Another night, another concert, this time it was Dermot Kennedy in Zurich, taking over Halle 622 with a sold out crowd that was more than ready for an emotional evening. After recently choosing a much more intimate route with smaller venues like X-TRA, seeing him back on a bigger stage almost felt like watching someone return home after a long walk through the woods. And clearly, people missed him. Halle 622 was packed wall to wall long before the lights even went down.

Before Dermot Kennedy stepped on stage, the lovely guys of Amble had the job of warming up the room. And they did exactly that. Their folk-inspired sound fit the mood of the evening perfectly, somewhere between comforting pub-session warmth and storytelling under rainy skies. Absolutely lovely bunch with genuinely great songs. I’ll definitely be back if they return to Switzerland as headliners one day. By the time their set ended, the audience was fully locked in and the venue itself had turned properly toasty too.

Concert Photos: Amble

Dermot Kennedy in Zurich Felt Like a Forest Dream

The moment the “curtain dropped”, the stage design instantly stood out. Dermot Kennedy brought the world of his new album The Weight of the Woods directly into Halle 622. The entire setup looked like a cozy little forest tucked away somewhere deep in the mountains. Warm lights, earthy tones, bushes surrounding the different levels of the stage. Honestly, the only thing missing was a campfire and someone handing out marshmallows in the pit. It felt intimate despite the size of the venue, which is not an easy thing to pull off.

Dermot Balanced New Songs and Old Favorites

The setlist leaned heavily into the newer material, but surprisingly, those songs worked incredibly well live. Sometimes fresh tracks can slow down the energy of a show, but here they blended naturally into the atmosphere he created. Of course, the older favorites still had their moment too. Outnumbered arriving as song number three genuinely caught me off guard, but hearing the entire crowd instantly sing along reminded everyone why these songs connected with so many people in the first place. It was also nice spotting a few familiar faces in the front row again, tiny little full-circle moments that always make concerts feel special.

Respect for the artist and his art!

One thing that really stood out throughout the night was how respectful the audience was. There was barely any talking, even during the quietest and most fragile moments of the set. You could actually hear the silence between the songs, which somehow made the emotional moments hit even harder. And honestly, I have to say it: Dermot Kennedy keeps getting better with every show I see. I’ve always loved his songwriting and his voice, but years ago at that very first show in Papiersaal, I wasn’t completely convinced by his stage presence yet. Since then, he has come a very long way. These days his performances feel far more natural, grounded, and confident. All in all, this was simply a great evening. Brilliant songs, a genuinely lovely crowd, and a show that felt warm from start to finish. I’ll definitely be back.

Dermot Kennedy in Zurich: Concert Photos

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Addressing this shift, Deutsche Bank has produced a new whitepaper on the digital money landscape. This paper addresses the three main types of digital money that are experiencing increased uptake, namely stablecoins, tokenized deposits, and central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), exploring the regulatory and market forces shaping them, and how these changes are impacting the industry.

Stablecoins

Stablecoins are blockchain-based tokens issued by banks, corporates or fintech startups, typically backed one-for-one by a fiat currency. They are designed to maintain price stability by holding collateral reserves to support their value, with transparency achieved through regular disclosure of these reserves.

Driven by the implementation of comprehensive regulatory frameworks for stablecoin issuance and transfers across key global regions, in particular the European Union (EU) and the US, stablecoins have generated significant interest from the payments industry, and now represent one of the most advanced forms of digital private money.

In 2025, overall stablecoin transaction volume was estimated at US$62 trillion, according to the Boston Consulting Group (BCG). While real-economy payments still accounted for only a small share of activity at about 7% in 2025, they grew rapidly at about 55% year-over-year (YoY), with the strongest expansion in business-to-business (B2B) transactions.

Tokenized deposits

Another prominent type of digital money is tokenized deposits. These have emerged as a promising model for enabling programmable bank money across payments, treasury operations and wholesale settlement.

Currently, tokenized deposit platforms are most commonly used to transfer liquidity between accounts held across different branches within the same financial institution. In these setups, banks operate proprietary blockchain networks that enable 24/7 settlement across branches by representing deposits from corporate clients or other banks as tokens on an internal ledger.

Another model involves industry collaborations that provide shared ledger infrastructure across multiple institutions. These platforms aim to enable coordinated movement of tokenized deposits across banks while preserving the governance and controls expected in regulated financial networks.

Notable examples include:

• Partior, which supports real-time cross-border settlement of tokenized deposits, utilizing pre-validation and atomic settlement to reduce breaks and investigations; and
• Project Agora, by the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) in collaboration with seven central banks and a large group of private sector companies under the Institute of International Finance (IFF), which is designing a unified ledger where tokenized deposits interoperate with wholesale CBDC for policy aware, atomic cross-border settlement.

As a form of private digital money, tokenized deposits are often viewed as a payment instrument competitive against stablecoins, promising many of the purported efficiency gains that stablecoins can provide for payments, including increased speed, transparency, and potentially lower costs.

However, they face challenges surrounding interoperability and integration with existing banking systems. To date, most tokenized deposit implementations have relied on private, permissioned blockchains accessible only to issuing banks or authorized institutions. This means that tokenized deposits can only be held by clients of an issuing bank. In contrast, stablecoins can be held practically by anyone who has a wallet that can hold the stablecoins, including users without a direct relationship with the stablecoin issuer.

CBDCs

Finally, the final pillar highlighted in the whitepaper is CBDCs. CBDCs are digital forms are central bank-issued money that can designed either for use by the general public as a retail CBDC, or for use between financial institutions as a wholesale CBDC.

Retail CBDCs aim to act as a digital complement to cash, providing access to central bank money in electronic form for everyday payments. China offers the most advanced large-scale example of a retail CBDC with the e-CNY ecosystem. In September 2025, e-CNY reached cumulative transaction volumes of CNY 14 trillion (US$2 trillion), an expansion that had been supported by an established network of hardware wallets, enhanced offline payment capabilities, and ongoing cross-border pilot initiatives.

In the EU, the European Central Bank is advancing its initiative to introduce a digital euro, aimed at complementing physical cash and facilitate a broad range of payment activities including point-of-sale (POS), e-commerce and peer-to-peer (P2P) transactions. Subject to legislative approval, pilot testing of the digital euro could begin as early as H2 2027, with a potential launch in 2029.

In contrast to retail CBDCs, wholesale CBDCs are designed for use between institutions, enabling the settlement of interbank payments and securities transactions. These models are gaining traction as central banks focus on modernizing financial market infrastructure and enhancing the efficiency of interbank settlement.

In Asia, Hong Kong and Singapore are actively advancing wholesale CBDC initiatives and cross-border experiments. Hong Kong is focused on developing settlement infrastructure for tokenized deposits, while Singapore is conducting broader distributed ledger technology (DLT)-based settlement trials for capital markets.

Singapore has also established partnerships with multiple central banks, including France and Switzerland, to test the cross-border trading and settlement of wholesale CBDCs between financial institutions.

Featured image: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by freepik via Magnific

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Though crypto partnerships remain part of the landscape, institutional banking, payment networks, trading platforms, and digital banks are increasing their footprint and driving the strongest growth, with new entrants that include Revolut, Nu, eToro, and Barclays.

In 2026, finance companies represented 74% of all finance and crypto sponsors across F1 teams, overshadowing crypto’s 26% share. Within this dominant category, institutional banking, and trading and investing held the largest shares at 24% each, followed by payments at 15%, and digital banking at 6%.

This trend indicates a surge in interest from institutional finance, digital banking, and diversified fintech platforms, and underscores how the F1 sponsorship model has evolved to become a strategic arena for reputation, scale and global market expansion.

Among the 11 F1 teams competing in 2026, the following stand out for their deep integration of finance and crypto brands.

McLaren Mastercard F1 Team

McLaren, which secured the 2025 Constructors’ Champion with the highest combined driver points, now carries one of the most visible finance partnerships.

The team’s financial portfolio includes Mastercard as the naming partner, alongside crypto exchange OKX as a principal partner, and business fintech platform Airwallex and trading platform FxPro as official partners.

Mastercard announced its naming partnership with McLaren in 2025, expanding a collaboration that began in 2024 when the brand joined as a primary partner alongside OKX and Google.

This expanded collaboration aims to unlock new opportunities for fans to enjoy exclusive, behind-the-scenes access and one-of-a-kind experiences, the company said. In December 2025, it launched Team Priceless, offering passionate supporters unprecedented insights and curated local experiences through the lens of the McLaren F1 racing team.

Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team

This year, Mercedes maintains a financial portfolio centered on institutional credibility across capital markets and banking infrastructure, with official partners that include UBS, Nasdaq, and Nu.

Nu is a new addition in the F1 grid, having signed in January a multi-year global partnership with Mercedes. The company said the partnership will deliver a range of on-track and off-track branding and audience engagement designed to create memorable experiences for fans, and showcase bold moments.

This move coincides with Nu’s naming rights partnerships with Inter Miami CF and Nu Stadium, also announced this year as the digital bank accelerate its international expansion, particularly in the US. Club International de Fútbol Miami, known as Inter Miami CF, is a professional soccer club rooted in South Florida led by eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Leo Messi.

