Suchergebnisse für Schweizerisches Finanzmarktrecht

Klassiker der Banken-AGB: Vertragsänderungsvorbehalts- und Retrozessionsverzichtsklauseln

Zu diesem Beitrag Anlass gab ein Urteil des Handelsgerichts Zürich¹ («referierter Entscheid»), welches verschiedene höchstgerichtlich bis anhin nicht geklärte Fragen im Zusammenhang mit einseitigen Vertragsänderungsvorbehalten und dem Verzicht auf die Herausgabe von Retrozessionen erörtert. Interessant ist das Urteil insbesondere deshalb, weil es sich mit diesen Fragen hauptsächlich im Rahmen…

FIDLEG-Verhaltenspflichten: Umsetzungsfragen und Weiterentwicklung nach der initialen Umsetzungsphase

Since the transitional period of the Financial Services Act (FinSA) expired on 31 December 2021, financial service providers have gained more than two years of experience with the new, cross-sectoral regulation. In practice, as well as through the first audits that have now taken place, it has become clear that many fundamental (interpretation) questions relating to the conduct duties of the…

Finanzmarktenforcement und Kommunikation: Zum Kommuni­kationsverhalten der FINMA hinsichtlich einzelner Enforcementverfahren

In the spring of 2023, the Swiss financial market saw the state-backed takeover of Credit Suisse by UBS, sparking global interest and retrospective scrutiny. The SNB, EFD and FINMA all faced criticism, but financial regulator FINMA in particular was condemned for perceived ineffectiveness and poor communication. Calls for legal reform aim to enhance FINMA’s ability to communicate enforcement…

Schutz der Kundenvermögen durch Segregation

Swiss financial market law contains various provisions that serve to protect client assets by means of segregation. With regard to the custody of intermediated securities, a revision entered into force on 1 January 2023: Art. 11a of the Federal Act on Intermediated Securities (FISA) now stipulates an obligation for custodians to hold their own securities and those of their account holders in…

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…

Zur Genehmigungsfiktion in Banken-AGB – eine kritische Auseinandersetzung mit der bundesgerichtlichen Rechtsprechung

In practice, the fiction of consent has become a veritable all-purpose weapon of banks and other financial service providers. In disputes with their clients banks regularly argue that the client has…

Börsenrechtliche Meldepflicht nach Art. 120 FinfraG bei kollektiven Kapitalanlagen

Die Gesellschaft A. (Gesuchstellerin, Beschwerdeführerin 1) mit Sitz in den USA und ihre Tochtergesellschaften sind in der Vermögensverwaltung sowie in der Schaffung und im Vertrieb von kollektiven…

Das Gesellschaftsrecht 2022/2023 | Le droit des sociétés 2022/2023

Im berücksichtigten Zeitraum vom 1. April 2022 bis zum 31. März 2023 wurden wenige Urteile gefällt und nur ein Bruchteil davon wurden veröffentlicht bzw. zur Veröffentlichung vorgesehen. Trotzdem…

Alea iacta est: keine erleichterte Fusion bei indirekten Beteiligungsverhältnissen

Alleinaktionär der A AG (Beschwerdeführerin, nachfolgend: übernehmende Gesellschaft) ist B. Die Gesellschafter der C GmbH (nachfolgend: übertragende Gesellschaft) sind B (60% des Stammkapitals) und…

Berücksichtigung von ESG-Präferenzen im Finanzdienstleistungs­geschäft

On 1 January 2023, the Swiss Bankers Association’s «Guidelines for the financial service providers on the integration of ESG-preferences and ESG-risks into investment advice and portfolio management» entered into force. This marks the first binding Swiss (self-)regulation on Sustainable Finance at the point of sale. One of the key amendments includes the financial service providers’ duty to…

Das Supervisory Privilege für Akten aus dem Aufsichtsverhältnis

The Swiss Supervisory Privilege, which was added to FINMASA in 2016, is a new legal institution. It empowers FINMA to protect documents from the supervisory relationship between a supervised entity and itself by prohibiting their disclosure to third-party authorities and other third parties without FINMA’s consent if there are grounds for doing so that are particularly worthy of protection…

Darf die Nationalbank kryptobasierte Sichtguthaben (wCBDC) ausgeben?

