Suchergebnisse für Organe

Editorial

Dans ce cahier, les lecteurs et lectrices retrouveront la chronique de la jurisprudence du droit des sociétés d’Isabelle Chabloz et de Nicolas Aymon, qui passent en revue les développements de l…

Ein Jahr nach der Aktienrechtsrevision

The revised Swiss corporate law came into force on 1 January 2023 and led to major changes covering all sorts of corporate aspects (from capital increases over general meetings of shareholders to financial distress). Many of those aspects must first be put into practice to see how and whether they work as intended by the legislator. This article sheds light mainly on the first season of general…

Die Meldepflicht nach Art. 29 Abs. 2 FINMAG

This article examines the reporting obligation under article 29 para. 2 of the Financial Market Supervisory Authority Act (FINMASA). The contribution discusses the scope and limits of this reporting obligation, and includes relevant aspects of criminal and data protection law. The authors analyse materials, literature, FINMA practice and apply their experience as practicing attorneys to sharpen…

Le droit des sociétés 2023/2024 / Das Gesellschaftsrecht 2023/2024

Cette année (du 1^er avril 2023 au 31 mars 2024), la jurisprudence relative au droit des sociétés a été peu abondante et n’a pas tranché beaucoup de nouvelles questions. Le Tribunal fédéral a tout de…

FIDLEG-Verhaltenspflichten: Umsetzungsfragen und Weiterentwicklung nach der initialen Umsetzungsphase

Since the transitional period of the Financial Services Act (FinSA) expired on 31 December 2021, financial service providers have gained more than two years of experience with the new, cross-sectoral regulation. In practice, as well as through the first audits that have now taken place, it has become clear that many fundamental (interpretation) questions relating to the conduct duties of the…

Le droit bancaire privé suisse 2023 | Das schweizerische Bankprivatrecht 2023

L’année 2023 marque la chute de Credit Suisse. Signe des temps et de l’enjeu, le Conseil fédéral siège aux côtés des présidents du conseil d’administration des deux banques, de la BNS et de la FINMA…

Einberufung einer Generalversammlung

Die A AG (Gesuchgegnerin und Beschwerdeführerin) wurde im Jahr 2016 gegründet. Ihr Verwaltungsrat setzt sich aus C, Präsident, und D zusammen. C hält rund 70% der Namenaktien der A AG. Die restlichen…

Das schweizerische Bankprivatrecht 2022 | Le droit bancaire privé suisse 2022

Die Rechtsprechung zum privaten Bankrecht skizziert jeweils die neusten Entwicklungen in der richterlichen Rechtsfortbildung. Tatsächlich führen uns viele Entscheide aber auf eine Reise in die…

Editorial

Am 30. August 2023 fand die 15. Tagung «Quo Vadis – Finanzplatz Schweiz?» unter der Leitung von Rolf Sethe und Christoph B. Bühler statt.

Welches «Too-big-to-fail»-Regime braucht die Schweiz?

On March 19, 2023, the Swiss Finance Minister together with the Swiss National Bank and the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority FINMA announced the rescue operation for Credit Suisse, the second largest Swiss banking group. After having lost the confidence of its customers, creditors and investors and unprecedented deposit outflows a rescue operation by involving the state of Switzerland…

Bonus als Risiko – Zur Regulierung der variablen Vergütung von Bankorganen

The experience with the Credit Suisse crisis of confidence has once again shown that compensation systems are of considerable importance for the risk management of financial institutions. Inappropriate risks and wrong incentives can endanger the substance and profitability of a bank and thus its stability. This article focuses on the regulation of variable compensation of bank boards and analyzes…

Verfügt die FINMA über genügend wirksame und scharfe Instrumente gegen (höchste) Bankmanager?

