05/04/2025 By The spring narcissus bloom in Switzerland’s riviera region a star tourist attraction of the Belle Epoque – the 30 to 40 years before the war in 1914 – was described as the “snow of May” by Ernest Hemingway in his novel A Farewell to Arms The book is about two lovers who reunite in Switzerland to escape the war The fields of white flowers allude to peace While the flower bloom is not as plentiful as it once was – the effects of farming farm chemicals and urbanisation – it remains a spectacle And the small window where the hillsides turn white with narcissus (often referred to in English as a white daffodil) is approaching once more One of the best places to see these stunning flowers is at Les Pleiades above Vevey. The region takes the flower very seriously. There is an association for the preservation of the narcissus, the Association pour la sauvegarde et la promotion des narcisses de la Riviera The name of this flower comes from the narcissistic youth of Greek mythology, Narkissos This poisonous plant can be used to make medicine for whooping cough, colds It is also sometimes used in medications to treat wounds These photographs were taken in May 2015 at Les Pleiades in the communes of Blonay and St-Légier near Vevey and Montreux, Switzerland. Another option is to catch the rack and pinion train from Blonay to Les Pleiades. From the final stop you can join the circuit shown in the map above and return by train. You will find train information here The flowers appear in late April/early May. Although, this year (2024) they are behind schedule and are largely yet to bloom. The webcam at the highest train stop gives an up to date view Guided tours are organised by the Association Narcisses Riviera For more stories like this on Switzerland follow us on Facebook and Twitter Filed Under: Activity guides, Editor's Choice, Environment By subscribing you are agreeing to our Privacy Policy Previous Newsletters Copyright © Le News Sàrl 2014-2022 / Company number: CH-550.1.129.786-5 / VAT number: CHE-193.843.357 TVA By subscribing you agree to our Privacy Policy Connecting decision makers to a dynamic network of information Bloomberg quickly and accurately delivers business and financial information discusses the impact of Donald Trump's policies on markets and his outlook for U.S He speaks to Bloomberg's Manus Cranny and Anna Edwards on "Bloomberg Daybreak: Europe." (Source: Bloomberg) Much remains to be done to make financial inclusion a reality Guy de Blonay writes in an essay for finews.first a forum for authors specialized in economic and financial topics Financial inclusion is about making individuals have access to basic financial services It is a key enabler for some of the United Nations’ seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDN) The importance of financial inclusion was officially recognized in 2015 when the United Nations’ General Assembly passed a resolution stressing the need for «full and equal access to formal financial services for all» Globally 1.7 billion people did not have a bank account in 2017 (World Bank) And this situation is disproportionately affecting vulnerable groups – such as low-income households women and young people – in emerging markets Globally Around 1.7 Billion People Don’t Have a Bank Account (Adults having a banking account as a percent of the adult population Technology And Digital Finance Are Key Drivers of Financial Inclusion branches were the main driver of financial inclusion they are often uneconomical outside of large urban areas and developed markets The increase in internet penetration and the emergence of online and mobile banking have now created an opportunity to promote financial inclusion without relying on old branch networks Digital finance is now seen as «the primary route for financial inclusion» by the United Nations Capital Development Fund The Penetration of Internet Services Is Increasing Steadily (Percentage of internet users in the global population Chinese Fintech Platforms Have Led The Way… China is a good example of the way online and mobile banking can promote financial inclusion Mobile payment applications like Ant’s AliPay and Tencent’s WeChat gained widespread acceptance in the last 10 years as QR codes and electronic payments displaced cash at the point of sales The near uniquity of Alibaba’s AliPay and Tencent’s WeChat has provided these companies with a platform to distribute financial services in a country where an estimated 224 million people did not have a bank account in 2017 insurance and asset management products to a user base of over 1 billion individuals and 80 million small merchants This new business has been growing twice as fast as the traditional payment business and represented 56 percent of the company’s revenues in 2019 Ant’s money market fund was the largest in the world with over RMB trillion of assets under management Online Represents a Growing Share of Financial Services in China (China’s online penetration for various financial products …But Are Now Facing Greater Regulatory Scrutiny companies like Ant Financial have acted as platforms They provide access to clients as well as the data and technology required to assess the solvency of potential borrowers But the traditional financial institutions are the ones that provide the funding and carry the risks This sharing of responsibilities has been beneficial for fintech companies They were able to grow rapidly while avoiding the capital requirements and the risks that normally come with banking activities There are signs that public authorities are now concerned that this model could threaten the stability of the financial system the government first cracked down on peer-to-peer lending in 2018 following a series of scandals were investors found themselves unable to retrieve their savings Authorities are now trying to regulate the massive growth in online and micro-lending and are notably considering rules that would require the likes of Ant to take more loans on their own books The ultimate goal seems two-fold: level the playing field with banks and make fintech players accountable for the risks on the loans they facilitate There is a clear opportunity around financial inclusion however one has to be mindful of the regulatory risks Alibaba (which owns a 33 percent stake in Ant) and Tencent could be impacted by changes in the regulatory framework These risks already led Ant Financial to suspend its IPO in November 2020 payment platforms don’t yet enjoy the same level of ubiquity AliPay and Tencent have in China there is still room to promote financial inclusion The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation estimated that 6.5 percent of U.S households did not have a bank account in 2017 (a proportion that reached 21 percent and 18 percent for the African American and Hispanic communities) households were considered to be «under-banked» Innovative players are starting to take steps to address this untapped market a payment app and digital wallet for millennials a digital wallet solution that has become widely used by migrants in the United States – not all of whom would have bank accounts – to send money to relatives back in their home countries is famous for providing payment acceptance services to micro-merchants that are under-served by banks It also offers a payment wallet similar to Venmo called CashApp The function gained significant traction this year and has been extensively leveraged by the U.S government to provide stimulus money to individuals and small businesses affected by the pandemic Paypal’s Venmo and Square’s CashApp already have over 60 million and 30 million users respectively finews.com publishes on its own Web-TV-Channel interviews with well-known figures of Swiss finance. + More on this topic + More on this topic + More on this topic Financial funds deemed a hard sell during Covid-19 due to dividend restrictions and low rates Jupiter is rebranding Guy de Blonay’s International Financials fund and removing its performance fee amid significant outperformance against its benchmark during the coronavirus pandemic The Sicav version of de Blonay’s fund was repositioned and rebranded in 2018 to include more disruptive companies rather than sticking solely to traditional banks and financial services businesses Now the £48.9m UK-domiciled unit trust will also be renamed becoming the Jupiter Global Financial Innovation fund with its investment objective and policy also updated to reflect the increased focus on fintech A Jupiter spokesperson said the repositioning of the unit trust had been an evolutionary process Fairview Investing consultant Ben Yearsley said a financials sell would be a hard sell at the moment due to banks