This article examines whether the current monetary law provisions permit the issuance of wholesale central bank digital currency (wCBDC) by the Swiss National Bank. After interpreting the relevant competence provisions, the question can in principle be answered in the affirmative, since wCBDC is not a new, third type of central bank money (in addition to banknotes and traditional sight deposits),…

The Materiality of Sustainability Information under Capital Markets Law

This paper explores the legal concept of the materiality of sustainability-related information under Swiss capital markets law. References to international standards, as well as EU and U.S. provisions, are also made with a view to highlighting the increasing importance of environmental, social and governance (ESG) aspects in the law and regulation of capital markets. We primarily focus on the…

Kantonalbanken im Spannungsfeld von Political Governance und Corporate Governance

Like the other banks, the cantonal banks are facing the challenges of increasing regulation, digitalisation and the persistently low interest rate environment, and are exposed to the accompanying competitive and margin pressure. They have to virtually reinvent their business models and themselves in order to secure their positions as future-oriented financial service providers in their regions…

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…

Digitale Generalversammlungen und Verwaltungsratssitzungen

The 19 June 2020 revision of the provisions on the limited by shares company contains various facilitations for the use of technical means in the conduct of general meetings and board meetings. What are the concrete options available and what are the practical implications of these innovations? What do banks need to consider from a prudential perspective? After an overview of the digitization in…

Le droit des sociétés 2021/2022 / Das Gesellschaftsrecht 2021/2022

Cette année, le Tribunal fédéral a eu l’occasion de se prononcer sur des questions dont on peut s’étonner qu’elles se posent pour la première fois à lui, compte tenu des discussions qu’elles ont…

Open Finance und Decentralized Finance – Entwicklungen in einem disruptiven Finanzmarktumfeld

The recent technological developments not only impact society in general but they also strongly influence financial markets, even in a disruptive way. Open finance and decentralized finance cause an opening of the financial ecosystem and challenge existing notions; for example, new concepts are needed for the regulation of data access/portability and of digital identity as well as for the…

Editorial

Am 31. August 2021 fand die 13. Tagung «Quo Vadis – Finanzplatz Schweiz?» unter der Leitung von Rolf Sethe und Christoph B. Bühler statt.

EU-Product-Governance – Ein Vorbild für die Schweiz?

In 2020 the Financial Services Act (FinSA) entered into force. The provisions on rules of conduct and organizational duties are more or less based on the provisions of MiFID II. However, the regulatory complex on product governance has not been adopted by the Swiss legislator. This article examines whether this decision was convincing. As a result, it turns out to be wise, because the EU-product…

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…

Die Rolle der FINMA bei Vergütungen in Banken und Versicherungen

Compensation and remuneration schemes in financial institutions always have been, and still are, a hot potato. The past decade has been particularly eventful in terms of both regulation and supervision, not only in Switzerland, but also abroad. Against this backdrop, this article aims to discuss the role of the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority, FINMA, with regard to compensation in…

Prospektrechtliche Gleichbehandlungspflicht bei Ausnahmen von der Prospektpflicht

In the absence of a duty to publish a prospectus, art. 39 of the Swiss Financial Services Act (FinSA) obliges offerors and issuers to treat investors equally when providing them with material information on a public offer of securities. This provision is applicable in cases in which securities are offered to the public or admitted to trading on a trading platform if the obligation to publish a…

Die schleichende Erodierung des Bankkundengeheimnisses

This article shows how Swiss banking secrecy, which was primarily intended to protect privacy and was enshrined in law in response to the banking crisis of 1931, has been gradually eroded under increasing international pressure and adapted to international standards. In stark contrast to this, it continues to be valid at home. However, the existing legal obligations to inform and report to the…

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.

Praktische Problemfelder und Lösungsansätze in Bezug auf die «FinTech»-Bewilligungsvoraussetzungen von Art. 1b BankG

The piece at hand addresses in depth the FinTech license according to art. 1b of the Swiss Banking Act (BA) that is in force since January 1^st 2019. The FinTech license provides for a new category of a regulatory status for FinTech institutions that do not offer typical banking activities, but whose business touches certain elements of banking. It aims to foster innovation in the financial market…

Generalversammlungen von AG: «Landsgemeinden» oder «Chatrooms»?

