Suchergebnisse für contrôle spécial

Le dommage d’investissement et sa preuve

Many civil claims against financial advisers and portfolio managers fail because they do not meet the high threshold set out by Swiss courts for the allegation and proof of the claimant’s loss. This article critically reviews the extensive case law on the topic. We submit that unauthorized financial transactions are distinct from other defective transactions. Following long-established case law…

La banque et le créancier prêteur face à l’insolvabilité de l’emprunteur : moyens préventifs et curatifs

In a contractual relationship, a bank, or more generally a lender, on the one hand, and a borrower on the other, harmoniously blend, as long as the borrower complies with the repayments’ obligations arising from the loan agreement. However, in such an agreement, risk lies primarily on the lender. Indeed, as soon as the money has been made available, the lender takes the default’s risk. This…

L’intermédiation en assurance : quelques considérations à la lumière de la révision partielle de la loi fédérale sur la surveillance des institutions d’assurance privées (LSA)

The Federal Act of 17 December 2004 on the Oversight of Insurance Companies (IOA) underwent a partial revision which was adopted by the parliament on March 18, 2022. The entry into force is planned for July 1, 2023, after the ordinance has been updated following the consultation procedure that ended in December 2022. This partial revision responds to developments that have occurred in the…

Das schweizerische Bankprivatrecht 2022 | Le droit bancaire privé suisse 2022

Die Rechtsprechung zum privaten Bankrecht skizziert jeweils die neusten Entwicklungen in der richterlichen Rechtsfortbildung. Tatsächlich führen uns viele Entscheide aber auf eine Reise in die…

Exception de l’entreprise défaillante: une résurgence en temps de crise?

The Failing Company Defence is a merger control law defence which enables the merging parties to avoid the prohibition that would normally apply to their merger by relying on the failure of one of them, i.e. the fact that one of the merging firms would exit the market if the merger was prohibited. Competition authorities generally require the fulfilment of restrictive conditions and hence rarely…

L’application du droit des marchés publics à l’approvisionnement en électricité

In March 2021, the Competition Commission issued a recommendation pertaining to the application of public procurement law and the Federal Internal Market Act to the procurement of electricity. The purpose of this recommendation was to examine in which cases the purchase of electricity must be subject to public tenders; it clarified that public procurement law may apply in several instances to…

Clauses de modification unilatérale des conditions générales des banques

The use of General Terms and Conditions (GTC) is essential for the rational management of banking business – to the benefit of both banks and their customers. Over the often lengthy duration of a banking relationship, it is also important that these GTC can be adapted. In general, a change to the GTC is a change to the contract and should be made in accordance with the general rules. Swiss law,…

Actions de loyauté : une fausse bonne idée

Over its summer session 2018, the Swiss National Council adopted the possibility for companies limited by shares (sociétés anonymes/Aktiengesellschaften) to include in their articles of association certain financial privileges to the benefit of shareholders registered for at least two consecutive years in the share register (loyalty shares). This article presents the legislative work in progress…

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…

Le dommage d’investissement et sa preuve

Many civil claims against financial advisers and portfolio managers fail because they do not meet the high threshold set out by Swiss courts for the allegation and proof of the claimant’s loss. This article critically reviews the extensive case law on the topic. We submit that unauthorized financial transactions are distinct from other defective transactions. Following long-established case law…

La banque et le créancier prêteur face à l’insolvabilité de l’emprunteur : moyens préventifs et curatifs

In a contractual relationship, a bank, or more generally a lender, on the one hand, and a borrower on the other, harmoniously blend, as long as the borrower complies with the repayments’ obligations arising from the loan agreement. However, in such an agreement, risk lies primarily on the lender. Indeed, as soon as the money has been made available, the lender takes the default’s risk. This…

L’intermédiation en assurance : quelques considérations à la lumière de la révision partielle de la loi fédérale sur la surveillance des institutions d’assurance privées (LSA)

The Federal Act of 17 December 2004 on the Oversight of Insurance Companies (IOA) underwent a partial revision which was adopted by the parliament on March 18, 2022. The entry into force is planned for July 1, 2023, after the ordinance has been updated following the consultation procedure that ended in December 2022. This partial revision responds to developments that have occurred in the…

