Chronology
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The chronology arranges about 350 events from the Celtic settlement at the Rhine knee to the parliamentary debates of September 2026. Each entry gives the year, or the exact date where the main text records one, followed by the Part and Chapter that discuss the event.1 Events in Basel stand beside the Swiss and international developments that shaped its financial centre, such as federal laws, popular votes, mergers and crises.
Antiquity and Middle Ages
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| c. 80 BC | The open Celtic settlement of Basel-Gasfabrik is abandoned and a fortified oppidum arises on the Münsterhügel (A I) |
| 58 BC | The Rauraci join the Helvetii in their attempted emigration to south-western Gaul, stopped by Caesar at Bibracte (A I) |
| 44 BC | Conventional date of the foundation of the Roman colony of Augusta Raurica (A I) |
| c. 15 BC | Archaeological evidence shows an urban settlement at Augusta Raurica in the context of the Augustan Alpine campaigns (A I) |
| c. 300 AD | The late Roman fort Castrum Rauracense is built on the Rhine at today's Kaiseraugst under the Tetrarchy (A I) |
| c. 350 AD | A hoard of silver objects is buried at Kaiseraugst during the usurpation of Magnentius, found in 1961–1962 (A I) |
| 1006 | King Rudolf III of Burgundy cedes Basel to the German king Henry II, who endows the bishopric with lands and rights (A I, A II) |
| 1041 | The bishop of Basel receives the county of the Augstgau or Sisgau, beginning the territorial Prince-Bishopric (A II) |
| c. 1225 | Bishop Heinrich von Thun has a bridge built across the Rhine, connecting Basel with the right bank (A II) |
| 1226 | Oldest surviving guild charter of Basel, granted by Heinrich von Thun to the furriers (A II) |
| 1348–1349 | The Black Death reaches the region, and in January 1349 the Jewish community of Basel is murdered (A II) |
| 18 Oct 1356 | The strongest recorded earthquake in Central Europe north of the Alps destroys much of Basel (A II) |
| 1360 | Beginning of the almost uninterrupted series of municipal accounts, later edited by Bernhard Harms (A III) |
| 1373 | The bishop pledges the mint to the city, which thereafter exercises the right of coinage (A II) |
| 1392 | Grossbasel buys Kleinbasel from the bishop, reportedly for 29,800 guilders, uniting both banks under one government (A II) |
| 1403 | Monetary treaty of the Rappen union between Basel, Freiburg im Breisgau, Colmar and Breisach (A II) |
| 1425 | Papal bull of Martin V confirms the lawfulness of the redeemable rent, confirmed again by Callixtus III in 1455 (A III) |
| 1431 | The general Council of the Latin Church opens in Basel in July (A IV) |
| 1433 | Emperor Sigismund stays in Basel, Eugene IV recognises the Council and a Hussite delegation debates there (A IV) |
| 1435 | The Council abolishes the annates and other curial fees (A IV) |
| 1436 | The Compacts of Prague reconcile the moderate Hussites, and the Council proclaims an indulgence (A IV) |
| 1439 | The Council deposes Eugene IV and elects Duke Amadeus VIII of Savoy as Felix V (A IV) |
| 26 Aug 1444 | Battle of St. Jakob an der Birs against the invading Armagnacs (A III) |
| 1448 | Frederick III withdraws his protection, and the Council moves to Lausanne (A IV) |
| 1449 | Felix V abdicates, the Council dissolves itself and peace with the Austrian nobility is concluded at Breisach (A IV) |
| 12 Nov 1459 | Bull of Pius II, formerly Aeneas Silvius Piccolomini, authorising a studium generale in Basel (A V) |
1460–1600
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 4 Apr 1460 | Solemn opening of the University of Basel in the Minster, the first university in present-day Switzerland (A V) |
| 1471 | Emperor Frederick III grants Basel the privilege of holding two annual fairs (A V) |
| 1474–1477 | Burgundian Wars, ending with the death of Charles the Bold at Nancy (A V) |
| 1478 | The printer Johann Amerbach settles in Basel and builds one of the leading printing houses of the city (A V, B I) |
| 1494 | Sebastian Brant's Narrenschiff is published in Basel by Johann Bergmann von Olpe (A V) |
| 22 Jul 1499 | The Confederates defeat an imperial army at Dornach during the Swabian War (A V) |
| 22 Sep 1499 | The Peace of Basel ending the Swabian War is signed in the city (A V) |
| 9 Jun 1501 | Treaty of alliance admitting Basel as the eleventh member of the Confederation, with an obligation of neutrality (A V) |
| 1504 | The council creates the Stadtwechsel, one of the first public banks in the German-speaking area (A III) |
| 1514 | Erasmus comes to Basel for the first time, drawn by Froben's printing house (B II) |
| 1515 | Froben prints Erasmus's Praise of Folly, and Hans Holbein the Younger arrives in Basel (A V, B I) |
| 1516 | Froben publishes Erasmus's New Testament, the Jerome edition and the Institutio principis christiani (B I, B II) |
| 1521 | Erasmus settles in Basel, where he lives until 1529 (B II) |
