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Editorial

Am 30. August 2023 fand die 15. Tagung «Quo Vadis – Finanzplatz Schweiz?» unter der Leitung von Rolf Sethe und Christoph B. Bühler statt.

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…

Finanzmarktaufsicht zwischen Macht und Ohnmacht

FINMA has been under constant criticism since its inception; the disappearance of Credit Suisse has only added fuel to the fire. The case of FINMA’s attempted enforcement of a capital surcharge –…

Die Registrierungsvereinbarung – insbesondere bei tokenisierten Forderungsrechten

The registration agreement links a certain right to a token or other informational unit on a distributed ledger. In doing so, the issuer creates a ledger-based security, which is an instrument of public faith equivalent to a bearer or «ordre» security and features scriptural legality. The article examines the function and securities law context of the registration agreement, including…

Das Finanzmarktaufsichtsrecht vom vierten Quartal 2022 bis ins vierte Quartal 2023

Ob gross oder klein, vor den Marktkräften sind sie alle gleich! Auch die ganz Grossen – «global systemically important financial institutions» (G-SIFIs)¹ – können straucheln, mit viel Getöse,…

Schiedsklauseln in den Statuten von Schweizer Aktiengesellschaften und GmbH

The Swiss legislator clarified that the articles of associations of Swiss companies limited by shares and limited liability companies may include arbitration clauses. This note first discusses issues such as arbitrability, validity and scope of statutory arbitration clauses, i.e., issues arising in the context of arbitration clauses and arbitration agreements alike. It then discusses an issue…

Das Kapitalband

The revision of the Swiss law on companies limited by shares, which came into force on January 1, 2023, introduced the capital band («Kapitalband»). This new legal institution leads to more flexibility for the companies with regard to equity financing by giving the shareholders the possibility to authorize the board of directors to increase and decrease the share capital without a prior…

Wirksame Krisenverhinderung? Das UK Senior Managers Regime und der Archegos-Skandal

The Archegos scandal, which resulted in Credit Suisse incurring losses exceeding CHF 5 billion, stands out as one of the most significant of the many scandals linked to the bank in recent years. It shines a light on financial sector misconduct and underscores the need for stronger individual accountability. Many of the weaknesses in the corporate governance system of the bank which lead up to…

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…

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…

Insider Trading im digitalen Zeitalter: Neue Herausforderungen und Risiken

Insider trading has existed since the launch of the very first organized trading venues and is now prohibited in most jurisdictions. The growing digitalization of the financial industry is adding several layers of complexity to the topic and creating both new risks and opportunities for market participants. First, digitalization brings about a higher interconnectivity between the global financial…

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…

Neuerungen und offene Fragen der revidierten Geldwäschereivorschriften im Bereich des Nachmeldeverhaltens von Finanzintermediären

The current revision of the anti-money laundering provisions introduces changes in the area referred to as subsequent reporting that have not undergone much examination thus far. However, these changes also have significant implications for financial intermediaries: With the removal of the time limit for analysis, the maximum time limit for executing client orders following a suspicious activity…

Das Desorganisationsdelikt in Finanzdienstleistungsunternehmen

In 2003, a general criminal provision on corporate liability came into force in Switzerland. This regulates how to attribute certain felonies or misdemeanours committed by individuals to the company for which they work. This innovation was in line with a general trend in continental Europe, but was controversial in business circles and in criminal law doctrine. The legislative bodies therefore…

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…

Protokollierung von GV- und VR-Beschlüssen als Gültigkeitsform

The «new» corporation law provides for some new and overall numerous ways to conduct shareholders’ and board meetings. Irrespective of the way they are conducted there is a duty to minute the meetings. Contrary to the traditional opinion the minutes are a validity requirement. Not minuted shareholders’ and board resolutions are therefore not valid and null and void.

Tätigkeitsbericht und Praxis der Aufsichtskommission zur Sorgfaltspflicht der Banken für die Jahre 2017 bis 2021

Die Vereinbarung über die Standesregeln zur Sorgfaltspflicht der Banken (VSB) umschreibt die Sorgfaltspflichten, welche die Banken bei der Eröffnung und Führung von Kundenbeziehungen zu beachten haben. Mit der Unterzeichnung der VSB verpflichten sich die Schweizer Banken gegenüber der Schweizerischen Bankiervereinigung (SBVg), ihre Vertragspartner zu identifizieren, die Kontrollinhaber und den…

Die Praxis des Jahres 2021 im Übernahmerecht

Dieser Beitrag bespricht die Praxis der Übernahmekommission (UEK) des Jahres 2021. Die UEK erliess dabei im Rahmen von 14 Verfahren insgesamt 16 Ver­fügungen.

