# Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA): register, licences and requirements

Source page: https://protegra.io/licensing/regulators/finma-switzerland/

FINMA (Eidgenössische Finanzmarktaufsicht) is Switzerland's independent financial market supervisory authority, overseeing banks, securities firms, fund managers, financial market infrastructures and fintech companies. As of September 2026 its registers list 208 Swiss banks, 34 securities firms, 6 Article 1b FinTech licence holders and 12 recognised self-regulatory organisations that supervise anti-money-laundering financial intermediaries.

## How to check a firm on the FINMA register

Users can search the FINMA Public Register by institution name, legal form, domicile, or supervisory category to verify active regulatory status, or download comprehensive spreadsheets (XLSX/PDF) updated daily. An active entry confirms the entity's regulatory authorization, supervisory category, registered office, and permitted scope of financial activities. For AMLA financial intermediaries, the SRO Member Search allows querying by company name or UID to confirm valid affiliation with a FINMA-recognised self-regulatory organisation. [4]

- [FINMA Public Register (search portal and official downloadable XLS/PDF directories for banks, securities firms, fund managers, portfolio managers, trustees, FinTechs, and DLT trading facilities)](https://www.finma.ch/en/finma-public/authorised-institutions-individuals-and-products/) [4]
- [FINMA SRO Member Search (public verification register for financial intermediaries and VASPs affiliated with FINMA-recognised self-regulatory organisations under AMLA)](https://www.finma.ch/en/authorisation/self-regulatory-organisations-sros/sro-member-search/) [16]
- [FINMA list of FinTech licence holders under Art. 1b BankA (PDF)](https://www.finma.ch/de/~/media/finma/dokumente/bewilligungstraeger/pdf/fintech.pdf) [17]

## At a glance

| Official name | Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (Eidgenössische Finanzmarktaufsicht) |
| --- | --- |
| Jurisdiction | [Switzerland](https://protegra.io/licensing/jurisdictions/switzerland/) |
| Type | Integrated financial regulator |
| Headquarters | Bern [1] |
| Founded | 2009 [2] |
| Website | [finma.ch](https://www.finma.ch/en/) [3] |
| Public register | [Official public register](https://www.finma.ch/en/finma-public/authorised-institutions-individuals-and-products/) [4] |
| Licence types in the Atlas | 8 |

## What FINMA supervises

FINMA is Switzerland's independent financial markets authority, established under the Financial Market Supervision Act (FINMASA) to protect creditors, investors, and insured persons, and ensure the orderly functioning and systemic stability of Swiss financial markets. It exercises integrated prudential and conduct supervision over banks, securities firms, fund managers, insurers, financial market infrastructures, and fintech entities. [2]

- Banks, private bankers, and foreign bank branches under the Banking Act (BankA) and Banking Ordinance (BankO) [18]
- FinTech licence holders accepting public deposits up to CHF 100M or cryptobased assets under Article 1b BankA [12]
- Securities firms (Wertpapierhäuser) and foreign securities branches under the Financial Institutions Act (FinIA) [18]
- Fund management companies, managers of collective assets, and collective investment schemes under FinIA and CISA [19]
- Portfolio managers and trustees authorized under FinIA and supervised via FINMA-recognised Supervisory Organisations (AO) [15]
- Financial market infrastructures and DLT trading facilities under the Financial Market Infrastructure Act (FinMIA) [20]
- Anti-money laundering compliance for financial intermediaries and recognition of Self-Regulatory Organisations (SROs) under AMLA [21]
- Direct private insurance companies, reinsurance undertakings, and insurance intermediaries under the Insurance Supervision Act (ISA) [22]

