Category
Regulation
- regulation
Two New FINMA License Categories Proposed: What the Crypto-Institution License Means in Practice
Switzerland proposed two new FINMA-supervised license categories in late 2025: the crypto-institution license and the payment instrument institution. Here is what they actually mean for exchanges, custodians, and the firms that have been operating under SRO oversight.
- regulation
FINMA's Crypto Guidance 01/2026: What It Actually Means for Custody (Not the Legal Version)
FINMA published Guidance 01/2026 on crypto custody in January 2026. Here is what the circular actually requires — asset segregation, foreign custodian rules, and what changes for individuals holding crypto via Swiss institutions. Plain language, not a law firm memo.
- regulation
Switzerland's CARF Delay Explained: What 2027 Really Means for Crypto Holders Here
Switzerland enacted CARF law in January 2026 but delayed actual data exchange to 2027. Here is what the delay means in practice: what your bank collects now, what gets shared later, and what a Swiss crypto holder should actually do differently in 2026.
- regulation
Does MiCA Apply in Switzerland? A Field Note on the Border
Short answer: no, MiCA does not directly apply in Switzerland, because Switzerland is not in the EU or the EEA. But watching from Zug in 2026, MiCA still reaches Swiss firms and holders in three concrete ways — and the July 1 deadline makes that reach real.
- regulation
MiCA vs FINMA: A Field Note from Someone Who Watches Both
MiCA and FINMA are not competing for the same thing. Standing inside Crypto Valley and watching both regulatory frameworks operate across a single border, the differences are real — and not what most comparisons get right.
- regulation
Switzerland After FTX: How FINMA Responded and What It Changed
FTX collapsed in November 2022. FINMA's response — tighter AML thresholds, mandatory crypto reporting, and stricter enforcement of segregation rules — was incremental, not dramatic. A field note from Zug on what actually changed and why the Swiss banks came out ahead.
- regulation
The DLT Act Explained Without a Law Degree: What Changed for Crypto in Switzerland
Switzerland's DLT Act entered into force February 1, 2021 — amending nine federal laws at once. Here's what three innovations actually changed for crypto firms, custody providers, and anyone holding digital assets in Switzerland.
- regulation
When FINMA Gave Crypto Its First Banking Licenses: A 2019 Field Report
On August 26, 2019, FINMA granted Switzerland's first banking licenses to pure-play crypto firms — SEBA and Sygnum. A field note on what that day felt like in Zug, what the licenses actually meant, and where both banks are now.
- regulation
FINMA's ICO Guidelines in 2018: What They Revealed About Switzerland's Regulatory Philosophy
On February 16, 2018, FINMA published six pages that changed the global conversation on crypto regulation. A field note on the three-token classification framework, why FINMA chose taxonomy over prohibition, and why this document still matters in 2026.