Digitalization will cause a fundamental change regarding general meetings of Swiss stock corporations. Currently, Swiss corporate law provides that shareholders must be physically present, or validly represented at a general meeting and may not participate in writing or by electronic means; the «COVID-19 regime», however, allows e.g. «cyber general meetings». The new Swiss law on corporations,…

Prospektpflicht nach FIDLEG

Switzerland has modernized its prospectus law by introducing new extensive rules in the Financial Services Act. The legislator closely considered the existing rules of SIX Swiss Exchange for the admission to trading and the rules applicable in the EEA. Fundamental changes are the mandatory review by a review body of prospectuses to be published in case of a public offer. In connection with the…

Der Kundenschutz und die FINMA – heute und morgen

To effectively protect financial market clients, an integrated approach combining prudential and conduct supervision is most conducive to achieving the desired results. It has already been applied in principles-based Swiss financial market regulation and supervision and is practised in a risk-oriented manner. Besides public financial market law, further aspects such as civil law and criminal law…

Die (neuen) Pflichten im Execution-only-Geschäft: Zusammenspiel von FIDLEG und OR

As a part of the new financial markets architecture, the Financial Services Act (FinSA) entered into force on 1 January 2020. It introduces unified rules for offering financial services and…

Grenzüberschreitendes Angebot von Finanzdienstleistungen und -produkten? Die Eidgenossenschaft schlägt zurück

Until recently, Switzerland applied a strict territorial approach to regulating financial services with a handful of a notable exceptions. After facing protectionist movements from other…

Das Finanzmarktaufsichtsrecht vom vierten Quartal 2018 bis ins vierte Quartal 2019

Die «Eidgenössische Finanzmarktaufsicht (FINMA)»¹ wurde auf den 1. Januar 2009 aus der Taufe gehoben² bei widrigen Umständen. Die Grossbank UBS war in Schieflage und einer ihrer ehemaligen Top-Manager Präsident der FINMA. Die neue Behörde war zunächst bloss formell neu, weil sie aus drei Vorgängerbehörden geformt wurde: Eidgenössische Bankenkommission (EBK), Bundesamt für Privatversicherungen …

Betrugsversuche im Zahlungsverkehr im digitalen Zeitalter

Money transfers have always been the target of fraudsters. For decades Swiss banks limited liability in their contracts with clients to intent and gross negligence. The Federal Supreme Court, however, often denied applying this broad liability exclusion. Today, banks usually commit themselves to verify the identification of the client with customary due diligence but also request from the client…

Transparenz von Aktionärbindungsverträgen und Gesellschafte­r­bindungsverträgen in Kapitalgesellschaften

A shareholders’ or members’ agreement is a contract concluded by some or all shareholders or members of a company, eventually with the involvement of the company itself, in order to arrange their legal position complementary to or differing from the relevant company law framework. Although dogmatically diverging, the contractual provisions and company law norms often form a unity. However,…

Crowdinvesting mittels Initial Coin Offering – Regulierungsaufgaben im -Token-Universum

Initial coin offerings (ICOs) are a phenomenon with similar characteristics as the cryptocurrency boom. Projects that typically have no history of producing a product or revenue raise capital by issuing their own tokens to investors. Therefore, the Federal Council adopted in December 2018 a report on the legal framework for blockchain and distributed ledger technology (DLT) in the financial…

Dienstleisterketten beim Erbringen von Finanzdienstleistungen: ­Aufsichtsrechtliche Erfassung durch das FIDLEG und vertragsrechtliche ­Haftung der Depotbank

On June 15, 2018 the Parliament passed the new Financial Services Act (FinSA) which presumably will enter into force by the beginning of 2020. The FinSA states new regulatory conduct rules that will apply to financial services providers vis-à-vis their clients. In cases where several financial services providers are involved in the provision of a financial service, the question arises of who has…

Ursachen der Finanzkrise und seitherige Regulierungsentwicklung

A number of causes have triggered the crisis such as subprime mortgage loans in the US, the lack of regulation of derivatives and also remuneration systems which set wrong incentives. The crisis lead to the abolishment of the banking secrecy at the international level. It was replaced by the automatic exchange of information in tax matters which is now the standard. The crisis initiated the…

Ist die neue Finanzmarkt­regulierung funktionsfähig?

The article describes the causes of financial market crises. It assesses the advantages and disadvantages of the legislative measures taken since the crisis of 2007/­2008. Finally, it outlines what additional or alternative measures could be taken to increase the stability of the financial markets and to improve supervision.

Führen die neuen Technologien zur Disruption der Finanzmarktregulierung?

