Ordinance on Financial Market Infrastructures and Market Conduct in Securities and Derivatives Trading
English is not an official language of the Swiss Confederation. This translation is provided for information purposes only and has no legal force.
The Swiss Federal Council
based on the Financial Market Infrastructure Act of 19 June 20151 (FMIA),
ordains:
Title 1 General Provisions
Art. 1 Subject matter
(Art. 1 and 157 FMIA)
This Ordinance governs specifically:
- a.
- the authorisation conditions and duties for financial market infrastructures;
- b.
- the duties of financial market participants in derivatives trading;
- c.
- the disclosure of shareholdings;
- d.
- public takeover offers;
- e.
- the exceptions that apply with regard to the ban on insider trading and market manipulation.
Art. 2 Definitions
(Art. 3 para. 2 FMIA)
The functions of a group company are significant with respect to the activities which require authorisation if they are necessary for the continuation of important business processes, in particular in the areas of liquidity management, treasury, risk management, master data administration and accounting, personnel, information technology, trading and settlement, and legal and compliance.
2Derivatives are deemed to comprise financial contracts whose price is derived specifically from:
- a.
- assets such as shares, bonds, commodities and precious metals;
- b.
- reference values such as currencies, interest rates and indices.
3The following are not deemed to be derivatives:
- a.
- spot transactions;
- b.
- derivatives transactions relating to electricity and gas which:
- 1.
- are traded on an organised trading facility,
- 2.
- must be physically delivered, and
- 3.
- cannot be settled in cash at a party's discretion;
- c.
- derivatives transactions relating to climatic variables, freight rates, inflation rates or other official economic statistics that are settled in cash only in the event of a default or other termination event.
4Spot transactions are deemed to be transactions that are settled either immediately or following expiry of the deferred settlement deadline within two business days. Spot transactions are also deemed to be:
- a.
- transactions that are settled with a longer settlement deadline in accordance with the market norm for the currency pair in question;
- b.
- purchases or sales of securities, irrespective of their currency, which are paid for by the deadline prescribed by the regulator or by a deadline that is customary in the market;
- c.
- transactions that are continuously extended without there being a legal obligation or without such an extension between the parties being usual.
Title 2 Financial Market Infrastructures
Chapter 1 Common Provisions
Section 1 Authorisation Conditions and Duties for all Financial Market Infrastructures
Art. 4 Authorisation application
(Art. 8 para. 2 FMIA)
1The financial market infrastructure must describe its area of business in factually and geographically precise terms in the articles of association, partnership agreements or regulations.
2The business area and its geographical extent must be in harmony with the financial market infrastructure's financial capabilities and administrative organisation.
2It may only report any changes in its articles of association to the commercial register and put any changes in regulations into effect following FINMA's approval of the changes in question.
Art. 7 Place of management
(Art. 8 paras. 1 and 2 FMIA)
1The financial market infrastructure must effectively be managed from Switzerland. An exception is made here for general directives and decisions within the context of group supervision if the financial market infrastructure forms part of a financial group that is subject to appropriate consolidated supervision by a foreign financial market supervisory authority.
2The persons entrusted with managing the financial market infrastructure must be resident in a place from which they can effectively exercise such management.
Art. 8 Corporate governance
(Art. 8 para. 2 FMIA)
1The financial market infrastructure must have an organisational structure and an organisational basis that set out the tasks, responsibilities, powers and accountability of the following bodies:
- a.
- body for business management;
- b.
- body for governance, supervision and control;
- c.
- internal audit function.
2The body for governance, supervision and control must comprise at least three members. These may not belong to the bodies described in paragraph 1 letters a and c.
3The body for governance, supervision and control shall set out the basic risk management principles and determine the risk tolerance of the financial market infrastructure. This body shall have its work evaluated regularly.
4The financial market infrastructure shall define, implement and maintain a compensation policy that promotes sound and effective risk management and does not create incentives to relax risk standards.
5It must have mechanisms in place that allow it to establish the needs of participants with regard to the services provided by the financial market infrastructure.
Art. 9 Risk management
(Art. 8 para. 3 FMIA)
1With regard to risk management, the financial market infrastructure must have a concept for the integrated identification, measurement, manage-ment and monitoring of risks, particularly with respect to:
- a.
- legal risks;
- b.
- credit and liquidity risks;
- c.
- market risks;
- d.
- operational risks;
- e.
- settlement risks;
- f.
- reputational risks;
- g.
- general business risks.
2It must have instruments in place and create incentives in order to ensure that participants can continuously manage and limit the risks arising for themselves or for the financial market infrastructure.
3Insofar as the financial market infrastructure has indirect participants and these are identifiable, it must also identify, measure, control and monitor the risks posed to the financial market infrastructure by these parties.
4The internal documentation of the financial market infrastructure on passing a resolution and the monitoring of transactions associated with the risks should be designed in such a way that allows the audit firm to make a reliable assessment with respect to the business activity.
5The financial market infrastructure shall ensure an effective internal control system which, among other things, guarantees compliance with legal and internal company rules and regulations (compliance function).
6The internal audit function must submit a report to the body with responsibility for governance, supervision and control or to one of its committees. It must have sufficient resources as well as unrestricted audit rights.
Art. 10 Guarantee of irreproachable business conduct
(Art. 9 paras. 2 and 3 FMIA)
1The authorisation application for a new financial market infrastructure must contain the following information and documentation in particular on the members of the board and executive management in accordance with Article 9 paragraph 2 FMIA and on the owners of a qualified participation in accordance with Article 9 paragraph 3 FMIA:
- a.
- natural persons:
- 1.
- details on nationality, domicile, qualified participations in other companies and any pending court or administrative proceedings,
- 2.
- a curriculum vitae signed by the relevant person,
- 3.
- references,
- 4.
- an extract from the register of criminal convictions;
- b.
- companies:
- 1.
- the articles of association,
- 2.
- an extract from the commercial register or an attestation to this effect,
- 3.
- a description of business activities, the financial situation and, if applicable, the group structure,
- 4.
- details on completed and pending court or administrative proceedings.
2Persons holding a qualified participation must make a declaration to FINMA stating whether they hold the participation in question for their own account or on a fiduciary basis for a third party, and whether they have granted options or similar rights with respect to this participation.
3The financial market infrastructure must submit to FINMA within 60 days of the end of the financial year a list of all qualified participants in the financial market infrastructure. This list shall contain details on the identity and participation rate of all qualified participants as at the relevant closing date, as well as any changes relative to the prior-year closing date. In addition, the information and documentation set out in paragraph 1 is to be submitted for any qualified participants being reported for the first time.
