A considerable part of the agenda was dedicated to the discussion on the implementation of the joint statement that was signed by the finance ministers of Switzerland and the United Kingdom (UK) on 30 June 2020. This statement aims to strengthen the cooperation between the two countries with regard to financial services.
In addition to the implementation of the joint statement, the current progress was assessed and continued cooperation with respect to joint technical work was agreed on.
Further topics of discussion included (i) the Corona pandemic and its economic consequences, (ii) sustainable finance, (iii) stock market equivalence including the reciprocal access to the Swiss and UK stock exchanges, (iv) multilateral initiatives such as IOSCO and the financial stability board and the importance of effective international coordination, (v) developments in the Fintech sector and (vi) women in finance.
A further meeting is to take place before the end of 2020, and another Financial Dialogue is planned next year in London.
The initiative to strengthen the cooperation regarding financial services between Switzerland and the UK is part of Switzerland's so-called "mind the gap" strategy in relation to the UK following Brexit and UK's transition period towards the EU.