Visa Cash App Racing Bulls

Racing Bulls remains the clearest example of fintech-led team identity within F1. Visa and digital wallet Cash App continue to anchor the team’s naming structure, with Visa renewing and expanding this year its sponsorship of the two Red Bull F1 teams until 2030.

The multi-year deal will see Visa continue as the title partner of the Visa Cash App Racing Bulls and support the team’s F1 Academy program, an initiative which nurtures young female drivers.

Meanwhile, the expanded partnership with Oracle Red Bull Racing will ensure that Visa brands remain on the front wing of this year’s car and broader placements across suits, halo, and team assets. Visa has also secured exclusive rights within the retail banking category alongside expanded pass-through rights.

The extension also introduces new branding rights, enhanced hospitality assets and experiential opportunities across both teams.

Audi Revolut F1 Team

This year, German car manufacturer Audi will be entering F1 following its takeover of Sauber. The newly rebranded team is launching with Revolut as its title sponsor, a multi-year deal signed in July 2025.

The common goal of this partnership is to establish new ways for fans to interact with the sport during race weekends, with unique experiences for motorsport enthusiasts and exclusive benefits for Revolut customers.

As part of the agreement, Revolut Business will be extensively integrated into the team’s financial operations, enabling seamless checkout solutions for team merchandise, and ensuring a premium and intuitive retail experience.

Another sponsor of the Audi Revolut F1 Team is Nexo, a digital asset platform and the team’s official digital assets partner. Over the course of the partnership, Nexo will activate globally through premium experiences and digital-first engagement, offering exclusive access, co-created content and education, and next-generation immersive brand experiences.

Oracle Red Bull Racing

Red Bull continues to boast one of the most diversified financial portfolios in F1, spanning payments, trading platforms, investment firms and digital assets. The team’s 2026 principal partners include Dubai-based crypto exchange Bybit, and official partners Visa, online brokerage firm AvaTrade, global investment firm Carlyle, and crypto exchange Gate.io.

Technology and finance brands have been among the largest investors in F1, each accounting for around 20% of all new sponsorship deals in 2025, according to research by BitOK, an anti-money laundering (AML) solution provider for the crypto industry. Crypto and fintech sponsorships in particular reached record level in 2025, totaling US$273.6 million across 21 partners.

F1 sponsorship is appealing to finance companies because of the sport’s global reach, elite branding, and a highly desirable audience. But more importantly, the audience skews toward high-income, international, and business-oriented consumers, aligning closely with financial products like investing platforms, credit services, private banking, and cross-border payments.

Featured image by jamesteoh1976 on Magnific

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These templates aim to allow firms to deploy sophisticated AI tools in an easy and swift manner, bringing automation to some of the most time-consumer work in the space.

These agent templates, which cover tasks like building pitchbooks, screening know-your-customer (KYC) files, and closing the books at month-end, comprise:

• The “Pitch Builder”, which creates target lists, runs comparables, and drafts pitchbooks for client meetings;
• The “Meeting Preparer”, which assembles client and counterparty briefs ahead of calls;
• The “Earnings Reviewer”, which reads transcripts and filings, updates models, and flags thesis-relevant changes;
• The “Model Builder”, which creates and maintains financial models from filings, data feeds, and analyst inputs;
• The “Market Researcher”, which tracks sector and issuer developments, synthesizes news, filings, and broker research, and flags items for credit and risk review;
• The “Valuation Reviewer”, which checks valuations against comparables, methodology, and the firm’s review standards;
• The “General Ledger”, which reconciler reconciles general ledger accounts and runs net asset value calculations against the books of record;
• The “Month-End Closer”, which runs the close checklist, prepares journal entries, and produces close reports;
• The “Statement Auditor”, which reviews financial statements for consistency, completeness, and audit-readiness; and
• The “KYC Screener”, which assembles entity files, reviews source documents, and packages escalations for compliance review.

Each of these templates is a reference architecture that packages three elements: skills (instructions and domain knowledge for the task), connectors (governed access to the data the task runs on), and subagents (additional Claude models that are called upon by the main agent, for specific sub-tasks). Firms can adapt any of these templates to their own modeling conventions, risk policies, and approval flows.

The agent templates ship as a plugin in Claude Cowork and Claude Code, and as a cookbook for Claude Managed Agents. They can be deployed for real financial world in just days rather than months, drastically reducing time-to-market and offering agility.

As a plugin in Claude Cowork or Claude Code, the template runs alongside the analyst, using the software already on the user’s local computer. In this setup, the user provides a specific target and the system generates individual outputs.

As a Claude Managed Agent, the template runs autonomously on the cloud-based Claude Platform rather than on a local desktop. This version is designed for large-scale operations, and comes equipped with enterprise-grade infrastructure, including long-running sessions, per-tool permissions, managed credential vaults, and a full audit log in the Claude Console.

Claude’s integration with Microsoft 365

In addition to these new agent templates, Anthropic also announced that Claude now works across Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, Word, and Outlook through the Claude add-ins for Microsoft 365.

In Outlook, the AI assistant can act as a chief of staff that triages inboxes, arranges meetings, and drafts responses. In Excel, it can build financial models from filings and data feeds, audit formulas, and run sensitivity analyses. In PowerPoint, it can draft decks that update automatically when the underlying numbers change, and in Word, it can edit credit memos against a firm’s own templates.

For financial services professionals, the appeal lies in the ability to execute complex, multi-step workflows across the entire Microsoft Office ecosystem without leaving their native environment. This significantly automates routine administrative tasks, reduces manual data transfer errors, and accelerates turnaround times for time-sensitive market decisions.

Broadening the ecosystem for financial services

Finally, Anthropic said it was working on expanding its partner ecosystem, building connections to many different financial data sources to improve its ability to help with financial analysis and research.

Claude is already connected to dozens of market data providers, research platforms, and financial companies’ internal systems, including established names like FactSet, S&P Capital IQ, MSCI, PitchBook, Morningstar, LSEG, and Daloopa, as well as organizations’ own data warehouses, research repositories, and customer relationship management systems.

The platform is now adding new partners to its network, providing direct, real-time access to market and research data. These partners include:

• Dun & Bradstreet, which provides the global standard for verified business identity and helps enterprises connect systems of record and scale AI-enabled workflows;
• Fiscal AI, which extends real-time fundamentals coverage across public equities for deeper research and benchmarking;
• Financial Modeling Prep, which provides real-time quotes, fundamentals, statements, filings, and transcripts across equities, ETFs, crypto, forex, and commodities;
• Guidepoint, which searches more than 100,000 compliance-reviewed expert interview transcripts and provides verbatim excerpts linked to source;
• IBISWorld, which tracks industry-level revenue, financial ratios, risk scores, cost structures, and forecasts across thousands of sectors;
• SS&C Intralinks, which gives Claude access to DealCenter AI data rooms for document search, diligence Q&A, and deal-activity tracking;
• Third Bridge, which gives Claude access to primary-source expert interviews on companies, sectors, and value chains; and
• Verisk, which provides property, casualty, and specialty insurance data for underwriting, claims, and risk analysis.

How the industry is using Claude

Claude is already used by a number of banks, asset managers, and insurers to support various tasks across front, middle, and back offices.

For example, FIS, a fintech company serving financial institutions, businesses and developers, is using Claude to build an agent that compresses AML investigations from days to minutes.

Carlyle, an investment management firm, uses Claude as part of its AI technology stack, leveraging the system’s strong coding capabilities, and agentic reasoning, in particular.

Finally, Citadel, a major hedge fund and financial services company, uses Claude to build and update coverage models, filter out noise to find key signals, and pressure-test investment professionals’ work, all with a step-change in efficiency.

AI adoption in the financial services industry

The release of Anthropic’s agent templates for the financial services industry comes as professionals in the sector are embracing AI rapidly. A new study by the Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance (CCAF) at Cambridge Judge Business School, found that AI adoption has evolved into a mainstream standard, with 81% of industry players now adopting AI at some level and 40% reporting advanced AI adoption, including “Scaling” or “Transforming”.

While adoption of agentic AI remains nascent, it is growing rapidly. According to a 2025 study by Wolters Kluwer, only 6% of finance leaders were employing agentic AI. However, 38% intended to adopt agentic AI in the next 12 months. With 44% of finance teams set to be using agentic AI in 2026, this represents an increase of over 600%.

For financial services firms, AI is already generating measurable improvements. The CCAF study found the strongest gains in technology, data, and product functions, where 79% of respondents reported positive outcomes. Back office and operations followed closely at 75% overall.

Featured image: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by vector_corp via Magnific

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Total market volume reached 629 million Swiss francs, marking a return to growth after three consecutive years of decline.

The market previously peaked at 792 million francs in 2021. Real estate crowdlending alone surged 38% to 275 million francs.

This shift coincides with the implementation of the Basel III Final regulations on 1 January 2025. These rules require Swiss banks to hold higher capital reserves for riskier loans.

This applies specifically to real estate development projects.

“This makes corresponding bank financing more expensive and leads to a more cautious lending in the real estate development sector,”

said Professor Dr Andreas Dietrich, study leader at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts (HSLU).

Dietrich added that platforms are benefiting from this funding gap and positioning themselves as a viable alternative.

The HSLU study projects another 30% growth in this segment for 2026.

Concentration and traditional bank participation

Beyond corporate lending, the crowdsupporting and donation sectors saw their first growth since 2020.

