Bär & Karrer Ltd. acts for a wide range of clients, from start-ups to established financial companies and service providers as well as investors, on all legal and regulatory issues relating to fintech, including fintech-focused transactions. Typical work includes assistance with regulatory proceedings with authorities as well as advice on the establishing of electronic payment services, electronic money solutions, digital assets, crypto currencies, as well as advice on online platforms for bond issuance and consumer loans. The ‘exceptional‘ Eric Stupp
and Daniel Flühmann head the ‘responsive, progressive and very knowledgeable‘ team and are experienced in advising on internal investigations on cross-border issues and on the legal framework for applications of blockchain technology respectively. Gadi Winter and Peter Hsu are further key contacts.
Fintech in Switzerland
Bär & Karrer Ltd.
Practice head(s):
Other key lawyers:
Testimonials
‘This practice was exceptional in the knowledge and capability provided and the passion, drive and responsiveness to the client. Their knowledge of the industry and regulatory requirements was extremely good and they were able to truly get to grips with the underlying technology and to ensure that was mapped to the regulatory and legal environment.’
‘Eric Stupp and Gadi Winter were exceptional in their proactiveness, responsiveness, guidance, drive and passion. Their counsel was strong and of very high quality and they really got to grips with our project. They were able to deploy appropriate experts as required in support and coordinated the input to ensure a consistent interaction with B&K.’
‘The B&K fintech team are energetic, responsive, progressive and very knowledgeable. I always enjoy working with them.’
‘Peter Hsu is the very experienced senior partner of the team, with Daniel Flühmann providing some genuine insight and expertise in the sector.’
‘Great service and counselling by Rolf Watter and his team.’
‘Rolf Watter is an outstanding and senior lawyer. Always very much focused in achieving a solution that is best for us and not shy to take up a fight on our behalf and go the extra mile.’
Key clients
Diem Association (formerly Libra)
Novi Financial, Inc. (formerly Calibra)
Valyo AG
B3i Services AG
Tezos Foundation
Cardano Foundation
Deutsche Börse AG
Work highlights
- Acted as legal adviser to Diem Association in its pursuit to build a global DLT-based payment system.
- Advised Deutsche Börse on the acquisition of a majority stake in Crypto Finance, a Swiss-based regulated financial group active in the digital assets space.
- Advised Valyo on an innovative capital market platform.
Kellerhals Carrard
Kellerhals Carrard advises all types of clients, from start-ups to internationally listed companies as well as financial market players, and has recently been active in advising the Swiss federal council on new legislation regarding distributed ledger technology. Strengths of the practice, headed by financial services regulation specialist Cornelia Stengel, lie in particular in advice concerning online forms of credit, digital payment systems as well as financial market infrastructure projects, such as crowd-lending, digital wallets and central bank digital currencies. Lars Schlichting has a focus on crypto currencies, assets, funds and certificates. Having joined in May and January of 2021 respectively, Isabelle Romy and digital banks specialist Luca Bianchi are new arrivals to the team.
Practice head(s):
Other key lawyers:
Key clients
Swiss FinTech Innovations
trustwise.io ag
ORS SA
Eidoo
Santiment Gmbh
Sppyns
Dukascopy SA
Orell Füssli Holding AG
TWINT AG
Qui CH AG Quid Global ltd
Ephelia Group SA Ephelia Capital Sagl
Work highlights
- Provided legal advice to Swiss FinTech Innovations (SFTI) regarding digitisation of processes (e.g. Onboarding process, especially AML/KYC), blockchain/DLT projects (e.g. classification of tokens; legal aspects of ICO’s), data protection issues in different projects (e.g. cloud services).
- Assisted the Swiss authorities with coordinating and combatting abuse in the granting of COVID-19 loans from Swiss banks to Swiss companies.
- Advised Dukascopy, a Swiss bank which has issued a stable coin, a token on the blockchain whose value is not subject to fluctuation, on its relationship with the regulator during the issuing process of the token.
