D-01-21

Convictions for failure to exercise due diligence in financial transactions under Art. 305ter of the Swiss Criminal Code are rare; Federal Supreme Court rulings on the matter are even rarer. The landmark decision of April 13, 2026, addresses two points: 1) the scope of administrative and private anti-money laundering standards in determining the level of due diligence required by the circumstances when identifying the beneficial owner; 2) the question of whether the incorrect identification of the beneficial owner is an[...]

Whilst we have repeatedly highlighted the lack of detail in the summaries of the Banking Supervision Commission’s (hereinafter: the Commission) ‘leading cases’, it must be acknowledged that the latest publication raises a number of interesting and rarely addressed issues. Among these, we note first and foremost a clarification regarding the scope of application of the Bank Due Diligence Convention (hereinafter: the BDC or the Convention) in relation to credit card transactions. Recalling first of all that the CDB 20 applies[...]

On September 26, 2025, the Federal Chambers adopted the latest revision of the anti-money laundering measures, which began in the summer of 2023. For the record, the government's bill had two parts. The first related to the introduction of an electronic register of beneficial owners of companies, through a new law on the transparency of legal entities and the identification of beneficial owners (LTPM). The second consisted of several amendments to the AMLA, the most controversial of which was the[...]

In its ruling ACJC/805/2025 of June 16, 2025, the Court of Justice of the Canton of Geneva ruled on an action for rectification of personal data brought in a banking context. This ruling, which to our knowledge is one of the first published court decisions on such an action in the banking sector, raises questions regarding the application of the revised Federal Act on Data Protection (FADP) in relation to the designation of a beneficial owner. The ruling, which is[...]