November 27, 2015
The fintech wave
Dear reader
On Monday the new parliament meets in Bern and present will be Marcel Dobler, the award-winning founder and long-time boss of Digitec. In an interview with startupticker, he tells us where he sees a need for political action.
One of the topics that as a new national councillor Dobler will tackle is the wealth tax on start-up shares. In the canton of Zurich, a degree of uncertainty prevails in this respect due to two statements by the cantonal administration. We are investigating the matter.
Much has been going on this week in terms of fintech. The Rapperswil-based bexio announced that its business software for SMEs can now be linked to UBS’ e-banking system.
And the results from a recent study on Switzerland as a fintech location show that every 11th start-up in the world has Swiss roots. Finally, we announced the start of the Global Fintech Challenge and the launch of a new start-up programme for companies that are developing blockchain technology.
There was only one financing this week, but it was a weighty one. The Geneva-based biotech company Obseva, founded by former Serono employees, has generated $60 million.
Upcoming events next week include the IFZ Fintech Forum on the theme ‘from big data to smart data’ on Wednesday, 2 December, at the KKL in Lucerne. Thursday, 3 December, belongs to the innovation scene in the Italian part of Switzerland. We meet in Lugano in the morning for the first Swiss Venture Day Ticino and then in the afternoon for StartCup Ticino. My colleague Stefan Kyora will be present at both events.
Have a good weekend.
Jost Dubacher
Managing Editor, startupticker.ch