MLL Legal
Combining the practice groups of legacy firms Froriep and Meyerlustenberger Lachenal, MLL Legal provides ‘highest quality‘ advice to banks, securities firms, digital asset exchanges, payment systems, and other financial institutions on all types of fintech matters. Kilian Schärli ‘handles a huge amount of crypto legal issues brilliantly‘ and Reto Luthiger has ‘great knowledge of the crypto and the regulatory landscape in Switzerland‘. ‘Thought leader‘ Ronald Kogens is noted ‘for his in-depth knowledge‘ of blockchain issues. Alexander Vogel ‘is one of the most knowledgeable persons in Switzerland‘ when it comes to dealing with FINMA and digital assets. The team further includes regulatory expert Catrina Luchsinger Gähwiler.
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Testimonials
‘Fantastic firm to work with. Would recommend on all fronts.’
‘MLL is a reliable law firm, which delivers the highest quality standards and is at the same time easy approachable, proactive and solution-oriented. Especially in the field of blockchain and crypto, MLL is the first law firm to approach in Switzerland. We experienced a highly professional, dynamic and diverse team.’
‘Kilian Schärli and Reto Luthiger are always supportive and reliable and they deliver high quality even within short deadlines. On a personal level, it is a very pleasant cooperation and a constructive exchange which is highly valued among various stakeholders within our company.’
‘The team has a great understanding of tech and crypto and the relevant legal knowledge. This is crucial for advice in this area. Most likely they are the most crypto-experienced team in Switzerland.’
‘Kilian Schärli handles a huge amount of crypto legal issues brilliantly. Great communication skills and understanding of the needs of our company. Always finds a solution in the most challenging circumstances.’
‘Reto Luthiger has great knowledge of tech/crypto and the regulatory landscape in Switzerland. In combination, this makes him one of the most valuable advisors in the crypto space.’
‘Alexander Vogel is one of the most knowledgeable person in Switzerland about FINMA and digital/crypto assets.’
‘Ronald Kogers is a thought leader in his field. Actionable advice. Short answer times also when we have not been in touch for some time. Creative solutions.’
Key clients
Crypto Finance AG
SEBA Bank AG
Bitcoin Suisse SA
InCore Bank AG
TWINT AG
GenTwo AG
Binance
Telegram
Ripple
EOS – Block.one
Modum
Värdex Suisse AG
PEAX AG
Aragon
CasperLabs (Adaptive Holdings AG)
HOPR
AllianceBlock (Devraaj AG)
Concordium
Sunrise UPC GmbH
SR Saphirstein AG
Sunshine
Work highlights
- Advised SEBA Bank AG on launching and listing an exchange trade products program for cryptocurrency tracker products at SIX Swiss Exchange.
- Advised Crypto Finance Group on the strategic investment by Deutsche Börse ($108.6m).
- Advised Bitcoin Suisse on all legal aspects of the Series A fundraising round about CHF 45 Mio.
MME Legal | Tax | Compliance
As one of the first law firms to be active in the space, MME Legal | Tax | Compliance’s fintech practice continues to be ‘specialised in blockchain technology‘, and correspondingly has ‘highly specialised skills in cryptocurrencies‘. The team advises and represents both individuals and corporate clients on compliance, regulatory and tax issues of various fintech matters, including the implementation of payment solutions, crowd funding initiatives and tokenisations, digital currencies and distributed ledger technologies as well issues relating to governance in decentralised environments. Recently, the team, headed by the ‘technically savvy‘ Andreas Glarner, Thomas Linder and Luka Müller, has been particularly active in DeFi projects. Michael Kunz is a further key contact.
Practice head(s):
Other key lawyers:
Michael Kunz
Testimonials
‘MME’s Fintech team is specialised in blockchain technology. The team we worked with has a good understanding of the underlying technology.’