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…

Das Finanzmarktaufsichtsrecht vom vierten Quartal 2020 bis ins vierte Quartal 2021

Nachhaltige Finanzanlagen erfreuen sich stark steigender Nachfrage.¹ Wo viel Business ist, ist der Missbrauch oftmals nicht weit. Angesichts der derzeitigen hohen Intransparenz, ob und inwiefern einzelne Finanzanlagen gewisse Nachhaltigkeitskriterien erfüllen, hat der Finanzminister schon öffentlich gewarnt: «Die Gefahr von Greenwashing ist gross.»² Dementsprechend besteht seitens der…

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…

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…

Moderne Formen der Generalversammlung im revidierten Aktienrecht 2020

The revision in 2020 of the Swiss law on companies limited by shares (Aktiengesellschaft) as created the legal basis for modernizing the annual general meeting (AGM) of shareholders of limited companies, also making it more flexible. Today’s electronic means of communication have opened up new possibilities for how AGMs can be conducted. Especially in large corporations, but also in smaller…

Statutarische Gerichtsstandsklauseln

Jurisdiction clauses are ubiquitous in commercial contracts. They are less common in the articles of association of Swiss corporations. However, our analysis shows that jurisdiction clauses are a helpful and effective in­strument for Swiss corporations, especially in an international context. The effects are especially pronounced under the Lugano Convention, because according to case law of the…

Grenzen der Mitwirkungspflicht von Banken im Verfahren der internationalen Steueramtshilfe

The appetite of foreign authorities for tax data is steadily growing. The requests for administrative assistance related to bank clients are no longer limited to the usual account documents. Rather, a trend became apparent that the requesting states require the banks to specially process such data. Against this background, it is important to determine the limits of duty of banks and other…

Digitale Inhalte und Dienstleistungen

The legal classification of access to digital content and services can have a significant impact on the rights and obligations of the parties. While customers regularly assume a comprehensive right of use and disposal, providers want to retain control over assigned digital copies of goods by means of technical precautions and contractual mechanisms. Based on an analysis of the legal foundations…

Kapitalerhöhung, Kapitalherabsetzung, insb. innerhalb des Kapitalbands, und der Erwerb und die Veräusserung eigener Aktien

The corporate law reform was passed by the Swiss Parliament on 19 June 2020. It will most probably enter into force in 2023. Its most innovative feature, the capital band, raises a lot of interesting legal issues, inter alia regarding its relationship with the provisions on the acquisition and disposal of own shares. The following article analyses this relationship and the relationship of capital…

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…

Die Strafbestimmungen des neuen DSG

As soon as the revised Swiss Federal Act on Data Protection (DPA) will come into force, the cantonal prosecuting authorities will be entitled to impose heavy fines of up to CHF 250 000 on the person responsible for non-compliant behavior. While this may seem to be a low figure compared to the high figures provided for by the GDPR, the fines under the revised DPA are of personal nature and may not…

Schutz von Bankmitarbeiterdaten in Amtshilfeverfahren

In a landmark decision at the end of 2017, the Federal Supreme Court stated that in administrative assistance documents the names of bank employees must always be redacted. In July 2020, it took two further landmark decisions on the legal position of bank employees and other third parties in administrative assistance proceedings. Firstly, it concluded that, in general, an intended data transfer…

CSR-Berichterstattung Ante Portas: Indirekter Gegenvorschlag zur Konzernverantwortungsinitiative

In a popular vote held in November 2020, the controversially debated «Swiss Responsible Business Initiative» was rejected. As a matter of constitutional procedure, the Parliament’s Counterproposal from 2019 will now automatically come into force. Unlike the Initiative, the Counterproposal refrains from introducing a foreign direct liability of Swiss businesses for infringing human rights or…

Das Finanzmarktaufsichtsrecht vom vierten Quartal 2019 bis ins vierte Quartal 2020