These areas expanded by 30% to 35 million francs across 9,288 projects. Traditional banks are also participating in the market directly.

Raiffeisen Switzerland recently began routing a portion of its sponsorship activities through its Lokalhelden platform.

Members of 21 cooperative banks used the system to vote on sponsorship allocations. They also had the option to contribute additional funds to selected projects.

The broader market remains highly consolidated. More than 80% of the donation and support volume is handled by just three platforms, driven by established network effects and brand trust.

The HSLU Crowdfunding Monitor has tracked these developments annually since 2014 to increase transparency across the sector.

Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by lifeforstock via Magnific

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The expansion allows companies to trade 22 cryptocurrencies and participate in Ethereum staking directly from their standard bank accounts.

The B2B offering is integrated directly into the bank’s e-finance platform and mobile app.

It operates as an execution-only service, mirroring the existing setup for individual retail users but catering to institutional and corporate needs.

As part of this expanded service, corporate users can participate in Ethereum staking.

This mechanism allows businesses to earn rewards on their digital asset holdings by participating in network validation.

PostFinance securely stores all digital assets in Switzerland. This meets the strict regulatory and audit standards required of a systemically important Swiss bank.

An internal survey by PostFinance found that only 14% of Swiss companies have practical experience with digital assets. However, demand is increasing across institutional segments.

“Institutional corporate customers, such as financial institutions, insurance companies, administrations, pension funds and corporations, have a particularly high need,”

said Alexander Thoma, Head of Digital Assets, PostFinance.

“These corporate customers already manage their finances professionally and expect the same standard for digital assets.”

Alongside the corporate rollout, PostFinance has extended its digital asset services to private customers with joint partner accounts.

This allows couples or shared account holders to build a digital asset portfolio together as part of their combined financial planning.

Retail customers using partner accounts can also automate their investments through a savings plan feature. This automated investment option requires a minimum deposit of US$50.

Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by rawpixel.com via Magnific

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Another day, another concert—this time with Italian singer Max Pezzali a Zurigo in  Hallenstadion. For anyone unfamiliar, Pezzali is a staple of Italian pop culture, first rising to fame with his band 883 before building a solo career packed with nostalgic, story-driven songs. And judging by the crowd, the Italians were very much back in Zurich.

There was no support act, no slow build-up. Just a steady hum in the arena as fans gathered, greeting each other like it was a reunion rather than a concert. Fellow photographers had warned me beforehand that this would be a 99% Italian audience, and they weren’t exaggerating. Compared to the broader international pull of artists like Eros Ramazzotti or Laura Pausini, this felt like a tightly knit community night. And even without speaking Italian beyond menu items, I found myself completely drawn in. The Hallenstadion wasn’t fully sold out, with some empty seats and plenty of space in general admission, but that only gave people more room to dance.

Max Pezzali in Zurich: A Night Built on Memories

Once Pezzali hit the stage, the atmosphere shifted from casual chatter to full-on emotional release. The audience was in an incredible mood, soaking up every moment. You could feel the anticipation bubbling into joy, especially knowing that for many in the room, Max Pezzali was more than just an artist. He was part of their childhood soundtrack. Friends told me his songs aren’t just about love, but about everyday life, friendships, and growing up. That relatability echoed through the arena as people sang along like they were flipping through old photo albums.

Pure Nostalgia at Hallenstadion

Even though I only recognized “Una canzone d’amore,” it didn’t matter. Watching thousands of people sing, dance, and relive memories created a kind of universal language. It was less about understanding the lyrics and more about feeling them ripple through the crowd. There was something refreshing about it. No overthinking, no barriers, just pure connection. And once again, it proved a simple truth: Italians know how to turn a concert into a celebration. I’d happily step back into that atmosphere anytime.

Max Pezzali a Zurigo – Concert Photos

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Another year, another Montreux Jazz Festival 2026! The MJF has officially unveiled its 2026 lineup, and once again, it proves why this lakeside gem remains one of the most essential stops on the global music calendar. Whether you come for the legends, the discoveries, or simply the atmosphere, MJF is always worth a visit.

This year feels particularly special. After two years of renovations, the festival returns to its iconic indoor home, the Auditorium Stravinski. There’s something almost poetic about it. A space that has held decades of musical history is reopening its doors just in time for an anniversary edition. 

And what a soundtrack for that feeling. The 2026 lineup stretches effortlessly across genres and generations. From the timeless presence of Sting, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, and Deep Purple to contemporary heavyweights like PinkPantheress and Tyla, the programming feels both rooted and forward-looking. Add names like John Legend, Dermot Kennedy, Lewis Capaldi, and Vulfpeck into the mix, and you get a lineup that invites you to wander, discover, and stay longer than planned.

That’s the magic of Montreux. You might arrive for one artist and leave with ten new favorites.

Personal Faves for Montreux Jazz Festival 2026

No surprise here: RAYE! 

Because, she’s just an absolute icon! Go check out my last coverages of her in Switzerland: RAYE at Montreux Jazz Festival

Don West
Who should have performed at Winterthurer Musikfestwochen last year, but had to cancel on very short notice due to health issues. 

Nectar Woode
Would love to be able to be there that night. Sadly, other responsibilities have come up (uuugh adulting is hard sometimes). 

It’s hard not to feel excited about this one. There’s something about Montreux that keeps calling you back, and I’m already hoping to be there again this summer, camera in hand, ready to capture whatever moments unfold between stage lights and lake reflections.

One thing is certain: Montreux in July isn’t just a festival. It’s a ritual.

Montreux Jazz Festival Full Line-Up

Find the full line-up and ticket links here: Montreux Jazz Festival Line-Up

Dates: July 3rd – 18th 2026
Location: Montreux, Switzerland
Tickets: Montreux Jazz Festival on Ticketcorner 

Free program at Montreux Jazz Festival 2026

Away from the big shows, the Montreux Jazz Festival really comes alive in the spaces you don’t need a ticket for. The whole town turns into a stage, where you can wander into a set by an artist you’ve never heard of and walk out a fan.

And it’s not just a couple of extras thrown in. We’re talking pool parties that blur into sunset, silent discos glowing under the night sky, lakeside concerts, jam sessions that feel completely unplanned, hands-on workshops, and electronic sets that stretch deep into the night. In past editions, up to 250 free events have filled the schedule from midday all the way to 5am, making it almost impossible not to find something happening.

All of this unfolds in some of Montreux’s most beautiful spots, giving the festival its signature open, easygoing energy. It’s where new artists get their moment, established names show a different side, and the crowd becomes part of the experience rather than just watching it.

The free programme for 2026 is still under wraps for now, but as soon as it’s announced, you’ll find all the updates right here.

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Another day, another concert, this time it’s LEAP in St. Gallen at Grabenhalle. My first ever concert at this venue too. LEAP, the UK indie rock band that’s been steadily building a loyal following, have a way of turning rooms into something much bigger than the venue itself. 

Walking in, it felt less like a regular gig and more like stepping into a pressure cooker of anticipation… and actual heat. It honestly felt like 30 degrees inside before anyone even touched a microphone.

Back in 2024, I went to my first LEAP show not knowing what to expect and very close to cancelling. Bad mood, low expectations. That night flipped everything. The catchy hooks, their relentless energy, and the way they genuinely connect with fans completely won me over. Fast forward to now, St. Gallen marked my third show, and at this point it’s safe to say I’ll be back for a fourth without hesitation.

Opening the night was Hana Lili, bringing her dreamy indie-pop sound to an already overheated crowd. Warm-up almost felt unnecessary, but she still managed to elevate the atmosphere even further. Her set was effortlessly cool, and the highlight came when she opened a girls-only mosh pit, a moment that felt both chaotic and wholesome at the same time. 

Concert Photos: Hana Lili

LEAP in St. Gallen: Fire Show and Mosh Pits

By 9 PM, it was time for LEAP, and the energy shot through the ceiling instantly. If there’s one thing this band does consistently, it’s maintaining a high from start to finish. No dips, no breathers. What stood out this time was the crowd. Compared to earlier shows, the audience has evolved into something beautifully mixed. What once leaned younger now feels like a shared space across generations, and it adds a whole new layer to the experience.

It’s still wild to think they only dropped their debut album Entropy last year. The songs already feel like established anthems, each one landing with confidence and punch. With a bigger stage this time, the band had more room to move, jump, and connect. And they used every inch of it. Mosh pits kept breaking out, sometimes even joined by the band themselves, blurring that line between performer and crowd in the best way possible.

I dragged my friend Rahel along, someone who lives firmly in chill singer-songwriter territory, and even she walked out completely blown away. That probably says everything you need to know. Also, a quick shoutout to the tour photographer, right in the middle of the chaos and in the mosh pits, dodging flying limbs and risking their gear like a true hero.

All in all, another unforgettable night. LEAP aren’t just a band you listen to, they’re a band you experience. If you get the chance to catch them on this tour, take it. No hesitation.

LEAP in St. Gallen – Concert Photos 

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Another night, another concert, this time it was The Neighbourhood in Zurich, a band that has quietly (or not so quietly) built a massive global following with their moody, alternative sound and aesthetic. What started as a show announced for the more intimate The Hall quickly snowballed into something much bigger. The show was upgraded to the iconic Hallenstadion, which also completely sold out.