Das schweizerische Bankprivatrecht 2022 | Le droit bancaire privé suisse 2022

Die Rechtsprechung zum privaten Bankrecht skizziert jeweils die neusten Entwicklungen in der richterlichen Rechtsfortbildung. Tatsächlich führen uns viele Entscheide aber auf eine Reise in die…

Cyberattaque et ransomware: risques juridiques à payer et assurabilité des rançons

Legal risks of paying ransom following a ransomware attack need to be clarified, as such attacks are constant­ly increasing and victims always face the same dilemma: whether to pay the ransom or not? Insurability of ransomware needs also to be clarified, as some cyber insurance companies offer to cover the risk of ransomware without knowing whether such clauses are really insurable. This…

Revision des Kartellgesetzes: Braucht die Schweiz neue Schwellenwerte oder einen Systemwechsel im Fusionskontrollrecht?

The Swiss merger control is under review. The draft for a partial revision of the Cartels Act proposes the transition from the Swiss dominance test to the internationally recognized SIEC test. This is to be welcomed. More significant in practice, however, are the disproportionately high thresholds for merger reviews in Switzerland. The following article recommends examining whether, 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…

Sanctions Américaines: Extraterritorialité et Risques Bancaires

A Swiss bank operating in the US must comply with applicable US laws. Difficulties may arise from the „off-shore“ application of US sanctions. The US sanctions regime is well known¹, especially through the publications of the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC)² and through the calls for caution issued by the banking supervisory authority³. This contribution provides an update on the…

Le droit bancaire privé suisse 2021 / Das schweizerische Bankprivatrecht 2021

Au moment où nous écrivons ces lignes, la Russie envahit l’Ukraine. L’Union européenne et les États-Unis ont adopté de nouvelles sanctions contre plusieurs centaines de personnalités liées au régime…

Les nouveaux droits des actionnaires en matière de restitution et d’accès à l’information

The 19 June 2020 revision of the provisions on the limited by shares company seeks to enhance corporate governance with further transparency and additional shareholder protection. The return of undue benefits claim (art. 678 para. 1 nCO) has been modified to offer Swiss companies and their shareholders a better possibility to obtain redress. This revision also addresses the shareholders’ need to…

Editorial

L’essor de la digitalisation touche tous les secteurs de la vie quotidienne et de l’économie. L’accès aux données, leur protection, leur utilisation notamment pour le développement de l’intelligence…

Regulierung von künstlicher Intelligenz für FinTech-Anwendungen

New methods of artificial intelligence represent one of the greatest promises and most prospective developments of digitalisation. Artificial intelligence has already enabled numerous innovative applications in the areas of image recognition, medicine, language and mobility, and it is also increasingly being used in the financial market, on which this article focuses. In addition to great…

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…

Editorial

Gesellschaftsrecht lebt von Innovationen und bringt selbst Innovationen hervor. Die Aufhebung der Sachübernahmevorschriften – trotz Herausforderungen in der praktischen Handhabung – war im Zuge der …

Sociétés hybrides, entreprises sociales, B-Corp: Le droit suisse est-il approprié?

Entrepreneurs have to increasingly navigate in a world where they cannot ignore their accountability towards the SDGs and society in general. Companies in fact are expected to consider the interests of all stakeholders, and management is required to adopt a long-term and sustainable vision, in which making profits goes hand in hand with the necessity to create a positive impact. This trend is…

Corporate Governance et liberté d’organisation

The question of limits to contractual freedom in corporate law is intensively discussed in connection with corporate governance. In that context, the tension between authority and accountability of the board of directors and the best way to address this issue in corporate law are two of the most controversial topics. Over these last years, the trend in almost all jurisdictions has been to…

Das Gesellschaftsrecht 2020/2021 Le droit des sociétés 2020/2021

Auch dieses Jahr befassten sich die Gerichte wieder eingehend mit der Thematik der aktienrechtlichen Verantwortlichkeit und brachten einige interessante Entscheide insbesondere im Zusammenhang mit…

Le compliance officer face au risque pénal découlant du dispositif anti-blanchiment