Die FINMA ist verpflichtet, sich an strategischen Zielen zu orientieren.¹ 2021 bricht die nächste dreijährige Strategieperiode an; der Bundesrat hat die Ziele im November 2020 genehmigt.² Aus den strategischen Zielen ergeben sich die Leitlinien für die operative Tätigkeit der FINMA. Erstmals finden sich in einem separaten Dokument zu den einzelnen strategischen Zielen «Schwerpunkte der Umsetzung…

Das Kapitalband im neuen Aktienrecht

On June 19, 2020, the National Council and the Council of States adopted the revision of the Swiss law on companies limited by shares. This article deals with the capital band («Kapitalband») that introduces the possibility for shareholders to authorize the board of directors to increase and reduce the share capital without previous resolution by the general meeting. In line with an…

Kartellrechtliche Fragen bei der Gründung eines Joint Ventures

Opening up new markets or pursuing major projects can often only be achieved with partners, which is why companies form joint ventures. When planning and implementing such cooperation projects, economic and contractual considerations are in practice the main focus. However, the influence of antitrust law on this form of cooperation should not be underestimated. The relevance of antitrust law is…

Konzernverantwortungsinitiative: Was ändert sich bei einem JA?

The highly debated Swiss Responsible Business Initiative will be put to public vote in November 2020. If the electorate supports the position of the Initiative, a provision titled «Responsibility of Businesses» will be introduced into the Swiss Constitution. According to this provision companies seated in Switzerland would be required to respect internationally recognized human rights and…

Prüfungsrecht und -pflicht der AG in Bezug auf das Aktieneigentum ihrer Aktionäre, v.a. auch im Zusammenhang mit den neuen Vorschriften des Global Forum-Gesetzes

In the recent past the ownership (title) due diligence in share deals, i.e. the due diligence regarding the seller’s unencumbered ownership in the sold shares, became more and more important in practice, as experience shows that in a high percentage of cases there are se­rious issues in this respect. This leads to the question on the scope of the examination rights and examination obligations of…

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,…

Le droit bancaire privé suisse 2019 / Das schweizerische Bankprivatrecht 2019

Cette chronique s’allonge chaque année. Sa consultation en devient moins aisée. Pour faciliter son accès aux lecteurs nous avons introduit trois nouveautés.

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…

Stärkung der Ombudsstelle

With the coming into force of the Financial Services Act (FinSA) and the Financial Institutions Act (FinIA), the ombudsman will be strengthened by being regulated by law and by obliging the financial…

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 …

Konzept und Praxis der aktienrechtlichen Sanierung

This essay deals with capital loss and overindebtedness and the related duties of the Board of Directors according to the current Swiss Code of Obligations. Furthermore, a look is taken at the future Swiss restructuring law. It has been concluded that Swiss restructuring law does little credit to its name as most restructuring proceedings end in bankruptcy of the respective company. One possible…

Aktuelle Rechtsprechung zur Haftung im Konzern

Federal court rulings on liability of the parent company in a Group have developed further since the classic decisions of the nineties in the matters of Swissair and Motor-Columbus. This article provides an overview of the handed down by the Federal Supreme Court over the past ten years. The article shows that the Court did not decide these cases based on principles of director’s liability,…

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.).

Das schweizerische Bankprivatrecht 2018 / Le droit bancaire privé suisse 2018

Das Jahr 2018 brachte einen reichen Fundus an Entscheiden im privaten Bankrecht. Etliche davon schreiben Geschichten fort, über die wir bereits in früheren Übersichten berichtet hatten. Dazu gehört die Klage des Drogeriekönigs Müller gegen die Bank J. Safra ­Sarasin im Zusammenhang mit den sogenannten Cum-­Ex-Geschäften (r34), die Fortsetzung der Verantwortlichkeitsklage der Glarner…

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…

Sanktionen

Access to the EU Single Market has always been a key concern of Swiss financial market policy. However, in the aftermath of the crisis, the EU has considerably tightened its third country regime by requiring a demonstration of «equivalent regulatory and supervisory frameworks». Given that the EU has recently implemented tougher sanctions throughout its Single Rulebook, obtaining favorable …

Die Regelung von Interessenkonflikten im Aktienrecht de lege lata und de lege ferenda

Conflicts of interest are a threat to the functioning of the board of directors and the management of a public limited company. This paper looks into the legal regime applicable in cases of a conflict of interest while dealing with third parties. It then tries to establish rules to safeguard an internal decision-making process solving conflicts of interest. Finally it assesses the effectiveness…

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…