Law and regulation

French	English	Deutsch	Definition
Activité irréprochable	proper business conduct	Gewähr für einwandfreie Geschäftstätigkeit	requirement imposed on the managers of supervised institutions
Autorégulation	self-regulation	Selbstregulierung	rules issued by professional associations
Autorisation	licence	Bewilligung	act by which FINMA admits an institution
Circulaire	circular	Rundschreiben	text in which FINMA sets out its practice
Équivalence	equivalence	Äquivalenz	recognition of a foreign framework as equivalent
Établissement financier	financial institution	Finanzinstitut	entity subject to the FinIA
Fonds propres	capital / own funds	Eigenmittel	capital required to cover risks
Loi sur les banques	Banking Act	Bankengesetz	federal act of 1934, as revised
Loi sur les établissements financiers	Financial Institutions Act	Finanzinstitutsgesetz	act of 2020 governing asset managers and trustees
Loi sur les services financiers	Financial Services Act	Finanzdienstleistungsgesetz	act of 2020 on rules of conduct
Organisme de surveillance	supervisory organisation	Aufsichtsorganisation	entity supervising independent asset managers
Passeport européen	EU passport	EU-Pass	right to offer services throughout the Union
Reconnaissance mutuelle	mutual recognition	gegenseitige Anerkennung	reciprocal acceptance of regulatory frameworks
Référendum facultatif	optional referendum	fakultatives Referendum	popular vote triggered by 50,000 signatures
Tribunal de commerce international	international commercial court	Internationales Handelsgericht	state court sitting in English in international disputes

For general information only. This article does not constitute legal or tax advice, does not replace advice on an individual case and creates no lawyer-client relationship. It reflects the legal position as of September 2025.

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Dr Alexander Ressos, TEP

Rechtsanwalt/Attorney-at-Law

I am a Swiss attorney-at-law and also admitted as a solicitor in Hong Kong and in England & Wales, with almost 25 years of experience.

Together with my multilingual team, including Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Ukrainian and French native speakers, I advise companies and their owners from around the world on the full range of banking, corporate, commercial and tax law matters in Switzerland, including international tax planning, fiduciary services, and legal family office services including immigration & relocation or real estate investments. My practice has a particular focus on clients from growth and frontier markets in Greater China, Central Asia and the Caucasus, the rest of Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America, and I equally advise clients from Europe and North America. Through an affiliated Swiss trust company, we also take care of the incorporation and ongoing administration of their companies and other structures, including accounting, tax returns and corporate secretarial services, and I serve as a professional director where required. With the support of a network of first-class cooperation partners, I also implement solutions worldwide.

My approach is to act as a trusted advisor who works directly with decision-makers, on an equal footing: I start from what you want to achieve and shape every structure, contract and tax decision around your commercial goals and how it improves your after-tax return. As “lawyers who make it happen”, my team and I stay involved until your company is set up, your structure is in place and your transaction has closed, and we remain available for any follow-on work that may be required. You benefit from bespoke solutions and personal attention, and sound, friendly and practical advice. We are not the lowest-cost provider in the market, nor do we intend to be; our aim is to deliver well-founded, proper solutions and excellent value for money.

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Law and regulation

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