29th Conference on Mergers & Acquisitions (29. Zürcher Konferenz Mergers & Acquisitions)

On 1 April 2026, the Federal Council introduced the draft Sustainable Corporate Governance Act as a counterproposal to the Responsible Business Initiative 2.0. The proposed legislation seeks to align Swiss law with the latest amendments to corporate sustainability regulations in the EU by instituting broadly framed sustainability due diligence obligations and enhanced sustainability reporting requirements for large to very large Swiss companies. In addition, the draft outlines the creation of a special liability framework and introduces supervisory mechanisms to ensure compliance.

On 1 July 2025, FINMA Circular 2025/4 on consolidated supervision entered into force. This codification of FINMA‘s longstanding supervisory practice for financial groups in line with international standards enhances regulatory clarity. One year after its entry into force, it makes sense to assess the Circular‘s practical impact and the extent to which consolidated supervision has featured in FINMA‘s recent practice. As this issue will likely remain relevant in the coming years, this contribution examines FINMA‘s expectations as set out in the Circular and as applied in practice.