## Licences FINMA issues

- [Bank · SwitzerlandFinTech licence (Persons pursuant to Article 1b Banking Act / FinTech-Bewilligung nach Art. 1b BankG)](https://protegra.io/licensing/licences/bank/switzerland-fintech/)
- [Bank · SwitzerlandBanking licence (Bankbewilligung nach Art. 3 BankG)](https://protegra.io/licensing/licences/bank/switzerland/)
- [FM · SwitzerlandFund management company licence (Fondsleitung nach Art. 32 FINIG)](https://protegra.io/licensing/licences/fund-manager/switzerland-fund-management/)
- [FM · SwitzerlandManager of collective assets licence (Verwalter von Kollektivvermögen nach Art. 24 FINIG)](https://protegra.io/licensing/licences/fund-manager/switzerland-manager/)
- [IF · SwitzerlandPortfolio manager licence (Vermögensverwalter nach Art. 17 FINIG)](https://protegra.io/licensing/licences/investment-firm/switzerland-portfolio-manager/)
- [IF · SwitzerlandSecurities firm licence (Wertpapierhaus-Bewilligung nach Art. 41 FINIG)](https://protegra.io/licensing/licences/investment-firm/switzerland/)
- [TCSP · SwitzerlandTrustee licence (Trustee nach Art. 17 FINIG)](https://protegra.io/licensing/licences/trust-company/switzerland/)
- [VASP · SwitzerlandFinancial intermediary / VASP SRO affiliation (Finanzintermediär nach Art. 2 Abs. 3 GwG / AMLA)](https://protegra.io/licensing/licences/vasp/switzerland/)

## Lesser-known services for applicants

Available

### Pre-application meeting / pre-assessment

FINMA accepts preliminary project presentations and isolated regulatory enquiries prior to formal licence application submission. Submissions must be transmitted electronically via the Survey and Application Platform (EHP) or to fintech@finma.ch. However, pre-application reviews are legally subject to fees billed hourly at CHF 100 to CHF 500 per hour under the FINMA Fees and Levies Ordinance (SR 956.122). FINMA is legally barred from offering legal advice or structuring business models. [5]

Available

### Innovation hub

FINMA operates a specialized FinTech Desk within its authorization division, established to assist startups and innovators with regulatory perimeter determinations, ICO classifications, and guidance across supervisory pathways (fintech@finma.ch). [6]

Available · statutory

### Regulatory sandbox

Art. 6(2) of the Banking Ordinance lets a firm accept public deposits of up to CHF 1 million without a banking licence, if the money is not used for interest-margin business and depositors are told beforehand that the firm is not supervised by FINMA and deposits are not protected. Settlement accounts held for up to 60 days are not treated as deposits. [7]

**Application portal:** FINMA Survey and Application Platform (EHP - Erhebungs- und Gesuchs-Plattform) at portal.finma.ch [8]

**Fee schedule:** FINMA Ordinance on the Levying of Fees and Levies (FINMA-GebV, SR 956.122) [9]

Compare with other regulators: [pre-application meetings](https://protegra.io/licensing/tools/pre-application/) · [sandboxes and innovation hubs](https://protegra.io/licensing/tools/sandboxes/).

## Statistics

_Current licence holders in the official register [17] [23] [24] [24] [25] [23] [25]_

- 6 active FinTech licence holders under Article 1b Banking Act (register, 2026-09-24) [17]
- 208 authorized Swiss banks and 27 foreign bank branches under the Banking Act (register, 2026-09-24) [23]
- 34 authorized securities firms and 8 foreign securities branches under FinIA (register, 2026-09-24) [23]
- 344 authorized managers of collective assets under FinIA (register, 2026-09-24) [24]
- 54 authorized fund management companies under FinIA (register, 2026-09-24) [24]
- 1,507 authorised portfolio managers and trustees under FinIA: 1,348 portfolio managers, 148 trustees and 11 holding both licences (register, 2026-09-24) [25]
- 1 authorized DLT trading facility under Article 73a FinMIA: Seturion AG in Zurich (register, 2026-09-24) [26]
- 12 FINMA-recognised self-regulatory organisations (SROs) overseeing non-bank financial intermediaries under AMLA (register, 2026-09-24) [27]