being a “value trap” regulators restricting dividends in the financials sector and the prospect of rates remaining lower for longer The fund has seen net outflows of £20.7m over the last two years with only three months of net inflows during that period has significantly outperformed its MSCI ACWI Financials benchmark during the coronavirus pandemic returning 2.6% compared to a loss of 19.1% in the index Performance of the Jupiter International Financials fund over five years Yearsley said the combination of fintech and traditional financials would allow the fund to perform at different times during the cycle “If you focus on fintech it will be much more high-growth tech play That will work well as rates have plummeted and then vice versa for banks and financials.” de Blonay said Covid-19 has accelerated an “irreversible digital evolution” that had already been gaining pace in the financial services sector “Consumer preference towards working from home e-services and mobile banking has likely changed for good and we want to ensure we continue to be well placed to benefit from this evolution in the industry.” Jupiter CIO Stephen Pearson said: “Having repositioned the Jupiter Financial Innovation Fund two years ago we view this rename as the natural next step bringing the fund into line with the broader strategy and providing greater transparency for our investors “While clients can rest assured that how their fund is managed will not change we hope these updates make the fund’s aims clearer for all.” who had become the first Swiss IOC member in 1889 the Baron found the facilities of the University of Lausanne perfect for his purposes—and found the atmosphere and vistas of the hilly city on the shores of Lake Geneva refreshingly beautiful and inspiring He left Lausanne with an organising committee and strong government relations in place—in a country respected far and wide for its political neutrality His instincts and his allies told him Lausanne would provide an ideal epicentre for the future of the Olympic Movement Coubertin and Blonay met with the Mayor of Lausanne and during an official ceremony in the offfices of the municipalitysigned the agreement that made the city the permanent headquarters of the Olympic Movement Members of the organising committee for the 1913 Olympic Congress were charged with setting up the archives and an Olympic Museum the Baron offered these remarks on the promise of Lausanne: “In the proud and independent atmosphere of Lausanne Olympism will find guarantees of the freedom it must enjoy in order to move forward… Gentlemen please accept our heartfelt gratitude for the welcome that the noble and illustrious city of Lausanne has shown the International Olympic Committee the International Olympic Committee has chosen to reside here within your walls Lausanne became a magnetic centre for those aspiring to be part of the Olympic family reflecting a prophetic statement the Baron made in 1910: “The restored Olympic Games have forced all sports to create unforeseen and fruitful contacts This progress towards such valuable unification is one of the greatest aspects of the work of the Olympics.” Aside from the IOC more than 50 international sports federations now call Lausanne home many of which are headquartered in a single building—the Maison du Sport International Anyone who visits the city today will understand the Baron’s move and the pride behind Lausanne’s decision to become the worldwide “Olympic Capital” the traditional world of finance has been shaken up by a wave of fintech companies going into 2022 this trend may include retaliation as the large incumbent institutions fight back The year 2021 has seen the explosion of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and the mainstream adoption of cryptocurrencies This is a trend that will only get stronger in 2022 Big banks will fight back against fintech companies in the next digital revolution by embracing the fintech company's innovation The pace of inflation and whether it is transitory is the key question for the next 12 months and likely to dictate central bank policy as to whether to raise interest rates it is ultimately peaking and will recede next year as global growth slows «The macroeconomic environment looks supportive for financials The outlook for financials is largely dependant on the policy decisions central banks take chiefly – when they will raise interest rates I don’t believe we will see any rate hikes before 2023 in the major developed economies as central banks will be equally tempted to remain dovish the macroeconomic environment looks supportive for financials If short-term interest rates remain low and longer-term interest rate expectation continues to rise and the global banking system is turning from zero growth to sustained expansion with capital redistributions (by way of dividends) returning to investors This means that the outlook for global financials appears healthy buoyed by recent strong quarterly earnings results Despite the strong share price performance we have seen from financials over the past 12 months I believe that they remain attractively valued due to earnings rising faster than their share price rerating «Digital currencies have now become part of the mainstream public consciousness» We are living in a world that is evolving even faster than the one we inhabited before the COVID-19 pandemic Digital currencies have now become part of the mainstream public consciousness it is now possible to buy bitcoins through PayPal and Visa recently became the first major payments network to settle transactions in USD Coin (a «stablecoin» backed by the dollar but traded in Ethereum) The fact that digital currencies are now being supported by the world’s largest payment platforms highlights the scale of structural changes which have occurred over the past couple of years These structural changes taking place in society and the pace of innovation accompanying it present a plethora of opportunities within the global financial industry «Going into 2022 this trend may include retaliation» One of the most exciting ongoing themes for 2022 is fintech the traditional world of finance has been shaken up by a wave of fintech companies that have taken advantage of digitalisation to disrupt the incumbent financial stalwarts going into 2022 this trend may include retaliation as the large incumbent institutions fight back by poaching top tech talent to claw back market share and better serve their customers The pandemic has greatly accelerated the trend to online banking and payment systems which we had already started to see pre-pandemic The rate of financial innovation has reached warp speed proportions as the majority of consumer spending is now done online and cryptocurrencies beginning to permeate into mainstream consumer behaviour I see some of the biggest potential within digital and cashless payments There is still a long way to go in the transition from cash to cards and from in-store retail to e-commerce and the opportunity exists to create large fintech ecosystems or «Super Apps» à la Ant Financial and WeChat Pay a much broader number of segments such as Insurtech digital wealth management and crypto-currencies are «crossing the chasm» moving from the early adoption stage to the next phase of growth – the masses 66 million market participants had either traded a crypto-currency or used a blockchain application This number has tripled to 260 million this year and I expect it to multiply again in 2022 as the integration of cryptocurrencies into mainstream consumer behaviour continues «I expect a large upside potential for investors» I believe that the shift in consumer behaviour and the acceleration in the pace of financial innovation in the wake of the pandemic is structural rather than transitory With the digitalisation of the financial services sector still in its infancy I expect a large upside potential for investors Guy de Blonay joined Jupiter Asset Management in 1995 and is currently a fund manager in the global team He is the manager of the Jupiter Financial Opportunities Fund and the Jupiter International Financials Fund (Unit Trusts) as well as the Jupiter Financial Innovation fund (SICAV) Guy joined New Star (which was subsequently taken over by Henderson) where he managed global financial equities before again assuming fund management responsibilities in June 2010 Subscribe to the finews.asia WhatsApp channel and receive regular updates with our news and background stories directly to your mobile phone + More on this topic + More on this topic LAist is part of Southern California Public Radio It’s the big Bayard family holiday and nine people sit at the long Christmas dinner table One door