Glossary
Supervisory Organisation
A Supervisory Organisation (AO) is a body licensed by FINMA that carries out ongoing supervision of wealth managers and trustees in Switzerland. It monitors compliance with statutory obligations, while FINMA retains the power to grant licences and exercises overall oversight.
At a glance
01
Supervisory organisations are governed by the Financial Market Supervision Act (FINMAG Art. 43a et seq.) and were introduced with the 2020 financial market reform (FINIG/FinSA).
02
Wealth managers must hold a FINMA Licence and affiliate with a Supervisory Organisation.
03
FINMA remains responsible for licensing and enforcement.
Frequently asked questions
FINMA grants licences and exercises overall oversight. The Supervisory Organisation carries out the day-to-day, periodic supervision of individual wealth managers and trustees, monitoring their ongoing compliance with regulatory requirements.
Part of the topic
Selbstständig werden als Vermögensverwalter
Sources: FINMA · Systematische Rechtssammlung (fedlex)