More than ten world-leading corporations, numerous spin-offs and start-ups, and a wealth of well-established small and medium-sized enterprises are based in the Basel region. World-renowned life sciences, pharmaceutical and agribusiness groups as well as leading representatives from the financial, logistics and trade sectors have their headquarters here.

The economic policy of the Basel government is to create an attractive environment for business and to provide targeted support for growing companies. In the past few years, the economic growth in the Basel region has been well above the average for Switzerland. Liberal employment laws, attractive corporate tax rates, an efficient public administration and political stability are the traditional strong points which benefit companies in the Basel area.

Basel is one of the world’s leading life sciences locations. Life sciences companies make the largest contribution to value creation in the region. Companies such as Novartis, Roche, Lonza, Bayer, Syngenta, Straumann and Moderna have their headquarters or important group functions here. Numerous research-based companies from the pharmaceutical, biotech, medtech, agritech and ICT sectors are growing around them. With the University of Basel, the ETH Department of Biosystems and the University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland FHNW, the industry forms a strong life sciences cluster. This includes not only large corporations but also SMEs and an increasing number of successful start-ups and spin-offs, over 700 of which are located throughout the Basel region. All other industries in the region benefit from its dynamism. 

As part of Basel’s position as a prime business location, the city is also a major financial centre and home to the headquarters of the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) as well as the location where UBS, one of the world’s leading asset managers, has its group-wide functions. Insurance companies also play a central role in Basel and contribute more than half of the added value in the financial sector. They include companies such as the Baloise Group, Helvetia, Pax Versicherung and Sympany.

As a result of its geographical location in the heart of Europe and its first-class transport infrastructure, the Basel region has long been a major transhipment centre for goods on the move: the Rhine provides a direct link to the sea for the shipment of goods by water. The EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg, the Swiss Rhine Harbour, the international railway stations and outstanding connections to the European motorway network make Basel the logistics centre of Switzerland. Major logistics groups such as DSV, DHL and Rhenus use these advantages to run their global operations out of Basel. Basel’s size has a lot to do with trade. Large trading companies have always been at home in Basel. Companies such as Coop, Oettinger Davidoff, Dufry, Manor, and Tally Weijl have their headquarters here.

Digitisation is influencing all areas of the economy and life, and Basel’s companies are driving these developments across all sectors. The regional ICT ecosystem can be divided into three clusters:

1. The digital transformation of Basel’s core industries is gaining increasing global significance, particularly in the life sciences and insurance sectors, thanks to innovative startups (VIAC, Creadi) and companies moving into the area.
2. Strong software companies and SMEs (Adobe, Unblu, Karakun) are penetrating new markets with innovative products and services, fuelling the region’s dynamism.
3. Creative technologies link computers, design, art and the humanities. They are enabling new experiences and setting standards for user experience in the areas of media and architecture as well as in the cultural scene (IArt, Literoom).

Last but not least, intensive research, particularly in computer and data science, is supporting and strengthening the economic momentum and attracting experts from the digital world (University of Basel, FHNW).

Basel is known worldwide as a trade fair and conference city. Art Basel, the world’s biggest trade fair for modern and contemporary art, is hosted by Basel every year. The city also hosts globally renowned scientific and business conferences. The canton of Basel-Stadt’s conference promotion activities contribute to further developing conference tourism. Conferences are specifically sought, developed and held. Conference promotion fosters an exchange of content and generates additional added value for tourism.