| 1522 | Oecolampadius returns to Basel, while Adam Petri reprints Luther's New Testament within months (B I, B III) |
| 1527 | Death of Johann Froben, Paracelsus teaches briefly in Basel and the bishop moves to Porrentruy (A V, B I, B III) |
| 1529 | The university closes, Erasmus moves to Freiburg and the cathedral chapter leaves the city (B II, B III) |
| 9 Feb 1529 | Armed guilds force the council to accept their demands, followed by iconoclasm in the churches (B III) |
| 1 Apr 1529 | The Reformation Ordinance establishes a state church, a marriage court, poor relief and moral discipline (B III) |
| 1531 | Death of Oecolampadius in November, weeks after Zwingli falls at Kappel (B III) |
| 1532 | The university reopens under a Protestant constitution, and Holbein settles in London (A V, B I) |
| Jan 1535 | Jean Calvin arrives in Basel as a refugee from the persecution in France (B IV) |
| 1536 | The First Helvetic Confession is drafted in Basel, and Erasmus dies on 12 July, leaving a foundation (B II, B III) |
| Mar 1536 | Thomas Platter and Balthasar Lasius print the first edition of Calvin's Institutio in Basel (B IV) |
| 1543 | Johannes Oporinus prints Vesalius's De humani corporis fabrica in Basel (A V, B I) |
| 1544 | Sebastian Münster's Cosmographia first appears, and David Joris settles in Basel under the name Johann von Brugge (B I, B V) |
| c. 1545 | Calvin's letter on usury legitimates moderate interest under conditions (B IV) |
| 1555 | The Catholic majority of the cantons expels the Protestant community of Locarno, whose refugees found silk enterprises in Zurich (B V) |
| 1572 | The Massacre of St Bartholomew drives a mass flight of Huguenots towards Switzerland (B V) |
| 1584 | The Rappen monetary union dissolves under the pressure of the new silver coinages (A II) |
| 1585 | The fall of Antwerp drives Protestant merchants and craftsmen from the Low Countries into exile (B V) |
1600–1833
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1622 | The spice merchant Jakob Bernoulli moves from Frankfurt to Basel and acquires citizenship (B V) |
| 1646 | Mayor Johann Rudolf Wettstein is sent to the peace congress in Westphalia (B V) |
| 1648 | The Peace of Westphalia recognises the separation of the Confederation from the Empire (A V, B V) |
| 1653 | The Peasants' War affects the Basel countryside and large parts of the Confederation (A III) |
| 1661 | The city and university acquire the Amerbach cabinet, the first public museum collection owned by a city (B I, J V) |
| c. 1667 | Emanuel Hoffmann is said to bring the engine loom for ribbons from the Netherlands to Basel (B V, C I) |
| 1682 | The council establishes the Kaufmännisches Direktorium, the merchants' Directorate of Commerce (C I) |
| 1685 | The Revocation of the Edict of Nantes drives a new wave of Huguenots through Switzerland (B IV, J II) |
| 1713 | Jakob Bernoulli's Ars conjectandi formulates the law of large numbers (A V, B V) |
| 1718 | The council introduces the drawing of lots to fill public offices against corruption (C II) |
| 1720 | The collapse of Law's System and the South Sea Bubble cause losses to Basel investors (C III) |
| 1738 | Daniel Bernoulli's essay on the measurement of risk introduces expected utility (A V, B V) |
| 1758 | Johann Rudolf Geigy establishes his trade in materials, chemicals, dyes and drugs (C I, D II) |
| 1760 | Johann Peter Hebel is born in Basel, publishing his Alemannische Gedichte in 1803 (J I) |
| 1777 | Iselin founds the GGG, the Society for the Promotion of the Good and the Public Benefit (A III, C II) |
| 1787 | Origins of the private bank La Roche & Co, among the oldest private banks of Switzerland (C III) |
| 1795 | The Peace of Basel ends the war of the First Coalition for Prussia and Spain (A V) |
| 1797 | The French state bankruptcy of the two thirds hits Basel creditors, and Peter Ochs negotiates in Paris (C II, C III) |
| 1798 | The Helvetic Republic abolishes the guild constitution and introduces a single Swiss franc (A III, C III) |
| Jan 1798 | Basel carries out a peaceful revolution before the French invasion and the Helvetic Republic (C II) |
| Jan 1798 | Mulhouse votes to join the French Republic after a customs blockade (A V, J II) |
| 1803 | Napoleon's Act of Mediation restores the cantons and their right of coinage (C I, C III) |
| 1806 | The Continental System closes markets and encourages smuggling across the Basel border (C I) |
| 1809 | The GGG founds an interest-bearing savings bank to encourage thrift (C III) |
| 1815 | The Basel Mission is founded, and the Congress of Vienna creates the Central Commission for the Navigation of the Rhine (A I, C V) |
| 1815 | Louis Danzas joins a forwarding business in Saint-Louis that becomes Danzas & Cie (C III) |
| 1828 | The Basel Mission sends its first missionaries to the Gold Coast (C V) |
| 1831–1832 | Armed clashes between the city of Basel and its rural population over equal representation (D I) |