In the financial sector, the function of compliance officer is closely linked to the fight against money laun­dering, which is one of the main risks for the Swiss financial centre. The profession has important responsibilities in this field and breaches of its obligations can lead to (administrative) criminal sanctions, in particular for money laundering or violation of the duty to report a…

Les effets des nouvelles règles sur la prescription en droit bancaire et financier

The partial reform of limitation rules in the Code of obligations, effective since 2020, has limited impact on the banking and financial sector. Yet specific matters call for renewed attention. We analyse the consequences of the new 3-year and 10-year limitation rule for claims based on torts and unjust enrichment, specifically in connection with defective transfers of funds, intermediated…

Das schweizerische Bankprivatrecht 2020 | Le droit bancaire privé suisse 2020

Das Jahr 2020 war in vielerlei Hinsicht aussergewöhnlich. Demgegenüber bewegen sich die Entscheide zum privaten Bankrecht, die in diesem Jahr gefällt wurden, zu einem Grossteil im Rahmen des…

Le droit des sociétés 2019/2020 / Das Gesellschaftsrecht 2019/2020

La décision judiciaire la plus importante de l’année écoulée concerne le droit des groupes de sociétés, à savoir le Cash Pooling, mais cette fois dans le contexte de la responsabilité du conseil d’administration (1.). Un autre arrêt important clarifie l’exercice de la clause échappatoire pour le refus au transfert des actions nominatives liées (2.). La jurisprudence a en outre eu l…

Pièges fiscaux du contrat de prêt

This contribution deals with the tax « traps » of the loan agreement. Loans are usually quite simple from a tax standpoint since they are neutral. Yet, the author examines three specific instances where things do not turn out so well. The first of which is the cancellation of ­indebtedness, which may result in taxable income ­(Article 16 par. 1 or Article 18 par. 1 Direct Federal Tax Law)…

Entreprises et droits humains – La directive européenne sur la publication d’informations non financières, un modèle à suivre en droit suisse?

Since 2014, a European Union directive requires large companies to publish non-financial information relating to human rights and other issues such as social and environmental challenges. Taking up a…

L’émission d’actions digitalisées comme moyen de financement de l’innovation et des PME

Switzerland is a world-leading nation in terms of entrepreneurship and promotion of innovation. Its universities produce a high number of start-ups. Its economy is based on a web of small and medium-sized companies, which make for the bulk of the country’s economic activity. Paradoxically though, the Swiss capital markets are relatively inefficient in channeling savings to companies. Only a…

Le droit à l’information de l’administrateur et sa mise en œuvre judiciaire

This article deals with the right to information and ­inspection of a member of the board of directors (Article 715a of the Swiss Code of Obligations, CO) and the possibility, recently acknowledged by the Federal Tribunal, to raise a claim based on such right. The implementing of Article 715a CO in court gives rise to a number of questions. Often, time is of the essence and a court decision may…

Das Gesellschaftsrecht 2018/2019 / Le droit des sociétés 2018/2019

Im vergangenen Jahr stechen wiederum die Verantwortlichkeitsklagen gegen geschäftsführende Organe hervor (1.). Die weiteren Fälle betreffen die Akkreditierung von Revisoren (2.) sowie die Rechtsprechung zur Vertretung der Gesellschaft bei Interessenkonflikten (3.) und die gemischte Anwalts-AG (4.).

FINMA’s Enforcement in Court

This article presents an empirical and qualitative analy­sis of the judicial review of the Swiss Financial Markets Supervisory Authority’s (FINMA) enforcement of financial market laws by the Federal Administrative Court and the Federal Supreme Court. It is part of a broader research project on global enforcement against financial institutions and their managers and employees. Based on an overview…

Enquêtes internes et secret professionnel de l’avocat

The Federal Court recently rendered two decisions on the issue of the protection of the lawyer’s professional secrecy within the context of internal inquiries. These decisions represent an important step, since there were contradictory opinions in legal writings on the issue of whether lawyers’ participation in internal inquiries should be regarded as a typical activity, and consequently covered…

Le fonds de placement contractuel immobilier et la Lex Koller

This contribution discusses the treatment of Swiss real estate funds under the Lex Koller. It explains that for­eigners (in the meaning of Lex Koller) may acquire fund’s units and/or shares or participation certificates in the capital of the fund management company (up to full holding) without a Lex Koller authorization. The analysis takes into account the consequences of such purchases on future…

Pouvoir de marché dans le secteur numérique: l’accès à de larges quantités de données est-il suffisant?