is surrounded by birds and flowers We soon realize that this meal is not a finite event we understand that this 49-minute opera contains 90 years of family history — multiple generations who will repeat the same banal phrases about the food the weather and the holiday church service Eventually most of the diners walk through the black door of death A baby is wheeled right out of the bright door and across the stage to the dark one The holiday camaraderie gradually gives way to conflict and estrangement disperses all the Bayards from the old family home The story has been told and the music stops “The Long Christmas Dinner” is a collaboration between two of the most extraordinary creators of the 20th century: German-born composer Paul Hindemith and Pulitzer Prize-winning American playwright Thornton Wilder Wilder wrote “Our Town” and “The Merchant of Yonkers,” which inspired the musical “Hello Dolly!” It is hard to categorize Hindemith’s overall musical style is basically a means of communication," Hindemith said "Composers and performers have a social responsibility to be comprehensible." “The Long Christmas Dinner” is comprehensible in part because Wilder is able to say a great deal in very few words Wilder’s big events happen offstage — as in the death of Emily in “Our Town.” The characters’ reaction is the story It could almost be an episode of "The Twilight Zone." Hindemith’s music is lyrical and gently foreboding The optimism of the words of the men’s holiday trio — “Here’s to the Health and Here’s to the Wealth” — is belied by a creepy minor-key accompaniment from the orchestra the Bayard family patriarch will exit death’s door — as would Hindemith himself “There are no more children,” says one diner a distant cousin is left alone by what Wilder called “the great mill-wheel of life and death.” Before she too fades she is consoled by a letter from Bayard descendants who have moved far I’m not suggesting you use the score as dinner music at your holiday table pay attention to the family and friends around you — some of them may not be at the table next year The opera was first performed in English in 1963 widely-applauded performances at New York’s Alice Tully Hall by Leon Botstein the polymath Bard University president who also conducts the American Symphony Orchestra This is the fine performance Bridge Records has released on CD I asked CSU Bakersfield music professor and Hindemith enthusiast Joel Haney if "The Long Christmas Dinner" might work well on one of L.A like in last year’s  program of Purcell’s “Dido and Aeneas’’ and Bartok’s “Bluebeard’s Castle.” Haney who wrote the notes for the Bridge Records "Dinner” recording I don't have any immediate thoughts for what might go on the other half.’’ Neither do I but I’d prefer that it not be "Cavalleria Rusticana" or "Pagliacci.” The firm said the fund, managed by Guy de Blonay (pictured) is being repositioned to ‘take advantage of the digital transformation of the financial services sector – a structural shift the manager views as an unprecedented long-term opportunity' Its investment objective and policy will be updated as de Blonay seeks to invest in companies that he believes will shape and dominate the future of finance The fund will look at long-term growth by investing in equities and equity-related securities linked to financial innovation It will focus on traditional financial services firms that are ‘embracing’ digital change and ‘disruptive innovators’ working on financial tech such as mobile finance payments and financial infrastructure to the sector Companies in the fund that reflect these two themes include traditional names such as JP Morgan Chase and fintech firms such as PayPal De Blonay said: ‘The financial services industry is a completely different beast today than it was even five years ago Ever more sophisticated customers now expect seamless digital-led service and they aren’t afraid to switch to newer competitors if traditional names fail to keep up we believe we will be better placed to capitalise on the ongoing and irreversible digital transformation of the financial services sector.’ 17/05/2024 By That small window where the hillsides turn white with narcissus (often referred to in English as a white daffodil) is upon us again One of the best places to see these stunning flowers is at Les Pleiades above Vevey. The region takes the flower very seriously. There is an association for the preservation of the narcissus, the Association pour la sauvegarde et la promotion des narcisses de la Riviera The name of this flower comes from the narcissistic youth of Greek mythology, Narkissos This poisonous plant can be used to make medicine for whooping cough These photographs were taken in May 2015 at Les Pleiades in the communes of Blonay and St-Légier near Vevey and Montreux Another option is to catch the rack and pinion train from Blonay to Les Pleiades. From the final stop you can join the circuit shown in the map above and return by train. You will find train information here The flowers appear in late April/early May. Although, this year (2024) they are behind schedule and are largely yet to bloom. The webcam at the highest train stop gives an up to date view Guided tours are organised by the Association Narcisses Riviera For more stories like this on Switzerland follow us on Facebook and Twitter Filed Under: Activity guides - parked, Swiss travel Tagged With: , , The firm’s office is one of its first completed projects The firm’s HQ also incorporates a gallery - a clean which will host a mix of external temporary exhibitions the firm was soon joined by architect Chris Godfrey - a wallpaper* favourite and member of our 2008 Architects Directory - and has kick started business with a few key commissions in the capital The team combines previous experience at property mega-firm Candy & Candy with a passion for the luxury market and an intention to provide a truly all-inclusive yet thoughtful service; the perfect one-stop-shop for anyone after clever high-end and tailor-made design services The firm's own office space interior in Victoria was one of 1508 London's first completed projects It was also one that inspired us for the May 2011 fashion story for which a group of construction workers put the latest denim through its paces 1508's trusted team of tradesmen helped us execute the shoot while the office was still being completed The office, elegantly furnished with bespoke pieces, is now the home of the company's 20-or-so-strong team; and with their first residential projects well underway, 1508 London is definitely one to watch. Elegantly furnished with bespoke pieces, it now houses a 20-strong team The firm’s HQ also incorporates a gallery - a clean, white space with high ceilings, which will host a mix of external temporary exhibitions, as well as the practice’s own shows, collaborations and parties Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox. Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper* She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006 visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas Ellie has also taken part in judging panels such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022) Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker Fund manager Guy de Blonay sees the future of financial services in technology The Jupiter Asset Management veteran tells finews.com why in Switzerland he picks stable specialists over big names but has nothing of a home bias when it comes to picking financial stocks the veteran of Jupiter Asset Management has just one Swiss name in his portfolio: Banque Cantonale Vaudoise state-backed bank is an attractive pick thanks to its ling-term reliability and a dividend yield of 4.5 percent London-based de Blonay told finews.com. He sees similar bets on the stability of Switzerland's economy in lesser-known banks like Valiant or Berner Kantonalbank whom he met with this week during a home visit What about the Swiss giants UBS and Credit Suisse «I stay away from the global investment banks because of their structure compensation structure and margin pressure,» de Blonay said «It’s very difficult to tackle these issues in an efficient and timely way.»  