| 1780s–1790s | Christoph Burckhardt & Cie and its associates help finance and outfit slave-trading expeditions from Nantes (C IV) |
1833–1890
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| Aug 1833 | Defeat of the city troops forces the partition into Basel-Stadt and Basel-Landschaft (D I) |
| 1834 | The Basel Mission begins work on the Malabar coast of India (C V) |
| 1835 | Britain finances slave-owner compensation through a loan arranged by Rothschild and Montefiore (C IV) |
| 1836 | Salt deposits are discovered at Schweizerhalle on the Rhine (A III) |
| 1844 | The Bank in Basel is founded and receives the right to issue banknotes (C III) |
| 1844–1845 | The French line from Strasbourg reaches a station in Basel, the first railway station on Swiss soil (D I) |
| 1845 | The cantonal post issues the Basler Taube, one of the first postage stamps in the world (C I) |
| 1848 | The Federal Constitution creates the federal state and transfers customs to the Confederation (C II, D I) |
| 1850 | The Federal Coinage Act introduces the Swiss franc and ends the cantonal currencies, including Basel's (A II, C III) |
| 1852 | Foundation of the Swiss Central Railway in Basel, and Basel joins the federal telegraph network (D I) |
| 1852 | A treaty with the Grand Duchy of Baden provides for the Badischer Bahnhof on Swiss soil (H II, H III) |
| 1854 | Six Basel private banks form the Bankverein consortium to finance railways (C III) |
| 1856 | Alfred Escher founds the Schweizerische Kreditanstalt in Zurich to finance his railway (D I) |
| 1858 | Death of Christoph Merian, whose fortune later forms the Christoph Merian Foundation (C II) |
| 1858 | The Hauenstein tunnel opens after the disaster of May 1857, linking Basel with Olten (A I, D I) |
| 1859 | Foundation of the Basel Mission Trading Company, and Alexander Clavel begins producing fuchsine (C I, C V) |
| 10–11 May 1861 | The great fire of Glarus reveals the limits of local fire insurance (D IV) |
| 1862 | Foundation of the Basler Handelsbank, the second major joint-stock bank of Basel, which lends heavily to Germany (D III) |
| 1863 | Foundation of Swiss Re in Zurich, with the Basler Handelsbank, and of the Basel fire insurance company (D IV) |
| 1864 | Federal parliament declines to prohibit slave ownership by Swiss abroad (C IV) |
| 1864 | Foundation of the Basel life and transport insurers and of the cantonal bank of Basel-Landschaft (D III, D IV) |
| 1865 | Switzerland joins the Latin Monetary Union, and workers found the Allgemeiner Consumverein in Basel (C III, D I) |
| 1866 | Swiss Jews obtain freedom of establishment, completed by the Federal Constitution of 1874 (A II, C III) |
| 1868 | The Mannheim Act establishes free navigation on the Rhine from Basel to the sea (A I, H I) |
| 1871 | The Bourbaki army is interned in Switzerland, and Alsace passes to the German Empire (D I) |
| 1872 | The Basler Bankverein is founded as a joint-stock company (C III, D III) |
| 1874 | The revised Federal Constitution guarantees freedom of trade and freedom of belief (A III, B III) |
| 1875 | The constitutional revision of Basel-Stadt introduces direct democracy (C III) |
| 1876 | Foundation of the Basel stock exchange and of the Basel Chamber of Commerce (C I, C III) |
| 1879 | Tetteh Quarshie is said to bring cocoa beans to the Gold Coast, and the first federal trademark act is adopted (C V, D II) |
| 1881 | The Code of Obligations and the Federal Banknote Act are adopted (C III) |
| 1882 | The Gotthard line opens, and the Swiss Society of Chemical Industries is founded (D I, D II) |
| 1884 | Clavel's successor firm becomes the joint-stock company CIBA (D II) |
| 1885 | The Federal Act on the Supervision of Private Insurance Companies is adopted (D IV, I II) |
| 1886 | Kern & Sandoz is founded, and the Christoph Merian Foundation receives the Merian fortune (A III, D II) |
| 1888 | The first Federal Patent Act enters into force, without protection for chemical processes (C I, D II) |
1891–1945
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1891 | A constitutional revision gives the Confederation the monopoly of banknote issue (C III) |
| 1896 | Fritz Hoffmann-La Roche founds F. Hoffmann-La Roche & Co. and builds a plant at Grenzach (D II) |
| 1897 | The Basler und Zürcher Bankverein adopts the name Swiss Bank Corporation, with its head office in Basel (D III) |
| Aug 1897 | Theodor Herzl convenes the first Zionist Congress in Basel (A II, D I) |
| 1898 | The Swiss Bank Corporation opens in London, and the people approve the purchase of the railways (D I, D III) |
| 1899 | Foundation of the Basler Kantonalbank by cantonal law (A V, D III) |
| 1904 | A steam tug with a barge reaches Basel from Strasbourg, inaugurating Rhine shipping (A I, D I) |
| 1907 | The Swiss National Bank begins operations, the Civil Code is adopted and chemical processes become patentable (C III, D II) |
| 1908 | The Insurance Contract Act regulates the relationship between insurer and policyholder (D IV) |