Before the main act, the crowd was treated to two support acts that set the tone perfectly. Noise Dept is a solo project from a multi-instrumentalist and producer closely connected to The Neighbourhood, having previously contributed background vocals to the band. Now also stepping into the spotlight as a special guest on their 2026 tour.

Blending emotional electronic music with soulful vocals, Noise Dept creates a sound that feels intimate yet atmospheric. And in a full-circle moment, he later returned to the stage with The Neighbourhood that same night, reconnecting the project with the band in front of a roaring crowd.

Noise Dept. – Concert Photos

Next came Night Tapes, a dreamy indie trio whose atmospheric soundscapes floated through the venue. The singer, in particular, carried a magnetic presence, effortlessly warming up the audience and raising the anticipation level with every track.

Night Tapes – Concert Photos

The Neighbourhood in Zurich – A Sold-Out Spectacle

By 9pm, it was time. And while I was slightly surprised by how young the crowd was, probably 90% late teens to early twenties, there was zero surprise when the first note hit and the arena erupted. The screaming was instant and deafening. From that moment on, the energy stayed sky-high. Every song felt like a shared experience, with thousands of voices singing along word for word. It was less a concert, more a collective release of excitement that had clearly been building for months.

Aesthetic, Atmosphere, and Fan Energy

The stage setup itself was minimal. A large screen in the background, nothing overly complicated. But honestly, it didn’t need more. The lighting, visuals, and clean camera angles created a polished look that worked perfectly. What stood out even more was the crowd itself. Fans had been lining up for hours, dressed in a clear aesthetic uniform of black boots, short skirts, and alternative, slightly goth-inspired outfits. The venue buzzed with happy, loud energy. Even from the sidelines after shooting, it was impossible not to smile watching fans completely lose themselves in every moment.

The Neighbourhood in Zurich – Hype vs Reality

I have to admit, the full scale of The Neighbourhood’s popularity caught me off guard. I knew the band, of course, but not like this. A sold-out Hallenstadion, fans screaming every lyric, and an atmosphere that felt almost electric. Jesse Rutherford’s stage presence definitely played a role too, and when he ditched his shirt a few songs in, the reaction from the crowd was… predictable, let’s say. While the hype didn’t fully transfer to me personally, I couldn’t deny the experience. The excitement, the passion, the pure joy in that room made it a great night. Even if I still don’t fully get the hype, I can absolutely respect it.

The Neighbourhood in Zurich – Concert Photos

Check out our recent posts: LEAP, Tame Impala, Connor Price

The post Concert Photos: The Neighbourhood in Zurich at Hallenstadion 05.05.2026 appeared first on Loads of Music - Blog from Switzerland.

CA7RIEL & Paco Amoroso are bringing their explosive FREE SPIRITS WORLD TOUR to Zurich! After seeing them live at the Baloise Session last year, I already know this show is going to be absolute insanity in the best possible way.

The energy they brought to the stage in Basel completely blew me away. From the first beat until the last chaotic dance break, the entire room felt so energized. Their live performance somehow balances flawless musicianship with total unpredictability, like a punk show, rave, jazz concert, and internet meme colliding into one beautifully unhinged spectacle.

With viral moments like their NPR Tiny Desk performance, acclaimed releases such as BAÑO MARÍA and PAPOTA, and a rapidly growing global fanbase, CA7RIEL & Paco Amoroso continue to push Latin music into wildly exciting territory. Their genre-hopping sound blends trap, funk, rock, jazz, and experimental pop into something that feels entirely their own.

All Details about CA7RIEL & Paco Amoroso in Zurich

📍 Venue: Halle 622
📅 Date: Monday, 21 September 2026
🎟️ Tickets: Available via Ticketmaster

Expect booming bass, surreal visuals, nonstop movement, and one of those concerts where you leave the venue wondering what on earth just happened. In the best way possible. 

The post Concert Tipp: CA7RIEL & Paco Amoroso in Zurich at Halle 622, 21.09.2026 appeared first on Loads of Music - Blog from Switzerland.

Today, we are discovering The Butcher and his Daughter! What a cool name for a restaurant right? =)

The Butcher and his Daughter has opened their doors 2 weeks ago and we had a chance to taste their delicious burgers & salads.

Let’s start with the concept:

Their culinary style is to serve dishes from sustainable cultivation. They only serve what is in the season by using the local products.

Another idea of this place is to welcome everyone! I mean, if you are vegan, vegetarian or a meat lover, you can easily find delicious burgers ( yes plant based burgers toooooo), salads and more.

The team designed the space with an Art deco style and from the first moment that you enter, you feel like you can spend hours. It was such a joy sitting there and tasting their new menu.

As the space is quite big, they also have a garden & bar area. What we loved most is their delivery place where you can play Pac-man while you wait for your food to take away. What a cool idea!

The menu:

They don’t have a huge menu that you get lost. They keep it simple and creative. They use local and seasonal products so every season the menu changes!

Here are top 5:

1. Pink Hummus with Falafel (8.5 Chf)

2.Tatar – Plant based ( 13.5 Chf)

3.Chicken Pieces – Plant based ( 26 Chf)

4. Cheesecake – Glutenfree (9,5 Chf)  

5.Pulled  Jackfruit Burger (27.5 Chf) & Cauliflower (6.5 Chf)

Planted Tuesdays!

On Tuesdays they serve every dish as a plant based option. So you can try their fancy plant based Chicken Burger and their delicious handmade truffle fries and finish with a nice glutenfree cheesecake ( I loved that one).

Opening Hours

Monday to Saturday 11.00 – 23.00

Sunday 12.00 – 22.00

Address: Badenerstrasse 97, 8004 Zürich

Tel: 044 525 00 85

Web page: https://www.butcherdaughter.ch/

This is a great recipe for a rainy day… It is very easy to make it and delicious.  Normally I do it with minced meat but my little one is not a super fan of it – so I changed my recipe into a vegetarian one and he loved it

You can use this filling to stuff red pepper, eggplants etc. If you prefer, you can add fresh basil / mint too. You are free to use your imagination.

Ready to know the details? Here we go!

Enjoy.

Level: Easy – serves 4

Cooking Time: 25 mins

Ingredients:

• 6 medium size zucchinis
• 1 big onion – chopped into small pieces
• 2 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon dried mint
• 1 cup of rice
• ½ cup of water  
• Salt & pepper
• Oilve oil

1. Cut the zucchinis in half and cut the ends off.
2. Use a corer to carve out the zucchinis without breaking them.
3. In a pan, cook onions with little bit of olive oil & tomato paste –> for about 1- 2 mins.
4. Add 1 cup of rice, ½ of water, dried mint and start cooking them in medium heat. Here we try to precook the rice before stuffing it. Once there is no water left, put the rice aside to cool down.
5. Now we start filling our zucchinis. Start filling each zucchini with rice and make sure that you leave little bit of space because once the rice is cooked, it will get bigger.
6. Place all the stuffed zucchinis upright in a large pot. Add ½ cup of water & tomato paste, cook them in a low heat with lid closed. This will take around 20 – 25 mins.
7. After 20 mins, I always check if the rice is cooked. If yes, then turn the heat off and enjoy your meal

Hi there! Are you ready to cook something special for Christmas dinner? Then you are at the right place

Today, we will share our delicious risotto recipe that we prepared with fresh beetroot juice that I extracted with Novis VitaJuicer. I like to use Novis juicer not only for to make healthy juices but also for to create delicious recipes! I believe that a fresh beetroot juice gives a nice taste to this risotto and hope you tried at home too.

Here are the details:

Ingredients for 2 person
Takes 25 – 30 mins.

• 1 medium beetroot – Extract its juice
• 1 small steamed beetroot – cut in into small cubes
• 1 small onion
• 150 gr of Arborio rice
• 50 ml of white wine
• 500 gr of vegetable stock
• 6 scallops
• 50 gr parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoon of butter

Details:

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of butter in a large pan over medium heat. Add onions and cook until browned.
2. Then add the rice, some salt and stir it.
3. Add wine and cook the rice until the wine is evaporated.
4. Once the wine is completely evaporated, start adding the beetroot juice, beetroot cubes. Stir it gently and slowly add the vegetable broth and continue cooking. Normally, I add little bit of broth and let it evaporated, then add the rest of the broth slowly until the rice is cooked ( it takes normally 15-20 mins).
5. While the rice is cooking, start grilling your scallops. For this, first dry the scallops with a kitchen towel, they must be wet Add a tablespoon of scallops in a pan, grill each side for 2mins.
6. Once the rice is cooked, then add the parmesan cheese and stir it very gently and Serve your delicious risotto with seared scallops. Your dinner is ready!

Enjoy!

Today we had Vacherin Mont d’or for lunch and i would like to share our recipe.

In the last couple of weeks, I made this recipe 2 times and I try to add Vacherin to our menu list at least once a month. I know it’s not super light & balanced meal but i love chesee! Especially when the weather is super cold, I like to treat myself with this amazing Swiss recipe.

Hope you enjoy it and let us know if you try it.

Cooking Level: Super easy

Cooking time: 20 mins

Ingredients:

• Vacherin Mont d’Or
• 3 tablespoon dry white wine
• 2 garlic clove
• dried oregano
• ** you can eat vacherin with boiled potatoes & bread, dried meat and pickled cucumbers It really depends on how you like it. For me bread, dried meat & cornichons are the best combo!