## Fees and timelines

| Licence | Fee | Amount |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [FinTech licence (Persons pursuant to Article 1b Banking Act / FinTech-Bewilligung nach Art. 1b BankG)](https://protegra.io/licensing/licences/bank/switzerland-fintech/) | application | CHF 100 to 500 per hour of work (Art. 8 FINMA-GebV) [10] |
| [FinTech licence (Persons pursuant to Article 1b Banking Act / FinTech-Bewilligung nach Art. 1b BankG)](https://protegra.io/licensing/licences/bank/switzerland-fintech/) | annual | CHF 3,000 fixed base levy (Art. 19e FINMA-GebV) plus supplementary levy based on balance sheet total and gross income (Art. 19f FINMA-GebV) [9] |
| [Securities firm licence (Wertpapierhaus-Bewilligung nach Art. 41 FINIG)](https://protegra.io/licensing/licences/investment-firm/switzerland/) | annual | Annual cost allocation levy based on balance sheet total and gross revenue under Art. 16 ff. FINMA-GebV [9] |
| [Manager of collective assets licence (Verwalter von Kollektivvermögen nach Art. 24 FINIG)](https://protegra.io/licensing/licences/fund-manager/switzerland-manager/) | annual | Annual supervisory levy allocated across collective asset managers under Section 3 FINMA-GebV [9] |
| [Fund management company licence (Fondsleitung nach Art. 32 FINIG)](https://protegra.io/licensing/licences/fund-manager/switzerland-fund-management/) | annual | Annual supervisory levy allocated across fund management companies under Section 3 FINMA-GebV [9] |
| [Financial intermediary / VASP SRO affiliation (Finanzintermediär nach Art. 2 Abs. 3 GwG / AMLA)](https://protegra.io/licensing/licences/vasp/switzerland/) | application | Admission fee set by the chosen SRO (VQF: CHF 2,000); FINMA charges the SRO itself CHF 9,000 to 20,000 for recognition [11] |

| Licence | Statutory deadline | Observed |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [FinTech licence (Persons pursuant to Article 1b Banking Act / FinTech-Bewilligung nach Art. 1b BankG)](https://protegra.io/licensing/licences/bank/switzerland-fintech/) | No statutory decision deadline prescribed in Swiss administrative law (FINMA examines applications once complete documentation and regulatory audit report are submitted) [12] | not published |
| [Banking licence (Bankbewilligung nach Art. 3 BankG)](https://protegra.io/licensing/licences/bank/switzerland/) | No fixed calendar deadline under Swiss administrative law (BankA contains no statutory expiry clock) [13] | not published |
| [Securities firm licence (Wertpapierhaus-Bewilligung nach Art. 41 FINIG)](https://protegra.io/licensing/licences/investment-firm/switzerland/) | No fixed calendar deadline under Swiss administrative law [14] | not published |
| [Manager of collective assets licence (Verwalter von Kollektivvermögen nach Art. 24 FINIG)](https://protegra.io/licensing/licences/fund-manager/switzerland-manager/) | No fixed calendar deadline under Swiss administrative law [14] | not published |
| [Portfolio manager licence (Vermögensverwalter nach Art. 17 FINIG)](https://protegra.io/licensing/licences/investment-firm/switzerland-portfolio-manager/) | No fixed calendar deadline under Swiss administrative law (pre-assessed by a FINMA-recognised Supervisory Organisation prior to FINMA decree) [15] | not published |

## Changing the owner of a licensed firm

**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. [12]

Buying a company that already holds one of these licences is often faster than applying. See [ready-made licensed companies](https://protegra.io/companies/) · [crypto digital assets](https://protegra.io/companies/crypto-digital-assets/).