Unlike the stock of local players like BCV the big banks including Julius Baer don't produce the returns investors hope for «Julius Baer for instance has a new CEO who needs to sort out the strategy Global investment banks are struggling with their clients’ lack of interest in being active,» he notes Deutsche Bank illustrates how difficult it is to revive a tumbled lender de Blonay is against a union of Switzerland's largest banks consolidation among Europe's battered financial institutions is overdue «There is more fat to cut at global investment banks banks there may have to merge their cost base.» The cost focus and thin margins present another problem for Europe's banks: it is far more difficult to justify investments in technology they should be investing at least ten percent of their revenue into information technology While UBS CEO Sergio Ermotti emphasizes that this is the case at his bank «The Americans are quite aggressive and they understand the threat and the need,» the fund manager said «I’d even argue that within a few years Banks like BofA and J.P Morgan are effectively going to turn into fintech companies..» The surge in tech competition is a tangible threat: while U.S banks are pouring a collective $115 billion into technology to build a so-called new ecosystem for their clients Swiss banks are vying heavily with their U.S counterparts for the super-rich clientele poised to benefit from the tech advances That's why UBS and Credit Suisse – unlike BCV – cannot be satisfied with simply keeping up He is far more sanguine on the threat posed by new entrances like Revolut of N26: «Banks aren’t interested in the small fry clients who leave for a one-trick pony like Revolut They care more about the big tickets and these clients are not going to leave for Revolut That’s why I don’t think it’s going to be that important in the future.» The fund is managed by Citywire AA-rated Guy de Blonay with the decision designed to ‘better reflect the manager’s strategic focus on disruptive innovation’ In 2018, Jupiter rebranded the Sicav version of De Blonay’s Global Financials fund to the Financial Innovation fund This move will now change the name of the unit trust strategy Over three years the £48.5m International Financials fund has returned 27.8% far outpacing the sector average return of 1% De Blonay (pictured) will continue to run the fund in the same way after the rebrand The €65.3m Sicav version of the Financial Innovation fund has returned 30.5% over the same period Top holdings in both funds include PayPal, which has been a big winner during the Covid-19 pandemic and is up 74.6% year-to-date. The strategies also hold London Stock Exchange which is up 10.5% in 2020 said: ‘Having repositioned the Jupiter Financial Innovation fund two years ago ‘While clients can rest assured that how their fund is managed will not change we hope these updates make the fund’s aims clearer for all.’ Earlier this month, Jupiter slashed the fees on retail units and slashed admin fees across a number of underperforming mandates after finding half its UK retail share classes do not offer consistent value for money The asset manager also announced last month that profits had halved over the first half of the year as clients continued to pull their assets and the business failed to book any performance fees 11/01/2016 By David Bowie died on 10 January 2016 two days after his 69th birthday His death was announced on his Facebook page January 10 2016 – David Bowie died peacefully today surrounded by his family after a courageous 18 month battle with… Posted by David Bowie on Sunday, 10 January 2016 Tributes to the artist have flooded in from around the world. During his life he lived in many places, including London, New York, Los Angeles, Berlin, Lausanne and Blonay – both in Switzerland In her book she describes Blonay as “a charming village above Lake Geneva near Montreux in the French-speaking part of the country” She then goes on to say “The place I’d found was a commodious cuckoo-clock of a house très Swiss.” In 1980, Angela and David divorced. David however kept this house in Blonay as his main residence until 1982, living there with his son Zowie, known now as Duncan Jones, who attended the Commonwealth-American School based in Pully – now the International School of Lausanne In 1982 the Blonay house was sold and the artist and his son moved into the larger Château du Signal situated next to the Sauvabelin forest above Lausanne Bowie married the Somalian-American model Iman in a low key ceremony in Lausanne in 1992 and as she was no great fan of the quiet pace of life at the chateau The newly-weds then set off to the United States for a change of pace In an interview on the Countdown show in Australia Bowie said he thinks he wrote the single Let’s Dance while in Switzerland The interview was done shortly before the album’s release in 1983 David Bowie with Iman in 2007 © Laurence Agron | Dreamstime.com From then on the couple lived primarily in London and New York originally constructed for a Russian prince around 1900 was eventually sold in 1995 for CHF 4 million After his father’s passing was announced Duncan tweeted a photograph of him and his father when he was a baby with the comment “Very sorry and sad to say it’s true Very sorry and sad to say it’s true. I’ll be offline for a while. Love to all. pic.twitter.com/Kh2fq3tf9m — Duncan Jones (@ManMadeMoon) 11 Janvier 2016 Bowie was active right to the very end of his life releasing a new album called Blackstar on his birthday He had known for 18 months that his time left was probably quite limited shows the artist in a hospital bed struggling with the cancer that took him on 10 January 2016 Tony Visconti wrote on Facebook: “He always did what he wanted to do And he wanted to do it his way and he wanted to do it the best way His death was no different from his life – a work of art I knew for a year this was the way it would be For more stories like this on Switzerland follow us on Facebook and Twitter Worked in Switzerland with horses rode passed his house a few times .loved his work 23/06/2023 By This week RTS published a map showing which Swiss municipalities have the highest numbers of private swimming pools Swimming pool champions are clustered mainly in Italian- and French-speaking Switzerland Three of the top ten municipalities are in Ticino Only the commune of Binningen in Basel Landschaft in German-speaking Switzerland makes the top ten In second place is Collonge-Bellerive (491) in Geneva Cologny (381) and Chêne-Bougeries (372) three more communes in Geneva On a per capita basis the semi-rural commune of Vandoeuvres in Geneva leads with 93.8 pools per 1,000 residents which means close to 1 in 10 residents has access to a private pool Two thirds of Vandoeuvres is farm land and it has a population of 2,800 Not far behind is Commugny (VD) with 89.3 per 1,000 residents is another commune that is largely rural (60% farmland) Municipalities with high numbers of private pools are generally spacious prosperous places a short commute from well paid work Some of those interviewed by RTS see the pools as a sign of economic prosperity and a high quality of life He points out the significant amount of water required to fill them and argues the water poured into pools could be better used Kubski would like owners to pay a tax to fill their pools directly from natural springs in mountains in the commune But the upside of having untreated spring water on tap comes with a negative: water untreated with chemicals can only be stored in town reservoirs for a short period of time before it becomes unsuitable for drinking This means much of the town water supply is regularly allowed to flow into Lake Geneva as it would naturally So provided swimming pools in the commune are filled during periods when excess water would otherwise be left to flow into lake there is little ecological tradeoff pools filled at appropriate times of the year are not competing with agriculture or aggravating droughts This of course changes when spring water surpluses turn into shortages or when any surpluses can be used elsewhere to alleviate droughts More on this:RTS article  (in French)  – Take a 5 minute French test now For more stories like this on Switzerland follow us on Facebook and Twitter Filed Under: Lifestyle, Personal finance, Property 2022 was a year of extraordinary challenges Crypto investors' nerves were particularly strained in the process: Some 74 percent of the top 100 crypto assets saw their value drop by 80 percent or more over the course of the past year Ha Duong writes in his article for finews.first This article has been published on finews.first a forum for authors specializing in economic and financial topics we have seen increasing signs of a return to more positive momentum While lower liquidity and trading volumes will continue to create volatility in the market in the coming months the broad industry deleveraging and market shakeout should have fundamentally come to an end Investors are now positioned more conservatively and with significantly less leverage than last year Only very few market participants had expected the rally since the beginning of the year Investors currently tend to be