Category Archives: Regulatory

General Meetings of Stock Corporations in light of the Revised Swiss Code of Obligations

The following article is intended to outline the changes in relation to the general meeting of stock corporations under the revised Code of Obligations. The formal framework of the stock corporation remains unchanged, but the reform brings increased flexibility and administrative simplification in various areas, in particular by allowing the use of electronic means of communication. It will even be possible to hold a general meeting entirely by electronic means as a virtual general meeting. 

That this virtual concept works in practice has been confirmed in times of COVID-19. Due to the pandemic, the Swiss Federal Council has temporarily permitted virtual meetings based on a special legal basis, the COVID-19 Ordinance 2. However, although this test was successfully passed, virtual general meetings will under the new law – for practical reasons – presumably be reserved to small companies with only a few shareholders. For publicly listed companies with a large number of shareholders, the concept of physical general meetings will remain de facto the only method of holding a meeting of shareholders. 

One controversial issue arose in the final stage of the parliamentary debate of the reform relating to a practice of the independent proxy holders to inform the company or its Board of Directors in advance confidentially on the instructions received. The revised law presents a compromise in this respect.

By Peter Forstmoser / Thomas Hochstrasser (Reference: CapLaw-2020-53)

Changes affecting Shareholders’ and Minority’s Rights

One of the main objectives of the corporate law reform was to strengthen shareholders’ rights. And indeed, the reform will, albeit to a limited extent, strengthen the rights of shareholders, and those of minority shareholders’ in particular, in a number of ways. Most notably, certain threshold requirements for the exercise of minority rights are lowered, while in turn a two-thirds majority vote requirement will be introduced for certain important resolutions. Perhaps most notably, information and participation rights for minority shareholders in both listed and non-listed companies are made more accessible and to some extent likely more effective.

By Remo Decurtins / Jonas Hertner (Reference: CapLaw-2020-54)

Changes for Listed Companies under the Corporate Law Reform: Gender Quotas and Say-on-Pay

The corporate law reform brings about numerous revisions to the law affecting both private and listed companies as well as a number of revisions that apply to listed companies only. The following article provides an overview of certain changes for listed companies not described elsewhere in this issue of CapLaw.

By Daniel Raun / Annette Weber (Reference: CapLaw-2020-55)

The Capital Structure of Stock Corporations in Light of the Revised Swiss Code of Obligations

The following article will provide a brief overview of the most relevant revisions of the CO regarding the share capital. Having provided an overview, we will comment on the implications that these provisions will have on companies from a practical standpoint. 

By Peter Forstmoser / Reto Seiler (Reference: CapLaw-2020-56)

Revised Corporate Law to Facilitate Accounts in Non-Swiss Currencies and Interim Dividends

On 19 June 2020, the Swiss Parliament, after a lengthy legislative process, adopted a bill on a comprehensive corporate law reform that, inter alia, permits a share capital denominated in certain non-Swiss currencies and introduces the option for interim dividends and distributions. Both of these aspects are of particular importance for multi-national groups with subsidiaries located in Switzerland. In the following, we take a closer look into each of these two new Swiss corporate law features and address the respective requirements, consequences and potential need for action.

By Patrick Schärli / Patrick Sattler (Reference: CapLaw-2020-57)

Corporate Restructuring and Insolvency under Revised Swiss Corporate Law

On 19 June 2020, the Swiss Parliament adopted the most important revision of Swiss corporate law in years, thus concluding a process started almost two decades ago. The revision also comes with a number of changes which, in particular, aim at clarifying certain aspects relating to insolvency triggers and bankruptcy filing obligations. Such clarification complements the major revision of Swiss insolvency law (Sanierungsrechtsrevision) which entered into force in 2014 and had introduced a new, facilitated debt moratorium regime. 

By Tanja Luginbühl / Anja Affolter Marino (Reference: CapLaw-2020-58)

Signing Documents in Times of Covid-19

A modern interpretation of the writing requirements under the Swiss Code
of Obligations

By Christiana Fountoulakis (Reference: CapLaw-2020-16)

An Introduction to the New Rules for Digital Assets

New rules for digital assets have been proposed by the Federal Council in its Dispatch to the Parliament of 27 November 2019 in Switzerland. This contribution provides a brief overview of the big picture, the key legal amendments related to distributed ledger technology, as well as the latest adjustments to the draft of the DLT-Rules of 27 November 2019 in comparison to the Preliminary Draft of 22 March 2019. Further, the impact of the new rules on market participants is discussed.

By Luca Bianchi (Reference: CapLaw-2020-01)

DLT Draft Law – Civil Law Aspects

A cornerstone of the DLT Draft Law aims at improving legal certainty in connection with the issuance and transfer of tokenized rights and financial instruments, such as bonds and shares. To that effect, the DLT Draft Law provides for the introduction of a new concept of so-called uncertificated register securities (Registerwertrechte) and specific rules in the Code of Obligations for corporations looking to issue shares in tokenized form.

By Stefan Kramer / Urs Meier (Reference: CapLaw-2020-02)

DLT Draft Law – Insolvency Law Aspects

One key element of the DLT Draft Law concerns the question of how crypto-based assets are treated in bankruptcy. When it comes to storing such assets there are basically two options: either the owner of the crypto-based assets stores the tokens him/herself, or the tokens are stored by a third party custodian. Under current Swiss law, it is not clear whether crypto-based assets held by a custodian on behalf of a client will be segregated in bankruptcy. The DLT Draft Law therefore proposes to introduce a new insolvency regime that will allow for such segregation.

By Benedikt Maurenbrecher / Urs Meier (Reference: CapLaw-2020-03)