| 1910 | Foundation of the Swiss Economic Archives in Basel and separation of church and state in Basel-Stadt (B III, C I) |
| 1911 | The Code of Obligations is revised, the St Johann port opens and the accident insurance act is adopted (C III, D I, D IV) |
| 1912 | The Swiss Bankers Association is founded, and the Socialist International meets in Basel (D I, D III) |
| 1915 | The Allies require the Société Suisse de Surveillance Économique to control re-exports (D I) |
| 1917 | The Schweizer Mustermesse is founded, Sandoz opens a pharmaceutical department and the Basel Mission's property is seized (A V, C V, D II, H IV) |
| 1918 | French troops enter Strasbourg, and Alsace-Moselle returns to France (J II) |
| 1918 | A national general strike breaks out in November, and Ciba, Geigy and Sandoz form the Basel IG cartel (D I, D II) |
| 1919 | Roche becomes a joint-stock company, and proportional representation is introduced (D I, D II) |
| 1922–1923 | German hyperinflation destroys the German reserves of the Basel life insurers (D IV) |
| 1924 | Two French laws introduce French civil law in Alsace-Moselle while preserving the droit local (J II) |
| 1926 | Paul Sacher founds the Basler Kammerorchester at the age of twenty (J V) |
| 1927 | Cooperatives and trade unions found the Genossenschaftliche Zentralbank in Basel (D I) |
| 20 Jan 1930 | The Hague Agreements provide for the establishment of the Bank for International Settlements in Switzerland (D V, F I) |
| 17 May 1930 | The BIS opens its offices in a former hotel opposite Basel's main railway station (D V, F I) |
| 1931 | The Creditanstalt collapses, and the standstill agreements freeze German loans of the Basel banks (D III, D V) |
| 1932 | The Lausanne Conference effectively ends German reparations, after which the BIS becomes a bank for central banks (D V) |
| 26 Oct 1932 | French police search the Paris offices of the Basler Handelsbank (D III) |
| 1933 | Roche licenses Reichstein's vitamin C synthesis, and the Emanuel Hoffmann Foundation is established (C II, D II) |
| 8 Nov 1934 | The Banking Act introduces federal supervision and criminal protection of banking secrecy in Article 47 (D III) |
| 1935 | Basel-Stadt elects the first social democratic cantonal government in Switzerland, Rotes Basel (D I, D V) |
| 1935 | Foundation of the forwarding and air freight company Panalpina in Basel, taken over by DSV in 2019 (H I) |
| Sep 1936 | Switzerland devalues the franc by about thirty per cent after France (D III) |
| 1938 | Albert Hofmann synthesises LSD-25 at Sandoz, and Switzerland asks Germany to mark Jewish passports (D II, D V) |
| 1939 | The BIS transfers Czech gold to the Reichsbank, and Paul Hermann Müller discovers DDT at Geigy (D II, D V) |
| 1939 | The Kunstmuseum Basel acquires modern works removed by the National Socialist regime from German museums (H V) |
| Aug 1942 | The Swiss authorities close the border to refugees persecuted solely on racial grounds (D V) |
| Jul 1944 | The Bretton Woods conference recommends the liquidation of the BIS (A IV, D V) |
| 1945 | The Swiss Bank Corporation takes over the Basler Handelsbank, and American bombers hit Basel by mistake (D III, D V) |
1946–1990
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1946 | The Washington Agreement settles Allied claims on looted gold for 250 million francs (D V) |
| 1946 | The Basel-Mulhouse airport opens under a provisional agreement, followed by the Convention of 4 July 1949 (H II) |
| 1948 | The BIS returns looted gold to the Allies, and the old-age and survivors' insurance is introduced (D IV, D V) |
| 1950 | The BIS becomes agent of the European Payments Union, and the Rhine protection commission is founded (D II, D V, F I) |
| 1953 | The Maritime Navigation Act allows ships under the Swiss flag to be registered in Basel (H I) |
| 1954 | Federal Patent Act adopted, and Straumann is founded in Waldenburg (G I, G IV) |
| 1958 | European currencies become convertible, and the European Payments Union is dissolved (D V, F I) |
| Mar 1961 | Central banks conclude the Basel Agreement in support of sterling, followed by the London gold pool (F I) |
| 1963 | Basel businessmen, academics and politicians found the association Regio Basiliensis to promote the Upper Rhine region (H II) |
| 1966 | Basel-Stadt introduces cantonal women's suffrage, and the Jewish Museum of Switzerland is founded in Basel (A II, C II) |
| Dec 1967 | Basel voters approve a public credit to keep two Picasso paintings in the city (J V) |
| 1969 | Basel-Landschaft rejects a reunification constitution accepted by Basel-Stadt (D I) |
| 1970 | Merger of Ciba and Geigy, and Basel gallerists found Art Basel (A V, G I, H IV) |
| 1971 | Federal women's suffrage, foundation of the Biozentrum and creation of the Euro-currency Standing Committee (C II, F I, G I) |
| 1972 | Voters write the three-pillar principle of old-age provision into the Federal Constitution (I IV) |
