Suchergebnisse für financement des entreprises

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…

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…

Blanchiment d’argent: la banque face au risque pénal

This paper focuses on the main issues regarding the criminal liability of a bank for money laundering from a practical perspective. Substantive law as well as procedural aspects are considered. After an update on the practice of the criminal justice authorities, we examine the circle of agents able to trigger the liability of the ­corporation, notably in situations of outsourcing. Then,…

Digitalisation dans le domaine bancaire et aperçu des risques juridiques

There is today a strong trend towards digitization in the banking sector in line with the constant development of new technologies. Swiss legislation authorizes online bank account opening processes and can be seen as pretty liberal in terms of reception and recording of banking documentation in electronic form. In this context, Swiss banks may be interested to evaluate the feasibility of, and…

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…

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…

Le traitement fiscal des sanctions financières

Until recently, the question of whether penalties of a criminal law nature were to be treated as deductibles expenses for tax purposes was fuelled with controversy. In a judgment delivered on 26 September 2016, planned for publication in the official collection of judgments, the Swiss Federal Court settled the matter in the negative. In essence, the Court held that penalties of a criminal (or…

Know Your Customer : Quo Vadis ?

Know your client (KYC) is now an essential due diligence requirement for all banking business. The concept only appeared relatively recently in legislation, however, in conjunction with increased efforts to combat organised crime and money laundering. For around 40 years, the scope and content of know your client has continued to expand, sometimes in stark contrast to other standards. This article…

Gouvernance des sociétés de famille – Quels sont les enjeux ?

The current corporate law revision aims namely at improving good governance rules. In this respect, the preliminary Federal Council draft bill, for which the consultation process was opened back in November 2014, puts forward several measures aiming at strengthening the protection of minority shareholders. The author considers that the existing shortcomings in the governance of private companies…