## Laws FINMA applies

- [Federal Act of 8 November 1934 on Banks and Savings Banks (Banking Act, BankA)](https://protegra.io/licensing/laws/ch-banking-act/): SR 952.0
- [Federal Act of 15 June 2018 on Financial Institutions (Financial Institutions Act, FinIA)](https://protegra.io/licensing/laws/ch-financial-institutions-act/): SR 954.1
- [Federal Act of 10 October 1997 on Combating Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing (Anti-Money Laundering Act, AMLA)](https://protegra.io/licensing/laws/ch-anti-money-laundering-act/): SR 955.0

## Recent and upcoming changes

- 2026-04-09: FINMA published Guidance 02/2026 on managing digital fraud risks at banks and Art. 1b FinTech institutions. [28]
- 2025-10-22: Federal Council opened consultation (concluded February 2026) proposing FinIA and BankA amendments to replace the Art. 1b FinTech licence with dedicated licence categories for payment-instrument issuers and crypto-asset institutions. [29]
- 2025-09-05: FINMA Guidance 03/2025 set out how crypto-assets held on and off balance sheet are to be disclosed in annual financial statements. [30]
- 2024-07-26: FINMA issued Guidance 06/2024 on stablecoins, clarifying that default guarantees issued by Swiss banks to cover stablecoin reserves must satisfy stringent supervisory conditions to protect depositors. [31]
- 2023-01-01: Transitional period under the Financial Institutions Act (FinIA) expired for commercial portfolio managers and trustees, completing compulsory authorization and Supervisory Organisation oversight across Switzerland. [15]
- 2021-08-01: Swiss Federal DLT Act entered fully into force, introducing DLT trading facilities under Art. 73a FinMIA and uncertificated ledger-based securities (Registerwertrechte). [32]

## Contacts and public register

Address: Laupenstrasse 27, 3003 Bern, Switzerland [1]
Website: [finma.ch](https://www.finma.ch/en/) [3]

Check whether a firm is licensed: [official register](https://www.finma.ch/en/finma-public/authorised-institutions-individuals-and-products/) [4] · [official register](https://www.finma.ch/en/authorisation/self-regulatory-organisations-sros/sro-member-search/) [16] · [official register](https://www.finma.ch/de/~/media/finma/dokumente/bewilligungstraeger/pdf/fintech.pdf) [17].

## Frequently asked questions

### What is the difference between a Swiss FinTech licence and a full banking licence?

A FinTech licence under Article 1b BankA permits accepting public deposits up to CHF 100 million or holding cryptobased assets, provided funds are not reinvested in interest rate differential business. A full banking licence permits unlimited deposit-taking, maturity transformation, and lending, but mandates CHF 10 million minimum capital and full deposit insurance coverage.

### How does Switzerland's regulatory sandbox work under Article 6 of the Banking Ordinance?

The statutory sandbox allows startups to accept public deposits up to CHF 1 million without a licence, provided funds are not invested in interest-bearing business and clients are explicitly informed prior to deposit that the firm is neither supervised by FINMA nor covered by deposit protection. Transit accounts held up to 60 days are also exempted.

### Does FINMA charge fees for pre-application meetings and preliminary enquiries?

Yes. Unlike many global regulators, FINMA legally bills applicants an hourly rate of CHF 100 to CHF 500 per hour under the Fees and Levies Ordinance (SR 956.122) for reviewing preliminary submissions. Applicants must also hire an accredited independent audit firm to produce a licensing audit report.

### How are crypto brokers and VASPs regulated in Switzerland without a banking licence?

Under Article 2 paragraph 3 of the Anti-Money Laundering Act (AMLA), non-bank crypto brokers, digital asset custodians holding individual on-chain wallets, and payment processors must affiliate with a FINMA-recognised Self-Regulatory Organisation (SRO) such as VQF, ARIF, or PolyReg, adhering to Swiss AML regulations and travel rule standards.

### What are the rules and approval requirements for a change of control in a FINMA-licensed institution?

A qualifying participation is reaching or exceeding 10% of capital or voting rights, or significant influence. Notification is required at 10%, 20%, 33%, and 50% thresholds under BankA and FinIA. For FinTech licence holders, FINMA requires prior approval, and transfers of banks to foreign control mandate supplementary authorization.