| 3 Dec 1972 | The people and all cantons approve the Free Trade Agreement with the EEC, in force from 1 January 1973 (G III, H III, K IV) |
| 1973 | Paul Sacher establishes the Paul Sacher Foundation, which acquires Stravinsky's estate in 1983 (J V) |
| 26 Jun 1974 | The failure of Bankhaus Herstatt in Cologne exposes the gaps in international supervision (F II) |
| Feb 1975 | First meeting of the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision, created by the G10 governors (F II) |
| Dec 1975 | The G10 governors approve the Basel Concordat on the supervision of foreign establishments (F II) |
| 1977 | The Chiasso affair leads to the first agreement on the due diligence of the banks, the CDB (D III, E III) |
| 1977 | The BIS moves into its tower near the station designed by Martin Burckhardt (D III, D V, F I) |
| 1978 | Swiss law protects chemical and pharmaceutical products, and Werner Arber receives the Nobel Prize (D II, G I) |
| 1979 | Creation of the canton of Jura from the former Prince-Bishopric lands (A II) |
| 1982 | The Mexican debt crisis, and the collapse of Banco Ambrosiano (F I, F II) |
| 11 Apr 1983 | Agreement between Switzerland and France on the taxation of frontier workers (E I, H II) |
| 1984 | Switzerland formally joins the Group of Ten, with whose work it had been associated since the 1960s (F III) |
| 1985 | Occupational pensions become compulsory when the BVG of 1982 enters into force, with a minimum interest rate of four per cent (D IV, I IV) |
| 1986 | The Federal Council freezes the assets of Ferdinand Marcos in Swiss banks (E III) |
| 1 Nov 1986 | A fire at the Sandoz warehouse in Schweizerhalle pollutes the Rhine (D II, G I) |
| 10 Feb 1987 | The Federal Council and the BIS conclude the Headquarters Agreement (A IV, F I) |
| Oct 1987 | The Rhine states adopt the Rhine Action Programme, "Salmon 2000" (G I) |
| 1988 | The Lebanon Connection reveals the laundering of drug proceeds through Swiss banks (E III) |
| Jul 1988 | The Basel Committee publishes the Capital Accord, Basel I (A V, F II) |
| Dec 1988 | The Basel Statement of Principles on preventing criminal use of the banking system (F V) |
| 22 Mar 1989 | A diplomatic conference in Basel adopts the Basel Convention on hazardous wastes (F V) |
| 10 Oct 1989 | Switzerland and the EEC sign the agreement on direct non-life insurance (I II) |
| 1990 | Roche acquires a majority stake of about sixty per cent in Genentech while leaving it largely independent (G I, G II) |
| 1 Aug 1990 | Money laundering becomes a criminal offence under Article 305bis of the Criminal Code (E III) |
1991–2008
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1991 | The failure of the Spar- und Leihkasse Thun leads to the introduction of deposit protection (D III) |
| 1 Apr 1991 | The Major Accidents Ordinance, adopted after the Schweizerhalle fire, enters into force (G I) |
| Jul 1991 | Closure of BCCI, prompting the Minimum Standards of July 1992 (F II) |
| 1992 | Switzerland joins the IMF and the World Bank, and the Basel Convention enters into force on 5 May (F IV, F V) |
| 6 Dec 1992 | Swiss voters narrowly reject the EEA, while both Basel half-cantons accept it (K IV) |
| 1993 | The Swiss Bankers Association founds the Swiss Banking Ombudsman (E II) |
| 1996 | The Bergier Commission and the Volcker Committee begin their work on the war years, and SWX starts electronic trading (D V, E I) |
| 1996 | The BIS invites nine central banks from Asia, Latin America and the Middle East to join (F I) |
| 1996 | Helvetia merges with the Basel mutual life insurer Patria, and compulsory health insurance enters into force (D IV, I I) |
| 1996 | The Museum Tinguely opens with the support of the Roche group and its founding family (J V) |
| Jan 1996 | The Basel Committee amends the Accord to incorporate market risks (F II) |
| 7 Mar 1996 | Ciba-Geigy and Sandoz announce their merger into Novartis, completed in December (G I) |
| 1997 | Foundation of Actelion, and Novartis spins off Ciba Specialty Chemicals (G I, G IV) |
| 1997 | Ernst and Hildy Beyeler open the Fondation Beyeler in Riehen (E V, H IV) |
| Sep 1997 | The Basel Committee publishes the Core Principles for Effective Banking Supervision (F II) |
| Dec 1997 | The Swiss Bank Corporation and the Union Bank of Switzerland announce their merger (E I) |
| 1998 | The merger creates UBS, and UBS and Credit Suisse settle the American dormant-account class actions in August (D V, E I) |
| 1998 | The IAIS moves its secretariat to the BIS, and the BIS opens its Hong Kong office (F I, F IV) |
| 1998 | The Washington Conference Principles on Nazi-confiscated art are endorsed, including by Switzerland (H V) |
| 1 Apr 1998 | The Anti-Money Laundering Act of 1997 enters into force (E III) |
| 1999 | Creation of the Financial Stability Forum and of the Financial Stability Institute at the BIS (F I, F IV) |
| 2000 | Creation of Syngenta, spin-off of Basilea and revision of the Swiss bribery offences (G I, G IV, G V) |