Art. 11 Outsourcing
(Art. 11 FMIA)
1An outsourcing situation in accordance with Article 11 paragraph 1 FMIA is deemed to exist if the financial market infrastructure has commissioned a service provider to independently and permanently provide an essential service for the financial market infrastructure in accordance with Article 12.
2The following aspects in particular are to be addressed in the agreement with the service provider:
- a.
- the service to be outsourced and the services of the service provider;
- b.
- the responsibilities and the reciprocal rights and duties, particularly the financial market infrastructure's rights of inspection, instruction and control;
- c.
- the security requirements that must be fulfilled by the service provider;
- d.
- the service provider's adherence to the financial market infrastructure's business confidentiality and, insofar as legally protected data is provided to the service provider, the service provider's adherence to professional confidentiality;
- e.
- the rights of inspection and access of the internal audit function, the external audit firm, FINMA and – in the case of systemically important financial market infrastructures – the Swiss National Bank (SNB).
3The financial market infrastructure must exercise care in the selection, instruction and controlling of the service provider. It shall integrate the outsourced service into its internal control system and monitor the services rendered by the service provider on an ongoing basis.
4Outsourcing to foreign countries requires appropriate technical and organisational measures to ensure the observance of professional confidentiality and data protection in accordance with Swiss law. Contracting parties of a financial market infrastructure whose data is to be sent to a service provider abroad must be informed about this.
5The financial market infrastructure, its internal audit function, the external audit firm, FINMA and – in the case of systemically important financial market infrastructures – the SNB must be able to inspect and review the outsourced service.
6Paragraphs 1 to 5 do not apply if a central securities depository outsources some of its services or activities to a technical platform that connects securities settlement systems by way of providing a public service. This kind of outsourcing must be governed by means of a dedicated regulatory and operational framework, which requires the approval of FINMA.
Art. 12 Essential services
(Art. 11 para. 1 FMIA)
1Essential services are deemed to be services that are necessary for the continuation of important business processes, in particular in the areas of liquidity management, treasury, risk management, master data administration and accounting, personnel, information technology, and legal and compliance.
2The following services are also deemed to be essential:
- a.
- in the case of trading venues:
- 1.
- all activities conducted with the aim of ensuring fair, efficient and orderly trading,
- 2.
- the operating of matching and market data distribution systems;
- b.
- in the case of central counterparties:
- 1.
- contractually entering into securities transactions or other contracts involving financial instruments between two participants or between one participant and another central counterparty,
- 2.
- the establishment of mechanisms relating to the planning for and protection against outages of participants or interoperably associated central counterparties, or relating to the segregation of the positions of indirect participants and clients of participants or to the transfer of positions to other participants;
- c.
- in the case of central securities depositories:
- 1.
- the operation of a central custodian or securities settlement system,
- 2.
- the initial recording of securities in a securities account,
- 3.
- the reconciliation of holdings;
- d.
- in the case of trade repositories:
- 1.
- the collection, management and retention of the reported data,
- 2.
- the publication of reported data,
- 3.
- the granting of access to reported data;
- e.
- in the case of payment systems:
- 1.
- the acceptance and execution of participants' payment orders,
- 2.
- the management of clearing accounts.
Art. 13 Minimum capital
(Art. 12 FMIA)
1The minimum capital shall amount to:
- a.
- for trading venues: CHF 1 million, whereby in well-founded cases FINMA may stipulate a minimum amount up to 50% higher;
- b.
- for central counterparties: CHF 10 million;
- c.
- for central securities depositories: CHF 5 million;
- d.
- for trade repositories: CHF 500,000;
- e.
- for payment systems: CHF 1.5 million.
2In the event of non-cash capital contributions, the value of the assets brought in and the amount of the liabilities shall be reviewed by a licensed audit firm. This also applies when an existing company is transformed into a financial market infrastructure.
Art. 14 Business continuity
(Art. 24 para. 1 FMIA)
The measures to improve the financial market structure's resolvability can encompass in particular:
- a.
- structural improvements and unbundling by means of:
- 1.
- amendments to the legal structure to create business-aligned legal entities,
- 2.
- the creation of legally independent service units,
- 3.
- the elimination or minimisation of de facto compulsory government support, particularly by creating an independent management structure,
- 4.
- the reduction of geographical or balance sheet asymmetries;
- b.
- financial unbundling to contain risks of contagion by means of:
- 1.
- the reduction of capital participations between legal entities at the same level,
- 2.
- restrictions on the granting of unsecured loans and guarantees between legal entities at the same level within the financial group,
- 3.
- the creation of an incentive structure that gives rise to the highest possible degree of market-consistent intra-group financing;
- c.
- operational unbundling to safeguard data and ensure continuation of important operational services by means of:
- 1.
- ensuring access to and use of data resources, databases and IT resources,
- 2.
- the separation or permanent outsourcing of key functions,
- 3.
- access to and continued use of systems essential to business operations.
3The financial market infrastructure shall describe, upon submission of the plan, what measures it is preparing or has already implemented to improve its resolvability both in Switzerland and abroad (Art. 21).
4It shall submit to FINMA annually, and by the end of the second quarter of the year, the recovery plan and the information required for the resolution plan. The same documents should also be submitted if changes make a reworking necessary or if FINMA demands such a submission.
5FINMA shall grant the financial market infrastructure an appropriate period for the preparatory implementation of the measures envisaged in the resolution plan.
Section 2 Special Requirements for Systemically Important Financial Market Infrastructures
Chapter 2 Trading Venues and Organised Trading Facilities
Section 1 Definitions
Art. 22 Multilateral trading
(Art. 26 and 42 FMIA)
Trading is deemed to be multilateral if it unites the interests of multiple participants in the acquisition and sale of securities or other financial instruments within the trading facility with a view to concluding a contract.
Art. 23 Non-discretionary rules
(Art. 26 and 42 FMIA)
Rules are deemed to be non-discretionary if they grant the trading venue or the operator of an organised trading facility no discretion in the amalgamation of offers.
Section 2 Trading Venues
Art. 24 Regulatory and supervisory organisation
(Art. 28 FMIA)
The trading venue shall establish procedures in order that the relevant data on securities transactions can be confirmed on the same day that transactions are executed.
- a.
- ensure transparency and the equal treatment of investors; and
- b.
- ensure the proper functioning of the securities markets.
2FINMA may consult the Competition Commission before making its decision. The latter shall give its opinion on whether the regulations are neutral in terms of competition and are conducive to anti-competitive arrangements or not.
3Both issuers and investors must be appropriately represented in the body responsible for the admission of securities to trading.
4The trading venue shall set out in its regulations the tasks and powers of the various bodies, as well as the representation of issuers and investors in the body that is responsible for the admission of securities to trading.