‘Andreas Glarner is one of the key people in Switzerland when it comes blockchain regulation. His insights, creativity and contact with the regulator are highly valuable to every blockchain project.’
‘Highly specialised skills in cryptocurrencies at different levels. Most important topics are regulation and technology analysis. Profound expertise in building and implementing a team in the existing organisation.’
Key clients
BitGo
Bprotocol Foundation
Curve.fi
Custodigit AG
Daura AG
Golem Foundation
Liquity
MAMA Multichain Asset Managers Association
Metaco AG
MKS Switzerland AG
Near Foundation
Open Vasp Association
OpenBlocks
Streamr Network AG
Swisscom
Sygnum Bank AG
Xapo Group
Work highlights
- Advised Sygnum Bank AG on its setting up as the world’s first digital asset bank.
- Acted for Liquity, a decentralized protocol that provides interest-free liquidity against Ether, with$8.4m raised in different funding rounds.
- Acted for Curve.fi, a decentralized exchange expressly designed for stablecoins and bitcoin tokens on Ethereum, on crowdfunding a DeFi bridge to centralized finance and litigation.
Niederer Kraft Frey AG
Niederer Kraft Frey AG’s fintech practice group acts for companies of all sizes ranging from start-ups to publicly listed multinationals as well as traditional financial services providers. Key types of advice include regulatory issues and proceedings before supervisory authorities, lending platforms, crowdfunding, mobile payment, and digital asset management as well as financing and transactions for fintech companies and investors, including private equity houses and venture capitalists – a focus area of partner Patrik R Peyer. The ‘highly competent‘ Thomas Frick is the practice head and is noted for his ‘profound business knowledge of the fintech space‘ regarding, among others, crypto exchanges, ICO-foundations, security token offerings and utility token distribution.
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Testimonials
‘NKF stands out by the strength of their people, both individually and as a team. Compared with many other law firms, they also have a far better international network of partner firms, which is truly helpful. Last but not least, we very much appreciate NKF’s corporate culture, which is focused on creating long-term clients, not on short-term profit maximisation.’
‘In addition to being a highly competent lawyer, Thomas Frick continues to impress us with his profound business knowledge in the FinTech space and his entrepreneurial thinking. He has become a true sparring partner for us to develop lasting, pragmatic solutions to our legal and regulatory challenges.’
Key clients
AMNIS Treasury Services
DISEO
BC Capital
Crescent Fintech Ltd.
Move Digital
Finch Capital
Finastra
Keyman
Leontec
Swiss Impulse Group AG
Work highlights
- Advised Fintech start-up BC Capital AG on its second financing round in 2018 in the amount of €11m (rounded) with current and new shareholders participating and its third financing round in 2019 in the amount of €3m (internal round).
- Advised on and structured the ICO for the BABB project and the BAX token issued to enable everybody to have a UK bank account, with a total deal value of £30m.
- Assisted the Blue Code group of companies with preparing the roll-out of its Blue Code payment scheme in Africa via the joint venture vehicle Blue Code Africa Ltd based in Mauritius.
Schellenberg Wittmer Ltd
Schellenberg Wittmer Ltd’s fintech practice is ‘very up to date on all matters pertaining to fintech and ICOs and blockchain and distributed ledger technology‘ and members of the team ‘excel in the regulatory elements of such structures‘. The team is adept at advising on various fintech matters, including the issuance of crypto currencies, utility tokens and asset tokens, crypto currency brokerage and storage solutions, ICO executions and smart contracts. The ‘excellent‘ Olivier Favre and Tarek Houdrouge, ‘one of the best for fintech-related work‘ head the practice and are specialised in regulatory and transactional matters. Samuel Klaus has ‘great legal expertise‘ regarding technology projects. Caroline Clemetson is highly experienced in digital asset matters.
Practice head(s):
Other key lawyers:
Testimonials
‘The team from Schellenberg Wittmer is highly professional and offers excellent law expertise under a friendly working atmosphere. Their work was always done in time and everyone was very punctual and kind.’
