Author: news.admin.ch

Summary

The Swiss Federal Council approved a comprehensive strategy to combat money laundering and terrorist financing on 20 March 2026 for the first time. The strategy creates a common framework for all involved federal offices and authorities and aims to establish an effective, risk-based and innovative defence system. Core measures include the introduction of a beneficial ownership register, strengthening of supervisory authorities and improved international cooperation.

Persons

  • Federal Council (collectively)

Topics

  • Money laundering prevention
  • Terrorist financing
  • Financial market integrity
  • Beneficial ownership register
  • Asset recovery

Clarus Lead

The Federal Council has adopted a coordinated comprehensive strategy to combat money laundering and terrorist financing. This is the first time Switzerland has presented such a cross-cutting strategic document, thereby increasing coherence between all involved authorities. The measure is intended to preserve the international reputation of the Swiss financial centre and measurably improve the effectiveness of combating financial crime.

Detailed Summary

The new strategy consolidates existing individual measures by various federal offices for the first time under a single umbrella. It is primarily directed at the coordination group for combating money laundering, terrorist financing and proliferation financing and is intended to enable better risk assessment and national coordination. The document underscores Switzerland's commitment against financial crime and is substantively aligned with the national strategy to combat organized crime, which the Federal Council adopted at the end of 2025.

Concrete priorities for the coming years are: (1) introduction and use of the beneficial ownership register decided by Parliament to increase transparency of asset structures, (2) development of practical law enforcement instruments, (3) strengthening of supervisory authorities through improved data foundations and (4) preparation of a third national risk assessment. Another focus lies on the recovery of unlawfully acquired assets (asset recovery) as well as intensifying cooperation between federal agencies, authorities and the private sector.

Key Messages

  • Comprehensive strategy for the first time: The Federal Council creates a unified framework for all involved offices and replaces fragmented individual measures.
  • Risk-based approach: The strategy focuses on better data foundations and national risk assessment for more targeted resource allocation.
  • Beneficial ownership register as key instrument: Implementation of the register decided by Parliament is at the centre of the next implementation phase.
  • International coordination: The measures are coordinated with other security strategies and underscore national commitment against financial crime.

Critical Questions

  1. Data quality: What specific improvements to data foundations are planned for the third national risk assessment, and how will their validity be ensured?

  2. Implementation capacity: Do the supervisory authorities have sufficient personnel and financial resources to implement all planned measures within the envisaged timeframe?

  3. Private sector compliance: How will the practical law enforcement instruments be coordinated with the private sector's compliance requirements to avoid over-regulation?

  4. Beneficial ownership register effectiveness: What control mechanisms ensure that the beneficial ownership register actually contributes to combating money laundering and does not merely increase administrative burdens?

  5. Asset recovery: How are success indicators for the recovery of unlawfully acquired assets defined and measured?

  6. International coordination: To what extent is the Swiss strategy harmonized with international standards (FATF, EU directives), and where are deliberate deviations?

Source Directory

Primary source: Press release: Federal Council approves strategy to combat money laundering and terrorist financing – news.admin.ch, 20.03.2026

Verification status: ✓ 20.03.2026

This text was created with the support of an AI model. Editorial responsibility: clarus.news | Fact-checking: 20.03.2026