Art. 27 Pre-trade transparency
(Art. 29 paras. 1 and 3 lit. b FMIA)
1The trading venue shall publish the information communicated via its trading facilities on pre-trade transparency for shares throughout normal trading hours.
2For each share, the five best bid and offer prices as well as the volume of orders are to be published.
3Paragraphs 1 and 2 also apply for actionable indications of interest.
4The trading venue may make provision for exceptions in its regulations for:
- a.
- reference price systems, as long as the reference prices are widely published and viewed by participants as reliable;
- b.
- systems that exist only to formalise transactions already negotiated;
- c.
- orders held in an order management facility of the trading venue pending disclosure;
- d.
- orders that are large in scale compared with normal market size.
Art. 28 Post-trade transparency
(Art. 36 FMIA)
1The multilateral trading facility shall guarantee that all securities admitted to trading can be traded in a fair, efficient and orderly manner.
2In the case of derivatives, it shall ensure in particular that the way in which derivatives trading is structured facilitates orderly pricing.
3The multilateral trading facility shall take the necessary measures to review the securities admitted to trading for their fulfilment of the admission requirements.
- a.
- are robust and equipped with sufficient capacity to deal with peak volumes of orders and announcements;
- b.
- are subject to appropriate trading thresholds and upper limits;
- c.
- do not cause or contribute to any disruptions in the trading venue;
- d.
- are effective for preventing violations of Articles 142 and 143 FMIA;
- e.
- are subject to appropriate tests of algorithms and control mechanisms, including precautions to:
- 1.
- limit the proportion of unexecuted trading orders relative to the number of transactions that can be entered into the system by a participant,
- 2.
- slow down the flow of orders if there is a risk of the capacity of the system being reached, and
- 3.
- limit and enforce the minimum tick size that may be executed on the trading venue.
3In order to take account of the additional burden on system capacity, the trading venue may make provision for higher fees for:
- a.
- the placement of orders that are later cancelled;
- b.
- participants placing a high proportion of cancelled orders;
- c.
- participants with:
- 1.
- an infrastructure intended to minimise delays in order transfer,
- 2.
- a system that can decide on order initiation, generation, routing or execution, and
- 3.
- a high intraday number of price offers, orders or cancellations.
1 Amended by Annex 1 No II 14 of the Financial Institutions Ordinance of 6 Nov. 2019, in force since 1 Jan. 2020 (AS 2019 4633).
Art. 35 Appeal body
(Art. 44 FMIA)
1The operator of an organised trading facility shall issue regulations on the organisation of trading and monitor compliance with the statutory and regulatory provisions, as well as the trading process.
2It shall keep a chronological record of all orders and transactions carried out through the organised trading facility.
3In the event of agreements being made according to discretionary rules, identical client orders may be matched only if best execution can be guaranteed. Exceptions are permissible only if the clients concerned have expressly waived any claim to best possible execution.
3The reporting duty applies not only to transactions on own account, but also to transactions executed on behalf of a client.
4The following transactions executed abroad do not have to be reported:
- a.
- transactions in securities admitted to trading on a trading venue in Switzerland and in derivatives with such securities as their underlying instruments, provided the information in question is regularly communicated to the trading venue on the basis of an agreement in accordance with Article 32 paragraph 3 FMIA or within the framework of an exchange of information between FINMA and the competent foreign supervisory authority if:
- 1.
- they were executed by the branch of a Swiss securities firm1 or by a foreign admitted participant, and
- 2.
- the branch or the foreign participant is authorised to trade by the relevant foreign supervisory authority and is obliged to submit a report in the corresponding state or in its state of domicile;
- b.
- transactions in foreign securities admitted to trading on a trading venue in Switzerland and in derivatives with such securities as their underlying instruments that are executed on a recognised foreign trading venue.
5Third parties may be involved in reporting.
1 Term in accordance with Annex 1 No II 14 of the Financial Institutions Ordinance of 6 Nov. 2019, in force since 1 Jan. 2020 (AS 2019 4633). This amendment has been made throughout the text.
Section 3 Organised Trading Facilities
Art. 40 Guarantee of orderly trading
(Art. 45 FMIA)
The operator of an organised trading facility shall set transparent rules and procedures for fair, efficient and orderly trading, as well as objective criteria for the effective execution of orders. It must have measures in place to ensure the robust management of technical processes and the operation of its systems in accordance with Article 30 paragraphs 2 to 4.
Art. 41 Algorithmic trading and high-frequency trading
(Art. 45 FMIA)
In order to prevent disruptions to its trading facility, the operator of an organised trading facility must take effective measures in accordance with Article 31.
Chapter 3 Central Counterparties
Art. 44 Function
(Art. 8, 13 and 14 FMIA)
1The central counterparty must appoint a risk committee that includes representatives of the participants, of the indirect participants and members of the body for governance, supervision and control. This committee shall advise the central counterparty on all matters that could have an impact on the risk management of the central counterparty.
2The central counterparty shall arrange procedures, capacity planning and sufficient capacity reserves so that, in the event of a disruption, its systems can still process all transactions still open by the close of trading.
Art. 46 Collateral
(Art. 49 FMIA)
1If predefined thresholds are exceeded, the central counterparty shall call in initial margins and variation margins at least once a day.
2It shall avoid concentration risks in the collateral and shall ensure that it can have prompt access to the collateral.
3It shall make provision for procedures by means of which it can review the models and parameters on which its risk management is based, and shall conduct these reviews on a regular basis.
4If the central counterparty holds its own assets or the collateral and assets of participants with third parties, it shall minimise the associated risks. In particular, it shall hold the collateral and assets with creditworthy financial intermediaries which, insofar as possible, are subject to supervision.
Art. 47 Exchange-of-value settlement
(Art. 51 FMIA)
1The central counterparty must hold total capital in the amount 8.0% (minimum capital requirement) to underpin credit risks, non-counterparty-related risks, market risks and operational risks in accordance with Article 42 CAO1. FINMA may demand additional capital in accordance with Article 45 CAO. Titles 1 to 3 CAO apply to the calculation.2
2The dedicated capital in accordance with Article 53 paragraph 2 letter c FMIA shall amount to at least 25% of the required capital set out in Title 3 CAO.
3The central counterparty shall hold further capital in order to cover the costs of a voluntary cessation of business or restructuring. In the case of systemically important central counterparties, this capital must suffice to implement the plan set out in Article 72, but must at least be sufficient to cover ongoing operating expenditure for six months.
4In special cases, FINMA can ease the requirements set out in the paragraphs 1 to 3 or impose more rigorous requirements.
5The central counterparty must have a plan that sets out how further capital is to be procured if its capital no longer fulfils the requirements set out in paragraphs 1 to 4. The plan must be approved by the body responsible for governance, supervision and control.