| 21 May 2000 | Voters approve the Bilaterals I, in force from 1 June 2002 with the free movement of persons (B V, K IV) |
| 2001 | The Basel Mission merges into Mission 21, and UBS concludes a Qualified Intermediary Agreement with the IRS (C V, E IV) |
| 2001 | Messe Basel merges with Messe Zürich to form MCH Messe Schweiz (H IV) |
| 8 Jan 2001 | An Extraordinary General Meeting decides to withdraw the private shares of the BIS (F I) |
| 2002 | Foundation of the IADI and of CLS Bank, and opening of the BIS office in Mexico City (F I, F IV) |
| 2002–2003 | The Hague arbitral tribunal confirms the lawfulness of the share recall and fixes compensation (F I) |
| 2002 | Crisis of the Swiss life insurers after the fall of share prices (I I, I II) |
| Dec 2002 | Art Basel opens its Miami Beach edition under Sam Keller, the first step of its global expansion (F V, H IV) |
| 2003 | Corporate criminal liability and the Merger Act are introduced, and the Basel Institute on Governance is founded (A V, D I, E III, G V) |
| 2003 | The Schaulager opens, and the Messeturm is completed (H IV, H V) |
| 2003 | Switzerland ratifies the UNESCO Convention of 1970, implemented by the Cultural Property Transfer Act in force from 1 June 2005 (A I, H V) |
| 2004 | Switzerland and the European Union conclude the Savings Tax Agreement, in force from 2005 (E IV) |
| 2004 | Switzerland and the EU sign the Bilaterals II, and the Swiss Rules of International Arbitration are adopted (J III, K IV) |
| Jun 2004 | The Basel Committee publishes the revised framework, Basel II, implemented in Switzerland from 2007 (F II) |
| 2005 | Basel-Stadt adopts its new cantonal constitution of 23 March, and voters approve the Schengen association on 5 June (J I, K IV) |
| 2006 | The Swiss Solvency Test is introduced, binding from 2011 (D IV, F IV, I II) |
| 1 Jan 2006 | The Insurance Supervision Act of 2004 enters into force with the Swiss Solvency Test (I II) |
| 2007 | Bradley Birkenfeld reveals UBS's cross-border business with American clients (E IV) |
| 2007 | The European Commission finds the cantonal tax regimes incompatible with the Free Trade Agreement (G III) |
| 1 May 2007 | The Customs Act of 2005 enters into force (H III, H V) |
| 1 Jul 2007 | The Hague Trust Convention enters into force for Switzerland (E V) |
| 2008 | UBS is rescued by the state after subprime losses, and SIX Group is formed (E I) |
| 2008 | The Host State Act of 2007 enters into force (A IV, F I) |
| 2008 | The Swiss Rhine Ports begin operations, and Schengen becomes operational at the land borders on 12 December (H I, H III) |
2009–2017
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 2009 | FINMA begins operations as the integrated supervisor of banks, insurers and markets (E II) |
| 18 Feb 2009 | FINMA orders UBS to transfer the data of about 250 clients to the American authorities (E IV) |
| Mar 2009 | Roche completes the acquisition of Genentech after bond issues of about USD 16.5 billion (G II) |
| 13 Mar 2009 | The Federal Council adopts the OECD standard on exchange of information on request (E IV) |
| Apr 2009 | The Financial Stability Forum becomes the Financial Stability Board, and the Basel Committee is enlarged (F II, F IV) |
| Jul 2009 | The Basel Committee publishes the revisions known as Basel 2.5 (F II) |
| 1 Jan 2010 | Penalty-free voluntary disclosure and simplified subsequent taxation of estates are introduced (E IV) |
| 7 Mar 2010 | Voters reject a reduction of the BVG conversion rate from 6.8 to 6.4 per cent (I IV) |
| Dec 2010 | The Basel Committee publishes Basel III on capital quality, buffers, the leverage ratio and liquidity (F II) |
| 2011 | The Lex Duvalier on the restitution of illicit assets enters into force (E III) |
| Sep 2011 | The SNB introduces a minimum exchange rate of CHF 1.20 per euro (D III, G II) |
| 2012 | The German Bundesrat rejects the Rubik withholding tax agreement with Switzerland in November (E IV) |
| 2012–2014 | Both Basel cantons abolish lump-sum taxation by popular vote2 (B V, E V) |
| 1 Jan 2012 | The Federal Patent Court in St. Gallen begins its work with exclusive jurisdiction over patent validity and infringement (G IV, J III) |
| 1 Mar 2012 | The Swiss too-big-to-fail amendments to the Banking Act enter into force (E II, F III) |
| 2013 | Switzerland and the United States agree in August on a programme to resolve the tax past of Swiss banks (E IV) |
| Jan 2013 | Wegelin & Co., the oldest Swiss private bank, pleads guilty in New York and ceases operations (E IV) |
| 28 Jan 2013 | The FSB holds its inaugural meeting as an association under Swiss law (F IV, F V) |
| 3 Mar 2013 | Voters accept the Minder initiative against rip-off salaries, after the disclosure of a Novartis non-compete agreement (B IV, G II) |
| 2014 | Credit Suisse pleads guilty in the United States, and the OECD adopts the Common Reporting Standard (E IV) |
