News

President Guy Parmelin, head of the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research, met with Chinese Minister of Education Huai Jinpeng in Bern on 23 March. Following the meeting, Martina Hirayama, State Secretary for Education, Research and Innovation, chaired the sixth meeting of the Joint Working Group on Higher Education and Vocational Education and Training.

As of 23 March 2026, the state financial statements for 2025 are available in electronic format on the website of the Federal Finance Administration (FFA). The figures are also available in the federal budget data portal. The hard copy will be released on 14  April 2026. The Federal Treasury activity report is published to complement the state financial statements.

Florian Schütz, Director of the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), will be attending the RSAC Conference in San Francisco from 23 to 26 March. This leading global event in the field of IT and cybersecurity brings together representatives from industry, science, and public administration. During the conference, Mr Schütz will participate in various panels and hold bilateral talks with representatives from industry and international organisations.

Federal Councillor Karin Keller-Sutter will meet her UK counterpart, Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves, in London on 24 March 2026. The ministers will discuss the agreement on mutual recognition in financial services and current geopolitical challenges, among other things.

The Federal Tax Administration has updated the course listings and bonus shares 2024 and 2025.

In 2025, the police registered a total of 554 963 offences under the Swiss Criminal Code (SCC). Compared with the previous year, the number of criminal offences fell by 1.5%, which can be attributed in particular to the 3.5% decrease in offences against property. As in previous years, the number of serious violent offences has risen (+8.1%). Of the 55 completed homicides, 61.8% occurred in the domestic sphere. These are some of the findings of the Police Crime Statistics of the Federal Statistical Office (FSO).

On 19.03.2026 the Federal Department of Economic Affairs EAER has amended annex 8 to the ordinance. As a result, 7 individuals were removed from annex 8. The measures come into force at 11 pm on 20.03.2026.

On 20 March, the Federal Council examined the implications of applying the principle of neutrality to exports to the states involved in the Iran conflict. The export of war materiel to countries involved in the international armed conflict with Iran cannot be authorised for the duration of the conflict. Existing licences and exports of other goods will now be regularly reviewed by an interdepartmental group of experts, particularly with regard to their compatibility with neutrality.

During its meeting on 20 March 2026, the Federal Council approved the strategy on combating money laundering and terrorist financing. With this first-ever comprehensive overview, the Federal Council is strengthening the framework, which will continue to protect the integrity of the Swiss financial centre in years to come.

During its meeting on 20 March 2026, the Federal Council decided to lower the interest rates for outstanding COVID-19 credits with effect from 31 March 2026. The interest rate will now be 0% for credits up to CHF 500,000 and 0.5% for credits exceeding CHF 500,000.

The Federal Council is continuing its cooperation with four UN organisations in implementing the Sustainable Development Goals. At its meeting on 20 March 2026, it decided to support the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) with around CHF 70 million per year from 2026 to 2028. In addition to ensuring the effective implementation of Switzerland's International Cooperation Strategy 2025–28, the partnership with these UN organisations boosts the standing of International Geneva.

The GloBE Information Return (GIR) application is available on the e-portal of the Swiss Confederation. The GIR application enables companies to register with the FTA for GIR purposes and to submit the GIR.