FIA's Wide-Reaching Reforms

A major reform of the overall Swiss financial markets regulation is underway. As part of the changes, the draft bill of the new Financial Institutions Act (FIA) will affect licensing of institutions active in investment management.

From a technical perspective, FIA will consolidate the rules governing the following regulated institutions in one piece of legislation: banks, fund management companies, securities dealers, and asset managers of collective investment schemes. Further, newly regulated institutions will also be subject to FIA.

The existing regulations on banks are to be largely transferred from the Federal Act on Banks and Savings Institutions (Banking Act) to FIA. Under FIA, a bank will no longer need to obtain either a separate securities dealer licence to trade or a further licence to act as a Swiss representative of foreign collective investment schemes. According to a press release from the Swiss Federal Department of Finance dated March 2015, parts