Authority and scope
Sections ↑FINMA authorises and supervises financial institutions and can act against irregularities. Its protection is collective: it does not intervene in a customer’s contract to decide an individual damages claim. The banking ombudsman and courts have different roles.[1]
Choose the correct route
| Question | Official position and practical route |
|---|---|
| Verify a provider | Search FINMA’s official authorisation index, including the category relevant to the account. Consult warnings separately.Source 2Source 3 |
| Resolve an account complaint | Complain to the institution first and check the Swiss Banking Ombudsman’s participation and jurisdiction requirements.Source 5Source 7 |
| Report a breach | Use FINMA’s client reporting form for suspected financial-market-law violations. This is distinct from the insider whistleblowing platform.Source 4 |
| Bankruptcy and protected cash | Check the exact bank in esisuisse’s directory and the rules for the particular balance; do not apply a deposit limit to the whole portfolio.Source 8Source 9 |
Registers and permission checks
Sections ↑Read the authorisation category
| Question | Official position and practical route |
|---|---|
| Type of permission | FINMA’s index distinguishes banks, securities firms, FinTech institutions, asset managers, infrastructure and other categories. Supervision is not identical for every listing.Source 2 |
| Self-regulatory membership | Some intermediaries use an anti-money-laundering self-regulatory organisation. Such membership is not the same thing as a banking licence.Source 2 |
| List freshness | FINMA warns that a newly authorised institution may not yet appear and a firm that has lost authorisation may remain listed temporarily. Retain the record’s own date.Source 2 |
| Company match | Compare the contractual entity, authorised activity, website and contacts, rather than relying on a similar name or group affiliation.Source 2Source 3 |
| Uncertainty | FINMA gives [email protected] and +41 31 327 98 88 for authorisation enquiries; published weekday hours are 08:00–12:00 Swiss local time.Source 2 |
Check the exact legal entity, permissions, current status and scope in the official record. A brand connection in our coverage does not establish authorisation.
Client assets and protections
Sections ↑FINMA’s 12 January 2026 guidance adds an important distinction for brokers offering crypto custody. Segregable custody assets, a bank deposit and a contractual claim against a provider are different exposures. For relevant arrangements with a foreign custodian, the guidance considers both prudential supervision and equivalent protection in bankruptcy; the presence of a regulated Swiss intermediary alone does not resolve the foreign-custody risk.[10]
Questions raised by the 2026 custody guidance
| Subject | What it means |
|---|---|
| Which custodian? | Identify the institution actually holding the assets and any overseas delegation.Source 10 |
| What happens in bankruptcy? | Establish whether the assets can be segregated and returned under the applicable law.Source 10 |
| Existing exception | For specified existing portfolio-management arrangements, exceptions require documented risk information, suitable alternatives and the client’s written consent.Source 10 |
| What risk remains? | Custody safeguards do not remove volatility or investment loss. Do not describe crypto assets as covered bank deposits.Source 10 |
Complaints and redress
Sections ↑Keep redress and supervision separate
| Question | Official position and practical route |
|---|---|
| Written complaint | State the problem and requested remedy to the bank, and retain its response and supporting documents before seeking mediation.Source 7 |
| Ombudsman participation | The banking office covers member and affiliated institutions of the Swiss Bankers Association. A Swiss financial brand is not automatically within this office’s jurisdiction.Source 6 |
| Cost and purpose | The ombudsman is neutral and free for clients. It seeks negotiated solutions rather than issuing a court judgment.Source 6Source 7 |
| Binding claim | FINMA says individual civil claims are for the competent courts; a supervisory report is not a substitute for pursuing that claim.Source 1Source 5 |
| Client report to FINMA | The official form accepts information about suspected irregularities or missing authorisation. It helps supervision rather than guaranteeing money recovery.Source 4 |
| Insider reporting | The separate whistleblowing platform has confidentiality and reporting-order considerations. Read the authority’s instructions before using it.Source 4 |
Compensation and firm failure
Sections ↑Protection must match the asset
| Question | Official position and practical route |
|---|---|
| Ordinary protected deposits | The limit is CHF 100,000 per client per bank for eligible balances, with accounts at the same bank aggregated.Source 8Source 9 |
| Who pays | The liquidator uses the bank’s available liquidity first; esisuisse supplies funds for protected deposits when that liquidity is insufficient.Source 8 |
| Joint account | A joint-account group has its own treatment under the rules; it should not simply be divided into an extra CHF 100,000 allocation for each holder.Source 8 |
| Pension balances | Vested-benefits and Pillar 3a account balances have preferential bankruptcy treatment under stated conditions, but are not covered by the ordinary deposit-insurance payout mechanism.Source 8 |
| Securities firms | Only deposits with securities firms authorised as account-holding qualify for the deposit protection described by esisuisse.Source 8 |
| Portfolio value | A CHF 100,000 deposit limit is not a guarantee against market losses on shares, funds or structured products. Custody and the underlying instrument require their own analysis.Source 5Source 8 |
Official contacts and resources
Sections ↑Evidence and practical limits
| Question | Official position and practical route |
|---|---|
| Membership lookup | Use the legal bank name in the esisuisse search. Cornèr Banca, Banque Cantonale Vaudoise and PostFinance must be assessed as their respective institutions, not as interchangeable trading brands.Source 9 |
| No universal complaint deadline | Use the receiving body’s current procedure and any deadline in the bank’s response; this profile does not establish a limitation period for a particular dispute.Source 7Source 5 |
| Firm-failure information | Follow the appointed liquidator’s official instructions in an actual failure. A general guide does not prove eligibility or determine the amount due.Source 8 |
FINMA Guidance 01/2026: custody of cryptobased assets
- Responsible body
- Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority
- Scope
- 12 January 2026 guidance: custody segregation, foreign custodian prudential supervision and bankruptcy protection, transitional exceptions.