| 2014 | Helvetia acquires Nationale Suisse, a Basel insurer with a strong position in transport and art insurance (I I) |
| 2014 | The free trade agreement with China enters into force in July (K II) |
| 9 Feb 2014 | Acceptance of the popular initiative against mass immigration (B V, H II) |
| 2015 | Novartis completes its asset swap with GlaxoSmithKline, and Roche completes Bau 1 (G I, G II) |
| 15 Jan 2015 | The SNB abandons the minimum exchange rate, and a negative policy rate applies until 2022 (B IV, G II) |
| 5 Jun 2015 | The European Commission declares the Swiss solvency regime fully equivalent to Solvency II (I II) |
| 2016 | The Foreign Illicit Assets Act enters into force, and the Panama Papers are published (C V, E III, E IV) |
| 2016 | Reform of the law on free warehouses, and dealers in goods become subject to cash due diligence (E III, H V) |
| 2016 | Switzerland formally withdraws its application for membership of the European Union (K IV) |
| 1 Jan 2016 | Aggravated tax misdemeanours become predicate offences of money laundering (E III) |
| 2017 | The Basler Kantonalbank takes full ownership of Bank Coop and renames it Bank Cler (D I, E I) |
| 2017 | ChemChina completes the acquisition of Syngenta, and Johnson & Johnson acquires Actelion (D II, G I, G IV) |
| 2017 | France and Switzerland confirm Swiss tax law for companies in the Swiss sector of the EuroAirport (H II) |
| 2017 | UNESCO inscribes the Basler Fasnacht on its list of intangible cultural heritage (A II, J V) |
| 1 Jan 2017 | Switzerland begins the automatic exchange of financial account information, first data in 2018 (E IV) |
| 12 Feb 2017 | Voters reject Corporate Tax Reform III by about 59 per cent (G III) |
| 24 Sep 2017 | Voters reject the pension reform Altersvorsorge 2020 and its constitutional amendment on value added tax (I IV) |
| 7 Dec 2017 | The oversight body of the Basel Committee endorses the final Basel III package (F II) |
2018–2022
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 2018 | The Basler Kantonalbank concludes a deferred prosecution agreement in the American tax programme (E IV) |
| 2018 | Record low water on the Rhine at Basel, and the Swatch Group announces its withdrawal from Baselworld (H I, H IV) |
| 2018 | AXA announces its withdrawal from full insurance in occupational pensions (I I, I IV) |
| 2019 | Switzerland abolishes bearer shares for most companies, and FINMA introduces the fintech licence (E II, E III) |
| 2019 | The BIS establishes the Innovation Hub, and the Ban Amendment to the Basel Convention enters into force (F I, F IV, F V) |
| 2019 | The last Muba and the last Baselworld are held, and DSV takes over Panalpina (H I, H IV) |
| 10 Feb 2019 | Basel-Stadt approves its cantonal tax compromise with more than 78 per cent (G I, G III) |
| Apr 2019 | Novartis spins off its eye-care business Alcon, listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange and in New York (G I, G II) |
| 19 May 2019 | Voters approve the STAF reform, in force from 1 January 2020 (G III) |
| 1 Jul 2019 | Swiss protective measure after the EU lets stock exchange equivalence expire (I II, K III, K IV) |
| 2020 | Project Helvetia begins with the SNB and SIX Digital Exchange (F IV, K I) |
| 2020 | Novartis reaches resolutions with American authorities, and Lonza produces Moderna's vaccine ingredient (G I, G V) |
| 2020 | Art Basel and Baselworld are cancelled during the pandemic, and MCH discontinues Baselworld (H IV) |
| 1 Jan 2020 | The Financial Services Act and the Financial Institutions Act enter into force (E II, E V) |
| Sep 2020 | Voters reject the initiative to terminate the free movement of persons (B V, H II) |
| 29 Nov 2020 | The Responsible Business Initiative fails, leading to new due diligence rules from 2022 (C IV, G V) |
| 2021 | The DLT Act provides a legal basis for ledger-based securities (E II, K I) |
| 2021 | The revised Private International Law Act allows English submissions in arbitration appeals, and the Swiss Arbitration Centre is formed (J III, J IV) |
| 1 Jan 2021 | The Collectivité européenne d'Alsace comes into being and begins to promote the regional language (J II) |
| 26 May 2021 | The Federal Council ends the negotiations on an institutional framework agreement (K IV) |
| Nov 2021 | Roche agrees to buy back the Roche bearer shares held by Novartis for about CHF 19 billion (G I, G II) |
| 2022 | The Federal Criminal Court convicts a major Swiss bank for failing to prevent money laundering (E III) |
| 2022 | The Federal Office for Customs and Border Security replaces the Federal Customs Administration (D I, H III) |
| 1 Jan 2022 | The revised Insurance Contract Act enters into force (D IV, I II) |
| Feb 2022 | The BIS suspends the Central Bank of Russia's access to its services (F I, F V) |
| 28 Feb 2022 | The Federal Council adopts the European Union's sanctions against Russia (E III) |
| 25 Sep 2022 | Voters narrowly accept the AHV 21 reform, which raises the reference age for women to sixty-five (I IV) |
