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Innovation - Economics - 08.03.2023 
FinTech in Switzerland: back on track for growth
After a decline in 2021, the Swiss FinTech sector grew again in 2022. Insights into the dynamic financial technology market are provided by the results of this year's FinTech study by the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts. After a decline of around five percent in 2021, the development of the Swiss FinTech sector returned to its usual direction.
Economics - Environment - 24.11.2022 
Smartphone banks compete with traditional banks for business
One in ten people in Switzerland already uses a smartphone bank. Although such neo-banks have so far only been used as secondary and third-party banks, they could also challenge the established banks' status as principal bankers in the future. This is the result of a study by the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts on the Swiss retail banking market.
Economics - 03.11.2022 
Personal experience is key to our view of globalization
Threat or salvation? The way in which people judge globalization depends on whether it benefits them or not. Our own experiences are crucial here, and carry more weight than forecasts of potential gains. This has been shown in an experiment by researchers at the University of Basel. November 2022 For decades, global political and economic relations have been seen as the secret to greater prosperity, and have therefore been consistently nurtured and intensified.
Economics - 18.10.2022 
Returns in online retail: what they cost and how they can be avoided
Returns are an integral part of online retailing. Up to 60 percent of the goods ordered are returned in individual online stores. This causes high costs, as the online retailer survey by the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts reveals. An HSLU research team asked online stores how returns can be avoided.
Innovation - Economics - 05.10.2022 
Lightweight, ultra-connected seaborne containers
The composite containers developed by AELER, an EPFL startup, deliver better performance across the board: they're stronger, have a bigger payload, are better insulated, allow for enhanced tracking and can help cut carbon emissions.
Economics - 20.09.2022 
Home ownership leads to less happiness than expected
We aren't very good at predicting what will make us happy. That is one finding from a study by Basel economists.
Environment - Economics - 11.08.2022
Economics - 22.06.2022
Environment - Economics - 02.06.2022 
New tool for emergency planning during extreme floods
The Mobiliar Lab for Natural Risks of the University of Bern shows that far greater floods are possible in Switzerland than previously assumed. These extreme events underscore the importance of supra-regional emergency planning. A new modeling tool is designed to help manage large floods. Even experts could not have imagined the extent of these floods: Nobody had expected the devastating storms of summer 2021 in Germany.
Economics - 14.04.2022
Economics - 07.03.2022
Economics - Innovation - 09.12.2021 
Chats, Chatbots and Voicebots - Arrived in Banking?
Questions about finances, savings accounts, or retirement planning: More and more interactions with the bank are taking place via low-threshold, digital communication channels. Almost half of customers can imagine communicating with their bank via chat or chatbot. This is shown by the Conversational Banking study conducted by the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts.
Career - Economics - 06.12.2021 
Over-optimism in the newly self-employed
Autonomy is something people cherish. Those who long for independence in their daily working lives may decide to become self-employed. This step toward greater freedom should after all contribute to greater life satisfaction. But does self-employment actually live up to these high expectations? Researchers at the University of Basel have investigated the topic.
Economics - Agronomy / Food Science - 11.10.2021 
An efficient and low-cost approach to detecting food fraud
Fraudulent practices in food production, especially false claims of geographical origin, cause billions of dollars in economic damage every year. Botanists at the University of Basel have now developed a model that can be used to determine the origin of food in an efficient and low-cost manner. Strawberries from Switzerland or olive oil from Italy can be sold at much higher prices than the same products from other countries.
Innovation - Economics - 06.08.2021 
Startups: Where design and technology meet
Enabled by Design is a joint EPFL-ECAL program that forges ties between researchers and designers to make it easier to bring new technology to market. Researchers are often the first to see a device's innovative potential. But investors, users and end customers will look not only at its functionality, but also its ergonomics and aesthetics.
Materials Science - Economics - 15.07.2021 
Filled energy saving bar
Insulation webs are essential in aluminum window profiles and facades for good thermal insulation. researchers and their partners have been working for some time on a novel "sandwich" product with an environmentally friendly filling: recycled material from PET bottles. Now the market launch is approaching - with good prospects of success.