Steps:

1. Preheat the oven to 200C – fan option
2. Wrap the cheese box with aluminum – see the photo
3. On the top of the cheese, there is a thick layer of crust, we slightly take it off ( once the cheese melts, this crust gives a bitter taste and i dont like it).
4. Poke 5-6 slits in the top of the cheese with a knife.
5. Cut the garlic into 2 pieces and put them inside the cheese.
6. Pour the wine over the cheese and bake it for 20 mins.
7. Vacherin goes very well with flavorful white wine like Chasselas, Chardonnay or Sancerre ( my fav one)

Enjoy

Have you ever used Jerusalem artichokes  aka Topinambur? Recently I started to use them in my recipes.. They have a great artichoke taste and if you love artichokes like me then you should give it a try!

I’ve prepared this recipe special for Novis Team! My idea is to show people that they can use their Novis VitaJuicers to make some delicious food If you are ready, then let’s check the recipe!

Level: Easy

Servings: For 2-3 people

Ingredients:

• 400 grs of Jerusalem Artichokes – clean & slice them into circles
• 2 medium carrots – Clean & slice them into circles ( I’ve used the yellow carrots too)
• 1 small onion – chopped
• 2 small oranges – make a fresh juice out of it
• A Small size of turmeric – make a fresh juice out of it
• 1 glass of water
• 5 tbs of olive oil
• Salt & pepper

• Add the onions in a medium pan with 5tbs of olive oil. Cook them for 1 min.
• Then add the sliced Jerusalem Artichokes & carrots. Cook everything for 2 mins.
• Add the water, orange & turmeric juice and let it cook with a lid for 30 mins over a medium heat.
• Once all the vegetables are tender and there is less water left in the pan, then take it from the heat and serve it either warm / cold.

The fresh turmeric & orange juice makes a huge difference in this recipe! We would like to thank again to Novis team to let us try their Novis VitaJuicers 

Bon appetit!

Switzerland is tiny in comparison with many other countries. So, does it surprise that the entire country uses one single time zone?

This means that Basel, Bern, Chur, Geneva, Lucerne, Zurich, and every alpine village all share the exact same current time. For daylight savings time, clocks move forward one hour on the last Sunday in March and back one hour on the last Sunday in October.

For those searching for the current time in Switzerland right now, the answer is simple: There's one unified national time, adjusted seasonally for daylight saving.

Switzerland’s relationship with time goes beyond time zones. It influences train departures, business meetings, restaurant reservations, lake cruises and even when the mountain light is best for photographs. In the same country where Einstein once worked at the Bern patent office, time (and punctuality!) is not taken lightly.

Learning to Read Time the Swiss Way

My first real watch was a Flik Flak. It was the classic model with blue wrist band, clear numbers, and those playful hands that would only make sense to a child. I learned to read the time sitting next to my grandmother, tracing the hour hand and the minute hand with my finger until the pattern clicked.

That small Swiss children’s watch did more than tell me the hour. It gave me independence.

I suddenly knew when the bus would arrive. I knew when my friends were supposed to show up. I did not have to ask adults anymore. Time became something I could manage on my own.

As I would soon find out, watches are everywhere in Switzerland. They hang from railway stations, church towers and school buildings. They are precise, quiet, and part of everyday life from early on.

Switzerland’s Time Zone: CET and CEST

Switzerland operates on Central European Time in winter. That places us one hour ahead of Coordinated Universal Time.

When daylight saving begins in spring, Switzerland shifts to Central European Summer Time and moves two hours ahead of UTC.

This system aligns Switzerland with neighboring countries such as Germany, France, Austria and Italy. Cross-border trains, flights and business schedules remain synchronized throughout the year.

There is no regional variation. From Lake Geneva in the west to St. Gallen in the east, the clock remains identical.

When Do Clocks Change in Switzerland?

Daylight saving time follows a predictable European rhythm.

In March, on the last Sunday of the month, clocks move forward by one hour during the night. Evenings become longer and daylight stretches well past 9 pm in early summer.

In October, again on the last Sunday of the month, clocks move back by one hour. Mornings become brighter, while sunset arrives earlier.

For travelers and expats, this seasonal shift is often more noticeable than the time zone itself. It affects sunrise hikes, dinner reservations, and how late lakefront promenades stay lively.

Is the Time the Same in Zurich and Geneva?

Yes. Switzerland has one unified time zone.

Zurich, Geneva, Bern, Basel and every other Swiss town follow the same national clock. There are no regional differences, no internal time shifts, and no hidden local variations. From Lake Geneva to Lake Constance, the minute hand moves in sync.

That said, Switzerland occasionally plays with time in more creative ways. In Solothurn, a city famous for its deep affection for the number eleven, you will find a clock that shows only eleven hours instead of twelve.

It is not a technical error but rather a quiet tribute to the city’s long-standing connection with the number eleven, which appears throughout its churches, fountains and historic landmarks. Even time, at least symbolically, bends slightly to local tradition there.

If you are curious about Solothurn’s much deeper relationship with the number eleven, you can explore it in detail in our dedicated getaway guide.

So, while Switzerland officially shares one precise time zone, you may still encounter the occasional reminder that tradition sometimes has its own rhythm...

And if you are specifically looking for a city reference, you can check our detailed guides:

• What Time Is It in Zurich Switzerland?
• What's the Local Time in Geneva Switzerland?

Sunrise and Sunset in Switzerland

Daylight varies dramatically throughout the year. In June, sunrise can occur shortly after 5:30 AM, with sunset approaching 9:30 PM in Zurich and Geneva. In December, daylight shrinks to 8.5 hours. (Source: MeteoSwiss)

Mountain regions experience the same official time but different light exposure depending on altitude and valley position. Winter shadows linger longer in alpine villages, while lake cities often receive softer evening light.

If you plan scenic train rides or want to visit panoramic viewpoints, the hour of daytime matters as much as the time of year.

Why Knowing the Current Time in Switzerland Matters

Switzerland’s public transport network is famous for punctuality. Trains depart precisely on schedule, often to the minute. Connections between trains, buses and boats are carefully coordinated.

Business culture is equally precise. Meetings typically begin exactly as scheduled. And arriving five minutes early is common practice as wasting someone's time is considered rude.

For visitors, knowing the correct local time prevents missed departures and awkward arrivals. For remote workers or international teams, understanding Switzerland’s CET and CEST system ensures smooth scheduling across continents.

Time Differences Between Switzerland and Other Countries

During standard winter time:

• Switzerland is one hour ahead of London
• Six hours ahead of New York
• Nine hours behind Tokyo

During summer time:

• Two hours ahead of London
• Six hours ahead of New York
• Seven hours behind Tokyo

These differences shift when other countries change clocks on slightly different dates, so short transitional periods in March and October can create temporary variations.

Frequently Asked Questions About Time in Switzerland

Switzerland handles time the way it handles most things: without drama. The clock changes twice a year, trains run when they say they will, and people show up when they promised.

I still remember sitting at the kitchen table with my Flik Flak, trying to understand why the small hand moved so slowly. The day I could read it on my own felt like I leveled up. Finally, I knew when the bus was coming. I knew how long I had to wait for my friends...

Maybe that's what knowing the current time in Switzerland really comes down to. Not the mechanics of CET or CEST, but the small confidence that comes with understanding the rhythm around you.

BONUS: How to Tell the Time in Swiss German

Current Time in Switzerland (CET & CEST Explained) first appeared in the Newly Swissed Online Magazine

Lake Geneva, or Lac Léman, stretches 73 kilometers from Geneva to Montreux and covers approximately 580 square kilometers. It is a stunning body of water, known for the UNESCO World Heritage protected vineyards and scenic views.

Renting a boat on Lake Geneva allows you to experience that geography directly rather than observing it from a promenade.

We’ve done all the research for you by teaming up with Genevaboats. And we’ve compiled this inspirational guide on renting a boat on Lake Geneva. In all honesty, we were stunned at all the possibilities that a boat rental offers, from watersports to apéro cruises.

We’re covering everything from anchoring, licensing, pricing, and practical intel. For expats, visitors, couples, and locals alike, this remains one of the most immersive ways to understand the region.

If Switzerland has a summer bucket list, this belongs near the top. Agreed?

Watersports on Lake Geneva With Genevaboats

Genevaboats offers watersports as part of its Lake Geneva boat rental experience. Activities include:

• Waterskiing
• Wakeboarding
• Wakesurfing
• Tubing

The size of Lake Geneva makes this possible thanks to its wide open water. It allows safe towing distances while maintaining separation from commercial CGN ferries and other recreational traffic. (Genevaboats captains know the good spots for watersports, and they will navigate safely without crossing commercial traffic.)

The best part? You don’t need to be a pro.

Beginners can start gradually with proper safety equipment and instructions. More experienced riders can adjust rope length and speed for a more technical session. If your goal is to combine scenery and activity, a boat on Lake Geneva configured for watersports offers far more flexibility than scheduled lake cruises.

My advice: Early mornings typically offer calmer surfaces. In the afternoon, expect winds such as the bise to build across the lake.

Exploring Postcard-Perfect Villages Like Yvoire and Évian

Renting a boat on Lake Geneva gives you geographical freedom that is difficult to replicate on land.