‘’Olivier Favre’s blockchain expertise is excellent.’
‘Schellenberg Wittmer has a reputation for being at the forefront of innovation when it comes to market know-how and skills, especially in regard to technology and LegalTech, and how developments in those areas might impact my business.’
‘Tarek Houdrouge is highly knowledgeable on all Fintech and financial regulatory matters. He is very responsive, efficient and offers pragmatic solutions. He understands perfectly my legal needs and knows well the industry and how to help me to fully achieve my objectives in the best way. I was particularly impressed by his incredible expertise in these fields, but he has also great communications skills and he is very approachable.’
‘The team is very up to date on all matters pertaining to FinTech and ICO’s and Blockchain and DLT. They excel in the regulatory elements of such structures.’
‘Olivier Favre is excellent. Olivier in particular stands out as offering calm and thoughtful advice. He obviously knows his area of law very well, but remains commercial in his delivery and consideration of the legal points.’
‘Samuel Klaus showed great legal expertise, always keeps his calm. I was very much impressed with his flexibility and skill when it comes to using new technology.’
‘The smartest lawyers in their field. Always one step ahead.’
Key clients
Crypto Fund AG
Crypto Finance AG
Decentralized Autonomous Vehicles (DAV)
E-GTSA Limited
Alpian SA
SEBA Bank AG
iintega
ITOCHU Corporation
Crypto Fund AG
Crypto Finance AG
Decentralized Autonomous Vehicles (DAV)
E-GTSA Limited
Alpian SA
SEBA Bank AG
iintega
ITOCHU Corporation
Work highlights
- Advised SEBA Bank AG on the set-up of its business activities for (1) trading OTC derivatives on crypto currencies, (2) preparing the credit support documentation to be used in connection with such OTC derivatives agreements, (3) trading exchange-traded derivatives referencing crypto currencies, (4) its margin lending activities regarding loans secured by crypto assets and (5) the lending and borrowing of crypto currencies.
- Advised various European and international investors led by ITOCHU Corporation on a Series A investment in fintech Farmer Connect SA, providing an ecosystem built around a blockchain core connecting businesses (like cooperatives, exporters, importers and traders) to the supply chain through the application Farmer ID.
- Advised iintega on preparing the documentation of an asset token designed to be the equivalent of a bond offering, used for the purposes of financing the client’s on-going business activities.
Homburger
Homburger advises on all contractual, tax and contentious matters as well as on regulatory requirements regarding fintech projects. The group’s expertise includes cryptocurrency tumblers, non-custodial wallets, crypto-linked exchange traded products, cloud-based end-to-end platform and hubs for off-chain crypto transactions. Further, the team frequently advises on transactions involving fintech companies and has been involved in legislative processes shaping blockchain law in Switzerland. Daniel Haeberli has in-depth experience in the tokenisation of securities and other crypto asset matters and heads the practice alongside the versatile Luca Dal Molin.
Practice head(s):
Key clients
UBS
Credit Suisse
SIX
21Shares
The Singularity Group
Pictet
Consensys
Work highlights
- Advised Credit Suisse (Schweiz) on structuring, establishing and launching its mortgage financing platform.
- Advised and represented The Singularity Group on all legal and regulatory issues.
- Advised 21Shares on the structuring and listing of crypto-linked Exchange Traded Products (ETP) on the SIX Swiss Exchange.
Lenz & Staehelin
Lenz & Staehelin acts for start-ups, established technology companies, investors and financial institutions on all legal issues regarding fintech. Clients appreciate that the unit is ‘well connected in the industry and within authorities‘ as the team is regularly active in FINMA authorisation and non-action matters as well as regulatory and compliance issues. Typical types of fintech projects which the ‘outstanding‘ team advises on concern distributed ledger technology, crypto finance, digital assets, tokenisations, robo-advisors and crowd-funding, among others. Fedor Poskriakov is ‘very knowledgeable about fintech matters‘ and heads the team together with Marcel Tranchet and Lukas Morscher.