under-positioned Institutional investors had cleared their books of crypto assets towards the end of the year to keep certain positions from appearing in their annual reports they missed the start of the recovery since the beginning of 2023 Quite a few are now standing on the sidelines waiting for the right signal to get back in investors are assuming a less steep yield curve» liquidity reductions in monetary policy have eased globally in recent months analysis shows that central banks have added a net $1 trillion or so in liquidity since the market bottom in October 2022 with the US banking market under pressure and the associated systemic risks investors are assuming a less steep yield curve Improved financial conditions and liquidity in the market also tend to mean tailwinds for riskier assets Bitcoin and Ethereum reacted to corresponding macroeconomic signals with significant price jumps within a few hours «Progress has also been made on the regulatory side» The Bitcoin blockchain is about to experience a defining event The upcoming Bitcoin halving in March 2024 could positively affect the price development will then be reduced again – from currently 6.25 bitcoin per block to only 3.125 bitcoin Past halving events have positively affected investor sentiment both before and after the halving of daily Bitcoins produced – due to reduced selling pressure anticipated for the cryptocurrency after halving BTC reaches a low 1.3 years before halving and a high 1.3 years after halving Progress has also been made on the regulatory side and accelerated regulatory processes can be observed in many regions around the world concerns about overly strict regulation caused uncertainty in the market «Tighter regulation can pose a not inconsiderable risk to the market» numerous crypto companies had to accept a damper on their share price development after the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) acted against several crypto trading exchanges such as Coinbase Tighter regulation can pose a not inconsiderable risk to the market This is particularly evident in the USA in the short term - a market in which the regulation of crypto assets is now very restrictive and fragmented It is to be welcomed that the pace of regulatory integration is now picking up the first important step in this direction has already been taken through the Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation as part of the digitalization package the EU regulators are creating an innovative Union-wide solution that makes decentralized trading of crypto-assets possible Even if details remain unclear in some places and the «Decentralized Finance» (DeFi) area has not yet been adequately addressed the measures should lead to more legal certainty and trust overall the EU is creating important preconditions for the widespread establishment of the technology This should further promote the acceptance of crypto assets in the financial world «We see very good reasons that Bitcoin and Ethereum will not simply disappear overnight» About 99 percent of the crypto assets today could completely lose their value in the long term we see very good reasons that Bitcoin and Ethereum will not simply disappear overnight The number of users in the crypto ecosystem has increased and institutional adoption is progressing rapidly What is true for all asset classes is especially true for crypto assets: investments should never be geared toward the short-term timing of the market but should aim to participate in long-term development it is important to emphasize: The past has shown that crypto assets have recovered and reached new highs after every previous crash which has always more than made up for past losses anyone who invested in BTC five years ago is looking at a considerable return today Ha Duong is a Director of Crypto Strategies and the Portfolio Manager of BIT Global Crypto Leaders and BIT Crypto Opportunities at BIT Capital During the confinement period, you can access PSG TV Premium for free and enjoy all this season's match videos. 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Please upgrade your browser to improve your experience Paris Saint-Germain is continuing to roll out its Pro Residency Academy This is the club’s third academy of this kind after the ones opened in Miami (USA) and in Saly (Senegal) The aim of this programme is to offer the students football training as well as higher education Paris Saint-Germain chose the International Center of European Football (ICEF) an international football academy based in the Domaine de Blonay since 2019 With more than 23 nationalities attending every year and more than 300 students trained the ICEF is one of Europe’s leading organisations for developing and educating apprentice footballers the players have the opportunity to follow high-level academic and sports courses announced: “With the opening of a third Paris Saint-Germain Academy Pro our programme of academies is entering a new stage in its development Thanks to this establishment in the heart of Europe the Paris Saint-Germain methods will radiate even further The club is making even more of a commitment to young people by once again giving budding footballers the tools to embark on a career in sport.” added: “We are very excited and proud to announce the establishment and development of Europe’s first PSG Academy Pro in the Domaine de Blonay by merging its activities with our international ICEF academy we have set up an ambitious international project in this region and this partnership will enable us to offer an unparalleled international programme by teaming up with a world-renowned club and brand this will boost the local region’s influence and drawing power.” More informations about the Academy Notifications can be managed in browser preferences. Fazed by this numerology, I then asked a simpler question. How much would I need to feel comfortable? Hall told me: "That's more difficult. A comfortable, but still careful, lifestyle needs assets of £5m. Double that if you are in London. To make the bottom of The Sunday Times Rich List you need £70m. To be a global player, £200m and rising." So this puts the merely rich in a curious position and begs other questions of definition. The magazine publisher John Brown is a friend of mine, the only person in my own circle who has actually made (as opposed to inherited) a lot of money, having sold his business for more than £20m. I asked him if he felt rich and he said of course he did. US networks are running a satire called Dirty Sexy Money. The birth of the hyper-rich has distorted the luxury goods market. Jeffery Miller, my Manhattan coolfinder, tells me new shoes are now $1,000 average, boots $2,000. Sunglasses have passed $500. There are watches that cost $600,000. In London, Selfridges has just opened a Wonder Room. Here you can buy a Vertu mobile phone for £53,000 or, at the Enomatic wine bar, you can drink (literally) a sip of 1999 Chateau d'Yquem for £9.99. I asked Hobhouse what it would cost to build, for example, a collection of 17th-century Dutch landscapes if I was fortunate enough to have benefited from a recent medium-sized liquidity event. Hobhouse did not hesitate and said about 40 to 50 times as much as it would have cost you in the 1970s. He then added: "and it would still not be a first-rate collection". I could have some Ruisdaels or Hobbemas, but Vermeer and Rembrandt would be well out of reach. But there's some sort of law of inversion operating too. To match the established concept of conspicuous consumption, there is now conspicuous distribution too. Many of the HNWIs are getting competitive about giving their money away. Financier Peter Cruddas has pledged to give £100m. This antic charity is the final phase of the experience of wealth known as " the arc of maturation": the new wealthy are first cautious, then conspicuous, then philanthropic. Many years ago, I asked Terence Conran a similar question. What was, if he was being honest, the big advantage of owning squillions ? He replied: " It makes getting through airports easy." Well that's all a thing of the past. When it comes to airports, there's a terrible democracy of discomfort. We mere millionaires, meanwhile, may take comfort from Oliver Goldsmith's remark: "the greatest riches are ignorance of wealth". Anyway, Miuccia Prada used to be a Communist. The Hedge Fund Manager: Bertrand Des Pallieres Thirty-nine-year-old French millionaire Des Pallieres runs the £170m SPQR Capital hedge fund, based in London. He was recently in the media spotlight for running up thousands of pounds in motoring fines after abandoning his £80,000 Maserati in a car pound for three months – he claimed he was too busy to come and collect it. He is