Nestlé was ranked the 36th most valuable company by the consulting firm EY.
Keystone-SDA
Technology companies are the undisputed leaders in the ranking of the world's most highly valued listed companies. The AI boom in particular gave the sector a boost. But three well-known Swiss companies have also made it into the top 100.
According to an analysis by consulting firm EY published on Tuesday, three tech companies took the top spots of the most valuable companies. Microsoft came out on top, followed by Apple and chip manufacturer Nvidia. The cut-off date for the survey was June 28.
Do you want to read our weekly top stories? Subscribe here.
The total market capitalisation of the 100 most valuable companies reached a new high of $42.3 trillion according to EY calculations. Among the global top 100, 26 companies are from the technology sector and 60 are based in the US.
Three Swiss firms – Nestlé, Roche and Novartis – made it into the ranking. However, they had to drop a few places. The food company slipped to 36th place from 24 at the beginning of 2024. Roche is in 51st place (previously: 43rd) and Novartis remains in 53rd place.
A total of 19 companies from Europe made it into the top 100. Danish pharmaceutical group Novo Nordisk came in 12th place and the German company SAP in 47th place. The remaining 18 companies are in Asia.
Tech boom, especially in the US
“The majority of the most valuable companies in Europe and Switzerland are not active in the technology sector, so they have not benefited to the same extent from the stock market euphoria for technology stocks triggered by the mega topic of artificial intelligence,” said Stefan Rösch-Rütsche, Country Managing Partner of EY in Switzerland.
This has further widened the gap with the US. In general, Europe’s importance on the world’s stock markets has declined sharply – before the global financial crisis in 2007, the region still accounted for 46 of the 100 most valuable companies.
More
More
CEO pay: can Switzerland compete with the US?
This content was published on
Swiss CEOs are some of the best paid in Europe but compared to peers in the US, their salaries look modest.
If you extend the ranking to the 500 most valuable companies worldwide, you will find a total of 15 Swiss companies. In addition to the three heavyweights mentioned, these include the industrial group ABB (ranked 150th), UBS (ranked 169th), the luxury goods group Richemont (ranked 174th) and the insurer Zurich (ranked 219th). Holcim (rank 365) and Givaudan (rank 430) are further down the list.
Translated from German by DeepL/jdp
This news story has been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team. At SWI swissinfo.ch we select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools such as DeepL to translate it into English. Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles.
If you want to know more about how we work, have a look here, if you want to learn more about how we use technology, click here, and if you have feedback on this news story please write to english@swissinfo.ch.
As a Swiss Abroad, how do you feel about the emergence of more conservative family policies in some US states?
In recent years several US states have adopted more conservative policies on family issues, abortion and education. As a Swiss citizen living there, how do you view this development?
Swiss food giant Nestlé to invest millions in Nescafé in Spain
This content was published on
The Swiss multinational is to invest €15 million (CHF14.3 million) in its Nescafé factory, which produces instant coffee and Nescafé Dolce Gusto capsules, in Girona near Barcelona.
This content was published on
Malfunctions led to a worldwide outage of the social media platform X several times on Monday, affecting users in Switzerland and elsewhere.
This content was published on
The Swiss bank UBS was fined €75,000 (CHF71,410), the maximum penalty, in Paris on Monday for moral harassment by its French subsidiary of two whistleblowers.
Nearly 50 wolves killed in eastern Switzerland over five-month period
This content was published on
Wildlife wardens in the eastern canton of Graubünden, together with hunters, shot 48 wolves between September 2024 and January 2025, authorities said on Monday.
Top Swiss court approves appeal against asbestos ruling
This content was published on
The Glarus high court must re-examine an asbestos case, after the Federal Court approved the request for a revision of its decision by the family of Marcel Jann.
Swiss singer Zoë Më unveils song ‘Voyage’ for 2025 Eurovision contest
This content was published on
Singer-songwriter Zoë Më, who will represent Switzerland at the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 in Basel, unveiled her ballad Voyage on Monday.
Switzerland’s image at stake in current multilateralism crisis, says Geneva politician
This content was published on
The Swiss government's reaction to the current crisis in multilateralism is not congruent with what is at stake for International Geneva, says the head of the Geneva Government.
This content was published on
At the stroke of 4am on Monday, the street lights went out in Basel's city center for the carnival kick-off, known as Morgenstreich.
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.