Swiss perspectives in 10 languages

Massive decline in foreign investment in Switzerland expected

money
The Alpine nation attracted 73 new projects last year, registering an increase of 20%. Martin Ruetschi

An increase in foreign direct investment in 2019 is likely to be followed by a drop of up to 50% in 2020 due to the impact of Covid-19. 

In a European comparison, Switzerland has risen four places and is ranked 17th in terms of investment projects by foreign companies, according to the Ernst & Young (EY) study published on Monday. The Alpine nation attracted 73 new projects last year, registering an increase of 20%. France took the lead followed by the UK and Germany, with Europe attracting a total of 6,412 projects by foreign companies in 2019. 

Switzerland was also busy returning the favour. In 2019, Swiss companies announced 258 foreign investment projects – which is 12% fewer than in 2018. Most of these investments were made in France, Germany, Spain and the UK.  

Ernst & Young predict a rather grim outlook for 2020 with inflows of foreign direct investment expected to fall between 30% and 50% in Europe depending on the country and sector.  

“For the countries of Europe, this means that competition between them for foreign investment will continue to increase. In order to be successful, they must be prepared to the challenges that are currently evolving due to the coronavirus pandemic – including the redesign of supply chains, the introduction of innovative technologies and the development of new ways of processing customers,” said Fabian Denneborg, Partner and Head of Mergers & Acquisitions at EY in Switzerland. 

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