The DLT Act and Private Law — conclusion

Conclusion of Chapter II

The DLT Act of 2020 adapted Swiss law to distributed ledger technology without creating a special crypto law. It introduced the ledger-based security into the Code of Obligations, which allows rights to be issued and transferred on a blockchain with the legal effects of a certificated security. It gave clients of custodians the right to segregate crypto-based assets in bankruptcy, both under the general bankruptcy law and under the Banking Act. It created the DLT trading facility as a new market infrastructure that combines trading, custody and settlement and admits private persons. It amended the Private International Law Act to allow issuers to choose the law that governs their tokens. The Act has made Switzerland one of the most complete legal environments for tokenised securities, which the Zug industry has used for tokenised shares, custody and trading. Chapter III turns to the reforms that followed and to the European comparison.

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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