currently separated, and lives in London, close to his three children. I graduated from business school in 1992. What attracted me to trading was the fact that the sky was the limit in terms of what you could achieve. I joined JP Morgan in Paris. Six months later they sent me to London; and here I've stayed. It was high pressure and very long hours. And in my earlier years, there was a lot of partying, too. When I started getting my first bonuses, I was quite young, and wanted to experiment. So I began going out a lot, and going away to amazing locations with colleagues, just for the weekends. We'd stay in great hotels such as the Delano, in Miami. Many people I know have much bigger spending habits than me, though. Several of my colleagues have owned yachts; one guy owns a polo team. I am much more likely to spend a lot of money on an investment. I bought 4,500sqkm of oil field in Kazakhstan a few years ago. We're in the process of proving probably several hundred million barrels of reserves, which would provide a pretty good return. This thing about my car kind of annoys me, because even though I enjoy material possessions I don't care about them. Money for me has always been about freedom. Five years ago I reached the position where work was a choice, rather than an obligation. My money has given me the luxury to start a new business without any worries. If I want to do something, I don't have to ask anybody's permission. But there is a cost if you want to achieve a lot. Now I'm running my own business. Work never completely stops; you end up blending your personal life with your business life. Even if I take a weekend away, I'll still have business meetings. There's not enough time with the children, and I have an ex-wife. But I don't regret any of it. Adam Jacques Hertfordshire-born Birch, 36, met his American wife, 35-year-old Xochi, at university in London. The couple began developing websites in 1999 and launched the social networking site Bebo in 2005. It now claims 35m members and the Birches are worth an estimated £150m. We started our first business in our bedroom and had to live a cheap life. We could pay the bills and always had food, but we had no TV and couldn't spend money. Initially we wanted to be self-sufficient and have the same lifestyle as before, when we had good IT jobs. It took longer to reach that point than we thought – about four years. I often read about the offers we've supposedly received for Bebo, but we haven't seen any briefcases full of cash yet. If they appeared, it would depend how big the suitcase was and what size the bills were. We could live a more lavish lifestyle than we do, but we try to stay grounded. While we don't struggle financially, there's still a lot of work to do. Our biggest luxury is holidays. We went to Cancun last Thanksgiving, to Marbella last July and have just returned from Disneyland with the family. But we're as happy taking the kids to the coast in our caravan. Our biggest fear if our fortunes were reversed would be getting a job. We've been self-employed for so long now I'm not sure we could work for someone else. Born to a poor family in Siberia, Kolushev arrived in London in 1989, and set up an event management business, Eventica, in 1996. The 40-year-old hosts the Russian Economic Forum, the largest gathering of Russian business leaders outside Moscow, and is worth about £20m. I grew up in Siberia at a time when it was a crime to do private business or even to travel around the country. When Gorbachev introduced perestroika, suddenly we had the chance to listen, see and to travel. I went to Moscow and then headed to London, where I arrived with only my passport and £50 in my pocket, and started working in a post room. When I started making a lot of money, I used to fly everywhere on private jets and go on expensive holidays every month. I had nothing and suddenly I could afford everything. I've calmed down a bit now but I do have a weakness for watches. I've got lots of limited-edition rare pieces, including a Swiss Vacheron Constantin I bought for my son when he was born – I'll give it to him when he's 18. I won't say what it's worth but it's tens of thousands of pounds. I also like my cars – I've got a BMW X5, Mercedes SLK and an Aston Martin. There is an unfair stereotype that rich Russians in Britain are all Mafia or billionaire oligarchs like Roman Abramovich. In fact, I'm just a millionaire and Russia is full of other very talented entrepreneurs who started from nothing. If I lost it all tomorrow, the thing I would miss most is the freedom to make decisions. If I choose to spend two pounds or £200,000, it's my decision and I would hate to be in an office from nine to five – I prefer to be there when I want to. Brought up in a one-bedroom Glasgow tenement, Mone, 37, launched the patented Ultimo gel-filled push-up bra in 1999. Her company, MJM International, now employs more than 100 people in Hong Kong and Glasgow and is worth an estimated £50m. When I was growing up I always used to look at magazines and dream of having a soft-top Mercedes. I used to watch TV shows like 'Dallas' and 'Dynasty' and tell my parents that one day I'll have a big house with a sweeping staircase. "Okay," they'd say, "very good Michelle". Now I can buy what I want. I've got a Bentley and a Range Rover and dedicated underwear and shoe wardrobes. I have a weakness for pink champagne and take extravagant holidays on my yacht in Spain. My biggest luxury will be my new house. It's going to be mega, with a 20-seater cinema, a pool, a night club and everything you could ever want. I take a reasonable wage but I get paid a fortune to speak at venues; anything up to £20,000 for 20 minutes. Sometimes I'll do 10 speeches a month. But I believe I deserve everything I've got because I've put my life, my house, my marriage and my kids on the line and I give a lot to charity. It infuriates me when people say the super-rich shouldn't be allowed to have so much money. The only people who shouldn't be allowed to be rich are those who give bugger all back. And if it all went tits up tomorrow and I had to start again, I would be a bit hurt and upset, and it would be a shame not to have the extra cash to help people – but as long as your family have their health and you can afford to clothe and feed them, life goes on. And you can be rich and be absolutely miserable. We're on holiday at the moment and I was telling the kids how, when I was on holiday as a kid, I used to walk past these big yachts and say, "Wow, look at those people, isn't that amazing." And now we're the ones on the yacht – listening to those boys and girls walking past. I remind them that in the end money means nothing in life – it could all be gone tomorrow. The big drawback with the industry is that my fund is like a machine and I have to be sure it's running efficiently. My biggest luxury is that I live next door to my Knightsbridge office. I find it hard to relax. I can take my body away from my fund, but my mind stays with the machine. Losing enthusiasm for the job would be worse than losing the money. There would be no reason to carry on. East-End boy McVey built his estimated £7m fortune on winning European distribution rights for micro-scooters, selling 11m by the age of 15. Now 22, he lives with his mother and runs Cosmagenics, a cosmetics distribution firm with interests in the Middle East. I've always wanted to make money. When I was very young my dad told me that if I worked hard and went to university, I might be able to walk on to a plane and "turn left" when I was in my thirties, but I wasn't prepared to wait that long. If my maths had been better, I reckon I could have made about £30m from the scooters, but I ended up with about £5m by the time I was 15. I then tried to run loads of projects, from setting up record labels to selling toilet seats, and when I was 17, I moved into John Lennon's old pad in Marylebone. I used to go out all the time and spent loads of money, but that's what happens when you're young and have cash. I still refuse to travel economy – it's impossible to go back when you're used to business class – and I'm the kind of guy that if I want something, I get it. I've got two Porsches and I like my watches. I've got my eye on a Steve McQueen limited-edition 1972 Rolex, but it's about £16,000. When you come from a background where you have to earn every penny, you have respect for money and think about what you're spending. And I could easily go back there if I lost everything, because I know I could do it again. The money doesn't motivate me any more – I just enjoy what I do. I don't need £100m in my pocket – I've got plenty already. Does it make me happier? It makes things easier, that's