In March 2023, Crédit Suisse (CS) had to be taken over by UBS. It was the first global systemically important bank to face imminent resolution since the financial crisis of 2007–2008. Unlike UBS in 2008, CS remained well capitalized until the end. But clients had lost confidence in the bank’s management. This led to a bank run and thus to the bank’s demise. The ongoing crisis of specialist and…

Finanzmarktaufsicht zwischen Macht und Ohnmacht

FINMA has been under constant criticism since its inception; the disappearance of Credit Suisse has only added fuel to the fire. The case of FINMA’s attempted enforcement of a capital surcharge –…

Das Finanzmarktaufsichtsrecht vom vierten Quartal 2022 bis ins vierte Quartal 2023

Ob gross oder klein, vor den Marktkräften sind sie alle gleich! Auch die ganz Grossen – «global systemically important financial institutions» (G-SIFIs)¹ – können straucheln, mit viel Getöse,…

Schiedsklauseln in den Statuten von Schweizer Aktiengesellschaften und GmbH

The Swiss legislator clarified that the articles of associations of Swiss companies limited by shares and limited liability companies may include arbitration clauses. This note first discusses issues such as arbitrability, validity and scope of statutory arbitration clauses, i.e., issues arising in the context of arbitration clauses and arbitration agreements alike. It then discusses an issue…

Informationskonzept im neuen Aktienrecht

The information asymmetry between shareholders and managers calls for the implementation of an efficient information concept within stock corporations. In the course of the Swiss Stock Corporation Reform of 2020, the former information concept was partially revised. This article takes a critical look at the revised provisions and puts them in context.

Neuausrichtung des «Swiss Code of Best Practice for Corporate Governance» auf den Wandel der Zeit

The «Swiss Code of Best Practice for Corporate Governance», which was first published in 2002 and has since been revised several times, has become the most important guideline for good corporate governance in Switzerland and is widely accepted because it shows practical solutions based on expertise and experience. It compensates for its non-binding nature and lack of legal legitimacy, so to speak…

Konzernorganisationsrecht heute

The Swiss law of groups of companies is characterized by a scarcity of statutory rules, judicial pragmatism, and a flexible application of the rules by companies. Unusually, the density of statutory rules in this domain has decreased in recent years. In this article, the author summarizes the current status of the organizational law of groups of companies and takes a closer look at selected…

Les enjeux de la CSRD pour les entreprises suisses

The CSRD, which substantially expands the scope of companies forced to publish sustainability-related data, has a direct and indirect extraterritorial effect on Swiss companies. Size is not the only relevant criterion. Engaging with the EU market or with European companies can have (unexpected) implications. This worldwide impact is coupled with comprehensive and granular disclosures covering a…

L’application du droit des marchés publics à l’approvisionnement en électricité

In March 2021, the Competition Commission issued a recommendation pertaining to the application of public procurement law and the Federal Internal Market Act to the procurement of electricity. The purpose of this recommendation was to examine in which cases the purchase of electricity must be subject to public tenders; it clarified that public procurement law may apply in several instances to…

Sustainable Purpose-Driven Enterprises

Social enterprises (in a broad sense), including those launched by social (or sustainable) entrepreneurs (or Sustainable Purpose-Driven Entities) are important players to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Developing a legal framework that allows them to prosper has been a priority of the European Commission since 2010. These entities have recently been endorsed by the United…

Wirksame Krisenverhinderung? Das UK Senior Managers Regime und der Archegos-Skandal

The Archegos scandal, which resulted in Credit Suisse incurring losses exceeding CHF 5 billion, stands out as one of the most significant of the many scandals linked to the bank in recent years. It shines a light on financial sector misconduct and underscores the need for stronger individual accountability. Many of the weaknesses in the corporate governance system of the bank which lead up to…

The Normative Effects of ESG Expectations on Companies and their Directors

Most companies face a growing number of environmental, social and governance (ESG) expectations arising not only from their shareholders, but also from a wide array of stakeholders such as clients, investors, States, financial institutions and not-for-profit organisations. Even though a significant number of these expectations are not imposed by hard or soft law, they cannot be disregarded in…

Die Praxis des Jahres 2022 im Übernahmerecht

Dieser Beitrag bespricht die Praxis der Übernahmekommission (UEK) des Jahres 2022. Die UEK erliess dabei im Rahmen von 16 Verfahren¹ insgesamt 21 Verfügungen.

