khaleej times Saturday, auguSt 1, 2020
Switzerland khaleej times
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A DV E RT I S I N G S U P P L E M E N T
Stay on ‘top of the world’ Swiss cities consistently rank among the best places to live in the world, scoring especially high for personal safety, natural beauty, infrastructure and earning potential
B Massimo Baggi, Swiss Ambassador to the UAE
Long-standing Swiss connection
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he UAE and Switzerland share an economic bond that continues to grow in strength as both countries march towards their respective vision and national goals. Switzerland has long held a presence in the UAE, with a trade office in Abu Dhabi established in 1976 that was later converted into an embassy. Swiss officials were among the first to recognise the UAE’s leadership and their foresight and desire to build a progressive hub for business and trade. To date, both countries pursue regular high-level visits, bilateral agreements and MoUs focused on development in existing sectors and new, diversified industries. According to Trading Economics, a platform dedicated to tracking global exports, UAE’s outbound trade to Switzerland in 2018 consisted of a variety of sectors — namely jewellery, precious stones and metals valued at $9 billion; premium watches courtesy of expert Swiss horologists at $217 million; aesthetic products such as cosmetics, perfumes and essential oils at $51.1 million, healthcare tech-
nology at $12.74 million, aircraft at $8.93 million and leather goods at $6.5 million, among others. Further cooperation takes place across education, research and innovation sectors, where seasoned experts from both countries collaborate for the better good. As a pristine land with natural beauty, Switzerland has long been preferred as an ideal travel destination for UAE residents. Its cool climate, exciting tourism activities, notably adrenaline-pumping seasonal sports, and relaxing atmosphere are popular with Emiratis and expatriates, who love to jet off during UAE’s harsh summers. The UAE, on the other hand, is home to hundreds of Swiss nationals who are engaged in a various of occupations and sectors. In the spirit of this year’s National Day, the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) launched a multilingual, interactive website (www. missione1agosto.org) to help Swiss expats reconnect with home and celebrate virtually (#SwissNationalDay).
esides the culturally-packed top places in Switzerland, the country has much to offer — from quiet Alpine living to bustling, cosmopolitan Swiss cities. Many find Zurich’s high quality of living makes it the best place to live in Switzerland — although it comes as a price — while multi-cultural Geneva and Switzerland’s capital city Bern are other Swiss cities often noted in lists of the best cities to live in Switzerland. Switzerland performs very well in many measures of well-being relative to most other countries in the Better Life Index. Switzerland ranks above the average in subjective well-being, jobs and earnings, income and wealth, health status, social connections, environmental quality, education and skills, work-life balance, housing and personal security, but ranks below average in civic engagement. These rankings are based on available data. Money, while it cannot buy happiness, is an important means to achieving higher living standards. In Switzerland, the average household net-adjusted disposable income per capita is $37,466 a year, higher than the OECD average of $33,604 a year. There is a considerable gap between the richest and poorest — the top 20 per cent of the population earn nearly five times as much as the bottom 20 per cent. In terms of employment, 80 per cent of people aged 15 to 64 in Switzerland have a paid job, above the OECD employment average of 68 per cent, and one of the highest rates in the OECD. Some 84 per cent of men are in paid work, compared with 75 per cent of women. In Switzerland, only 0.4 per cent of employees work very long hours, one of the lowest rates in
the OECD where the average is 11 per cent. Good education and skills are important requisites for finding a job. In Switzerland, 88 per cent of adults aged 25-64 have completed upper secondary education, higher than the OECD average of 78 per cent. This is truer of men than women, as 89 per cent of men have successfully completed high-school compared with 86 per cent of women. In terms of the quality of its educational system, the average student scored 506 in reading literacy, maths and science in the OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). This score is higher than the OECD average of 486. On average in Switzerland, girls outperformed boys by 3 points, slightly more than the average OECD gap of 2 points. In terms of health, life expectancy at birth in Switzerland is 84 years, four years higher than the OECD average of 80 years. Life expectancy for women is 86 years, compared with 82 for men. The level of atmospheric PM2.5 – tiny air pollutant particles small enough to enter and cause damage to the lungs — is 14.5 micrograms per cubic metre, higher than the 13.9 micrograms OECD average. Switzerland performs better in terms of water quality, as 95 per cent of people say they are satisfied with the quality of their water, compared with an OECD average of 81 per cent, and one of the highest
