Nicole Beranek Zanon

From October 2026, a paradigm shift will take place in Switzerland: a central transparency register for beneficial owners of legal entities will be created for the first time. Companies are obliged to disclose their ownership and control structures to the authorities. At the same time, advisors, in particular lawyers and notaries, will be subject to the Anti-Money Laundering Act for certain structuring activities. The reforms are primarily intended to strengthen the fight against money laundering and the financing of terrorism, but bring with them considerable new compliance obligations for the companies and advisors concerned. What does this mean in concrete terms for board members, managing directors and advisory professions? And what are the new liability and compliance risks? We categorise.

New, mandatory rules on construction defects have been in force in Switzerland since 1 January 2026. Longer notice periods, an unwaivable right to rectification and a limitation period that can no longer be shortened will strengthen the position of builders and property buyers. Companies in the construction and property sector need to review their sample contracts now, otherwise there is a risk of ineffective clauses and liability risks.

On 23 February 2026, the Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner (FDPIC), together with 60 other national data protection authorities, published a joint statement on AI-generated images and the protection of privacy. In it, the data protection authorities formulate their most important expectations and principles for all organisations that develop and use AI systems to generate content. These include, in particular, robust safeguards against misuse, transparency requirements, effective and accessible erasure mechanisms and specific child protection.

When companies fall victim to a ransomware attack, they face a difficult question: Should they pay the ransom demanded to recover encrypted data, or should they refuse, as recommended by Swiss authorities? Our analysis shows how to make legally responsible decisions, what risks exist, and how companies can weigh up the risks and legal certainty.

The Swiss price regulator has concluded mutual agreements with internet platforms such as Ricardo and ImmoScout24 for the first time. This novel regulatory measure has potentially far-reaching consequences for digital platform operators, advertisers, and market regulation. We analyze the legal basis, regulatory instruments, and practical consequences of this development in the context of competition law and the digital economy, and show why this step is more than just a “deal” between authorities and tech companies.

Since 1 January 2025, new mandatory rules apply in Switzerland for medium-sized enterprises regarding the waiver of the limited audit (opting out). The decisive change is that such a waiver may now only be declared before the start of a new financial year and no longer retroactively. These statutory amendments entail significant practical and legal consequences for boards of directors, management bodies and SMEs, ranging from deadline planning and commercial register filings to the role of the audit firm.

A landmark ruling by the High Court in London in the Getty Images v. Stability AI case has drawn clear boundaries for trademark and copyright laws in relation to AI image generators. Find out here what consequences this ruling has for rights holders and developers in Switzerland and which questions remain unanswered.

Switzerland is at a turning point in its data policy. With the planned framework law on the secondary use of data, the Federal Council wants to create the legal basis for making existing data sets usable beyond their original purpose. This project touches on central issues of data protection law and requires a precise balance between innovation, legal certainty, and the protection of privacy.