- Resource availability
- Available
- Checked
- Source 10
Resource availability describes the documented route. It does not establish eligibility, authorisation or compensation coverage.
Enforcement and developments
Sections ↑Use Guidance 01/2026 as a dated custody interpretation alongside the institution’s actual arrangements. It addresses banks, portfolio management, collective assets and structured products in separate parts; one section’s conditions should not be copied across every service.[10]
Report misconduct, scams or a clone
Sections ↑This profile has not yet established the applicable procedure, receiving body and eligibility for this task. Consult the authority’s official resources and check your firm, product and circumstances before acting.
Sources & further reading
- FINMA in brief FINMA · Accessed 13 Oct 2026
- Authorised institutions, individuals and products FINMA · Accessed 13 Oct 2026
- Warnings FINMA · Accessed 13 Oct 2026
- Making a report FINMA · Accessed 13 Oct 2026
- Questions and problems with a bank FINMA · Accessed 13 Oct 2026
- Swiss Banking Ombudsman: role and membership scope Swiss Banking Ombudsman · Accessed 13 Oct 2026
- The complaint procedure in brief Swiss Banking Ombudsman · Accessed 13 Oct 2026
- The Swiss deposit-insurance system esisuisse · Accessed 13 Oct 2026
- Deposit-protection bank search esisuisse · Accessed 13 Oct 2026
- FINMA Guidance 01/2026: custody of cryptobased assets Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority · Accessed 15 Oct 2026
A documented resource is not a finding of eligibility or compensation coverage. Consult the named body and current official terms for your firm, product and circumstances.
Report an error or submit an update
Covered broker profiles
Profiles connected to this authority in our coverage. This is not a complete official register or a list of approved brokers; see each entity’s dated status.
Cornèrtrader
Cornèrtrader is the trading service of Swiss Cornèr Bank. This profile separates the four pricing tiers, owned securities and derivatives, currency-conversion contexts, custody charges, lending restrictions and account administration. Pricing is not a promise of execution quality or eligibility.
- Operating status
- Active
- Sources checked
- 15 Oct 2026
Dukascopy
A practical reference to Dukascopy’s Swiss trading accounts, Latvian brokerage, JForex and MetaTrader costs, funding methods, automation and consolidated results.
- Operating status
- Active
- Headquarters
- Geneva, Switzerland
- Sources checked
- 15 Oct 2026
neon invest
A Swiss mobile-investing reference covering market orders, whole-unit savings, transaction and dividend FX costs, fee refunds, portfolio transfers, HBL custody, account recovery and the separate pillar 3a service.
- Operating status
- Active
- Sources checked
- 29 Oct 2026
PostFinance e-trading
PostFinance e-trading combines Swiss bank custody with a Swissquote-supported execution platform. The profile covers the standard account, recurring investments, quarterly fees and brokerage credits, currency reserves, payment access, powers of attorney and the practical steps for transfers and closure.
- Operating status
- Active
- Sources checked
- 13 Oct 2026
Swissquote
A reference to Swissquote’s Swiss investment and leveraged accounts, selected UK forex terms, funding charges, platform functions and consolidated financial results.
- Operating status
- Active
- Headquarters
- Gland, Switzerland
- Sources checked
- 9 Oct 2026
TradeDirect
TradeDirect is the execution-only online brokerage service of Banque Cantonale Vaudoise. It offers Swiss-resident clients bank-based access to securities through web and mobile, with order-value tariffs, quarterly custody, currency accounts, manual recurring purchases and specific in-specie transfer costs.
- Operating status
- Active
- Sources checked
- 15 Oct 2026
Yuh
A detailed Swiss reference to Yuh investing through Swissquote Bank, including fractional securities, ETF savings plans, crypto charges, order windows, transfers, cash protection, support and the brand’s ownership structure.
- Operating status
- Active
- Headquarters
- Gland, Switzerland, through Swissquote Bank Ltd
- Sources checked
- 29 Oct 2026