The Swiss Helvetia Fund, Inc. Reports Announcement by Hottinger Group and Norinvest Holdings of the Termination of Negotiations Regarding a Potential Combination Involving its Investment Adviser

NEW YORK, Feb. 29, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The Swiss Helvetia Fund, Inc. (NYSE: SWZ) (the "Fund"), reported that the Hottinger Group (the ultimate parent of Hottinger Capital Corp., the Fund's investment adviser) and Norinvest Holding SA, a publicly-traded Swiss company, announced jointly that they have ended their previously announced negotiations regarding a proposed transaction involving certain companies in the Hottinger Group, including Hottinger & Cie SA, a Swiss private bank and a parent company of Hottinger Capital Corp., and Banque Cramer & Cie SA, a Swiss private bank and wholly-owned subsidiary of Norinvest Holding SA.  The joint public announcement (French version only) is available on Norinvest's website at www.norinvest.ch.  Hottinger Capital Corp. has advised the Fund's Board of Directors that it is committed to continue providing undiminished investment advisory services to the Fund.

About The Swiss Helvetia Fund, Inc.

The Fund is managed by Hottinger Capital Corp.  For more information on the Fund, including the most recent month-end performance, visit www.swz.com or contact Rudolf Millisits, President of Hottinger Capital Corp., at 1-888-SWISS-00 (1-888-794-7700) or 1-212-332-2760.

The Swiss Helvetia Fund, Inc. is a non-diversified, closed-end investment company seeking long-term capital appreciation through investment in equity and equity-linked securities of Swiss companies.  The Fund also may acquire and hold equity and equity-linked securities of non-Swiss companies in limited circumstances.  The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing generally in Swiss equity and equity-linked securities that are traded on a Swiss stock exchange, traded at the pre-bourse level of one or more Swiss stock exchanges, traded through a market maker or traded over the counter in Switzerland.  Equity and equity-linked securities include registered shares, bearer shares, participation and dividend certificates, convertible bonds and bonds with warrants attached and unattached warrants.  The Fund also may invest in Swiss equity and equity-linked securities of Swiss companies that are traded on other major European stock exchanges.

Closed-end funds, unlike open-end funds, are not continuously offered.  Typically, shares of closed-end funds are sold in the open market through a stock exchange.  Shares of closed-end funds frequently trade at a discount to net asset value.  The price of a fund's shares is determined by a number of factors, several of which are beyond the control of the fund.  Therefore, a fund cannot predict whether its shares will trade at, below or above net asset value.

SOURCE The Swiss Helvetia Fund, Inc.