Fintech licensing in Switzerland
In Switzerland, fintech and crypto licences are issued by the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA). The Atlas covers 8 licence types there, in 5 families: bank, fund manager, investment firm, trust and corporate services and virtual asset service provider. Each licence page lists its legal basis, fees and decision period with sources.
Financial regulators in Switzerland
Fintech licences available in Switzerland
Bank / credit institution
- Bank · Switzerland
FinTech licence (Persons pursuant to Article 1b Banking Act / FinTech-Bewilligung nach Art. 1b BankG)
FINMA
- Bank · Switzerland
Banking licence (Bankbewilligung nach Art. 3 BankG)
FINMA
Fund manager
- FM · Switzerland
Fund management company licence (Fondsleitung nach Art. 32 FINIG)
FINMA
- FM · Switzerland
Manager of collective assets licence (Verwalter von Kollektivvermögen nach Art. 24 FINIG)
FINMA
Investment firm / broker-dealer
- IF · Switzerland
Portfolio manager licence (Vermögensverwalter nach Art. 17 FINIG)
FINMA
- IF · Switzerland
Securities firm licence (Wertpapierhaus-Bewilligung nach Art. 41 FINIG)
FINMA
Trust and corporate service provider (TCSP)
Virtual asset service provider (non-MiCA)
Main laws
- Federal Act of 10 October 1997 on Combating Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing (Anti-Money Laundering Act, AMLA): SR 955.0
- Federal Act of 8 November 1934 on Banks and Savings Banks (Banking Act, BankA): SR 952.0
- Federal Act of 15 June 2018 on Financial Institutions (Financial Institutions Act, FinIA): SR 954.1
Path to market
Start by mapping the activities you plan to offer onto the licence types above; the activity pages show which licence permits each one. FINMA offers pre-application meetings, an innovation hub and a regulatory sandbox; the regulator page explains how to use them. The application goes to FINMA, together with the capital, governance and AML documentation the licence page lists.
Getting licensed in Switzerland
Protegra handles licensing in Switzerland end to end: crypto licensing in Switzerland.
Need this licence, or a different one?
Tell us your business model and target markets. We check the fit before you spend on an application, then handle the licence end to end.
A free preliminary assessment: we check your business model against the licence before you spend on an application. We handle this licence and any other fintech licence, including jurisdictions the Atlas does not cover yet.