| Oct 2022 | First edition of Paris+ par Art Basel, renamed Art Basel Paris from 2024 (H IV) |
| Dec 2022 | The Basel Committee adopts its standard on banks' crypto-asset exposures (F II, F IV) |
2023–2026
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 2023 | Switzerland and France sign the arrangements on home working of frontier workers (H II) |
| 1 Jan 2023 | The revised succession law reduces compulsory shares, and the deposit protection reform enters into force (B III, E II, E V) |
| 19 Mar 2023 | The Federal Council, the SNB and FINMA announce the takeover of Credit Suisse by UBS (E I, F III) |
| Jun 2023 | UBS completes the takeover of Credit Suisse, leaving Switzerland with one global bank (K III) |
| 18 Jun 2023 | Voters approve the constitutional basis for the OECD minimum tax, applied from 2024 (G III) |
| Oct 2023 | Novartis spins off Sandoz as an independent company in Basel (G I, G II) |
| Dec 2023 | Switzerland and the United Kingdom sign the Berne Financial Services Agreement (E II) |
| Dec 2023 | The SNB launches a wholesale central bank digital currency pilot on the SDX platform (F IV) |
| 1 Jan 2024 | Switzerland abolishes all customs duties on industrial products (H III) |
| 1 Jan 2024 | The revised Insurance Supervision Act enters into force (I II, I V) |
| 3 Mar 2024 | Voters accept a thirteenth monthly AHV pension, first paid in December 2026 (I IV) |
| Apr 2024 | The Federal Council publishes its report on banking stability (E I, E II) |
| Aug 2024 | The EU AI Act enters into force, applying in stages (K V) |
| 22 Sep 2024 | Voters reject the BVG reform by roughly two thirds (I IV) |
| Oct 2024 | The BIS withdraws from Project mBridge and hands it to the participating central banks (K I) |
| Dec 2024 | The Parliamentary Investigation Committee publishes its report on the Credit Suisse collapse (E I) |
| 20 Dec 2024 | The EU and Switzerland announce the political conclusion of the package of agreements (H II, K II, K IV) |
| 30 Dec 2024 | The EU's Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation applies in full (F IV, K I) |
| 2025 | Parliament adopts the Federal Act on the Transparency of Legal Entities with a register of beneficial owners (E III) |
| 1 Jan 2025 | Switzerland implements the final Basel III package, including the output floor, through the Capital Adequacy Ordinance (E II, F III) |
| 1 Jan 2025 | The revised Civil Procedure Code extends the use of English in civil proceedings (J I, J III) |
| Mar 2025 | Switzerland signs the Council of Europe Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence (K V) |
| 22 Apr 2025 | Helvetia and Baloise announce their intention to merge (D IV, E I, I I) |
| 18 May 2025 | Basel-Stadt voters approve a location package financed by minimum tax revenue (G III) |
| Jun 2025 | The Federal Council proposes full capital backing of UBS's foreign subsidiaries (E I, F III) |
| Jun 2025 | The SNB policy rate returns to zero, reopening the question of domestic bank earnings (I IV, K III) |
| 20 Jun 2025 | Parliament adopts the new customs legislation in the final vote (H III) |
| 1 Jul 2025 | Pablo Hernández de Cos succeeds Agustín Carstens as General Manager of the BIS (F I) |
| Aug 2025 | The United States imposes an exceptionally high tariff on Swiss exports (G IV, K II) |
| Oct 2025 | The Federal Administrative Court holds that the AT1 write-down lacked a sufficient legal basis (E I, F III) |
| Nov 2025 | Switzerland and the United States announce a framework reducing the tariff to fifteen per cent (K II) |
| 30 Nov 2025 | The JUSO initiative for a federal inheritance tax is rejected (E V) |
| 5 Dec 2025 | The merger of Helvetia and Baloise is completed, with the seat of the group in Basel (I I) |
| Feb 2026 | Art Basel holds its first edition in Doha, Qatar (H IV) |
| 2 Mar 2026 | Switzerland and the EU sign the package of agreements, followed by the dispatch of 13 March (K IV) |
| Apr 2026 | The Federal Council adopts its dispatch on the amendment of the Banking Act (F III) |
| Apr 2026 | An American Section 232 proclamation imposes tariffs on patented pharmaceuticals (K II) |
| 14 Jun 2026 | Voters reject the initiative "No to 10 million Switzerland" (K IV) |
| 23 Sep 2026 | The Council of States adopts a compromise on the capital backing of foreign participations (F III) |
| 28 Sep 2026 | The Council of States enters into the debate on the package of agreements (K IV) |
Notes
- Where chapters give differing dates for the same event, the entry follows the more detailed account and notes the difference. To be verified. ↩
- Chapter B V dates the vote of Basel-Stadt to 2012, while Chapter E V gives 2012 for Basel-Landschaft and 2013 or 2014 for Basel-Stadt. To be verified. ↩
For general information only. This article does not constitute legal or tax advice, does not replace advice on an individual case and creates no lawyer-client relationship. It reflects the legal position as of August 2025.