Author Archives: Ramona von Riedmatten
Supervision of Portfolio Managers and Trustees
Under the new Financial Institutions Act (FinIA) entering into force on 1 January 2020, portfolio managers and trustees will have to apply for a license with the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA) and become subject to ongoing prudential supervision by new supervisory organizations (SO). After the Swiss parliament passed the new legislation in June 2018, the Swiss Federal Department of Finance (FDF) released its draft implementing ordinance (Draft-FinIO) for consultation in October 2018. On 6 November 2019, the Federal Council adopted the final version of the Financial Institutions Ordinance (FinIO) as well as the implementing ordinance to the new Financial Services Act, and set the entry into force of the new regulation for 1 January 2020. The final FinIO contains various relevant changes for portfolio managers and trustees compared to the Draft-FinIO. Against the background of the imminent entering into force of the new legislation, the purpose of this article is to provide a summary of the license requirements for portfolio managers and trustees as well as the applicable transitional periods.
By Patrick Schleiffer / Ramona von Riedmatten (Reference: CapLaw-2019-58)
Expiration of Swiss Stock Exchange Equivalence and Activated Protective Measure
On 30 June 2019, the European Commission did not extend the so-called equivalence recognition of the Swiss legal framework applicable to stock exchanges. As a reaction, the Swiss Federal Department of Finance activated countermeasures designed to protect Swiss financial market infrastructures, in particular Swiss stock exchanges. This article provides an overview of the events surrounding the equivalence of the legal and supervisory framework applicable to stock exchanges and further discusses key legal considerations relevant to financial market participants.
By Ramona von Riedmatten (Reference: CapLaw-2019-26)