- License is required to continuously accept deposits from the public on a commercial basis (an activity reserved for banks with some exceptions)
- A company is considered a ”bank” if it is mainly active in the financial sector:
- accepts deposits over CHF 100 million on a commercial basis (or publicly advertises as doing so), or
- accepts deposits up to CHF 100 million on a commercial basis (or publicly advertises as doing so) but invests or gives interests on the deposits
- “Banks” are required to obtain a license from FINMA before engaging in business operations
- Founding minimum capital (fully paid-in): CHF 10 million or more (unless exception applies)
