[Last updated: 1 January 2025, unless otherwise noted]

The three stock exchanges in Switzerland together host over 250 companies with a main listing of equity securities on at least one of these exchanges. Among these companies are large corporates like Novartis and Nestlé, global banks like UBS and a number of smaller players that often focus on specialized niche markets. Industry coverage is broad. Swiss companies are examined as possible takeover targets, although not many of the transactions are successful. This is partly due to a range of anti-takeover measures applied by Swiss companies. While there are very few companies with real poison pills, there are a number with clauses in their articles of association that may slow down a takeover or decrease the probability of success. In spite of this, public M&A remains possible, even if the target is unwilling to support the transaction.