Going public on the SWX Swiss Exchange A listing in Switzerland is highly attractive. The SWX Group, already home to the shares of a host of Swiss blue-chip life-science companies such as Roche, Novartis, Serono and Nestlé, is also a very alluring marketplace for other public companies. Listed companies benefit from the influential role played by institutional investors and the substantial presence of foreign participants. The SWX Swiss Exchange provides innovative international companies with access to the Swiss capital market. A public offering in one of its segments affords issuing companies a high degree of global visibility among investors, especially those with a heightened interest in specific sectors. An IPO in Switzerland is an attractive means of obtaining equity financing, especially for companies in medtech, biotech, pharmaceutics and micro- and nanotechnology.
The listing requirements of the SWX's various market segments and their requirements for maintenance of listing are designed to meet the needs of both investors and issuers. While the legal requirements for initial public offerings reflect European standards, the listing costs in Switzerland are well below the international average. In the Swiss financial marketplace, it takes less of an effort to attract investors. Communication is much easier in small geographical areas. Going public – motives and objectives Going public is not an end in itself, even though the associated PR effects are a welcome benefit. The primary objectives are more of a financial and entrepreneurial nature. Above all, an IPO provides additional liquiditythat can be used to expand or strengthen a company's equity base. Other reasons for going public may be related to matters of family succession, changes in a company's shareholder base – due to the withdrawal of a venture capitalist, for example – a spin-off, financing a takeover or increasing a company's attractiveness as an employer. Moreover, public listing affords many companies better opportunities in international competition and can provide the means of creating an "acquisition currency". Swiss clusters Switzerland has outstanding expertise in various technological and scientific fields, includingto biotechnology, medtech and micro- and nanotechnology. More than 35% of the market capitalization in Switzerland is healthcare-related. This concentration arouses the interest of international investors and helps listed companies to benefit from the sector-specific expertise of analysts and portfolio managers. In short, the SWX offers companies an ideal financing platform.
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