Haftung einer Bank für Geldwäscherei durch Unterlassungen von Angestellten

Der unabhängige Vermögensverwalter X. unterhielt zwei Konten bei der Bank A. SA, die gemäss seinen Angaben für Kommissionen aus seiner Berufstätigkeit und nicht für Kundengelder bestimmt waren…

Das Gesellschaftsrecht 2022/2023 | Le droit des sociétés 2022/2023

Im berücksichtigten Zeitraum vom 1. April 2022 bis zum 31. März 2023 wurden wenige Urteile gefällt und nur ein Bruchteil davon wurden veröffentlicht bzw. zur Veröffentlichung vorgesehen. Trotzdem…

Das Supervisory Privilege für Akten aus dem Aufsichtsverhältnis

The Swiss Supervisory Privilege, which was added to FINMASA in 2016, is a new legal institution. It empowers FINMA to protect documents from the supervisory relationship between a supervised entity and itself by prohibiting their disclosure to third-party authorities and other third parties without FINMA’s consent if there are grounds for doing so that are particularly worthy of protection…

Le dommage d’investissement et sa preuve

Many civil claims against financial advisers and portfolio managers fail because they do not meet the high threshold set out by Swiss courts for the allegation and proof of the claimant’s loss. This article critically reviews the extensive case law on the topic. We submit that unauthorized financial transactions are distinct from other defective transactions. Following long-established case law…

La banque et le créancier prêteur face à l’insolvabilité de l’emprunteur : moyens préventifs et curatifs

In a contractual relationship, a bank, or more generally a lender, on the one hand, and a borrower on the other, harmoniously blend, as long as the borrower complies with the repayments’ obligations arising from the loan agreement. However, in such an agreement, risk lies primarily on the lender. Indeed, as soon as the money has been made available, the lender takes the default’s risk. This…

Das schweizerische Bankprivatrecht 2022 | Le droit bancaire privé suisse 2022

Die Rechtsprechung zum privaten Bankrecht skizziert jeweils die neusten Entwicklungen in der richterlichen Rechtsfortbildung. Tatsächlich führen uns viele Entscheide aber auf eine Reise in die…

Echtzeitbankenaufsicht – la panacée?

In recent years, the concept of data-based banking supervision has evolved to influence the dynamics between supervisors and supervised institutions. This de­ve­lopment, if accompanied by adequate implementation, undoubtedly improves the quality of banking supervision. However, data-based supervision does not automatically lead to real-time supervision. While it tends to reduce the time lag…

Insider Trading im digitalen Zeitalter: Neue Herausforderungen und Risiken

Insider trading has existed since the launch of the very first organized trading venues and is now prohibited in most jurisdictions. The growing digitalization of the financial industry is adding several layers of complexity to the topic and creating both new risks and opportunities for market participants. First, digitalization brings about a higher interconnectivity between the global financial…

Editorial

Am 1. September 2022 fand die 14. Tagung «Quo Vadis – Finanzplatz Schweiz?» unter der Leitung von Rolf Sethe und Christoph B. Bühler statt.

Kantonalbanken im Spannungsfeld von Political Governance und Corporate Governance

Like the other banks, the cantonal banks are facing the challenges of increasing regulation, digitalisation and the persistently low interest rate environment, and are exposed to the accompanying competitive and margin pressure. They have to virtually reinvent their business models and themselves in order to secure their positions as future-oriented financial service providers in their regions…

Missmanagement im Bankensektor und die FINMA-Gewährsprüfung

This article addresses the following questions: Can the fitness and propriety audit of bank managers deliver what it promises? How could the fitness and propriety audit be improved within the framework of the existing legal basis or, if necessary, by means of new or adapted regulations? The tension between FINMA’s supervisory procedure on the one hand and criminal proceedings on the other hand…

Klimawandel

Climate litigation against companies has increased significantly in the past couple of years, not only in the United States, but also in Europe. At the same time, regulation with respect to climate change is developing rapidly, such that it may be difficult for companies to identify which laws apply to them and how they should address the legal risks relating to climate change and climate…

Das Finanzmarktaufsichtsrecht vom vierten Quartal 2021 bis ins vierte Quartal 2022

Ohne Vertrauen keine funktionsfähige Gemeinschaft! Was für Staat und Gesellschaft gilt, gilt auch für Unternehmen und deren Mitarbeitende auf allen Stufen. Das unternehmensinterne Kontrollumfeld trägt diesem Umstand Rechnung, was sich in einer angemessenen Breite und Tiefe der Kontrollen ausdrücken muss, ohne die Mitarbeitenden auf Schritt und Tritt zu überwachen. Die Enttäuschung von…

Digitale Generalversammlungen und Verwaltungsratssitzungen

The 19 June 2020 revision of the provisions on the limited by shares company contains various facilitations for the use of technical means in the conduct of general meetings and board meetings. What are the concrete options available and what are the practical implications of these innovations? What do banks need to consider from a prudential perspective? After an overview of the digitization in…

