COREDO > Licensing > Crypto Licence > Crypto Licence in Switzerland

Crypto Licence in Switzerland

Switzerland is one of the world’s leading jurisdictions for cryptocurrency businesses and blockchain projects, known for its Crypto Valley and advanced financial infrastructure. The country offers a flexible and transparent approach to crypto-asset regulation through SRO membership and FINMA licensing, creating favourable conditions for innovative companies.

Since 2016, COREDO has been assisting crypto projects in Switzerland, helping clients choose the optimal regulatory model and obtain the necessary status or licence for working with digital assets.

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Cost of the service
from EUR 42,000

Legal and Regulatory Framework

Swiss legislation in the field of crypto assets is based on several key regulatory acts. The Federal Law on the Adaptation of Federal Legislation to the Development of Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT Act), which came into force in 2021, established legal foundations for working with digital assets, including protection of client crypto assets in case of custodian bankruptcy. The Federal Law on Combating Money Laundering (AMLA) applies to all financial intermediaries’ operations with crypto assets—when working with digital currencies, the same client identification (KYC) and beneficial owner determination obligations apply as with fiat money operations.

Supervision is carried out by FINMA (Eidgenössische Finanzmarktaufsicht)—the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority. FINMA not only issues licences but also recognizes and controls the activities of self-regulated organizations (SROs). The SROs recognized by FINMA include, for example, VQF, PolyReg, ARIF, and SO-FIT.

Companies engaged in exchange, brokerage, or transfer of virtual assets are required to join one of the recognized SROs as financial intermediaries. SRO membership ensures compliance with AMLA requirements and allows legal operations with crypto assets, including conversion of digital currencies into fiat funds, provision of custodial services, and management of digital assets.

On 22 October 2025, the Federal Council of Switzerland initiated a public consultation on amendments to the Federal Law on Financial Institutions (FinIA). Consultations concluded on 6 February 2026. The proposed changes provide for the creation of two new licence categories subject to direct FINMA supervision.

Licence for payment institutions (Zahlungsmittelinstitute)

would replace the existing fintech licence and remove the current limitation on deposit volume of 100 million Swiss francs. Such institutions would gain the right to issue stablecoins provided that client funds are properly segregated.

Licence for crypto institutions (Krypto-Institute)

would provide more lenient regulatory requirements compared to the licence for securities traders. Crypto institutions would be able to carry out storage of crypto assets (including staking), client trading, and short-term proprietary trading, as well as cryptocurrency exchange services.

If the new rules are adopted (entry into force is expected no earlier than 2027), SROs would continue to exist under the proposal, but many crypto and fintech companies now affiliated with an SRO would move to direct FINMA supervision. Companies working with client assets, issuing stablecoins, or providing trading services would be required to obtain one of the new FINMA licences.

Types of Activities Permitted Under SRO Membership

SRO membership in Switzerland opens a wide range of digital asset operations. Payment services include processing payments in fiat currencies and cryptocurrencies, transfer of funds and crypto assets (excluding security tokens, securities, and derivatives), as well as receipt and transfer of third-party assets and electronic transfers.

In the field of crypto asset storage, SRO membership allows the use of segregated wallets without restrictions, as well as omnibus wallets up to 1 million Swiss francs with additional notification. A company may conduct ICOs, STOs, and ISPOs, issue stablecoins (at a 1:1 ratio, with bank guarantee, for identified holders), and commodity-backed tokens.

Membership also allows exchange of fiat currencies for cryptocurrency and vice versa, exchange of cryptocurrencies among themselves, brokerage operations and management of crypto assets, issuance and maintenance of payment cards, and credit operations (mortgages, leasing, commercial and consumer loans—some of which require additional authorization). Within a sandbox regime, acceptance of deposits up to 1 million Swiss francs is permitted (without restrictions for institutional investors).

Switzerland and MiCA: Strategy for Entering the EU Market

Regulation MiCA (Regulation (EU) 2023/1114) entered into force in June 2023 and has applied in full since 30 December 2024, establishing uniform rules for providers of crypto asset services in the European Union. The transition period for existing providers ended on 1 July 2026 at the latest—since then, crypto services in the EU can no longer be provided under the transitional regime without a CASP licence.

Switzerland is not an EU member, so Swiss SRO registration or FINMA licence does not provide automatic right to provide services to clients from the EU. For Swiss companies targeting the European market, there are two main paths.

The first path is the reverse solicitation regime: a Swiss company serves a client from the EU only if the client independently initiated the request without any marketing or promotion on the provider’s side. This path is suitable for limited transaction volume but cannot be the basis for large-scale business in the EU.

