News

The UN sanctions committee has amended the list of sanctioned individuals, companies and organizations. The SESAM database has been updated accordingly. On 4 March 2016 the Federal Council has adopted the Ordinance on the automatic application of the UN Security Council’s sanctions lists. Hence, the amendments of the UN Security Council’s sanctions lists enter into force in Switzerland without delay.

On 13 April 2026 the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research EAER has amended the annexes 12 and 14 to the ordinance on measures concerning the Islamic Republic of Iran. Eight entries were removed and five existing entries in Annex 12 were amended. In Annex 14, eight individuals and three entities were added, six existing entries were amended and one entry was removed. The measures come into force at 11 pm on 14 April 2026.

The new Secretary-General of UN Tourism, Shaikha Al Nuwais, was received in Switzerland by Martin Saladin, Vice Director of SECO. During her stay, she visited Zermatt and Andermatt (Best Tourism Village). The visit provided an opportunity to further strengthen the close cooperation between Switzerland and UN Tourism, demonstrated by the ‘Climate change and the future of snow-based mountain tourism’ project, which was initiated by Switzerland.

Swissnex, Switzerland's global network for education, research, and innovation, continued its mission in 2025 with far-reaching initiatives across the world. The year was defined by an intensified focus on artificial intelligence, planetary diplomacy, climate resilience, and quantum technologies. The Swissnex Annual Report 2025 highlights the network's key contributions to international collaboration and knowledge exchange, reinforcing Switzerland's role as a global leader in innovation.

From 11 May, the FTA portal will bring together numerous FTA online services in a single overview. The FTA portal combines permissions and services from ePortal in one central location. The FTA is gradually migrating the online services to the new FTA portal.

Two cessations of investigation (aviation) are available on the website of the Swiss Transportation Safety Investigation Board (STSB).

President Guy Parmelin and Federal Councillor Karin Keller-Sutter, as well as Martin Schlegel, Chairman of the Governing Board of the Swiss National Bank, will attend the Spring Meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank in Washington from 15 to 17 April 2026. A meeting of G20 finance ministers and central bank governors, as well as a ministerial meeting of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) will also take place during the Spring Meetings. The Swiss delegation, led by Federal Councillor Karin Keller-Sutter, will additionally take the opportunity to hold bilateral talks.

In March 2026 the consumer sentiment index stood at –43 points. This is 8 points lower than in March 2025. The following sub-indices are lower than in March 2025: economic outlook, financial outlook and moment to make major purchases. The following sub-index has barely changed compared to March 2025: past financial situation.

Official development assistance (ODA) saw an unprecedented decline worldwide in 2025. Switzerland remains a significant donor country: Swiss ODA amounted to CHF 3.8 billion, or 0.46% of gross national income (GNI). This figure fell by around 7% compared to the previous year, mainly due to lower asylum-related costs. ODA includes expenditure eligible for ODA from the Swiss Confederation, cantons and municipalities.

Phishing and scam attempts are widespread, and many are identified early enough for people to take the necessary cybersecurity measures. But it is becoming increasingly difficult to tell fraudulent messages from genuine ones. Scammers are increasingly using AI to personalise their messages, making them appear more convincing than ever. This is precisely what the new cybersecurity awareness campaign highlights under the slogan ‘SUPER, right?’. From 13 April to 10 May, the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), Swiss Crime Prevention (SCP), the cantonal and city police forces, Swiss Federal Railways (SBB), Swiss Post and the Swiss Insurance Association (SIA) are launching another edition of the national S-U-P-E-R.ch campaign to raise awareness of the importance of cybersecurity.

Developing new materials and products that are harmless to both humans and the environment requires holistic approaches such as Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD). But how much effort does it take for companies to meet the associated requirements? A new Empa analysis now shows that many of these are already laid down in key EU legislation. Consistently implemented, SSbD thus helps companies to ensure regulatory compliance for innovations at an early stage, thereby avoiding costly missteps.

The Swiss Confederation issued two bonds by auction on 08.04.2026: 0.50%, maturity 27.05.2030 (reopening) and 1.50%, maturity 26.10.2038 (reopening). The issuance volume (excluding own holdings) amounts to a total of 489.400 million francs.