Aktienrechtsrevision und Handelsregister

The biggest change in registration is probably the move away from registration as an anti-proxy transaction by introducing various proxy options. With the revision of stock corporation law, the documentary evidence principle was retained in principle. Pursuant to Art. 937 of the Swiss Code of Obligations, the Commercial Registry Office must verify, both at the time of incorporation and in the…

Neues Aktienrecht als Inspiration für den Gläubigerschutz bei Umstrukturierungen

What is the adequate level of creditor protection in corporate restructurings? The present article sheds a critical light on the current creditor protection provisions in the Swiss Merger Act and proposes, inspired by provisions of the new Swiss Stock Corporation Act, a partial reform of the Swiss Merger Act.

Insichgeschäfte von Mitgliedern des Verwaltungsrates

Die börsenkotierte Z. AG (Beschwerdegegnerin) hält in ihren Statuten fest, dass der Verwaltungsrat aus drei oder mehr Mitgliedern besteht. Dieser kann die Geschäftsführung nach Massgabe des…

Relative Marktmacht – gerichtliche Sicht

The amendment 2021 of the Swiss Federal Act on Cartels and other Restraints of Competition provides in the new article 4 section 2^bis a concretizing definition of market power as follows: “An undertaking with relative market power is an undertaking on which other undertakings are dependent for the supply of or demand for goods or services in such a way that there are no adequate and reasonable…

Wissen, Nichtwissen und Wissenmüssen von natürlichen und juristischen Personen

Many statutory or contractual provisions’ legal con­sequences depend on whether the addressee knew or should have known a fact. Thus, the question of what natural or legal persons know is of paramount im­por­tance. This paper defines the three key terms “knowledge”, “lack of knowledge”, and “knowledge that one should have had”. Also, it examines under which conditions a third party’s knowledge…

Geschäftsherrenhaftung im Konzernverhältnis?

On November 29, 2020, the Corporate Responsibil­ity-Initiative failed in the referendum by a majority of the cantons. The debate on the Corporate Responsibility Initiative and the indirect counter-proposal of the Swiss Parliament focused on the question of the extent to which Swiss companies should be held liable for the activities of the companies they control in the area of human rights and…

Marge de fluctuation du capital (art. 653s ss nCO) : de la sauvegarde des créanciers et des actionnaires, en particulier lors de l’acquisition par la SA de ses propres actions

As of the entry into force, on 1^st January 2023, of the revised Swiss Limited Companies Law (« Aktiengesell­schaft », « société anonyme »), the margin of fluctuation of capital (« Kapitalband », « marge de fluctuation du capital ») will allow the general assembly of shareholders to authorise the board of directors to increase or reduce the share capital within a certain interval during a maximum…

Relationship Agreements zwischen Vertragsfreiheit und zwingendem Aktienrecht

Relationship agreements between listed companies and large shareholders have gained in popularity over the past years. Relationship agreements cover such topics as the shareholder’s representation on the board of directors, voting at shareholder meetings, the shareholder’s right to receive information from the company, and exit provisions (e.g., lock-up and standstill undertakings). From the…

Le droit des sociétés 2021/2022 / Das Gesellschaftsrecht 2021/2022

Cette année, le Tribunal fédéral a eu l’occasion de se prononcer sur des questions dont on peut s’étonner qu’elles se posent pour la première fois à lui, compte tenu des discussions qu’elles ont…

Keine stillschweigende Verlängerung von Verwaltungsratsmandaten

Die B. AG (Gesuchstellerin, Beschwerdegegnerin) bezweckt die Vermarktung von Rohrverbindungs­elementen im Bereich der Fernwärme und Klimatechnik, im Anlagenbau sowie in der Gas- und Ölindustrie. Zur…

Sanctions Américaines: Extraterritorialité et Risques Bancaires

A Swiss bank operating in the US must comply with applicable US laws. Difficulties may arise from the „off-shore“ application of US sanctions. The US sanctions regime is well known¹, especially through the publications of the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC)² and through the calls for caution issued by the banking supervisory authority³. This contribution provides an update on the…

Le droit bancaire privé suisse 2021 / Das schweizerische Bankprivatrecht 2021

Au moment où nous écrivons ces lignes, la Russie envahit l’Ukraine. L’Union européenne et les États-Unis ont adopté de nouvelles sanctions contre plusieurs centaines de personnalités liées au régime…