Our association
Founded in 1942 as Industrie Holding, SwissHoldings is a cross-sector business federation with the legal form of a Verein (association). It currently encompasses 65 multinational companies in the industrial and service fields (not including the finance and insurance sectors) that are registered in Switzerland.
Our members
Our member companies are distinguished by their strong commitment to international activities in the form of direct investments (subsidiaries and branches) and their great significance to Switzerland as an economic center. At the end of 2022, the book value of their foreign capital stock was around CHF 460 billion, or 35% of Switzerland’s foreign direct investment. Throughout the world, they employ approx. 1.8 million people, almost 200’000 of them in Switzerland. Our member companies are also major issuers on the capital market, representing (as of March 2024) around 62% of Switzerland’s entire market capitalization. Our member companies are also among the leading providers of goods, services and technologies both domestically and internationally (see also SwissHoldings Facts & Figures 2024).
Our areas of activity
SwissHoldings is committed to securing optimal framework conditions and a liberal environment for multinational companies registered in Switzerland.
Our association is primarily engaged in the following three areas:
- Legal
- Taxation
- Economics
Each of these areas encompasses various sub-areas which are derived from the shared interests of the member companies.
The association’s office deals with the sub-issues below in the form of expert groups in close cooperation with the member companies:
- Swiss and international tax law
- VAT
- Transfer pricing
- Customs
- EU and international tax developments
- Company law
- Capital market law
- Capital markets
- Competition law and competition policy
- Compliance & data protection
- Trade and investment issues
- Corporate social responsibility
- Accounting and financial reporting
- Communications and public affairs
Our methods
The activities of SwissHoldings are member-oriented, subject-specific and focused. They include: safeguarding the cross-sectoral interests of the member companies in Switzerland and internationally in the three areas outlined above, improving information on key developments, and strengthening the cooperation and exchange of information between the member companies.
In addition, SwissHoldings maintains close links with other national and international associations and mixed contact groups with representatives of public authorities and third parties.