Do I need FINMA licensing under FinIA to offer Swiss wealth management services, and how does FinSA affect onboarding?

Thanks for your message. In short: if you intend to manage portfolios on a discretionary basis, you would likely need a FINMA licence as a portfolio manager under Swiss law. If your activity is limited to pure investment advice without any power over client assets, you may be exempt from prudential licensing but still fall under applicable rules. The applicable law governs how you onboard clients, classify them (retail/professional), and assess suitability or appropriateness when providing advice. Even if you focus on domestic clients, it also affects documentation, information duties, and, where relevant, registration of your client advisers and ombudsman affiliation. AML obligations apply as soon as you handle client assets or transactions. You willl need internal policies, ongoing monitoring, and periodic audits. Annual supervisory and reporting costs vary depending on your structure and the Supervisory Organisation (SO) chosen. Our regulatory and compliance team routinely assists new wealth managers in structuring their setup, securing licences where needed, and implementing FinSA/AMLA frameworks efficiently. We would be happy to review your exact model and outline the optimal regulatory pathway. We are available to discuss further as it is convenient for your. We are looking forward to your feedback. Best,

Thanks for your message.

In short: if you intend to manage portfolios on a discretionary basis, you would likely need a FINMA licence as a portfolio manager under Swiss law. If your activity is limited to pure investment advice without any power over client assets, you may be exempt from prudential licensing but still fall under applicable rules.

The applicable law governs how you onboard clients, classify them (retail/professional), and assess suitability or appropriateness when providing advice. Even if you focus on domestic clients, it also affects documentation, information duties, and, where relevant, registration of your client advisers and ombudsman affiliation.

AML obligations apply as soon as you handle client assets or transactions. You willl need internal policies, ongoing monitoring, and periodic audits. Annual supervisory and reporting costs vary depending on your structure and the Supervisory Organisation (SO) chosen.

Our regulatory and compliance team routinely assists new wealth managers in structuring their setup, securing licences where needed, and implementing FinSA/AMLA frameworks efficiently. We would be happy to review your exact model and outline the optimal regulatory pathway. 

We are available to discuss further as it is convenient for your. 

We are looking forward to your feedback. 

 

Best,