Suchergebnisse für mandat

Intelligence artificielle et automatisation des décisions dans le secteur bancaire et financier : application de la LPD et du RGPD

This article addresses the application of Automated Decision-Making (ADM) in banking and finance, under the revised Swiss Federal Act on Data Protection and the EU’s GDPR. It scrutinizes the legal framework of ADM, particularly considering the European Court of Justice’s interpretation in the SCHUFA Holding AG case, which broadens the scope of “decision” within the GDPR, encompassing actions like…

Verfügt die FINMA über genügend wirksame und scharfe Instrumente gegen (höchste) Bankmanager?

In March 2023, Crédit Suisse (CS) had to be taken over by UBS. It was the first global systemically important bank to face imminent resolution since the financial crisis of 2007–2008. Unlike UBS in 2008, CS remained well capitalized until the end. But clients had lost confidence in the bank’s management. This led to a bank run and thus to the bank’s demise. The ongoing crisis of specialist and…

Les enjeux de la CSRD pour les entreprises suisses

The CSRD, which substantially expands the scope of companies forced to publish sustainability-related data, has a direct and indirect extraterritorial effect on Swiss companies. Size is not the only relevant criterion. Engaging with the EU market or with European companies can have (unexpected) implications. This worldwide impact is coupled with comprehensive and granular disclosures covering a…

Missmanagement im Bankensektor und die FINMA-Gewährsprüfung

This article addresses the following questions: Can the fitness and propriety audit of bank managers deliver what it promises? How could the fitness and propriety audit be improved within the framework of the existing legal basis or, if necessary, by means of new or adapted regulations? The tension between FINMA’s supervisory procedure on the one hand and criminal proceedings on the other hand…

Relative Marktmacht, Geoblocking und Digitalisierung

The rules on relative market power, recently introduced into Swiss competition law, generate far-reaching overlaps with the geo-blocking prohibition that took effect in parallel, as part of Swiss unfair competition law. This contribution analyses these overlaps, with a focus on the “shop like a local” principle which is also known from EU geo-blocking rules. Furthermore, the provision…

Do Robots Rule Wealth Management? A Brief Legal Analysis of Robo-Advisors

What are the legal duties of robo-advisors in Switzerland? In this article, we focus on the legal framework arising from Swiss financial market law, contract law and data protection law. We also make a comparison with European law. We first explain how robo-advisors work and conclude that, contrary to what their name may suggest, they are primarily portfolio managers. As financial service providers…

Grüne Finanzprodukte

For environmentally sustainable financial products to be recognized by market participants, sufficient information about their environmental risks and impacts must be available. However, without regulatory measures, there are insufficient incentives for product providers to disclose the relevant information. The market is unable to correct these information deficits itself. The regulatory vacuum…

Salärgovernance und neues Aktienrecht

In determining the compensation of directors and top management, the board of directors of public companies is faced with a structural conflict of interest. The aim to mitigate this conflict through an appropriate design of the procedure forms the essence of the say-on-pay rules introduced by the Swiss electorate in a public vote in 2013 and implemented on a transitional basis in the Ordinance…

Intelligence artificielle: licence libre et gouvernance collective des données à travers l’altruisme des données et les data trusts

Data access is central for the development of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Data may be however subject to a multitude of rights and actors (e.g. copyrighted works or personal data posted on social media or collected through captcha and used for AI training purposes), leading to a fragmented legal framework and legal frictions. This contribution explores how to apply open and free licenses to all…

Intelligence artificielle: la titularité des données

Data are at the heart of AI systems. Without data, AI systems are valueless. Data come into play at different phases, both at the input level (training sets, validating sets, testing sets), as well as at the output level. Although the Proposal for AI Regulation released on 21 April 2021 by the European Commission offers a promising regulatory framework as to the governance related to the design…

Angemessenheits- und Eignungsprüfung nach FIDLEG

On 1 January 2020 the Financial Services Act (FinSA) entered into force. Depending on the service offered the new supervisory law obliges investment advisors and portfolio managers to conduct an appropriateness test or a suitability test. This article evaluates the new regime and compares it with the relevant contractual duties and the provisions of the European supervisory law.