all. The UK-based Sigrid Rausing Trust has donated more than £85m in grants since its foundation in 1996. Sigrid, 45, is the granddaughter of the late Tetra-Pak food packaging tycoon, Ruben Rausing. Now headed by Hans Rausing, the family is worth an estimated £5.4bn. Growing up the daughter of an industrialist in Sweden in the 1970s, in a society of radical social democracy, was sometimes difficult. When I was about 12, a girl in my class asked me, "What's it like to be a millionaire?" I was so puzzled; I had no idea because I didn't know any other life. But my family didn't fit the popular image of capitalists; my father was eccentric, inventive and funny, while my mother was a staunch liberal. I feel very strongly about human rights and have been influenced by the American model of philanthropy – more entrepreneurial, perhaps, than the British model, and more interested in civil and human rights than in development. I base my Trust on the liberal values I believe in – human rights, state accountability, and equality for all. I do, however, believe that if you are born with inherited wealth, philanthropy is a way of making sense of it, and creating meaning in a situation that can be bewildering. Supporting projects which help people who need it is important, but it's also a way of managing the existential oddity of being born with money in a world where most people are not. Interviews by Simon Usborne Just how far does a small fortune go? A sliding scale of wild extravagance... A 225-acre tropical paradise with sugar-white beaches and its own private resort is a snip at £17m. The island, which is almost totally encircled by a stunning 5,000-acre lagoon, boasts 20 private beachfront villas, each kitted out with four-poster beds and marble bathrooms. Staff not included. The 37-metre Trideck yacht from Sunseeker is unlikely to disappoint. The first was snapped up by Formula One team owner Eddie Jordan and only a handful have been built. Each boat includes four luxury cabins and acres of walnut panelling. Nine million pounds will get you a year-long itinerary of a lifetime, starting with a trip to space with Virgin Galactic, followed by a private trekking expedition to the North Pole. Round off the year with a six-week tour of the seven natural wonders of the world – Everest, the Great Barrier Reef, Grand Canyon, Victoria Falls, Rio, the Paricutin Volcano and Northern Lights – flying by private jet. Many charter companies can now fly you and a select group of friends to Paris for as little as £1,000 per person. But if you'd rather not share, buy your own Learjet. The eight-seater 45 will cruise at 460 knots at 40,000ft, and comes with a full leather interior. Expect to pay at least £200,000 a year for hangar and crewing fees; pilots come in at about £600 a day. The sky's the limit when investing in art, but a more modest £5m will secure you a personal art consultant, who will take you on a tour of London's galleries in the hunt for the best investments. Favoured by footballers, rock stars and the Queen, owning a racehorse is the rich man's way into the sport of kings. Upwards of £2m will get you a Danehill yearling, descended from the renowned Australian champion, while running costs will set you back at least £16,000 a year – much more with a top trainer. Paris jeweller Cartier's Caraibes diamond necklace holds almost 15 carats of diamonds, including a 10-carat centrepiece and almost 961 smaller stones punctuated by 12 rubies. The one-off piece, was made in 2005 and comes in at a smidgen under a million pounds. The Bugatti Veyron is the ultimate car to be seen in. The fastest, most powerful and priciest production car has a top speed of 253mph. Wealthy wine lovers may wish to invest in a grand place to stash vintage plonk. One London bachelor's cellar includes a humidor and a gun safe, limestone floor and bespoke mahogany racks. A growing number of builders specialising in luxury conversions will knock up something similar for under a million. You'll struggle to get a pile in the celeb-strewn Cotswolds "golden triangle" for less than £5m, but for £400,000 you could snap up a three-bed period cottage in Oxfordshire with views over the grounds of Blenheim Palace. List by Quintessentially, the luxury concierge company Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies 2023David Bowie (here in 1992) died in 2016 at the age of 69.Photo: Nigel Wright/Mirrorpix/Getty ImagesSave this storySaveSave this storySaveAll products featured on Architectural Digest are independently selected by our editors we may receive compensation from retailers and/or from purchases of products through these links During his eventful lifetime, David Bowie was hard to pin down. Even when the musician’s primary residence was in one place, he was busy touring the world or otherwise traveling for inspiration. The man even owned a yacht Behind his many fabled properties stands the shadow of even more homes and apartments across countless countries that he rented or stayed in with friends we outline some of the iconic musician’s most memorable properties they did their fair share of personalizing The most dramatic amendment was painting the entire interior black which Bowie apparently did in 1974 during the miners’ strike so he could picture what it was like to live in a coal mine Both Oscar Wilde and Bob Marley lived on the same block of Oakley Street at different times though it’s unclear whether he ever owned property Barnett and Bowie divorced in 1980 and Bowie kept the Blonay house and lived there until 1982 Bowie holding his 40th birthday cake in Switzerland in 1987 Though there could have been any number of reasons why Bowie and Iman decided to make the switch to this apartment their first and only child together was born in 2000 and the SoHo home definitely offered a lot more space for the family For a long while, Bowie and Iman’s Woodstock home was a total secret. Even to this day, little is known about its precise location. According to a 2021 Vogue profile of Iman Bowie first took interest in Woodstock in 2002 after recording his album Heathen at Allaire Studios in nearby Shokan The couple bought the 50-acre property in 2011 “They intended for it to be their forever home the place that they would be in when they were old and gray,” model and friend of Iman Bethann Hardison states in the Vogue story The Studio Has Tons of A-List Cameos—Including Some of the Best Midcentury-Modern Architecture in LA 50 Cent’s Houses: Exploring the Rapper’s Over-The-Top Real Estate Portfolio The Full House Victorian in San Francisco Sells for $6 Million The Residence Offers a Peek Inside the White House—but What Really Goes Into Running the President’s Private Quarters? Severance Twists the Mundane Trappings of the Office Into a Mind-Bending Hellscape Inside Lana Condor’s Completely Transformed Dream Home Actor Walton Goggins and Director Nadia Conners Imagine a New Life in the Hudson Valley 5 Secrets of the SNL Sets You Probably Didn’t Know Not a subscriber? Join AD for print and digital access now Browse the AD PRO Directory to find an AD-approved design expert for your next project. Jupiter fund manager Guy de Blonay has raised Asia exposure within the £1.4bn financial opportunities portfolio to almost 30 per cent who took on co-management of the financial opps fund with Philip Gibbs in June says the firm took money out of the US and lowered the cash weighting to increase Far East exposure He says sovereign risk is a major concern and that investors have to be careful to avoid countries needing severe austerity packages the financials team cut exposure to Europe from 20 per cent to under 10 per cent De Blonay includes HSBC and Standard Chartered banks in the Far East portfolio as that the majority of their earnings come from Asia He says: “You need to focus on areas that are creating jobs you can see the revaluation of that part of the world is clearly a likely scenario for the long term It is somewhere we are likely to be focusing on more in the future.” De Blonay says the team cut US exposure to below 20 per cent and is holding off adding to it at the moment He says: “We believe the macro environment is not improving as fast as we thought and we need confirmation on the sustainability of the housing market and job creation.” You must be logged in to post a comment The Local Europe ABVästmannagatan 43113 25 StockholmSweden Please log in here to leave a comment 13/09/2024 By What exactly is the alpine descent or désalpe / alpabzug This article explores the event’s history and where to see it we know the clock will soon strike autumn when processions of cows crowned with flowers and hung with huge clanging bells descend from summer alpine pastures