Switzerland remains the world’s wealthiest country; Coop cuts prices of 1,000 products; and more news in our roundup on Thursday.
Switzerland is still the world’s wealthiest country
This has been a very good week for Switzerland: first it was named as the world’s most competitive nation, and then, in another study, its two largest cities, Zurich and Geneva, took the second and fifth places, respectively, among the world’s 173 most liveable cities.
And there is more: according to the UBS Global Wealth Report released on Wednesday, Switzerland remains the world’s richest nation.
The average wealth per adult in Switzerland stands at 687,166 USD (563, 900 francs), ahead of the USA (620,654 USD / 509,303 francs), and Hong Kong in the third place.
READ ALSO: Why is Switzerland so rich?
Coop is slashing prices on over 1,000 products
At the end of last year, Migros announced that it would cut the prices of 1,000 products over the coming months.
Now its competitor Coop is saying it too has reduced prices on 1,000 items this year.
The retailer has already invested over 50 million francs to lower prices so far in 2025, according to its press release.
“These price reductions show that we are taking our promise to offer high-quality products at attractive prices seriously,” said Andrea Kramer, Head of Marketing/Procurement.
Coincidentally or not, this year Coop is celebrating the 20th anniversary of its budget ‘Prix Garantie’ label.
The company said it is planning to continuously expand the range of this low-price line, adding 30 items this year.
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Proposal for lower rents is gaining momentum
Since the beginning of June, the Swiss Tenants’ Association (ASLOCA) has been collecting signatures for a citizen-driven initiative aimed at putting an end to what it refers to as “excessive rents.”
The association has long been calling for rents in Switzerland to be systematically controlled by the state, with landlords being able to draw only moderate profits on top of actual costs.
As it is currently, however, Swiss tenants collectively overpay their rent by 10 billion francs, ASLOCA said.
Property owners, however, refute this claim, calling ASLOCA’s calculations “fanciful figures.”
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Switzerland’s top university remains highly ranked internationally
According to the QS World University Rankings 2026, published each year by the London-based higher education analytics firm. Quacquarelli Symonds, the Federal Polytechnic Institute (ETH) in Zurich remains among the world’s leading universities.
It has maintained its seventh place “thanks to its outstanding international reputation and world-class environmental, social and governance initiatives,” the QS said.
“This makes Switzerland one of four countries in the global top 10,” according to the QS, whose annual ranking includes about 1,500 universities from around the world.
If you have any questions about life in Switzerland, ideas for articles or news tips for The Local, please get in touch with us at news@thelocal.ch
