Insurance & Pensions regulatory updates from Switzerland.
The Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority FINMA welcomes the announcement made today by the Federal Department of Finance (FDF) regarding the establishment of a working group to optimise financial market regulation in Switzerland. FINMA will support this group with its experience and expertise.
Das Eidgenössische Departement für Wirtschaft, Bildung und Forschung WBF hat eine Änderung des Anhangs 7 der Verordnung vom 8. Juni 2012 über Massnahmen gegenüber Syrien (SR 946.231.172.7) publiziert.
The Swiss Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research (WBF) has amended **Annex 7 of the Ordinance of 8 June 2012 on Measures against Syria (SR 946.231.172.7)**, updating the list of sanctioned persons, entities, and organisations. The associated changes have been implemented in SECO’s SESAM sanctions database and become **legally binding for Swiss financial intermediaries as of 16 June 2026 at 23:00**, triggering immediate screening, asset-freeze, and reporting obligations under Swiss sanctions and AML law.
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The revised Insurance Supervision Act and Insurance Supervision Ordinance came into force on 1 January 2024, bringing about significant changes to the insurance intermediary market. Two and a half years later, FINMA took stock at a symposium in Bern attended by industry experts. It noted positive progress in client protection, but also emphasised that many people are still operating without authorisation. Around 12,000 untied insurance intermediaries are authorised by FINMA.
The Board of Directors of the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority FINMA has appointed Hedwig Ulmer Busenhart as the new Head of the Insurance division. The qualified mathematician and actuary has over 25 years of management experience in the insurance sector and will take up her position on 1 April 2026. She succeeds Birgit Rutishauser, who left FINMA in April 2025.
An investigation by the Insurance Industry Vocational Training Association (VBV) has revealed that VBV intermediary certificates were wrongly issued in around 100 cases as a result of manipulation. The VBV is not supervised by FINMA. The association acts on behalf of the insurance and intermediary industry and will restore compliance with the law for these certificates. It has also filed a criminal complaint. Untied intermediaries are subject to direct supervision by FINMA. If there is eviden...
The Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority FINMA and the UK Financial Conduct Authority FCA and Prudential Regulation Authority PRA today signed a memorandum of understanding. The memorandum sets out details of the co-operation under the Berne Financial Services Agreement and opens up new cross-border opportunities in insurance and investment services.
The 2024 insurance market report, which was published today by FINMA, offers an overview of the Swiss insurance market last year. Swiss insurance companies achieved aggregate annual profits of CHF 10.4 billion in 2024, which represents a 24% decrease over the previous year. While life and non-life insurers were able to increase their profits, reinsurers recorded a significant decline.