to their winter barns before the snows come Led by cowherds and children dressed in embroidered traditional jackets and dresses the colorfully bedecked dairy cows come by mountain trails to village streets has been taking place in Switzerland and other European countries since about 3000 BCE Turf wars over alpine grazing rights even tested the mettle of the young Swiss confederation at the battle of Morgarten in 1315 citizens from the canton of Schwyz raided the Habsburg-protected Einsiedeln Abbey having already had their eye on the nearby Gotthard Pass earning the gratitude of generations of Swiss dairy cows Today, festivities include more than pretty cows on parade. In some villages, visitors will hear alpenhorns and yodeling flag-throwing and men marching in unison to the tune of the cowbells around their necks Regional crafts and foods are also offered cheeses made possible by those beautiful bovine ladies passing by that day Prättigauer Alp Spectacle – source: Facebook Summer milk from the high pastures is made into cheese both because the fresh grass gives it a preferred flavour as opposed to milk from winter silage and because transporting all that milk down from the high pastures would be too expensive Switzerland is home to nearly 590,000 milking cows many of which get to catch the summer sun in high mountain pastures so there are a number of opportunities to see Désalpes / Alpabzug festivities Here are some good ones taking place in the weeks to come: 1. Désalpe in St. Cergue – 28 September 2024The désalpe in Saint-Cergue is one of the most impressive in the country donkeys and dogs walk with their shepherds through the village centre The usual colourful flowers adorn the cows large bells hang around their necks and farmers wear traditional costumes alphorn demonstrations and of course cheese 2. Grimentz Eringer cow parade – 21 September 2024The distinctive Eringer cows that spend the summer grazing on Alp Moiry descend every September via Grimentz, a pretty traditional Valaisan village in the Val d’Anniviers perched 1,570 metres up These sturdy black cows produce a much sought after cheese made distinctive by their diet of mountain grass and herbs This cheese can be tasted at the festival as you watch the cows parade by Grimentz – Source: Flickr – Olivier Bruchez Crans-Montana Désalpe – 14 September 2024The désalpes across the region are country-side spectacles that are difficult to grow tired of not only because things are apt to change but also because the towns and villages that have traditionally hosted them have realized that they offer opportunities to turn a few pennies by selling local produce and sometimes not such local produce These four are by no means the only désalpes in Suisse Romande. Most villages with a mountain backdrop and cows have one. For example the commune Blonay, below Les Pleiades near Vevey and Montreux also has one on 23 September 2023 cow and nature lovers are spoilt for choice Here are four of the most popular events in the region The video clips below will give you a taste of the bell bonging festivities 1. Kerns Alpabfahrt – 28 September 2024Far from the village you can hear the bells of the approaching herd. After four months in the mountains, the herder returns  to the valley with his cows. For more information click here 3. Urnäsch Alpabfahrt – 14 September 2024The Urnäsch event includes a farmers’ market with over 50 stalls offering local products. There is also live music, games for the children and a chance to meet the animals. For more information click here 4. Prättigauer Alpabfahrt – 7 October 2024As well as cows this event includes a market and cheese tasting and plenty of of activities for all ages. Much of the action takes place in Seewis. For more information click here To find a local cow parade type “désalpe” or “alpabzug” and the name of your region into a search engine and see what comes up Filed Under: Activity guides Bitcoin exchange-traded products are now listed on the London Stock Exchange and run by the likes of Fidelity International and Invesco the narrative remains that wealth and asset managers in the UK either cannot or do not wish to buy cryptocurrencies themselves and put them in client portfolios Aside from Ruffer’s remarkable bitcoin trade at the end of 2020 – the exception that proves the rule – that leaves dabbling in crypto largely confined to retail investors sophisticated institutions and rogues of various sorts Jupiter looks to be the biggest backer among conventional fund management firms currently Jupiter Asset Management’s Robert Mumby has retired Mr Mumby left Jupiter on December 31 after nine years at the firm retiring after a career in financial services that spanned 35 years Mr de Blonay has taken on the management of Mr Mumby’s £41m Jupiter International Financials fund and the €61m (£47.7m) Jupiter Global Financials Luxembourg-domiciled Sicav He had previously been deputy manager on both funds as well as lead manager on the £462.3m Jupiter Financial Opportunities fund During his tenure on the Jupiter International Financials fund Mr Mumby delivered a return of 50.2 per cent while Mr de Blonay made 43.9 per cent on his Financial Opportunities fund in the same period 16/09/2015 By What exactly is the alpine descent or désalpe Blonay désalpe – © Philip Van Avermaet | Dreamstime.com It is the seasonal droving of grazing livestock from high mountain summer pastures to the low valley regions before winter sets in In German it is known as Alpwirtschaft and in French Désalpage or Désalpe It is a traditional farming practice thought to date back as far as 3000 BCE it was not always the happy festive affair that it is now Conflicts over alpine meadow ownership and grazing rights sparked several wars A a cow related conflict sparked the 1315 battle of Morgarten a group from the canton of Schwyz raided the Habsburg-protected Einsiedeln Abbey This sparked the House of Habsburg into action and they decided to invade having already had their eye on the nearby Gotthard Pass – the shortest route to Italy After a fierce battle it was clear the tiny Swiss confederation – only Schwyz Uri and Unterwalden were part of it at that stage so ensuring that Swiss cows could continue to graze the region’s alpine pastures Many of these animals must make the annual march down from high altitude pastures before the winter snow arrives Here is a selection of désalpes taking place this autumn: Grimentz – Source: Flickr – Olivier Bruchez These four are by no means the only désalpes in Suisse Romande. Most villages with a mountain backdrop and cows have one. For example the commune Blonay, below Les Pleiades near Vevey and Montreux also has one on 26 September 2015 For more stories like this on Switzerland follow us on Facebook there’s something Sound of Music about the lakeside setting of this handsome nine-bedroom home Sitting pretty on more than 8800 square metres of land the Swiss-style mansion takes in panoramic views of the lake and Alps Knight Frank’s CHF 14.8 million (about $22.7 million) asking price also includes an outdoor pool With the total internal living space measuring a whopping 885 square metres there’s plenty of room for a modern-day von Trapp family is home to prestige lakeside homes on sprawling private estates one of the neighbourhood’s biggest drawcards is St George’s International School of Vaud is a prosperous region with a reputation for scientific innovation natural beauty and world-class wine and cheese “The luxury market in the Riviera has been a little quieter over the past two years due to the strength of the Swiss franc,” says Alex Koch de Gooreynd a partner in European residential sales at Knight Frank we are starting to see a higher degree of interest in recent months as clients consider this more picturesque and quieter part of the lake as opposed to the more expensive area closer to Geneva.” Geneva is on the opposite side of the lake Non-Swiss citizens must live in Switzerland if they want to buy an estate in Clarens Different rules apply in designated “holiday zones” where foreign residents are allowed to buy one property no larger than 200 square metres Banks typically offer mortgages of up to 80 per cent of current market value At least 10 per cent of the deposit must be put down in cash as opposed to a super fund or other assets $20.7 million An elegant eight-bedroom lakeside estate Corseaux built in the early 1900s and renovated in 2010  $7 million An opulent three-bedroom apartment in central Montreux with towering bookshelves and artisanal finishes $6.7 million A six-bedroom Belle Epoque-style house in Blonay, near Montreux, with sweeping lake and mountain views. 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