New Transparency Register in Switzerland – What Companies Need to Know
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From autumn 2026, many Swiss companies will likely have to report additional information about their beneficial owners. With the new transparency register, Switzerland is implementing international requirements to combat money laundering and terrorist financing. The tightening of the law is driven in particular by increasing international pressure on Switzerland and the implementation of the recommendations of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).
The new law affects a large number of Swiss companies and introduces additional identification, documentation, and reporting obligations.
In principle, almost all corporations and cooperatives in Switzerland are affected. These include in particular:
Certain foreign companies with a connection to Switzerland are also affected, for example those with a branch entered in the commercial register or with their actual place of management in Switzerland.
The following are not affected in particular:
This means that most AGs and GmbHs in Switzerland are affected. The Federal Council currently assumes that more than 500'000 companies across Switzerland will be subject to the new rules.
Many Swiss entities are already required to maintain shareholder registers and records of beneficial owners. The new Transparency Register will require this information to be reported to a central register and kept up to date on an ongoing basis. Beneficial owners are generally natural persons who directly or indirectly control at least 25% of an entity or otherwise exercise significant influence over the entity.
The following must be reported in particular:
Companies are required to keep this information up to date and report changes within the applicable deadlines.
The Swiss Parliament has already passed the law. It is currently expected to enter into force in autumn 2026.
As with many regulatory projects, however, further delays remain possible. Work on the implementing ordinances and on the technical rollout of the register is still ongoing. Several industry associations and business organisations have also criticised certain aspects of the law and the additional administrative burden.
Reports are expected to be submitted primarily electronically via the EasyGov platform.
EasyGov is the federal government's central online portal for businesses and is already used for numerous official notifications and approval procedures, for example VAT filings or reporting procedures for short-term employment in Switzerland. Existing EasyGov user accounts can also be used in future for reporting to the transparency register.
Companies without an EasyGov account can already register today at www.easygov.swiss.
In some cases, notifications or changes may also be possible in connection with commercial register filings. Based on the information available so far, reporting to the transparency register will be closely linked to commercial register processes in future.
Even though the law is not yet in force, it already makes sense to:
The analysis of beneficial owners can be particularly challenging in the case of international group structures or indirect ownership arrangements. However, even locally operating SMEs with multiple shareholders should not underestimate the effort required to review, supplement and keep the relevant information up to date. Changes in the shareholder structure, changes of residence or ownership interests held through other entities may require additional reviews and updates. Companies are responsible for ensuring that the information reported is complete, accurate and kept up to date.
The introduction of the transparency register creates new administrative and organisational requirements for many companies. We would be happy to help you assess the impact on your business at an early stage and make the necessary preparations in good time.
Our services include in particular:
We continuously monitor further developments of the law and the implementing rules and inform our clients early about relevant changes and any need for action.
With the new transparency register, Switzerland is introducing a far-reaching tightening of transparency and documentation obligations for legal entities. Even though some details remain open before the law enters into force and the timeline may still shift, companies are well advised to review their ownership and shareholding structures now and prepare organisationally for the new requirements.
