The Stiftung Natur & Wirtschaft (Nature and Economy Foundation) has certified the newly designed areas at Hilti’s headquarters in Schaan as being nature-oriented. According to the Swiss economy’s nature protection organization, valuable habitats for plants and animals have been created there.

The Hoval Group is increasing its production capacities for heat pumps. At the company headquarters in Vaduz, a new production line for heat pumps has already been put into operation. From the spring on 2024 onwards, a new plant in Istebné in Slovakia is set to follow. In total, Hoval is investing a sum of 60 million Swiss francs to achieve this all.

In a new project, the University of Liechtenstein is examining the suitability of digital resources for choir rehearsals. The Hilti Chair for Business Process Management has received Erasmus+ funding for this purpose. The project is also intended to counteract the disappearance of choirs caused by the pandemic.

Sun Contracting Group is entering the Polish market for photovoltaics. Already active in German-speaking regions and Slovenia, it has now acquired a Polish company and initial project rights. Further projects are being planned.

Delegations from the EFTA States and Malaysia made progress on most areas at the 13th round of trade negotiations on a free trade agreement. They also confirmed their willingness to speed up the process and continue negotiations in early 2023.

Liechtensteinische Kraftwerke (LKW) has received the European Broadband Award 2022 for its expansion of the broadband network. All households - including SMEs and industry - will be connected to the network by the end of 2022.

The biotechnology company Lysando has agreed a development contract with the South Korean firm Amicogen. The aim here is for Amicogen to accelerate the further development of Lysando’s antimicrobial proteins to bring them to market maturity.

EU and EFTA energy ministers discussed upcoming challenges for the European energy market in Prague. To overcome these, they will look to cooperate closely. Liechtenstein was represented by Deputy Prime Minister Sabine Monauni.

Hilti has been named as one of the best workplaces in the world for the sixth time. It achieved a final ranking of eighth place among the 100 top employers in 2022 as part of a survey of employees and company management. Employee perspectives carry greater weight than those of the respective employer in the final evaluation.

Liechtensteinische Landesbank (LLB) has for the first time presented information related to the implementation of climate protection measures as part of a report. In so doing, LLB has become the first bank in Liechtenstein to outline it climate footprint.

Zühlke is developing a data-driven investment recommendation solution for VP Bank in Liechtenstein. It is based on machine learning and helps investment advisers to select the right product for their clients.

Liechtensteinische Landesbank (LLB) is to construct a new office building in the heart of Vaduz. At the current location of the Office of Justice, the bank intends to bring together various departments and provide space for around 260 employees.

In the first eight months of 2022, Hilti has increased sales by 6 percent year on year to more than 4 billion Swiss francs. However, the operating result and net income were well down on the prior year. This development can be explained by increased costs and investments in the software business.

Hilti has created safe, affordable houses for 6,000 low-income individuals in the Global South with its innovative cement and bamboo frame technology. Additionally, the environmental impact of these houses is less than half that of conventional buildings.

Liechtensteinische Landesbank (LLB) has launched its wiLLBe app for sustainable financial investments in Germany as well. It has already been available in Switzerland and Liechtenstein since July. The app also allows private individuals to make smaller investments geared towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Fuchs Richter Prüfinstanz, a German company that reviews private banks, has assigned the highest ranking from a total of five levels to LGT Bank in the area of sustainable investing. The bank owned by the Princely Family of Liechtenstein occupies second place in the overall ranking with 92 out of 100 points. In total, 25 banks in German-speaking countries were reviewed.

Hilcona spent more than 3 million Swiss francs upgrading its production facilities. The food producer plans to expand its offering of vegan and vegetarian meat and fish alternatives and strengthen its market position with a new wet extrusion line.

Liechtenstein employers were awarded above-average scores across all categories of recruiting. According to the Best Recruiters Study 2021/22, they improved their overall score from 58 to 62 percent of the potential points on offer. However, information on hybrid working patterns was deemed to be lacking.

LGT increased its group profit by 20 percent to 217 million Swiss francs in the first six months of 2022. Transaction-related revenues and services as well as interest-related income contributed significantly to the jump in profit. The banking group also saw strong net asset inflows.

In the first half of 2022, the LLB Group increased its group net profit despite contraction in the business volume. Group net profit rose by 6.8 per cent over the previous year to just under 76 million Swiss francs. Net new money inflow amounted to 2.5 billion francs.