Switzerland: Corporate Governance

Switzerland is introducing a central register of beneficial owners through the Federal Act on the Transparency of Legal Entities and the Identification of Beneficial Owners (LETA), effective October 1, 2026. This reform requires Swiss and certain foreign companies to identify beneficial owners, document their control, and report information to a new federal register administered by the Federal Office of Justice. Companies must prepare for these new governance, documentation, and compliance obligations by en

The Swiss government has opened consultation on draft amendments to the Code of Obligations that would require companies to disclose when they engage proxy advisory firms. This proposed transparency regime addresses conflicts of interest in a market dominated by ISS and Glass Lewis, where proxy advisors influence significant percentages of votes at Swiss annual general meetings while remaining largely unregulated under current Swiss law.

Recent incidents at global corporations and organisations (Nestlé, WEF) clearly show that compliance violations are no longer just an issue in operational units or in "isolated cases" in middle management.