6If its capital falls short of 110% of the requirements set out in paragraphs 1 to 4, the central counterparty shall immediately inform FINMA and its audit firm, and shall provide FINMA with a plan that sets out how the threshold can once again be adhered to.
1 SR 952.03
2 Amended by Attachment No 2 to the O of 11 May 2016, in force since 1 July 2016 (AS 2016 1725).
Art. 49 Risk diversification
Art. 50 Liquidity
(Art. 52 FMIA)
1The following are deemed to constitute liquidity in a currency as set out in Article 52 paragraph 1 FMIA:
- a.
- cash balances in this currency with a central bank or a creditworthy financial institution;
- b.
- cash balances in other currencies that can be converted into this currency in a timely manner through foreign exchange transactions;
- c.
- contractually committed and approved unsecured lines of credit in this currency with a creditworthy financial institution that can be used without any further credit decision;
- d.
- collateral in accordance with Article 49 FMIA and assets that can be converted into cash in this currency in a timely manner through sales;
- e.
- collateral in accordance with Article 49 FMIA and assets that can be converted into cash in this currency in a timely manner by means of contractually committed and secured lines of credit or contractually committed repo lines with central banks or creditworthy financial institutions.
2The central counterparty shall regularly review compliance with the requirements set out in Article 52 paragraph 1 FMIA under various stress scenarios. In doing so, it shall apply collateral discounts (haircuts) to the liquidity that would be appropriate even under extreme but plausible market conditions. It shall diversify its sources of liquidity.
3The investment strategy of the central counterparty must be in harmony with its risk management strategy. It must avoid concentration risks.
Art. 51 Portability
(Art. 55 FMIA)
1Portability is ensured if:
- a.
- the transfer is enforceable in the relevant jurisdictions; and
- b.
- the other participant has an obligation towards the indirect participant to assume the latter's collateral and positions.
2If a transfer cannot take place by the deadline set by the central counterparty, the central counterparty may take all precautions in accordance with its regulations to actively manage the risks with respect to the positions in question, including the liquidation of assets and collateral of the participant in default who holds this for the account of an indirect participant or its clients.
Chapter 4 Central Securities Depositories
Art. 52 Organisation
(Art. 8 FMIA)
1The central securities depository shall set up a user committee for every securities settlement system operated by it, on which the issuers and participants in these securities settlement systems are represented.
2The user committee shall advise the central securities depository in key matters affecting issuers and participants.
Art. 53 Principles for the custody, recording and transfer of securities
(Art. 62 FMIA)
Central securities depositories that use a common settlement infrastructure shall establish identical times for:
- a.
- the entry of payment and transfer orders into the system of the common settlement infrastructure;
- b.
- the irrevocability of payment and transfer orders.
Art. 54 Collateral
(Art. 64 FMIA)
1The central securities depository must have sufficient collateral in order to fully cover its current credit exposure.
2It shall avoid concentration risks in the collateral and shall ensure that it can have prompt access to the collateral.
3It shall make provision for procedures by means of which it can review the models and parameters on which its risk management is based, and shall conduct these reviews on a regular basis.
4If it holds its own assets or the collateral and assets of participants with third parties, it shall minimise the associated risks. In particular, it shall hold the collateral and assets with creditworthy financial intermediaries which, insofar as possible, are subject to supervision.
Art. 55 Exchange-of-value settlement
(Art. 66 FMIA)
1The central securities depository must hold total capital in the amount 8.0% (minimum capital requirement) to underpin credit risks, non-counterparty-related risks, market risks and operational risks in accordance with Article 42 CAO1. FINMA may demand additional capital in accordance with Article 45 CAO. Titles 1 to 3 CAO apply to the calculation.2
2For all other matters, Article 48 paragraphs 3 to 6 apply by analogy.
1 SR 952.03
2 Amended by Attachment No 2 to the Ordinance of 11 May 2016, in force since 1 July 2016 (AS 2016 1725).
Art. 57 Risk diversification
Art. 58 Liquidity
(Art. 75 FMIA)
1The trade repository must do the following with respect to the reported data:
- a.
- record it immediately and completely;
- b.
- save it both online and offline;
- c.
- copy it to an appropriate extent.
2It shall record all changes to the reported data, providing information on:
- a.
- at whose request the change was made;
- b.
- the reasons for the change;
- c.
- the time the change was made;
- d.
- and providing a clear description of the change.
Chapter 5 Trade Repositories
Art. 61 Publication of data
(Art. 82 FMIA)
1The payment system shall ensure the proper and lawful clearing and settlement of payment obligations.
2It shall specify the time:
- a.
- after which a payment order is irrevocable and may no longer be changed;
- b.
- when a payment is settled.
3Payment systems that use a common settlement infrastructure shall establish identical times for:
- a.
- the entry of payment orders into the system of the common settlement infrastructure;
- b.
- the irrevocability of payment orders.
4The payment system shall settle payments in real time if possible, but at the latest at the end of the value day.
Chapter 6 Payment Systems
Art. 67 Collateral
(Art. 82 FMIA)
In the case of systemically important payment systems, the capital must suffice to implement the plan set out in Article 72, but must at least be sufficient to cover ongoing operating expenditure for six months.
2If this is impossible or impractical, it shall use a means of payment which carries no or only low credit and liquidity risks. It shall minimise these risks and monitor them on an ongoing basis.
3Where exchange-of-value settlement is concerned, the payment system shall enable participants to eliminate their principal risk by ensuring that the settlement of one obligation occurs if and only if the settlement of the other obligation is guaranteed.
4It shall make provision for procedures by means of which it can review the models and parameters on which its risk management is based, and shall conduct these reviews on a regular basis.
5If it holds its own assets or the collateral and assets of participants with third parties, it shall minimise the associated risks. In particular, it shall hold the collateral and assets with creditworthy financial intermediaries which, insofar as possible, are subject to supervision.
Art. 70 Liquidity
(Art. 84 para. 1 FMIA)
1The audit firm of the financial market infrastructure shall review whether the latter fulfils the relevant duties as set forth in legislation, this Ordinance and its own contractual basis.
2The audit firm of the trading venue shall coordinate its audit with the latter's trading supervisory body and shall pass on its audit reports to this body.
2It shall invest its financial resources solely in cash or in liquid financial instruments with a low market and credit risk.
3It shall regularly review compliance with the requirements set out in paragraph 1 under various stress scenarios. In doing so, it shall apply collateral discounts (haircuts) to the liquidity that would be appropriate even under extreme but plausible market conditions. It shall diversify its sources of liquidity.
4The investment strategy of the payment system must be in harmony with its risk management strategy. It must avoid concentration risks.
