Suchergebnisse für poursuite

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…

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…

Sustainable Purpose-Driven Enterprises

Social enterprises (in a broad sense), including those launched by social (or sustainable) entrepreneurs (or Sustainable Purpose-Driven Entities) are important players to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Developing a legal framework that allows them to prosper has been a priority of the European Commission since 2010. These entities have recently been endorsed by the United…

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,…

The Normative Effects of ESG Expectations on Companies and their Directors

Most companies face a growing number of environmental, social and governance (ESG) expectations arising not only from their shareholders, but also from a wide array of stakeholders such as clients, investors, States, financial institutions and not-for-profit organisations. Even though a significant number of these expectations are not imposed by hard or soft law, they cannot be disregarded in…

Editorial

Le monde évolue plus vite que le droit. L’entrée en vigueur de la « grande » réforme du droit des sociétés aurait pu laisser penser qu’une législation plus en phase avec son temps permettrait de…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

Trois modèles de contrôle des investissements transfrontaliers

The screening of foreign investment has become a growing concern for many countries. In the midst of a trade war between the US and China as well as issues related to state-owned companies’ interference in the EU, it is bound to become a subject of heated debates in Switzerland. As we continue to live through a global pandemic, some countries are seeing themselves lacking or at least vulnerable…

Entrepreneuriat et incapacité: responsabilité illimitée et direction de sociétés

The contribution focuses on persons under an adult protection measure that deprives them (totally or partially) of civil capacity (legal capacity). The authors consider that the need for protection of these persons is incompatible with any status involving unlimited liability for debts related to a going concern as well as with the functions of a manager of a commercial company. This…

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…

Mise sous scellés et infractions financières: développements récents

The sealing of evidence is a procedural tool of great relevance, notably in the context of economic offences. The case law on this measure is important and sometimes uncertain. This is especially true in administrative criminal law: the practical importance of this area of law has been steadily increasing these past years while its procedural provisions appear to be outdated. This paper deals…

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)…

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.

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…

L’[in]effectivité du secret professionnel – Peut-on protéger le produit du travail du service juridique dans les procédures?

The protection of the legal department’s work product is closely linked to the professional privilege of in-house counsels. Such a privilege exists in the United States and many European countries but is non-existent, respectively non-effective in Switzerland. After the abandonment in 2010 of a new federal law aimed at regulating the in-house counsels status and inter alia granting them such a…

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…

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…

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’…

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,…

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…

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 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…

Numérisation et registre du commerce

From the point of view of the competent authorities, paperless keeping of the commercial registry has long been a reality. All necessary tools for electronic filing by the users also exist. However, such form of communication remains optional, and experience shows that paper filings remain the norm. In the absence of a statutory obligation, the situation is not likely to change until innovative,…

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…

Das schweizerische Bankprivatrecht 2016 / Le droit bancaire privé suisse 2016

Das Bankprivatrecht regelt diejenigen Rechtsbeziehungen der Bank, die ihre Grundlage im Privatrecht haben, wobei die vertragsrechtlichen Bindungen zwischen der Bank und ihren Kundinnen zum…

Le principe d’immédiateté au sein de l’assemblée générale

Traditionally, the general meeting of shareholders was viewed as the ideal place where shareholders take their decisions based on the expression of their contradicting views. Today, the shareholders meeting is no longer a forum where shareholders exchange ideas, but a place where votes are registered and results are communicated. Shareholders take their decisions prior to the general meeting…

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…

La faillite bancaire : plus vite que la musique ?

The Swiss legislator has mainly been guided by four elements to design the bankruptcy regime for banks: simplification, celerity, flexibility and efficiency. As a result, the legal regime bases itself on ordinary bankruptcy law but introduces specific derogations to speed up the process when a bank is at stake. Focusing on liquidation’s celerity this article addresses two aspects of bank…

Assainissements dans le cadre d’un sursis concordataire ­(assainissements-sursis)

Although the Parliament has declined, a bit by accident, the proposal of the Federal Council to get rid of the provisions on the adjournment of bankruptcy (725a CO), it is again proposed deleting them in the context of the contemplated revision of corporate law. The question therefore is why, despite the revision aiming to facilitate restructuring (art. 293 ss LP), companies apparently continue…

Le droit des sociétés 2015 / Das Gesellschaftsrecht 2015

Dans la période écoulée, plus longue que d’habitude,¹ le Tribunal fédéral a rendu la première décision publiée en application de l’art. 678 al. 2 CO concernant la restitution des «…

Conformité fiscale : obligations et responsabilité du client envers la banque

The responsibility of Swiss banks and other financial intermediaries in respect of their clients’ and client ­assets’ tax status have undergone a paradigmatic change. Banks need to manage their tax and criminal risks ­related to their clients. FATCA, the OECD’s Common Reporting Standard (CRS), and the implementing Swiss legislation impose strict duties on banks (and ­almost none on their clients)…

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…

L’externalisation de services dans le domaine bancaire et financier

In recent years, Swiss financial intermediaries have increasingly entered into contractual arrangements with external service providers to outsource certain activities, for example the development and maintenance of their IT platform. From a Swiss regulatory perspective, the outsourcing of activities is governed by two circulars issued by the Swiss financial regulator FINMA. Pursuant to the…

Le droit bancaire privé suisse 2015 / Das schweizerische Bankprivatrecht 2015

Cette chronique paraît six mois après la précédente (RSDA 2015 386) et figurera désormais chaque année dans le 2^e cahier de notre Revue. On aurait pu espérer que cette livraison-ci s’en…

Das schweizerische Bankprivatrecht 2014–2015/Le droit bancaire privé suisse 2014–2015

Während sich auf der politischen Bühne langsam eine gewisse Entspannung rund um die unversteuerten Gelder auf Schweizer Bankkonten abzeichnet, ist die Rechtsprechung der vergangenen Berichtsperiode…