🇨🇭 Legislation26 Sep 2025
Swiss Parliament adopts a central register of beneficial owners
On 26 September 2025 the Swiss Parliament adopted the Federal Act on the Transparency of Legal Entities and the Identification of Beneficial Owners, with a partial revision of the Anti-Money Laundering Act. It creates a central federal transparency register, kept by the Federal Office of Justice, where Swiss companies and other legal entities, and some foreign entities, must report their beneficial owners. The register is not public.
Until now Swiss companies only had to keep their own lists of beneficial owners. The act adds a central register.
What changed
- Register: a federal transparency register kept by the Federal Office of Justice.
- Who reports: Swiss legal entities, and certain foreign entities with a Swiss link, must identify their beneficial owners and report them electronically.
- Access: competent authorities and businesses subject to the Anti-Money Laundering Act. There is no public access.
- Checks: a control unit at the Federal Department of Finance checks that entries are accurate, complete and up to date.
- Penalties: fines of up to CHF 500,000 for intentional breaches.
- The Anti-Money Laundering Act was revised at the same time, including for lawyers and other advisers in some transactions.
Who is affected
Swiss companies, cooperatives, foundations and associations, their boards, and the advisers who keep their records.
Later developments
The act and the register took effect on 1 October 2026. See our coverage.