Chapter 7 Supervision and Oversight
Art. 72 Voluntary authorisation return
(Art. 86 FMIA)
1Systemically important financial market infrastructures shall draw up a plan as to how their systemically important business processes are to be terminated in an orderly way in the event of a voluntary cessation of business. The orderly wind-down plan shall take into account the period of time required for the participants to sign up to an alternative financial market infrastructure. It must be approved by the body responsible for governance, supervision and control.
2Paragraph 1 also applies if the cessation of a systemically important business process does not lead to the return of the authorisation.
Chapter 8 Insolvency Law Provisions
Art. 73 System protection
(Art. 92 FMIA)
1The following contracts in particular may be postponed:
- a.
- contracts on the purchase, sale, repurchase and lending of securities and book-entry securities and on trading in options on securities and book-entry securities;
- b.
- contracts on the purchase and sale with future delivery of commodities and on trading in options on commodities or on commodity deliveries;
- c.
- contracts on the purchase, sale or transfer of goods, services, rights or interest at a price and future date determined in advance (futures trades/forward trading);
- d.
- contracts on swap transactions relating to currencies, precious metals, loans and securities, book-entry securities, commodities and their indices.
2The financial market infrastructure shall ensure that new agreements or amendments to existing agreements which are subject to foreign law or envisage a foreign jurisdiction are agreed only if the counterparty recognises a postponement of the termination of agreements in accordance with Article 30a BankA.
Title 3 Market Conduct
Chapter 1 Derivatives Trading
Section 1 General
Art. 76 Collective investment schemes
(Art. 93 para. 2 lit. e and f FMIA)
Whether a collective investment scheme counts as a financial counterparty or as a small financial counterparty is determined on the basis of the OTC derivatives transactions carried out for its own account in accordance with Article 99 FMIA, regardless of whether it can be ascribed legal personality or not.
Art. 77 Companies
(Art. 93 para. 3 FMIA)
1Under the FMIA, a company is deemed to be any legal entity entered in the commercial register.
2Also classified as companies are foreign companies engaged in economic activities that are legal entities according to the law applicable to them, as well as trusts and similar constructs.
Art. 78 Branches
(Art. 98 para. 3 FMIA)
Derivatives transactions intended to reduce risks are directly associated with the business activity, liquidity management or asset management of the non-financial counterparty if they:
- a.
- serve to hedge the risks of a change in value of assets or liabilities which the non-financial counterparty or its group can reasonably be considered to hold, in keeping with its business activity;
- b.
- serve to hedge the risks to the value of assets and liabilities that result from indirect repercussions of fluctuations in interest rates, inflation rates, currency movements or credit risks;
- c.
- are recognised as hedging transactions according to an accounting standard that is recognised under Article 1 of the Ordinance of 21 November 20121 on Recognised Accounting Standards; or
- d.
- are concluded as fixed hedging transactions in the context of the management of business risks (portfolio hedging or macro hedging) or are concluded according to the approximation method (proxy hedging) in keeping with recognised international standards.
- a.
- The derivatives transaction serves the sole purpose of hedging interest rate or currency risks arising from the covered bond for the cover pool.
- b.
- The derivatives transaction is not terminated in the event of restructuring or bankruptcy proceedings brought against the covered bond issuer or the legal entity of the cover pool.
- c.
- The counterparty of the covered bond issuer or of the legal entity of the cover pool is at least pari passu with the covered bond creditors, except in cases where:
- 1.
- the counterparty is the defaulting or affected party; or
- 2.
- the counterparty renounces pari passu status.
- d.
- The other derivatives transactions entered into as part of the netting set are linked to the cover pool.
- e.
- The cover pool's collateral ratio is at least 102%.2
1 Amended by No I of the O of 5 July 2017, in force since 1 Aug. 2017 (AS 2017 3715).
2 Inserted by No I of the O of 5 July 2017, in force since 1 Aug. 2017 (AS 2017 3715).
Section 2 Clearing via a Central Counterparty
Art. 88 Thresholds
(Art. 100 FMIA)
1The following thresholds apply to the average gross positions in outstanding OTC derivatives transactions of non-financial counterparties:
- a.
- credit derivatives: CHF 1.1 billion;
- b.
- equity derivatives: CHF 1.1 billion;
- c.
- interest rate derivatives: CHF 3.3 billion;
- d.
- currency derivatives: CHF 3.3 billion;
- e.
- commodity derivatives and other derivatives: CHF 3.3 billion.
2Where the average gross position of all outstanding OTC derivatives transactions of financial counterparties are concerned, a threshold of CHF 8 billion applies at financial or insurance group level.
Art. 89 Average gross position
(Art. 103 lit. b FMIA)
Non-financial counterparties are subject to appropriate centralised risk evaluation, measurement and control procedures if they maintain professional central treasury operations.
- a.
- has its registered office in a country whose legislation is recognised by FINMA as being equivalent; and
- b.
- the transactions in question are not subject to the clearing duty under the legislation of that country.
Section 3 Reporting to a Trade Repository
Art. 92 Duty
(Art. 104 FMIA)
1Derivatives transactions with parties that are exempted from the provisions on derivatives trading are to be reported by the counterparty subject to the legislation.
2Subject to Article 104 paragraph 4 FMIA, centrally cleared transactions that are traded via a trading venue or an organised trading facility are to be reported by the counterparty closest to the central counterparty in the transaction chain.
3The definition of selling counterparty shall be based on conventional industry and recognised international standards, whereby agreement on another interpretation remains reserved.
4A counterparty may submit data to a trade repository in Switzerland or abroad without the approval of, or without informing, its counterparty or an end client, as long as this is done in fulfilment of the duties set out in Title 3 FMIA, whereby Article 105 paragraph 4 FMIA remains reserved.
Art. 93 Content of reports
(Art. 105 para. 2 FMIA)
Reports are to contain the information set out in Annex 2.
Section 4 Risk Mitigation
Art. 94 Duties
(Art. 108 lit. a FMIA)
1The contractual terms must be reciprocally confirmed at the latest within two business days of the conclusion of the OTC derivatives transaction in question.
2OTC derivatives transactions concluded after 4 p.m. must be confirmed at the latest within three business days of the transaction being concluded.
3The deadlines that apply for complex transactions and small counterparties shall be extended by one business day.
4The counterparties may agree that an OTC derivatives transaction should also be considered confirmed if one of the counterparties does not raise any objection to a unilateral confirmation.
Art. 96 Portfolio reconciliation
(Art. 108 lit. b FMIA)
1The details for reconciling the portfolios must be agreed prior to completing an OTC derivatives transaction.
2The portfolio reconciliation shall encompass the key terms of the concluded OTC derivatives transactions and their valuation.
3It may also be carried out by a third party appointed by one of the counterparties.
4It must be carried out:
- a.
