20 minutes – «Companies get their money within 30 minutes»

The federal government wants to help the Swiss economy, which is plagued by corona, with 42 billion francs. Federal Councilors Guy Parmelin and Ueli Maurer explained this on Friday afternoon at a press conference. “Can the federal government spend so many billions at all?” Finance Minister Mauer asked the rhetorical question. His answer: “Yes”, the federal finances are robust and the financial center is stable.

Banks want to help

“We welcome the determined action of the Federal Council and appreciate the good cooperation with the federal government and the banks involved. We will work with our customers to implement the guarantee program as quickly and as unbureaucratically as possible, ”says André Helfenstein, CEO of Credit Suisse (Switzerland). He was pleased that the bank could play an active role at an early stage and be able to contribute to the federal government with the solution that had been found.

And Raiffeisen boss Heinz Huber says: “Raiffeisen is assuming its economic responsibility by pragmatically finding ways and solutions. In this extraordinary situation, it is important to stand together. » That is why Raiffeisen welcomes the joint financial center solution. (sas)

The central factor for Mauer is the CHF 20 billion from the aid package, with which small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are immediately granted bridging loans. Mauer relies on the banks so that the money can be distributed quickly. “This means that we have 2000 new employees in one fell swoop,” says Maurer. The regime will apply from next Thursday.

Thousands of requests from SMEs

Maurer expects 10,000 applications from SMEs to be submitted within a short time. He describes the procedure as follows: “If you need money, go to your house bank. The money up to 500,000 francs is paid out immediately because the state guarantees it. » This ensures that the funds can be spoken immediately. “We now have to deliver liquidity to the economy,” continued Maurer. You get money within half an hour, unbureaucratically.

Affected companies should receive loans up to a maximum of 10 percent of their sales or a maximum of CHF 20 million. “Everyone in the country receives their wages this month,” insured Maurer.

According to Maurer, it is not certain whether the amount of the loans is sufficient. You may need to top up. It is still unclear at what amount the funds will have to earn interest. Maurer: “The interest rate is modest.” He was aware that certain loans could be lost. “But we want to create trust and help immediately,” says Maurer.

Apprentices receive money

Another important measure is the expansion of short-time work compensation. People who are employed on a temporary or temporary basis or who work in employer-like positions will also benefit. There is also short-time work allowance for apprentices. The waiting period is also lifted and the procedure is simplified.

Self-employed persons are also compensated for a certain period of time if they have to look after children due to school closings, in the case of medically prescribed quarantine or the closure of an independently managed publicly accessible company. They receive 80 percent of their wages, up to a maximum of CHF 196 per day.

(sas / dob)

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