. Both sales and profit declined.

Read more: Richemont reports lower first-half results

In compliance with the JTI standards

More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative

You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!

If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR