Suchergebnisse für qualification du contrat

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…

La fin des rapports de travail du banquier : concurrence et bonus

The end of the banker’s working relationship is sometimes conflicting. The sticking points generally concern non-competition clauses and the payment of bonuses. The purpose of this article is to set out the rules applicable in this area in a way that both presents the legal principles and promotes practical solutions. In particular, the possibility of imposing a non-competition clause on the…

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)…

Les données bancaires pseudonymisées – Du secret bancaire à la protection des données

Law strictly restricts the transfer of personal data and data protected by banking secrecy, especially outside of Switzerland. Personal data is defined as all information relating to an identified or identifiable person. Similarly, legal scholarship and case law hold that banking secrecy protects only client identifying data. The ability to identify the relevant person is thus core to both data…

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…

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 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…

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)…

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…