- every business day if there are 500 or more OTC derivatives transactions outstanding between the counterparties;
- b.
- once a week if there are between 51 and 499 OTC derivatives transactions outstanding between the counterparties at any point during the week;
- c.
- once a quarter if there are 50 or less OTC derivatives transactions outstanding between the counterparties at any point during the quarter.
5Derivatives not covered by the clearing duty under Article 101 paragraph 3 letter b FMIA are not factored in for purposes of determining outstanding transactions in accordance with paragraph 4.
Art. 97 Dispute resolution
(Art. 108 lit. c FMIA)
1The place of jurisdiction and the applicable law for any disputes must be agreed at the latest when an OTC derivatives transaction is concluded.
2Procedures are to be set out in the agreement:
- a.
- for the identification, recording and monitoring of disputes in connection with the recognition or valuation of the transaction and the exchange of collateral between the counterparties; the record of the dispute has to encompass at least how long the dispute has been going on for up to that point, the counterparty and the disputed amount;
- b.
- for the swift resolution of disputes and for a special process for disputes that cannot be resolved within five business days.
Art. 98 Portfolio compression
(Art. 109 FMIA)
1Market conditions that do not permit the valuation of OTC derivatives transactions are deemed to hold sway if:
- a.
- the market in question is inactive; or
- b.
- the range of plausible fair value estimates is significant and the probabilities of the various estimates cannot be reasonably assessed.
2A market for an OTC derivatives transaction is viewed as inactive if:
- a.
- the quoted prices are not automatically and regularly available; and
- b.
- the prices available do not represent market transactions that take place regularly and under standard market conditions.
3If a valuation is permissible on the basis of model prices, the model must:
- a.
- take into consideration all factors that the counterparties would take into account when determining a price, including the greatest possible use of market valuation information;
- b.
- be in line with recognised economic processes for determining the prices of financial instruments;
- c.
- be calibrated using the prices of observable latest market transactions with the same financial instrument, be reviewed with respect to its validity or be based on available and observable market data;
- d.
- be monitored and validated independently as part of internal risk management processes;
- e.
- be properly documented and approved by the management body, the executive management or a risk committee delegated by the latter, and be reviewed at least once a year.
Art. 100 Duty to exchange collateral
(Art. 110 FMIA)
1If counterparties have to exchange collateral, this shall take the form of:
- a.
- an initial margin that is suitable for protecting the transaction partners from the potential risk that there could be market price changes during the closing and replacement of the position in the event of default on the part of a counterparty; and
- b.
- a variation margin that is suitable for protecting the transaction partners from the ongoing risk of market price changes following execution of the transaction.
2The duty to supply an initial margin applies only to counterparties whose aggregated month-end average gross position of OTC derivatives not cleared through a central counterparty, including derivatives in accordance with Article 107 paragraph 2 letter b of the FinMIA, is greater than CHF 8 billion at group or financial or insurance group level for the months of March, April and May of the year; in this regard, intra-group transactions are not counted several times from the viewpoint of each group company.
3The duty under paragraph 2 always applies for the entirety of the subsequent calendar year.
1 Amended by No I of the O of 5 July 2017, in force since 1 Aug. 2017 (AS 2017 3715).
Art. 100a Exceptions to the duty to exchange collateral
(Art. 110 FinMIA)
1The exchange of initial margins and variation margins may be waived if:
- a.
- the collateral to be exchanged would amount to less than CHF 500,000;
- b.
- small non-financial counterparties are involved in the transaction.
2The exchange of initial margins may be waived if such margins would have to be provided for the currency components of currency derivatives where the nominal amount and interest in one currency are exchanged against the nominal amount and interest in another currency at a predefined time and according to a predefined method.
3If one of the counterparties to a derivatives transaction is a covered bond issuer or a legal entity of a cover pool for covered bonds, that counterparty may, subject to the conditions set out in Article 86 paragraph 3, agree with its counterparty that:
- a.
- an exchange of initial margins will be dispensed with; or
- b.
- the covered bond issuer or the legal entity of a cover pool for covered bonds will pay no variation margins, and the counterparty will pay variation margins in cash.
1 Inserted by No I of the O of 5 July 2017, in force since 1 Aug. 2017 (AS 2017 3715).
Art. 100b Initial margin reduction
(Art. 110 FinMIA)
1The initial margin must be calculated for the first time within one business day of the execution of the derivatives transaction. It must be recalculated regularly, but at least every ten business days.
2If both of the counterparties are in the same time zone, the calculation is to be based on the previous day's netting set. If the two counterparties are not in the same time zone, the calculation is to be based on the netting set transactions that were executed on the previous day before 4pm in the earlier of the two time zones.
3 The initial margin is to be paid on the respective calculation day according to paragraph 1. The customary timeframes apply for settlement.
1 Amended by No I of the O of 5 July 2017, in force since 1 Aug. 2017 (AS 2017 3715).
Art. 101a Timing of variation margin calculation and payment
(Art. 110 FMIA)
1The value of the collateral should be marked down by means of discounts on the market value in accordance with Annex 4.
2 An additional discount of 8% must be applied in cases where:
- a.
- the currency of the initial margin paid is different from the currency agreed for the termination payment;
- b.
- the currency of non-cash variation margins provided is different from the currencies agreed in the derivatives contract, the netting framework agreement or the credit support annex for variation margins.1
3Counterparties may ascertain the discounts that apply using their own estimates of market price and exchange rate volatility if they meet the qualitative and quantitative minimum standards in accordance with Annex 5.
4They shall take measures to:
- a.
- exclude risk concentrations with respect to certain types of collateral;
- b.
- rule out the possibility that the collateral accepted was issued by the collateral provider or a company associated with the collateral provider;
- c.
- avoid key correlation risks with respect to the collateral received.
1 SR 952.03
2 Inserted by No I of the O of 5 July 2017, in force since 1 Aug. 2017 (AS 2017 3715).
3 SR 951.31
1 Amended by No I of the O of 5 July 2017, in force since 1 Aug. 2017 (AS 2017 3715).
1 SR 952.03
2 SR 961.011
3 Repealed by No I of the O of 5 July 2017, with effect from 1 Aug. 2017 (AS 2017 3715).
Art. 106 Cross-border transactions
(Art. 94 para. 2 and 107 FMIA)
1The duty to exchange collateral in the case of cross-border transactions shall also apply, subject to the exemption envisaged in paragraphs 2, 2bis and 2ter, if the foreign counterparty of the Swiss counterparty which has the duty to exchange collateral would also be subject to this duty if it had its registered office in Switzerland.1
2No collateral has to be exchanged if the foreign counterparty:
- a.
- has its registered office in a country whose legislation is recognised by FINMA as being equivalent; and
- b.
- does not have to exchange collateral under the legislation of that country.
