Trustee licence (Switzerland)
The Trustee licence (Trustee nach Art. 17 FINIG) is issued by Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA) under Federal Act on Financial Institutions (Financial Institutions Act, FinIA, SR 954.1). The official register lists 159 current holders. Ownership changes need the regulator's approval before completion.
At a glance
| Official name | Trustee licence1 |
|---|---|
| Local name | Trustee nach Art. 17 FINIG |
| Also known as | FinIA trustee licence · FINIG trustee licence · Swiss trustee licence · FINMA trustee licence |
| Issued by | Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority |
| Jurisdiction | Switzerland |
| Licence family | Trust and corporate service provider (TCSP) |
| Legal basis | Federal Act on Financial Institutions (Financial Institutions Act, FinIA, SR 954.1)2 |
| Passporting | Domestic only |
| Public register | official register3 |
| Current holders | 1593 |
What it lets you do
| Trust and company services | Forming companies, acting as or arranging directors, nominee shareholders and trustees, and providing a registered office. |
|---|
Where it is valid
Buying a company that already holds it
Prior approval required. A qualifying participation is defined as directly or indirectly holding at least 10% of the capital or voting rights, or otherwise exerting a significant influence over the company (BankA Art. 3 para. 2 let. c; FinIA Art. 11 para. 1). Notification to FINMA is mandatory prior to acquiring, disposing of, or reaching, exceeding, or falling below the statutory thresholds of 10%, 20%, 33%, or 50% (BankA Art. 3 para. 5; BankO Art. 8a; FinIA Art. 11 para. 4). For FinTech licence holders (Art. 1b BankA), FINMA's FinTech Licensing Guidelines explicitly mandate prior formal approval before completing any change in qualified participations. Furthermore, when foreign control is established or modified in a Swiss bank or securities firm, a supplementary licence (Zusatzbewilligung) is mandatory under BankA Art. 3bis. For SRO-affiliated financial intermediaries, Art. 6 para. 2 of SRO regulations (e.g. VQF) mandates prior written notice and SRO approval before transferring qualified holdings.4
TCSP in other countries
| Country | Licence | Regulator | Min. capital | Application fee | Statutory time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cayman Islands | Trust Licence / Nominee Trust Company LicenceTrust Licence / Nominee Trust Company Licence under the Banks and Trust Companies Act | CIMA | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Cyprus | Administrative Services Provider (ASP) authorisation | CySEC | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Estonia | Authorisation for providing trust and company services | FIU | n/a | EUR 345 | ~2.8 mo |
| Malta | Company service provider authorisation (Class A, B, or C) | MFSA | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Netherlands | Trust office licence (Vergunning trustkantoor) | DNB | n/a | EUR 4,500 | n/a |
| Seychelles | International Corporate Service Provider (ICSP) LicenceInternational Corporate Service Provider (ICSP) Licence under the International Corporate Service Providers Act 2003 | FSA | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Singapore | Trust Company Licence | MAS | n/a | SGD 1,000 | n/a |
| Switzerland | Trustee licence | FINMA | n/a | n/a | n/a |
Values come from each licence's page, where every figure has its source.
Laws behind it
Sources
- finma.ch: portfolio managers and trustees · retrieved 2026-09-24
- Swiss federal law (Fedlex): 801 · retrieved 2026-09-24
- finma.ch: vvtr (PDF) · retrieved 2026-09-24
- finma.ch: fintech bewilligung · retrieved 2026-09-24
Want the TCSP licence in Switzerland?
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.