Entreprises et Big Data: peut-on forcer les entreprises à partager leurs données non-personnelles (par des licences obligatoires ou des licences „FRAND“)?

In the digital age where big data is of key value, companies generate a massive amount of data and make intensive use of data. Given that companies may depend on the access to non-personal data (industrial data) held by other companies to remain competitive, the question arises as to whether companies should be forced to share their non-personal data with each other (B2B data sharing) on the…

Big Data and the Law: a holistic analysis based on a three-step approach – Mapping property-like rights, their exceptions and licensing practices

Given Big Data’s increasing importance, it seems important to develop a clear and coherent body of law and to organize the different relationships among all stakeholders and legal regimes that grant different property-like rights. There are already numerous studies on the interactions between Big Data and intellectual property and/or privacy, but less that map all legal regimes, including the…

Banking and finance disputes: to arbitrate or not to arbitrate, that is the question

“It has been said that “[b]ankers have traditionally preferred judges to arbitrators”. Indeed, where banks or financial institutions are involved in a dispute, state courts have usually been preferred, while arbitration has, so far, often been overlooked. However, in the last decade, the financial landscape has endured colossal changes worldwide. The 2008 crisis led to a paradigm shift. Banks –…

Corporate Purpose and Board of Directors: Means and Ends of Corporate Governance

(Enlightened) shareholder value is a widespread opinion among legal scholars and lawmakers in Switzerland. In other countries, we observe today a clear shift in favor of stakeholder governance. In this article, we advocate that shareholders are one among several constituencies that make possible the achievement of corporate purpose. Hence, corporate law and practice should promote corporate…

Förderung der ökologischen und sozialen Verantwortung durch den Bund im öffentlichen Beschaffungswesen und in der Privatwirtschaft

The Federal government has committed itself to setting a good example in the Sustainable Development Strategy 2016–2019 and in the 2030 Agenda. Sustainable development is a constitutional mandate that must also be taken into consideration in public procurement procedures. The pressure from parliamentarians seems to be bearing fruit and accordingly, as part of the total revision of the Swiss…

Seuils d’intervention ou examen ex post pour le contrôle des concentrations dans les marchés digitalisés?

Digital markets are open in principle. But network effects may rapidly favour the first successful entrant and establish high entry barriers for followers. In addition, the exchanges are often valued in data access rather than in traditional money terms. These characteristics challenge our merger control regimes. Mandatory notification systems are particularly vulnerable since merger projects in…

Compliance-Anforderungen für Schweizer Asset Manager alternativer ­Investmentfonds

The European Directive 2011/61/EU (AIFMD) was a reaction of the European legislator to the financial ­crisis of 2007/2008. The Directive aims to provide for a harmonized and stringent regulatory and supervisory framework for the activities within the EU of all Alternative Investment Fund Managers (AIFM). Due to its fund manager focused approach, AIFMD imposes authorization requirements and…

Validité et efficacité de la clause shotgun en droit suisse

A shotgun clause establishes a mechanism intended to resolve deadlocks in companies with two shareholders with equal stakes. It enables one of the two shareholders to trigger a procedure which will ultimately result in the purchase of all the shares at a fair price. The offeror initiates the procedure by proposing a certain price for the shares. The offeree then decides whether to sell its shares…

Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown – Zur Rolle des Verwaltungsrates in schweizerischen Publikumsgesellschaften

The board of directors of a Swiss public company is stuck between a rock and a hard place. Shareholders breathe down directors’ necks with earnings expectations, but the results are delivered by an executive management under the board’s control rather than by the board itself. The executives who run the business on a day-to-day basis know the company better than the board. This allows them to…

Gouvernance des groupes: «E Pluribus Unum»?