Astronomy / Space Science - Economics - 28.06.2021 
Unique exoplanet photobombs CHEOPS study of nearby star system
While studying two exoplanets in a bright nearby star system, the CHEOPS satellite has unexpectedly spotted the system's third known planet crossing the face of the star. This transit reveals exciting details about a rare planet -with no known equivalent-, as the scientific team led by the Universities of Geneva and Bern, and members of the National Center of Competence in Research PlanetS, point out.
Health - Economics - 07.05.2021 
Regular virus tests can curb infection rates
Since February 2021, the canton of Grisons is using saliva-based PCR mass testing within its mobile workforce as a potential means to contain the COVID-19 pandemic and reduce infection rates. Empa researchers are now leading the analysis of data from the first eight weeks of the testing regime. They observed a reduction in the incidence rate between 20 and 50%, depending on the business sector, and a noticeable reduction in the test positivity rate among those who were regularly tested.
Materials Science - Economics - 02.04.2021
Economics - Innovation - 09.02.2021 
Thematic ETFs, "a financial innovation gone awry"
Catering to the future expectations of investors is inherent to the world of finance which, as such, plays an import role in fostering economic growth through it's ability to innovate. However, financial innovations are not always flawless. A recent study co-authored by USI finance professor Francesco Franzoni reveals the significant performance inefficiencies of the increasingly popular 'thematic' exchange traded funds (ETFs).
Economics
Results 1 - 20 of 59.
After a decline in 2021, the Swiss FinTech sector grew again in 2022. Insights into the dynamic financial technology market are provided by the results of this year's FinTech study by the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts. After a decline of around five percent in 2021, the development of the Swiss FinTech sector returned to its usual direction.
One in ten people in Switzerland already uses a smartphone bank. Although such neo-banks have so far only been used as secondary and third-party banks, they could also challenge the established banks' status as principal bankers in the future. This is the result of a study by the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts on the Swiss retail banking market.
Threat or salvation? The way in which people judge globalization depends on whether it benefits them or not. Our own experiences are crucial here, and carry more weight than forecasts of potential gains. This has been shown in an experiment by researchers at the University of Basel. November 2022 For decades, global political and economic relations have been seen as the secret to greater prosperity, and have therefore been consistently nurtured and intensified.
Returns are an integral part of online retailing. Up to 60 percent of the goods ordered are returned in individual online stores. This causes high costs, as the online retailer survey by the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts reveals. An HSLU research team asked online stores how returns can be avoided.
The composite containers developed by AELER, an EPFL startup, deliver better performance across the board: they're stronger, have a bigger payload, are better insulated, allow for enhanced tracking and can help cut carbon emissions.
We aren't very good at predicting what will make us happy. That is one finding from a study by Basel economists.
Extreme Heat and Drought Events Require More Systematic Risk Assessment
Simultaneous extreme heat and drought events have consequences in a variety of areas - for example the economy, health and food production. In addition, due to complex socio-economic connections, such extreme events can cause knock-on effects, researchers at the University of Zurich have shown. More systematic risk assessments are needed to make affected regions more resilient.
Simultaneous extreme heat and drought events have consequences in a variety of areas - for example the economy, health and food production. In addition, due to complex socio-economic connections, such extreme events can cause knock-on effects, researchers at the University of Zurich have shown. More systematic risk assessments are needed to make affected regions more resilient.
Vulnerabilities in Mega cloud service
A team of cryptographers at ETH Zurich conducted extensive testing on the New Zealand-based cloud platform Mega. In doing so, they discovered security holes that would allow the provider to decrypt and manipulate customer data. -Mega - The most trusted, best-protected cloud storage this is how New Zealand-based cloud provider Mega advertises its services.
A team of cryptographers at ETH Zurich conducted extensive testing on the New Zealand-based cloud platform Mega. In doing so, they discovered security holes that would allow the provider to decrypt and manipulate customer data. -Mega - The most trusted, best-protected cloud storage this is how New Zealand-based cloud provider Mega advertises its services.
