Sanktionen: Russland und Belarus
Executive Summary
Switzerland's Federal Council adopted additional measures from the EU's 19th sanctions package against Russia and Belarus on February 25, 2026, effective immediately on February 26, 2026, expanding asset freezes to approximately 2,600 persons, entities, and organizations. This matters for Swiss financial intermediaries as it introduces new prohibitions on crypto services to Russian nationals and firms, transactions with ruble-pegged stablecoins like "A7A5", and extended bans on specialized messaging services for payments, alongside trade restrictions, requiring urgent asset screening and reporting to SECO. #
What Changed
- - Crypto Restrictions: Complete ban on providing any crypto services to Russian nationals and companies; prohibition on transactions involving specific ruble-backed crypto assets, such as the stablecoin "A7A5".
- Payment Systems: Expansion of bans on using certain specialized messaging services for payment traffic.
- Trade/Goods Bans: Expanded list of goods contributing to Russia's military/technological strengthening, including metals for weapon systems, fuel production products, and acyclic hydrocarbons (key revenue source for Russia); additional goods added to
- Sanctions List Expansion: Builds on December 12, 2025 addition of 64 persons/organizations; Swiss list now aligns fully with EU's, covering ~2,600 targets subject to asset freezes related to Ukraine situation.
- Related EU 19th package details (adopted by Switzerland) include sanctions on Rosneft/Gazprom Neft, shadow fleet ships, new banks, payment systems like Mir/SPFS, and import bans on LNG/acyclic hydrocarbons.
Suggested Considerations
- Implement all prohibitions immediately: Block crypto services to Russian nationals/companies; halt transactions with ruble-pegged stablecoins like A7A5; cease use of banned messaging services for payments.
- Screen and freeze assets of sanctioned persons/entities (~2,600 total); report affected business relationships to SECO.
- Conduct additional due diligence under Art. 6 GwG on suspicions; if unresolved, file immediate suspicious activity report to money laundering reporting office under Art. 9 GwG (SECO report does not exempt this).
- Update sanctions screening tools, client onboarding, and transaction monitoring for new crypto/trade restrictions; review exposures to energy/finance goods listed.
Key Dates
Compliance Impact
Urgency: Critical - Effective today (26 February 2026), requiring immediate asset freezes, service halts, and SECO reporting to avoid violations punishable by fines up to CHF 540,000 or 5 years imprisonment (severe cases referred to federal prosecutor); GwG suspicions add AML reporting layers with CHF 100,000 fines for non-reporting. Crypto bans directly target growing evasion risks, amplifying ex
Who is Affected
References
AI-generated analysis. May contain errors or omissions — verify with the original FINMA source before acting. Full disclaimer.
Summary
Der Bundesrat hat am 25. Februar 2026 beschlossen, die weiteren Massnahmen des 19. Sanktionspakets der Europäischen Union (EU) gegenüber Russland zu übernehmen. Die neuen Massnahmen treten am 26. Februar 2026 in Kraft.