Aktualisierte Sanktionsmeldung: Demokratische Republik Kongo
Executive Summary
The Swiss Federal Department for Economic Affairs, Education and Research (WBF) updated Annex 2 of the Ordinance on Measures against the Democratic Republic of Congo (SR 946.231.12) on January 12, 2026, modifying the list of sanctioned persons, companies, and organizations, with changes effective January 13, 2026, at 23:00 UTC. This matters for Swiss financial intermediaries as it triggers immediate asset freezing, reporting to SECO, and potential AML checks under the Anti-Money Laundering Act (GwG), ensuring compliance with Switzerland's implementation of international sanctions via the Embargo Act (EmbG). #
What Changed
- Amendment to Annex 2 of SR 946.231.12, updating the list of sanctioned individuals, entities, and organizations subject to financial restrictions. - Integration into the SECO Sanctions Management (SESAM) database, with urgent publication on the SECO website. - Reinforcement of prohibitions: asset freezing, ban on making funds available, and reporting of affected business relationships to SECO; does not exempt from GwG Art. 6 due diligence or Art. 9 suspicious activity reports. These align with ongoing EU sanctions extensions against DRC until December 12, 2026, including travel bans and asset freezes. #
What You Need To Do
- Screen client portfolios and transactions against the updated SESAM database immediately upon effectiveness
- Freeze assets of newly listed sanctioned parties and prohibit making funds/resources available
- Report affected business relationships to SECO without delay
- Conduct GwG Art
- Monitor MyFINMA for FINMA alerts and update internal sanctions screening tools
- Document compliance actions for audit trails
Key Dates
Compliance Impact
Urgency: High - Immediate effect from January 13, 2026, 23:00 UTC demands rapid screening and freezing to avoid EmbG violations, which can trigger FINMA enforcement (e.g., fines, license actions). Matters due to sanctions lists' frequent updates (e.g., prior May 2024 change) and overlap with AML obligations, heightening financial crime exposure for DRC-linked assets.
Who is Affected
Summary
Das Eidgenössische Departement für Wirtschaft, Bildung und Forschung WBF hat eine Änderung des Anhangs 2 der Verordnung vom 22. Juni 2005 über Massnahmen gegenüber der Demokratischen Republik Kongo (SR 946.231.12) publiziert.