The second path is obtaining a CASP licence in one of the EU member states. A licence issued by the competent national authority of any EU member state gives the right to provide services throughout all 27 EU countries through the passporting mechanism (notification procedure, Article 65 MiCA). A number of Swiss crypto companies have already used this path: for example, Relai obtained a CASP licence from the AMF (France), and Amina (formerly SEBA Bank) from the FMA (Austria).

COREDO supports clients in both directions: securing SRO membership in Switzerland for operations in the Swiss market and obtaining a CASP licence in one of the EU countries (Czech Republic, Estonia, Lithuania, Slovakia, Poland) for entering the European market with passporting rights.

Advantages of Obtaining an SRO Licence in Switzerland

Switzerland offers crypto companies several significant advantages.

A clear regulatory framework provides transparency and predictability

companies operate within a clear legal framework under the supervision of FINMA and recognized SROs.

A favourable tax system

is expressed in competitive corporate tax rates, especially in the Canton of Zug (around 11.9%—one of the lowest in the country), as well as the absence of capital gains tax for private investors.

The developed Crypto Valley ecosystem

brings together more than 1,100 blockchain companies, venture funds, banks (including PostFinance, which launched cryptocurrency support in 2024), accelerators, and leading projects—Ethereum, Solana, Cardano, Tezos, Bitcoin Suisse, Amina, and others.

Government support for innovation

is manifest in the pragmatic approach of authorities that promote business development.

Highly qualified specialists

in finance, technology, and law are available thanks to a developed education system.

Switzerland's political and economic stability

provides a reliable foundation for long-term investment in the crypto sector.

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COREDO Service Costs

Obtaining an SRO Licence

from EUR 42,000 + VAT

Company registration and incorporation in accordance with legislative requirements.
Registered office for one year.
Payment of state fees related to registration (commercial register and notary fees).
Opening a deposit account for capital / wallet audit.
A signatory mandate for one year.
Swiss director service for one year.
Mail setup for one year.
Swiss accounting for one year.
Support for the SRO entry procedure.
SRO application fee.
Preparation of a customised business case and regulatory assessment.
A customised AML policy.
Evaluation of the AML auditor and AML officer.

Additional Services

from EUR 2,900

Company domicile—EUR 3,600 per year.
Director mandate—EUR 7,000 per year; additional work is charged at EUR 360 per hour.
Board member mandate—EUR 10,900 per year; additional work is charged at EUR 470 per hour.
Swiss bank or fintech account opening—EUR 2,900.
SumSub Go-live package—EUR 6,650.
Token classification—EUR 5,250.
SAFT agreement—EUR 4,700.
FINMA non-action letter—EUR 6,800.
Customised Terms & Conditions—EUR 4,100.
MiCA strategy—upon request.
Consulting—EUR 165–460 per hour.
Other requests are considered on a case-by-case basis.

External AML Officer

from EUR 1,100 per month

Full AML coverage by a qualified specialist.
Procedure for admitting an external AML provider to the SRO.
Coverage of SRO expenses for AML officer certification.
Coverage of SRO expenses in case of a change of AML officer.
Regular updates to AML policies.
Preparation of quarterly reports for management.
Access to a secure data exchange platform on a Swiss server (fees included).
Regular updates on relevant regulatory changes in Switzerland.
Access to the network and partner.

All prices are exclusive of VAT. The payment schedule is set out in the service agreement.

Company and Team Requirements

To obtain SRO membership in Switzerland, the following requirements must be met.

Requirement	Details
Authorised capital — GmbH (limited liability company)	At least CHF 20,000.
Authorised capital — AG (joint-stock company)	At least CHF 100,000.
Capital contribution	Permitted in cryptocurrency; capital may be used in operational activities.
Board of directors	At least one member with sole signing authority who is a resident of Switzerland.
AML officer	Must be located in Switzerland; if this function is delegated to an external provider, their activities must be supervised by a local board member.
Shareholders	May be non-residents.
Registered office	Must be located in Switzerland — both for AG and GmbH.
AMLA compliance in full	Client identification, determination of beneficial owners, transaction monitoring, compliance with the Travel Rule (with CHF 0 application threshold), and reporting of suspicious transactions to MROS (Money Laundering Reporting Office Switzerland).

Required Documents

To begin work with COREDO, you must provide:

three versions of the company name;

scans of passport and identity card or driver’s license of all directors, founders, and beneficial owners;

proof of address (bank statement, utility bill or phone bill, issued no more than three months ago);

proof of origin of funds (bank statement for three months or tax return);

description of business model;

information about management and AML officer (resume);

completed and signed KYC form;

additional documents necessary for company registration.

