The end of 2021 has seen American companies like Apple and Microsoft dominate the world stock exchanges. However, this has not stopped 16 Swiss international companies from being ranked in the top 500 most valuable businesses in the world, according to Ernst & Young and Reuters.

Apple, Microsoft and Alphabet most valuable companies

The most valuable company in the world, Apple, saw its valuation rise to 2,96 trillion US dollars as of December 27. The tech and mobile phone giant was the first to get close to the 3 trillion mark in 2021, with Ernst & Young reporting that the value of Apple shares has risen by 31 percent over the course of 2021.

Microsoft moved up to second place on the charts after its stock saw a market increase of 52 percent, valuing the company at 2,57 trillion US dollars. Alphabet, the owner of Google, came third, being valued higher than all of the top 40 companies in the German DAX stock exchange combined.

16 Swiss businesses among the top 500 richest in the world

Switzerland had 16 companies in the top 500 in the world. The most valuable Swiss business was the food giant Nestlé, based in Canton Vaud, which came in 22nd place overall with a valuation of 382 billion US dollars. The pharmaceutical company from Basel, Roche, followed in 25th place, with its local competitor Novartis in 62nd.

American-owned companies topped the list, but with competitive business taxes and a strong economy, the ranking shows Switzerland is still one of the top places in the world to start a business.