How Finance Minister Ueli Maurer became a Blockchain Enthusiast
What an incredible career: Many years ago, Ueli Maurer, the acting Minister of Finance and President of Switzerland, headed a farmers’ cooperative. From this perspective, he knows a lot about cultivation and harvesting, which are the main ingredients of every startup. As a member of the Swiss government and especially as Head of the the financial department he has shown a deep understanding of the needs of startups and has proven that he recognizes and understands the potential of the blockchain technology. He also dedicates time to personally connect with the industry and appeared at the Infrachain in December 2018 and on March 27th 2019 at the CV Summit in Zug.
Since his promotion from Head of the Ministry of Defence to Head of the Department of Finance, he has not only been a tireless defender of the Swiss financial industry, but also as a fan of fintech and blockchain technology and promoted a liberal regulation that is recognized abroad.
Maurer has regularly and clearly pointed out the positive aspects of digitisation and that Switzerland should definitely seize this opportunity. For him, this task is a matter close to his heart, as he has explained several times: He also wants the administration to be more citizen- and service-oriented with the possibilities offered by digitisation.
Maurer, who is also responsible for the Federal Tax Administration and the Customs Administration, has set up the most concrete digitisation projects of the Federal Administration: Maurer’s declared goal is tax settlements and customs declarations by smartphone. But he is not only interested in apps:
“These projects are intended to digitize entire processes in both areas so that the finance department can save costs.”
With the double resignation of Media Minister Doris Leuthard and Economics Minister Johann Schneider-Ammann in autumn 2018, the two digital-minded flagships left the Swiss government. That paved the way for Maurer to position himself as the “Digital Minister”.
He continues to approach everyone openly. He speaks at summits and conferences, and advocates for the concerns of startups and legacy companies – just as he has done in the past. The only difference is that the “digital shadow minister”, as the NZZ called Maurer in 2017, has become a real Digital Minister.
Good news for Switzerland and all the tech companies: To convince the people that a well-managed digital transformation of economy, politics and society is in everyone’s interest, you must speak their language and know their concerns. Maurer has both: He knows what cultivation and harvesting mean and has the charisma to convince.