The Mobiliar Lab for Natural Risks of the University of Bern shows that far greater floods are possible in Switzerland than previously assumed. These extreme events underscore the importance of supra-regional emergency planning. A new modeling tool is designed to help manage large floods. Even experts could not have imagined the extent of these floods: Nobody had expected the devastating storms of summer 2021 in Germany.
Controlling complex systems with artificial intelligence | ETH Zurich
Researchers at and the Frankfurt School have developed an artificial neural network that can solve challenging control problems. The self-learning system can be used for the optimization of supply chains and production processes as well as for smart grids or traffic control systems. Power cuts, financial network failures and supply chain disruptions are just some of the many of problems typically encountered in complex systems that are very difficult or even impossible to control using existing methods.
Researchers at and the Frankfurt School have developed an artificial neural network that can solve challenging control problems. The self-learning system can be used for the optimization of supply chains and production processes as well as for smart grids or traffic control systems. Power cuts, financial network failures and supply chain disruptions are just some of the many of problems typically encountered in complex systems that are very difficult or even impossible to control using existing methods.
Skill, scale, and value creation in the mutual fund industry
When investors shop for mutual funds, they typically focus on performance, which is generally measured by the level of returns (compared to a given benchmark). However, far less is known about value creation, i.e. whether funds, or rather the fund managers, are capable of extracting genuine value from capital markets through their investment decisions.
When investors shop for mutual funds, they typically focus on performance, which is generally measured by the level of returns (compared to a given benchmark). However, far less is known about value creation, i.e. whether funds, or rather the fund managers, are capable of extracting genuine value from capital markets through their investment decisions.
Questions about finances, savings accounts, or retirement planning: More and more interactions with the bank are taking place via low-threshold, digital communication channels. Almost half of customers can imagine communicating with their bank via chat or chatbot. This is shown by the Conversational Banking study conducted by the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts.
Autonomy is something people cherish. Those who long for independence in their daily working lives may decide to become self-employed. This step toward greater freedom should after all contribute to greater life satisfaction. But does self-employment actually live up to these high expectations? Researchers at the University of Basel have investigated the topic.
Fraudulent practices in food production, especially false claims of geographical origin, cause billions of dollars in economic damage every year. Botanists at the University of Basel have now developed a model that can be used to determine the origin of food in an efficient and low-cost manner. Strawberries from Switzerland or olive oil from Italy can be sold at much higher prices than the same products from other countries.
Enabled by Design is a joint EPFL-ECAL program that forges ties between researchers and designers to make it easier to bring new technology to market. Researchers are often the first to see a device's innovative potential. But investors, users and end customers will look not only at its functionality, but also its ergonomics and aesthetics.
Insulation webs are essential in aluminum window profiles and facades for good thermal insulation. researchers and their partners have been working for some time on a novel "sandwich" product with an environmentally friendly filling: recycled material from PET bottles. Now the market launch is approaching - with good prospects of success.
While studying two exoplanets in a bright nearby star system, the CHEOPS satellite has unexpectedly spotted the system's third known planet crossing the face of the star. This transit reveals exciting details about a rare planet -with no known equivalent-, as the scientific team led by the Universities of Geneva and Bern, and members of the National Center of Competence in Research PlanetS, point out.
Since February 2021, the canton of Grisons is using saliva-based PCR mass testing within its mobile workforce as a potential means to contain the COVID-19 pandemic and reduce infection rates. Empa researchers are now leading the analysis of data from the first eight weeks of the testing regime. They observed a reduction in the incidence rate between 20 and 50%, depending on the business sector, and a noticeable reduction in the test positivity rate among those who were regularly tested.
Catering to the future expectations of investors is inherent to the world of finance which, as such, plays an import role in fostering economic growth through it's ability to innovate. However, financial innovations are not always flawless. A recent study co-authored by USI finance professor Francesco Franzoni reveals the significant performance inefficiencies of the increasingly popular 'thematic' exchange traded funds (ETFs).