Practice head(s):
Testimonials
‘Fedor Proskriakov is very knowledgeable about Fintech matters, the functioning of DLT/blockchain business models. His capital market background is clearly an asset. He seems deeply involved in the Swiss legal Fintech community. He’s definitely the person I recommend for Fintech legal advice in Switzerland.’
‘Lenz & Staehelin is unique for many reasons, in particular for their excellent legal expertise, their capacity to understand their clients’ needs and their commitment to be there for us when we need them. We are big fans of Lenz & Staehelin.’
‘Fedor Poskriakov is very responsive and always abreast of the latest developments. The team developed an extraordinary understanding of our business and activities, which gives them a strong advantage over any potential competitor.’
‘Innovative and well connected in the industry and within authorities.’
‘Outstanding team, both from an industry knowledge perspective and a technical capability. Innovative solutions and clearly ahead of the market in terms grasping what happens and how to deal with it form a legal perspective.’
‘Fedor Proskriakov has in-depth knowledge – legal and technical – and an outstanding capacity to anticipate changes and the way to apprehend them legally and regulatory wise.’
Key clients
Allfunds Bank
Capital Markets and Technology Association
Global Asset Manager/RobecoSAM
Global Financial Services Provider
Global Insurance Group
Initial Coin Offering
International Group of Exchanges
Komainu
Leading US Financial Institution
Liberty Mutual
Major Insurance group
Mt Pelerin Group SA
Swissquote Bank SA
UK based client
WisdomTree
Work highlights
- Advised a Swiss based FINMA-regulated global asset manager on its procurement of integrated middle office outsourcing services and front office Software-as-a-Service solution on transactional, governance and regulatory aspects.
Pestalozzi
Pestalozzi has ‘extensive experience in all areas of fintech law‘ offering the full array of legal, tax and regulatory advice to clients aiming to develop and operate new fintech products. The team, headed by Oliver Widmer and Urs Klöti, assists with regulatory impact assessments and licensing applications. In addition, the unit assists financial services clients with tackling external financial fraud as well as with regulatory recovery and liability issues. Matters cover blockchain and cryptocurrency projects, such as ICOs, as well as the related fields of insurtech, data privacy and protection, artificial intelligence and software licensing agreements.
Practice head(s):
Testimonials
‘The full commitment of the lawyers as well as their extensive experience in all areas of fintech law, enables them to provide tailor-made and targeted solutions for Swiss and international clients. The firm enjoys an international reputation for the diversity and integrity of its lawyers, as well as for its high quality and proven efficiency.’
‘Response times are very short and the solutions proposed are always very workable.’
Key clients
Amazon Web Services
Aximetria
Axpo
Clarksons Platou
Custodigit
De Beers
Gazprombank (Switzerland) Ltd
Goldman Sachs
Gunvor
iCapital Network
Instimatch
Imcore
Kraken Crypo Currency Exchange
Leonteq
Libra
Lighthouse
New – X Impact Market
New-X
Nexo
Nivaura
Polkadot
Positif.ly
RobecoSAM
Swiss Crypto Bank
Saxo Bank
Swiss Life
Swisscom
Synpulse
Tezos Foundation
Token Commons Foundation
UDS oil
Web 3.0 Technologies Foundation
WMZ
Work highlights
- Advised Instimatch on setting up an innovative B2B platform for money markets, debentures, private placements and alternative financing.
- Advised insurtech unicorn bolttech on the acquisition of i-surance.
- Advised Synpulse on the structuring of a vehicle in which the Open Wealth community can collaborate.
