License for Financial Services in Switzerland

Swiss companies which provide financial services or engage with financial-market activities need to gain authorization or a license from the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA), providing that the company meets the qualifications and requirements of the categories in which they apply for.  

Some of these activities are: 

• Asset management – A company which manages, represents or is responsible for the safekeeping of assets held in collective investment schemes on a commercial basis in Switzerland is required to be authorized by FINMA and obtain an asset management license. Such companies are:

  -        Fund management companies
  -        Investment companies with variable capital
  -        Investment companies with fixed capital
  -        Custodian bank

• Banking – Mainly, any business that will accept deposits from the public, for more than 20 clients, on a professional basis or will be advertised for such activities and other banking activities is obligatory to hold a banking license.

• Security trading– An exchange license is required for the activity of security trading: companies which buy and sell shares and other securities for clients. 

• FinTech-related activities – A FinTech license allows companies to accept public deposits of up to CHF 100 million, provided that it is not an investment and there is no interest paid. Companies that engage with activities related to FinTech need to send in an application and present their projects to FINMA in order to be assessed as to whether the license is required or not.

• Cryptocurrency-related activities – There are different crypto licenses in Switzerland for doing business with crypto currencies. The types of license depend on the nature of a project; the relevant license could be  a banking, FinTech or exchange license.  

Before applying for a license, a Swiss company needs to be officially registered on Swiss Commercial Registry. Different licenses may require different type of companies. If you are interested in our services in Swiss company incorporation and administration, please feel free to contact us at admin@ftrust.ch. We are specialists in Swiss company setup, administration, accounting, payroll services, etc.