Along the French shoreline, two particularly photogenic stops are:

• Yvoire, a fortified medieval village dating back to the 14th century
• Évian-les-Bains, known for Belle Époque architecture and thermal heritage

Approaching these postcard-perfect villages by water reveals their original orientation. Harbors face outward. Waterfront façades were designed for lake access long before rail lines existed. From a boat, the historic context of this region becomes clearer.

A quick practical note: Genevaboats pick-up and drop-off points are in Switzerland. So, wherever your day's journey may take you, it will begin and end in Switzerland.

Swimming, Anchoring and Dining on Lake Geneva

Lake Geneva’s scale provides a level of flexibility rarely available on smaller mountain lakes. There is sufficient open water to anchor responsibly when staying outside marked ferry routes and respecting safety distances.

Important considerations include:

• Avoiding commercial navigation lanes
• Monitoring MeteoSwiss forecasts, especially for the Bise wind
• Anchoring at appropriate depth
• Maintaining safe distance from other vessels

You don’t have to worry about any of that if you rent with Genevaboats. Their team and captain will organize everything for you to have the best boat day on lake Geneva.

During July and August, surface temperatures typically reach between 22 and 24°C. Water quality is generally high away from harbor zones and river inflows.

A typical day on a Lake Geneva boat rental often evolves organically. After cruising along Lavaux or toward a harbor town, anchoring for a swim becomes part of the natural flow.

Docking near a lakeside terrace restaurant allows lunch to unfold without parking constraints or fixed seating times. Returning to the boat afterward extends the afternoon across open water, relaxed and unstructured.

This combination of movement, swimming, and dining is one of the practical advantages of renting a boat on Lake Geneva rather than remaining shore-bound.

Lavaux, Montreux and Château de Chillon from the Water

The Lavaux vineyards extend roughly 30 km between Lausanne and Montreux, and have held UNESCO World Heritage status since 2007. The terraces were shaped over centuries to optimize sun exposure and benefit from reflected light off the lake.

From land, you will see rows of vines. But from the vantage point of a boat on Lake Geneva, the vertical drop toward the shoreline becomes more apparent. The alignment between vineyards, villages, and transport corridors is easier to interpret.

Continuing east, Chillon Castle stands close to the waterline near Montreux. Its placement historically controlled lake traffic along this corridor. You’ll understand why this castle was so significant for defense and trade when you see it from the water.

On exceptionally clear days, the Swiss and French Alps will pop out from beyond the lake. And sometimes, you can even catch a glimpse of Mont Blanc, a 4807 meter peak!

By now, you will know why people often refer to this region as Swiss Riviera. It’s a charming term that pretty much nails the fusion of microclimate, elegant architecture, mountain and lake vibes.

Needless to say, experiencing the Lake Geneva region by boat allows you to experience this fusion better than any roadside viewpoint could ever offer.

Happy Hour on the Lake

Evening boat rentals on Lake Geneva offer a different atmosphere from midday outings. In summer, sunset can approach 21:30, and surface conditions often soften as traffic decreases.

Instead of gathering on a crowded terrace, the lake itself becomes the setting. Light reflects longer across the water than it does on land, and harbors gradually illuminate as dusk settles.

Because departure time, route, and duration remain flexible, the experience adapts naturally to the mood onboard rather than to external schedules.

A Family Day on the Water

Renting a boat on Lake Geneva can work well for families when departure times and conditions are chosen carefully.

A private boat with Genevaboats offers:

• Control over pace and stops
• Mandatory safety equipment
• Direct access to swimming areas
• Separation from large public crowds

Children transform into instant water-sports pros with the lure of tubing and those irresistible swim stops. Meanwhile, the adults can finally relax, alternating between joining the fun and just cruising quietly along.

Pro tip: As with watersports, snagging an early morning slot is a really good idea. The lake is often glass-calm, making it much more comfortable for younger passengers. With thoughtful planning, a Lake Geneva boat rental can be pure magic.

It’s high-energy action, yet with moments of relaxation whenever you feel like it. And since your boat is in the hands of a captain, there’s literally nothing for you to plan or worry about.

How About a Private Experience on Lake Geneva?

For a memorable experience, I have thought about taking Mamiko out on Lake Geneva. I would begin with a slow cruise along the Lavaux coast, letting the afternoon unfold. And since I love swimming, I would surely dive into the lake at one point.

Towards the evening, we would drift East as the sun begins to dip, painting the sky with softer light as it lowers behind the majestic Alps.

Watching the sunset from the water will be so romantic, yet without being cliché. A boat date on Lake Geneva doesn’t require much beyond choosing the right evening. Genevaboats’ team will manage everything for you, so you won’t have to worry about anything.

Costs, Licensing and Practical Considerations

Based on current 2026 listings on Genevaboats.ch, pricing varies by model and duration.

Here are some typical price ranges:

• Shorter sport boat sessions with watersports: approximately CHF 450 to 650 per hour
• Mid-size boats: roughly CHF 700 to 1000 per hour depending on configuration
• Larger yachts: commonly CHF 1200 to 1800+ per hour

A private captain, fuel, taxes and soft drinks are included, and security deposits apply.

Why Wait for a Special Occasion?

A boat on Lake Geneva connects watersports, UNESCO vineyards, swimming, and private sunset views within a single day.

There’s no need to celebrate a big birthday or anniversary. Sometimes, the most distinctly Swiss experiences are the ones that feel surprisingly accessible once you decide to step onto a boat with its own captain.

FAQ: Renting a Boat on Lake Geneva

Renting a Boat on Lake Geneva: Swiss Bucket-List Experience first appeared in the Newly Swissed Online Magazine

Growing up in Switzerland, the Märlitram was the stuff of childhood legend. Every December, my family and I would scan the streets of Zurich, hoping to catch a glimpse of that magical, decorated tram gliding through the city.

I never actually rode it, though. And now, as a grownup, I've come to accept that this one is simply not for me. The Märlitram is a children's experience through and through. But honestly? Watching the joy on little faces as that century-old tram rolls by? That might just be enough.

What Is the Züri Märlitram?

The Züri Märlitram is no ordinary tram. Built in 1913, it has been rolling through Zurich's streets as a storytelling tram since 1958. This makes it the oldest tram still operating in Zurich.

For decades, it was exclusively a Christmas tradition, enchanting children with fairy tales and festive magic during the Advent season.

But 2026 changes everything. For the first time in its history, the Märlitram is venturing out in spring. Instead of Christmas lamps, the streetcar was dressed in fresh greens.

Wait, and who's that behind the wheel? None other than the Böögg! The snowman is Zurich's unofficial icon, and the star of the beloved spring festival, Sechseläuten!

A New Chapter: The Spring Märlitram

The spring edition of the Märlitram runs from March 20 to April 26, 2026, winding its classic 20-minute loop through Zurich's inner city.

The route goes from Bellevue via Limmatquai and Central, along the Bahnhofstrasse shopping mile, and back to Bellevue.

Inside the tram, children are treated to three specially written stories told by storytellers dressed in traditional Zurich costumes.

The tales are age-appropriate and weave together Zurich's customs, the legend of the Böögg, and the guest canton of the year, Graubünden. So charming!

Think of it this way: just as Samichlaus (St. Nicholas) drives the tram during Advent, the Böögg takes the wheel for spring. It's a brilliant swap that feels both playful and deeply rooted in Zurich tradition. Kudos to Zurich Tourism and their partners for pulling this off.

All About the Böögg - Zurich's Spring Icon

If you're not yet familiar with the Böögg, you're in for a treat! This cotton-wool snowman is the centerpiece of Sechseläuten, Zurich's grand spring festival.

Every year, the guilds of Zurich parade through the city before setting the Böögg ablaze atop a massive bonfire. The time it takes for his head to explode is said to predict the summer weather.

We've covered this fascinating tradition in depth, so please check out these posts to get the full picture:

• Everything You Need to Know About the Böögg and the Sechseläuten Bonfire
• The Zurich Snowman Burning: Meet the Böögg
• Zurich's Sechseläuten Through the Lens of a Professional Photographer

Now imagine that same iconic figure, the Böögg, steering a century-old tram through the streets of Zurich while children listen to fairy tales inside. That's the kind of magic only Zurich can pull off.

Who's Behind This Magical Collaboration?

The spring Märlitram is a partnership between three key players:

• Zürich Tourismus, championing Zurich as a family-friendly destination for locals and visitors alike
• Coop City St. Annahof, bringing community spirit and retail partnership to the project
• VBZ (Verkehrsbetriebe Zürich), Zurich's public transport authority, keeping the historic tram on the rails

The project is also developed in close coordination with the central committee of Zurich's guilds (Zentralkomitee der Zünfte Zürichs), making sure the storytelling stays true to authentic Zurich traditions. For instance, children will learn how the Böögg is constructed...

Zürich Tourismus Director Thomas Wüthrich put it beautifully in the press release: "With the spring Märlitram, we expand our family offering and strengthen Zurich as a versatile destination for young and old. At the same time, we make local traditions tangible for guests and locals alike."

