Switzerland: FinTech

Switzerland has spent the past decade building one of the world's most advanced legal environments for financial technology. The very features that attract fintech and blockchain ventures – early regulatory clarity, the DLT framework, a dense financial infrastructure and a strongly international client base – are now generating a steady stream of disputes of considerable legal and technical complexity. Such disputes arise from payment services, digital banking, lending platforms, crypto-assets and custody arrangements, outsourcing relationships, cybersecurity incidents and regulatory enforcement.

As autonomous AI agents increasingly perform decision-making functions within financial institutions, Swiss fintechs must confront fundamental questions of control, accountability and governance. Existing regulatory obligations remain fully applicable: autonomy in the machine does not displace responsibility in the firm. The task is to build oversight frameworks that keep pace with technological independence rather than yield to it.

Bär & Karrer, a Swiss law firm, provides comprehensive legal services and business solutions. Contact their Zurich office for expert assistance with legal matters, or reach out through their online inquiry form for personalized support.

On 12 January 2026, the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA) published Guidance 01/2026 on the custody of cryptobased assets (the "Guidance").

Der Schweizer Gesetzgeber schlägt eine Lösung vor für in der Schweiz ausgegebene Stablecoins, die eine staatliche Währung referenzieren. Emittenten solcher Instrumente sollen von...

New Swiss legislation has been proposed for stable coins referencing a fiat currency. Such stablecoins must be issued by Swiss issuers licensed by FINMA as payment instrument institutions (a new type of license).

Implementation of the OECD's Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework (CARF) in Switzerland...

In his thought-provoking piece, "The End of the Foundation Era in Crypto," Miles Jennings (a16z crypto) presents a critical view of the traditional foundation model that has long underpinned Web3 ecosystems.

Die Schweiz bzw. die schweizerischen Finanzinstitute tauschen mit über 100 Staaten, darunter alle wichtigen Finanzzentren, Informationen über Finanzkonten aus (Automatischer Informationsaustausch kurz "AIA").