Why Switzerland Is a Global Commodity Trading Superhub (A Conversation with Florence Schurch)

In this episode of Getting Serious with Woody Wade, Woody sits down with Florence Schürch, Secretary General of SUISSENÉGOCE, the Swiss Trading and Shipping Association representing companies active in commodity trading and the ecosystem that supports them.

Commodity trading is one of Switzerland’s most important yet least understood industries. Florence explains how Switzerland became a global hub after World War II, why trading desks cluster across Lake Geneva (soft commodities and energy), Zug (metals), and Ticino (including gold), and how the sector operates across time zones with key nodes in Singapore, Dubai, and Houston.

We also explore what commodity traders actually do in practice: bridging producers and end-buyers, financing global shipments, managing risk, and keeping supply chains moving through disruption. Florence shares why the industry has become more vocal since COVID and the war in Ukraine, how geopolitics and climate events reshape routes and insurance, and why predictable regulation matters for SMEs as much as multinationals.

If you’ve ever wondered how the world keeps flowing with coffee, cocoa, energy, and critical metals, and why so much of that coordination happens in Switzerland, this episode is for you.

This episode is available on YouTube and Spotify.

This episode is brought to you by Swissquote, Switzerland’s leading digital bank, combining everyday banking with advanced trading and investment solutions. Discover more at swissquote.com.