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Regulatory highlights in the financial services sector – Winter edition 2024/2025


EY’s Regulatory Update provides a clear and forward-looking view of regulatory developments of relevance to financial institutions.

Download Regulatory Update Swiss Financial Services – Winter 2024/2025 edition


In brief

  • The regulatory landscape is continuing to evolve and change at an extremely high pace, especially in the realm of Digital and ESG
  • The EU Commission published guidelines on prohibited AI practices and on the definition of AI, while the Federal Council announced its approach to regulating AI
  • Per 1 January 2025 the Climate and Innovation Act entered into force, one goal of which is to align financial flows towards a sustainable development 

Stay ahead of key regulatory shifts shaping banking and financial markets.

With rapid advancements in AI, digital assets, and evolving compliance requirements, keeping up with change is essential.

Published twice a year in partnership with the Association of Foreign Banks in Switzerland (AFBS), EY’s Regulatory Update provides a clear overview of Swiss and European regulatory changes. This edition covers regulations that took effect between September 2024 and February 2025, along with insights into major developments expected from March 2025 onward.

Regulatory Update Swiss Financial Services – Winter 2024/2025 edition

Explore the latest EY Regulatory Updates, which offer a comprehensive overview of the key regulatory changes impacting financial institutions in Switzerland.

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The six chapters (Banking & Capital Markets, Sustainable Finance, AML & Sanctions, Digital, Tax and Miscellanea) of the Regulatory Update provide an extensive overview of the legal and regulatory changes that – in principle – would apply to financial institutions or impact the financial market.

These developments reflect the ongoing regulatory adjustments across key areas. Below is an overview of the most relevant changes and their implications for financial institutions:

  • The Federal Council initiated a consultation on amending the Financial Market Supervision Act (FINMASA) and other legislation concerning international cooperation. The results of this consultation have the potential of significantly impacting all supervised institutions.
  • The area of Sustainability has been changed with the Federal Act on Climate Protection Objectives, Innovation and Strengthening Energy Security (Climate and Innovation Act) entering into force. The act has many objectives, one of which is aligning the financial flows towards climate-resilient and low-emission development.
  • In the realm of Anti-Money Laundering (AML) the Money Laundering Reporting Office Switzerland (MROS) and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) have published new guidelines for Financial Intermediaries Against Human Trafficking. Also, the State Secretariat for Economic Affaires (SECO) updated the measures against the Islamic Republic of Iran and, while the Federal Council continuously amends the Swiss sanction regime in the context of the conflict in Ukraine.
  • The digital updates continue to focus on AI, with the EU Commission publishing the guidelines on prohibited AI practices and the guidelines on AI system definition according to the EU AI Act. In Switzerland, the Federal Council announced Switzerland’s approach to regulating AI, planning to adopt the Council of Europe Convention on AI.
  • Tax updates include the entry into force of the revised VAT Act and VAT Ordinance. The changes that came with the new versions include the obligation for all VAT liable businesses, to use ePortal.
  • Our Miscellanea section covers diverse topics such as the new possibility to retroactively contribute into pillar 3a or EU commissions plan of a program aiming at making Europe simpler and faster.

With deep expertise across these areas, EY supports financial services organizations in navigating an increasingly digital, complex, and interconnected regulatory landscape.

 

Read Regulatory highlights in the financial services sector – Winter 2024/2025 edition.

A special thanks goes to the EY Law team Silvia Devulder, Heidi Gysi, Isabelle Holliger-Weber, Clara Morhange, Leonard Christen, Simone Schlatter, Amelia Bruderer, Carla Mircescu and Agustin Bilbao as well as to Christophe Adank and Simon Kälin from the EY Tax team for their excellent cooperation and valuable contributions.

Summary

EY’s ‘Regulatory Highlights in the Financial Services Sector’, published in collaboration with the Association of Foreign Banks in Switzerland (AFBS), provides an overview of new and planned changes to the regulations impacting Financial Institutions operating in Switzerland. Changes in the Swiss and EU regulatory framework which took effect or were announced from September 2024 to March 2025 are presented in six dedicated sections providing you with comprehensive overview.


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