## Sources

1. [finma.ch: contact](https://www.finma.ch/en/contact/): retrieved 2026-09-24
2. [finma.ch: finma an overview](https://www.finma.ch/en/finma/finma-an-overview/): retrieved 2026-09-24
3. [finma.ch](https://www.finma.ch/en/): retrieved 2026-09-24
4. [finma.ch: authorised institutions individuals and products](https://www.finma.ch/en/finma-public/authorised-institutions-individuals-and-products/): retrieved 2026-09-24
5. [finma.ch: beurteilung von bewilligungsprojekten und vorfragen](https://www.finma.ch/en/authorisation/fintech/fintech-bewilligung/beurteilung-von-bewilligungsprojekten-und-vorfragen/): retrieved 2026-09-24
6. [finma.ch: fintech](https://www.finma.ch/en/authorisation/fintech/): retrieved 2026-09-24
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10. [newsd.admin.ch: 13277 (PDF)](https://www.newsd.admin.ch/newsd/message/attachments/13277.pdf): retrieved 2026-09-24
11. [goldblum.ch: vqf selbstregulierende organisation in der schweiz](https://goldblum.ch/de/wissensdatenbank/vqf-selbstregulierende-organisation-in-der-schweiz/): retrieved 2026-09-24
12. [finma.ch: fintech bewilligung](https://www.finma.ch/en/authorisation/fintech/fintech-bewilligung/): retrieved 2026-09-24
13. [fedlex.admin.ch: 117 121 129](https://www.fedlex.admin.ch/eli/cc/51/117_121_129/en): retrieved 2026-09-24
14. [fedlex.admin.ch: 801](https://www.fedlex.admin.ch/eli/cc/2018/801/en): retrieved 2026-09-24
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18. [finma.ch: banks and securities firms](https://www.finma.ch/en/authorisation/banks-and-securities-firms/): retrieved 2026-09-24
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20. [finma.ch: financial market infrastructures and foreign market particip](https://www.finma.ch/en/authorisation/financial-market-infrastructures-and-foreign-market-participants/): retrieved 2026-09-24
21. [finma.ch: self regulatory organisations sros](https://www.finma.ch/en/authorisation/self-regulatory-organisations-sros/): retrieved 2026-09-24
22. [finma.ch: insurers](https://www.finma.ch/en/authorisation/insurers/): retrieved 2026-09-24
23. [finma.ch: beh (PDF)](https://www.finma.ch/de/~/media/finma/dokumente/bewilligungstraeger/pdf/beh.pdf): retrieved 2026-09-24
24. [finma.ch: flvervt (PDF)](https://www.finma.ch/de/~/media/finma/dokumente/bewilligungstraeger/pdf/flvervt.pdf): retrieved 2026-09-24
25. [finma.ch: vvtr (PDF)](https://www.finma.ch/de/~/media/finma/dokumente/bewilligungstraeger/pdf/vvtr.pdf): retrieved 2026-09-24
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29. [loyensloeff.com: swiss federal council proposes finia amendments new licences](https://www.loyensloeff.com/insights/news--events/news/swiss-federal-council-proposes-finia-amendments-new-licences-for-payment-and-crypto-institutions-to-replace-fintech-regime/): retrieved 2026-09-24
30. [finma.ch: 20250905 meldung am kryptovermoegenswerte](https://www.finma.ch/en/news/2025/09/20250905-meldung-am-kryptovermoegenswerte/): retrieved 2026-09-24
31. [finma.ch: 20240726 m am 06 24 stablecoins](https://www.finma.ch/en/news/2024/07/20240726-m-am-06-24-stablecoins/): retrieved 2026-09-24
32. [fedlex.admin.ch: 853](https://www.fedlex.admin.ch/eli/cc/2015/853/en): retrieved 2026-09-24

Last verified 2026-09-24 · Author: Danil Marmysh · Reviewed by Anastasia Sidorenkova · © Protegra. Data: CC BY 4.0, cite "Protegra Licensing Atlas". Not legal advice.