The new Swiss Financial Services Act (FinSA) and Financial Institutions Act (FinIA) were enacted by the Swiss Parliament in June 2018, and are currently expected to enter into effect on 1 January 2020. While the FinSA introduces uniform prospectus rules generally applicable to all offerings of securities in Switzerland and comprehensive rules of conduct for providers rendering financial services in Switzerland, the FinIA introduces the prudential supervision of all financial services providers operating a portfolio or asset management business in Switzerland and uniform licensing requirements for financial intermediaries other than banks and insurance companies. With drafts of the implementing ordinances to the FinSA and FinIA having just been published, we deem it the right time to provide you with an update on this new legislation and a first assessment of the draft implementing provisions.

The editors.