In the digital sector, access to large sets of data may provide strategic advantages and thus raises the question as to whether it may be the source of market power within the meaning of competition law. In light of recent case law, we argue that access to big data may confer such power only when particular conditions are met. The data at stake should notably be correlated to specific users. In…

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…

Propositions pour un trust suisse

New voices, including in Parliament, are now calling for the adoption of the trust as an institution of Swiss law. This would provide Swiss residents with a much-needed vehicle for estate planning and structuring. It would also improve the legal certainty and robustness of very common business transactions. Notably it would allow lawyers, notaries and other professionals to protect their clients’…

La communication de soupçons au MROS: du droit à l’obligation

Communication right in case of suspicion of money laundering was introduced in 1990 in the Swiss Criminal Code, despite opposition from the banking sector at that time. It has been completed, in 1998, by a duty to file a report with the Money Laundering Reporting ­Office Switzerland, when reasonable grounds to suspect that assets involved in the business relationship are linked to a criminal…

Le droit bancaire privé suisse 2017 / Das schweizerische Bankprivatrecht 2017

Les services d’investissement (intermédiation sur le marché des capitaux et le marché monétaire) ont une telle importance dans le débat sur la place financière suisse qu’on oublie souvent de rappeler…

Le régime de responsabilité civile en matière d’émissions publiques de jetons digitaux (ICO)

Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs) consist of an innovative form of capital raising. In the digital era, it has become technically possible to raise substantial funds within a very short period of time. This paper analyses the civil liability regime applying to misrepresentations communicated to investors acquiring tokens in an ICO. Pursuant to the prospectus liability provisions of the Swiss Code of…

Les avantages (statutaires) particuliers de l’art. 628 al. 3 CO : ­une alternative méconnue aux conventions d’actionnaires

Swiss Company Law provides for a «one size fits all» form of limited by shares companies. The underlying idea is that the articles of association can be customized in order to fit the needs of each particular case. On the other hand however flexibility is limited, in particular due to the fact that besides payment of an emission price for their shares, the articles of association cannot put any…

Réflexions critiques sur l’adoption par la Suisse des normes du GAFI en ­matière de transparence des sociétés : du bricolage législatif à l’abolition des actions au porteur ?

As a result of the revised FATF recommendations issued in 2012, Switzerland, under international pressure, had no choice but to enact requirements aiming at creating more transparency with regard to the ownership and control of limited by share companies. In this context, the widespread possibility for Swiss companies to issue bearer shares was particularly at stake. Switzerland inserted these…

Das Gesellschaftsrecht 2016/2017 / Le droit des sociétés 2016/2017

Im vergangenen Jahr stachen neben dem Fall Sika vor allem eine Reihe von Urteilen zum Verantwortlichkeitsrecht ins Auge. Diese bestätigen einerseits die klärende neuere Rechtsprechung zur Business…

La banque exposée aux prétentions de tiers : art. 402 CO et rétention ­d’actifs de clients

The so-called claw-back suits filed by the liquidators of Fairfield Sentry and other feeder funds involved in Bernard Madoff’s bankruptcy have prompted the defendant banks to secure their recourse against their clients by withholding money and other assets in their custody. This article analyses the legal basis for the retention of client assets under Swiss law. It concludes that, except when the…

Protection des données et nouvelles procédures de communication aux autorités fiscales et de surveillance étrangères

At a time when banking secrecy is shrinking, the lawmaker has decided to redefine the role of data protection in international cooperation procedures with regulatory and tax authorities. The law allows a supervised entity, typically a bank, to transmit confidential information to certain foreign authorities and organizations, but requires it to safeguard the rights of its clients and other third…

L’ouverture de la faillite : situation actuelle et mise en perspective

This article presents the opening of Bankruptcy Procee­d­ings under Swiss law and especially the problem of the costs. Bankruptcy Proceedings against legal entities are normally initiated without prior enforcement proceedings. According to 725 II CO, the board of directors has a legal duty to notify the court in the case of overindebtedness. In this case, the payment of an advance is not…