Switzerland has been making progress on their technological advancements with blockchain, but they have realized that their current knowledge is not enough to sustain ongoing improvements. As a part of […]
Sirin Labs, the Swiss-Israeli technology firm founded and by led by Moshe Hogeg, said on Thursday it had so far raised about $115 million in an initial coin offering to support the development of a smartphone and other products using open source blockchain technology.
On December 12, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu openly commented on the future of banking, seen through a youtube video. He believes that blockchain technology will replace traditional banks as a result of bitcoin’s growth this year.
With governments and Central Banks around the world concerned over the unstable growth of digital currencies, Netanyahu, a prominent world leader, expresses his honest opinions on the future of banking. The Prime Minister states in Hebrew: "Is the fate of banks that they will eventually disappear? Yes. The answer is Yes. Does it need to happen tomorrow? And do we need to do it through Bitcoin? That’s a question mark."
UNESCO, the cultural and educational agency of the United Nations, expressed regret on Thursday over the United States’ official decision to leave its organization.
Director-general Irina Bokova said in a statement that the departure is a loss for "the United Nations family" and for multilateralism. She said the U.S. and UNESCO matter to each other more than ever now because "the rise of violent extremism and terrorism calls for new long-term responses for peace and security."
Swiss private bank J. Safra Sarasin Group has agreed to buy Bank Hapoalim’s private banking businesses in Luxembourg and Switzerland, with offices in Zurich and Luxembourg, the Swiss group said on Tuesday.
"The agreement covers qualifying clients and their relationship management teams who are focused on private banking clients across Israel and Europe," it added in a statement. It gave no purchase price for the deal, which it said was set to wrap up in the first half of 2018 pending regulatory approval.
On Monday, Israel and Switzerland signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at increasing their relations in the financial services sector. The document was signed in Tel Aviv by Israeli Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon and Ueli Maurer, the head of Swiss Confederation Federal Department of Finance.
The Ministry of Finance stated, "Israel and Switzerland have signed a letter of understanding for extensive cooperation in the financial services sector." At the same time, sources said that the Israel Securities Authority was promoting an extension of the dual listing arrangement for Israeli companies to Hong Kong and Singapore.
Switzerland’s parliament made an unprecedented decision on Wednesday to prevent the state from "financing any organization which supports racism, anti-Semitism, or the BDS ( Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement)."
Switzerland’s National Council, its lower chamber in Parliament, passed a bill on Wednesday by a vote of 111-78, that would cease all funding to non-governmental organizations (NGO) promoting boycotts against Israel and incitement to hatred.
The Bern leadership provides approximately one million Swiss francs each year to the Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law Secretariat in Ramallah, which then moves the money along to more than 30 pro-Palestinian Authority NGOs.
