Grundlagen

Die Beiträge dieser Reihe erläutern ein Thema des schweizerischen Finanz- und Wirtschaftsrechts von Grund auf. Jeder von ihnen stellt den rechtlichen Rahmen, die beteiligten Institutionen und die Fragen dar, die sich in der Praxis am häufigsten stellen, ohne Vorkenntnisse des Schweizer Rechts vorauszusetzen. Sie richten sich an Eigentümer, Geschäftsführer und Unternehmensjuristen von Gesellschaften aus Asien, dem Nahen Osten und Afrika, die verstehen wollen, wie eine Schweizer Regel funktioniert, bevor sie eine Entscheidung treffen, und sie dienen als Ausgangspunkt für die vertiefenden Praxisbeiträge zu denselben Themen.

Understanding the system first

Swiss law is precise, but it is organised differently from common law systems and from the law of most Asian, Middle Eastern and African countries. Decisions on companies, banks and structures are easier when the reader understands the logic of the Swiss rules before looking at the details.

Switzerland is a federal state with twenty-six cantons, and many matters that are national elsewhere are regulated at cantonal level, including large parts of taxation and the admission of notaries. Private law, by contrast, is largely uniform, with the Civil Code and the Code of Obligations applying throughout the country, so that a company or contract looks much the same in Geneva as in Zurich.

Why the basics matter in practice

Foreign readers often bring assumptions from their home systems that do not hold in Switzerland. The role of the notary in forming a company, the importance of the commercial register, the combination of federal, cantonal and communal taxes and the self-regulatory tradition in the financial sector all influence how a project is planned, how long it takes and what it costs.

A reader who understands these foundations can ask better questions of banks, advisers and authorities and can judge whether a proposed structure fits the purpose it is meant to serve. The fundamentals series is written for that reader, whether a founder, a family member responsible for the family's wealth or an executive preparing a board decision on Switzerland.

In this section

The articles in this series explain one subject each from the ground up: the financial centres, banking and bank client secrecy, FINMA, commodity trading, trade finance, corporate criminal liability, arbitration, tax treaties, holding structures, listings and digital assets. They serve as the starting point for the practice articles.