Entries in business (54)
Swiss banking under fire
Tuesday, April 7, 2009 at 6:46AM Those of us who live or work in CH or deal with Swiss banks will know that the credit crisis that was sparked in America and infected the whole world, has caused the legislators in the States to cast their beady eyes over Swiss banking.
Both Maydoff and Stanford who scammed millions out of their hard earned money, had some links to Swiss banking as well as the usual offshore banking centres. The discovery of UBS clients with Swiss accounts who were American citizens, and whose past couldn't easily be investigated, gave them all the reason they needed to push for change in the current legislation about client secrecy, and opened up a proverbial can of worms.
The easiest way to force the hand of the resolute Swiss government to change their position on client account secrecy, was to play nasty, and by that I mean, to declare a repatriation tax amnesty on Swiss neighbours Italy and Germany. To declare a taxation amnesty on monies repatriated from whence they had come. Under the straightened current economic climate with the spotlight on the formally discrete and "safe as houses" Swiss banking establishment, this is making bankers and investors squirm and cringe across Europe.
Should all those rich Italians driving beaten-up cars and posing as middle class poverini to avoid highjackings, bring their money back home into the Italian banking system? Switzerland was the safe haven of the Savoia family, when they were kicked off the throne in a referendum and run out of Italy, Switzerland took them in. It is the place where famous Italians like "Berlo" go to have face lifts and give birth to their babies, escaping the rabid Italian paparazzi. Ticino, speaks the language they love, so it's the perfect utopia. A mere 30 minute drive from Milan just across the border. Clean, organised and safe, where you can gamble to your heart's content and the police can and will protect you, Everything they wish they had control over in Italy. How will they change, why should they indeed?
Will the steel curtain of Swiss banking secrecy be torn asunder? Can America make them pay for not actively assisting them with tax evaders?
Have an opinion on the crisis, send us a comment, we'd like to hear it.
Donna Jackson Social Communications Specialist Wisequeen
webmonday/iphone 3.0 beta testing app
Tuesday, March 31, 2009 at 12:07PM Do you poken.com ?
Saturday, March 21, 2009 at 8:03PM Those of you who follow my blog and my Swiss Tech posts will have heard of the gadget I've written on often POKEN, the social media networking tool thats set to take the world by storm. I've been blogging on founder Stéphane Doutriaux and the Poken team since they launched in Laussane in 2008. Poken's recent expansion to UK, Italy, and now the US (as it was the most talked about device at Austin SXSW) means people will be pokening each other everywhere. The Poken video will tell you how to highfive people and get rid of all those business cards on your desk that you can't remember where you got,or who they belong to. Just buy a poken a bee, panda, monster or skull and start smart networking.
Click on the firebox.com button on the right in the sidebar and you can buy a single poken and have it shipped, or contact me by email for bulk orders or conferences.
Then register online and take your contacts with you wherever you go. The corporate version will be released soon, a slick USB pen size. The Poken conference badge was launched at #LIFT09 and will soon make interactive conference badges the smart choice. So do you Poken? Interview with Stéphane Doutriaux
[caption Swiss start-up Camp Basel Poken Team"]
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Leave us a comment and let us know what you think Donna Jackson Social Communications Specialist Wisequeen
Social Networking World Forum LONDON - A revolution
Wednesday, March 18, 2009 at 3:52PM 
Revenues from social networking, dating and personal content delivery services will increase from $572m in 2007 to more than $5.7bn in 2012, with social networking accounting for 50% of the total by the end of the forecast period." Juniper Research.
Industry leaders, social networking, technology brands and media gathered at the two day event held at Olympia London and organized by Mark Johnstone and his team at Six Degrees.com. The gold sponsors were Xing, Reality Digital, Buongiorno, Blinko and Social go, but everyone who was anyone was there.
There were excellent speakers from every sector of business and every continent from Ogilvy PR to Cadburys, BMW, Sapient,Tempero, Endemol UK, Colibria, WebJam, Adknowledge, Vodacom, Proctor and Gamble Qube, Cisco Media, Linkedin, MTV, CocaCola, MySpace, Nixon McInnes, Ecademy, INSEAD, Omnifuse, Lithium. The list is long and the presentations are now online at the link above. WileyBooks (who were promoting "throwing sheep in the boardroom" among other books).
This was the conference not to be missed, and the press were out in force. The evening networking Reception in association with Mashable, was held at Sugar Reef. Next year's date has been set for 15th-16th March 2010, so mark it down.
I attended at Olympia London and brought back a taste of the conference for you to enjoy. Watch the video on using twitter Leave us a comment Donna Jackson Social Communications Specialist
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