D-01-10

On 20 August 2024, Switzerland enters a new era in bank transfers, with the introduction of Instant Payments. Around 70 banks (representing more than 98% of payments in Switzerland) will accept such payments ‘in real time’. The technical implementation of instant payments in Switzerland is based on the new ‘SIC5’ payment platform developed by SIX, the operator of the Swiss stock exchange, and the Swiss National Bank (SNB). Instant payments are coming late to Switzerland. In fact, this system is[...]

Following the US sanctions against Russia for its annexation of Crimea, the Federal Supreme Court, in its ruling 4A_84/2021, examined the scope of the grounds justifying a refusal of the payment services falling under the universal service of the Post Office. In April 2018, Viktor Vekselberg, a Russian citizen and Swiss resident, was placed on the list of Specially Designated National and Blocked Persons (SDN) by the US Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) as part of the sanctions against[...]