Commonly known scandals, such as the Panama Papers or Cambridge Analytica, made evident that whistleblowers can play an important role when it comes to unveiling misconduct inside companies and organisations. Until now, whistleblower protection in the European Union (EU) had only been regulated in a fragmented manner. However, with the Whistleblowing Directive the EU has introduced a minimum standard for a uniform level of protection throughout the EU.

The pandemic hit us all unexpectedly, and our worries and uncertainties are fueled by the unusual situation. But when the storm is over and the dust settles, we have the future. Even the pandemic has an expiry date.
Under these exceptional circumstances, senior executives faced tough business decisions, amid ad hoc government actions to manage the crisis. While actions related to immediate business continuity are necessary and vital, carefully considering the subsequent corporate reboot is critical to stay ahead of competitors.

This article explains the BVG reform, which was sent for consultation on 13 December 2019, its main points and the points that could give rise to controversy.

The Federal Council issues a legislative proposal for the improvement of the legal framework for DLTs. Key takeaways.

Spanish Supreme Court Judgment on dividends taxation for non-resident investment funds

A summary of the key requirements and relationships between a Whistleblower, Undertaking and a Competent Authority as set out within the Whistleblower EU directive.

The European Union (EU) has formally adopted new rules on whistleblower protection - a game-changing piece of legislation that will help protect persons reporting on incidents (“whistleblowers”) across Europe. It is the first time that the EU has a dedicated legislation in this area.

The parliament already passed the Financial Services Act (FinSA) and the Financial Institutions Act (FinIA) in summer 2018. As planned, at its meeting of 6 November 2019 the Federal Council put FinSA and FinIA, together with the final ordinances into force with effect from 1 January 2020.

As a result of ever growing international pressure regarding transparency and information exchange, on 21 June 2019 Parliament passed the new Swiss Federal Act implementing the recommendations of the Global Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Information for Tax Purposes.

The Blockchain Observatory and Forum of the European Union (EUBOF), an initiative of the European Commission to accelerate the development of blockchain in the European Union (EU), has published a new report named “Legal and regulatory framework of blockchains and smart contracts”. The paper highlights the typical legal issues which often arise from the current use of the blockchain-technology (including smart contracts). It entails some useful solutions that lawmakers and international regulators may implement to overcome the challenges between the typical technological features of the blockchain and the current regulatory framework of most EU member states.

The Swiss Data Protection Act (DPA) is currently being revised. Due to the rapid technological development over the last 20 years, the DPA is no longer up to date.

On 11 September 2019, the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA) published a supplement to their guidelines for Initial Coin Offerings (ICO). This supplement provides guidance on “stable coins” under Swiss financial market regulation.