How to Get Tickets

Here's everything you need to know to snag your seats:

• Price: CHF 12 per child
• Tickets: Available exclusively online
• Ticket pick-up locations (from March 9, 2026):
  • Coop City St. Annahof
  • Coop City Bellevue
  • Coop City Sihlcity
  • Coop City Oerlikon
  • Tourist Information at Zurich Hauptbahnhof
• Important: Tickets must be picked up at least 2 hours before departure

Some Important Logistics

Once you've secured your tickets, keep these things in mind for a smooth experience:

• Tram pick-up/drop-off: Bellevue
• Route: From Bellevue along Limmatquai, Central, Bahnhofstrasse, Paradeplatz, and Bürkliplatz before heading back to Bellevue.
• Duration: Approximately 20 minutes
• Language: (Swiss) German
• Stories: There will be a total of three stories, told at random:
  • Der Züri Leu & der Böögg - das Geheimnis des Sechseläutens
  • Wie die Zünfter den Böögg bauen
  • Nesa und Fiorella (Gastkanton Graubünden)
• Blackout dates: March 23/24, March 30/31, April 12 (Zurich Marathon), April 19 (Sechseläuten children’s parade), April 20 (Sechseläuten)

Why You Shouldn't Miss This

Whether you grew up in Zurich like I did, straining your neck to spot that magical tram from the sidewalk, or you're visiting the city for the first time, the Züri Märlitram in spring is a genuinely special experience.

It bridges generations, celebrates local culture, and gives children (and nostalgic adults!) a window into the heart of Zurich's traditions.

I may have missed my chance as a child, and as an adult, the Märlitram remains out of reach. This magical ride is reserved for the little ones. But if you have children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, or young friends in your life, this is your moment. Take them. Give them the memory I never had...

Have you ever ridden the Märlitram as a child? Drop your memories in the comments below - I'd love to hear them!

The Züri Märlitram Is Back (And the Böögg Is Driving!) first appeared in the Newly Swissed Online Magazine

“We share a bank account but not a passport.”

That’s how Anna, an American living in Basel, described life with her Swiss husband. Everything felt simple, until their bank asked her to sign a W-9 confirming her U.S. citizenship.

Her husband stared at the form like it was written in a different alphabet.

When one spouse is American and the other is not, everyday financial decisions such as choosing a joint account or buying a home can carry unexpected U.S. reporting consequences. Most couples only discover this after a bank, pension provider, or notary raises a question. Here is how to navigate them without stress.

When Two Countries Share Your Marriage

Being married across borders brings perspective and opportunity. It also means that two legal systems can quietly overlap in the background. Joint savings, pensions, investments, and home ownership may trigger different reporting rules under U.S. law.

None of this means you have done anything wrong. It simply means the rules were not written with international couples in mind. The key is understanding where exposure exists and planning before paperwork is signed.

Joint Accounts

In Switzerland, joint accounts are normal. For U.S. tax purposes, they are treated differently.

If an American spouse has access to a Swiss account even if the Swiss spouse earned all the money, the American spouse must report the entire balance on the FBAR and possibly FATCA on Form 8938.

The IRS focuses on access and ownership, not who earned the funds.

Gifts Between Spouses

This is one of the least understood areas for mixed-nationality couples.

If both spouses are U.S. citizens → unlimited tax-free gifts.
If only one spouse is a U.S. citizen → the unlimited marital deduction does not apply.

For 2026, the annual tax-free gift limit from a U.S. citizen to a non-U.S. spouse is $194,000. Transfers above that amount require filing IRS Form 709.

Common situations that may qualify as gifts include:

• Adding a non-U.S. spouse to a property deed
• Contributing disproportionately to jointly owned property
• Funding an account solely owned by the spouse
• Paying your spouse’s personal debts such as credit cards, loans, or tuition

Routine household expenses generally do not count as taxable gifts.

Case Study: The CHF 500,000 Question

Marcus, a dual U.S.-Swiss citizen working in Zürich, and his wife Elena (Swiss-only) were finalizing their dream home purchase. They planned to split the CHF 500,000 down payment equally.

But their accountant flagged an issue: under Swiss law, they would each own 50%. Under U.S. tax law, Marcus would be making a gift to Elena of CHF 250,000, well over the $185,000 annual exclusion.

The solution? They structured the purchase so Marcus would own 73%, and Elena would own 27%, matching their actual contributions after accounting for the gift exclusion. A simple title adjustment saved them from an unnecessary Form 709 filing and potential gift tax implications.

This kind of planning matters and it’s easiest to do before signing the purchase agreement.

Swiss Pensions

Swiss retirement plans do not align neatly with U.S. tax treatment.

• Pillar 2 employer pensions are tax-deferred in Switzerland but may not always receive identical treatment under U.S. rules.
• Pillar 3a contributions are deductible in Switzerland but typically not deductible on a U.S. return.

For mixed couples, the key question is which portion belongs to the U.S. spouse and what must be reported annually.

Clear documentation and organized annual statements reduce uncertainty during filing season.

Swiss Investment Accounts and PFICs

Most Swiss mutual funds are classified by the IRS as Passive Foreign Investment Companies, known as PFICs. These require Form 8621 reporting and can result in unfavorable tax treatment.

For mixed couples, this raises a strategic decision:

• If you expect to remain in Switzerland long term, holding Swiss investments solely in the non-U.S. spouse’s name may reduce complexity.
• If you anticipate returning to the United States, maintaining U.S.-compliant investments such as U.S. ETFs may offer greater flexibility, even if Swiss taxation is less favorable.

There is no universal structure that fits every family. Time horizon and residency plans matter.

Estate Planning: A Rule Many Couples Miss

When both spouses are U.S. citizens, assets transferred at death typically qualify for the unlimited marital deduction.

This changes when the surviving spouse is not a U.S. citizen.

If a U.S. citizen leaves assets to a non-U.S. spouse:

• The unlimited marital deduction does not automatically apply
• The lifetime estate and gift exemption is used first
• Federal estate tax may apply if the estate exceeds the available exemption

To preserve deferral of estate tax beyond the exemption amount, the estate may establish a Qualified Domestic Trust (QDOT).

A QDOT allows assets to pass to a non‑citizen spouse while deferring estate tax until principal is distributed or the surviving spouse dies.

For many couples this is not an immediate issue, but for families with substantial retirement assets, investments, or property holdings, it becomes an essential planning conversation.

For mixed couples, the key question is which portion belongs to the U.S. spouse and what must be reported annually.

Filing Status Options

Mixed-nationality couples generally have three filing options:

1. Married Filing Separately – The default and most common option. It keeps the non-U.S. spouse outside the U.S. tax system.
2. Electing to File Jointly under 6013(g) – The non-U.S. spouse is treated as a U.S. taxpayer. This can increase deductions but requires full worldwide income disclosure.
3. Head of Household – This is rare and only possible with a qualifying child and certain residency situations.

The correct choice depends on income levels, residency, and long-term intentions.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Assuming joint means equal for tax purposes
Swiss ownership percentages do not automatically control U.S. reporting obligations.

2. Missing FBAR deadlines
FBAR is due April 15 with an automatic extension to October 15 and is filed separately from the tax return.

3. Making large transfers without documentation
Written loan agreements protect both spouses if intent is questioned later.

4. Ignoring future exit tax implications
If a non-U.S. spouse later becomes a U.S. citizen, future renunciation could trigger exit tax rules depending on net worth.

5. Not updating beneficiaries
Pension accounts, life insurance, and brokerage accounts should be reviewed after marriage and periodically thereafter.

Practical Steps

Simple steps that make a big difference:

• Keep records of transfers between spouses (including purpose and date)
• Clarify who owns which accounts, in writing, if possible
• Review pension statements annually and keep them organized by year
• Revisit U.S. filing elections yearly, what worked last year may not work now
• Get tax advice before buying property together, not after
• Consider a postnuptial agreement clarifying asset ownership for tax purposes
• Set calendar reminders for FBAR (April 15) and Form 8938 (tax return deadline)

Our advice: Keep a shared document listing all accounts, ownership percentages, and balances. We have a dedicated "Red Binder" that contains all important documents. Family members are aware of this and know where to find it, just in case.

When to Seek Professional Guidance

Professional support is strongly recommended if you are:

• Purchasing property together
• Transferring or inheriting substantial assets
• Holding Swiss mutual funds in a U.S. spouse’s name
• Considering a 6013(g) joint filing election
• Navigating separation or estate planning
• Responding to IRS correspondence

You may be able to manage independently if:

• You are filing FBAR for straightforward bank accounts
• Your income consists solely of employment income
• You do not hold Swiss investment funds

Penalties and corrective filings are significantly more expensive than early advice.

Conclusion

Every week, mixed‑nationality couples reach out with the same questions: Are we doing this right? Do we need to report this? Are we in trouble?

The truth is: you are not in trouble, you are navigating rules written for a world that rarely includes international couples. With guidance, it all becomes manageable.

Cross‑border marriages are built on partnership. With thoughtful planning and clear reporting, your financial life can be just as coordinated as your personal one.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute tax, legal, or financial advice. Readers should consult a qualified tax professional regarding their specific circumstances. Information was current as of March 2026.

About the Author: Nicole Green, EA, MST, is a U.S. Tax Advisor specializing in cross-border compliance and tax strategy for Americans abroad. She is the co-founder of  OffshoreRelief.com, a firm dedicated to helping Accidental Americans and Expats navigate U.S. tax obligations.

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Switzerland is getting new banknotes. And honestly, they sound like something worth getting excited about.