Technological developments and respective changes in business models require adaptations of the financial regulations. The need to adopt risk-oriented rules has become apparent already some time ago. Recently, regulators acknowledged the desirability of introducing innovation-supporting rules (for FinTech enterprises). The most disruptive effects, however, come from the new distributed ledger…

Editorial

Critique, le Professeur Peter V. Kunz met en garde contre la moralisation du droit et son instrumenta­lisation au détriment du principe de neutralité qui devrait caractériser un corpus de règles…

Derivatgeschäfte: Anwendung der FinfraG-Regulierung auf Schweizer Handels- und Industrieunternehmen

The Swiss rules on the conduct in connection with derivative transactions and trading set out in the Federal Act on Financial Market Infrastructures and Market Conduct in Securities and Derivatives Trading (FMIA) and its implementing ordinances were enacted more than two years ago, subject to applicable phase-in periods. However, when it comes to their applicability to commercial and industrial…

Funktion(en) des Aktienrechts – vom Organisationsrecht zum Katalysator der Gesellschaftspolitik?

Swiss Corporate Law (Articles 620 et seq. of the Swiss Code of Obligations) is undergoing permanent changes since the 19^th century. Originally, these articles provided the legal basis for structuring and organizing corporations in the most efficient way – not more; therefore, the main focus was placed on protection of investors (i.e. the legal protection for both shareholders and creditors). Over…

Vollgeld-Initiative und Alternativkonzepte

A full-reserve banking system as requested by a Swiss popular initiative would not bring the promised benefits. Accepting the initiative would entail unforeseeable risks for the Swiss economy. To prevent these risks, vol­untary full-reserve accounts have been suggested to complement the existing fractional reserve system. This article discusses possible concepts for such vol­untary full-reserve…

Vertrauen im Finanzmarktrecht aus öffentlich-rechtlicher Sicht

Legitimate expectations play a major role in Swiss Administrative Law. The protection of legitimate expectations is a constitutional right and therefore, applies to all areas of Swiss Administrative Law. The Swiss Finan­cial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA) may create such expectations by administrative acts, rulings and its various forms of communication. FINMA is conceivably bound to its…

Vertrauen im Kapitalmarkt

Trust is an essential element of a capital market. The market participants want to be confident that the other actors behave as expected. Financial market regulation supports the underlying expectations by ensuring transparency, prohibiting market abuses, stipulating various duties and imposing sanctions or liability in the event of breach. The objectives of most regulation, i.e., the protection…

Vertrauen, Kredit und Kreditsicherheiten

The relationship between creditor and debtor has often been described as a quintessential relationship based on trust, as evidenced by etymological origin of the term credit. Credit relationships are indeed shaped by the risk of opportunistic behavior of the debtor and principal agent problems. Limiting these risks by providing adequate incentives for cooperative behavior is a key objective in…

Die regulatorische Antwort auf FinTech: Evolution oder Revolution? Eine Verortung aktueller Entwicklungen

While technological improvements have shaped the financial industry and its regulation for decades, FinTech is the buzzword of the hour. Rapidly developing digital technologies allow new market entrants to disrupt the traditional intermediary-based provision of financial services (I.). These new businesses – in particular those that operate payment systems or engage in crowdfunding – may clash…

Die Rechtsstaatlichkeit der FINMA-Watchlist

Die Eidgenössische Finanzmarktaufsicht FINMA (nachfolgend: FINMA, Beschwerdegegnerin) nahm im Jahr 2009 die Datensammlung «Gewähr für einwandfreie Geschäftstätigkeit und Berufsausübung» in Betrieb …

Praxis der Aufsichtskommission zur Sorgfaltspflicht der Banken für die Jahre 2011 bis 2016

Die Vereinbarung über die Standesregeln zur Sorgfaltspflicht der Banken (VSB) zwischen der Schweizerischen Bankiervereinigung («SBVg») einerseits und den unterzeichnenden Banken («Banken») andererseits ist ein multilateraler Vertrag, in dessen Rahmen sich in der Schweiz niedergelassene Banken gegenüber der SBVg verpflichten, die in den Standesregeln definierten Sorgfaltspflichten bei der…

Anlegerschutz durch Trennung?

Since the financial crisis, the attention of international standard-setters and supervisory authorities has increasingly turned to the segregation of financial market participants’ assets from those of their customers, with the latter being held either together with those of other indirect participants (omnibus customer account segregation) or separately (individual customer account segregation)…