VISCHER
VISCHER has long-standing experience a wide range of fintech matters. The practice is particularly experienced in crowdfunding projects and distributed ledger technology projects, having recently advised on one of the few DLT projects in Switzerland that went beyond the proof of concept phase. Jana Essebier heads the team and, together with Stefan Grieder, has recently been involved in policy making regarding venture capital financing and new technologies. Christian Wyss has a particular focus on insurance-related technology companies and David Rosenthal is the specialist for the data privacy and protection aspects of fintech projects.
Practice head(s):
Other key lawyers:
Key clients
Tokentrust AG
Bank CIC
F10 Investment AG
Social Media Platform
Digital PK
Work highlights
- Advised Tokentrust AG as general legal advisor on the implementation of Atomyze, a Hyperledger-based platform in the area of tokenisation of assets.
- Advised various large Swiss banks and insurance companies on moving to the cloud.
- Advised DigitalPK on offering pension fund platform solutions for companies, pension funds and brokers.
Wenger Vieli Ltd
With a full-service offering, Wenger Vieli Ltd assists clients, ranging from start-ups to established players in the financial market, on all legal and regulatory matters. The team is particularly adept at advising on regulatory issues and licensing procedures, for example in connection with the new fintech license. Practice heads Martin Peyer and Daniel Weber are experienced in enforcement proceedings before authorities as well as in anti-money laundering regulations applying to blockchain service providers. Barbara Brauchli Rohrer is the specialist for the tax aspects of fintech projects.
Practice head(s):
Other key lawyers:
Testimonials
‘Good understanding of crypto and DeFi protocols and the way they are regulated in Switzerland.’
Key clients
radicant
Sqiyo
Chorus One
Sygnum Bank
Inyova (former Yova)
Web 3.0 Technologies Foundation
Dialectic
8 Neon
Work highlights
- Represented Basellandschaftliche Kantonalbank in the high-profile licensing process as a bank vis-à-vis FINMA of its fintech subsidiary radicant.
- Advised Swiss Fintech bank Sygnum on its tokenized micro shares project.
- Advised FinTech start-up and challenger bank neon on cutting-edge regulatory and transactional matters including the largest crowd investing in Switzerland where CHF5m were subscribed in a few hours.
Baker McKenzie
Baker McKenzie’s fintech practice advises financial institutions, start-ups, technology incubators and corporate clients on all regulatory compliance, tax, data utilisation, financing, consumer protection, contractual, competition and employment issues. Mergers and acquisitions in the fintech sector are also handled. The team has long-standing experience advising on crowdfunding, peer-to-peer lending and e-payment platforms as well as on digital banking and crypto currency matters. M&A and capital market transactions specialists Manuel Meyer and Matthias Courvoisier head the practice. Clients appreciate the ‘quality and timeliness‘ of the services.
Practice head(s):
Testimonials
‘Quality and timeliness are appreciated.’
‘They are very professional.’
Key clients
BrickMark AG
Aevolve AG
Achiko
Deposit Solutions GmbH
Wallee AG
Intrum AG
UBS
Numbrs Personal Finance AG
BlockFactory AG
Certifaction AG
Work highlights
- Advised CoinShares on all Swiss law aspects in connection with its admission as a new ETP issuer at the SIX Swiss Exchange and the listing of its first physical bitcoin ETP (BITC).
- Advised BrickMark on new legal developments, token listings and real estate or property technology also known as PropTech.
- Advised Aevolve in setting up the token, the structured products and the distribution of the structured products.
CMS von Erlach Partners Ltd.
When advising on fintech matters, CMS von Erlach Partners Ltd. draws on an interdisciplinary team of banking and finance, IP, IT, data privacy and commercial law specialists. The team provides guidance on regulatory and compliance issues in addition to assisting with licensing applications, the drafting of licensing agreements and with data protection issues of blockchain projects. The group is noted for its ‘extensive knowledge in the area of distributed ledgers and tokenisation, especially in the context of global capital markets‘. Tina Balzli, Kaspar Landolt, Dirk Spacek, associate Matthias Kuert and Vaïk Müller are the key contacts.