The Swiss National Bank has picked a winner for the next generation of Swiss francs. The new notes will look different, tell a new story, and come packed with even more security features. The catch? You will not be holding them until the early 2030s.

Here is everything you need to know.

No midlife crisis for the current Swiss franc notes

The current ninth series launched between 2016 and 2019. The average lifespan of a Swiss banknote series is around 15 to 20 years. So, today's notes are actually still in perfectly good shape.

SNB president Martin Schlegel put it best back in October 2025: "I can assure you that the current notes are not having a midlife crisis."

That said, the development of a new series takes several years. While your 20-franc note is not going anywhere soon, the SNB is already deep into building its replacement. On March 4, 2026, SNB representatives Sébastien Kraenzlin and Antoine Martin announced the winner at the SNB's Zurich headquarters.

Six finalists were still in the running. The winners: Fabienne Kilchör and Sébastien Fasel from the Lausanne design studio Emphase Sàrl.

Why Switzerland Is Redesigning Its Banknotes

Switzerland takes its cash seriously. Dare I say more? Cash payments have declined from 70 percent in 2017 to 30 percent. Yet, most Swiss people want to keep cash around. I always carry cash in my wallet, although I am guilty of using credit cards or Twint most of the time...

The SNB has a clear job: make sure banknotes stay secure, practical, and one step ahead of anyone trying to fake them. That means regularly updating the series with better technology, better security features, and a fresh design.

The current ninth series, designed by Zurich graphic artist Manuela Pfrunder, launched between 2016 and 2019. It was a big deal at the time, and it still holds up.

But then again, technology moves fast. You can read about what made the ninth series so impressive in our post on the security features of Swiss banknotes. The tenth series now has to raise that bar.

There is also a political backdrop. On March 8, 2026, Switzerland voted on a "cash initiative" that wanted to write coins and banknotes into the federal constitution. The Federal Council said no to the initiative but offered a counter-proposal to protect the SNB's duty to supply cash.

The SNB announced its winning banknote design just days before the vote. Now, whether or not this was coincidence or simply timing, it sent a clear message: the Swiss franc in physical form is not going away. And personally, I'm glad, because I have so many memories of Swiss coins and bills going all the way back to my childhood...

Emphase Wins the Swiss Banknote Design Competition

The new series will be designed by Emphase Sàrl, a studio from Lausanne run by Fabienne Kilchör and Sébastien Fasel. Their concept, called Concept J, came out on top after a serious competition.

Here is how it worked:

• More than 300 designers applied
• 12 studios were invited to submit full concepts
• A six-member expert jury evaluated all 12 proposals
• Over 100,000 people voted in a public survey
• Concept J landed in the top three in both the jury and public rankings
• When commercial and organisational criteria were added, Concept J had the best overall result

The jury included specialists from the University of St. Gallen, the Federal Office of Culture, and Swiss design and printing organisations. This was not just a vote on what looks nice. It was a serious assessment covering design quality, technical feasibility, and real-world production.

Emphase now has a formal mandate to develop the entire tenth series along with the SNB's internal specialists.

"Switzerland and Its Altitudes"
(What the Theme Actually Means)

Every studio in the competition worked with the same brief from the SNB: "Switzerland and Its Altitudes." (German: Die Schweiz und ihre Höhenlagen)

The idea is to take Switzerland's most defining physical feature (around 70 percent of the country is mountains) and turn it into a visual system across all six denominations. From the flattest lowlands to the highest peaks, each note belongs to a different altitude zone.

Here's a breakdown of what this means:

• Smaller denominations (CHF 10, CHF 20) connect to low-altitude environments: the Mittelland, rivers, the Jura
• Mid-range values (CHF 50, CHF 100) cover pre-alpine areas, lakes, and hillside towns
• Higher values (CHF 200, CHF 1000) go all the way up into the Alps: glaciers, rock faces, high passes

Pick up a 10-franc note and you are at the river. Pull out a 1000-franc note and you are at the summit. Kinda cool, right?

The current ninth series was built around abstract concepts: time, light, and communication.

The upcoming tenth series drops any abstraction and goes straight to the physical landscape. In my opinion, it's a shift in how Switzerland wants to present itself on its own money.

What the New Swiss Banknotes Will Look Like

Drumrolls, please... Each new banknote in Concept J has two distinct sides, and here is what they will feature:

Front: Native Swiss Plants and Nature by Altitude

One face of every note shows native plants, flowers, and small creatures. Think insects, pollinators, and species that live at that specific altitude.

The illustrations are detailed and fine-lined, designed to work together with microtext and security features layered underneath.

This turns each note into a small field guide. Meadow plants on the lower denominations, alpine flora on the higher ones. For a country where nature is central to both daily life and tourism, this feels like a "natural fit" - no pun intended.

Back: Landscapes, Buildings, and Swiss Public Transport

The reverse side puts human life at that same altitude on display:

• Architecture typical to each elevation, from lowland farmhouses to alpine huts and the Jungfraujoch station.
• Cultural references connected to how people actually live and work at that altitude.
• Swiss public transport and mobility, from the Glacier Express train to cable cars, mountain roads and tunnels. They are a kind of thread connecting all the altitude zones.
• Landscapes, from river bends to hillside villages, passes, and peaks.

For anyone who has explored Switzerland by train, post bus, or cable car, this will feel familiar. The new Swiss banknotes basically double as a love letter to Swiss mobility.

Studio Marcus Kraft's "Rock and landscape as currency"

Here is where the story gets really interesting. The expert jury actually ranked the concept by Zurich-based Studio Marcus Kraft first.

But when the full evaluation (including commercial and organisational criteria) was factored in, Emphase's Concept J came out ahead overall.

Both proposals were seriously good, and the final call came down to criteria that go well beyond visual design.

Marcus Kraft's concept is called "Rock and landscape as currency." The idea is clever and direct: the Swiss franc is a hard currency, internationally known for stability and reliability. Switzerland is a country literally made of rock. Put the two ideas together and you get: rocks on money.

Marcus Kraft's "Hard as a Rock" would have looked unlike any banknote series in the world. Each bill would have featured a real stone collected at a specific Swiss altitude, photographed at full original scale with high precision.

Studio Marcus Kraft has since shared their concept publicly:

The Internet Had Its Own Ideas for New Swiss Banknotes

The SNB announcement sparked a wave of unofficial, tongue-in-cheek proposals on social media. And I have to say, some of them are genuinely fun. Or intricate, like the oneby Rigi Railways.

One that I particularly liked is from the city of Winterthur. A local account imagined what the new bills would look like if they were dedicated entirely to Winti landmarks: the Bruderhaus, the Roter Turm, the Bäumli, and the Affenschlucht all made appearances on mock-up notes in the familiar Swiss franc format.

Colors, Denominations, and What Stays the Same

One of the most practical decisions in the new series: the familiar stuff does not change.

The SNB has confirmed:

• Denominations stay at 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, and 1000 francs
• The color scheme stays broadly consistent with the current ninth series

The yellow 10-franc note stays yellow. The red 20-franc note stays red. You will not need to relearn your money.

For residents, tourists, elderly people, and anyone who identifies notes by color at the checkout, this matters a lot. (Me!) The new design changes the visual story on each bill., but the main characteristics will stay the same.

When Will the New Swiss Franc Banknotes Actually Arrive?

Short answer: not before the early 2030s, likely in 2031. Here's why it takes that long:

Expected Security Features on the New Swiss Banknotes

The SNB has not yet published the security spec for the tenth series. I think this is for the obvious reason that they don't want to give a head-start to forgers.

But looking at the current and past series of bills, Switzerland's track record speaks for itself. Swiss banknotes actually have one of the lowest counterfeiting rates in the world, at roughly 1 in 100,000 notes in circulation.

At the bare minimum, expect these security features on the tenth series:

• Watermarks and microprinting embedded in the fine botanical illustration work
• Tactile raised printing so denomination values can be felt by touch
• Holographic foils or transparent windows, a modern standard on high-security notes
• UV-reactive inks revealing hidden patterns under ultraviolet light
• Color-shifting elements that change at different viewing angles
• Machine-readable serial numbers for ATM and cash-machine compatibility

The dense botanical illustration style of Concept J is probaby way more than just a design choice. By overlapping lines and using incredibly small typography, these bills will be genuinely hard to scan and reproduce. Right there is another ingenious, built-in security layer, let alone all the dedicated anti-counterfeit features.

A Brief History of Swiss Banknote Series

Switzerland has issued nine complete banknote series since 1907. Each one is a snapshot of Swiss design thinking and security technology at that moment in time.

The eighth series was taken out of circulation in 2021 and is no longer exchangeable at the SNB. That's a useful reminder: old Swiss banknotes do eventually reach a hard deadline.

The ninth series introduced a new visual language built around abstract concepts, such as time, light, and communication. It also had some major security upgrades, including the tactile grey relief motif on every note. (Have you noticed it?)

The tenth series now switches from abstract ideas to actual geography. From what Switzerland stands for to what Switzerland looks like. That shift says something about where the country is in 2026. And about how it wants to present itself to the world for the next decade and beyond.

For more on Swiss money and how it works, check our earlier post entitled Money, Money, Money.

FAQ About the New Swiss Banknotes

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New Swiss Banknotes: Rocks, Plants, and Alpine Huts first appeared in the Newly Swissed Online Magazine