Class actions in Switzerland?

While our civil procedural law is designed for the classic two-party procedure, in practice cases - as illustrated by the prominent example of the VW exhaust gas scandal - in which a large number of aggrieved parties are confronted with an economically powerful defendant (e.g. large company) are increasing. Please read the detailed article (in German) by our SwissLegal specialists to find out which developments are currently underway in Swiss civil procedural law in order to handle liability proceedings for mass claims more efficiently and in a more concentrated manner in the future.

Source: Zürcher Tagesanzeiger of 17.04.2019, in the supplement FOKUS Rechtsguide 2019, page 5.

Class actions in Switzerland? (380 KB), pdf

Update

28 Aug 2026

The Swiss Transparency Register Is Coming: What SMEs Should Do Now to Prepare

On October 1, 2026, the revised Anti-Money Laundering Act and the new Federal Act on the Transparency of Legal Entities and the Identification of Beneficial Owners—the TJPG for short—will take effect. The transparency register is legally governed by the TJPG and maintained by the Federal Office of Justice. This change by no means affects only banks or other financial intermediaries. In the future, the majority of Swiss stock corporations, limited liability companies, and cooperatives will be required to identify, verify, and document their beneficial owners and report them to the new registry.