Practice head(s):
Tina Balzli; Kaspar Landolt; Dirk Spacek; Matthias Kuert; Vaïk Müller
Other key lawyers:
Testimonials
‘Compared to other legal firms, CMS partners and associates have extensive knowledge in the area of distributed ledgers, tokenisation, especially in the context of global capital markets.’
‘Matthias Kuert has an in-depth knowledge of tokenisation in connection with capital markets law.’
‘Jodok Wicki combines his massive experience in the legal profession with an extraordinary understanding of all the different legal and technical aspects of the blockchain technology and crypto-assets. This very often allowed us to spot things, which we were not even aware of. Tina Balzli is one of the most renowned legal experts in the field in Switzerland, and she brings to Fintech a lot of knowledge from the banking/regulatory field.’
‘Jodok Wicki combines his massive experience in the legal profession with an extraordinary understanding of all the different legal and technical aspects of the blockchain technology and crypto-assets. This very often allowed us to spot things, which we were not even aware of.’
Key clients
Shareholders of Quartal Financial Solutions
Aequitec AG
Securitiesgrid Ltd
Bitcoin Association for BSV
TAAL Distributed Information Technologies Inc.
nChain group
Work highlights
- Advised two nChain Group entities on their relocation from Antigua and Barbuda to Zug, Switzerland.
- Advised Aequitec on the legal aspects of the platform on an ongoing basis.
- Advised Securitiesgrid Ltd on the Swiss law aspects of tokenizing securities, including advice on what the banking partners (Swiss banks or securities traders) need to consider when implementing Securitiesgrid Ltd’s solution on an ongoing basis.
Eversheds Sutherland AG
Eversheds Sutherland AG focuses on advising start-ups and growth companies in the crypto and blockchain business, in particular with respect to regulatory compliance and tax optimisation. Following his move from Prager Dreifuss AG in January 2021, financial market regulations specialist Michael Mosimann heads the fintech practice with experience in advising on crypto-asset backed exchange traded products, blockchain-based trading facilities and central bank digital currencies. Mosimann also has a focus on digital applications and is a public law notary. Also in January of 2021, Ludovic Duarte joined from GHR Rechtsanwälte.
Practice head(s):
Other key lawyers:
id est avocats sàrl
Lausanne-based and ‘super tech-oriented‘ id est avocats sàrl advises start-ups, investors and global players in the financial services industry in particular on blockchain and crypto matters, including initial coin offerings, as well as fintech programs for financial services, such as apps, and online investment platforms, for example crowd-lending and crowd-funding platforms. Michel Jaccard and Mehmet Toral jointly head the practice and are both ‘highly skilled and trained lawyers with outstanding expertise‘. The team also advises on the data protection aspects of fintech projects.
Practice head(s):
Michel Jaccard; Mehmet Toral
Testimonials
What clearly differentiates them is that the team is highly solution-oriented and has a deep understanding of the tech environment and how technology will impact various fields. They are focused on start-ups and therefore clearly understand this niche very well and can serve their clients perfectly.’
‘Michel Jaccard and Mehmet Toral are highly skilled and trained lawyers, with an outstanding expertise in the fields of M&A, venture capital, technology. Great combination of legal and technical (IT) skillset, allowing them to truly understand the challenges in an industry and how to address the problems Their ability to understand complex matters and quickly break down problems into easily understandable blocks allowed us to work efficiently on innovative solutions. They are both client-centric, always available, and will always go the extra mile.’
‘Id est is a straightforward and pragmatic law firm, which every start-up and or investor in a start-up should consider (especially the french part of Switzerland). They are super tech-oriented, collaborate in a super fast pace and the people working at the law firm are very competent.’
‘Mehmet Toral is a tech-oriented lawyer who thinks outside of the box-thinking lawyer, speaks the same language as techies and is super charming and open-minded.’
