Swiss regulatory assessment

Each procedure has its own legal effect. A license involves permission for an activity; a register entry may concern a person, institution or product; a notification reports specified information. The applicable law determines the conditions and when work may begin. None should be treated as a universal shortcut around another requirement.

Yes. Client advisers of Swiss financial service providers outside prudential supervision can need entry in a recognized adviser register. Advisers of foreign providers also need a review of their home-country supervision and Swiss client types. Registration is decided by the registration body and does not amount to a FINMA license for the business.

FinSA can require affiliation with a recognized ombudsman. An exemption exists for providers serving exclusively qualifying professional or institutional clients, but it does not cover every client who elects professional status. We check the actual client categories and applicable exceptions alongside adviser registration and conduct duties.

The assessment follows the actual activity: who makes investment decisions, holds assets, owes money to customers or executes transactions. The company name and marketing description do not settle those questions. We map the contracts and asset flows before identifying the applicable permissions.

A FINMA license authorizes a defined regulated activity and brings the corresponding institutional requirements. Affiliation with a self-regulatory organization, or SRO, addresses AML supervision for eligible financial intermediaries. SRO membership cannot replace a banking, securities or other license required by the business model.

SRO membership alone does not make the business FINMA-licensed. The SRO is recognized and supervised by FINMA, but that is a different relationship. Customer communications should identify the firm’s actual status and avoid suggesting broader authorization.

An AML-only route stops being sufficient when the activity also meets a separate licensing trigger. Examples include professional discretionary portfolio management, regulated deposit-taking and certain securities activities. We assess each service and each entity, including features planned for a later launch.

Yes. A group may contain entities with different activities and supervisory statuses, and some models raise both institutional and product questions. We check the scope and statutory effect of each permission before assuming that another membership or license is necessary.

FINMA recognizes SROs and supervises their AML oversight. Each SRO applies its approved rules to its members. That structure is distinct from FINMA’s prudential supervision of a bank and from a supervisory organization’s ongoing oversight of licensed portfolio managers and trustees.

FINMA’s published 2026 list contains 11 recognized SROs. Their admission scope and practical suitability differ. We check the current list, your activity, the working language and the proposed controls before recommending an application route.

No. AML supervision is not a guarantee of solvency, investment performance or repayment. It should not be presented to customers as deposit insurance or as FINMA approval of a particular investment.

Incorporation establishes the business but does not grant a financial-services permission. Before launch, the company must satisfy any licensing, affiliation and conduct requirements that apply to its activities. Registering a broad corporate purpose does not remove those obligations.

Yes. A model may fall outside a licensing requirement or meet a specific exception. The assessment records the facts, conditions and limits behind that conclusion, together with any remaining AML, financial-services or cross-border obligations.

No. Our assessment is legal advice on the agreed facts. Where an important classification remains uncertain, we can prepare an inquiry to FINMA and explain what the authority’s response does and does not establish. That additional work is scoped separately.

The business may need to stop or change an activity, seek authorization and address supervisory or criminal consequences. For an existing operation, we first establish the facts and current permissions, then prioritize urgent measures and the appropriate authority dialogue.

Check the relevant FINMA authorization list or the recognized SRO’s membership register against the exact legal entity. Then compare the permission with the service being offered. A group company’s license, a pending application or a similar trading name is not sufficient evidence.