rates in the OECD. Concerning the public sphere, there is a strong sense of community and a moderate level of civic participation in Switzerland, where 93 per cent of people believe that they know someone they could rely on in time of need, more than the OECD average of 89 per cent. In general, people in Switzerland are more satisfied with their lives than the OECD average. When asked to rate on a scale from 0 to 10, Swiss people gave it a 7.5 grade on average much higher than the OECD average of 6.5. It is no secret that Switzerland offers some of the best skiing resorts in the world. Those living in Switzerland have the fortune of having close access to the hundreds of kilometres of well-kept pistes. There are numerous skiing locations in each linguistic region whether you are living in Zurich, Bern or Lugano. “With increasing globalisation and changing demographic of the workforce — attracting and retaining the right talent is set to be one of the key challenges for businesses over the next five years,” commented Ilya Bonic, senior partner and president of Mercer’s career business. The country’s strong economy is powered by low corporate tax rates, a highlydeveloped service sector led by financial services and a high-tech manufacturing industry. — Source: OECD Index
SChAERER PREMiUM CoffEE CoRnER
The ‘Café to-go’ for the highest level of coffee quality Whether during a quick stop on the way to the office, in the waiting area at the train station or when window shopping in a shopping centre: More and more people do not want to go without their favourite coffee at the highest level of quality when they’re on the go Launched in Spring 2019, the Schaerer Premium Coffee Corner self-service concept is a series model in the three ‘Ready’, ‘Steady’ and ‘Go!’ equipment versions to ensure the exact requirements of different customer groups are met. Operators of cafés, convenience stores, petrol stations, as well as bakery and hotel chains will therefore have the unique chance to improve their to-go coffee operations with a stand-alone solution for the highest level of coffee quality using freshly-ground beans and fresh milk. The Schaerer Premium Coffee Corner only needs one square metre of space and can be set up either in the shop itself or in a weatherproof location for 24/7 coffee enjoyment without additional staff requirements. Guests who select their favourite beverage from the extensive menu of coffee specialities using the large 32-inch touch display of the Schaerer Premium Coffee Corner can be sure they are getting the same quality as they would in a café. The secret: The centrepiece of the Schaerer Premium Coffee Corner is the same high-performance technology, which ensures a high level of coffee quality for the Schaerer tabletop coffee machines. Tasty coffee creations are made of freshly-ground beans and fresh milk — even with hot or cold milk foam at barista level thanks to the Best Foam milk system integrated by default. Ready, steady, go! To provide customers with maximum flexibility when purchasing their Schaerer Premium Coffee Corner and optimal integration into their individual business models, the SS coffee concept will be offered in three series versions — from the fully preconfigured version to the customised solution developed together with the customer. With the “Ready” version, customers get the technical centrepiece of the Schaerer Premium Coffee Corner, the Coffee Engine, and can design it according to their wishes when it comes to the design and extra equipment. The “Steady” version also offers a high degree of
design freedom, but includes other accessories such as a fridge, waste water tank, cup dispenser, etc. If you choose the “Go!” version, you get a completely equipped Premium Coffee Corner, which can be used right away – either with branding according to your own vision or in the Schaerer design. For this plug-and-play solution, the operator only needs a power connection and mains water supply to get started right away. Hansjürg Marti, director sales and services, Schaerer Ltd. Switzerland, explains: “As a manufacturer with many years of experience in the field of customised solutions, in the OEM sector as well, we provide assistance to interested parties from the very beginning to put together the optimal product version for their needs”. Whether with the ‘Ready’, ‘Steady’ or ‘Go!’, optional features in every version ensure additional options for adjustment to individual customer requirements. Connecting the Schaerer Coffee Link All versions of the Schaerer Premium Coffee Corner are equipped with the digital Schaerer Coffee Link by default. Three different function packages are also available here: The free basic package offers all important basic applications, and additional features are available in the premium and professional packages. The functional packages build on each other and offer customers the highest level of flexibility. The basic is focused on operation and maintenance, including access to the Schaerer Media Pool, Knowhow Centre and online shop. The premium provides functions with an emphasis on performance and remote management, including data/statistics on profits, consumption and peak times. The professional represents the needs of coffee machine operators, importers, distributors and dealers. “If they want, our customers can also get consultation services for individualised solutions in the field of data analysis and reports”, explains Marti.