For submission of an application to the SRO, corporate documents, description of financial services, application form, business case describing the business model, AML policies and regulatory assessment, as well as other documents depending on the specific business model will be required.

SRO Membership Procedure

The procedure for obtaining an SRO licence in Switzerland includes two main stages: preparation (steps 1–3, about 2–4 weeks) and the SRO review.

Shaping the business case.

COREDO specialists develop the business case describing the business model, together with the regulatory assessment the SRO application requires.

01

Company and team set-up.

COREDO forms the company structure and team; in parallel, the company is registered and a capital deposit account is opened.

02

AML officer, AML policy and SRO application.

An AML officer based in Switzerland is appointed and an AML auditor engaged; COREDO prepares the customised AML policy and procedures and draws up the application for joining the SRO.

03

SRO review (2–3 months).

The application is reviewed by the chosen self-regulated organization. Timelines may vary depending on the specific case, additional requests from the SRO, or the need to clarify the business model.

04

SRO membership and start of operations.

Once the SRO confirms membership, the company may legally carry out operations with crypto assets as a financial intermediary, applying the AMLA requirements in full.

05

The total time from the start of work to obtaining SRO membership is approximately four months.

Our Experts

The process of obtaining a cryptocurrency licence in Switzerland is supported by leading COREDO specialists. COREDO provides comprehensive support for cryptocurrency projects from company registration to obtaining a licence and post-licensing support.

Pavel Kos

Head of Legal. Has been with COREDO since June 2017 and has headed the legal team since July 2020. Possesses extensive experience in supporting financial licensing projects in the Czech Republic and other EU jurisdictions.

Alena Mach

Executive Director

Nikita Veremeev

Founder & NED

Gregory Lutsenko

Head of Compliance

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between SRO membership and a FINMA licence?

SRO membership allows operating as a financial intermediary in accordance with AMLA requirements—this is suitable for crypto exchanges, brokers, and payment services that do not attract public deposits. A FINMA licence is necessary for more complex business models—banking, asset management, or DLT trading platforms. If the proposed FinIA reform is adopted (entry into force is expected no earlier than 2027), companies working with client assets would be required to obtain a FINMA crypto institution licence.

Does a Swiss SRO licence give the right to operate in the EU?

No. Switzerland is not part of the EU, so SRO membership does not give the right to provide services to clients from EU countries (except in reverse solicitation mode). For full-scale operations in the EU, you need to obtain a CASP licence in one of the member states and use the passporting mechanism. COREDO helps arrange a CASP licence in the Czech Republic, Estonia, Lithuania, Slovakia, and Poland.

What is the minimum authorized capital required to obtain SRO membership?

For a company in the form of GmbH (equivalent of LLC)—CHF 20,000. For AG (equivalent of JSC)—CHF 100,000. Capital contribution in cryptocurrency is permitted, and capital may be used in operational activities.

Which SROs can crypto companies join?

Cryptocurrency companies join one of the SROs recognized by FINMA—for example, VQF, PolyReg, ARIF, or SO-FIT. The choice of a specific SRO depends on the company’s business model and the type of services provided. COREDO helps determine the optimal SRO taking into account the specifics of the project.

What would change under the proposed FinIA reform?

The proposed reform provides for the creation of two new categories of FINMA licences: for payment institutions (right to issue stablecoins) and crypto institutions (storage, trading, exchange of crypto assets). Under the proposal, SROs would remain, but many crypto companies would move from SRO membership to direct FINMA supervision. If adopted, the new rules are expected to take effect no earlier than 2027.

What tax advantages does Switzerland offer to crypto companies?

Corporate tax rates vary by canton—in Zug it is around 11.9% (one of the lowest in the country). Capital gains from crypto assets for private investors are generally not subject to tax. Additionally, Switzerland does not levy VAT on cryptocurrency operations considered as means of payment.

Can COREDO help simultaneously with a licence in Switzerland and the EU?

Yes. COREDO assists clients both in obtaining SRO membership in Switzerland and in obtaining a CASP licence in EU countries (Czech Republic, Estonia, Lithuania, Slovakia, Poland), ensuring a unified approach to both jurisdictions.

Do you still have questions about SRO membership in Switzerland?

If you are planning to launch a cryptocurrency business in Switzerland or expand operations to the European market, COREDO offers a full range of services—from company registration and SRO membership to CASP licensing in the EU and post-licensing support.

Contact us, and our experts will guide you through each stage of licensing, ensuring full compliance with Swiss and European legislation requirements.

COREDO—legal and consulting services in financial regulation.

Phone: +420 228 886 867 | Email: info@coredo.eu

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