2bisThe Swiss counterparty may dispense with the payment of initial margins and variation margins to the foreign counterparty if an independent legal review showed that:
- a.
- the netting or guarantee agreements vis-à-vis the foreign counterparty are not definitely legally enforceable at all times; or
- b.
- agreements on the separation of collateral are not in line with internationally recognised standards.2
2terIt can dispense with requiring the foreign counterparty to pay initial margins and variation margins if the conditions under paragraph 2bis letter a or b are met and:
- a.
- an independent legal review showed that the acceptance of initial or variation margin payments from the foreign counterparty in accordance with the provisions of the FinMIA or this Ordinance would not be possible; and
- b.
- the unsecured transactions concluded and outstanding after the entry into force of the duty to call for the payment of initial margins and variation margins account for less than 2.5% of all OTC derivatives transactions, whereby intra-group transactions are not to be included in the calculation.3
3The other risk mitigation duties that would require the involvement of the counterparty may be fulfilled unilaterally insofar as this corresponds to recognised international standards.
1 Amended by No I of the O of 5 July 2017, in force since 1 Aug. 2017 (AS 2017 3715).
2 Inserted by No I of the O of 5 July 2017, in force since 1 Aug. 2017 (AS 2017 3715).
3 Inserted by No I of the O of 5 July 2017, in force since 1 Aug. 2017 (AS 2017 3715).
Section 5 Trading via Trading Venues and Organised Trading Facilities
Art. 108 Commencement of duty
(Art. 112 FMIA)
The duty to trade a derivatives transaction via a trading venue or organised trading facility in accordance with Article 112 FMIA (platform trading duty) shall apply from the point at which FINMA publishes such a duty for the derivatives transaction in question:
- a.
- after the expiry of six months: for derivatives transactions which participants in an authorised or recognised central counterparty conclude anew with one another;
- b.
- after the expiry of nine months: for derivatives transactions:
- 1.
- which participants in an authorised or recognised central counterparty conclude anew with other financial counterparties, or
- 2.
- which other financial counterparties that are not small conclude anew with one another;
- c.
- after the expiry of 12 months: for all other derivatives transactions concluded anew.
Art. 109 Transactions not subject to the trading duty
(Art. 95 and 112 FMIA)
The platform trading duty may be fulfilled through trading via a foreign organised trading facility if this facility is subject to foreign regulation that has been recognised by FINMA as being equivalent in analogous application of Article 41 FMIA.
2Derivatives transactions with counterparties in accordance with Article 94 paragraph 1 FMIA are not covered by the platform trading duty.
Art. 111 Cross-border transactions
(Art. 94 para. 2 and 114 FMIA)
Cross-border transactions do not have to be traded through a trading venue or an organised trading facility if the foreign counterparty:
- a.
- has its registered office in a country whose legislation is recognised by FINMA as being equivalent;
- b.
- is not subject to the platform trading duty under the legislation of that country.
Art. 112 Intra-group transactions
(Art. 94 para. 2 and 115 FMIA)
For intra-group transactions, Article 91 applies.
Section 6 Documentation and Auditing
Art. 113 Documentation
(Art. 116 and 117 FMIA)
1In the case of non-financial counterparties, the auditor shall review whether these counterparties have taken measures, in particular to comply with the derivatives trading duties set out in Article 113 paragraph 1 letters a to e.
2When carrying out its audit, it shall take account of the principles of risk-oriented review and materiality.
3The auditor in accordance with Article 727 of the Swiss Code of Obligations1 (CO) shall set out the results of its audit in a comprehensive report for the board of directors in accordance with Article 728b paragraph 1 CO.
4The auditor in accordance with Article 727a CO shall inform the responsible body of the audited company of the results of the audit.
5If the auditor identifies violations of the provisions on derivatives trading, it shall incorporate these into its report in accordance with paragraphs 3 and 4. It shall set a deadline for rectification of the reported violations.
1 Amended by Annex 1 No II 14 of the Financial Institutions Ordinance of 6 Nov. 2019, in force since 1 Jan. 2020 (AS 2019 4633).
2 Amended by Annex 1 No II 14 of the Financial Institutions Ordinance of 6 Nov. 2019, in force since 1 Jan. 2020 (AS 2019 4633).
6If the audited company has not executed any derivatives transactions during the audit period and no derivatives transactions are outstanding at the end of this period, the reports required under paragraphs 3 and 4 may be waived.
7The auditor shall report the violations to the FDF if the company does not remedy the violations in accordance with paragraph 5 by the deadline set, or if it repeats these violations.
Chapter 2 Disclosure of Shareholdings
Art. 115
(Art. 120 FMIA)
1The equity securities of a company having its registered office abroad are deemed to be mainly listed in Switzerland if the company has to fulfil at least the same duties for its listing and maintenance of its listing on a stock exchange in Switzerland as companies having their registered office in Switzerland.
2The stock exchange shall publish which equity securities of companies having their registered office abroad are mainly listed in Switzerland.
3Companies having their registered office abroad whose equity securities are mainly listed in Switzerland must publish the current total number of equity securities issued and the associated voting rights.
Chapter 3 Public Takeover Offers
Art. 116 Main listing
(Art. 126 para. 5 FMIA)
1The Swiss Takeover Board shall also levy a fee if it has to make a decision in other circumstances relating to takeovers, particularly on whether or not a duty to make an offer exists. It may also levy a fee for reviewing requests for information.
2The fee shall amount to up to CHF 50,000 depending on the scope and complexity of the case in question.
3If the applicant subsequently submits a takeover offer after a committee has made a decision, the Swiss Takeover Board may subtract this amount from the fee set out in Article 117.
3The fee shall amount to at least CHF 50,000 and a maximum of CHF 250,000. In special cases, the fee may be reduced or increased by up to 50% depending on the scope and complexity of the transaction in question.
4If securities listed on the stock exchange are offered for exchange, the total amount of the offer shall be ascertained on the basis of the volume-weighted average closing price over the last 60 trading days prior to submission of the offer, or prior to the offer being reported to the Swiss Takeover Board. For illiquid or unlisted securities, the fee shall be ascertained on the basis of the auditor's valuation.
5In special cases, in particular if the target company or a qualified shareholder causes the Swiss Takeover Board an unusual amount of work, the Swiss Takeover Board may also require the target company or the qualified shareholder to pay a fee. This shall amount to at least CHF 20,000, but no more than the fee payable by the offeror.
Art. 119 Advance payment of fees
(Art. 137 FMIA)
1If the offeror brings an action against the company in an attempt to have the latter's outstanding equity securities cancelled, the court shall make this known to the public and inform the remaining shareholders that they may participate in the proceedings. In this respect, it shall set a timeframe of at least three months, beginning on the day of the first announcement.