Künzi Hess MacNab
Künzi Hess MacNab is a partner-only boutique law firm that specialises in advising banks and financial service providers on regulations and civil and supervisory law. The ‘highly competent and experienced’ Martin Hess and My Chau Bachelard who both joined from Wenger Vieli Ltd in late 2020, make up the ‘very efficient team‘. The duo’s expertise includes e-payment solutions, e-money, digital assets and crypto currencies.
Other key lawyers:
Testimonials
‘Small, very efficient team with very large know-how in the area of financial market laws.’
‘The key services rest on trust and know-how. The firm just knows its field of expertise.’
‘The team is highly competent and experienced in the regulatory aspects surrounding Swiss financial markets and especially in Fintech and emerging technologies such as DLT. Their ability to analyse and understand the client’s needs are second to none.’
‘Martin Hess’s years of experience and expertise coupled with My Chau Bachelard’s diligence and analytical thinking instils great confidence. The resulting advice given is communicated in a clear and concise manner very much in the client’s interest and tailored to their needs.’
‘Martin Hess and My Chau Bachelard have worked together for quite some time – which makes then a highly effective team.’
‘With regard to Fintech, DLT and capital market law, Martin has ‘been there, done that’ which results in him having faced a large number of issues, situations, and questions. No need to go back to the law library for long research – makes for quicker legal advice.’
‘The team has a high level of expertise in the areas of law relevant for us and the quality of their support is very high. Collaboration with the team is straightforward, efficient and pleasant. It is always available when needed.’
‘Martin Hess has deep expert knowledge and professional experience in the required legal fields and the practice of the regulatory bodies. He knows and understands the business we’re in and is able to find and present pragmatic solutions to complex regulatory matters within short term. The collaboration with him is straightforward, professional and at the same time always pleasant.’
Key clients
Cardano Foundation
Centrifuge
Exfluency
Lunchcheck
Lykke
Web 3 foundation
Work highlights
- Advised Cardano Foundation on regulatory queries regarding market making, custody, advisory services and the role of a foundation.
- Advised Exfluency on regulatory queries regarding token issuing, project financing, corporate governance and a business model for a DLT based multilingual translation company, getting a no action letter from FINMA.
- Advised Lunchcheck on regulatory issues with respect to a complex payment system of meals by employees in gastronomy businesses.
Mangeat Attorneys at Law LLC
Mangeat Attorneys at Law LLC has an noteworthy track record of advising clients in the fintech space, in particular with regard to distributed ledger technology and crypto currency-related projects. The team keeps ‘up to date with the latest regulations‘ and is experienced in advising companies on setting up a crypto currency trading business on the basis of blockchain technology as well as assisting with security token offerings. The ‘excellent‘ Fabien Aepli heads the practice and ‘is very knowledgeable about the finance sector in general and about FinTech in particular‘.
Practice head(s):
Testimonials
‘Great capability towards innovation.’
‘Solution-driven, pragmatic, fair and reasonable on fees.’
‘Fabien Aepli helps up to connect the dots between business and regulations; both professional and committed; is very knowledgeable about the finance sector in general and about FinTech in particular.’
‘Excellent: Fabien Aepli has always been attentive to our needs and concerns, reliable, to the point.’
‘Excellent team with a very knowledgeable set of people who work in a clear and precise manner to deliver on clients requests.’
‘Fabien Aepli is a knowledgeable partner who understands our needs and is very helpful to get to solutions.’
‘Very responsive team, always up to date with the latest regulations and potential implications for the business, proactive on anticipating changes and issues and offering support to prevent problems and seize opportunities.’
‘Fabien Aepli is extremely knowledgeable in the fintech space, reliable, and excellent at understanding, anticipating and suggesting business implications in new regulation changes. Extremely fair and pleasant to work with, and also very well connected with all the key stakeholders in the space, which makes things much easier.’
Key clients
Swiss Crypto Advisors SA
Re-Company SA
Alphemy Capital SA