Crowdfunding became a popular way of
raising capital for the investors who want to
open a company in Switzerland. The
crowdfunding system functions by
obtaining small amounts of money from
natural persons and legal entities that want to
invest in a particular business registered here. The
crowdfunding sector provides certain regulations and the legislation on this matter was recently modified, on 1st of August 2017.
Our team of agents in company formation in Switzerland can offer in-depth assistance on the
registration of a crowfunding business in this country.
Crowdfunding sector in Switzerland
The crowdfunding sector in Switzerland increased rapidly in the last years. At the level of 2015, Switzerland registered 1,342 crowdfunding campaigns, which accounted for CHF 27,3 million. In 2016, the market registered an important increase on the crowdfunding campaigns, which reached a total of 3,098.
Investors interested to start the procedure of
company registration in Switzerland should know that in the following year, the value of the
crowdfunding market increased to
CHF 128,2 million and that in
April 2016, the country had
50 crowdfunding platforms. This represented an increase of
10 platforms compared to the previous year.
Our team of consultants in company formation in Switzerland can provide further information on the legal manner in which
crowdfunding activities can be developed here.
Regulations for Swiss crowdfunding
Swiss companies operating in the
crowdfunding industry may need to
obtain a business license depeding on the specific objects of the respective business. The field falls under the regulations of the
Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA), which has to prescribe
business licenses for
plaforms that perform one of the following activities:
• accepting funds for a commercial activity;
•
channeling funds on an operator’s account, in the situation in which the operator will provide a
professional service.
On
1st of August 2017, the local authorities have enacted a
new Banking Ordinance, imposing new regulations for
crowdfunding platforms. For example,
companies requesting
funds from investors can
accept debt capital from more than
20 lenders, in specific conditions.