2The announcement shall be published three times in the Swiss Official Gazette of Commerce. In special cases, the court may arrange for appropriate publication in another manner.
3If shareholders participate in the proceedings, they shall be independent of the defendant company in their litigious acts.
4Notice of the cancellation must be published immediately in the Swiss Official Gazette of Commerce, as well as elsewhere at the court's discretion.
Chapter 4 Exceptions to the Ban on Insider Trading and Market Manipulation
Art. 122 Subject matter
(Art. 142 para. 2 and 143 para. 2 FMIA)
1Article 123 paragraphs 1 and 2 shall not apply to the buyback of own equity securities if the buyback programme is announced or the buyback of own equity securities occurs:
- a.
- while the issuer postpones the announcement of a price-relevant fact in keeping with stock exchange provisions;
- b.
- during the ten trading days prior to the public announcement of financial results; or
- c.
- more than nine months after the reference date of the last published consolidated closing accounts.
2The buyback at market price remains reserved if this is undertaken by:
- a.
- a securities firm that was commissioned prior to the start of the buyback programme, and the security firm's decisions are made within the parameters originally prescribed by the issuer without the latter having any further influence;
- b.
- a trading unit that is segregated with information barriers, insofar the issuer itself is a securities firm.
3The parameters under paragraph 2 letter a must have been set prior to publication of the buyback offer and may be adjusted once a month for the duration of the buyback programme. If the parameters are set or adjusted within one of the periods set out in paragraph 1, the buyback may be performed only after a waiting period of 90 days.
4It is assumed that Article 142 paragraph 1 letter a and Article 143 paragraph 1 FMIA are not violated if the purchase price paid on a separate trading line is a maximum of 2% higher than:
- a.
- the last closing price achieved on the regular trading line; or
- b.
- the best current bid price on the regular trading line, provided this is below the price referred to under letter a;
Art. 125 Content of buyback notices
(Art. 142 para. 2 FMIA)
The communication of insider information to a person does not fall under Article 142 paragraph 1 letter b FMIA if:
- a.
- this person requires the insider information in order to fulfil his or her statutory or contractual obligations; or
- b.
- the communication is required with regard to the conclusion of a contract and the information holder:
- 1.
- makes it clear to the information recipient that the insider information may not be exploited, and
- 2.
- documents the disclosure of the insider information and the clarification under item 1 above.
2Paragraph 1 may also be declared applicable to securities transactions carried out by the following parties as long as the transactions are carried out in connection with public tasks and not for investment purposes, and as long as reciprocal rights are granted and an exception does not stand in contradiction to the legislative purpose:
- a.
- foreign central banks;
- b.
- the ECB;
- c.
- official bodies or state departments that are responsible for or involved in administering the national debt;
- d.
- the EFSF;
- e.
- the ESM.
3The FDF shall publish a list of the bodies covered by paragraph 2.
Title 4 Transitional and Final Provisions
Art. 129 Financial market infrastructures
1The duty to report to a trade repository under Article 104 FMIA must be fulfilled at the latest:
- a.
- within six months of the first authorisation or recognition of the trade repository by FINMA: for derivatives transactions outstanding at this point if the person obliged to report is not a small financial counterparty or a central counterparty;
- b.
- within nine months of the first authorisation or recognition of the trade repository by FINMA: for derivatives transactions outstanding at this point if the person obliged to report is a small financial counterparty or a non-financial counterparty which is not small;
- c.
- by 1 January 2024: for derivatives transactions outstanding at this point in all other cases.1
2The deadlines set out in paragraph 1 shall be extended by six months in each case for the reporting of derivatives transactions that are traded via trading venues or via the operator of an organised trading facility.
3In special cases, FINMA may extend the timeframes set out in this Article.
1 Amended by No I of the O of 14 Sept. 2018, in force since 1 Jan. 2019 (AS 2018 3377).
Art. 131 Risk mitigation duties
The amendment of other legislative instruments is set out in Annex 1.
2The Federal Department of Home Affairs may extend the timeframe set out in this paragraph 1 in order to take account of recognised international standards and foreign legal developments.
1 Amended by No I of the O of 5 July 2017, in force since 1 Aug. 2017 (AS 2017 3715).
2 SR 831.40
3 Amended by No I of the FDFA O of 28 June 2019, in force since 31 Aug. 2019 (AS 2019 2577).
3The duty to exchange collateral in accordance with Article 110 of the FinMIA applies only to derivatives transactions concluded after the duties under paragraphs 4 and 5bis have entered into force.1
4The duty to exchange variation margins shall apply:
- a.
- from 1 September 2016: for counterparties whose aggregated month-end average gross position of non-centrally-cleared OTC derivatives at group or financial or insurance group level for the months of March, April and May 2016 is greater than CHF 3,000 billion;
- b.
- from 1 September 2017: for all other counterparties.
5The duty to exchange initial margins shall apply for counterparties whose aggregated month-end average gross position of non-centrally-cleared OTC derivatives at group or financial or insurance group level:
- a.
- is greater than CHF 3,000 billion for each of the months of March, April and May 2016: from 1 September 2016;
- b.
- is greater than CHF 2,250 billion for each of the months of March, April and May 2017: from 1 September 2017;
- c.
- is greater than CHF 1,500 billion for each of the months of March, April and May 2018: from 1 September 2018;
- d.
- is greater than CHF 750 billion for each of the months of March, April and May 2019: from 1 September 2019;
- dbis.2
- is greater than CHF 50 billion for each of the months of March, April and May 2020: from 1 September 2020;
- e.3
- is greater than CHF 8 billion for each of the months of March, April and May 2020: from 1 September 2021.4
- 5bisThe duty to exchange collateral applies from 4 January 2020 for non-centrally cleared OTC derivatives transactions that are options on individual equities, index options or similar equity derivatives such as derivatives on baskets of equities.5
6FINMA may extend the timeframes set out in this Article in order to take account of recognised international standards and foreign legal developments.
1 Amended by No I of the O of 5 July 2017, in force since 1 Aug. 2017 (AS 2017 3715).
2 Inserted by Annex 1 No II 14 of the Financial Institutions Ordinance of 6 Nov. 2019, in force since 1 Jan. 2020 (AS 2019 4633).
3 Amended by Annex 1 No II 14 of the Financial Institutions Ordinance of 6 Nov. 2019, in force since 1 Jan. 2020 (AS 2019 4633).
4 Amended by No I of the O of 5 July 2017, in force since 1 Aug. 2017 (AS 2017 3715).
5 Inserted by No I of the O of 5 July 2017, in force since 1 Aug. 2017 (AS 2017 3715).
Art. 135 Commencement
This Ordinance comes into force on 1 January 2016.