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Saturday, auguSt 1, 2020 khaleej times
Switzerland khaleej times
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A DV E RT I S I N G S U P P L E M E N T
Habib Bank AG Zurich (HBZ)
‘Bringing Swiss ethos to the UAE’ Jamal Alvi, CEO, Habib Bank AG Zurich UAE, speaks about the benefits of the bank’s Swiss lineage
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abib Bank AG Zurich (HBZ) congratulates Switzerland on the occasion of the Swiss National Day. The bank takes great pride in being incorporated in the canton of Zurich, Switzerland in Aug 1967. From humble beginnings on 1 Todistrasse, Zurich 53 years ago, the bank’s network has now grown to over 400-plus branches in 10 countries across four continents. The bank has received tremendous support from all stakeholders and the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA) in particular. We are the only Swiss incorporated commercial bank in UAE with a full-fledged banking licence. The UAE business operates as a
Jamal Alvi, CEO of Habib Zurich branch of the Swiss entity with small and medium enterprises (SME)/Commercial business being the primary focus segment. Like Switzerland, which blends traditional with the modern, we bring the same ethos to the banking business for our clients, whether it
is the touch and feel offered by the UAE branch network to the mobile banking HBZapp that offers banking on-the-go. We try to cater to every requirement and have the product and service menu available for our clients to choose from. Not just this, but many nigh net worth customers benefit from the local Wealth Management/Priority banking expertise by leveraging our Swiss lineage. The bank’s unique footprint has provided a viable platform to leverage trade flows between Asia and Africa to Europe and Americas. HBZ is there to connect the dots for its clients — offering both Conventional and Islamic Banking solutions. We, in a way, therefore are a natural ally for suppliers and customers across these geographies and with the Swiss connect, there is added safety that gets built-in for all stakeholders. In essence, the commonality in diversity of Switzerland and UAE makes Habib Bank AG Zurich a unique banking franchise and we remain committed to our heritage.
Low on tax, high on living standards Conditions for the expansion of Nidwalden’s economy are favourable, thanks to its central location
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ong Kong will soon lose its status as the place with the world’s lowest corporate tax, replaced by the small mountainous canton of Nidwalden in Switzerland, a study has found. That’s according to a taxation index by BAK Economics that regularly measures the attractiveness of Swiss cantons compared with each other as well as locations abroad. Switzerland is implementing one of the most significant tax reforms in decades. Tax burdens on corporate profits are expected to fall sharply in several cantons, especially Nid-
walden, located on Lake Lucerne, according to the study published recently. Taxes play a huge role in where companies and individuals base themselves. Tax reductions regularly attract a wave of companies and individuals looking to take advantage. With a population of 43,223, the central Swiss canton of Nidwalden is one of the coun-
tries tiniest. But a new set of reforms are set to put it on the map — at least for corporate clients. Numerous world-class businesses are based in the canton. The adoption of a set of tax reforms — partially motivated by the Covid-19 crisis — will result in Nidwalden adopting a corporate tax rate of 9.8 per cent. Unless Hong Kong changes its own tax regime, Nidwalden will push past it by 2025 with a corporate rate of 9.8 per cent, the independent Swiss economic research institute concluded. Nationally, the Swiss corporate tax rate should fall to 13.5 per cent from 16.8 per cent when the reforms are fully in place by 2025, the study estimated. That would be lower than Singapore. The canton of the capital Bern, with the highest tax burden in Switzerland, comes ahead of European cities such as London, Munich, Vienna, Paris and Milan.
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