The atomistic vision of the legal independence of a company comprised within a group reflects a historical conception. This view is not consistent with the reality of the group, which has become a predominant model structure in the economic sphere. The recognition in case-​law of the group’s interest would allow the economic phenomenon to be taken into account in a positive manner, while…

Legitimationsprüfung und Risikotransfer bei E-Mail-Zahlungsaufträgen

Fraudulent falsifications of payment orders have been a long-known issue in banking. Pursuant to statutory law banks are obliged to verify the authenticity and integrity of payment orders and, thus, bear the financial risks of undetected falsifications. In practice however, this legal situation is commonly, and permissibly, modi­fied by specific contractual clauses which transfer the financial…

Europareport

Nicht nur der Europäische Gerichtshof («EuGH»), sondern auch der Unionsgesetzgeber hat sich kürzlich mit den Spezialregeln des Unionsrechts beschäftigt, die in Abweichung vom allgemeinen Kartellrecht für all diejenigen Unternehmen gelten sollen, die als Landwirte, Verarbeiter oder Handelsunternehmen im Agrarsektor im Sinne der Art. 39 ff. AEUV tätig sind:

Kundenvertrauen in Banken

Banking’s most important currency is customer trust. Two recent surveys show that customer trust is multifaceted and includes a foundational, an integrity-related, a practical and a strategic dimension. The strategic dimension is the most important, as it relates to the customers’ trust that the bank puts their needs and interests at the center of its activity. This contribution analyzes the…

Das Finanzmarktaufsichtsrecht vom vierten Quartal 2016 bis ins vierte Quartal 2017

Als Ausgangspunkt der Finanzkrise gilt gemeinhin der 9. August 2007, als die französische Bank BNP Paribas die Rücknahme von Anteilen an Investmentfonds aussetzte, die im US-Subprime Markt engagiert waren.¹ In der Folge profilierten sich die Notenbanken als unabdingbare Stützen des Finanzsystems.² Die Finanzkrise löste eine gigantische Regulierungswelle aus, die bis heute nicht gänzlich…

Swiss Bank Program: Non Prosecution Agreements Implementation & Beyond

The United States Department of Justice’s Swiss Bank Program undoubtedly accounts for one of the most ­ambitious global foreign enforcement of U.S. tax laws. The resulting Non-Prosecution Agreements – signed by a record of 80 banks – were reached after long, demanding internal investigations and cooperation efforts with U.S. authorities. But, these NPAs are not the end. To the contrary, they…

Contracts on Digital Content in Europe: Balancing between ­Author-Protective Copyright Policies and Consumer Policies

The online distribution of digital content is generally based on a chain of contractual relationships that can frequently consist of an upstream relationship between an author and a supplier, and a downstream relationship between the supplier and the consumer. Protected digital content transactions are thus potentially subject to two distinct sets of rules, i.e. copyright and consumer protection…

The Elephant in the Chalet

Switzerland is currently reforming the legislative framework of its financial industry. The legislative ­debate is focused on gaining market access into the ­European Union through equivalence, understood as unilateral transposition of EU financial legislation by Switzerland. It is very much an “us against them” ­rhetoric which is erroneous on several levels: First of all, the discussion focuses…

Disgorgement Remedy for Duty of Loyalty Violations

Wrongdoing should not be rewarded. – Although this is considered a core idea of Swiss law’s understanding of justice, the legal system is struggling with the principle’s satisfactory implementation when it comes to wrongfully obtained profits. One would expect the law to provide for suitable legal instruments to disgorge any gains unduly made by wrongdoers, particularly if the wrongdoer is a…

Tendenzen der Konzernbesteuerung im schweizerischen Steuerrecht

The article deals with the latest developments and tendencies of group taxation in Switzerland. Starting point are the roots of company taxation in Switzerland. On this basis the major lines of developments in Swiss tax law and international tax law of Switzerland are discussed. Thereafter, tendencies on how group taxation in Switzerland will progress further will be identified. By comparing the…

Global Financial Standards and Regulatory Reforms

The present paper discusses global financial standards and their relevance as part of the regulatory reforms initiated in the aftermath of the financial turmoil. In a first – precursory – part, it provides more clarity on the notion and role of “soft” law instruments, which have become an eminent pillar for the regulation of global finance. The essay likewise highlights the financial sector…

Globale Finanzstabilität – Wer setzt die Standards?

