On October 1st 2026, a major federal reform designed to enhance the transparency of legal entities and strengthen the fight against money laundering will take effect. Whilst the new obligations arising from the Act on the Transparency of Legal Persons and the Identification of Beneficial Owners are relatively straightforward to identify, the revision of the Anti-Money Laundering Act raises several questions for real estate professionals. Here is an overview

As of January 1st, 2025, articles 684a (for public limited company) and 787a (for limited liability companies) of the Swiss Code of Obligations prohibit, on pain of nullity, the transfer of dormant companies intended to circumvent the rules on the establishment or liquidation of companies. While this reform legitimately targets certain abusive practices, in particular the acquisition of companies with no assets in order to circumvent legal requirements, its