Standards are norms that are used to calibrate actions and behaviour. They are adopted and adhered to because they promote the common good and are in the interest of all concerned. In a world of sovereign states, they are a promising means to create a coherent framework for international financial activity. The process of international standard setting in the financial arena has always been…

Internationales Standardsetting in der Wirtschaftsprüfung

The major objective of this article is to analyse the standard-setting process with respect to ordinary audits of consolidated and statutory financial statements. The article further provides an in-depth understanding of the various players who impact this field of standard setting. First, the process of setting auditing standards is looked at from a national and international perspective. The…

Internationale Standards in der schweizerischen Finanzmarktaufsicht

This article illustrates that a general commitment to internationally agreed standards in financial market regulation is in Switzerland’s best interest. It allows Switzerland to participate and shape decisions in standard-setting fora, thus fostering global financial stability and ensuring a level playing field for all players. Compliance with key standards is also a precondition for defending…

Ist die aktienrechtliche Verantwortlichkeit noch zeitgemäss?

An analysis of the board members’ and directors’ liability law shows that its present form has significant deficits: Confronting board members with a liability excee­ding their individual risk capacity causes risk adversity and a crowding out effect within the pool of potential board members. In the light of these functional deficits, it does not come as a surprise that the track record of…

Europareport

Mit einem am 23. April 2015 veröffentlichten Urteil hat der Gerichtshof der Europäischen Union (nachfolgend auch: «EuGH») die Rechtsmittel der LG Display Co. Ltd und der LG Display Taiwan Co. Ltd (nachfolgend zusammen: «LG Display»), mit der eine – weitere – Herabsetzung der gegen LG Display im LCD-Kartellfall verhängten Geldbusse erreicht werden sollte, zurückgewiesen (Rs. C-227/14 P).

Towards Automatic Exchange of Information

This article describes the various steps that led towards automatic exchange of information as the global standard and the issues that remain to be solved. First, the various competing models of exchange information, such as Double Tax Treaty (DTT), TIEA’s, FATCA or UE Directives are described with a view to show how they interact between themselves. Second, the so-called Rubik Strategy is…

La législation britannique contre la corruption : application du Bribery Act aux personnes suisses

The UK Bribery Act is an ambitious legislative initiative and the centerpiece of the British legal framework against corruption. In addition to the classic criminal offences (active and passive bribery, corruption in the public and in the private sector), the Bribery Act introduces a remarkable form of criminal liability for legal persons. The new corporate offence and the extraterritorial reach…

Europareport

Am 12. Februar 2015 wurden die Schlussanträge des Generalanwaltes Nils Wahl in einem Rechtsmittelverfahren der Deutschen Bahn gegen die Europäische Kommission veröffentlicht. Mit dem Rechtsmittel hatte sich die Deutsche Bahn gegen ein Urteil des Gerichts der Europäischen Union (nachfolgend auch: «EuG») gewandt, das wiederum die Durchführung einer Nachprüfung durch die Europäische Kommission als…

Standing and Passing-on in the New EU Directive on Antitrust Damages Actions

This article critically evaluates private enforcement of the competition rules in Switzerland and compares them to recent developments at EU level, particularly regarding indirect purchaser standing and the passing-on defence. The article addresses the question of whether, and under what conditions, the new EU Directive on Antitrust Damages Actions, along with the Recommendation on Common…